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Author: Briar Starr

  • Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia Ready To Get Back To Racing

    Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia Ready To Get Back To Racing

    January 25-26, the last time IMSA drivers were on the race track competing in the annual 24 hours of Daytona and everything seemed normal at least for the time being.

    Little did everyone know, two months later, a pandemic would bring a halt to almost everything in the world including most if not all Motorsports leagues. Everything was getting canceled left to right and it looked as though, IMSA would not be able to restart their season or even complete the schedule.

    However, there was some light at the end of the tunnel, as the series officials announced they would be racing at Daytona International Speedway for a sprint event of two hours and 40 minutes.

    A long break in racing can be a good thing, while for some it can be bad. The break in the action, can give drivers some time to think about their expectations to either change them or keep them, despite not knowing what the rest of the schedule would be after the Daytona 240.

    For Corvette Racing, drivers Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia haven’t seen their expectations changed much, if at all.

    Jordan Taylor, the Orlando, Florida native, believes his current mindset hasn’t changed, but thinks the new type of schedule and the restart will make things more interesting out on the track.

    “I don’t know if it’s altered things, but it’s made everyone a little more excited to get back to the track,” Taylor said. “I think we still have a team, a car and a full package to compete for the championship. For us, maybe the break is a little bit of an advantage for us with a new car. The guys were able to go back and study the car… understand where can make improvements whether it’s pit stops, drivability of the car, engine calibration, all those little things that have been worked on between the engineers and crew. I still have high expectations.”

    Garcia, Jordan’s teammate, says the restart will be difficult for most people involved, and having limited track time will prove challenging as well.

    “It’s going to be a challenge for everyone,” Garcia said. “Not being able to test your development on track is a new thing to do. Everyone is working at home so it’s not easy. You go by how the race went at Daytona, and we hope we are fixing the items we identified but we couldn’t test them on track. That’s the only downside to that and having just two hours practice. It will be a challenge, but Corvette Racing is the best team out there. If anyone can do this, it’s this team.”

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Preview – Pocono

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Preview – Pocono

    With a week off, the NASCAR Truck Series drivers were able to collects their thoughts and get energized ahead of their next race on the 2020 calendar which is “The Tricky Triangle” Pocono Raceway.

    The 2020 Pocono event will mark the 10th race in the tracks history, that dates back to the first inaugural event in 2010, which was won by former NASCAR driver Elliott Sadler.

    Since then, the Pocono Truck race has seen nine different winners with the exception of Kyle Busch who won twice in 2015 and again in 2018. However it is likely that there will be a new or different Pocono winner this weekend. The only winner entered in this event was last years victor, Ross Chastain.

    In fact, we will most likely have a new winner at the 2.5 mile speedway located in Long Pond Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon.

    With that in mind, here are five drivers who might be the new victor in Saturday’s, Pocono Organics 150 to Benefit Farm Aid.

    Currently, there are 40 Trucks entered on the preliminary entry list and are scheduled to compete.

