Joined by Teammates Pagenaud and Rockenfeller, Rolex 24 Within Grasp
By IMSA Wire Service
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 9, 2020) – A Two-time DAYTONA 500 Champion and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, along with an Indy 500 winner and a Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and 24 Hour of Le Mans champion, took their seats in the Daytona International Speedway media center Wednesday morning, ready to address a robust lineup of international media in a virtual news conference during a break in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship testing.
Jimmie Johnson, Simon Pagenaud and Mike Rockenfeller were full of smiles (behind masks, of course) and optimism as they answered questions about next month’s 59th Rolex 24 (Jan. 30-31), where they will team with yet another international star, two-time defending Rolex 24 winner Kamui Kobayashi, in the No. 48 Action Express Racing/Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R.
Johnson, who retired from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition in November, will be making his eighth Rolex 24 start and first since 2011. He conceded Wednesday that part of his decision to step away from full-time racing was to take advantage of opportunities to compete in other disciplines. A chance just like this.
“It’s been a while,’’ Johnson said of getting behind the wheel of a sleek IMSA prototype. “The car has evolved I think two generations since my last race in the Rolex 24. And I think we’re 8-10 seconds faster with this DPi configuration than what I did in the GRAND-AM car. So (a) very fun car to drive, lots of downforce, lots of speed. The Action Express guys have the car running really nice.
“We had a great day (testing) yesterday and super quick, so it’s just a really neat opportunity for me to still have an association with Ally. Mr. (Rick) Hendrick will be involved to a certain degree. To drive for Action, to have this opportunity to compete with Kamui, with Simon and with Mike, it’s just such a unique opportunity and one I’m really proud to be a part of,’’ added Johnson, whose best Rolex 24 finish is runner-up on two occasions (2005 and 2008), added the two-time DAYTONA 500 winner.
Photo Credit: IMSA/Daytona International Speedway
This will be Pagenaud’s seventh Rolex 24 start. The 2019 Indy 500 champion moves from the Team Penske Acura program the last three years to the Action Express Cadillac. Rockenfeller won the 2010 Rolex 24 driving for Action Express. Kobayashi – who was not at the test and unavailable for the news conference – drove to victory the past two years at the Rolex 24 in the Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac.
Sharing a race car with other champions in this legendary event is something the drivers agreed was essentially auto racing nirvana. The four come from varied backgrounds, but they share a common goal – to earn a new Rolex watch and stand atop the Daytona podium on Jan. 31 having bettered the world’s best.
“I’ve always looked up to Jimmie,’’ said Pagenaud, who is close friends with Johnson’s younger brother Jessie. “When I came to the U.S., he became the legend that he is and for me, I didn’t know much about oval racing – and Jimmie and I actually talked about this – he throughout the years made some special moves on ovals and inspired myself from his performance. He is the king.
“You look at what the king does and you try to emulate that yourself,” added Pagenaud, who was wearing the Action Express firesuit from when he drove for the team at Daytona in 2016. “It’s been very, very enjoyable to get to know him as a human being as well. We have very similar personalities and I think it’s going to be great chemistry on the team. And Rocky (Rockenfeller), we have friends in common so we spend time together often.
“I really think we will have a fantastic time. We have a similar desire and I think (we are) at very similar times in our career on the team. Everybody seems to be very much on the same page.’’
While this week’s test marked the first time Johnson and Rockenfeller met, the German sports car champion noted that the two share a positive experience. Johnson sent well wishes after Rockenfeller’s frightening 2011 accident at Le Mans.
“Obviously, Jimmie, I didn’t know in person, but he was one of the few drivers back in 2011 that took the time to write me an email in his busy schedule when I had this accident, even without knowing me, and that meant a lot to me back in the day, I have to say,’’ Rockenfeller said. “I never expected we would race together in a car, so that’s great.
“At the end of the day, I think the cool thing about our lineup is definitely there is no ego because everyone wants to do their best,’’ Rockenfeller added. “We all love racing and driving cars, but we love even more winning and that’s why we are here.”
Johnson said he was the first piece of the driver puzzle as the team was assembled. He was impressed by the deliberate way in which Action Express worked to fill out the lineup with other champions.
