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Author: Briar Starr

  • Hagan, Torrence and Matt Smith take victories in Mile High Nationals

    Hagan, Torrence and Matt Smith take victories in Mile High Nationals

    NHRA returned to action this past weekend at Bandimere Speedway in Colorado for the Mile High Nationals and we saw former champions in the winner circle following Sunday’s on-track action.

    Last year’s champions in Funny Car, Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle all claimed their respective class victories. Matt Hagan finally earned his elusive win of the season in Funny Car. Steve Torrence continued his Top Fuel dominance by scoring his fifth victory and Matt Smith collected his third Wally of 2021, his first since Atlanta.

    Funny Car

    Matt Hagan had not won yet this season through the first seven races after being dominant in the Funny Car category last year. The Don Schumacher Racing driver earned his 42nd No. 1 qualifier Saturday night after posting an E.T. of 3.966 and 319.22 mph during Friday’s session which paired him with No. 14 qualifier Chris King in the first round.

    King was a Funny Car newcomer but was eliminated by Hagan after Hagan won with a time of 4.045 seconds and 317.49 mph that helped him have a bye run in the second round. Hagan easily advanced to the semis facing his Don Schumacher teammate Ron Capps. Hagan roared to a time of 4.022 seconds and 314.53 mph to face Alexis DeJoria in the finals.

    The final for DeJoria was her first since returning to the sport a couple of years ago. DeJoria scored victories over Jack Wyatt, championship points leader Bob Tasca and a tire-smoking Tim Wilkerson in the semis to face off against Hagan.

    When the two fired off the starting line, it was Hagan who outraced DeJoria to his 37th career victory by setting the E.T. of 4.105 seconds and 305.70 mph.

    “This mountain has chewed me up and spit me out several years in a row. I’m just so glad to pull this win out,” said Hagan, who jumped to third in points. “I’ve been trying to get this trophy for so long. It’s an important race and it’s one of those things where we finally got it done. I just cannot say enough about my team. I’m so proud of each one of them and those guys love doing what they do. My heart was beating out of my chest there in the finals. 

    “It felt like I was running for a championship. When you see all these fans in the stands, it gives me chill bumps. We love Denver and we love the fans that are here. I’m glad we got it done in front of them. Every win that you can get, you’re grateful for and I’m just blessed here today.”

    For DeJoria, Sunday was solid for her, but the second-place finish would be her first runner-up of the season and the fourth runner-up of her career.

    “This is definitely the best race weekend I have ever had at Bandimere Speedway,” said DeJoria. “We qualified No. 2.  We had a pretty consistent car during eliminations and we made it to my team’s first final round since I came back into the sport last year. We are just so hungry. We have had so many semifinals leading up to this. We have had great success in qualifying. We were just missing those final rounds. Now that we have tasted it we are going to have more of these. It is just a matter of time and I know I keep saying that but it is true.”

    “In the final round we dropped cylinders right at the start,” said DeJoria. “My car was down on power. I saw Hagan move ahead and I was on his tail the whole way down. If he slipped up at all we had him. It is just one of those things. We are going to go to Sonoma with our heads held high.”

    Funny Car Results

    1. Matt Hagan
    2. Alexis DeJoria
    3. Ron Capps
    4. Tim Wilkerson
    5. John Force
    6. Bob Tasca III
    7. Paul Lee
    8. Jack Wyatt
    9. Terry Haddock
    10. Cruz Pedregon
    11. Robert Hight
    12. Jim Campbell
    13. Chris King
    14. J.R. Todd

    Funny Car Championship Point Standings

    1. Bob Tasca, 643 points
    2. John Force, 593
    3. Matt Hagan, 558
    4. J.R. Todd, 532
    5. Ron Capps, 529
    6. Robert Hight, 517
    7. Alexis DeJoria, 498
    8. Tim Wilkerson, 477
    9. Cruz Pedregon, 450
    10. Terry Haddock, 274

    Top Fuel

    Top Fuel was certainly the most interesting class of the afternoon. There were two “new” drivers in the category. Former Pro Stock driver Alex Laughlin was making his Top Fuel debut this weekend while Top Fuel and Funny Car nostalgia driver, Joey Haas, also made his debut.

    Meanwhile, Colorado local, Greg Carrillo, defeated Antron Brown in the first round going 3.860 seconds and 316.23 mph to win over Brown.

    However, when the action all was said and done, Steve Torrence was standing with his head held high for his fifth victory of the 2021 season.

    Torrence qualified second and faced Rob Passey in the first round. Torrence got the victory over Passey in Round 1, a bye run in the second and a semi-final win over Mike Salinas that propelled him to the finals.

    The debuting Joey Haas also was solid through his rounds with victories over Alex Laughlin and an upset over Leah Pruett in Round 2. He then coasted to a victory in the semis after Clay Millican’s car shut off leaving the staging lanes.

    As Torrence and Haas left the lanes, Steve Torrence easily won over Haas posting an E.T. of 3.860 seconds and 320.36 mph to win the 45th victory of his career.

    “I was pulling for him all day,” said the three-time reigning World Champion, “and I know there were a lot of people hoping he could get past us in the final. That’s a guy with a lot of heart and I hope I get to race him a lot more. I have complete respect for that whole (Terry) Totten team. It was fun to watch them.

    “But these Capco Boys are just so bad to the bone,” Torrence continued. “Those guys were having one of those races where it’s just your day and, after they got past Clay (Millican), I was a little concerned. But Richard Hogan and Bobby Lagana, my whole team, they just did what they do and fortunately, I was able to do my job, too.”

    Top Fuel Results

    1. Steve Torrence
    2. Joey Haas
    3. Mike Salinas
    4. Clay Millican
    5. Brittany Force
    6. Greg Carrilo
    7. Leah Pruett
    8. Shawn Langdon
    9. Antron Brown
    10. Buddy Hull
    11. Rob Passey
    12. Doug Kalitta
    13. Alex Laughlin

    Top Fuel Championship Point Standings

    1. Steve Torrence, 858 points
    2. Antron Brown, 551
    3. Brittany Force, 505
    4. Billy Torrence, 448
    5. Shawn Langdon, 418
    6. Mike Salinas, 395
    7. Doug Kalitta, 367
    8. Leah Pruett, 362
    9. Justin Ashley, 337
    10. Clay Millican, 328

    Pro Stock Motorcycle

    No. 1 qualifier Matt Smith earned his third win and the 29th victory of his career Sunday afternoon after eliminating Eddie Krawiec. Matt Smith won with a time of 7.118 seconds and 189.04 mph in the final round to secure the victory.

    “This place is hard to run at, but I love this racetrack and I was successful here in the early part of my career,” said Smith, who made the quickest run in all three qualifying sessions and three of the four rounds of eliminations this weekend. “What an awesome facility and I’m so glad to get to come out here. My bike was fast all weekend and it was just super impressive. We’ve got a tough field, so it’s always going to be tough, but this bike is on kill right now.”

    It was an easy start for Smith as he had a bye run in the first round which got him to the second round. Smith then won over Cory Reed in the second round going 7.147 seconds and 189.26 mph. A victory over Andrew Hines in the semis got him to the finals.

    Krawiec qualified sixth with a time of 7.182 seconds and 189.18 mph and faced Jerry Savoie in the first round. He won with a time of 7.150 seconds and 185.15 mph. Krawiec then faced Charlotte winner Steve Johnson in the second round and won with a time of 7.166 seconds and 189.73 mph to advance to the semis.

    In the semis, Krawiec got a victory over Angie Smith after Smith fouled on the Christmas tree.

    When the two Pro Stock Motorcycles raced down the track, Krawiec obtained his first runner-up of the season with Matt Smith getting the win.

    Pro Stock Motorcycle Results

    1. Matt Smith
    2. Eddie Krawiec
    3. Andrew Hines
    4. Angie Smith
    5. Steve Johnson
    6. Cory Reed
    7. Angelle Sampey
    8. Karen Stoffer
    9. Joey Gladstone
    10. Scotty Pollacheck
    11. Jerry Savoie
    12. Ryan Oehler
    13. David Barron
    14. Jianna Salinas
    15. Jim Underdahl

    Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship Standings

    1. Matt Smith, 626 points
    2. Steve Johnson, 463
    3. Scotty Pollacheck, 381
    4. Ryan Oehler, 377
    5. Angelle Sampey, 318
    6. Angie Smith, 315
    7. Eddie Krawiec, 300
    8. Joey Gladstone, 288
    9. Karen Stoffer, 278
    10. Cory Reed, 270

    Up Next: The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will continue to head west to visit Sonoma Raceway on July 23-25, live on NHRA.TV (with a subscription) and FOX networks.

