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Creative Car Wrap Ideas That Will Make Your Vehicle Stand Out on the Road

By
SM
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Photo by Art Lasovsky on Unsplash

When it comes to personalizing your vehicle, few methods are as impactful and versatile as a car wrap. Whether you want to show off your personality, advertise your business, or simply turn heads wherever you go, a custom car wrap can make your vehicle truly unique.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore a variety of car wraps Brisbane ideas and provide you with all the information you need to transform your vehicle into a rolling work of art. From choosing the right design to understanding the installation process, we’ve got you covered.

Why Choose a Car Wrap?

One of the primary reasons people opt for car wraps is their versatility. With endless design possibilities, you can create an entirely unique look with Paint protection film Brisbane.

Whether you prefer a sleek, matte finish or a bold, colorful pattern, car wraps can bring your vision to life. Additionally, wraps provide a layer of protection against scratches and UV rays, helping to preserve your vehicle’s original paint job.

Additionally, various car wraps, such as standard vinyl and paint protection film (PPF), offer a layer of protection against scratches and UV rays, helping to preserve your vehicle’s original paint job. For those interested in enhanced durability, understanding the cost of options like PPF is useful.

Creative Car Wrap Ideas

Now that you understand the basics, let’s explore some creative car wrap ideas that will make your vehicle stand out on the road.

Bold Colors and Patterns

Consider a wrap with bold colors and eye-catching patterns if you want your car to stand out. From neon hues to geometric designs, a vibrant wrap can make a powerful statement.

Matte Finishes

Matte finishes have become increasingly popular for their sleek and modern appearance. Unlike traditional glossy wraps, matte wraps provide a sophisticated look that can make any vehicle appear more luxurious.

Chrome and Metallic Wraps

For a high-impact, futuristic look, chrome and metallic wraps are hard to beat. These wraps reflect light uniquely, creating a shimmering effect that will surely turn heads.

Custom Graphics and Illustrations

Unleash your creativity with custom graphics and illustrations. Whether you want to showcase your favorite art, a personal design, or company logo, custom vehicle wraps allow for endless possibilities.

Whether you’re looking for bold colors, metallic finishes, or bespoke designs, Dallas custom wraps can make your vision a reality. Additionally, local experts are well-versed in the latest installation techniques, ensuring a smooth, bubble-free finish.

Textured Wraps

Textured wraps, such as carbon fiber or brushed metal, add a tactile element to your vehicle’s design. These wraps look great and feel unique to the touch, providing an extra layer of customization.

Themed Wraps

Themed wraps are perfect for fans of specific genres, movies, or hobbies. Themed wraps can reflect your personality and interests. They can have designs based on superheroes or nature.

Vintage Designs

For a timeless and classic look, consider a vintage-inspired wrap. The designs mimic aged paint, retro graphics, and classic racing stripes. They give your vehicle a nostalgic charm.

Minimalist Designs

Sometimes less is more. Minimalist designs focus on simplicity and elegance. They use clean lines and subtle wrap colors to create a refined and understated look.

Seasonal Wraps

Celebrate the changing seasons with a seasonal wrap. Whether it’s a winter wonderland scene or a summer beach vibe, seasonal wraps can keep your vehicle looking fresh and relevant all year round.

Exploring the Car Wrap Ideas

These car wrap ideas offer an incredible opportunity to express your creativity and make your vehicle stand out on the road. With endless design possibilities and practical benefits, it’s no wonder that car wraps have become a popular choice for both personal and commercial vehicles.

For more helpful tips, check out the rest of our site today.

Resource Utilization: What Is It?

By
SM
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A team of workers collaborating around a table, discussing project plans and resource utilization strategies.

Resource Utilization: Maximizing Efficiency and Productivity

Resource utilization is a critical factor in determining the efficiency and effectiveness of organizational operations. It involves managing physical assets, human capital, and financial resources to maximize productivity and minimize waste. Understanding the delicate balance between available resources and the demands of projects or tasks can lead to improved performance and profitability. In this ever-evolving business landscape, mastery of resource utilization can be a significant competitive advantage. Below, we delve into the nuances of resource utilization and provide insights into how businesses can achieve optimal performance through strategic management.

Fundamental Understanding of Resource Utilization

The concept of resource utilization revolves around the use of available resources in a manner that maximizes their potential while minimizing waste. It operates on the principles of efficiency and effectiveness, ensuring the right resources are assigned to the appropriate tasks at the ideal time. This involves physical resources, such as machinery and materials, and human resources, where employee skills and time are allocated judiciously.

At its core, resource utilization is about balancing demand with supply. This means scheduling machinery and labor to meet production targets without overextension in a production environment. In project management, utilization refers to assigning team members with the appropriate skills to tasks that match their abilities, thereby optimizing productivity.

In service industries, resource utilization focuses on maximizing billable hours and aligning the workforce with client needs. Here, workforce efficiency translates directly to revenue, as the more effectively employees are utilized, the greater the returns. It’s about understanding client demands and managing workforce deployment to meet those needs without idle time.

Effective resource utilization requires continuous monitoring and adjustment. Managers must be adept at forecasting demand, scheduling resources accordingly, and shifting gears when unexpected changes occur. This dynamic process demands vigilance and flexibility to ensure that resources are not under or overused.

Key Components of Effective Resource Utilization

Effective resource utilization hinges on several key components. First, there must be clear visibility into available resources. This means understanding the skills, availability, and limitations of the workforce and the capabilities and maintenance schedules of physical assets. Without this foundational knowledge, optimal utilization is unattainable.

Secondly, accurate forecasting is essential. Predicting the scale and scope of future projects or workloads enables organizations to plan resource allocation. Forecasting prevents scenarios where resources are stretched thin or, conversely, remain underutilized. This strategic forward-thinking is what separates successful resource management from mere guesswork.

Communication channels must be robust and open. Team members should feel empowered to provide updates on their availability and any constraints they may face. Similarly, managers must communicate expectations and changes effectively to facilitate a responsive and adaptive environment.

Last but not least is the reliance on data-driven decision-making. Organizations can establish more accurate resource allocation strategies by leveraging historical data and analytics. This data-driven approach can identify trends and inefficiencies, providing a basis for continuous improvement in resource utilization.

Evaluating Resource Utilization in Project Management

Project management is one realm where resource utilization is scrutinized intensely. Project managers deliver projects within time and budget constraints, making resource optimization critical. Evaluating resource utilization in this context involves tracking the time spent on tasks against the planned resource allocation.

Modern teams often use specialized software to keep track of these moving parts. These tools help managers assign tasks and set realistic deadlines based on actual team capacity. Many organizations now look to AI Project Management systems to automate these scheduling decisions. This technology can predict resource bottlenecks before they happen. It allows managers to adjust workloads quickly when project requirements change.

Resource utilization metrics provide a quantitative measure of efficiency. Metrics like utilization rate and capacity planning help managers understand the extent to which human resources are used and the availability of additional work. These metrics serve as a basis for staffing decisions and workload distribution.

Additionally, post-project reviews offer an opportunity to assess how successfully resources were utilized. These reviews can reveal lessons learned and best practices for future projects. Through diligent evaluation and adjustment, project managers are better equipped to predict resource needs and tailor their approach to optimize utilization.