“I watched them take their time and be very methodical about how we’d all fit together,’’ Johnson said. “And of course, you have to meet all these criteria to be on the short list, but long story short, they were very intentional about us four together, and I think that’s why we feel the possibility is here and that we do truly have an opportunity to compete for the win.’’
The No. 48 Cadillac and the rest of the Rolex 24 At Daytona entries will return for the traditional Roar Before the Rolex 24 test session Jan. 22-24 that includes a new feature – the Motul Pole Award 100 qualifying race. Results from that race will set the starting grid for the Rolex 24 the following week.
This year has been wild and unpredictable for many racers, including Funny Car Veteran, Cruz Pedregon, who entered his 28th year of competition. Speedway Media caught up with the Two-Time Funny Car Champion to discuss his 2020 season.
After the 2019 season, Pedregon entered the year with high hopes after earning one semi-final, five quarter rounds, and 18 first-round matchups last year. The California native entered the season with the same mindset from last year.
“Expectations were going to be a top-five car like we always enter,” Pedregon said. “That (expectations) was changed with everything that went on, especially the abbreviated runs. Our operations needed those runs. Ninety-six runs is normally what we get in a 24 race schedule and we only got a third of that. (Unfortunately), that put our performance in the can.”
Like most seasons in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association), the season was going along smoothly without interruption and was on track for another 24-race schedule. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit the weekend of the 52nd annual Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida and everything was immediately shut down for several months. NHRA shut down until July before returning with races in Indianapolis. Pedregon remembers exactly where he was when he heard the news.
“I was in Gainesville, Florida at a Snap-On ride-along function and I literally got the call as I was headed to the track,” he said. “At the time, I didn’t know what was going to happen, (the virus) was a complete unknown. I thought we were going to be down one month, not months.”
Pedregon also added how the pandemic has impacted his 2020 season financially as a team.
“Well, it’s all about the economics with the COVID scenario,” the two-time Funny Car Champion said. “As a Team Owner, we had to turn over every rock, hotels, our people, fuel. It has required us to look at everything and scrutinize everything and it’s taught everyone that there are better ways to go about doing business and COVID (is) a lesson to move forward.”
Fortunately, NHRA announced their return to competition in mid-summer with consecutive races at the Indianapolis racetrack in Brownsburg, Indiana. With all the time off in-between, some race teams felt the restart was a fresh start for most people especially Cruz Pedregon.
On that same weekend, he qualified seventh but lost to Tim Wilkerson in the first round. Pedregon offered his insight on what he could have done to advance further into the rounds.
“Yes, I felt like it was a fresh start for us,” Pedregon said. “Early on, we were like a football team, trying to establish good consistent runs and not even worry about going fast at what we did. We accomplished consistency and I think our full run percentage was up near 90 (percent) and later we were going to incorporate the speed but the speed took more runs with what we had at the time.”
Even though Pedregon lost in the first round at the first Indy race following the restart, the Snap-On driver had some memorable highlights of the season such as qualifying third at St. Louis and making the quarter-final three times.
“I would say the third Indy race (was my favorite moment of 2020),” he said. “We had low E.T. of final qualifying run of Q2 (Qualifying Session No. 2) on the hottest part of the racetrack. We appeared to be well in position to win the race the next day. However, the second round we had a mechanical issue that prevented that from happening.”
Photo Courtesy of Cruz Pedregon Racing
Most drivers have an area that they would like to improve on as a driver and Pedregon is no different.
“In racing, it’s always about speed and with the new team I hired, I feel we’re going to have that balance and consistency it takes to be in the late rounds and win the races,” Pedregon said.
Though the 2020 season has not been the best of seasons for Pedregon, the 57-year-old had added some new sponsors as of late for the 2021 season. These include Mothers Polish, KICKER Performance Audio and TRU-SPEC, to name a few. The recent announcements have encouraged Pedregon as he looks ahead to the 2021 season.
“(I’m) very excited,” Pedregon said. “There’s a lot of work going into the season, since the season is so long. Long hard days, weeks, building not just a racecar but a race program. I mean, everything we’ve done, building the inventory up, it’s a long process but it’ll be worth it in the end.”