    1. Johnny Sauter- Sauter is riding on a one-year winless streak dating back to Dover of last year. However, that might just come to an end this weekend. The Wisconsin native had made all 10 starts at “The Tricky Triangle” and has a best finish of second, which came in 2014. His first few starts at the track were not that great and pretty scary numbers. However, since 2014 Sauter has managed to finish inside the top-10 in every outing. In the 2017 race, he was able to led 12 laps. He’s never been able to win a stage, but the ThorSport driver just might be a good value pick for your fantasy lineup. For a notable, Sauter finished eighth in last years race.
    2. Brett Moffitt- Moffitt’s finishes has been up and down over the last three Pocono starts. In his GMS debut last year, the Iowan native started fourth and placed fifth for a top five finish. Overall, he’s been unable to lead any laps over three starts, but finished fifth in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2 in the 2019 event. Four years ago, driving for Red Horse Racing, Moffitt placed the No. 7 Toyota Tundra in the third position. His only bad finish came in 2018, where Moffitt finished 26th, seven laps down. If last year was any indication for this years event, Moffitt finishing in the top five or perhaps winning, shouldn’t come to a surprise.
    3. Ross Chastain- It may be pretty obvious to pick the recent winner of this race, but it’s kind of hard not too. In three starts, Chastain has finished inside the top-10, especially in his first outing in 2012. Placed fifth in 2013 for Brad Keselowski and won last year with Niece Motorsports. Not competing in a truck for six years at Pocono and going out to win is pretty impressive. Especially, considering how different the trucks are now, compared to what they were in 2013. Also for some more nuggets, Chastain led all but six laps en route to victory last year and won Stage 1. If the team does not suffer any mechanical issues and brings back another strong truck, Chastain will be tough to beat.
    4. Tyler Ankrum- One start is hard to go off sometimes, but Tyler Ankrum and the GMS crew will look to lean off that one start with the No. 26 team from last year and previous years notes. Ankrum placed the No. 26 Chevrolet runner up to eventual winner Ross Chastain in the 2019 outing. The Californian also scored a stage point, placing 10th in Stage 1. GMS has been pretty solid at Pocono in years past and I can’t imagine they will contend again on Saturday.
    5. Christian Eckes- Eckes has decent chance for an impressive showing on Saturday afternoon and here’s why. He’s made one start in the Truck Series and four starts in the ARCA Menards Series. The New York native won last years ARCA event driving for Venturini Motorsports. Excluding his 2018 ARCA finishes (where Eckes finished 18th and 13th), he picked up his average finish in both races last year, finishing third in the ARCA summer race and of course winning later in the year after leading 26 laps, and starting second. The ARCA experience obviously paid off for the Truck event, as Eckes started 13th and finished fourth in the overall running order. He also placed the Kyle Busch Motorsports entry, seventh in Stage 1.

    As mentioned, there have been 10 races dating back to 2010. Elliott Sadler, Kevin Harvick, Joey Coulter, Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Ross Chastain all have won here. Busch is the only driver to have won twice but he is not set to compete this weekend. Brandon Jones will be taking his place.

    The most amount cautions in this event have been nine for 27 laps, which occurred in 2016. That race was won by William Byron. While, the least amount of cautions seen was two for eight laps set back in 2018, won by Kyle Busch.

    As for lead changes, the most occurred 10 that came back in 2014. The race was won by Austin Dillon. The fewest amount of lead changes was two in 2011, won by Kevin Harvick.

    Chevrolet has the most manufacturer victories with five (Elliott Sadler, Kevin Harvick, Joey Coulter, Austin Dillon, and Ross Chastain). Toyota has four a piece (Kyle Busch, William Byron, and Christopher Bell). Ford only has one lone win (Ryan Blaney in 2013). Chevrolet won three in a row from 2010 to 2013, while Toyota has four wins in a row, the most of any manufacturer consecutively.

    Qualifying will be important at “The Tricky Triangle.” There has never been a winner outside the top 10 in the history of this event. In fact, the lowest a winner started was sixth, which came in 2013 by Blaney. Four times the winner came from the pole position, which was achieved by Sadler, Harvick, Byron, and Busch. The top pole speed is 171.347 mph set by Ross Chastain in 2019. However, there will be no qualifying this year due to COVID-19 to limit overexposure.

    Ever since stages were implemented in 2017, Kyle Busch, Todd Gilliland, Stewart Friesen, Ross Chastain, and Harrison Burton have managed to win at least one stage.

    The Pocono Organics 150 will be a short race on Saturday. Just 60 laps make up the 150 mile distance, as 15/30/60 will make up the three stages.

    The race can be seen live on Fox Sports 1 at 12:30 p.m./ET and heard on MRN Radio.

  • ARCA Menards Series Preview – Pocono I

    ARCA Menards Series Preview – Pocono I

    The ARCA Menards Series returned to the track at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend and continues their schedule this weekend by going north to Pocono Raceway.

    The Anywhere Is Possible 200 presented by General Tire will mark the fourth race on the 2020 schedule and features 21 cars on the entry list.

    On the entry list, there will be some new faces as that is normally the case for the ARCA Menards Series. Of the 21 cars, Russ Lane, Clay Greenfield, Derek Griffith, Ryan Huff, Sam Mayer, Tanner Gray, Hailie Deegan, Drew Dollar and Ty Gibbs will all make their Pocono debut this Friday afternoon.

