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Newgarden Continues To Rule Ovals with Dominant Iowa Victory

NEWTON, Iowa (Saturday, July 22, 2023) – In one of the most unpredictable, competitive motorsports series on Earth, perhaps the closest to a sure thing emerged again Saturday – Josef Newgarden winning on an oval.

Newgarden dominated the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart at Iowa Speedway, staying perfect in oval races in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES this season in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden also won the PPG 375 in April at Texas Motor Speedway and the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Two-time series champion Newgarden also has won five of the six oval races in the last 12 months, including this race last year. The only race he didn’t win during that streak was the second race of the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend last year, as he crashed out while leading due to a mechanical failure.

“It’s a great day,” Newgarden said. “My team, they are unbelievable. They always give me a great car. I show up every weekend, and I feel like I’ve got the best of the best behind me. I love Iowa.”

This was Newgarden’s third victory of the season – all on ovals – and the 28th of his INDYCAR SERIES career. He will try to pull off the weekend doubleheader sweep and stay perfect this season on circle tracks in the Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade on Sunday, with live coverage starting at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Team Penske finished 1-2 today, as Scott McLaughlin tied his career-best oval finish of second in the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, 3.3755 seconds behind Newgarden. Pato O’Ward placed third in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Marcus Ericsson finished fourth in the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing, and double NTT P1 Award winner Will Power rounded out the top five in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Just five cars finished on the lead lap, an indication of Newgarden’s command of this race. More proof of Newgarden’s dominance: He led a race-high 129 laps on the .894-mile oval, with Power leading 119 to put Team Penske out front for 248 of the 250 laps.

Power led 119 of the first 120 laps, losing the top spot to championship leader Alex Palou only during an early pit stop cycle. Newgarden, who started third, roared under Power exiting Turn 2 on Lap 121 to take the lead and paced the field the rest of the way except for one lap during a pit stop on Lap 126.

Newgarden stretched his lead to nearly four seconds when the field was bunched for the only caution period of the fast, frantic race when Graham Rahal’s No. 15 Blue Compass RV Honda hit the SAFER Barrier exiting Turn 4 on Lap 152. Rahal was unhurt.

That hope for the other drivers was fleeting as Newgarden rocketed away on the restart on Lap 166. He built a 5.3-second lead over McLaughlin by Lap 200 and appeared to be on cruise control to the checkered before he was snagged in a thicket of end-of-lead lap and lapped traffic on the “Fastest Short Track on the Planet.”

“It’s always tough in INDYCAR; these guys that are about to go a lap down, they always run the leader really hard,” Newgarden said. “That’s the name of the game. It’s legal, but man, it’s a little frustrating at times. I’m going to study the tape. I’m going to be better tomorrow.”

McLaughlin pulled to within 1.6 seconds with five laps remaining due to the traffic jam, but he could get no closer as Newgarden threaded through slower cars and powered to the finish.

“I badly want to beat that guy, and I’m going to be trying everything I can to beat him,” McLaughlin said of close friend and “Bus Bros” video series co-host Newgarden. “But he’s the epitome of a great teammate, and I appreciate the help he’s given me.”

Newgarden will split $10,000 with Team Penske and his chosen charities, SeriousFun Children’s Network and Wags and Walks Nashville, for his victory as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge.

Palou finished eighth – tied for his season low – in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda. His lead in the championship shrank from 117 to 98 points over Newgarden, who took second in the standings from Scott Dixon with his win.

Despite Team Penske’s dominance up front, the race was a competitive affair throughout the 28-car field. There were 1,502 on-track passes, an INDYCAR SERIES record at Iowa Speedway.

July 22, 2023
Berry takes NASCAR Xfinity Series Pole for Explore the Pocono Mountains 225
- Josh Berry lands his first Xfinity Series pole of the season and second of his career.
- Rookie Nick Sanchez earns fourth NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series pole of the season in Friday’s qualifying for the CRC Brakleen 150.
- ARCA Menards Series Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150 rained out; rescheduled for 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
LONG POND, Pa. (July 21, 2023) – JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry secured his first Xfinity Series pole of the season and just his second in 81 career series races during Friday’s qualifying for the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono Raceway.