Overall, the drive toward more adept resource utilization underscores the evolving nature of modern business operations. Organizations that master the complex dance of allocation and efficiency stand to reap significant rewards in terms of productivity and profitability. As technological advancements continue to enhance our capacity to manage resources effectively, the potential for growth and innovation is boundless.

John Hunter Nemechek perseveres for second Xfinity victory of 2024 at Nashville

By
Andrew Kim
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LEBANON, TENNESSEE - JUNE 29: John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the #20 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 29, 2024 in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images).

John Hunter Nemechek capitalized on a late restart period with 46 laps remaining and amid humid temperatures to win the Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, June 29.

The 27-year-old Nemechek from Mooresville, North Carolina, led twice for a race-high 76 of 188 scheduled laps in an event where he started 15th and steadily carved his way to the front. After settling in eighth place during the first stage period, he led for the first time on Lap 71 and proceeded to claim the second stage victory.

Despite losing the lead to Cole Custer with 87 laps remaining, Nemechek’s opportunity to reclaim the top spot occurred with 54 laps remaining following a multi-car wreck that involved his teammate Ty Gibbs. Once he restarted on the front row alongside Custer with 46 laps remaining, he reassumed the top spot. He retained it for the remainder of the event as he beat teammate Chandler Smith by three-tenths of a second to grab his second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the 2024 season.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Ty Gibbs notched the second Xfinity pole position of this season and of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 155.072 mph in 30.876 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Cole Custer, the reigning Xfinity Series champion who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 154.816 mph in 30.927 seconds.

Prior to the event, the following names that included Austin Hill, Sheldon Creed, Blaine Perkins, rookie Jesse Love and Jeb Burton 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, Ty Gibbs and Cole Custer dueled for a full lap for the early advantage while the rest of the competitors in the field behind also jostled amongst one another amid two lanes. Amid the tight side-by-side battle, Gibbs would lead the first lap by a hair over Custer as they continued to duel through the frontstretch and entering the first two turns. Gibbs would then muscle his No. 19 He Gets Us Toyota Supra ahead of Custer to have both lanes to his control by the second lap while Ryan Sieg and AJ Allmendinger battled for third place in front of Noah Gragson. Amid the early battles towards the front, Gibbs led by half a second by the fifth lap mark.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Gibbs was leading by a second over Custer followed by Allmendinger, Gragson and Ryan Sieg while Brandon Jones, Justin Allgaier, Riley Herbst, Sammy Smith and Chandler Smith were in the top 10. Behind, John Hunter Nemechek trailed in 11th place ahead of Parker Kligerman, Anthony Alfredo, Jeremy Clements and Tyler Reddick while Sam Mayer, Parker Retzlaff, Ross Chastain, Brennan Poole and Ryan Ellis occupied the top 20 ahead of Kyle Sieg, Sheldon Creed, Austin Hill, Jesse Love and Josh Williams.

Just past the Lap 20 mark, Gibbs added another second to his advantage as he was now leading by two seconds over Custer while Allmendinger, Brandon Jones and Gragson followed suit in the top five. Meanwhile, Allgaier was in sixth place ahead of Ryan Sieg, who lost two spots, while Herbst, Nemechek and Sammy Smith were racing in the top 10.

At the Lap 30 mark, Gibbs continued to extend his advantage as he was up by three seconds over Custer while Allmendinger, Jones and Gragson continued to trail in the top five. Another lap later, Allmendinger took advantage of Custer getting loose entering the backstretch to battle and overtake the latter for the runner-up spot entering Turns 3 and 4. With Custer unable to execute a crossover move to reclaim the spot, Allmendinger was left trailing Gibbs for the lead by three seconds by Lap 35.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Gibbs claimed his second Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Allmendinger settled in second followed by Jones, Custer and Allgaier while Gragson, Herbst, Nemechek, Chandler Smith and Ryan Sieg were scored in the top 10.

Under the stage break, the field led by Gibbs pitted for a first round of service. Following the pit stops, Custer emerged with the lead after he exited pit road first followed by Jones and Herbst while Gibbs exited in fourth place ahead of teammate Nemechek, Allmendinger, Chandler Smith, Hill, Sammy Smith and Ryan Sieg. Amid the pit stops, Kligerman and Sammy Smith were both penalized for speeding on pit road.

The second stage period started on Lap 51 as Custer and Jones occupied the front row. At the start, Custer rocketed his No. 00 Haas Ford Mustang into the lead while Gibbs quickly made his way past Jones for the runner-up spot. Teammate Nemechek would follow suit and overtake Jones for third place prior to the ensuing lap as Herbst, who was battling both radio and cooling issues, and Allmendinger battled for fifth place in front of Chandler Smith, Hill, Gragson and Ryan Sieg.

By Lap 60, Custer stabilized his advantage to four-tenths of a second over Gibbs while Nemechek, Allmendinger and Jones were racing in the top five as Chandler Smith, Herbst, Gragson, Hill and Love trailed in the top 10 by four seconds. Meanwhile, Sammy Smith and Kligerman were mired in 25th and 28th, respectively, while Allgaier was in 13th behind Ryan Sieg and teammate Mayer. In addition, Reddick was in 14th ahead of Creed, rookie Shane van Gisbergen was mired in 20th ahead of teammate Josh Williams and Carson Kvapil was in 26th behind Poole.

Ten laps later, Nemechek overtook Custer for the lead through the first two turns. Despite Custer keeping Nemechek within close distance in his front windshield, Nemechek retained the top spot by the Lap 75 mark while Allmendinger trailed in third place by more than a second. Behind, Gibbs was back in fourth ahead of teammate Chandler Smith and Jones while Gragson and Herbst battled for seventh place.

At the Lap 80 mark, Nemechek stretched his advantage to a second-and-a-half over Custer as Allmendinger started to close in on Custer for the runner-up spot. Meanwhile, Gibbs and Chandler Smith continued to occupy the remaining top-five spots on the track while Gragson was up to sixth ahead of Love, Jones, Herbst and Allgaier.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 90, Nemechek claimed his third Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Allmendinger navigated his way to second ahead of Custer, Gibbs and Chandler Smith while Gragson, Love, Jones, Allgaier and Herbst were scored in the top 10.

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Nemechek returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Nemechek retained the lead after he exited pit road first and was followed by Custer, Allmendinger, Gibbs, Mayer, Allgaier, Hill, Gragson, Chandler Smith and Creed.

With 91 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Nemechek and Custer occupied the front row. At the start, Nemechek rocketed away with the lead while Custer struggled to launch as he stacked up the field through the restart zone. As the field fanned out through the first two turns and the backstretch, Nemechek retained the lead for the following lap ahead of Custer while Allmendinger battled Gibbs to retain third in front of Allgaier, Mayer, Hill and Gragson.

A few laps later, Sammy Smith, who was running in 11th place after recovering from his pit road speeding penalty earlier, pitted under green to address a loose rear wheel to his No. 8 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet Camaro. Amid Smith’s issues that pinned him a lap down, Nemechek retained the lead over a hard-charging Custer. Shortly after, however, Custer overtook Nemechek through the frontstretch to reassume the lead with 87 laps remaining and slightly stretched his advantage to half a second during the proceeding laps.