    However, despite those drivers who have not competed at Pocono before, one team has plenty of experience and that’s Venturini Motorsports.

    Venturini Motorsports will have drivers Deegan, Drew Dollar, Chandler Smith, and Michael Self in the field.

    Self has the most starts out of the stable with three and has a best finish third twice (2017 and 2019). Even though, the Utah native was able to gain a top five finish last year, Self notes that Pocono has been tricky for him but does have enough confidence to perform well.

    “Pocono Raceway has been a little bit tough for me to really grasp in the past. I really like the track, but its definitely difficult. Last year we were able to snag a third-place finish, but I left feeling like I just wasn’t where I wanted to be with my level of comfort there. I’ve spent a lot of time watching video and asking questions to people that have had success there and I have a few things in mind that I’m anxious to try this weekend. It’ll be interesting with such a limited practice session, but I’ve got confidence that the No. 25 Sinclair Oil Toyota Camry team are bringing a solid car as always and I can just go in and work on the things I want.” 

    For Drew Dollar, Pocono couldn’t have come at a better timing. The Venturini driver is coming off a win at Talladega last weekend and has momentum heading into his Pocono start Friday. Dollar is ready to get back in the No. 15 and have an exceptional outing.

    “I’m looking forward to carrying the momentum we have from winning at Talladega Superspeedway into Pocono Raceway this weekend. We’ll have limited practice and I’ve never been to Pocono before, but I’m confident that I will be able to quickly get up to speed. I know my Venturini Motorsports Toyota Camry is going to be really good and I can’t wait to get back to the track.” 

    Back in the field this weekend and making his second ARCA start this year is Chandler Smith. Notably, the Georgia native recorded one start, which came last year where Smith placed eighth after starting third.

    “I’m looking forward to getting back in my No. 20 JBL Toyota Camry with Venturini Motorsports. It’s been a long downtime and I am excited at being able to be back at a racetrack.”

    As for DGR-Crosley they will have Hailie Deegan, Thad Moffitt, and Tanner Gray once again.

    Moffitt has three starts at Pocono with a best finish of 11th, which came in 2019. The DGR-Crosley crew will have a brand new Ford body to the No. 46 machine.

    “Pocono is very unique and challenging. I’ve kind of struggled there in the past, but I think I have a better shot this year. I’m in better equipment and I’ve got a better starting spot already based on 2020 points, so I’m pretty confident going into this. DGR-Crosley is bringing fast cars to the track right now and all of our Fusions have been fast so far this year. I think we’ll just keep it up going into Pocono and I believe that we have a good shot at running top three and possibly winning the race this weekend.”

    Tanner Gray is back in the No. 17 Ford Performance entry. Gray makes his Pocono debut this weekend and will be a busy driver as he is scheduled to pull double duty by competing in the Truck race as well. The New Mexico native hopes this weekend his luck will start turning around.

    “I don’t know what I need to do to turn my luck around on both the ARCA and Truck Series sides. I might need to start looking for four-leaf clovers, or put a lucky horseshoe in my hauler, or something. I’m looking forward to racing twice at Pocono this weekend. This will be my first time there, so getting the extra seat time in the ARCA car will help me on Saturday since I’ll already be familiar with the track. Thad (Moffitt) has raced there twice before, so I’ll probably lean on him for some advice, as well as David (Gilliland, team co-owner) since he’s got a lot of experience there.”

    Even though Talladega was a new experience to Hailie Deegan last weekend, Pocono will somewhat not be new to the California native as she recorded one start that came last year. Deegan started fourth and placed seventh, two laps down in the running order. She notes that she enjoys the challenges Pocono bring and has been using the simulator to get extra track time in.

    “Pocono is a fun track. It’s really hard to get your car set up and good for every single corner. I think going there with DGR-Crosley, with all the guys working hard here, that I’m going to come with a good set-up. I’ve been on the simulator a lot and getting a lot of practice. I’ve been trying a lot of different stuff seeing what I’m comfortable with and seeing what we want to baseline with since we’re not getting much time on the track. It’s going to be fun.”

