Category: Featured Headline

INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, July 21, 2024) – Less than two months separated agony from ecstasy for Kyle Larson at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Larson left IMS on May 26 disappointed after finishing 18th in his first Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge start after qualifying fifth and leading four laps in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” On Sunday, Larson stood triumphantly on Victory Podium and kissed the fabled Yard of Bricks after completing a wild climb to an overtime victory in the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG.

“This is just such a prestigious place, such hallowed ground,” Larson said. “Pretty neat just to get an opportunity to race here on the oval again. What a job by our team. Never gave up at all. We just fought and dug and had things work out.

“I love all you Indiana fans, and I know you guys love me, too. How about we come back next May and try to kiss these bricks in an Indy car? I think everything comes full circle, and everything’s meant to be. And today definitely felt meant to be for us.”

Larson, who started fifth, won the race under caution in the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet on the second attempt in overtime. Pole sitter Tyler Reddick finished second in the No. 45 The Beast Unleashed Toyota. Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney finished third in the No. 12 Menards/Atlas Ford fielded by IMS owner Roger Penske’s team.

2021 Cup Series champion Larson earned the record-extending 11th Brickyard 400 victory for Hendrick Motorsports on a day in which team chairman Rick Hendrick led the field to the green flag as the honorary driver of the Chevrolet Camaro Pace Car.

This was the first win on the iconic 2.5-mile oval for Larson, as the Brickyard 400 returned to that circuit for the first time since 2020 after three years on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at the Racing Capital of the World. But it was the second IMS victory for Larson, who won the Driven2SaveLives BC39 USAC Midget race in 2021 on The Dirt Track at IMS, a quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3.

Larson’s path to victory was paved by equal parts of aggression and good luck. He drove his way through the field after his last pit stop on Lap 123, slicing up and down the entire width of racing surface to gain ground on the leaders.

He took advantage of fresher tires than the leaders to reach the top five by passing Denny Hamlin on Lap 148 and climbed to fourth by passing Zane Smith on Lap 149. By then, Larson latched onto the rear bumper of Daniel Hemric’s No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet. 2018 Brickyard 400 winner Brad Keselowski led in the No. 6 Body Guard Ford, with Blaney second.

But Keselowski made his previous pit stop on Lap 102, and his fuel-saving efforts appeared to maybe need more caution laps to try and stretch to the finish at the regulation distance. That gamble rolled snake eyes when Kyle Busch’s No. 8 Cheddar’s Patriotic Chevrolet and Hamlin’s No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota made side-to-side contact in Turn 3 on Lap 158, triggering a caution that forced overtime.

As the field lined up to take the green flag for the first overtime restart on Lap 162, Keselowski took the inside lane, with Blaney to his outside and Larson behind Keselowski in third. But Keselowski’s car began to run out of gas, and he dove into the pits. Larson moved from third to first in the restart order in the inside lane and powered past Blaney in Turn 1 on Lap 162, taking a lead he would never lose.

“I knew the 6 (Keselowski) was probably going to run out if it went green, and at the restart, I couldn’t believe they stayed out,” Blaney said. “I knew there was no way they were going to make it, so I obviously chose the top (lane) because he might run out in the restart zone. And he runs out coming to the green, so he gets to go to pit road and the 5 (Larson) gets promoted. Luck of the day right there, I guess.”

But there still was more drama. As Larson gapped Blaney in the short chute between Turns 1 and 2 on the restart, a five-car chain reaction collision occurred at the end of the front straightaway and in Turn 1. That triggered another caution and then a red flag lasting 17 minutes to straighten a concrete barrier at the exit of pit road moved by contact in the incident.

Larson’s car needed a bump start from a tow truck on the front straightaway to restart after the red flag period ended. At the restart on Lap 166, Larson and Blaney made side-to-side contact before Turn 1, with Larson pulling ahead and staying out front down the back straightaway. Meanwhile, the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford of Ryan Preece spun in Turn 2 and was mired in the infield grass in Turn 2.

The field continued to race under green, with Larson taking the white flag in the lead on Lap 167. Preece tried to drive his car out of the grass but couldn’t due to a flat tire, and the caution flag flew to end the race. Larson had enough fuel to cruise around and take the checkered.