And as the 2021 season approaches, there are no days off in the Pedregon camp as they continue to prepare as a race team before the start of the Gaternationals.
“My owner hat is on now, strictly working with JC (John Collins, Pedregon’s New Crew Chief) and acquiring the necessary equipment to where he is comfortable and familiar, so we hit the ground running and not skip a beat with our performance.”
2021 could be a big year for Pedregon as he looks to add more victories to the wins column and continue to be a successful NHRA Funny Car driver.
“(I’m looking forward) to being a contender again, and pulling in the gate knowing we have a chance to win the race.”
Photo Courtesy of Cruz Pedregon Racing
In 2020, Cruz Pedregon saw three quarter-round matchups and eight first-round matchups. In addition, his highest qualifying run was third at St. Louis earlier this year and he had a round win/loss record of 3-11. Pedregon finished 10th in Funny Car points standings.
Fans wanting more information on Cruz Pedregon Racing can “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
Fans can also find more information on Snap-On by following them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by visiting their website.
Special thanks to Caleb Cox for coordinating the interview and Cruz Pedregon for being gracious with his time.
Justin Ashley Racing announced Tuesday that Biocide Systems’ Auto Shocker™ brand will be extending their sponsorship going into the 2021 season.
Auto Shocker will serve as an associate sponsor to Ashley along with his partner Strutmasters.com. Auto Shocker made its first few starts with Ashley last year as the 2019 season was winding down. The 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year is excited to have Auto Shocker return for the ’21 season.
“I’m proud to represent Auto Shocker and Biocide Systems’ line of odor eliminating products,” Ashley said. “They have the most effective odor eliminators on the market. Last season we had success introducing these products to the NHRA community and its audience. In 2021, we’re going to expand upon that and use all of our resources to show the world how great these products are. I couldn’t be more excited to continue our marketing partnership next season.”
As the case with most sponsors, Auto Shocker will be alongside the Top Fuel dragster for select races.
Photo Courtesy of Ron Lewis Photography
JC Basselli, CEO/Co-Founder of Biocide Systems is also happy to be back for the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.
“We are happy to be back with Justin,” JC Baselli, CEO/Co-Founder of Biocide Systems said. “When we first met the team we were not familiar with NHRA drag racing so this sponsorship has opened up a whole new world for us. We are really enjoying being a sponsor, participating in the events with a great group of people. It is really good synergy on many different levels.”
For more information on Justin Ashley, fans can follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook and visit his website. In addition, fans can check out Biocide Systems on Twitter, Facebook and checking their website.
The 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series opens with the 52nd annual Gatornationals, which is slated to begin on the weekend of March 11-14.
Wayne Taylor Racing announced their 2021 driver lineup on Monday afternoon and the lineup features some familiar faces.
Ricky Taylor, son of Wayne Taylor (Team Owner), moves back over to his dad’s team after recently competing with Team Penske in the Acura this season. Taylor competing for Wayne Taylor Racing will be the first time in three years since he last made the start for the team which came in 2017. That season, the Apopka, Florida native obtained five wins (Daytona Rolex 24, 12 Hours of Sebring, Long Beach, Austin and Bell Isle), achieved seven podiums and averaged a finish of 3.2 with 803 laps led.
“I have a lot of history with Wayne Taylor Racing,” said Ricky Taylor who has 24 wins, 57 podiums and 28 pole positions in his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar championship career. “I grew up with the team and they helped develop me as a driver. It was a very difficult decision to leave the team in 2017 and join Acura Team Penske but I was able to grow more. It’s always great to go somewhere and bring value to the team, so now that I feel like when I return, I can do that. Alex, Helio and I have a lot of experience with the Arura ARX-05 and I know the team really well, it’s literally family. The addition of Filipe Albuquerque who is a world-class driver and has a lot of experience driving for big manufacturers and winning of the biggest races in the world. I think we have a very strong line-up.”
In addition to the lineup, 45-year-old veteran Helio Castroneves also comes to the team for the first time in his career. The move marks the first time in quite some time that Castroneves will compete for someone other than Penske. Despite losing his ride with Team Penske after Acura pulled support, Castroneves maintains with the Acura family.