Description automatically generatedBerry (No. 8 Tire Pros Love the Drive Chevrolet) earned the pole in his third career appearance at “The Tricky Triangle” with a lap of 167.951 miles per hour (53.587 seconds) to edge Daniel Hemric (No. 11 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet / 167.128 mph/53.851 secs.) by 0.264 of a second on the 2.5-mile tri-oval.

Sheldon Creed (No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet) qualified third with a lap of 167.004 mph (53.891) and was followed by Connor Mosack (No. 19 IRWIN TRADE STRONG Toyota) at 166.982 mph. Rounding out the top five was series points leader John Hunter Nemechek (No. 20 Yahoo Toyota) with a lap of 166.834 mph (53.946).

Notable NASCAR Cup Series drivers who qualified for the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 were Chase Elliott with Hendrick Motorsports and Daniel Suarez for Kaulig Racing. Elliott (No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet), making his first appearance in the series in nearly two years, will start 13th while Suarez (No. 10 LeafHome Water Chevrolet), making just his second appearance in the series since 2018, will start 23rd. Suarez’s other start came earlier this season at Sonoma.

In the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Rev Racing rookie Nick Sanchez (No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet) secured his fourth pole of the season during qualifying for the CRC Brakleen 150. Sanchez won the pole with a lap of 168.966 miles per hour (53.265).

It will be an all-rookie front row as McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s 18-year-old driver Jake Garcia (No. 35 Adapitive One Calipers Chevrolet) qualified second with a lap of 168.306 mph (53.474), which was .209 of a second behind Sanchez.

Grant Enfinger (No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet) qualified third at 168.202 mph (53.507) for his fifth top-10 start at Pocono Raceway. Carson Hocevar (No. 42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet) with a lap of 167.957 mph (53.585) and Austin Hill (No. 7 ARCO Design/Build Chevrolet) with a lap of 167.751 mpg (53.651) rounded out the top five, respectively. Series points leader Corey Heim (No. 11 Safelite Toyota) will start ninth.

The ARCA Menards Series Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150 was scheduled to close out a busy day of on-track activity, but a early evening thunderstorm just prior to the 6:19 p.m. green flag forced a postponement. The Sunset Hill has been rescheduled for an 8:30 a.m. start on Saturday (TV: FS1). Polesitter Dean Thompson (No. 15 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota) will lead the 25-car field to the green flag.

Fans returning with individual Friday tickets can redeem them at Gates 8 or 11 tomorrow morning to receive $10 off an individual Saturday ticket.

Up Next: Saturday’s schedule will have all three NASCAR National Series on track and three races with the addition of the Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150 in the morning. The CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will follow with the CRC Brakleen 150 at Noon ET. Cup Series practice (2:35 p.m.) and qualifying (3:20 p.m.) will be up next and the day culminates with the Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 Xfinity Series race at 5:30 p.m. To purchase tickets or learn more, please visit poconoraceway.com or call 800-722-3929.
July 21, 2023
Platinum Recording Artist Riley Greento Perform Pre-Race Concert for NASCAR Playoff’sBank of America ROVAL™ 400

CONCORD, N.C. (July 20, 2023) – Multi-platinum Country music superstar Riley Green will rev up America’s Home for Racing with a high-powered pre-race concert before the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 8.

“My grandpa would have lost his mind to hear that I’m playing America’s Home for Racing. It’s a real honor. I’m planning to give Charlotte Motor Speedway everything I’ve got and make him proud,” said Green. “Like the song says, I can’t wait to see the ‘Numbers on the Cars’ and the fans in the stands.”

Green is scheduled to perform a 60-minute concert, plucking from his wide range of hits like “There Was This Girl,” “I Wish Grandpas Never Died,” and “Georgia Time,” in addition to his Top 40-and-climbing single, “Different ‘Round Here” (featuring Luke Combs). Following the concert, the green flag will fall on the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 for a pivotal NASCAR Playoff showdown.