With 75 laps remaining, Custer stabilized his advantage to a second over Nemechek as Allmendinger, Gibbs and Chandler Smith were in the top five. Behind, Allgaier, who was battling a potential voltage issue, occupied sixth place ahead of Gragson, Mayer, Hill and Ryan Sieg while Creed, Retzlaff, Jones, Alfredo, Kligerman, Reddick, Poole, Williams, van Gisbergen and Herbst all trailed in the top 20.

Another lap later, Allmendinger and Nemechek battled dead even for the runner-up spot. Allmendinger would prevail in the battle for the spot while Custer stretched his advantage to eight-tenths of a second with 70 laps remaining.

With 60 laps remaining, Custer stabilized his advantage to six-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Allmendinger while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Nemechek, Gibbs and Chandler Smith followed suit in the top five. In the process, Allgaier retained sixth ahead of Gragson and Mayer while Hill and Ryan Sieg were scored in the top 10.

Six laps later, the caution flew when Gibbs and Allgaier, both of whom were battling in the top five, made contact as Gibbs was sent sideways by Allgaier toward the outside wall in Turn 4. In the process, Chandler Smith slid up the track and made contact with both the outside wall and Allgaier while trying to avoid the carnage, though all three managed to continue to run straight.

During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Custer pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Custer retained the lead after exiting pit road first while Nemechek, Chandler Smith, Hill, Gragson, Creed, Herbst, Mayer, Allmendinger and Ryan Sieg followed suit in the top 10. Amid the pit stops, Allmendinger exited ninth as he lost seven spots during his pit procedure while Allgaier spent extra time in his pit stall to have a battery changed in his car.

As the event restarted with 46 laps remaining, Custer held a brief advantage through the first two turns before Nemechek reassumed the top spot in his No. 20 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Supra through the backstretch. Teammate Chandler Smith, who would recover from being involved in the previous caution period, made his way into the runner-up spot behind Nemechek as Hill and Gragson also overtook Custer to move up to third and fourth, respectively. Amid a series of late-race battles ensuing around the field, Nemechek retained the lead by three-tenths of a second over teammate Chandler Smith with 40 laps remaining.

With 30 laps remaining, Nemechek, who had debris on his front grille, stabilized his advantage to six-tenths of a second over teammate Chandler Smith while third-place Hill trailed by four seconds. A few laps later, Nemechek would use the lapped competitor of Patrick Emerling to remove the debris, which kept him both on the track and in the lead over Smith.

Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Nemechek continued to lead by eight-tenths of a second over teammate Chandler Smith as Hill, Gragson and Love trailed in the top five by eight seconds. Herbst, Allmendinger, Custer, Mayer and Ryan Sieg trailed in the top 10 while Allgaier, Kvapil, Jones, Reddick and Creed were mired in the top 15. Not long after, however, Creed’s run came to a sour end as he pitted his No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota Supra for a new battery due to his voltage dropping low.

With 10 laps remaining, Nemechek extended his advantage to a second over teammate Chandler Smith. Nemechek kept his advantage running to a second over Smith with five laps remaining as Love, Hill and Gragson followed suit in the top five. In addition, Herbst retained sixth ahead of Allmendinger and Allgaier while Custer and Mayer were in the top 10.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Nemechek remained as the leader by a second over teammate Chandler Smith. Smith then ignited his late charge on Nemechek and managed to cut the deficit down to as low as three-tenths of a second for a full circuit. Smith’s charge, however, was not enough as Nemechek managed to cycle back to the frontstretch and claim the checkered flag for his second Xfinity victory of the 2024 season.

With the victory, Nemechek, who used the Xfinity Nashville event to gain an upper hand for Sunday’s Cup event with Legacy Motor Club, notched his 11th career win in the Xfinity Series, his second in nine starts of the 2024 season, his first since winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March and his first at Nashville Superspeedway.

The victory was also the seventh of the season for both Joe Gibbs Racing and the Toyota nameplate as JGR’s No. 20 entry has been piloted to an Xfinity Victory Lane for the fifth time in 17 events and the second in recent weeks after Christopher Bell piloted the entry to victory a week ago at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“Man, I thought we gave the race away there at the start of Stage 3,” Nemechek said on USA Network “It feels good to be back in this No. 20 machine. We’ve been close to winning a lot this year in this thing. I have limited [Xfinity] starts, so being able to capitalize on that is huge. It’s great to get it done here at Nashville. I’m kind of speechless right now.”

Teammate Chandler Smith settled in second place for his seventh top-five result of the 2024 season while rookie Jesse Love came home in third place for his fourth career top-five result. Austin Hill finished in fourth place for his eighth top-five result of the season while Noah Gragson ended up in fifth place in his second start driving the No. 30 Ford Mustang for Rette Jones Racing.

Riley Herbst, who endured the warm temperatures from start to finish due to his cool shirt failing, settled in sixth place while AJ Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier, Cole Custer and Sam Mayer finished in the top 10.

There were four lead changes for three different leaders. The race featured three cautions for 17 laps. In addition, 23 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap

Following the 17th event of the 2024 Xfinity Series season, Cole Custer continues to lead the regular-season standings by 15 points over Chandler Smith, 48 over Justin Allgaier, 78 over Austin Hill and 118 over Riley Herbst.

Results.

1. John Hunter Nemechek, 76 laps led, Stage 2 winner

2. Chandler Smith

3. Jesse Love

4. Austin Hill

5. Noah Gragson

6. Riley Herbst

7. AJ Allmendinger

8. Justin Allgaier

9. Cole Custer, 64 laps led

10. Sam Mayer

11. Ryan Sieg

12. Carson Kvapil

13. Brandon Jones

14. Tyler Reddick

15. Shane van Gisbergen

16. Parker Kligerman

17. Parker Retzlaff

18. Anthony Alfredo

19. Jeb Burton

20. Ty Gibbs, 48 laps led, Stage 1 winner

21. Brennan Poole

22. Jeremy Clements

23. Ryan Ellis

24. Josh Williams, one lap down

25. Leland Honeyman, one lap down

26. Kyle Sieg, one lap down

27. Ross Chastain, one lap down

28. Hailie Deegan, one lap down

29. Matt DiBenedetto, one lap down

30. Sammy Smith, one lap down

31. Kyle Weatherman, two laps down

32. Logan Bearden, three laps down

33. Sheldon Creed, three laps down

34. Chad Finchum, four laps down

35. Blaine Perkins, four laps down

36. Garrett Smithley, five laps down

37. Dawson Cram, five laps down

38. Patrick Emerling, five laps down

Next on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ second annual The Loop 110 at the Chicago Street Course in Downtown Chicago, Illinois. The event is scheduled for next Saturday, July 6, and will air at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

KALITTA, PROCK & ANDERSON SWEEP QUALIFYING AND MISSION #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE AT SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS

By
Official Release
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M. Smith qualifies No. 1 in PSM, Gadson gets first win in PSM bonus race

NORWALK, Ohio (June 29, 2024) – Top Fuel points leader Doug Kalitta made the fastest run in track history on Saturday at Summit Motorsports Park, picking up the win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and cementing his No. 1 qualifier position at the 18th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Richard Gadson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, while Prock, Anderson and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) qualified No. 1 at the 10th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Kalitta stayed red-hot in the loaded Top Fuel ranks, picking up his first specialty race win of the year, going 3.703-seconds at a track-record 337.16 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Applied Innovation/Toyota dragster to defeat Antron Brown’s 3.755. It was an impressive performance in a stretch that has been filled with them for the defending world champion.