“To be part of the WTR super team with a great group of drivers is like we are continuing what we left off from last year,” said Helio Castroneves who hopes to add a Rolex 24 at DAYTONA victory to his acclaimed resume. “Working with Ricky Taylor, Alexander Rossi and Filipe Albuquerque is just a great way to start 2021. Looking forward to working and racing with this organization with eyes on the Rolex 24 win, something they know very well.”
For the 2020 season, the Brazilian earned four race victories with those wins coming at Road America, the 2 hour and 40 minute Road Atlanta event back in the summer, Mid-Ohio, the 10 Hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in October, and most recently at Laguna Seca. Castroneves shared the championship with Taylor after finishing eighth in the Daytona Prototype Class in the season finale at Sebring this past month.
Two other additions to the team include full-time NTT IndyCar Series driver Alexander Rossi and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Filipe Albuquerque. Rossi only competed in three events this past season, mainly focusing on endurance races duties which came at the 24 Hours of Daytona, 10 Hours of Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta and finishing the season at the 12 Hours of Sebring.
“It’s a great honor to not only drive for WTR next year but also to continue to race the Acura DPi for the three endurance races,” said Alexander Rossi who has two podiums in his five IWSC races. “On top of that, to be able to stay united with Ricky and Helio will be a huge benefit to all as we make this transition. I look forward to working with Felipe for the first time and I am excited to get to work right away in January, and hopefully, we can bring home a Daytona win for HPD.”
Meanwhile, Albuquerque has made on and off starts throughout the last couple of years in his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar career. The Portugal driver collected one podium this year in the 2 hours and 40 minutes race at Road Atlanta.
“I am really really happy with this new project,” commented Albuquerque with six victories and 19 podiums in IWSC. “Wayne Taylor Racing is one of the best teams at IMSA, they are always at the top at every event. My motivation couldn’t be higher. Regarding my teammates, I think it’s hard to have picked better ones. I fought them in the past and now they are my teammates, it takes away a lot of pressure. WTR could not have chosen better. Between us all, we have won everything: IMSA, Daytona, Le Mans, ELMS, WEC, Indy500.”
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series looks to begin their 2021 season with the annual 24 Hours of Daytona, which is slated to begin Saturday, Jan. 30. However, there will be a “Roar before the 24 test” as well just a couple of weeks before on Friday, Jan. 22.
The NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) announced the 2021 season schedule on Wednesday afternoon and features a 23-race calendar, one race short of the usual 24 events that have been seen in recent years.
The 2021 season will open with the 52nd annual Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida scheduled for March 11-14. The season will end with the return of the Pomona Nationals at Auto Club on the weekend of November 11-14. The Pomona Nationals was missing from the schedule this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We can’t say enough to thank the loyal NHRA fans who have stuck with us during the trying times of the 2020 season,” said NHRA President Glen Cromwell. “We are grateful to you. All of us at the NHRA look forward to a full season of drag racing in 2021. Thank you to our fans, racers, and partners for your continued support and cooperation.”
The qualifying formats for these races were also announced as well.
For the 17 races, NHRA will use three-day qualifying sessions on Friday and Saturday with eliminations taking place on Sunday. In addition, NHRA plans to use a two-day format for five races with qualifying on Saturday and eliminations on Sunday. This was the same format used when the NHRA season was restarted back in July.
Included on the 2021 schedule are Atlanta, Pomona I, Phoenix, Richmond and Seattle which will have three-day events followed by two qualifying sessions for the NHRA Camping World Series. While a different format for qualifying is being used currently, NHRA is expected to return to four qualifying runs at some point in their schedule.
Some of the tracks returning to the schedule are Topeka, Houston and Epping. These events were not run in 2020 as they were canceled due to COVID-19.
It is expected that Top Fuel and Funny Car classes will race all of the races on the schedule while the Pro Stock Motorcycle class is scheduled to compete in 16 races. The Pro Stock class will have an 18-race schedule in their category.