    Jason Kitzmiller is back in the No. 97 Codie Rohrbaugh entry and is set for his Pocono debut. The West Virgina native is coming his off his career best finish last weekend at Talladega, finishing eighth. With all that aside, Kitzmiller now turns his attention to Pocono and hopes to carry some of that Talladega momentum for Friday afternoon.

    “I’ve been preparing as best as I can for Pocono,” added Kitzmiller. “Of course, I’m been talking to Codie a lot about it – but the only thing that is really going to help me is track time. I wish we were still having the test, but I know circumstances prevented that and we’ll have to work around that. Thankfully, we’ll have some practice before we jump in the race and I’ll use that as my saving grace to try and get comfortable and use the race to keep making adjustments to our car and put us in position to perhaps back up what we did last weekend at Talladega.”

    Like Kitzmiller, Derek Griffith makes his first Pocono start as well. However the Chad Bryant Racing team has had some previous success at the 2.5 mile speedway. The No. 22 team won with Ty Majeski two years ago in 2018 after starting fifth and leading 12 laps. Griffith is excited to get to the track and see how the 22 team performs.

    “I’m excited to get to Pocono on Friday,” said Griffith. “It’s going to be a big challenge as it will be the largest track that I’ve ever competed on, but I feel like I’m heading there with one of the best teams in the garage. It’s going to take a few laps to get comfortable, but I think with some confidence in myself and the leadership of the Chad (Bryant) and Paul (Andrews, crew chief) we can turn some heads.”

    Joining the likes of Kitzmiller and Griffith will be the Fast Track Racing and Andy Hillenburg entry of Ryan Huff. Huff placed 12th last week at Talladega and heads to Pocono for the first time in his career. However, the team is optimistic as they were able to purchase some equipment from Travis Braden who previously owned RFMS Racing. This leaves Huff and the No. 10 team optimistic for Friday.

    “We were fortunate to get our hands on some pretty good equipment,” sounded Huff. “Working with Fast Track Racing and Andy Hillenburg has been great for these last couple of races but we had the chance to bring some additional resources to the table and I’m hopeful we can capitalize on it.”

    Of the other drivers slated for their first Pocono start include Ty Gibbs, Russ Lane, Sam Mayer, and Clay Greenfield.

    Friday’s event will be a one-day show that includes only one practice session. The session takes place from 3:30-4:30 p.m./ET with no TV coverage. There will also be no qualifying and starting lineup will be based on 2019 owner points.

    The green flag and 80 lap race is set for 6:05 p.m./ET live on Fox Sports 1.

  • IMSA Releases Rest of 2020 Schedule

    IMSA Releases Rest of 2020 Schedule

    IMSA announced on Thursday afternoon a wide variety of schedule changes for the rest of the 2020 racing season.

    As one date is already set for July 4, which will be a return to racing for the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Series at Daytona International Speedway, the following number of races for the series has been scheduled.

    For majority of the schedule, Daytona on July 4, Sebring on July 18, Road America on August 2, VIRginia International Raceway, Lime Rock Park on Sept 12, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Sept 27, and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will see a two hour and 40 minute sprint race.

    Keeping the traditional time of the races are Watkins Glen, which will still see six hours, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta 10 hours, and Sebring International Raceway 12 hours.

    With that in mind, the Six Hours of The Glen will now be held on Labor Day weekend, which will see all four classes in session. Those classes include a four hour Michelin Pilot Challenge event, two double headers for the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Series.

    For the GT Le Mans and GT Daytona Series, those classes will be kept in the Northeast following that weekend, as they head to Lime Rock Park in Connecticut, which sees a timed event of two hours and 40 minutes. The Michelin Pilot Challenge Series will also compete that same weekend with just a two hour race, with the GT3 Cup Challenge USA class scheduled for a 45 minute race.

    As the schedule rolls on through 2020, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will be the host of the penultimate round in the series championship from Oct 30 through Nov 1. On that weekend, the Hyundai Monterey Sports Cars will have their championship held. Other classes scheduled to compete are Michelin Pilot Challenge and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Series.

    IMSA President, John Doonan, says these scenarios are what they had hoped for within the organization to complete the 2020 season.