  • Marco Andretti scores elusive SRX win at Slinger Speedway

    Marco Andretti scores elusive SRX win at Slinger Speedway

    In a one-lap dash to the finish, Marco Andretti grabbed his first Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) victory at Slinger Speedway in the fifth of six races for the series.

    Andretti, a 16-year veteran of the NTT INDYCAR Series, was thrilled with the win.

    “Honestly, I know it’s not a popular win, but I tried to be as clean as possible,” he said. . “I’m so proud of him (Luke Fenhaus). I’m trying to learn from him, to be honest with you. Just delighted to be able to do it without touching him. I know it’s not a popular win, but us old guys have to get it when we can. He’s young, he’s got a lot of time ahead of him. I had so much fun.”

    Prior to the race, Andretti was awarded the pole and stayed up front until the caution on Lap 44. The Tennessee native swapped the lead multiple times with the “Local All-Star,” 17-year-old, Fenhaus, who won the 42nd Slinger Nationals Tuesday night.

    Following the first caution for the green-flag lap limit, Fenhaus and the Knoxville Raceway winner, Tony Stewart, battled side-by-side for the top spot. But, with the track being a half-mile, Stewart and Fenhaus couldn’t clear each other until the next yellow flew at Lap 92 as Stewart had just cleared Fenhaus for the lead.

    After the second green-flag lap limit caution, the restart came with 45 laps to go, but the race was slowed once again. The No. 15 of Michael Waltrip had trouble off Turn 2 and brought his car behind the wall.

    Two more cautions flags were flown with 15 laps and 12 laps to go. Following the Lap 138 caution for the contact between Greg Biffle and Helio Castroneves, Fenhaus was a man on a mission. It appeared as though he was on his way to winning once more at the famous track in Wisconsin.

    Unfortunately for the local favorite, Fenhaus would have to wait one more time, as the final yellow came out with one lap to go when Hailie Deegan turned Paul Tracy in Turn 4. Tracy, Waltrip, Castroneves, and Willy T. Ribbs were also involved in the melee.

    The yellow flag set up a green-white-checkered finish with two laps to go with Fenhaus and Andretti on the front row. Andretti got the advantage on Fenhaus going into Turn 1 and went on to win the SRX race in his fifth start.

    Fenhaus, who was strong throughout most of the night, leading 18 times for 92 laps, came home in second place.

    “I think he (Marco) jumped it a little bit, which didn’t help me at all,” said Fenhaus, who earned his spot in the 12-driver field by winning Tuesday night’s Slinger Nationals. “I was better on the top. I felt like we could roll on the outside. I was just worried that he’d shove me up the racetrack if I went to the outside. I probably would’ve lost either way. He would’ve run us hard. It is what it is. Second place, I can’t complain.”

    “We talked about it Monday before the Slinger Nationals and decided that if we won the Slinger Nationals, it was kind of a no-brainer to run SRX,” said Fenhaus, a rising senior at Wausau East High School. “I’m glad we came here, for sure. Just to come here and enjoy the experience and to soak it all in – it’s crazy and surreal, to say the least. I loved every minute of it. If I could do it again, I would. Hopefully, it leads in the right direction for my career.

    “It was an insane race. The race against Tony (Stewart) for that long, side-by-side, I’m glad we put on a show for the fans. I hope they all enjoyed it. It’s unreal to race against these guys. They’re so good at what they do. It’s hard to beat them.”

    Stewart, the championship points leader, rounded out the podium finishing in third.

    “My buddy Marco winning the race and us having another podium finish and gaining some more points in the standings with one race to go is a big deal to me,” said Stewart, a two-time winner already in the Camping World SRX Series. “The first five weeks of this series have been awesome. To go to three totally different racetracks – the three paved tracks are totally different from each other, and then two totally different dirt tracks – it’s been a lot of fun. To sit there each weekend and see how much fun everybody is having, that’s the payoff for all this. It’s payoff for all of us as drivers.

    “To get ready for this race, I watched some YouTube videos and Luke Fenhaus was the star of a lot of them. Getting to spend the day with that kid has been the highlight of my day, to be honest. He’s the most composed 17-year-old I’ve ever seen. There are kids in the (NASCAR) Truck Series and Xfinity Series who don’t have the composure that this guy’s got. I hope somebody will give him a shot, even if it’s a one-race deal to give him a crack at it and make himself a name.”

    Official Results following the SRX event at Slinger Speedway:

    1. Marco Andretti
    2. Luke Fenhaus
    3. Tony Stewart
    4. Hailie Deegan
    5. Bobby Labonte
    6. Ernie Francis Jr
    7. Willy T. Ribbs
    8. Greg Biffle
    9. Bill Elliott
    10. Helio Castroneves
    11. Paul Tracy
    12. Michael Waltrip

    Tony Stewart continues to lead the SRX Championship Points over Francis Jr. by 38 points.

    Up Next: The SRX Racing Series will head into their final race of the season at the Nashville Fairgrounds Saturday, July 17 at 8 p.m. ET live on CBS.

  • Austin Hill wins inaugural Truck Series race at Knoxville

    Austin Hill wins inaugural Truck Series race at Knoxville

    Two hours, three minutes and four overtime restarts after the race began, Austin Hill fended off Chandler Smith to win the first-ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Knoxville Raceway.

    “I kind of thought we were out of it (winning the race) there for a little bit,” Austin Hill said to Fox Sports 1.

    “I had that restart on the outside of the 38 (Todd Gilliland) and I fell all the way back to 20th (in the running order). I didn’t think we were going to make it back up, track position was huge. It was really hard to get around people. I just kept my head down.

    “This team at HRE (Hattori Racing Enterprises) never quit. That’s the thing I like about this group. We never stop, we never quit. Even when we think we’re down and down, we just keep coming back. If you would have told me we would win a dirt race this year, I would have told you, you’re lying.”

    The Georgia driver didn’t become a contender for the win until the final stage when Hill restarted in the top three. Yellow after yellow, Hill stayed in contention and did not let the 18 of Chandler Smith pull away. Eventually, right before the final yellow on Lap 172, Hill pulled slightly ahead of Smith at the previous timing/scoring loop, putting him in the lead. Despite Smith having the most dominant truck during the final 10 laps, he came up short, finishing second to Hill, and will have to wait another week for a chance at his first career victory.

    “First of all, just have to thank Danny (Stockman, crew chief) and all the guys on this No. 18 JBL Toyota Tundra team. They worked their tails off on this thing and we got it really good in practice. We fell back there in the race, and I couldn’t run the top, but we were able to make it work on the bottom. We needed track position, but we were able to lead a bunch of laps. I don’t think the call was right (at the end with regard to line-up) that they (NASCAR) made to be honest, but it is what it is and that’s part of it.”

    Prior to the main event feature, there were four 15-lap qualifying heat races to set the field. The driver who gained the most points in the heats would start on the pole. Josh Berry, Kyle Strickler, Tyler Ankrum, and Carson Hocevar all won their heat races. However, the pole position went to Derek Kraus who gained the most points of 17.

    Throughout the first stage, there three cautions that slowed the event. The yellow flag was brought out when Johnny Sauter was spun by Chase Briscoe in Turn 4 and again when dirt regular, Brian Brown, was spun by Chase Purdy in Turn 3. The final caution of the stage occurred when Jessica Friesen spun on Lap 37.

    NASCAR ended Stage 1 under yellow and Kraus took home the stage victory. Todd Gilliland, Josh Berry, Carson Hocevar, Tyler Ankrum, Sheldon Creed, Stewart Friesen, Brett Moffitt, Chandler Smith and Austin Hill rounded out the top 10 finishers.

    There were only a couple of incidents in Stage 2. Jessica Friesen brought out the yellow for the second time on Lap 66 after getting spun by Kraus and collected by Morgan Alexander in Turn 3. Another caution resulted when the No. 51 of Brown spun in Turn 4.

    Prior to the yellow, Gilliland had led the majority of the stage before being passed by Kraus for the Stage 2 victory.