The pre-race concert, which will take place on the infield of the innovative 2.28-mile ROVAL™, is free for fans with a Sunday Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 ticket. Fans can upgrade to a Track Pass for stage-front access to the concert and driver introductions.

Raised on the sounds of traditional Country, Bluegrass and Southern Gospel music, Green learned the spirit of songwriting and performing at a young age while spending time with his grandfather, Bufford Green, who created the Golden Saw Music Hall in their hometown of Jacksonville, Alabama. Prior to pursuing his passion in Country music, the duck hunting enthusiast who once played quarterback at Jacksonville State University worked with his family, framing houses.

Green burst onto the scene with his 2018 debut album, Different ‘Round Here (BMLG Records), which included the 2X Platinum certified hit “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” and the Platinum-certified single “There Was This Girl.” The 2020 ACM Awards New Male Artist of the Year’ is currently on the road on his own headlining dates in addition to touring across North America on the Luke Combs World Tour with Lainey Wilson. For upcoming tour dates and more, visit RileyGreenMusic.com.

TICKETS: Adult tickets to the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 on Sunday, Oct. 8, start at just $49. Kids 12 and under get in for just $10. Fans can upgrade their race-day experience with a Track Pass, including stage-front access for the Riley Green pre-race concert, driver introductions and more, for just $75. For tickets, upgrades, schedule information, camping and more, visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

FOLLOW US: Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on Twitter and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app or online at CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com.

July 20, 2023
Worth the Wait: Truex Triumphs at Crayon 301

LOUDON, N.H. – It took 30 starts, 18 years and one rain delay, but Martin Truex Jr. finally prevailed at “The Magic Mile,” turning in a dominant performance to earn the first New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) victory of his career in Monday’s Crayon 301.

“What a race car we had today,” Truex said. “Pit stops were flawless. We had some challenges, but we kept our heads down and kept digging.”

Truex led 254 of 301 laps around the 1.058-mile track en-route to his long-sought-after win. Following the victory, the New Jersey native shared memories of watching his father race at NHMS as a young race fan.

“I sat in turn one with my mom when my little brother was drinking out of a bottle; we were young. What we’ve been able to do here over the years is pretty remarkable – in K&N and the Busch Series. This feels really, really good – being able to cap it off with a lobster. This one’s been eluding me for a long, long time.”

Truex, who started on the outside of the front row, took the lead from polesitter and defending race winner Christopher Bell on the second lap of the race and blistered the competition under the New England summer sun. The win marked the ninth Crayon 301 win for Joe Gibbs Racing.

While his Toyota was clearly the best of the class, Truex’s win wasn’t without some late-race drama. The 301-lap showdown was marred by eight cautions, the last of which led to a nine-lap sprint to the finish. As he had done all afternoon, Truex executed a perfect restart to pull away from Connecticut native Joey Logano for the victory.

“I thought I had a shot to beat him,” Logano said. “I had a chance to roll his outside. If I got in front of him, I think I had him beat. When you’re at your home racetrack, second hurts more than anywhere else.”

Kyle Larson finished third. In his final start as a full-time NCS driver, four-time NHMS winner Kevin Harvick finished fourth, with Brad Keselowski rounding out the top five. New Englander Ryan Preece finished the race one lap down in 28th position.

Tickets:

Fans can renew their tickets for the 2024 NCS race at NHMS.com. The official 2024 NCS schedule, including their annual stop in New England, will be released later this year.

Follow Us:

Keep track of all of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook (@NHMotorSpeedway), Twitter (@NHMS) and Instagram (@NHMS). Keep up with all the latest information on the speedway website (NHMS.com) and mobile app.

July 17, 2023
NASCAR Cup Series event at New Hampshire postponed to Monday

NASCAR has postponed the start of the Cup Series’ Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to Monday due to inclement weather in the form of persistent rain and a flash flood warning near Loudon, New Hampshire that will occur throughout the event’s originally planned start on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET.