Friday’s track-record run of 3.692 held up as well at the home track for Kalitta Motorsports, handing the veteran his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season and 57th in his career. He opens eliminations against Kyle Wurtzel, looking for his second straight win and third in the past four races.

“This just gets you ready on Saturday to go racing, and we’re having fun. I think all the drivers – and definitely me – we enjoy having the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty race and the format,” Kalitta said.

“The track turned out to be in great shape and the conditions were perfect to put down good numbers. The way my car is running, I’m just trying to get into a good routine. I’m certainly working at that and trying my best to be consistent. So far this weekend, I’ve been pretty steady and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Justin Ashley jumped to the second spot during the final session, going 3.702 at 330.47, while Brown’s 3.717 at 333.33 gave him the third spot. In all, 15 of the 16 qualified dragsters went 3.791 or quicker.

Funny Car’s Austin Prock enjoyed another spectacular Saturday in a year filled with terrific moments, winning his third straight Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, this time over Bob Tasca III with a stellar, track-record pass of 3.853 at 330.55 in his 11,000-horsepower AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. Tasca left the starting line first and delivered a strong 3.882, but Prock tracked him down to stay on an impressive pace in the Funny Car ranks.

The pass was also an improvement from Friday’s provisional No. 1 qualifying run, as the Funny Car points leader earned an incredible seventh No. 1 spot in the first 10 races of the season. After winning the past two races, Prock will also look to make it three in a row, opening eliminations against Joe Morrison. Earlier this month in Bristol, Prock also qualified No. 1, won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and picked up the event win the next day.

“This feels really good, and we’re very blessed to be in this situation,” Prock said. “It’s a lot of hard work that goes into making these race cars run like this one has this year. I’ve said it all year, hats off to my guys, they’re making it easy on me. I can go up there and I believe in my car, and they’re giving me opportunities every weekend. It’s definitely helped my learning curve.

“It’s been a great year; the hard work is showing. Growing up, there was always a saying, ‘races are won in the shop.’ We get to the racetrack and we’re prepared, our ducks are in a row and we’ve got a good notebook. We’re just executing that and trying to race smart and make smart decisions, then leave it up to me to let the pedal out and stomp the gas. It’s all been working out.”

J.R. Todd qualified second with a 3.865 at 332.02, while defending event winner Blake Alexander jumped to third after going 3.874 at 328.14 in the final session.

Anderson also made it a clean sweep through two days in Pro Stock, winning his second straight Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge after going 6.595 at 204.94 in his Summit Racing Equipment/HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro to defeat longtime rival Erica Enders in the finals of the specialty race. After missing out on any bonus race wins since last year, the veteran has now won two in a row.

He also qualified No. 1 for the third time this year on the strength of Friday’s 6.592 at 207.69, putting him in a prime position to sweep the weekend. That would mean a great deal for Anderson, who has 105 career wins and is sporting a special Summit Racing Equipment wrap this weekend. He opens eliminations against Ohio native Larry Morgan.

“This has been a great week. I got here on Wednesday morning, spent all day at Summit and got to chat with all the great employees again. It was great to see them all and it fires you up, it makes you feel good,” Anderson said.

“To come over here to Summit Motorsports Park with the wrap I have on my car, it’s just a proud weekend for me. We’re off to a great start and we had another great day today. The car ran great, and we found our way to another Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win. I guess we’re figuring that deal out. It’s all good and a great tune-up for tomorrow. The Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, that’s what I’m looking forward to, that’s the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for me. I just really, really hope that I can come out tomorrow feeling as well as I did today. I’m looking forward to it.”

Enders, the defending world champion, stayed second, but improved to a 6.601 at 207.15, making that run in the specialty race final. Deric Kramer’s 6.605 at 208.17 from Friday handed him the third spot.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Richard Gadson enjoyed a special moment, picking up his first win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty after going 6.819 at 196.87 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki against John Hall, who beat Gaige Herrera in the opening round. Gadson took down Hector Arana Jr. earlier in the day, getting past Hall’s 6.857 in the finals.

“That round right there, that was big for me, to avenge my teammate. That was big. Before I walked out of the trailer, Gaige said to me, ‘Go do what I couldn’t do.’ That was a little booster,” Gadson said. “I’m having a blast and I just want to thank Mission Foods and NHRA for having this. It gets the juices flowing before Sunday. I love it.

“It gets you into race mode and you start to find your spot, you start to learn how your bike is reacting and how you’re reacting. Typically, you might not be worried about that stuff in qualifying, but it gets you amped up and into race mode. I love the format.”

Matt Smith earned his third No. 1 qualifier in the past four races, as his track-record run of 6.748 at 201.31 from Friday on his Denso Auto Parts/Matt Smith Racing Buell easily held up. The six-time world champion enjoyed another strong effort in qualifying and will now to look to pick up his first win since September of last year. Since then, Herrera has won the past 10 races, but Smith has plenty of momentum heading into Sunday’s eliminations.

“We’ve been No. 1 two other times before this, but we have to get it done on Sunday. We have not done that this year like we need to,” Smith said. “Hopefully we can do that tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be a totally different day from what it looks like. It’s going to be cooler and a lot drier. We’re just trying to get an MSR bike in the final and see if we can win this thing tomorrow.”

Angie Smith qualified second with a 6.798 at 200.26, while Herrera took third with a 6.799 at 198.88.

Eliminations for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday at Summit Motorsports Park.

NORWALK, Ohio — Saturday’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge final results from the 18th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.

Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Top Fuel Challenge — Doug Kalitta, 3.703 seconds, 337.16 mph def. Antron Brown, 3.755 seconds, 328.22 mph.

Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Funny Car Challenge — Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.853, 329.10 def. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.882, 329.50.

Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Pro Stock Challenge — Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.595, 204.94 def. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.619, 205.54.

Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Challenge — Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.819, 196.87 def. John Hall, Beull, 6.857, 197.86.

MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA TOP FUEL CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Antron Brown, 3.717, 333.33 def. Shawn Langdon, 3.739, 335.73; Doug Kalitta, 3.709, 334.90 def. Tony Stewart, 3.752, 326.87;

FINAL — D. Kalitta, 3.703, 337.16 def. A. Brown, 3.755, 328.22.

MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.878, 330.55 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.903, 322.50; Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.888, 326.56 def. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 4.529, 185.26;

FINAL — A. Prock, 3.853, 329.10 def. B. Tasca III, 3.882, 329.50.

MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA PRO STOCK CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.656, 206.13 def. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.660, 204.79; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.611, 204.63 def. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.655, 206.04;

FINAL — G. Anderson, 6.595, 204.94 def. E. Enders, 6.619, 205.54.

MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 9.633, 158.73 def. Hector Arana Jr, 10.148, no speed; John Hall, 6.826, 198.20 def. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.820, 198.58;

FINAL — R. Gadson, 6.819, 196.87 def. J. Hall, 6.857, 197.86.