    “These revisions to our 2020 schedules put all of IMSA’s stakeholders in the best possible position for success,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “They are also the result of the ongoing spirit of collaboration with our promoter partners. Moving our Northeastern events into September should pay dividends from the standpoint of weather. WeatherTech Raceway on Halloween weekend also has the potential to be spectacular and will set the stage for a thrilling conclusion at Sebring.”

    In addition, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series returns to VIRingia National Raceway for the weekend of Aug 21-Aug 23. VIR takes the place of the originally planned event at St. Petersburg.

    As for the IMSA Prototype Challenge class, their six race schedule will not see any revisions and are intended to remain the same. Despite that announcement, Road Atlanta the season finale, is now a three-hour event. The other events are scheduled to be one hour and 45 minutes.

  • NHRA’s Northwest Nationals Canceled Due To COVID-19

    NHRA’s Northwest Nationals Canceled Due To COVID-19

    With restrictions in the northwest part of the United States, NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) has canceled the Northwest Nationals, which was supposed to be held at Pacific Raceway (outside the city of Seattle).

    Seattle has been a hot spot for COVID-19 cases this year, ever since the pandemic started in March. Unfortunately, the cases have not dropped down enough, to allow Pacific Raceways to host a NHRA event. King County had hopes of moving into their next phase of lowering restrictions for the county, but it was not enough, as the county is still in Phase 2. In order for the county to host a sporting event like the NHRA, they would have had to been in Phase 4.

    It’s the first time in event history, Pacific Raceways had to cancel the Northwest Nationals. The racetrack itself has seen a total of 38 races and, a total of 32 consecutive races.

    “NHRA has hosted national events at Pacific Raceways for 38 years, including the last 32 straight,” said John Ramsey, Pacific Raceways General Manager. “As hard as it is to cancel the race, the health and safety of our fans, competitors and staff of is the utmost importance to us. The bright side is we now turn our focus to next year and look forward to seeing the fans back as we celebrate the 33rd Annual Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals in 2021.”

    Fans who had tickets for this event will be receiving email from the track about their future ticket options.

    NHRA will kick off their 2020 racing season with two double headers at Lucas Oil Raceway July 11 and July 18.

  • Mahindra Racing Welcomes Alex Lynn

    Mahindra Racing Welcomes Alex Lynn

    Mahindra Racing announced today, Great Denmore, England native, Alex Lynn will compete for Mahindra Racing for the rest of the 2019/20 season.

    When Lynn returns to the track in Berlin in August, it’ll be the first time in two years he will drive in a Formula E car. The last time the British driver entered in one was, 2018 at the season finale in Brooklyn, New York.

    “I am really excited to be able to represent Mahindra Racing in Berlin,” Lynn said. “I have high ambitions in this championship that match what Mahindra Racing wants to achieve. I just can’t wait to get started. I’ve raced twice in Berlin before and always felt that I went well there, including appearing in Super Pole last season. The format of Berlin is going to be exciting and challenging at the same time and I’m looking forward to hitting the ground.”

    This announcement comes from earlier in the month, when team driver, Pascal Wehrlein mutually agreed to part ways, leaving the team without a driver to take his place until now.

    “We’re delighted to welcome Alex to the Mahindra Racing family,” Dilbagh Gill, CEO & Team Principle of Mahindra Racing said. “He has achieved some fantastic highlights in his career already and we’re confident that together we can get results in the remainder of Season 6. It’s not easy to jump in mid-season, especially with the unique way we will be running the races in Berlin, but Alex has a hunger, talent and experience that we are sure will pay dividends fast. We would like to thank Pascal (Wehrlein) for his contribution and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

    Despite Lynn being new to Mahindra Racing, he will have teammate, Jerome D’ Ambrosio to lean on for any advice he shall seek.

    The FIA ABB Formula E Series is set to resume its season August 5 at Berlin.

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Talladega I

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Talladega I

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers took on one of the biggest tracks on the NASCAR circuit on Saturday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway.

    In what is normally expected to be an exciting race, but Saturday’s event was normally tamed to some standards and we didn’t see all that much action. Of course, you don’t want to see “The Big One” or any other accidents, but that was not the case for this race. 

