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  • BLANEY WINS THE GREAT AMERICAN GETAWAY 400 PRESENTED BY VISITPA NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE

    BLANEY WINS THE GREAT AMERICAN GETAWAY 400 PRESENTED BY VISITPA NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE

    Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, whose first Cup Series victory came at Pocono Raceway in 2017, added another Sunday for his second victory of the season.

    LONG POND, Pa. (July 14, 2024) – It may have been a different Victory Lane and team when Ryan Blaney won at Pocono Raceway seven years ago, but the feeling of elation was the same Sunday after winning The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA NASCAR Cup Series race.

    Before a sold-out crowd for the second consecutive year, Blaney fended off last week’s winner Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports and then seven-time Pocono winner Denny Hamlin in the waning laps of the 160-lap, 400-mile race to become a two-time winner at “The Tricky Triangle.” His other win – the first of his Cup Series career – came in 2017 while driving for the Wood Brothers.

    “I really think it’s just special. I feel like every win is very special,” Blaney said. “You have to cherish them. You never know when the next one is going to come. Hard to believe it’s been seven years since I won the first time here. Time definitely flies. Like I said, different Victory Lane. I think this Victory Lane is pretty neat. All the fans being there, giving them an experience, too.

    “I feel like you approach it a little bit differently seven years later. It was cool that I got my 12th win in the 12 car where I got my first win. That’s kind of a neat little tidbit. Just a really cool day.”

    Blaney blended a fast car with a great strategy, where the team opted to forgo stage points for track position and ultimately a win, to collect his second win of the season. He didn’t finish among the top 10 and accumulate points in the first two stages, but there he was front and center when it came to the third and final stage.

    “It certainly played out a little differently than we had planned,” Blaney’s crew chief Jonathan Hassler said. “You have a plan coming in, but then the way cautions fall certainly dictates really kind of the way everything else works out. I think that caution around Lap 50 of the second stage really kind of diverted the strategy, spread the field out where we had an opportunity to short pit, flip the stage there going into stage three, get our track position at the right time.”

    RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher, a previous Pocono winner, held the lead through the opening of the third stage before a caution came out on Lap 116 for a single-car incident with Todd Gilliland in Turn 1. A number of contenders pitted, including Blaney who came out with the lead on 117. Pit road speeding penalties for Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, along with polesitter Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing, spoiled any opportunity for a shot to contend for the win or a top-five finish.

    Blaney would lead the final 44 laps, but he did not cruise to a victory. Three cautions would fly during that period, but he was strong on the restarts to keep Bowman and Hamlin at bay. Bowman closed to .2 of a second with 19 to go but Blaney slowly stretched that lead out. Hamlin would overtake Bowman for second with seven to go and 2.3 seconds behind, but could only close to 1.312 seconds at the checkered.

    Bowman finished third, William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports fourth and Blaney’s teammate Joey Logano rounded out the top five.

    “Never lose a race, just always run out of time, right? That’s just part of it,” Hamlin said. “Track position is such a big thing. When the 12 (Blaney) jumped on that stage that we won, that put them in front of us. Certainly was going to be hard to pass. Not just enough laps of green there towards the end. Hats off to them. Great run. He kept great pace up there towards the front. Really hard for me to even try to get close to reeling him in.”

    For more information about Pocono Raceway, please visit www.poconoraceway.com.

    About Pocono Raceway

    Pocono Raceway, also known as ‘The Tricky Triangle,’ is family-owned and situated in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. In business for over 50 years, the Raceway hosts multiple, national motorsports events including the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series events each year. The facility’s calendar also consists of over 200 events including Elements Music & Arts Festival and a wide range of non-motorsports entertainment, car clubs and racing schools. Pocono Raceway is recognized as the world’s first, privately-owned solar-powered sports facility. Their 25-acre, three-megawatt solar farm provides the energy needs of the Raceway, as well as, adds electricity to the local power grid. Each member of our raceway staff is committed to creating exciting experiences and lifelong memories. For more information, please visit www.poconoraceway.com.

  • RCR NCS Race Recap: Pocono Raceway

    RCR NCS Race Recap: Pocono Raceway

    Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Boot Barn Chevrolet Team Earn 23rd-Place Finish at the “Tricky Triangle”

    Finish: 23rd
    Start: 17th
    Points: 32nd

    “It was a long day at Pocono Raceway for our Boot Barn Chevrolet team, but I’m proud of everyone at RCR and ECR for not giving up during challenging circumstances and working hard throughout the race to try and make adjustments. We had a fast Chevy, but we lost our brakes in Stage 1. It was frustrating because we were faster than the cars in front of us, but we couldn’t do much without brakes. We’re not exactly sure what was going on. We managed the best we could with what we had and somehow salvaged a 23rd-place finish. We’ll go back to the shop and evaluate.” -Austin Dillon

    On-Track Incident Ends the Day Early for Kyle Busch and the zone Chevrolet Team at Pocono Raceway