The postponement of the Cup Series event at the Magic Mile, which will serve as the 20th points-paying event of the 2023 schedule, also means that the event will now air at noon ET Monday on USA Network.

New Hampshire is no stranger to being pitted against Mother Nature which would result in the Cup Series event at the Magic Mile being delayed or shortened due to rain. Recently, the Cup event at New Hampshire in July 2021 which was won by Aric Almirola, was shortened by eight laps due to darkness and following an early rain delay. Before this, the Cup New Hampshire event in June 2009 was shortened by 28 laps due to a late-race rain delay that was eventually deemed official by NASCAR and where Joey Logano, who was a rookie competitor, claimed his first Cup career victory.

NASCAR’s postponement of Sunday’s Cup event also comes amid a recent string of on-track delays due to Mother Nature this season, such as when the weather affected the sport’s inaugural Chicago Street Course weekend events that resulted in the Xfinity Series event being shortened just shy of its halfway point. The Cup event at Chicago was also delayed by 90 minutes before commencing late Sunday and being shortened 25 laps shy of its scheduled distance. This past weekend, the Cup event at Atlanta Motor Speedway was shortened by 75 laps due to late inclement weather that resulted in William Byron being awarded his fourth victory of the 2023 season.

When the event starts, Christopher Bell, the reigning Cup Series winner at New Hampshire who notched his first pole position of the season after posting a lap at 124.781 mph in 30.524 seconds during Saturday’s qualifying session, will lead the field alongside teammate Martin Truex Jr., who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 124.752 mph in 30.531 seconds.

With the postponement set, the Cup Series’ Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will commence on Monday, July 17, at noon ET on the USA network.

July 16, 2023
Ambetter Health 200: Nemechek Captures First Victory at “The Magic Mile”

Joe Gibbs Racing driver wins under caution following green-white-checkered finish.

LOUDON, N.H. – The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) makes one annual visit to the Granite State each year, and the latest visit may just have cemented a new championship contender.

John Hunter Nemechek avoided several multi-car wrecks and held on through two late restarts, including a green-white-checkered finish on his way to a victory in the Ambetter Health 200 NXS race on Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS).

Driving the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, Nemechek collected his NXS-leading fourth win of the season, the sixth of his career and his first at “The Magic Mile.” It was also Joe Gibbs Racing’s 199th career NASCAR victory.

“I am so proud of this 20 team,” said Nemechek, who led a race-high 137 laps. “I’m so thankful for this opportunity. Hats off to all of our guys at Joe Gibbs Racing, and a huge shout-out to all of the fans here. I love coming up here [to New Hampshire].”

Nemechek, a 26-year-old North Carolina native, was up front much of the way, allowing him to miss several big wrecks throughout the race, including nine-car crash following a restart at lap 70, a three-car spin in turn one on lap 196 that led to the green-white-checkered finish and a two-car collision just after he took the white flag, leading to his victory under caution.

“I was a little worried on the last restart,” said Nemechek, who has raced full-time in all three NASCAR national series. “I didn’t know who was saving what. I’m so thankful to sit behind the wheel of this 20 car.

“The goal has been to win races, but that’s very hard to do. There’s some really tough competition for sure. We’re going to do everything we can to be there at the end.”

Pole-winner Chandler Smith (10 laps led) finished second, with Austin Hill placing third, Daniel Hemric in fourth and Sammy Smith (stage two winner, 18 laps led) in fifth. Justin Allgaier led 27 laps and won stage one before finishing sixth.

“We definitely have some work to do with this package,” said Hill, who trails leader Nemechek by 33 points in the NXS standings. “For us to salvage a third-place finish, with us not having that great of a car, we’ll take it and move on.”

Notable finishes among New England natives included Kaz Grala (Boston, Mass.) placing 13th in a backup car following a crash in practice. C.J. McLaughlin (Framingham, Mass.) came in 28th, Parker Kligerman (Greenwich, Conn.) was 32nd and Anthony Alfredo (Ridgefield, Conn.) finished 34th.