“With the way the strategy was working out, with Brad running out of fuel and me inheriting the front row and all that, just a lot had to fall into place,” Larson said. “Thankfully it did. I just can’t believe it. It’s surreal to win here.”

Reddick, who led a race-high 40 laps, passed Blaney on the last lap to take second place.

The next major spectator event this season at IMS is the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks IMSA sports car event Sept. 20-22 on the IMS road course. Visit IMS.com to buy tickets or for more information.

Owner of Winningest Team in Cup Series History To Pace Field for 30th Anniversary Brickyard, 40th Anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports

INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, July 17, 2024) – Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group, will serve as honorary Pace Car driver for the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG on Sunday, July 21.

Hendrick will drive the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Pace Car and lead the field to start the 30th anniversary of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports.

“Time goes by fast,” Hendrick said. “I can’t believe it’s been four decades since we started Hendrick Motorsports and 30 years since Jeff (Gordon) won the inaugural Brickyard 400. I’ll never forget the excitement around that event and the thrill of winning a race at Indianapolis.

“I’m grateful to our 40-year partners at Chevrolet for the opportunity to drive a Pace Car for the first time. I also want to thank my great friend Roger Penske and everyone at the track. Taking the field to green on Sunday will be something I’ll always remember.”

A self-described “gearhead,” Hendrick turned his passion for the automobile into successful business ventures in the retail automotive and professional auto racing industries.

Hendrick worked on and raced cars as a young man. Alongside his father, “Papa Joe” Hendrick, he rebuilt his first car, a 1931 Chevrolet, at age 14 and regularly traveled to racetracks across the region, often volunteering as a crew member. Although he studied to become a tool and die maker, Hendrick’s enthusiasm for cars led him down a different career path – retail automotive sales.

The transformation of his first dealership from struggling into the most profitable in the region ultimately led to the formation of Hendrick Automotive Group, which today operates collision centers, accessories distributor installers and 131 retail franchises across 13 states.

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and employing more than 10,000 people, Hendrick Automotive Group is now the largest privately held dealership group in the country. In 2023, it generated over $13 billion in revenue after selling more than 195,000 vehicles and servicing nearly 2.5 million cars and trucks. Hendrick, 75, leads the organization as its chairman and CEO.

While working to establish himself in the car business, Hendrick remained active in racing circles – setting world records in drag boats before returning to his roots in stock cars. In 1984, he founded NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports, which has become the sport’s most successful operation. It is home to 600 employees who support four full-time Chevrolet stock-car teams with drivers Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson in the elite NASCAR Cup Series.

In May 2021, Hendrick Motorsports became the winningest team in Cup Series history. At NASCAR’s top level, Hendrick Motorsports holds every major statistical record, including championships, points-paying victories, pole positions and laps led. It has won at least one race in a record 40 different seasons and maintains an active streak of 39 in a row (1986-2024). Hendrick is also NASCAR’s all-time leader in national series championships with 18 overall.

“For all of us at GM and Chevrolet, as well as for our partners at IMS, it’s an honor to have Rick Hendrick lead the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green flag at this year’s Brickyard 400,” General Motors President Mark Reuss said. “Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports have had a storied history together over the past 40 years. Having Rick pace the 30th anniversary of this prestigious race is a special way to celebrate our partnership and the legacy he has built in NASCAR.”

Hendrick Motorsports won the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994. The winning Chevrolet Lumina, driven by Jeff Gordon, will be showcased in the Chevrolet display located in the fan midway throughout the weekend.

“Honoring history, even as we look to the future, is a huge part of everything we do at IMS,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “Rick and Hendrick Motorsports made history here in 1994 with Jeff Gordon’s win in the inaugural Brickyard on the famed oval. As we return to the oval and celebrate 30 years with NASCAR, having Rick pace the field is a fitting celebration.”

Hendrick was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2013. He is a recipient of the prestigious Horatio Alger Award, NASCAR’s Bill France Award of Excellence and The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which is bestowed upon outstanding North Carolinians. In 2014, Hendrick was honored with the Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award for significant contributions to the auto industry.

NASCAR celebrates 30 years at the Racing Capital of the World in 2024 with the return to the oval at IMS. Visit IMS.com for ticket information for Brickyard Weekend on July 19-21.

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.