    Finish: 32nd
    Start: 24th
    Points: 18th

    “It was a long day at Pocono Raceway for our zone Chevrolet team. Our RCR/ECR team did a good job of catching an oil leak before the race, but it was a bit stressful, and we had to start from the rear of the field and work our way up. We ended up getting hit from behind and it ended our day early. That’s just racing these days and it’s what happens. I just want to give thanks to all of our partners. Everybody at RCR, ECR, zone, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Lucas Oil, Chevrolet, 3Chi, BetMGM, FICO, Global Industrial, Lenovo, Morgan & Morgan, Rebel Bourbon, everyone that that supports us. We’re having the opportunity to go out there and have some fun and to continue to work on our program and build everything up. It’s just unfortunate circumstances. Thank you to Rowdy Nation and all the fans for their continued support. We’ll go back to work and get ready for Indianapolis.” -Kyle Busch

  • Stewart-Haas Racing: The Great American Getaway 400 from Pocono

    Stewart-Haas Racing: The Great American Getaway 400 from Pocono

    STEWART-HAAS RACING
    The Great American Getaway 400
    Date: July 14, 2024
    Event: The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com (Round 21 of 36)
    Series: NASCAR Cup Series
    Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
    Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/65 laps/65 laps)

    Race Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
    Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr., of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
    Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

    SHR Finish:

    ● Chase Briscoe (Started 28th, Finished 15th / Running, completed 160 of 160 laps)
    ● Josh Berry (Started 5th, Finished 20th / Running, completed 160 of 160 laps)
    ● Ryan Preece (Started 36th, Finished 30th / Accident, completed 121 of 160 laps)
    ● Noah Gragson (Started 25th, Finished 37th / Accident, completed 13 of 160 laps)

    SHR Points:

    ● Chase Briscoe (16th with 455 points, 248 out of first)
    ● Josh Berry (21st with 386 points, 317 out of first)
    ● Noah Gragson (24th with 354 points, 349 out of first)
    ● Ryan Preece (27th with 318 points, 385 out of first)

    SHR Notes:

    ● Briscoe earned his 10th top-15 of the season and his second top-15 in five career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono.
    ● Briscoe’s 15th-place result equaled his previous best finish at Pocono, originally earned in 2022.
    ● Berry earned his 11th top-20 of the season and it came in his first career NASCAR Cup Series start at Pocono.
    ● Berry led once for eight laps.

    Race Notes:

    ● Ryan Blaney won The Great American Getaway 400 to score his 12th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his second at Pocono. His margin of victory over second-place Denny Hamlin was 1.312 seconds.
    ● This was Ford’s 733rd all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its fourth of the season.
    ● This was Ford’s 25th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono. The manufacturer won its first race at Pocono on June 9, 1985 with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, who went on to sweep both races that season.
    ● There were eight caution periods for a total of 34 laps.
    ● Only 23 of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
    ● Chase Elliott leaves Pocono as the new championship leader with a three-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

    Sound Bites:

    “It was kind of a decent day. We weren’t great, really all weekend, from a speed standpoint – like I didn’t think we were going to be good enough to win. But I thought we made our car quite a bit better, truthfully, throughout the weekend, which is really encouraging. I thought we got the balance pretty good. We just didn’t really have the raw speed like some of the other guys. I thought we kind of maximized our day, for the most part. We were maybe a couple of positions better. Overall, it was not a bad day. Not a great day, not a bad day.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    “It was just up and down. We had a couple of mistakes that kind of put us back, lost some track position, just got off sequence. It seemed like the car was strong at times, but overall it just needed to be a little bit better and a little more consistent to get a good finish. But we survived and had a decent day.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    “All I know is we had a really good car, started off to be a good day, then we got put back in the pack, and that’s what you end up getting.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    “I just got loose in turn one. We were battling and just got loose. Nobody got into me. I was all alone. I was just trying to make it until we got to the caution and could tighten it up a little bit, but it just took off on me. It’s definitely a bummer being out super early in the race, but thanks to Overstock.com and this whole 10 team. It hasn’t really been the weekend we hoped for through practice and qualifying, and now into the race being out so early. Thanks to all the fans for their support. We will go on to Indy. Indy will be fun next week.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    Next Up:

    The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 21 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race begins at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

  • Kaulig Racing Race Recap | The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VisitPA.com

    Kaulig Racing Race Recap | The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VisitPA.com

    AJ ALLMENDINGER

    • No. 16 Cirkul Camaro ZL1AJ Allmendinger qualified 26th for The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway.
    • On the initial start, Allmendinger got loose running the top of three-wide and fell back to 30th. When the caution came out on lap 15, the No. 16 was running in 25th place. The team stayed out to restart in 13th on lap 18. Allmendinger fell back to 21st, reporting he had no grip. The No. 16 finished the first stage in 23rd.
    • During the stage break, Allmendinger came to pit road for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. The No. 16 restarted in 30th on lap 36. By lap 49, Allmendinger was running in 26th and reported his car was better, but he was a tick tight. Allmendinger came to pit road during the caution on lap 54. Crew chief, Travis Mack, called for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to help Allmendinger with front turn. The No. 16 restarted in 24th and went on to finish the stage in 14th.
    • At the end of stage two, Allmendinger reported the No. 16 Cirkul Chevy was tight. The team came to pit road during the stage break for tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to help with handling. Allmendinger restarted in 25th on lap 101. Allmendinger drove up to 21st by lap 116 when the caution came out. The No. 16 restarted in 28th after coming to pit road for tires and fuel. On the restart, Allmendinger was involved in a wreck, which brought out the next caution. The No. 16 Cirkul Chevy received minimal damage after spinning and came to pit road for scuffs and fuel. Allmendinger restarted at the tail end of the longest line after pitting too soon and was scored in 24th when the next caution came on the first lap green. Allmendinger restarted in 24th on lap 132 and took over 21st on the first lap green, before the caution came back out for fluid on the backstretch. Allmendinger restarted in 20th on lap 138 and went on to finish in 21st.