Nemechek completed the overtime-aided 206-lap event in two hours, 38 minutes, 40 seconds, averaging 82.417 mph with 20 cars finishing on the lead lap. Seven leaders exchanged the lead 13 times with 10 caution periods taking up 60 laps.

NHMS’s NASCAR weekend events concludes Sunday with the Crayon 301 NASCAR Cup Series race at 2:30 p.m. ET (USA, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Tickets:

Sunday’s Crayon 301 tickets start at just $59 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under. Log on to NHMS.com for tickets and more information.

Follow Us:

Keep track of all of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook (@NHMotorSpeedway), Twitter (@NHMS) and Instagram (@NHMS). Keep up with all the latest information on the speedway website (NHMS.com) and mobile app.

July 16, 2023
NASCAR Announces Nominees for NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2024

Seven-time champions Johnson, Knaus and Alabama Gang’s Donnie Allison join ballot

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 12, 2023) — NASCAR today announced the 15 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 and the five nominees for the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion duo Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus join the Modern Era ballot together in their first year of eligibility. Donnie Allison, an original member of the fan-favorite Alabama Gang joins the Pioneer ballot for the first time.

Ten nominees appear on the Modern Era ballot, five on the Pioneer ballot – designed to honor those whose careers began more than 60 years ago. Two Modern Era candidates and one Pioneer candidate will be elected as the Class of 2024.

Longtime NASCAR executive Les Richter joins the Landmark Award ballot for the first time after being on the Hall of Fame ballot three times before the award was created. The Landmark Award honors those who made significant contributions to the growth and esteem of NASCAR.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel will meet in person to discuss and vote for the Class of 2023 and Landmark Award on Wednesday, Aug. 2. The 61-person panel remains unchanged from last year, apart from reigning champion Joey Logano who replaces Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott (both voted last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic delay). The 62nd vote goes to winners of a NASCAR.com Fan Vote (www.nascar.com/halloffame). The Fan Vote is currently open and will close on July 30 at 12:00 a.m. ET.

The Modern Era Ballot and Landmark Award nominees were selected by the Nomination Committee, which consists of representatives from NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks. The Honors Committee, largely comprised of all living Hall of Famers, Landmark Award winners and Squier-Hall Award winners, selected the Pioneer Ballot.

Following are the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2024 nominees and Landmark Award nominees:

Modern Era Ballot

Neil Bonnett, won 18 times in the NASCAR Cup Series including consecutive Coca-Cola 600 victories

Tim Brewer, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief

Jeff Burton, won 21 times in the NASCAR Cup Series including the Southern 500 and two Coca-Cola 600s

Carl Edwards, winner of 28 NASCAR Cup Series races and 2007 Xfinity Series champion

Harry Gant, winner of 18 NASCAR Cup Series races, including two Southern 500 victories

Harry Hyde, 1970 NASCAR Cup Series championship crew chief

Jimmie Johnson, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion

Chad Knaus, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief

Larry Phillips, first five-time NASCAR weekly series national champion

Ricky Rudd, won 23 times in NASCAR Cup Series, including the 1997 Brickyard 400

Pioneer Ballot

Donnie Allison, ten-time NASCAR Cup Series winner, 1967 Cup Series ROY

Sam Ard, NASCAR Xfinity Series pioneer and two-time champion

AJ Foyt, won seven NASCAR Cup Series races including the 1972 Daytona 500

Banjo Matthews, built cars that won more than 250 NASCAR Cup Series races and three championships

Ralph Moody, two-time NASCAR Cup Series owner champion as mechanical genius of Holman-Moody

Landmark Award

Janet Guthrie, the first female to compete in a NASCAR Cup Series superspeedway race

Alvin Hawkins, NASCAR’s first flagman; established NASCAR racing at Bowman Gray Stadium with Bill France Sr.

Lesa France Kennedy, NASCAR Executive Vice Chair and one of the most influential women in sports

Dr. Joseph Mattioli, founder of Pocono Raceway

Les Richter, long-time NASCAR executive oversaw competition, helped grow the sport on the West Coast

July 12, 2023
Byron Takes Weather-Shortened Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart Victory in Atlanta

HAMPTON, Ga. (July 9, 2023) – William Byron was declared the winner of the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday night after NASCAR officials called the race with 75 laps remaining when severe weather moved into the Atlanta region.