    However, the Unhinged 300 was based on green flag runs and building up momentum for those runs and making sure the drivers time them right. 

    In the end, the trio of Kaulig Racing drivers Justin Haley, Ross Chastain, and AJ Allmendinger timed those runs perfectly when the checkered flag came out, as fans at home saw Haley take the victory after Chastain and Allmendinger gave him the push he needed to keep the other drivers behind. 

    Though, some of the other Xfinity Series regulars saw their day get cut short due to late race accidents, or not having the “right person” to work with. 

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Unhinged 300

    1. Justin Haley- Haley has not had the luck he’s needed to perform to his expectations, ever since racing resumed in May. A 29th place DNF outing at Charlotte, 17th at Bristol, and 13th at Homestead. Though, Haley had to change his mindset and come to Dega with a positive outlook, as the racing can change in instant but also give anyone a chance if you’re in the right position. The Indiana native did find himself in the right position on the last lap, as his Kaulig Racing teammates (Allmendinger and Chastain) were behind him to help get the victory for the team. The victory couldn’t come at a better timing, as Haley noted he is ride searching for next year. The win was also emotional to Haley due to the almost one-year anniversary of Nick Harrison’s unexpected passing (Haley’s former crew chief). Saturday’s win will more than likely be a special one for the 21-year old in the years to come.

      Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked
    2. Ross Chastain- Chastain continued his momentum on Saturday by placing second in the running order. The No. 11 team has had the ball rolling the last few weeks earning top five and top 10 finishes. Chastain had a strong showing at Dega, where he remained up front for the most part. He was able to get stage points in both stages, by finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. The Floridian also led a total of 16 laps throughout the going. Additionally, Chastain picked up the “Dash 4 Cash” $100,000. Not a bad day for Chastain and the No. 10 crew.

      Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked
    3. Austin Cindric- Cindric and the No. 22 team rebounded from Homestead the previous week after finishing 10th and blowing a tire, to a third place position at Talladega. The Team Penske driver started seventh, finished fifth in Stage 1, and third in the second stage. Cindric did have a chance at the end to score the victory, but ran out of time and did not have teammates to help give him a chance, leaving Cindric a sitting duck. All in all, the No. 22 team came home with a clean race car.

      Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked
    4. Noah Gragson- Noah Gragson had a whirlwind of a day at the superspeedway. From running at the front to getting involved in an accident on lap 106 (7 laps to go), somehow, Gragson did not get all that much damage to his No. 9 Hellman’s Garlic Sauce Chevrolet. Sure, it took him back in the running order, where the JR Motorsports driver restarted in the 20s on the final restart, but came back to a 10th place finish. The finish was probably not what Gragson was looking for after leading 19 laps, but rebounding to a top-10 finish after getting involved in a late race accident is not too terribly bad either. Things could have been much worse for the No. 9 team.

      Previous Week Ranking- First
    5. Chase Briscoe- Following his victory at Homestead last Sunday, Briscoe and the No. 98 team turned to Talladega in hopes of getting the victory, especially the run that the team has been for the last couple of weeks. For the first half of the race, Briscoe was definitely the car to beat. He finished third in Stage 1 and won the second stage. Unfortunately, on lap 78, Briscoe got caught up in a wreck, which saw the left front fender get torn off. That ultimately ruined his race as it gave an aero disadvantage, but the stage points should help erase that disappointing result.

      Previous Week Ranking- Second 

    Fell Out 

    1. Harrison Burton- Burton was involved in an accident on the same lap as Briscoe’s was (lap 78). Though, his damage was much more significant, as Burton was credited with a 32nd place finish. Certainly, a disappointment after scoring the victory last Saturday at Homestead. Despite that, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver did obtain stage points after placing seventh in Stage 1.

      Previous Week Ranking- Third
    2. Bradon Jones- Jones was also involved in a crash himself that occurred with 7 laps to go, after a decent showing in the first two stages (sixth in Stage 1, eighth in Stage 2). That wreck eventually cost Jones the solid showing and resulted in him finishing 16th.