    “Hard fought day. I thought we were decent throughout the middle of the race there, but we never could get on the right side of the strategy to get track position. Getting caught up in that wreck towards the end damaged the racecar little bit and caused us to lose some speed. We did what we could to salvage our day.” – AJ Allmendinger  

    DANIEL HEMRIC
    No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1

    • Daniel Hemric qualified 27th for The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway.
    • Hemric dropped back to 28th, before the first caution of the day came out on lap 15. He pitted alongside half the field for air-pressure adjustments in the No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevrolet. After restarting 31st on lap 17, some of the field elected to short pit the stage, while Hemric elected to stay out. He made it to 22nd, where he was scored at the end of the opening stage.
    • During the first stage break, Hemric pitted for tires, fuel and a right-side wedge adjustment in the No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevy. He started the second stage in 33rd. On lap 51, Hemric made contact with the wall, before a timely caution came out on lap 53. He pitted for tires, an adjustment, and damage assessment. The team concluded that the No. 31 sustained a bent toe link, and Hemric nursed the car to the end of the stage, finishing in 34th place.
    • Starting the final stage one lap down, Hemric missed the free-pass position by one spot when the caution came out on lap 116. He pitted for tires, fuel and an adjustment. A wreck on the restart put Hemric in the free-pass spot, allowing him back on the lead lap. He pitted for fuel. The field went green with 34 laps to go when another wreck on the restart brought the caution back out. Crew chief Trent Owens made to call for Hemric to pit for fresh tires, ensuring the team would have scuff tires at the end if needed. The field went back to green with 29 laps to go, as Hemric restarted 26th. The next caution came out just one lap later. Hemric restarted 23rd with 23 to go. With nine to go, Hemric reported an issue and pitted for tires. Once he blended back into the field, he radioed that something was broken on the No. 31 Chevy. Hemric drove it to the garage and was scored 25th.

    “We battled a tight-handling No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevrolet. I brushed the wall, which bent the toe link. Unfortunately, the part eventually failed and ended our day a few laps early. I’m proud of the fight in our team to keep going until the very end.” – Daniel Hemric
     
    About Kaulig Racing

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

  • Toyota Racing NCS Post-Race Recap – Pocono 07.14.24

    Toyota Racing NCS Post-Race Recap – Pocono 07.14.24

    DENNY HAMLIN FINISHES RUNNER-UP IN STRONG SHOWING AT POCONO
    Reddick, Truex Jr. and Wallace also earn top-10 finishes for Team Toyota

    LONG POND, Pa. (July 14, 2024) – At one of his most successful tracks, where he holds the track record with seven career wins, Denny Hamlin drove his No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE to a second-place finish Sunday afternoon at Pocono Raceway in the Great American Getaway 400. Hamlin started the day in fourth position and was upfront throughout the 160-lap race around the “Tricky Triangle,” finishing second in Stage 1, winning Stage 2 and leading a total of 31 laps. Though there was a bevy of late-race cautions that jumbled up the field, Hamlin was unable to catch the leader by the checkered flag, finishing just 1.3 seconds back. Sunday’s result is Hamlin’s eighth top-five of the season.

    Joining Hamlin inside the top-10 were Camry XSE teammates Tyler Reddick (6th), Martin Truex Jr. (8th) and Bubba Wallace (10th). Truex led 14 laps on the day and won Stage 1, with Hamlin and Reddick right behind him. Ty Gibbs started the day from pole position and led 21 laps in the early going but had his day end early with mechanical issues.

    The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway next Sunday, July 21, for the return of the Brickyard 400. Coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

    Toyota Post-Race Recap
    NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
    Pocono Raceway
    Race 21 of 36 – 160 Laps, 400 Miles

    TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
    1st, Ryan Blaney*
    2nd, DENNY HAMLIN
    3rd, Alex Bowman*
    4th, William Byron*
    5th, Joey Logano
    6th, TYLER REDDICK
    8th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
    10th, BUBBA WALLACE
    12th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
    14th, ERIK JONES
    27th, TY GIBBS
    28th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
    *non-Toyota driver 

    TOYOTA QUOTES

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

    Finishing Position: 2nd

    Great day and fast car, but did it feel like you just ran out of laps there at the end?

    “Yeah, always. You never lose one, just run out of laps or you run out of time, right? No, hats off to this whole Mavis Tires and Brakes team. Dave (Sorbaro), the CEO and 100 associates were here today, so we were proud to host them. Would’ve loved to give them a victory, but second is close and at least, it’s good to get back on track. We’ve had some slides over the last month-and-a-half.”