    The action really heated up in the third and final stage of the night. There were nine cautions and a 14-minute red flag during the stage. The major incident included a big pileup on Lap 155 when most of the field wrecked in Turn 1. The drivers involved included Rohrbaugh, Gray, Deegan, Benning, Berry, Ankrum, Zane Smith, Purdy, Erickson, Briscoe, Jake Griffin, Schatz, Creed and Windom, creating the red flag situation.

    There were two more overtime restarts as more yellows flags were flown for incidents in Turn 1.

    After the multiple cautions, the final restart came at Lap 177 with Austin Hill and Chandler Smith battling it out for the win. However, on Lap 179 (29 laps over the scheduled race distance), Austin Hill scored his first victory of the 2021 Truck Series season.

    Chandler Smith, Grant Enfinger, Gilliland, Kraus, Matt Crafton, Ben Rhodes, Brian Brown, Tate Fogleman and Danny Bohn completed the Top 10.

    There were 14 cautions for 80 laps and seven leaders among 20 lead changes. Hill led twice for 11 laps en route to his seventh career Truck Series victory.

    Playoff Points Standings with one race to go until the Playoffs begin:

    1. John Hunter Nemechek, five wins, 34 playoff points
    2. Ben Rhodes, two wins, 11 playoff points
    3. Todd Gilliland, one win, 7 playoff points
    4. Sheldon Creed, one win, 6 playoff points
    5. Austin Hill, one win, 5 playoff points
    6. Zane Smith (clinched playoff spot), +140
    7. Matt Crafton (clinched playoff spot), +119
    8. Stewart Friesen, +61
    9. Carson Hocevar, +53
    10. Chandler Smith, +40

      Below the cut line
    11. Johnny Sauter, -40
    12. Austin Wayne Self, -44
    13. Tyler Ankrum, -51
    14. Derek Kraus, -71

    Official Results following the Corn Belt 150 at Knoxville Raceway:

    1. Austin Hill, led 11 laps
    2. Chandler Smith, led 71 laps
    3. Grant Enfinger
    4. Todd Gilliland, led 61 laps
    5. Derek Kraus, won both stages, led 10 laps
    6. Matt Crafton, led one lap
    7. Ben Rhodes
    8. Brian Brown
    9. Tate Fogleman
    10. Danny Bohn
    11. John Hunter Nemechek
    12. Jake Griffin
    13. Ryan Truex
    14. Zane Smith
    15. Chris Windom
    16. Carson Hocevar, led 17 laps
    17. Tyler Ankrum
    18. Devon Rouse
    19. Norm Benning
    20. Johnny Sauter, led eight laps
    21. Hailie Deegan
    22. Cody Erickson, 2 laps down
    23. Kyle Strickler, 2 laps down
    24. Andrew Gordon, 2 laps down
    25. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 3 laps down
    26. Jessica Friesen, 4 laps down
    27. Stewart Friesen 9 laps down
    28. Josh Berry, OUT, Accident
    29. Parker Price-Miller, 19 laps down
    30. Austin Wayne Self, OUT, Accident
    31. Tanner Gray, OUT, Accident
    32. Donny Schatz, OUT, Accident
    33. Chase Purdy, OUT, Accident
    34. Codie Rohrbaugh, OUT, Accident
    35. Sheldon Creed, OUT, Accident
    36. Chase Briscoe, OUT, Accident
    37. Jett Noland, OUT, Accident
    38. Brett Moffitt, OUT, Accident
    39. Jack Wood, OUT, Accident
    40. Morgan Alexander, OUT, Accident

    Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will take nearly a month off before heading to Watkins Glen International Raceway on Saturday, August 7, live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 12:30 p.m./ET.

  • Newgarden dominates Mid-Ohio for first win of the season

    Newgarden dominates Mid-Ohio for first win of the season

    Starting from the pole and leading all but eight laps, Josef Newgarden became the winningest American in the NTT IndyCar Series on a special holiday weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as he claimed his first win of the season.

    However, the victory wasn’t all that easy as he had to fend off a hard-charging Marcus Ericsson who closed the gap lap by lap inside the last 10 laps. Despite being challenged by the Chip Ganassi Racing driver, Newgarden secured the victory on the weekend of Roger Penske’s very first win as a car owner that came 50 years ago Saturday at Pocono.

    “Mainly focused on my pace,” Newgarden said about winning the Mid-Ohio race. “We were struggling with 10 laps to go. Super fast at the beginning of the stint. Felt like we could pull a gap on Marcus right off the bat out of a pit stop. Those last 10 laps, I was losing pace. I was just kind of calculating the pace loss, looking at where he was, looking at overtaking, all that. That kept me busy. That’s pretty much what I was focusing on. It’s not the thing you want to be kept busy with. You’d rather be busy looking at the gap growing and taking it easy. That was not the case.

    “It was a hard-fought win. I think we definitely had the car to win the race, but it didn’t come easy. These guys made us push for it and work. Yeah, very happy to get the win.”

    Ericsson erased a 10-second gap that was held by Newgarden in the remaining laps, only to come 0.8790 seconds short of overtaking Newgarden. The second place finish was Ericsson’s second podium finish since his win at the first Belle Isle race a few weeks ago.

    “Yeah, exactly,” Ericsson said about running out of time catching Newgarden. “We were hunting him down there. The Honda felt really good on the black tires especially. We lost a little bit too much time on the first stint on the reds. Gap was sort of too big. Another lap I think we could have really been challenging him. He was really struggling with his tires the last five laps. Just catching him quickly.

    “Anyway, I think it was a great day, great day for the team, to have me, Alex and Scott, P2, P3 and P4. It’s a strong result. Shows how strong we are at the moment. Me jumping up to fifth in the championship feels pretty good. Very happy with my day. Like I said, another lap or two would be even better, but I’ll take second today.”

    Newgarden’s dominant Mid-Ohio weekend started Saturday afternoon after qualifying on the pole for the 14th time of his career. The Team Penske driver got a good start on the initial start but had to keep patient as two yellow flags flew early in the race.

    The first yellow came on Lap 1 when the No. 28 of Ryan Hunter-Reay was turned by James Hinchcliffe and the No. 7 of Felix Rosenqvist was turned by Romain Grosjean causing a major lockup in Turn 4. The second yellow flew on the Lap 3 restart when the No. 12 of Will Power made slight contact with the left-rear of the No. 9 of Scott Dixon. Power appeared he was going to keep his car clean, but with the blinding Turn 5 hill, Power was pounded by the No. 18 of Ed Jones which saw both cars get major damage.

    Jones’s front was nearly destroyed as his left-front wheel was loose. Power’s car sat idle and received damage as well. Fortunately for both drivers, they were medically cleared from the incident, but neither returned to the race and finished 25th and 26th, respectively. Power however stated on the NBC broadcast that he had a bruised right wrist which was sore.

    The restart came on Lap 8 and once again, Newgarden continued to set the pace leading Colton Herta by 1.0 seconds. Meanwhile, the No. 14 of Sebastien Bourdais was penalized on Lap 12 for blocking the No. 51 of Grosjean. As a result, Bourdais had to give up two positions for the penalty.

    The first round of green-flag pit stops came as soon as Lap 22 when the No. 3 of Scott McLaughlin pit. But, the leaders, Dixon, Rossi and O’Ward, and eventually race leader Newgarden, didn’t make their stops until Lap 29 and 30. Herta used a different strategy and pitted one lap later on Lap 31 hoping to gain a sizable gap over Newgarden. Unfortunately for Herta, he did not beat Newgarden as Herta’s team had a fueling issue and had a 25-second stop with the Andretti team.

    The long pit stop saw Herta drop to seventh in the running order and 20 seconds back from the lead. The fueling issue was, as later reported by NBC, an issue with the fuel hose and not a human error made by the team.

    Halfway on Lap 40, Newgarden held Ericsson by 7.2 seconds, a comfortable lead heading into the final stops with 27 laps to go as Newgarden pit for the final time. Herta grabbed the lead momentarily, hoping to gap Newgarden. But the Andretti driver’s plan didn’t work as they had yet another longer stop.

    Eventually, Newgarden cycled out to the lead with 22 laps to go and led second place, Ericsson, by 6.7 seconds. From there, Ericsson closed the gap to where the lead was 4.814 seconds with 10 laps to go and then, cut the gap to 2.6 seconds with five to go.

    As Newgarden started to approach lap traffic toward the white flag, Ericsson needed another strong lap or a mistake by Newgarden to allow him to pass the leader to have any chance of winning. Despite Ericsson erasing a six-second difference, Newgarden held on and won for the 19th time of his NTT IndyCar Series career. Ericsson, Alex Palou, Scott Dixon, and Alexander Rossi rounded out the top five finishers.