Realizing rain was approaching the speedway in the final stage, all teams were racing with a sense of urgency to make sure they would be in front in case of a weather-shortened event. It’s the first time since 2002 that a Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway has been shortened due to weather.

Byron was the one who managed to hold that coveted position in his No. 24 Axalta Chevy when the race was called at lap 185 of the scheduled 260. Byron made what was ultimately the winning pass on AJ Allmendinger on lap 167.

It was Byron’s second win at Atlanta, his fourth victory of the season, and the eighth win of his career. The young driver had an up and down night, spinning his car through the frontstretch grass early in the race and ultimately going one lap down before he rallied in the final stage.

“Yeah, just teamwork,” Byron said about holding the trophy after such a topsy-turvy night. “Honestly I don’t completely understand this one. It’s a really good feeling. I’ve never had a rain victory like this. Thank you to Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta, Chevrolet. It’s cool – we went through so much throughout the night; spinning through the infield. Destroyed the bottom of the car dragging it around the apron trying to stay on the lead lap. At that point, you just don’t have the grip, so I was real edgy back in traffic.”

The frenetic pace of the race with thrilling passing and 18 lead changes among 12 different leaders led the NBC Sports crew to bring high praise on the race and call it, “the hottest ticket on the NASCAR circuit.” Those comments echoed the pulse from other news outlets and enthusiasts on social media since the 1.54-mile track was christened an “intermediate superspeedway” after its reconfiguration and repave last year.

“Yeah, (the racing) was awesome,” Byron said. “I think that’s all you can ask for on a superspeedway. We want handling to matter. We want to be able to drive the thing. I feel like the first stage was really fun. I was able to make some moves on the bottom. You’d lift in every corner, so it’s different than a 550 old-style race – it’s more packed up, but handling still matters and guys can make aggressive moves. I was certainly edgy back in traffic, but like I said, Rudy made a good call and we got up towards the front. Sometimes that’s what it takes. Just thankful for the whole team and just staying in it. We were a lap down and it could have been over.”

In a race where the Fords dominated qualifying, they also dominated the first two stages of the race as Ryan Blaney took stage one in his No. 12 Penske Ford and Brad Keselowski claimed stage two in his No. 6 RFK Ford.

Daniel Suarez finished second in his No. 99 Quaker State Trackhouse Racing Chevy, while Allmendinger finished third in his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevy. Michael McDowell finished fourth in his No. 34 Front Row Racing Ford and RCR’s Kyle Busch rounded out the top five in his No. 8 Chevy.

Pole winner Aric Almirola fell back to an 18th place finish in his No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. March Atlanta winner Joey Logano, the defending Cup Series champ, led early in the race and finished 17th in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

Kevin Harvick, who made an emotional final start at the track where his career started in March 2001, was honored by track executive vice president and general manager Brandon Hutchison during pre-race, but finished in a disappointing 30th after making contact with Denny Hamlin on track at lap 88 and falling off the pace in his No. 4 Stewart Haas Racing Ford.

Follow Atlanta Motor Speedway:

Keep track of all of Atlanta Motor Speedway’s events by following on Twitter, Instagram, and become a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Atlanta Motor Speedway mobile app.

July 10, 2023
Almirola Scores First Pole Of the Season For Sunday Night’s Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart

HAMPTON, Ga. (July 8, 2023) – Aric Almirola took his first pole position of the season Saturday for Sunday’s Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The NASCAR Cup Series race is scheduled to take the green flag at 7 p.m. ET (USA Network, PRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

Almirola led a parade of Ford Mustangs to dominate qualifying at the 1.54-mile track that’s been tagged an “intermediate superspeedway” after its most recent reconfiguration.