    How much strategy goes into this race and what made the difference there?

    “It was when the 12 (Ryan Blaney) jumped the stage and we stayed out there to win the stage. That was the moment he was able to jump us and from that point on, not enough laps to reel him back in.”

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

    Finishing Position: 6th

    Walk us through your race today.

    “Yeah, most of the day was (pause.) Stage 1 and Stage 3 were decent for us. Stage 2 was a bit of a struggle. Unfortunately, we just didn’t have any good restarts in the middle portion there and gave up on some points. But all in all, it was a solid day and we closed the gap to the points lead. And obviously, Denny (Hamlin) closed in on us a little bit. Overall, solid day and great points day.”

    BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Leidos Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

    Finishing Position: 10th

    How was your day today?

    “It’s about points, so we didn’t capitalize on points, but the 1 (Ross Chastain) had a bad day, the 54 (Ty Gibbs) had a bad day. It was a nice rebound. Usually, it’s the opposite. We start really good and end up fading and giving up a lot track position. Here, we were able to call a good strategy and hang on. We just didn’t have the car. The 6 (Brad Keselowski) drove it down into (turn) one and I was going to race the heck out of him and I realized I was going to crash and he was going to keep going. It’s pretty eye-opening of how far we’re off. Going to have a good debrief tomorrow. All in all, I was trying to have fun the first stages, that’s what I said I was going to do. Was trying my butt off and here we are.”

    About Toyota

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

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

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

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

  • CORVETTE RACING IN BRAZIL: Progress Continues for TF Sport

    CORVETTE RACING IN BRAZIL: Progress Continues for TF Sport

    Pair of Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs contend for season-best finishes at São Paulo

    SÃO PAULO, Brazil (July 14, 2024) – TF Sport’s pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs showed their potential as the team’s FIA World Endurance Championship campaign continued to show improvements heading into the season’s stretch run… and a home race for the Corvette in the United States.

    The No. 81 TF Sport trio of Tom Van Rompuy, Rui Andrade and Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood placed eighth in the 17-car LMGT3 field at the end of the Six Hours of São Paulo. It was their best result since the season’s second race at Imola. But the Brazil round also showed that podium finishes are likely on the horizon in the team’s first year with the Corvette platform.

    Van Rompuy began eighth in LMGT3 but moved up two places in the opening 10 minutes. He was on his way into the top-five before he was hit by one of the GT3-class Porsches moments later and spun off the track. The No. 81 Corvette rejoined in 14th.

    That put the No. 82 Z06 GT3.R of Hiroshi Koizumi as the lead Corvette, having moved to ninth from his 13th-place starting spot. Both he and Van Rompuy drove double-stints to start the race with both Corvettes in the top-10 by the time TF Sport made their first driver changes two hours in.

    Andrade took over the No. 81 Corvette and was involved in a multi-car battle for fifth place with four cars racing within four seconds of each other. Meanwhile, Sebastien Baud took over the No. 82 Z06 GT3.R, which had to serve a drive-through penalty before the driver swap. Baud showed good pace and made the driver change factory driver Daniel Juncadella to go the rest of the way. Unfortunately on his way out onto the track, a mechanical problem sidelined the Corvette after 133 laps.

    That left the No. 81 to battle the balance of the GT3 field. Andrade ran in the top five before handing over to Eastwood to drive nearly two-and-a-half hours to the end. Eastwood continued to contend for a top-five finish before an unfortunate penalty during a full-course caution period near the five-hour mark. He continued to show the potential of the Z06 GT3.R with the sixth-fastest lap of the 49 LMGT3 drivers in the race.

    TF Sport’s next race in the FIA WEC is the Lone Star Le Mans from Circuit of The Americas in Austin from August 30-September 1.

    TF SPORT POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

    CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED EIGHTH IN LMGT3: “It was a tough race for us. The positive is the pace was really strong. A couple of things didn’t go our way with Tom getting caught up in a racing incident, which really put us on the back foot trying not to go a lap down. A late drive-through really took us out of it. Ultimately we were eight seconds from P4, but that meant P8. It was a super-strong performance with the car. It was really positive but unfortunately a couple things didn’t go our way.”

    RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED EIGHTH IN LMGT3: “There are some positives to take from today. We had some contact for Tom early. It was tough to manage my pace in my double-stint. Charlie looked incredibly quick at the end, so the car was definitely strong. If you take out the penalty and the contact, we could have been fighting for the podium. That’s the first time this year that we can say that, so that’s a big positive. The Corvette felt good all weekend and had no issues. We’ve taken some good steps forward. The pit stops were fine and we had no problems there. It’s tough to take when it doesn’t go your way but we have some positives to look at.”

    TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED EIGHTH IN LMGT3: “It’s true that today we had a strong car. It was in good shape today. But we had the bad luck of one of the Porsches kicking us off the track and had a spin. So we had come all fighting from the back. We got it back to eighth after my double-stint. Then we had a couple of other things like a drive-through for a penalty under full-course yellow. The potential is there, and we showed it today with the Corvette. Everything just needs to fall together and we’ll get a good result. Hopefully in the next three races we can put it all together.”

    DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Unfortunately coming out of the pits, I had a technical issue and the car wasn’t able to keep running. We’ll have to analyze to see what happened. It’s a shame because the car was running really well. Seb was really fast in that stint. It wasn’t meant to be this time.”

    SEBASTIEN BAUD, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We started well. It was a good qualifying result of the season for Hiroshi. For myself, I think it was a very good run. The car was good and fast. I liked it a lot. I tried to manage the tires to help with the degradation. The Corvette was good on this track. Unfortunately we had a mechanical problem that stopped us. I’m sorry for Dani because he didn’t get to drive today. We’ll try and come back stronger for COTA and the home race for Corvette. I hope we finish in the top-five. I really want a podium. The car is strong and the team is strong. We just need a chance to get up there, stay focused and keep pushing.”

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

  • Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – Ryan Blaney Wins at Pocono (NCS Post Race Quotes)

    Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – Ryan Blaney Wins at Pocono (NCS Post Race Quotes)

    Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
    NASCAR Cup Series Post Race Quotes
    Great American Getaway 400 | Pocono Raceway
    Sunday, July 14, 2024

    RYAN BLANEY TAMES THE TRICKY TRIANGLE

    • Ryan Blaney won his second race of the season and the 12th of his career today at Pocono Raceway.
    • The Cup victory is Blaney’s second at Pocono with the first coming with the Wood Brothers in 2017.
    • Ford has now won 6 of the last 10 races, including Joey Logano’s win in the All-Star Race.
    • Today’s win is Ford’s 733rd all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition
    • It also marks Team Penske’s 97th series win with Ford.

    UNOFFICIAL FORD FINISHING RESULTS
    1st – Ryan Blaney
    5th – Joey Logano
    7th – Brad Keselowski
    11th – Chris Buescher
    15th – Chase Briscoe
    18th – Austin Cindric
    20th – Josh Berry
    22nd – Justin Haley
    24th – Michael McDowell
    26th – Cody Ware
    30th – Ryan Preece
    31st – Harrison Burton
    34th – Todd Gilliland
    37th – Noah Gragson

    RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Wabash Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 1st) – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW

    “I think things are just kind of falling into place for us. I feel like we have gotten to a great place on speed in the last two months, especially. I feel like we honestly had a couple races slip away from us which I thought we had a good shot at winning. It was nice to stick to the plan today and our plan was to have track position at the end. I knew our car was fast enough. I am super proud of the whole 12 team. The Wabash Ford Mustang was amazing. I appreciate Menards, Body Armour, the Wurth Group, Advance Auto Parts, DEX Imaging and everyone that makes this possible. It is so cool to win here again. I won here seven years ago for my first Cup win. The crowd, you guys were amazing. Thank you for being here all weekend.”

    WOULD NINE-YEAR-OLD RYAN BLANEY BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TWO CUP WINS HERE? “

    No, at the time I wasn’t thinking about that. I was trying to figure out how I was going to have fun that weekend and how to win that night. It was super special seven years ago to win here with the Wood Brothers and it is a special win here today. You love tracks that have special meaning to you, like your first win, and this place means so much to me. My fiancee and a ton of her family are here. I can’t wait to see them. I am so proud of the effort. I am looking forward to hopefully continuing this momentum to next week at the bosses track up in Indy.”

    YOU TURNED IT ON AT THE RIGHT TIME TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP LAST YEAR. AS WE SIT HERE MID-JULY, IS THIS THE BEST THE 12 TEAM HAS BEEN? “I think we are in a better spot at this time this year than where we were last year at this point. I feel like our speed is better. Our execution is great. We are doing everything as a 12 group the best that we can. We have had some other unforeseen circumstances that have hindered some finishes and possible wins. I am so proud of this Team Penske group. All the men and women at the race shop, they work their butts off to try to get better and deal with the drivers when they say we need to get a lot better. I appreciate them and Roush Yates Engines and all the work they do and continue to do. Go U.S.A.”

    JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 5th)

    “Overall, a top five, you have to be somewhat happy with that. We had speed there toward the end of the race and I think we could have run in the top two. I don’t know if we could have been better than Ryan or not, but it just took us too long to get the balance right. Once we got the track position and the balance close, I about wrecked it on the restart. Those spots there kind of ultimately cost us a chance to win it, but overall I am proud of the speed that we brought to a track like this. It makes me look forward to Indy a little bit more where we have some long straightaways again and it seemed like our car was decent on the straightaways this time.”

    RYAN PREECE, No 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    “I don’t know what happened. I haven’t seen a replay. All I know is we had a really good car for what started off as a completely bad day. It started to become a good day and then we got put in the back and that was that, so that is what you end up getting.”

    TODD GILLILAND, No. 38 C.H. Reed Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Retired due to mechanical failure on lap 115)

    WAS THE CAR GIVING YOU ANY INDICATION THERE WAS A PROBLEM?

    “We fought with a little bit of brake shake through practice and a little at the beginning of the race. About five laps before that, my brake pedal started getting a little bit long. Then it just blew in the middle of the straightaway. I have never had that before. We have been really lucky. We have had some really well built Ford Mustangs coming out of Front Row Motorsports and haven’t had many mechanical issues the last three years. I thank those guys for giving us great cars. We will keep battling. Definitely not our best day to begin with and we have a lot of work to do but we will try to learn from it.”