    Alex Palou increased his championship points lead to 39 points over Pato O’Ward.

    “Yeah, we’re going to win this championship just by being here every weekend, getting some more wins,” Palou said on his Mid-Ohio run. “We always look at the championship. It’s good to have three cars now in the top five in the championship. Like Marcus said, that shows how strong we are as a team, how the team is working together. Yeah, super happy. But still, a long way to go. I mean, I would stop the count now, but I don’t think they allow me to do that (smiling). We’ll try to win some more races and be at the podium.”

    There were two cautions for six laps and five lead changes among three different leaders.

    Official Results following the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course:

    1. Josef Newgarden, led 73 laps
    2. Marcus Ericsson, led two laps
    3. Alex Palou
    4. Scott Dixon
    5. Alexander Rossi
    6. Graham Rahal
    7. Romain Grosjean
    8. Pato O’Ward
    9. Santino Ferrucci
    10. Takuma Sato
    11. Sebastien Bourdais
    12. Scott McLaughlin
    13. Colton Herta
    14. Simon Pagenaud
    15. Conor Daly
    16. Rinus VeeKay
    17. James Hinchcliffe
    18. Max Chilton
    19. Jack Harvey
    20. Ryan Norman, 1 lap down
    21. Dalton Kellett, 1 lap down
    22. Jimmie Johnson, 1 lap down
    23. Felix Rosenqvist, 2 laps down
    24. Ryan Hunter-Reay, 2 laps down
    25. Will Power, OUT, Contact
    26. Ed Jones, OUT, Contact

    Up Next: The NTT IndyCar Series will take a month off before resuming their 2021 season Sunday August 8 for the inaugural streets of Nashville live on NBCSN at 5:30 p.m./ET.

  • Ernie Francis Jr. fends off Labonte for SRX win at Lucas Oil Raceway

    Ernie Francis Jr. fends off Labonte for SRX win at Lucas Oil Raceway

    After multiple late-race cautions, 23-year-old Trans Am racing driver and young SRX standout, Ernie Francis Jr., fended off Bobby Labonte following a late restart.

    Francis won over Labonte by 0.649 seconds to take home his first career Superstar Racing Experience victory.

    “Me and Scott Speed went at it for a few laps there, side-to-side, and I didn’t know how that was going to end up. I ended up with a few donuts on the car, but man, couldn’t be happier with it, super incredible. I want to thank everybody from SRX, Ray Evernham and Tony Stewart for giving me this opportunity.”

    “I was playing around with gearing trying to see what would work,” Francis said. “Second gear was spinning off of turn four as I tried to roll through third, and that last restart I got really sideways, but I stayed in it. I didn’t want to lift there. And I thought, man, when I saw that I cleared Labonte there – that was a good feeling knowing I just had to get through a few turns cleanly and I just ran my race and took it home. This is going to make that drive back to Road America a lot better.”

    Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis was the fourth event on the SRX Racing Series schedule. As usual, there were two heat races that lasted 12 minutes each.

    This week, “The Ringer” was former NASCAR star Scott Speed. Speed started on the pole and led all the laps to pick up the first heat race win. Tony Kanaan, Michael Waltrip, Tony Stewart and “Local All-Star” Bobby Santos III finished fifth in the heat.

    When the field was inverted for heat 2, Willy T. Ribbs started up front with Paul Tracy alongside him. However, Ribbs and Tracy wouldn’t last long at the front as Castroneves took the lead on Lap 5. The 2021 Indy 500 winner went on to lead the rest of the way and take home his first heat race win in the SRX Series. Labonte, Stewart, Francis and Andretti were the top five. This was the first time in SRX history, there would be no on-track incidents during the first two heats.

    Then came the main event which was a 76-lap feature with a unique twist added. Caution laps would count until there were six laps to go, although that would eventually change toward the end of the race.

    Following the green flag, Francis took the lead on Lap 11 from Scott Speed going into Turn 1. Francis had the dominant car as the Davie, Florida native maintained the lead through three cautions on Lap 25, Lap 48 and Lap 66.

    The field lined up for the restart with seven laps to go, but as soon Francis and the field got to the backstretch, Tony Kanaan went spinning around and flat-spotted his tires creating another caution with six laps to go.

    With the restart at two laps to go, Francis once again was able to get the lead briefly before there was more contact behind him. Santos spun out Tracy on the backstretch while Indy 500 winner Castroneves retaliated against Scott Speed by spinning Speed around after Speed had gotten into Castroneves one lap earlier.

    For the final time of the night, Francis had to hit his marks as he had racing veteran and 2000 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Bobby Labonte right beside him on the restart. Fortunately, Francis kept Labonte on the back bumper of his car and went on to claim the victory after numerous restarts.

    “All night, my car was really good,” Labonte said. “I got a little too tight at the end, and then Scott and Ernie got together and I was having to decide whether to go high or go low. I thought they were going to wreck, and then I was three-wide. Scott was sideways, somewhere, and we might have touched, and I got by him. We ran well from there. He was always dogging me off the bottom of (turn) four and he always seemed to be right there on my left rear. And then, that last green-white-checkered when it was just me and Ernie, my car was just too tight and I didn’t want to get into him too hard – just needed to keep it together and bring it home.”

    Speed was battling hard with Castroneves late in the going when he got turned around during the last yellow. Despite being turned, Speed rebounded to finish third on the podium.

    “Man, we had such a good battle, me and Francis,” said Speed, who won the first heat race. “We were definitely the best two cars and we were playing cat-and-mouse with our tires, saving them. And then, with 10 to go, it was ‘game on.’ We were both going to charge and we had such an awesome side-by-side race. I just got a little bit too loose underneath him with a couple laps to go and fell back, lost a couple of spots. But it was a great race. I had so much fun.

    “We came out of turn four and I got into Helio (Castroneves) a little bit. I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m having a good time here regardless of where I finish. But I’m happy for a guy like Ernie because for a kid like that, we’ve all had our careers in motor racing, but stuff like this can help him establish himself and that’s the big picture here.”

    The SRX victory was big enough for Francis as it caught the attention of series sponsor Marcus Lemonis, who hinted at an opportunity for Francis in a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ride if Francis is interested.

    Francis will now make the five-hour drive back to Road America for the Trans Am TA2 event at 8 a.m. CT.

    Labonte, Speed, Marco Andretti and Santos rounded out the top five.

    Official Results following the SRX Racing Series event at Lucas Oil Raceway:

    1. Ernie Francis Jr
    2. Bobby Labonte
    3. Scott Speed
    4. Marco Andretti
    5. Bobby Santos III
    6. Michael Waltrip
    7. Tony Stewart
    8. Paul Tracy
    9. Helio Castroneves
    10. Tony Kanaan
    11. Willy T. Ribbs
    12. Bill Elliott

    Championship Points Standings

    1.     Tony Stewart (160 points)

    2.     Ernie Francis Jr. (130 points, -30)

    3.     Helio Castroneves (120 points, -40)

    4.     Bobby Labonte (115 points, -45)

    5.     Marco Andretti (111 points, -49)

    6.     Michael Waltrip (86 points, -74)

    7.     Paul Tracy (83 points, -77)

    8.     Tony Kanaan (65 points, -95)

    9.     Bill Elliott (52 points, -108)

    10.   Willy T. Ribbs (45 points, -115)

    Up Next: The Superstar Racing Experience will continue their summer stretch by visiting Slinger Speedway Saturday night, July 17, live on CBS.

  • Josef Newgarden edges out Colton Herta for Mid-Ohio Pole

    Josef Newgarden edges out Colton Herta for Mid-Ohio Pole

    Within the last few minutes of Fast Six qualifying at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden outperformed Colton Herta by 0.0031 of a second to win his third pole of the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series season after laying down a lap of 1:06.6739.

    The pole position is much needed for Newgarden after a frustrating result of 21st after dominating the Road America race a few weeks ago.

    “That was a little tighter than I wanted it to be,” Newgarden said about the pole run. “I about fell apart the second half of that lap. I opened the lap really well. The car has been on rails right out of the box. I am really proud of the team.

    “Obviously thanks to this whole group here. Everyone at Team Penske has been on it. We’ve had some troubles the last couple weeks securing a win, but I can’t ask much different. They are doing everything they need to do to win these races. Excited to have another chance with a really great car. Team Chevy keeps doing a great job for us.