      Previous Week Ranking- Fourth
    3. Ryan Sieg- Sieg’s issue came at the beginning of the race, where he had a flat tire just a few laps into the event. The Georgia native also almost took some of the field when he went up the track to avoid any more issues. Sieg eventually got back to the race, but was unable to contend for a top 10 or five finish, as he was regulated to a 30th place outing.

      Previous Week Ranking- Fifth 
  • Tony Schumacher Announces NHRA Return

    Tony Schumacher Announces NHRA Return

    As the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) continues to their countdown return to racing, Don Schumacher Racing announces a old return from the past.

    84-time NHRA winner Tony Schumacher will return to the team to compete at two consecutive events set for Lucas Oil Raceway located in Brownsburg, Indiana.

    Race fans have always known Schumacher as the driver behind the US Army car. However, when Schumacher better known as “The Sarge” returns to racing, he will be sporting new colors. It was announced that Global Electronic Technology would sponsor the DSR entry for the two races.

    “I’ve always been the ‘Army guy,’” said Schumacher, referring to his impressive run of nearly two decades representing the U.S. Army, which spanned from 2000 to 2018 and remains one of the longest-running partnerships in motorsports history. “It was an absolute privilege to represent them for so many years, but I’m not that guy anymore, and it’ll be exciting to be the face of a different brand, Global Electronic Technology, when I return to Indy next month. A huge thank you goes out to Steve and Samantha Bryson for allowing me this incredible opportunity to get back out there.”

    It has been noted while Schumacher is passionate about the NHRA, but he’s not normally a fan of doing a part-time effort, rather he’s like to compete full-time. Whether or not this effort will spark any interest for the Texas native is yet to be seen, but does give some idea where he is standing.

    “I also would never want to hire people only to release them in two weeks. We have so many extremely talented people at DSR, several of whom have gone on to create careers for themselves in our machine and fab shops, and at Don Schumacher Motorsports. Those are the guys that will be working on my car these two weeks. They know how to be safe, and they know how to win, and then you have Brian Corradi who has won championship after championship. That’s how I know that even though this is just two races, we will still be competitive, and we will do it right.
     
    “You also can’t discount the fact that these races will air on network FOX; that’s huge and I’m thrilled to be able to promote Global on such a large stage. And, the fact that it’s at Indy, which is where I’ve had the most success,” he added of his unprecedented 10 NHRA U.S. Nationals titles, which makes him the most successful NHRA driver in Indianapolis history. “As I said, it just all made sense. I’ve driven thousands of laps, I love racing, and I love doing it for the right reasons. We’ve got a gift here and we’re really looking to make the most of it.”

    Steve Bryson, CEO of Global Electronic Technology, they are pleased to have another winning force in their stable.

    “Global Electronic Technology is synonymous with a winning culture,” said founder and CEO Steve Bryson. “Every day we help our customers win in business, so who better to partner with than the driver who has won more Top Fuel races and championships than anyone? Tony Schumacher is one of the best ever, and to pair him with another all-time great in Antron Brown and DSR is a dream relationship for Team Global.”

    With NHRA set to return on July 11-12, Schumacher and the DSR team will have a test and tune day on Friday July 10 to get comfortable with the Global Electronic Technology machine.

    Qualifying can be seen on Saturday July 11 and are slated for 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m./ET live on FOX.

    Final round eliminations are set for Sunday July 12, which will began at 9:00 a.m./ET.

  • Drew Dollar Takes Emotional Talladega Victory

    Drew Dollar Takes Emotional Talladega Victory

    The ARCA Menards Series returned to Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon for the General Tire 200 after 3 months away from the track. 

    With COVID-19 still a major factor across the nation, series officials limited exposure across the garage area, therefore no qualifying was held for the event. Meaning, a random draw took place, which saw Venturini Motorsports driver, Ryan Repko take the pole position and Drew Dollar in the No. 15 start outside pole in second. 

    And with no qualifying in place, limited crew members at track, there was a halfway break (lap 39) that allowed teams to work on their cars and make the adjustments necessary to their liking, but no positions can be gained. 

    Dollar got the lead instantly from the get-go and had led every lap until that point. There were challenges from Riley Herbst, who tried to make a move to take the lead, but Dollar held the position not allowing Herbst to make the pass. 