NORWALK, Ohio — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 18th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, the 10th 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, 3.692 seconds, 337.16 mph vs. 16. Kyle Wurtzel, 3.801, 304.39; 2. Justin Ashley, 3.702, 330.63 vs. 15. Tony Schumacher, 3.791, 327.66; 3. Antron Brown, 3.717, 333.33 vs. 14. Dan Mercier, 3.790, 320.89; 4. Steve Torrence, 3.724, 334.73 vs. 13. Shawn Reed, 3.762, 324.83; 5. Tony Stewart, 3.729, 326.87 vs. 12. Jasmine Salinas, 3.762, 332.02; 6. Shawn Langdon, 3.736, 335.73 vs. 11. Clay Millican, 3.761, 326.24; 7. Tripp Tatum, 3.739, 324.36 vs. 10. T.J. Zizzo, 3.760, 334.40; 8. Doug Foley, 3.739, 319.98 vs. 9. Billy Torrence, 3.748, 332.59.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Josh Hart, 3.803, 321.50; 18. Spencer Massey, 3.807, 314.09; 19. Travis Shumake, 3.927, 280.49.

Funny Car — 1. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.853, 330.55 vs. 16. Joe Morrison, Dodge Charger, 4.764, 177.60; 2. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.865, 332.02 vs. 15. Chris King, Charger, 4.722, 189.39; 3. Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 3.874, 328.14 vs. 14. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.152, 312.21; 4. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.882, 329.50 vs. 13. Dave Richards, Toyota Camry, 4.081, 309.49; 5. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.882, 329.18 vs. 12. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 4.006, 307.16; 6. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.884, 328.22 vs. 11. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.983, 317.94; 7. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.903, 331.04 vs. 10. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.942, 327.03; 8. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 3.911, 324.98 vs. 9. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.929, 328.78.

Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.592, 207.69 vs. 16. Larry Morgan, Camaro, 6.674, 206.95; 2. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.601, 207.15 vs. 15. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.647, 206.67; 3. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.605, 208.17 vs. 14. David Cuadra, Mustang, 6.644, 206.26; 4. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.606, 206.35 vs. 13. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.638, 206.45; 5. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.607, 207.94 vs. 12. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.622, 206.10; 6. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.608, 208.17 vs. 11. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.621, 208.04; 7. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.608, 208.36 vs. 10. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.618, 207.18; 8. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.611, 207.40 vs. 9. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.615, 207.43.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.748, 201.31 vs. 14. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.516, 177.11; 2. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.798, 200.26 vs. 13. Eiji Kawakami, Suzuki, 7.148, 187.21; 3. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.799, 198.90 vs. 12. Ron Tornow, Victory, 6.928, 195.76; 4. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.802, 201.13 vs. 11. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.901, 196.02; 5. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.803, 199.52 vs. 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.884, 196.04; 6. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.809, 198.82 vs. 9. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.878, 196.10; 7. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.812, 200.08 vs. 8. John Hall, Beull, 6.817, 198.99.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Tennessee Lottery 250 from Nashville

By
Official Release
-

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Tennessee Lottery 250

Date: June 29, 2024
Event: Tennessee Lottery 250 (Round 17 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway (1.333-mile, concrete oval)
Format: 188 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/98 laps)
Race Winner: John Hunter Nemechek of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Winner: Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: John Hunter Nemechek of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

SHR Race Finish:

● Riley Herbst (Started 9th / Finished 6th, Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)
● Cole Custer (Started 2nd / Finished 9th, Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)

SHR Points:

● Cole Custer (1st with 632 points)
● Riley Herbst (5th with 514 points, 118 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Herbst earned his eighth top-10 of the season and his fourth top-10 in four career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Nashville.
● Herbst has never finished outside the top-10 at Nashville.
● This was Herbst’s third straight top-10. He finished second on June 15 at Iowa Speedway in Newton and eighth last Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.
● Herbst finished seventh in Stage 1 to earn four bonus points and 10th in Stage 2 to earn one more bonus points.
● Custer earned his 14th top-10 of the season and his second top-10 in two career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Nashville.
● Custer has not finished outside the top-10 at Nashville.
● This was Custer’s fifth straight top-10. He finished sixth June 1 at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, ninth June 8 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, sixth June 15 at Iowa Speedway in Newton, and third last Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.
● Custer’s ninth-place finish equaled his previous best finish at Nashville – ninth, earned last June.
● Custer finished fourth in Stage 1 to earn seven bonus points and third in Stage 2 to earn eight more bonus points.
● Custer led twice times for 64 laps to increase his laps-led total at Nashville to 96.

Race Notes:

● John Hunter Nemechek won the Tennessee Lottery 250 to score his 11th career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, his second of the season and his first at Nashville. His margin over second-place Chandler Smith was .366 of a second.
● There were three caution periods for a total of 17 laps.
● Twenty-three of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Custer remains the championship leader after Nashville with a 15-point advantage over second-place Chandler Smith.

Sound Bites:

“I’m hot. Hopefully, I’ll go to the infield care center and get a couple bags of fluid and then go to sleep in 30 minutes and hop in a Cup car for 400 miles and try to go learn. That’s the goal tomorrow and just make all the laps. The goal is to finish on the lead lap and just learn, learn, learn. These Xfinity cars are fun at Nashville. It’s about the challenge. I know when Kevin Harvick ran these cars a few years ago, he thought they were extremely hot and mentioned it to NASCAR and they got the rear slots to put in this year. That kind of hurt us aerodynamically. We’ve been struggling with that a little bit, but I don’t know what I would have been like if I didn’t have the slots. I appreciate Kevin and everybody who pushed for it.​” –Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“We just need to keep digging. We’re right there, but I just don’t know where we’re missing it honestly. We’re just really close every weekend. We just don’t quite have enough. I’m sure there were a few things I could do better and we’ll look back on it, but we definitely need a win now. We need to start trying to click off some wins, so we’ll keep digging.” –Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the The Loop 110 on Saturday, July 6 at the Chicago Street Course. The race begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Toyota Gazoo Racing North America NHRA Norwalk Post-Qualifying Report – 06.29.24

By
Official Release
-

KALITTA CLAIMS NO. 1 QUALIFIER AT NORWALK; HIS FOURTH THIS SEASON
Toyota earns seventh No. 1 qualifying position of 2024

NORWALK, Ohio (June 29, 2024) – For the fourth time this season and the 57th time in his career, Doug Kalitta earned the No. 1 qualifier and will begin Sunday’s eliminations at Summit Motorsports Park at the top spot. The defending Top Fuel world champion posted a blistering 3.692 elapsed time in Friday night’s qualifying session as he goes for his fourth win of the season and second straight after his triumph in Bristol last weekend.

In addition to his No. 1 qualifier, Kalitta defeated Antron Brown to win the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge, his first challenge win of the season. Kalitta also set the Summit Motorsports Park speed record at 337.16 mph with that run Saturday afternoon.

Justin Ashley is right behind Kalitta going into Sunday after posting a 3.702 elapsed time also in the final session on Saturday. Brown earned the No. 3 spot; Steve Torrence is fourth and Shawn Langdon is sixth as Toyota claimed the five of the top six seeds in Top Fuel.

In Funny Car, J.R. Todd was the lead GR Supra Funny Car, earning the second overall seed for tomorrow’s eliminations. With a 3.865 elapsed time Friday night, Todd was just 0.002 seconds off claiming his 15th career No. 1 qualifier. Alexis DeJoria will begin tomorrow as the No. 8 seed and Ron Capp begins tomorrow 10th.