    NOAH GRAGSON, No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Retired early due to accident on lap 14)

    “I just got loose in turn one. We were battling and just got loose. Nobody got into me. I was all alone. I was just trying to make it until we got to the caution and could tighten it up a little bit but it just took off on me. It is definitely a bummer being out super early in the race but thanks to Overstock.com, and this whole 10 team. It hasn’t really been the weekend we hoped for through practice and qualifying and now into the race being out so early. Thanks to all the fans for their support. We will go on to Indy. Indy will be fun next week.”

    “I was all by myself, we started off the race super loose and then it just kept getting worse and worse. I was trying to limp it to the end of the stage but it just took off on me in turn one. It is definitely a bummer. Oh well.”

  • CHEVROLET NCS AT POCONO: Post-Race Report

    CHEVROLET NCS AT POCONO: Post-Race Report

    NASCAR CUP SERIES
    POCONO RACEWAY
    THE GREAT AMERICAN GETAWAY 400
    TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
    JULY 14, 2024

     Bowman Collects Podium Finish to Lead Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway

    • For the second consecutive weekend, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman led Chevrolet to the checkered flag in NASCAR’s top division – driving his No. 48 Ally Best Friends Camaro ZL1 to a third-place finish in ‘The Great American Getaway 400’.
    • The podium result came after a solid top-10 qualifying effort in his No. 48 Ally Best Friends Camaro ZL1. The 31-year-old Tucson, Arizona, native ran steady in the top-10 through much of the race – collecting crucial points in both stages of the 400-mile event.
    • Bowman, who solidified a playoff berth with his win in the Chicago Street Race last weekend, has now earned six top-fives and 12 top-10s in 21 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races this season.
    • A trio of Hendrick Motorsports teammates drove Chevrolet to top-10 finishes at Pocono Raceway, with Bowman leading William Byron (No. 24 Raptor High Heat Camaro ZL1) in the fourth position, and Chase Elliott (No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1) in the ninth position.
    • The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the 30th running of the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 21, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

     
    TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:
    POS. DRIVER
    3rd Alex Bowman
    4th William Byron
    9th Chase Elliott

    WITH 21 POINTS-PAYING NASCAR CUP SERIES RACES COMPLETE:

    Wins: 9
    Poles: 7
    Top-Five Finishes: 38
    Top-10 Finishes: 79
    Stage Wins: 12

     TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

    Ross Chastain, No. 1 Busch Light Peach Camaro ZL1
    Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two.
    Finished: 36th

    What started that at the exit of turn three? Did you feel something, or did it just get away from you?

    “I just spun out.”

    Was it loose or tight during the race, or was that a surprise that it spun out?

    “I just flat spun out. We were all sliding around, but I just spun out.”

    Talk about your frustration right now, obviously not what you wanted..

    “It felt like it happened in slow motion. Yeah, obviously frustrated with myself, but can’t take it back now.”

    Are you feeling momentum sliding away after the last couple of weeks, or are you worried now about the bubble at all?

    “I’m just worried about why I spun out. I’m a racecar driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, I shouldn’t be doing that. You don’t see us do that too often, so when I do it myself, I’m as surprised as everybody else.”

    Can you go back and look at data? How much will data tell you?

    “Yeah, but I was in the seat. I felt it slip and I didn’t catch it.”

    Was there anything about the balance of the race car that indicated that was possible?

    “Oh yeah.. they’re Cup cars, they can always spin out. But we’re supposed to be good enough to catch it.”

    Kyle Busch, No. 8 Zone/GetGo Camaro ZL1
    Sidelined from damage sustained in an accident in the Final Stage.
    Finished: 32nd

    Busch on the accident that ended his day early:

    “I just want to give thanks to all of our partners. Everybody at RCR, ECR, zone, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Lucas Oil, Chevrolet.. everybody that supports us. We’re having the opportunity to go out there and have some fun; try to continue to work on our program and build everything up. It’s just unfortunate circumstances. Thank you to Rowdy Nation, all the fans and everybody for their continued support. We’ll go back to work and get ready for Indianapolis.”

    Any idea of what happened out there?

    “That’s just racing these days.. it’s what happens.”

    William Byron, No. 24 Raptor High Heat Camaro ZL1
    Finished: 4th

    You ran up front all day. Didn’t get a chance to lead this race, but talk about how the race played out for you today.

    “We were just kind of okay. Definitely had a decent No. 24 Raptor High Heat Chevy. Really good execution and everyone did a good job of just keeping their heads in it. Not every situation went our way with the strategy, but we were able to have decent restarts, especially at the end there, and just kind of maintained it to the end. Definitely a lot of things to dissect, but really proud of the team and just good to get a top-five, for sure.”

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Sugarlands Sippin’ Cream Camaro ZL1
    Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in the final stage.
    Finished: 33rd

    Stenhouse Jr. on the accident that ended his day early at Pocono Raceway:

    “I have no clue what happened. I was in the top lane. My team said the No. 8 (Kyle Busch) somehow ended up in the grass and came across the track. I don’t know how that happened. I feel like from where we started the day, our strategy was good. The speed in our No. 47 Sugarlands Sippin’ Cream Chevy was decent. We were inside the top-20, really, the whole second-half of the race. I thought we were in good position. We were on four tires there, while there were a lot of guys on two. I was hoping that was going to pay off later on in that run, but we didn’t really get a chance to see how that would work out.”