Almirola powered his No. 10 Stewart-Haas Mustang to a best lap of 31.261 seconds at 177.346 mph to take the top spot in NASCAR’s two-round qualifying system. It’s the fifth pole of Almirola’s Cup Series career, his first since 2022 at Bristol Motor Speedway’s Night Race, and his second at AMS (also 2019). It will be the third time that Almirola will start from the front row at Atlanta since 2019.

“It feels good just to have something go our way,” Almirola said. “We’ve been bringing fast cars to the race track all year. To get the pole is a testament to Drew (Blickensderfer, crew chief) and everyone back at the Stewart-Haas shop.”

Almirola will lead the field to the green flag alongside Ryan Blaney of Team Penske, who posted a time of 31.275 seconds at 177.26 mph to take the second spot.

“We’ve been working so hard and I’m really proud of everybody,” Almirola said. “It also helps to have good horsepower thanks to Doug Yates and everyone at his shop. We are going to lead the field to the green and Joey Logano did that here in the spring and ended up winning the race. Hopefully we can do that tomorrow.”

Chase Briscoe qualified third and was followed by Logano in fourth and Harrison Burton was fifth in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford. Ty Gibbs had the fastest Toyota in seventh in his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing machine and Kyle Larson qualified best in a Chevy in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports machine at eighth.

Points leader Martin Truex Jr. qualified 16th in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing machine, second place William Byron qualified 18th in his No. 24 Hendrick Chevy, and third-place in the season points standings Kyle Busch qualified 22nd in his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevy.

Tickets for Sunday night’s Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart are available online at www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com or by calling 877-9-AMS-TIX.

About the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart:

The Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart headlines the summer slate of NASCAR racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 9. Featuring the first weekend of night racing at AMS since 2014, Atlanta’s summer NASCAR weekend comes with increased stakes with the NASCAR playoffs looming large.

Accompanying the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart is the Alsco Uniforms 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, July 9. The summer race will challenge the rising stars of the sport to stand out and succeed on one of the circuit’s most challenging tracks.

More information on the July 7-9, 2023, Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart weekend and ticket availability can be found online at AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.

Follow Atlanta Motor Speedway:

Keep track of all of Atlanta Motor Speedway’s events by following on Twitter, Instagram, and become a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Atlanta Motor Speedway mobile app.

July 8, 2023
Rhodes and Crafton trade tense words at Mid-Ohio

LEXINGTON, Ohio — Casey Campbell, Taylor Kitchen, Michael Kristi and I stood on pit road, waiting to talk to the top-five finishers of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ second trip to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Suddenly, I hear Mike Bagley of MRN Radio say Matt Crafton and Ben Rhodes are fighting. I gazed at Rhodes’ truck and see a frustrated Crafton walk away, right past us.

When Rhodes joined us in the media bullpen, we all had one thing on our minds.

What happened?

“My conversation went like this: ‘Calm down, calm down, Matt. Please calm down! We’ll talk later,’” he said.

What was Crafton angry about?

Well with two laps to go in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 150, as Corey Heim pulled away to victory, Rhodes and Crafton made contact in the keyhole.

“He broke early,” he said. “I guess he was just riding. I broke late because I’m still on a charge from the rear and I got to about side by side with him in the braking zone and I don’t think he knew I was there.”

Crafton moved down to apex Turn 2 while Rhodes checked up and the latter’s nose hit the former’s tail. Crafton got loose and Rhodes overtook him to finish fifth. While Crafton came home sixth.

“I don’t know if he was just frustrated from other stuff in the race,” he said.

“Other stuff in the race” includes staying out on wet tires under the first stage break, while everyone else pitted for dry tires. Unsurprisingly, the slicks prevailed over the wets.

“I’m sure there was something else there in the race going on and I’m just a familiar face to vent to. So it is what it is.”

After the bullpen session, I walked to Crafton’s hauler to get his side of the story, but he declined my request for comment.

Regardless, Crafton leaves Mid-Ohio with a one point lead over Stewart Friesen for the final playoff spot. Meanwhile, Rhodes’ one win locked him into the playoffs, with two races left in the regular season.

July 8, 2023