Tomorrow’s eliminations at Summit Motorsports Park begin at 11 a.m. EST with live TV coverage beginning at 5 p.m. EST on FOX.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals
Summit Motorsports Park
Race 10 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS

NameCarQualifying PositionFirst Round Opponent
Doug KalittaApplied Innovation Toyota Top Fuel Dragster1stK. Wurtzel
Justin AshleySCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster2ndT. Schumacher
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster3rdD. Mercier
Steve TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster4thS. Reed
Shawn LangdonKalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster6thC. Millican
Billy TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster9thD. Foley

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS

NameCarQualifying PositionFirst Round Opponent
A. ProckCornwell Tools Chevrolet Funny Car1st*J. Morrisson
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car2ndC. King
Alexis DeJoriaBandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car8thC. Green
Ron CappsNAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car10thD. Wilkerson

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DOUG KALITTA, Applied Innovation Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

TF Qualifying Result: 1st

Describe your day for us and how it helps you for tomorrow.

“I was actually looking at the schedule of events we have and was amazed how close we are to the Countdown (to the Championship), right? It’ll be here before you know it. Yeah, definitely going to be important to stay consistent and run up front as we can and get into the Countdown. Definitely looking forward to it. But yeah, have to give it to the fans here with all the weather. The track really turned out to be in great shape. The conditions were perfect for putting down good numbers. We have the Applied Innovation’s president here, so it’s kind of a one-off. They did the first race with us and this one, a great partner. Really great to celebrate the win with them.”

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

FC Qualifying Result: 2nd

How did your qualifying runs feel?

“It’s our best qualifying effort of the season, and it feels good. Conditions were right last night, and it was a good run for our DHL GR Supra. Hats off to Todd, Jon-O (Todd Smith and Jon Oberhofer, co-crew chiefs) and the Yella Fellas. We definitely want to qualify in the top three; we still need to work on our consistency so hopefully that comes around on race day when it counts.”

About Toyota

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

Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.

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

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

Ford Performance NASCAR – NXS Nashville Post-Race Quotes

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Tennessee Lottery 250 | Saturday, June 29, 2024

Unofficial Ford Performance Results:

5th – Noah Gragson

6th – Riley Herbst

9th – Cole Custer

11th – Ryan Sieg

26th – Kyle Sieg

28th – Hailie Deegan

29th – Matt DiBenedetto

34th – Chad Finchem

35th – Blaine Perkins

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse – ARE YOU OK? “I’m hot. Hopefully, I’ll go to the infield care center and get a couple bags of fluid and then go to sleep in 30 minutes and hop in a Cup car for 400 miles and try to go learn. That’s the goal tomorrow and just make all the laps. The goal is to finish on the lead lap and just learn, learn, learn.”

SO THE SUIT MALFUNCTIONED? DID YOU HAVE HOT WATER BURNING? “I don’t feel burned, but on the grid it made a weird noise. It clunked a little bit, but what are we gonna do when we’re rolling off, so we kept going. I just felt it get hotter and hotter and hotter, so I made the executive decision to unplug it. That’s risky because you can’t really plug it back in, so that was a 100 percent decision and we did. Stage two was the hardest. That’s when it got a little spotty vision, but cold water in the car and the ice got us through.”

DID WHAT YOU DO AT THE END OF STAGE TWO HELP THE REST OF THE RACE? “Yeah. I mean, it’s fun, the challenge. I know when Kevin Harvick ran these cars a few years ago he thought they were extremely hot and mentioned it to NASCAR and they got the rear slots to put in this year. That kind of hurt us aerodynamically. We’ve been struggling with that a little bit, but I don’t know what I would have been like if I didn’t have the slots. I appreciate Kevin and everybody who pushed for it.”

DO YOU HAVE A NEW SYSTEM FOR TOMORROW? “I have a different shirt. I’m gonna give both shirts to the Rick Ware guys and have them make sure they both work. I don’t think it was the suit. I think it was the unit.”

COLE CUSTER, No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We just need to keep digging. We’re right there, but I just don’t know where we’re missing it honestly. We’re just really close every weekend. We just don’t quite have enough. I’m sure there were a few things I could do better and we’ll look back on it, but we definitely need a win now. We need to start trying to click off some wins, so we’ll keep digging.”

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE LAST RESTART. YOU WERE IN THE LEAD, BUT AS SOON AS YOU TOOK OFF YOU LOST POSITION? “Yeah, I tried to drive in kind of deep so I could clear the 20, but then I got super tight off turn two and I just kind of carried that tight through the rest of the run. I don’t know. It was just really weird because the run before the car wasn’t that bad, so it’s just frustrating.”

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 30 Priestly Demolition Ford Mustang Dark Horse – CAN YOU TALK ABOUT FINISHING IN THE TOP FIVE? “It feels good. My cool shirt stopped working there in the middle of the race. It got super hot, but I’m really thankful for this Rhett Jones Racing team. They did a great job. I’ve kind of struggled here in the past, but we were pretty good all day. We just needed a little bit more right-rear grip, but we’ll keep working on it. It was better than Charlotte, which was our first race as a team, so we just want to keep building.”

HOW WILL THE HEAT AFFECT YOU TOMORROW? “It will definitely be hot. I don’t know. Hopefully, my cool shirt stays working.”

Toyota Racing – NXS Nashville Post-Race Report – 06.29.24

By
Official Release
-

NEMECHEK LEADS A TOYOTA 1-2 FINISH IN NASHVILLE
John Hunter Nemechek earns his second NASCAR Xfinity Series win of the season

NASHVILLE (June 29, 2024) – John Hunter Nemechek came to the front in the second stage and would not be denied as he earned his second NASCAR Xfinity Series win of the season at Nashville Superspeedway. The NASCAR Cup Series regular for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB won earlier this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

For the 20 team, led by crew chief Tyler Allen, they have now won five times with four different drivers this season. Allen guided Christopher Bell to victory last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and has wins earlier this year with Ryan Truex (Dover Motor Speedway) and Aric Almirola (Martinsville Speedway).

Chandler Smith completed the 1-2 finish for Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing with a strong performance as he battled back from damage late in the running to earn his seventh top-five finish of the season.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Nashville Superspeedway
Race 17 of 33 – 250.04 miles, 188 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK

2nd, CHANDLER SMITH

3rd, Jesse Love*

4th, Austin Hill*

5th, Noah Gragson*

14th, TYLER REDDICK

20th, TY GIBBS

33rd, SHELDON CREED

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 20 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

How was your car today?

“It was fast. Overall, what a solid day. This Pye-Barker Toyota GR Supra was super-fast – as fast as Xfinity internet. Just so proud of these 20 guys – they are an amazing group. I’m just the honor to be able to hold the wheel for a few times this year. Thank you to Pye-Barker – everyone that supports. Pretty neat experience all around.”

What can you say about your team?

“He’s (Tyler Allen) filled the role pretty well, I would say – as well as this 20 group. They haven’t changed. I’m honored to work with them week-in and week-out. All glory to God.”

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

Finishing Position: 2nd

How are you and how was fight out there?