    “It’s good to have XPEL on the car. They’ve been a great partner for us the last couple of years. There is an anniversary. I didn’t know this coming into it. This is the 50th year today for Team Penske and Roger Penske scoring the first win for the organization with Mark Donohue. I was thinking of how cool it is to be in the car here racing today. Every now and then you have moments where you reflect that you are actually doing this. It’s so cool It’s a dream to drive for Roger and this entire group. So proud of everybody. Hopefully, we can seal one off tomorrow—that’s what we need to do.”

    Colton Herta appeared to be in a good position to secure the pole before he was knocked off the top spot. Nevertheless, the Andretti Autosport driver will have a good starting spot for Sunday’s race at Mid-Ohio after he qualified on the outside pole with a time of 1:06.6770. The front row start is Herta’s fourth of the season with the exception of his pole run at St. Petersburg.

    “You have to think that there’s 3/1000ths in it somewhere,” Herta said. “It’s a little disappointing when you lose by
    that much. I think it’s like the third straight weekend I finished second during qualifying. In the Detroit race, too.
    Road America. And now here. So I’m getting tired of it. I gotta get around it. It’s always fun to battle with Josef, and especially for the race. He’s one of the guys that’s extremely clean in the series and always races hard. I’m looking forward to that now.”

    There were numerous incidents of note that occurred during the first session of qualifying.

    During the session, the No. 60 of Jack Harvey came to a stop in Turn 9 bringing out a local yellow. As Harvey’s car was stopped on track, the No. 27 of Alexander Rossi and the No. 22 of Simon Pagenaud went flying by the No. 60 without slowing down.

    As a result, both Rossi’s and Pagenaud’s current lap was deleted for failing to reduce speed. The same penalty was handed to Harvey as well.

    Despite Rossi receiving the early penalty, he was able to bounce back and be a part of the Fast Six and qualified sixth, setting a pace of 1:07.2181.

    “Qualifying was dramatic,” Rossi said. “The yellow flag in the first round really hurt us, but fortunately with INDYCAR rules if you cause another car to slow down your lap gets deleted, so we were able to transfer in. From there, we were able to show the pace of the car. Round 2 was quite good for us, but ultimately we didn’t have the pace in the (Firestone) Fast 6 round. Not quite what we wanted, but we have one more practice to get the NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda dialed in for the race.”

    IndyCar will have one more practice session Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET lasting approximately 30 minutes, live on Peacock (with a subscription).

    The Honda Indy 200 is scheduled to go green Sunday at 12:05 p.m. ET live on NBC for the 80-lap race.

    Official Starting Line Up for Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course:
    1. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 01:06.6739 (121.919)
    2. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 01:06.6770 (121.913)
    3. (8) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 01:07.0723 (121.195)
    4. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 01:07.1161 (121.115)
    5. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 01:07.1358 (121.080)
    6. (27) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 01:07.2181 (120.932)
    7. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 01:06.4883 (122.259)
    8. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 01:06.5946 (122.064)
    9. (29) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 01:06.6134 (122.030)
    10. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 01:06.7517 (121.777)
    11. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 01:06.7671 (121.749)
    12. (14) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, 01:06.9232 (121.465)
    13. (7) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 01:06.7898 (121.707)
    14. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 01:06.7313 (121.814)
    15. (22) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 01:06.8437 (121.609)
    16. (18) Ed Jones, Honda, 01:06.7882 (121.710)
    17. (59) Max Chilton, Chevrolet, 01:06.8473 (121.603)
    18. (51) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 01:06.8642 (121.572)
    19. (30) Takuma Sato, Honda, 01:07.0951 (121.153)
    20. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 01:06.8679 (121.565)
    21. (4) Dalton Kellett, Chevrolet, 01:07.5866 (120.272)
    22. (45) Santino Ferrucci, Honda, 01:06.9254 (121.461)
    23. (60) Jack Harvey, Honda, 01:07.6740 (120.117)
    24. (20) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 01:07.0704 (121.198)
    25. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Honda, 01:08.4077 (118.829)
    26. (52) Ryan Norman, Honda, 01:07.4714 (120.478)

  • Exclusive interview with Corvette Racing driver Tommy Milner

    Exclusive interview with Corvette Racing driver Tommy Milner

    In this week’s Q&A interview, Speedway Media caught up with current GTLM and Corvette Racing driver Tommy Milner. Milner has competed for Corvette Racing since 2011 where he debuted for them at the Sebring race.

    Milner, a Winchester, Virginia native, discusses what he thinks is his best season is to date and what he considers as the most special win he’s given to Corvette Racing among many other topics.

    SM: You’ve competed for Corvette Racing since 2011 and you have 14 overall wins which include the American Le Mans Series and eventually the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series. which season do you think is your best season with Corvette Racing and why?

    TM: “The best (season) can kind of go different ways, right?” Milner said about the season. “Sometimes, the best can emotionally, in some way, the feelings you get throughout the year, some are better than others. I think 2012 stands out (as my best season); that year was my first championship, first ALMS win, just a year where everything kind of went right.”

    “Getting some of those wins made me feel a bit more comfortable and established some way with the team. All things considered, 2012 is my best year for sure.”

    SM: As a follow-up to that question, which of those 14 wins for Corvette is the most special? Or are there any podiums that remain especially meaningful to you?

    TM: “Le Mans in 2015, that one we really had just a faultless race from start to finish in tough conditions,” he said. “2013 Sebring stands out, those moments where everything comes together. You know, driving-wise, the cars feel great, I felt like I was at the top of my game. Getting those wins in those situations, that validation goes a long way.”

    SM: Is there a moment where you wish you had one of those races that got away, back?

    TM: “Daytona (2015), I’m not sure what year that was, but we were on a restart and we were first and second and I got caught up with a slow DP car and got damaged and that was already after we came back from a problem,” Milner stated. “The 15 car came out of the infield and got really loose and just bailed basically. I thought I had enough of a gap, but obviously not and I made contact. That was a race that definitely stands out.”

    SM: If your driving career was over tomorrow, but you had the option to stay in the sport whether it’s as a crew chief, engineer, specialist, marketing, Public Relations, etc., what would your other career choice be if you stuck around in motorsports but were not racing in IMSA?

    TM: “(My other career) would be something like a mechanic or engineer in some way because that was my upbringing in racing,” he said. “My dad was a team owner and he had an engineering mind and my brother-in-law was a crew chief, so I connected really well when I was younger with the guys working on the cars day in, day out.”

    SM: Sometimes people get mistaken for other people and that especially happens in racing a lot. Have you ever been mistaken for someone while on the grid for an IMSA event and if so, who?

    TM: “I get a lot of Oliver Gavins (Milner’s teammate),” Milner said. “I get some Jordan Taylors every now and then.

    SM: If you could relive a moment in your career, what moment would you choose to relive?

    TM: “I think if I could relieve the first Le Mans win now, I would appreciate it a little bit more but I think that’s what made that victory so special,” he said. “Just the way the race played out and everything. That was my first year with Corvette Racing.”

    SM: Your first race with Corvette Racing came in 2011 at Sebring. What do you remember about that race and how you came about with Corvette Racing?

    TM: “I have absolutely zero memory of that race to be honest with you,” Milner jokingly says. “Not because (the race) was bad or anything. My first real race was at Le Mans with the team and the test with Corvette at the end of 2010 at Sebring, those I remember very well. The race itself, I just don’t remember much.”

    SM: I am sure there are many achievements you would like to cross off well before you retire, however, is there a checklist or bucket list item that you want to complete before retirement?

    TM: “I would love to do a lot of different styles of racing in some way,” the Corvette Racing driver said. “I think it would be fun to do a little bit of off-road racing, some NASCAR, local short-tracks, etc. More than anything, the off-road stuff. It appeals to me more, but as far as accomplishments, I would l love to get a win at the 6 Hours of The Glen, which I thought was looking okay last weekend but that’s how it (racing) goes.”

    SM: For someone who doesn’t know what it’s like sitting in a GTLM car, can you describe what the feeling is like when you’re going at fast speeds on different tracks across the states?

    TM: “These days it feels like the cars are overachieving, considering where the cars started from 2006,” he said. “The class hasn’t changed much. Nowadays with the cars having so much more downforce, tires having a lot more grip, cars being more sophisticated, they are a lot faster.”