Other schedules announced included the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. The class returns to their normal 12-race schedule. NHRA Top Fuel Harley Series has a 10-race schedule while the Factory Stock Showdown will have eight races during the 2021 season. Three of these classes will be contested at the season opener in Gainesville.
Finally, the Mountain Pro Stock Class announced a six-race schedule that begins at Richmond, slated for the June 4-6 weekend.
For more information regarding the 2021 NHRA schedule, fans can visit nhra.com.
With the 2020 racing season approximately a month away from concluding, the 2021 Formula One World Championship provisional schedule has been released with a number of Grand Prix events set to return in an expanded calendar following a one-year absence.
A total of 23 Grand Prix events in 23 nations are currently on the schedule for next season, with the season set to commence in late March and conclude in early December.
Following a one-year absence, the F1 competition is set to return to Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia, for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 21.
Along with Australia, the Grand Prix events in China, Monaco, Azerbaijan, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Singapore, Japan, the United States of America, Mexico and Brazil are set to return in 2021.
The Grand Prix events in Austria, Hungary, United Kingdom’s Silverstone, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Bahrain/Sakhir and Abu Dhabi are also set to remain on the 2021 calendar following the 2020 season.
The Vietnamese Grand Prix, which was originally scheduled to make its debut in 2020 but was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been dropped from the 2021 racing calendar and will not occur following the arrest of a key official responsible for the race due to corruption charges. Though the charges were not related to racing, the country will shift its focus on other government issues.
The following Grand Prix events that have occurred and were introduced to the 2020 schedule (Styrian, 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, Tuscan, Eifel, Portuguese, Emilia Romagna, Turkish and Sakhir) will not occur next season since they were featured to fill in as many Grand Prix events in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Grand Prix is currently scheduled to occur on April 25 at a circuit that is yet to be announced.
The 2021 F1 season will conclude at Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 5.
The release of the 2021 F1 calendar comes amid the sport’s bizarre 2020 season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that delayed the start of the season from March to July and resulted with the schedule being revised to a total of 17 Grand Prix events, with the season set to conclude in mid-December at Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 2020 season also marked the 70th anniversary of the first Formula One World Championship season, which occurred in 1950.
An F1 statement was made following the release of the 2021 schedule:
“The plans for 2021 have involved extensive dialogue with all promoters and their local and national authorities at a time of ongoing fluidity related to the global pandemic. Formula 1 and the FIA put in place robust health and safety measures to allow the revised 2020 season to restart and run effectively.”
“Our hosts for 2021 are reassured by our safe return to racing this season and confident that the plans and procedures we have in place will allow us to return to a level of normality for the 2021 season.”
“As we have said before, we expect fans to return for the 2021 season and for the calendar to look similar to the originally planned 2020 season. We will continue to work closely with our promoters and partners and look forward to the start of the season on the 18th March 2021 in Australia.”
Chase Carey, Chairman/CEO of Formula One, also released a statement regarding the 2021 schedule:
“We are pleased to announce the 2021 Formula 1 provisional calendar after extensive conversations with our promoters, the teams and the FIA. We are planning for 2021 events with fans that provide an experience close to normal and expect our agreements to be honoured.”
“We have proven that we can safely travel and operate our races and our promoters increasingly recognise the need to move forward and manage the virus. In fact, many hosts actually want to use our event as a platform to show the world they are moving forward.”
New to the 2021 Formula One schedule is the inaugural Grand Prix event at Jeddah Street Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that is scheduled to occur on November 28. The event, which announced its entrance to the F1 calendar on November 5, will serve as the penultimate event of the season.
“We are delighted to see Saudi Arabia become part of the schedule and are equally excited to return to the venues we hoped to race at in 2020,” Carey added. “We want to thank all our promoters and partners for their ongoing enthusiasm and collaboration and look forward to giving our fans an exciting season on the track.”