    How frustrating is this? It’s a tough track anyways..

    “Yeah, it’s so hard to pass. We’re all so close on speed, so track position is really all that matters. You have five cars that I feel like can drive through the field. Everybody else, if you put us sixth or seventh, we’ll kind of stay sixth or seventh. I think that’s the aggressiveness on the restarts; trying to get that track position, knowing this was towards the end of race. If you have good track position, then you can keep it and get a good finish. It’s just part of it.”

    Did you have a visual of the No. 8 (Kyle Busch)?

    “I saw him (Kyle Busch) at the last second. I went as high as I could, without getting too far up into the grey. I tried to throttle up to get by him, and he still just clipped me kind of in the left-rear there.”

    Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
    Finished: 3rd

    Bowman on this third-place finish at Pocono Raceway:

    “We struggled with our car a lot in dirty air. Once we got clean air there in the end, I think most of our adjustments kind of hurt us a little bit; just got too free. Proud of my No. 48 Ally Best Friends Chevy team. It was a good run; we just needed a little bit more to get to the No. 12 (Ryan Blaney). Once I abused the right-rear tire for so long, it made Denny’s (Hamlin) job pretty easy to get around me. But yeah, it was a solid third-place day.”

    Two excellent weeks in a row for the No. 48 team. Are you feeling it?

    “Yeah, for sure. I think it was important to come here and have another good day after our win last week. We’re going to a special race track next weekend, so hopefully we can get the job done there.”

    Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1
    Finished: 16th

    “It was an up-and-down day for the No. 99 Worldwide Express Chevy team. We didn’t have as much speed as we thought we would have. We were OK in clean air, but in traffic, for some reason we struggled a lot.. I feel like more than the competition. Overall, there were a few things we could do better, but we finished 16th. We’ll take that for the car we had and the speed we showed today. Yesterday, I thought we were going to be a little bit better, but we’ll go back; analyze everything and get better for next time.”

     
     

    About Chevrolet

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

  • Cicero Collects Mazda MX-5 Cup Win Number Two in Canada

    Cicero Collects Mazda MX-5 Cup Win Number Two in Canada

    BOWMANVILLE, Ont. CANADA (July 14, 2024) – With five minutes left in the Round 10 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, it didn’t look like a win was in the cards for Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing). Then, a series of events transpired that quickly launched Cicero from fifth to first. Joining him on the podium was rookie Julian DaCosta (No. 78 JTR Motorsports Engineering) and the driver with more Mazda MX-5 Cup starts than anyone else: Alex Bachoura (No. 33 Spark Performance).

    In a déjà vu moment that echoed Saturday’s race finish, the driver who crossed the finish line first, was not declared the winner. Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) had been issued a 10-second penalty earlier in the race for contact with another car. With the time penalty assessed at the checkered flag, the win went to his teammate Cicero.

    Another similarity to Saturday’s race was the number of cars in the lead pack. A train of 11 cars circulated the track nose-to-tail and Cicero was right in the middle of it.

    “I was struggling a little bit coming onto the straight,” Cicero said. “With the pack stacking up, it was kind of hard to time your acceleration point if you’re in the middle of a pack. I was just trying to stay in my spot and keep working with Jeremy [Fletcher].”

    At the front of the pack, polesitter Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) was working with teammate Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering) to keep the lead and hold off Saturday’s race winner, Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing).

    When contact damaged Jeansonne’s wheel and necessitated a pit stop, Workman began to take looks at Thomas for the win. It was about this time that Workman and Gresham Wagner (No. 5 McCumbee McAleer Racing) made contact, sending Wagner into the Turn Nine tires. This brought out the first of two full-course caution periods during the 45-minute race.

    Workman resumed his fight with Thomas when the green flag came back out, but this time he was being pressured by Thomas’ teammate, Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 JTR Motorsports Engineering).

    The trio came together in the same spot as Wagner’s crash. Unbelievably, nobody spun or hit the wall, but the three leaders all took evasive action to stay pointed straight. That was all Fletcher needed to go from fifth to first.

    “I just saw a little bit of contact and they [Thomas, Nicholson and Workman] all went wide and Jeremy and I were able to go through,” Cicero said.

    A lap later, the safety car was deployed again for Heather Hadley (No. 54 BSI Racing), who lost a wheel exiting Turn Eight, sending her sideways into the tire wall. Hadley walked away unscathed, but less than three minutes remained on the race clock, so the race ended under yellow.

    Cicero was ecstatic as he crossed the finish line, but not for himself; he was unaware of Fletcher’s 10-second penalty.

    “I was so happy for him [Fletcher] to get his first win and was celebrating with him across the line,” Cicero said. “No one told me that he had gotten a penalty. I feel for him. He’s going to get a win this year, probably multiple. He’s been super-fast even in the backup car, so I know he’ll get it soon.”