    “There are a couple of corners at a couple of racetracks, where the car and track combination nowadays is incredible. Mosport is one of them, Road Atlanta is one of them. The Glen here is pretty impressive. The cars are very fast these days and very fast to drive.”

    SM: Wrapping this interview up, let’s say someone were to play you in a racing movie. What would the title of the movie be and who is going to play Tommy Milner?

    TM: “Unfortunately, I don’t watch much TV or movies to have a favorite actor who I think would play me well in a Sports Car movie,” Milner said. “Perhaps one of my teammates would suit me well.”

    Fans of Tommy Milner can follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Additionally, you can follow Corvette Racing on Twitter and Instagram and visit their website here.

    Throughout Milner’s current IMSA career, he has scored eight career victories, 23 podium finishes and six pole positions. He won the championship back in 2016 and in 2012 in the former American Le Mans Series.

    Furthermore, he has four career wins in the NASCAR Rolex Grand-Am Series and six wins in the American Le Mans Series.

    Special thanks to Tommy Milner for taking time out of his busy schedule to conduct this interview and many thanks to Ryan Smith for coordinating the interview.

  • Torrence, Pedregon, Enders and Smith win the Norwalk Nationals

    Torrence, Pedregon, Enders and Smith win the Norwalk Nationals

    After a two-hour rain delay earlier in the afternoon and another toward the early evening hours, the Norwalk Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio is finally complete and the delay proved well worth the wait.

    Steve Torrence kept the CAPCO Boys’ momentum going in 2021 by winning the Top Fuel final over Brittany Force, while Cruz Pedregon snapped a three-year winless streak since Charlotte 2018. Four-time Pro Stock Champion Erica Enders stopped Greg Anderson from making history and Matt Smith won in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category.

    Top Fuel

    The weekend started off strong for Steve Torrence who won the No. 1 qualifier Saturday afternoon with help from his run on Friday night. He was paired in a first-round match with Shawn Langdon. Torrence advanced to the quarter round by posting an ET of 3.915 seconds and 305.98 mph after Langdon went up in smoke.

    The quarter-final is where it got interesting for Torrence and his competitor Leah Pruett. Both drivers did their initial burnout sequence when it started to rain but the two teams went back to the pits to change their clutch packs. If both drivers were unable to make it back in time after the delay, both Torrence and Pruett would have been eliminated. However, Torrence won over Pruett to advance to the semis. He met Austin Prock who was subbing in for Clay Millican after Millican had a middle ear infection throughout the weekend.

    In the finals, the Texas native squared off against John Force Racing driver Brittany Force after Force had victories over Mike Bucher in Round 1, Justin Ashley in Round 2 and Antron Brown in the semis.

    Unfortunately for Force, she will have to wait another day to get a victory, as Steve Torrence powered to his fourth win of the season and the 44th of his career after a time of 3.730 seconds and 326.24 mph.

    “It takes a toll on you, mentally,” Torrence said of Sunday’s three rain delays, one just before the final round. “You think you’re going to go and then you don’t. Up and down, up and down. Fortunately, experience helps you overcome that. This ain’t our
    first rodeo.

    “Brittany’s got a fast race car and she got everyone’s attention with that 3.69 in the semis,” Torrence said, “but our ol’ hot rod ain’t bad either. I knew these Capco boys would give me a car good enough to win if I could just do my job at the starting line.”

    Force earned her second runner-up finish of the season and the 15th of her career.

    “Very frustrating to get beat in the final the way we did. A holeshot loss is not easy, but I’m going to use that to step it up at the next one in Denver,” said Force, who is fourth in points. “Incredible job to my Flav-R-Pac, Monster Energy team. Consistent runs down the track all weekend long and a track record of 3.696 in the semis. Today’s laps weren’t easy, with tough competitors and changing track conditions we really had to work for it. Runner-up finish isn’t bad, and we’ll be ready for the next one.”

    Top Fuel standings:

    1 Steve Torrence, 733
    2 Antron Brown, 518
    3 Billy Torrence, 448
    4 Brittany Force, 442
    5 Shawn Langdon, 385
    6 Justin Ashley, 337
    7 Doug Kalitta, 332
    8 Leah Pruett, 320
    9 Mike Salinas, 318
    10 Josh Hart, 310

    Funny Car

    Cruz Pedregon started his day off right with a round 1 victory over Tim Wilkerson. Pedregon cruised to a 3.973 seconds and 326.48 mph victory to meet John Force’s Robert Hight in round 2. He defeated Hight after posting a time of 3.959 seconds and 326.24 mph to help him advance to the semis. The Snap-On driver had a close race with Alexis DeJoria as Pedregon won a holeshot with a reaction time of .091 over DeJoria’s .115.

    He met current Funny Car points leader Bob Tasca in the finals after Tasca was victorious over Blake Alexander, John Force and No. 1 qualifier Ron Capps.

    Pedregon edged out Tasca in another close drag race and scored his 37th career victory by going 3.958 seconds and 324.75 mph.

    “We have been prepping for a winning season, putting in so many hours and there’s nothing quite as rewarding as coming out on top and holding up that trophy at the end of a race weekend,” Pedregon said. “What a great job John (Collins), Rip (Reynolds), and the team did to get us ready for this race. What a real triumph for us all, especially after the 2020 season. We really appreciate our sponsors and great fans for sticking with us and giving us the additional boost of confidence we needed. That support is what makes it all possible.”

    The second place finish was Bob Tasca’s first of the season.

    Funny Car Points Standings:

    1 Bob Tasca III, 590
    2 John Force, 537
    3 J.R. Todd, 502
    4 Robert Hight, 485
    5 Ron Capps, 453
    6 Matt Hagan, 434
    7 Cruz Pedregon, 417
    8 Alexis DeJoria, 399
    9 Tim Wilkerson, 397
    10 Terry Haddock, 252

    Pro Stock

    The four-time Pro Stock Champion Erica Enders had to earn her victory today by squaring up against No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson. Enders defeated Cristian Cuadra, Bruno Massel and Kyle Koretsky to meet Anderson in the finals. Meanwhile, Anderson was looking to tie Warren Johnson on the all-time list with 97 career victories.

    The 96-time race winner had victories over Fernando Cuadra, Val Smeland, and Matt Hartford that helped him get to the finals with Enders.

    As in most recent categories, Enders won on a holeshot with a .005 reaction time over Anderson’s .030 to score her 31st career victory and the second win of the 2021 season.

    “This is huge mojo,” Enders said. “My team, they always step up to the plate. After the semifinals, we knew we had to tune it up and we came back and made a bunch of changes. I’m just thrilled and I’m really proud of this team. I couldn’t be more proud.”

    Anderson received his 66th runner-up finish as a result.

    “I’m going to get it done,” Anderson said about the runner-up. “These last few races I’ve been a little snakebitten. I’m so proud of this team and the job everyone has done, and I’m even proud of the job I did driving. She had a killer light in the final and she’s a great driver, and she came up with it when she needed it. It was just a great drag race, and I’ll move onto the next one. My future still looks bright.”

    Pro Stock Standings:

    1. Greg Anderson, 648 points
    2. Erica Enders, 506
    3. Aaron Stanfield, 479
    4. Matt Hartford, 450
    5. Mason McGaha, 433
    6. Deric Kramer, 423
    7. Dallas Glenn, 399
    8. Kyle Koretsky, 384
    9. Troy Coughlin Jr, 356
    10. Chris McGaha, 273

    Pro Stock Motorcycle

    Reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith gained his 28th career victory Sunday by winning over Steve Johnson. Smith earned victories over Jianna Salinas, Ryan Oehler and Joey Gladstone to reach the finals.

    He met Charlotte winner, Steve Johnson after Johnson won by eliminating James Underdahl, Andrew Hines and Joey Gladstone to face Smith in the finals.

    As the final Camping World Series class of the day left the starting line, Matt Smith was .001 quicker on the reaction time and won over Johnson by going 6.782 seconds and 200.56 mph to pick up his second win of the season. The reaction time Smith had was .022 while Johnson’s time was .023.

    The runner-up finish was Johnson’s first of the season.