The full 2021 Formula One schedule is as follows:
1. March 21: Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne)
2. March 28: Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir)
3. April 11: Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai)
4. April 25: TBD (TBD)
5. May 9: Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona)
6. May 23: Monaco Grand Prix (Monaco)
7. June 6: Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Baku)
8. June 13: Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal)
9. June 27: French Grand Prix (Le Castellet)
10. July 4: Austrian Grand Prix (Spielberg)
11. July 18: British Grand Prix (Silverstone)
12. August 1: Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest)
13. August 29: Belgian Grand Prix (Spa)
14. September 5: Dutch Grand Prix (Zandvoort)
15. September 12: Italian Grand Prix (Monza)
16. September 26: Russian Grand Prix (Sochi)
17. October 3: Singapore Grand Prix (Singapore)
18. October 10: Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
19. October 24: United States Grand Prix (Austin)
20. October 31: Mexico City Grand Prix (Mexico City)
21. November 14: Brazilian Grand Prix (Sao Paulo)
22. November 28: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Jeddah)
23. December 5: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Abu Dhabi)
In addition to the provisional Formula 1 schedule, the provisional schedules for Formula 2 and 3 have also been revealed, with each series to hold three races per weekend. The F2 provisional schedule will feature eight rounds in eight nations while the F3 provisional schedule will feature seven rounds in seven nations. Both series will not race during a Grand Prix weekend as part of new cost-cutting measures with the decrease of the costs of engine lease, some spare parts, logistics and freight. In addition, the F2 cars used in 2021 and the 2019 F3 car’s specs will remain unchanged for the 2021 season.
The F2 series will race at Sakhir, Bahrain; Monte Carlo, Monaco; Baku, Azerbaijan; Silverstone, United Kingdom; Monza Italy; Sochi, Russia; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi next season. The F3 series will race at Barcelona, Spain; Le Castellet, France; Spielberg, Austria; Budapest, Hungary; Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium; Zandvoort, Netherlands; and Austin, the United States of America in 2021.
All provisional schedules for each series are awaiting subject for approval by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council.
On the final race day of the year for the 2020 ARCA Menards Series West, just 100 laps separated championship contenders Blaine Perkins and Jesse Love Jr. for the title. There were multiple championship scenarios in play, but the end goal was simple. Love Jr. had to finish eighth or better than Perkins, no matter what Perkins did.
Love Jr. prevailed as the Bill McAnally Racing driver had already collected the ARCA West title with 30 laps to go.
Perkins, in the No. 9 Ford was, out of the race early due to engine issues that relegated him to a 25th place outing and ultimately giving Love Jr. the title for the first time in his career. The title was a huge accomplishment for the 15-year-old Californian as he replaced Hailie Deegan’s old No. 19 ride coming into the 2020 season.
“I just knew when the race started I had to control everything I could control,” said Love. “Kind of put my pride aside and just try to race the nine car and not put myself in any situations. If I could find a gap, I would drive forward to get to that gap, or I would just back off to get to that gap so I could just be by myself and not have to get in any dog fights or anything like that.
“Had to be smart about it. It was killing me. I wish I could have been more aggressive, been able to race really hard. But one of those deals, but obviously it’s cool. Paid off in a championship.”
Despite there being a championship on the line, a race winner was also to be decided. David Gilliland, the 44-year-old team owner of DGR-Crosley earned his first checkered flag since 2012 at Sonoma in what was then called the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series.
Gilliland qualified on the pole with a time of 27.452 seconds and 131.138 mph to set his No. 4 Ford on the front row.
The race wasn’t all that easy for the former Cup Series driver, as three cautions occurred during the first 12 laps. Gilliland kept himself in contention by staying up front but unfortunate circumstances came at the Lap 54 restart following the halfway break. The Riverside, California native was penalized for a restart violation, changing lanes too soon by diving to the bottom of the track. Gilliland had to serve a pass-through penalty and was mired deep in the 27-car field.
Meanwhile, Ty Gibbs in the No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota, was dominating the race but things began to go south with cautions late in the race. The opportunity for Gilliland came with nine laps to go when race leader Gibbs slid up the track and was slightly into the Turn 1 wall. Gilliland’s car was like a rocket and it didn’t take him long to grab the top spot with his son Todd and competitor Sam Mayer, following in suit. However, Gilliland had to wait one more time due to a caution coming out for Mayer when the GMS driver suffered a left-rear flat after contact with Todd.