“It is hot out here. We got caught up in the 7 (Justin Allgaier) and the 19 (Ty Gibbs) scuffle there and got some damage and think it might have hurt us a little bit on the splitter there. I’m super proud of everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing. The Barger Precast Toyota GR Supra was as fast as Xfinity internet when it counted. I hate that we were caught up in that mess and it cost our chance at possibly competing with the 20 (John Hunter Nemechek) a little more on an even playing ground. After the race started, I won’t complain.”

Is there any more you could have done in that closing laps?

“After the 19 (Ty Gibbs) and the 7 (Justin Allgaier) got in that wreck, I got some damage from that. We refired and was extremely tight that whole last run there. That was really hindering me. We were going back and forth, and he was barely beating me there. I felt like if we had a little bit more front turnability, we would have been able to stay with him the entire time and gave these great fans more of a show. I’m super proud of all of the fans that came out. It is blistering hot out here. Happy with our No. 81 Barger Precast Toyota GR Supra – it was as fast as Xfinity internet today – just needed a little bit more to get to John Hunter (Nemechek).”

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.

Hamlin claims second Cup pole position of 2024 at Nashville

By
Andrew Kim
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LEBANON, TENNESSEE - JUNE 29: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota, poses for photos after winning the pole award during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 29, 2024 in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images).

Denny Hamlin snatched the Busch Light Pole Award for the fourth annual running of the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, June 29.

The three-time Daytona 500 champion from Chesterfield, Virginia, was one of 10 competitors from a total of 38 entered to compete in the event to transfer into the final round of qualifying for the pole position, with Hamlin transferring from Qualifying Group B. Once in the final round, he clocked in a fast-qualifying lap at 160.354 mph in 29.859 seconds, which was enough to dislodge rookie Josh Berry from the top starting spot as he will lead the field to the green flag for the 19th event on the 2024 schedule this upcoming Sunday.

With his accomplishment, Hamlin, who achieved the pole position by being the 10th and final competitor to run on the track, recorded his 42nd NASCAR Cup Series career pole, his second of the season, his first since Phoenix Raceway in March and his first at Nashville Superspeedway. The pole position also left Hamlin pleased as he attempts to rally from finishing no higher than 24th during his last three starts of this season.

“[I’m] Really happy with this whole FedEx Camry team,” Hamlin said. “They brought a great car today. Glad we were able to capitalize on it. The driver’s not been very good during qualifying session so far this year, but to get a good one today, that [number one] pit stall will help.”

Joining Hamlin on the front row for Sunday’s main event will be rookie Josh Berry, who clocked in his best qualifying lap at 159.749 mph in 29.972 seconds as he will start in second place in a Cup event for the second time in 2024. Berry is coming off a strong third-place result during last weekend’s Cup event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. While Berry is still pursuing a ride for the 2025 season, he is also continuing his pursuit to make the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs as he is currently 73 points below the top-16 cutline with eight regular-season events remaining.

Christopher Bell, Hamlin’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing who won at New Hampshire, will line up in third place with his best qualifying lap occurring at 159.849 mph in 29.954 seconds. Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick will start in the top five.

Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Ty Gibbs, Chris Buescher and Austin Cindric, all of whom transferred into the final qualifying round, will start sixth to 10th, respectively, while Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman, the first two competitors to not transfer into the final round, will line up 11th and 12th, respectively.

Notably, Corey Heim, who is piloting a third 23XI Racing entry co-owned by Hamlin and Michael Jordan, will start in 29th place as he will make his third Cup career start. In addition, Justin Haley, who clocked in the 33rd-fastest time at 156.588 mph in 30.577 seconds, will start at the rear of the field and serve a pass-through penalty through pit road during the event’s opening lap due to an unapproved adjustment that was made to his Rick Ware Racing entry during the pre-qualifying inspection process. The penalty also resulted in his car chief JR Norris being ejected for the remainder of the weekend.

Qualifying position, best speed, best time:

  1. Denny Hamlin, 160.354 mph, 29.859 seconds
  2. Josh Berry, 159.749 mph, 29.972 seconds
  3. Christopher Bell, 159.845 mph, 29.954 seconds
  4. Kyle Larson, 159.701 mph, 29.981 seconds
  5. Brad Keselowski, 159.536 mph, 30.012 seconds
  6. Tyler Reddick, 159.600 mph, 30 seconds
  7. William Byron, 159.531 mph, 30.013 seconds
  8. Ty Gibbs, 159.451 mph, 30.028 seconds
  9. Chris Buescher, 159.064 mph, 30.101 seconds
  10. Austin Cindric, 158.890 mph, 30.134 seconds
  11. Austin Dillon, 158.422 mph, 30.223 seconds
  12. Alex Bowman, 158.103 mph, 30.284 seconds
  13. Chase Elliott, 158.407 mph, 30.226 seconds
  14. Michael McDowell, 158.056 mph, 30.293 seconds
  15. Carson Hocevar, 158.187 mph, 30.268 seconds
  16. Noah Gragson, 157.895 mph, 30.324 seconds
  17. Martin Truex Jr., 158.051 mph, 30.294 seconds
  18. Ryan Blaney, 157.843 mph, 30.334 seconds
  19. Chase Briscoe, 157.947 mph, 30.314 seconds
  20. Ross Chastain157. 822 mph, 30.338 seconds
  21. Corey LaJoie, 157.759 mph, 30.350 seconds
  22. Ryan Preece, 157.309 mph, 30.437 seconds
  23. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 157.645 mph, 30.372 seconds
  24. Bubba Wallace, 157.221 mph, 30.454 seconds
  25. Harrison Burton, 157.562 mph, 30.388 seconds
  26. Joey Logano, 157.123 mph, 30.473 seconds
  27. Kyle Busch, 157.298 mph, 30.439 seconds
  28. AJ Allmendinger, 157.112 mph, 30.475 seconds
  29. Corey Heim, 157.226 mph, 30.453 seconds
  30. Riley Herbst, 156.185 mph, 30.656 seconds
  31. Daniel Suarez, 156.691 mph, 30.557 seconds
  32. Todd Gilliland, 155.849 mph, 30.722 seconds
  33. Justin Haley, 156.588 mph, 30.577 seconds
  34. Erik Jones, 155.768 mph, 30.738 seconds
  35. John Hunter Nemechek, 156.532 mph, 30.588 seconds
  36. Zane Smith, 155.561 mph, 30.779 seconds
  37. Daniel Hemric, 156.501 mph, 30.594 seconds
  38. Chad Finchum, 146.395 mph, 32.706 seconds

The 2024 Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway is set to occur on Sunday, June 30, and air at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Toyota NCS Nashville Quotes – Denny Hamlin – 06.29.24

By
Official Release
-

Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

NASHVILLE (June 29, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday after earning the pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.

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

Take us through your laps during qualifying and what this pole position means for tomorrow.

“Yeah, felt pretty good about it. Seems like we’ve definitely fixed some of the things we weren’t very good with last year. Even during practice and during the race, we fell on a terminal issue with the car we just couldn’t get fixed. And it seems like that was an emphasis we worked on coming back here. All day today, that was the least of my problems. I definitely feel pretty good about it and certainly, we’re going to work on it overnight and I feel very confident we’ll be in contention tomorrow.”