    After the halfway break, Herbst was finally able to get the top spot from Dollar. As the laps winded down, all three Venturini cars (Michael Self and Ryan Repko) were in a small pack of five cars. Minding their time, the three drivers hoped to get that run on Herbst, and tried for a top three sweep. However, the teammates had trouble doing so. Dollar went to make a move on Herbst, but both made contact for the lead. The contact saw Dollar drop back to fifth in the running order and had to rethink his plan of attack. 

    As Dollar and the Venturini cars regrouped themselves, most of them got momentum back on their side and made another run at Herbst. Repko pushed Dollar to the lead, but Michael Self had trouble, when he made contact with Herbst in Turns 3 and 4 coming to the final lap. Self, did a 360 spin, but somehow avoided further contact and damage. 

    No yellow was thrown and Dollar pulled away from the field to score an emotional victory at Talladega, his first career win in ARCA.

    “I definitely needed this one. I’m definitely out of breath right now,” Dollar said. “Venturini guys gave me the car out here today. Had the best team, had the best spotter in the stand in Joe White. He guided me through it. I lost a family member over the break so this is definitely emotional. This one’s for him. I know he’s watching from up above.”

    Indeed it was an emotional win for Dollar and the No. 15 Venturini Motorsports crew. 

    As Dollar picked up the victory for the first time in his career, he doesn’t really know when the victory will set in for him. 

    “I don’t know, maybe on the way home,”Dollar said excitingly. “I’m going to have a lot of notifications on my phone when I get back to the hauler. Maybe, once I get through all those, it will (the win) will sink in.” 

    Official Results 

    1. Drew Dollar 
    2. Ryan Repko 
    3. Bret Holmes
    4. Riley Herbst
    5. Michael Self 
    6. Thad Moffitt
    7. Hailie Deegan
    8. Jason Kitzmiller, 1 lap down
    9. Sean Corr, 2 laps down
    10. Ed Pompa, 2 laps down
    11. Scott Melton, 2 laps down
    12. Ryan Huff, 2 laps down 
    13. Tanner Gray, 2 laps down
    14. Eric Caudell, 3 laps down
    15. Brandon Lynn, 7 laps down
    16. Gus Dean, OUT, Engine
    17. Tim Richmond, OUT, Engine
    18. Willie Mullins, OUT, Electrical
    19. Tommy Vigh JR, OUT, Vibration
    20. Brad Smith, OUT, Carburetor
    21. Con Nicolopoulous, OUT, Did Not Start, Engine 

    As for points standings, Michael Self leads Hailie Deegan by 12 points. 

    Up Next: The ARCA Menards Series will head northeast Friday June 26 for Round No. 4 at Pocono Raceway. 

  • FIA Formula E Announces Season 7 Schedule

    FIA Formula E Announces Season 7 Schedule

    After announcing their return to racing to complete season six, the FIA ABB Formula E series officials came with more announcements on Friday afternoon, by announcing their 2020/21 schedule, indicating season seven.

    The schedule features 14 races stretching from Santiago in Chile, beginning January 16 to the double header season finale in London on July 24-25. There are also double headers in Saudi Arabia on February 26-27.

    There are other notable changes to the calendar, which features the series visiting Seoul in South Korea for the first time in series history. Formula E returns to the streets of Monaco as well and is set for May 8.

    1. January 16, 2021- Santiago, Chile
    2. February 13, 2021- Mexico City, Mexico
    3. February 26, 2021- Diriyah, Saudi Arabia
    4. February 27, 2021-Diriyah, Saudi Arabia
    5. March 13, 2021-Sanya, China
    6. April 10, 2021- Rome, Italy
    7. April 24, 2021- Paris, France
    8. May 8, 2021- Monaco
    9. May 23, 2021- Seoul, South Korea
    10. June 5, 2021- TBC (Subject to circuit homologation)
    11. June 19, 2021- Berlin, Germany
    12. July 10, 2021- New York City, USA
    13. July 24, 2021- London, UK
    14. July 25, 2021- London, UK

    For more information on the newly announced schedule, fans can visit Formula E’s website.