    Pro Stock Motorcycle Standings:

    1. Matt Smith, 499 points
    2. Steve Johnson, 406
    3. Scotty Pollacheck, 348
    4. Ryan Oehler, 345
    5. Angelle Sampey, 264
    6. Joey Gladstone, 255
    7. Angie Smith, 233
    8. Karen Stoffer, 226
    9. Cory Reed, 218
    10. Eddie Krawiec, 206

    Official Results following the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

    TOP FUEL:

    1. Steve Torrence; 2. Brittany Force; 3. Antron Brown; 4. Austin Prock; 5. Leah Pruett; 6. Billy Torrence; 7. Mike Salinas; 8. Justin Ashley; 9. Josh Hart; 10. Doug Kalitta; 11. Mike Bucher; 12. Doug Foley; 13. Kyle Wurtzel; 14. Joe Morrison; 15. Shawn Langdon; 16. Krista Baldwin.

    FUNNY CAR:

    1. Cruz Pedregon; 2. Bob Tasca III; 3. Alexis DeJoria; 4. Ron Capps; 5. Robert Hight; 6. John Force; 7. Matt Hagan; 8. J.R. Todd; 9. Bobby Bode; 10. Paul Lee; 11. Jim Campbell; 12. Dale Creasy Jr.; 13. Blake Alexander; 14. Tim Wilkerson; 15. Terry Haddock; 16. Mike McIntire.

    PRO STOCK:

    1. Erica Enders; 2. Greg Anderson; 3. Matt Hartford; 4. Kyle Koretsky; 5. Dallas Glenn; 6. Val Smeland; 7. Bruno Massel; 8. Fernando Cuadra Jr.; 9. Kenny Delco; 10. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 11. Mason McGaha; 12. Cristian Cuadra; 13. Fernando Cuadra; 14. Aaron Stanfield; 15. Chris McGaha; 16. Deric Kramer.

    PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

    1. Matt Smith; 2. Steve Johnson; 3. Eddie Krawiec; 4. Joey Gladstone; 5. Andrew Hines; 6. John Hall; 7. Angie Smith; 8. Ryan Oehler; 9. Cory Reed; 10. Jerry Savoie; 11. Angelle Sampey; 12. Scotty Pollacheck; 13. Marc Ingwersen; 14. Jim Underdahl; 15. Jianna Salinas; 16. Karen Stoffer.

    Up Next: The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will take a few weeks off before heading out west for the Dodge/SRT Mile High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway on July 16-18.

  • No. 1 Qualifiers set for Sunday’s Summit Nationals

    No. 1 Qualifiers set for Sunday’s Summit Nationals

    Ron Capps, Steve Torrence, Greg Anderson and Steve Johnson all earned their respective No. 1 qualifiers following three rounds of qualifying this weekend for the Summit Nationals.

    Funny Car

    Ron Capps currently has no wins through six races of the 2021 season but the Don Schumacher Racing driver is looking to change that on Sunday.

    Capps powered the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge to a 3.888 seconds and 329.34 mph speed in the first round of qualifying Friday evening. The ET was relatively unchallenged and after Saturday’s runs, Capps won his second No. 1 qualifier of the 2021 season. He will be facing No. 16 qualifier Terry Haddock in the first round, who Capps lost to at the New England Nationals.

    “It’s a great start with a great car,” Capps said. “Tomorrow is going to be warmer and it’s going to be tough conditions. We’re racing Terry Haddock again in the first round and like I said in Epping, you can’t take anyone lightly. We’ll be on our game and we’re going to go up and try to keep doing what we’ve been doing this weekend. We don’t want to change anything. The car’s running great and a Wally is coming.”

    Top Fuel

    The CAPCO boys just keep on rolling whether it’s father Billy or son Steve Torrence. A few weeks ago the win went to Billy who earned his sixth career victory at New England. But this time, it’s his son Steve who won his third No. 1 qualifier by posting an ET of 3.705 seconds and 324.83 mph on Friday evening. So far, Steve has won in three out of the six races this year.

    “It gives you a lot of confidence as a driver to know you’ve got a car that was low every session, went A to B and had no hiccups,” Torrence said. “It definitely boosts your confidence, but tomorrow is going to be a lot hotter and track conditions are going to change a lot. We’ll go do the best we can and see if we can go four rounds tomorrow.”

    As for Steve’s father Billy, he qualified third after posting a time of 3.724 and 325.37 mph rounding out the top three. Brittany Force is second after the John Force Racing driver went 3.722 seconds and 323.74 mph in her qualifying run.

    Steve is scheduled to face Shawn Langdon in Round 1.

    Pro Stock

    For the 112th time in his legendary Pro Stock career, Greg Anderson set the pole in the Pro Stock category and is seeking to tie Warren Johnson on the all-time wins list with 97 career victories Sunday. Having a good run begins with qualifying and Anderson continued his No. 1 qualifier momentum after going 6.602 seconds and 206.54 mph in his respective qualifying run.

    “It’s all about positivity and you’ve got to think positive if you want results. I’m going to think positive all day tomorrow and there’s a lot to be positive about,” Anderson said. “I’m racing here at a beautiful race track and the fans are excited, and everything’s great about that. It all comes down to execution on Sunday. I didn’t close the deal at the last race and I need to close the deal tomorrow. I’m having a blast. We’ve got a beautiful car, it’s fast and it’s a dream to drive. It’s all good.”

    Anderson was runner-up at the New England Nationals a few weeks ago in a losing effort to Aaron Stanfield. He has two wins in six races with those victories coming at Gainesville and Atlanta, where Anderson also earned No. 1 qualifiers at those events. He will face Fernando Cuadra who qualified 16th.

    Pro Stock Motorcycle

    It’s been a few weeks since the Pro Stock Motorcycle category has competed on the NHRA circuit. In fact, the last Pro Stock Motorcycle event was at Charlotte. When the class returned Friday afternoon, a familiar name returned to the top of the board, Charlotte winner, Steve Johnson. Johnson gained his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and fifth of his career after going 6.789 and 198.44 mph in his Suzuki motorcycle.

    “I’m just so proud. We just take all those tiny details and it’s all about this race team. It’s so good to get a yellow (No. 1 qualifier) hat,” Johnson said.

    During the first round of qualifying Friday, there was a scary incident that involved veteran Kelly Clontz. After Clontz crossed the finish line, her bike began locking up, and eventually, Clontz fell off her bike and went for a small skid. Thankfully for Clontz, she walked away under her own power but failed to qualify as she was 18th on the board.

    Along with Clontz, Ron Tornow and David Barron did not qualify for the event.

    https://twitter.com/kclontzracing/status/1408759369764937732

    The full qualifying results are below for each class and how the first round will shake out. Live eliminations for the annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals will begin at 11 a.m. ET live on NHRA TV with a subscription and will be shown on FOX TV at 2 p.m. ET.