Does starting on pole carry extra weight here at Nashville?

“Yeah, I mean, there’s only 35 ft from the pit box to the timing line, so it’s one of the shorter distances that we have on the pit out. So, it’s one of the tracks that carries a bigger advantage. Yeah, at this track, it means more.”

Your crew chief, Chris Gabehart, said you guys were trying something new this weekend. Can you go into what that is?

“Yeah, kick the driver in the butt and say, ‘let’s go.’ No, I don’t know. We worked on what we really fought last time. We just couldn’t fix it. We were still a top-three car, but not the best. So, we needed to work on that, and I feel like from the very first lap of practice, they certainly fixed that. Now we get to work on some other things as your car is never handling perfect, but I feel like it has the speed along with the feel it needs to.”

Do you and your family have any plans for the Olympic break? Do you have a favorite Olympic sport?

“Yeah, we’re going to go on vacation. Finally go on one. For sport, track and field is the most exciting as it’s racing. Yeah, I really enjoy that. Certainly, I’ll watch basketball and things like that. But, to me, track and field, and obviously swimming. Anything that involves racing seems to be my favorite Olympic sport.”

For the driver meeting this morning, what did you learn from the discussion on wet weather tires?

“I mean, the only insight I can give is they explained why they made the decisions they made and why they were trying to ease their way into this. I think if you make one big mistake, which I think is valid, then you set yourself back and you’re then more hesitant to make those again. I was happy with everything they explained, and certainly, there’s always room for improvement, but they’re trying to use all the facts at hand to make the right decision. I think I mentioned on the podcast (Actions Detrimental) that they did a pretty good job. In Loudon, to allow the cars to take fuel was maybe the only thing questionable. I like where they’re at with it and as teams, we’ll continue to get better with it.”

Have you seen a difference in Bubba Wallace’s attitude this weekend?

“I think he’s still probably frustrated with himself at times, the team at times. But I think he’s doing a better job not outwardly showing that. I think that comes from maturity and he’s matured. Certainly, with some guidance from the team, we’ve tried to help him and guide him through those tough times you’re always going to have. I mentioned to him this week that you have just a handful of races that we have got to get it done. It certainly means a lot to us to make the Playoffs and certainly to him to make the Playoffs. We expect that from our cars, so they know they’ve got to perform. Whenever they don’t get the results they’re hoping for each week, it does get frustrating. You either get frustrated, mad and make more mistakes or you go to work, and you get better. I think that’s the attitude he’s going to take.”

What will the Olympic break look like for 23XI Racing and its employees?

“I’m not really sure, honestly. I want my guys to get a little time off. This is the grind of the season, it’s hot, there’s not been a break for a really long time. To me, this is the toughest stretch. June, July, our schedule is the absolute worst for the teams, because there are very short weeks where they don’t get the car back until late Monday, have to turn it around and have it ready by Thursday, so it’s tough. So hopefully they’ll have some time to get a little reset and certainly, we try to give our guys as much time off as we possibly can and rotate guys in and out on the roster on a weekly basis.”

What’s your relationship with Chase Briscoe as he joins Joe Gibbs Racing next season?

“Yeah, I’ve never really had a close relationship with Chase (Briscoe). Never really talked to him much. I obviously congratulated him this week and welcomed him to the team. He’s a person I’ll certainly learn off of. I think he’s got some special skillset at certain race tracks that intrigue me and when he gets in a car that’s similar to mine, certainly I’ll use that information to make myself better. That’s what you want from teammates is to go out and challenge you.”

How will running this race in the daytime be different compared to the previous year’s races at night with the Next Gen car?

“Yeah, it’s a great question. I think the track really took a jump when it went to night the first year (2022). It seemed like the field was spread in the sense of there were really good cars and everyone else. And then as soon as it went to night, it just squished the field all together and made passing really hard. I think passing will be easier in these ridiculously hot conditions because the cars will be sliding around and really accentuate good handling and drivers that have good techniques.”

How do you describe the recent instances with Kyle Larson on-track?

“I don’t know, there are different (rivalries) for sure. I think that there’s rivalries from drivers that don’t respect each other and certainly, they have a lot of speed, but they don’t like each other and deliberately run into each other. I don’t think anyone’s deliberately running into each other. Although it does happen. I’ve certainly had my mistakes and he’s been on the bad end of those. But it comes from competition and wanting to beat him. He’s one of the guys that, it’s hard not to say the best, of our sport. I challenge myself more when I race with him and it happens often, it does happen towards the front more often than not. We know each other’s driving style and we do things around each other that combat passing each other. And that usually means those tight quarters positions. The easy answer is if you’re faster than him, just go pass him. It’s just not that easy in the Next Gen car. If you really want to hold someone back, you can. It seems like we’re doing that to each other because it’s so hard to pass the other back, and we understand track position means everything. You know, when we try to pull a slider, the other person is going to drive in there deeper and make sure you don’t have the room to clear. It’s just the technique that’s used in dirt all the time, when they go up there and slide and force the car to lift. And if they don’t lift, they make contact. And that’s just something that’s evolved in Cup Series racing the past few years, really in the Next Gen era. It’s just two guys that don’t want to let the other past.”

Will heat play a factor in the race tomorrow?

“Fatigue will play a factor tomorrow. I do believe that. Certainly, everyone’s doing everything they can to hydrate themselves, but still, some people take heat better than others. I think any time that’s a factor, it has to weigh on you some way, shape or form. So, certainty, it’ll be a factor. How big of a factor, I’m not sure.”

What went behind the decision to have Corey Heim run Nashville for 23XI Racing?

“A lot of it had to do with scheduling. With engines from Toyota, we only have certain amount of capacity and engine sets they had, so timing it out from when our other third car races and Jimmie (Johnson) running. We have a partnership with LEGACY (MOTOR CLUB) on the pit crew as well, so spacing it out so it’s not where it’s crazy, stress on the shop was the biggest reason why. We also looked at which tracks have the most pit stops, where are pit stops the most important. Where’s track position most important? Where are the most passes? And if you want to let someone’s skillset show, we picked a track we feel like you can pass and if you’re good, you can make your way to the front, and you won’t be held back by the outside factors. So, we ramped those all in that order and we landed right here.”

Any discussions on having Martin Truex running the Daytona 500 for 23XI Racing?

“Yeah, they’re ongoing and progressing. You know, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, but we’re trying to plan for the future and certainly, I’d be honored to field a car for Martin (Truex Jr.) whenever he wants to race.”

Has there been any change in your preparation due to recent on-track struggles?

“Each result was certainly different for different reasons, and certainly engines and wet weather conditions was not ideal. I don’t remember the middle 24th-place finish and what happened there, but we feel very confident no matter what. Our speed has always been there, and even though our results don’t show that, we feel very confident that every time we go to the race track, we’re going to contend to be one of the fastest cars. Then, it’s a race on ourselves to execute properly and me making sure I’m doing my job behind the wheel. Yeah, it’s a bummer going from really good points position to three in a row less than ideal results. But then, you come back to it next week and pretend like none of that stuff ever happened and you set a goal and hopefully go dominate tomorrow. It’s just how our sport is. The ebbs and flows and every team has these swells of performance of not getting the results they deserve.”

About Toyota

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

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.

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

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