    He continued to heap praise on his MMR teammates for helping him get the win and was greeted at the podium by Wagner, who was unharmed in his lap eight incident.

    “(After Saturday’s race) I learned a lot about where to pass,” Cicero said. “Especially from watching my teammates’ videos and seeing what they’re doing different than me. We have four amazing drivers on the team. We’re all in the top 10 usually, so there’s a lot to learn for all of us and we can all help each other.”

    The drivers sharing the podium with Cicero were equally surprised.

    DaCosta, the runner-up, started the race dead last due to an engine change after Race 1. It is the rookie’s first podium finish.

    “Yesterday was a bit more than heartbreaking,” DaCosta said. “Today definitely lifted everybody’s hearts and spirits and I want to thank everybody coming into this weekend. I’m really excited to be partnering with the Austin Hatcher Foundation and I think we have a lot ahead of us now and we’re gonna continue this positive energy for sure.”

    Earlier this year Bachoura took over the record for the most MX-5 Cup race starts. After more than 100 races, he finished on the podium for only the second time Sunday. Bachoura was elated with the third-place finish. He knew incidents and penalties played a part but was rightly proud of his driving.

    “It was unexpected,” Bachoura said. “I was in fourth and I knew the race finished, but when I heard there was a penalty and I was third, I was ecstatic. I love being lucky, but I did stick with the front pack the whole time. Sparky and Spark Performance gave me an amazing car. I felt like I had the fastest car in the turns. It was a really good car, good driving and a little bit of luck.”

    Jeansonne went on to finish fourth, salvaging valuable championship points.

    Woody Heimann (No. 82 JTR Motorsports Engineering) earned a career-best fifth place.

    He was followed by Mazda Women in Motorsport Scholarship winner Sally Mott (No. 15 Spark Performance) who earned a career-best sixth.

    Mazda MX-5 Cup teams have a break before Rounds 11 and 12 at VIRginia International Raceway, August 23 – 25.

    All MX-5 Cup races are available to re-watch anytime on the RACER and IMSA YouTube channels.

    About: The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports. The series has been operated by Andersen Promotions since 2017 and is currently sanctioned by IMSA. Mazda-powered grassroots champions can earn Mazda scholarships for this pro-level series. The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup awards more than $1 million in prizes and scholarships.

    Find out more at http://www.mx-5cup.com.

  • Cadillac at Brazil: Battling back for solid result

    Cadillac at Brazil: Battling back for solid result

    No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R holds distinction of only Hypercar to qualify in top 4 past 3 races

    SAO PAULO, Brazil (July 14, 2024) – In what could have been a disappointing end to a promising start Sunday in the Rolex 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, the Cadillac Racing team battled back from a mid-race delay to challenge for a points-paying position.

    Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, driving the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, didn’t put a wheel wrong and finished 13th in the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) after an unscheduled pit stop in the hotly contested race among 19 Hypercar competitors diminished a run for the podium.

    The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R qualified fourth to mark the third consecutive race it secured a top-four starting spot and earn the distinction of being the only Hypercar entry to qualify on the top two rows in each of the past three Hyperpole sessions.

    Bamber held the starting position for the most part through his initial two stints on the tight and twisting 2.677-mile (4.409 km), 15-turn Autódromo José Carlos Pace circuit that significantly stresses right-side Michelin tires.

    With 3 hours, 55 minutes left and running fourth in the 19-car order, Bamber gave way to Lynn for the middle section of the race. With four fresh tires, fuel and energy replenished, Lynn was in position to challenge the leaders. But two laps into the stint, he reported a vibration, and the Chip Ganassi Racing-run crew called him in for examination.

    Though the issue was quickly resolved, Lynn dropped to the bottom of the running order and battled his way to 14th before handing off the wheel to Bamber to close out the final 1 hour, 31 minutes of the WEC’s return to Interlagos after a 10-year absence. Following the final service stop for right-side tires and fuel/energy with 39 minutes remaining, Bamber pushed without fuel concerns to the checkered flag.

    The No. 8 Toyota GR010, which qualified second, won the race.

    Lynn’s best lap in Hyperpole was only .256 of a second off the pole-winning time and .134 of a second from a third consecutive front-row start. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R qualified second at Spa-Francorchamps and at Circuit de la Sarthe for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the previous outings.

    For editorial use: Cadillac Racing photos from the Sao Paulo race weekend

    The next WEC race is Sept. 1 at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, where Bamber is a two-time winner in WEC competition. Bamber and Lynn will participate in a two-day test next week at the circuit in preparation for the Lone Star Le Mans.

    Alex Lynn: “We unfortunately had a problem on the pit stop where we had to come back in and reseat the right-front wheel and that took us out of contention for a good result today. That’s the margins in WEC. Any small error will cost you dearly, and unfortunately that was us today. I think we had a solid race, a solid car and good performance. It’s just a shame not to reward everyone for the efforts. (qualifying in top four in each of the past three races) It’s a credit to the team and credit for all the hard work we do. Certainly, on one lap we manage to pull out a good result. Now we just want to put it in the race.”

    Earl Bamber: “We managed to fight back, have good car speed but seem to have misfortune every race. We need to work out some details, execute better so we can score some points.”