    Top Fuel — 1. Steve Torrence, 3.705 seconds, 324.83 mph vs. 16. Shawn Langdon, 4.101, 227.08; 2. Brittany Force, 3.722, 323.74 vs. 15. Mike Bucher, 4.094, 280.19; 3. Billy Torrence, 3.724, 325.37 vs. 14. Joe Morrison, 4.089, 294.24; 4. Austin Prock, 3.764, 323.35 vs. 13. Krista Baldwin, 3.930, 313.66; 5. Mike Salinas, 3.776, 314.17 vs. 12. Kyle Wurtzel, 3.905, 298.14; 6. Antron Brown, 3.790, 317.87 vs. 11. Doug Kalitta, 3.864, 287.41; 7. Justin Ashley, 3.803, 317.87 vs. 10. Josh Hart, 3.840, 317.57; 8. Leah Pruett, 3.817, 314.90 vs. 9. Doug Foley, 3.824, 311.05. Did Not Qualify: 17. Buddy Hull, 9.702, 82.18; 18. Luigi Novelli, 14.541, 59.35. 
    Funny Car — 1. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 3.888, 329.34 vs. 16. Terry Haddock, Ford Mustang, 4.705, 211.03; 2. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.895, 327.59 vs. 15. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 4.456, 197.65; 3. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.899, 327.82 vs. 14. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 4.203, no speed; 4. John Force, Camaro, 3.928, 326.71 vs. 13. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.090, 311.56; 5. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.934, 323.74 vs. 12. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 4.037, 317.57; 6. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota Camry, 3.936, 327.35 vs. 11. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.033, 295.27; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.959, 325.53 vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.996, 320.36; 8. Mike McIntire, Camry, 3.984, 316.45 vs. 9. J.R. Todd, Camry, 3.986, 322.58. Did Not Qualify: 17. Chad Green, 7.494, 97.82. 
    Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.602, 206.54 vs. 16. Fernando Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.701, 206.73; 2. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.615, 206.57 vs. 15. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, 6.699, 206.23; 3. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.620, 206.83 vs. 14. Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.685, 206.45; 4. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.624, 206.70 vs. 13. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.683, 207.05; 5. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.633, 207.72 vs. 12. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.652, 206.13; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.635, 205.47 vs. 11. Bruno Massel, Camaro, 6.649, 206.54; 7. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.638, 206.89 vs. 10. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.648, 206.13; 8. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.639, 207.08 vs. 9. Val Smeland, Camaro, 6.648, 207.43. Did Not Qualify: 17. Alan Prusiensky, 6.729, 205.88; 18. Richie Stevens, 6.736, 205.22; 19. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.760, 205.01; 20. Bob Tucker, 6.902, 183.69. 
    Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.789, 198.44 vs. 16. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.054, 193.18; 2. Eddie Krawiec, Buell, 6.807, 201.49 vs. 15. Marc Ingwersen, Buell, 7.021, 194.16; 3. Matt Smith, EBR, 6.815, 201.58 vs. 14. Jianna Salinas, Suzuki, 6.992, 191.38; 4. Andrew Hines, Buell, 6.831, 201.13 vs. 13. Cory Reed, Suzuki, 6.965, 195.45; 5. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.863, 197.91 vs. 12. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.957, 196.13; 6. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 6.878, 196.36 vs. 11. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.933, 196.19; 7. John Hall, Buell, 6.908, 195.90 vs. 10. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.915, 193.07; 8. Angie Smith, EBR, 6.913, 198.61 vs. 9. Scotty Pollacheck, EBR, 6.913, 194.44. Did Not Qualify: 17. Ron Tornow, 7.101, 190.24; 18. Kelly Clontz, 7.281, 178.02; 19. David Barron, broke. 

  • Nemechek holds off boss man Busch for Pocono victory

    Nemechek holds off boss man Busch for Pocono victory

    In a late-race duel following a restart with six laps to go, John Hunter Nemechek, with help from a push by Todd Gilliland, got past team owner Kyle Busch to take the lead and win at Pocono Raceway.  

    Busch tried to rally back within the closing laps, but Sheldon Creed got underneath Busch which caused both trucks to get loose and slide up the track. Nemechek pulled ahead to a two-second lead and won for the fifth time this season.

    The Mooresville native spoke to FOX Sports 1 after the race in victory lane.

    “These guys just work so hard,” Nemechek said of his team. “We never gave up. We weren’t very good the first stage. Without this opportunity—without Kyle and Toyota, I wouldn’t have had it. Five wins this year and beat Kyle—three for five against Kyle is pretty good odds.”

    This was the last Truck Series race of the 2021 season for Busch and his last race with sponsor Cessna/Beechcraft. He led 20 laps and challenged for the win late, but after the incident with Sheldon Creed, Busch had to settle for his fifth top-five of the season.

    Meanwhile, Busch was in his last race of the 2021 Truck Series season where he led 20 laps and challenged for the win late. But after the incident with Sheldon Creed, Busch had to settle for his fifth top-five of the season.

    “I don’t know (what happened there),” Busch said about the incident with Creed to Fox Sports 1. “The Cessna Tundra was pretty good. We were up front there leading, the caution came out at the end and just bunched us up back together.

    “We got, not a great restart, but a decent restart. We were all even getting into (Turn) 1, and John Hunter just slid me and got the lead. I was trying to figure out what I could do to fight back and get the lead back, and I got drilled in the left rear. That basically handed the win to the 4 truck.

    “That’s our year and that’s what it is. I guess we’ll be back in 2022 sometime.”

    Prior to the green flag, Busch announced that the Pocono race would be the last race for sponsor Cessna/Beechcraft and stated he is working on plans for the 2022 season. The partnership between Busch and Cessna began in 2017 at Kansas. Since then, the duo has enjoyed 14 victories with each other when Cessna was the main sponsor.

    Stages 15-15-30 made up the 60-lap race and Todd Gilliland was on the pole via the qualifying metric system.

    An early caution was brought out on Lap 1 when series newcomer Jack Wood, in the No. 24 GMS truck, missed a gear on the initial start and caused the field to stack up. Unfortunately for Johnny Sauter who needs a win to get into the playoffs, he was collected in the incident.

    The early caution was the only caution in the stage and Zane Smith went on to win the stage that ended on Lap 15. Busch, Creed, Gilliland, Chandler Smith, Rhodes, Friesen, Austin Hill, Eckes, and Crafton completed the Top 10 for Stage 1.

    In Stage 2, there were no yellows but multiple strategies caused various lead changes. On Lap 20, Busch closed in on race leader Zane Smith in the tunnel turn but got loose slightly tapped the wall off Turn 3 one lap later.

    On Lap 27, near the end of the stage, there were numerous race leaders who pitted including Busch, Creed, and Chandler Smith. Zane Smith also chose to make a pit stop but the GMS driver didn’t make it to pit road in time and had to restart at the rear of the field for the final stage.

    Nemechek did not pit and took the lead during the green-flag pit stops, going on to win Stage 2. Rhodes, Friesen, Austin Hill, Crafton, Berry, Majeski, Purdy, Enfinger, and Wright were the Top 10.

    As the final stage began with 25 to go, Busch and Carson Hocevar restarted as the leaders.

    Busch looked as if he was going to set sail with the lead, but a late caution with 10 to go came out for Friesen who crashed in Turn 2. This bunched the field up again which set up a restart with six laps to go.

    Busch was inching in on Nemechek and it appeared as though there would be a battle for the win late. However, with three laps to go, Sheldon Creed challenged for second and slid both he and Busch up the track.

    All Creed and Busch could do was watch as Nemechek drove away with the victory for his 10th career Truck Series victory. Kyle Busch, Sheldon Creed, Tyler Ankrum, Austin Hill, Matt Crafton, Todd Gilliland, Zane Smith, Ryan Preece, and Derek Kraus was the Top 10 finishers.

    There were four cautions for 13 laps and eight lead changes among seven different drivers.

    Playoff Standings with two races left in the regular seasaon.

    1. John Hunter Nemechek, five wins, 34 playoff points
    2. Ben Rhodes, two wins, 11 playoff points
    3. Todd Gilliland, one win, seven playoff points
    4. Sheldon Creed, one win, six playoff points
    5. Austin Hill, +183
    6. Zane Smith, +142
    7. Matt Crafton, +106
    8. Stewart Friesen, +65
    9. Carson Hocevar, +49
    10. Chandler Smith, +28

      Below the cut line
    11. Johnny Sauter, -28
    12. Tyler Ankrum, -33
    13. Austin Wayne Self, -41
    14. Derek Kraus -55

    Official Results following the CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway.

    1. John Hunter Nemechek, won Stage 2, led 12 laps
    2. Kyle Busch, led 20 laps
    3. Sheldon Creed, led three laps
    4. Tyler Ankrum
    5. Austin Hill
    6. Matt Crafton
    7. Todd Gilliland, led four laps
    8. Zane Smith, won Stage 1, led 18 laps
    9. Ryan Preece
    10. Derek Kraus
    11. Josh Berry
    12. Christian Eckes
    13. Carson Hocevar
    14. Ty Majeski
    15. Chase Purdy
    16. Tanner Gray
    17. Ben Rhodes
    18. Ryan Truex
    19. Austin Wayne Self
    20. Lawless Alan
    21. Tate Fogleman
    22. Howie DiSavino III
    23. Ray Ciccarelli
    24. Tyler Hill
    25. Chandler Smith, 1 lap down
    26. Hailie Deegan, 1 lap down
    27. Spencer Boyd, 1 lap down
    28. Josh Reaume, 1 lap down
    29. Todd Peck, led one lap, 1 lap down
    30. Kris Wright, 2 laps down
    31. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 2 laps down
    32. Norm Benning, 2 laps down
    33. Stewart Friesen, 2 laps down
    34. Bryan Dauzat, 3 laps down
    35. Johnny Sauter, 5 laps down
    36. Grant Enfinger, OUT, Engine
    37. Bayley Currey, OUT, Mechanical
    38. Danny Bohn, OUT, Mechanical
    39. Jack Wood, OUT, Accident

    Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will take a few weeks off before heading to the inaugural series race at Knoxville Raceway Friday night, July 9, live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 9 p.m. ET.