The final restart came with three to go, and surprisingly, after the contact a few laps earlier, Ty Gibbs was back on the front row with Gilliland. Fortunately for (David) Gilliland, he was able to keep Gibbs at a distance and win for the fifth time in his West Series career, the first checkered flag for him under the ARCA Series banner.
“It’s always fun racing with Todd, and to be able to race with your son is actually a dream come true for me,” said Gilliland. “[It] tops anything. Tops sitting here in victory lane and winning, winning as an owner or a championship — it tops everything, racing with him.
“And to be able to do that today was very special.”
There were seven cautions for 29 laps, and six lead changes among two different leaders.
The 2020 ARCA West Series champion, Jesse Love Jr., ends the season with three West Series victories, nine top fives and 10 top-10 finishes along with four poles. The other two victories for Love Jr. came at Irwindale and Utah Motorsports Campus.
Official Results following the Arizona Lottery 100 at Phoenix International Raceway.
David Gilliland
Ty Gibbs
Taylor Gray
Todd Gilliland
Drew Dollar
Justin Lofton
Trevor Huddleston
Corey Heim
Gracie Trotter
Keith Rocco
Howie DiSavino III
Joey Iest
Alex Sedgwick, 1 lap down
Jesse Love, 2020 ARCA West Series Champion, 1 lap down
Chris Hacker, 2 laps down
Devin Dodson, 2 laps down
Todd Souza, 3 laps down
Kris Wright, 4 laps down
Cody Erickson, 5 laps down
Bobby Hillis Jr, 5 laps down
Sam Mayer, OUT, Crash
Bridget Burgess, 9 laps down
Tauma Koga, 22 laps down
Jack Wood, OUT, Crash
Blaine Perkins, OUT, Engine
Zane Smith, OUT, Crash
Gio Scelzi, OUT, Crash
Up Next: The 2020 ARCA Menards West Series season is now complete. Next for the series is the end of the year award banquet for the ARCA brand, which is currently slated for Tuesday night on Nov. 17. The event can be seen live on arcaracing.com and the ARCA Racing’s Facebook page.
On the final race day of the season, NHRA drivers, and teams took to the track for their 11th and final race of the year after a crazy chaotic season due to COVID-related issues.
While there were race winners to be celebrated, champions in every class such as Funny Car, Top Fuel, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle were yet to be decided as well.
Top Fuel
Coming into the last race of the year, Steve Torrence was looking to end on a high note after claiming victories as of late. He also had an opponent to watch out for as well, and that included his rival Doug Kalitta who still had a mathematical shot as each elimination was awarded 30 additional points to the respective winner of their round.
For Torrence, it was simple. All he had to do was just win and move on to the next round. The same can also be said for Kalitta. When the first round came, Torrence was already moving after getting the victory over Kebin Kinsley by going 3.736 seconds and 325.45 mph to advance to Round 2. Now, the Texan had to wait, and watch Kalitta do his job. Unfortunately for Kalitta, he was eliminated early after falling to Justin Ashley and ending his 2020 season early. With Kalitta out early, Torrence had the title wrapped up in his hands for the third time in his career and the second consecutive after winning last year.
However, just because the championship was already decided, a race winner for the Top Fuel class wasn’t. Antron Brown earned a Round 1 victory over last week’s winner Tony Schumacher by going 3.720 seconds and 326.87 mph to advance. Brown would capitalize on that momentum by getting victories over Clay Millican in the second round and Steve’s dad, Billy Torrence, in the semifinals. Brown ended up racing the 2020 Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence in the final round of the season after Steve got victories over Troy Buff in Round 2 and Justin Ashley in the semifinal.
When the final round came, it was a close drag race, as Antron Brown would get the hole shot victory over Torrence with the reaction time of .042 seconds. The Las Vegas victory was Brown’s first of the season and his first victory in over two years with his last victory coming at Seattle in 2018.
“This feels so good. The last race of the year to go out with a win, Lord knows, all the glory goes to him, and at the end of the day we had so many people that stuck with us this season,” said Brown who closed out the year ranked fifth in the Top Fuel standings.
“Getting (crew chief) Brian Corradi back in our stable and teaming up again with Mark Oswald and Brad Mason and the rest of this Matco team has been incredible. There are so many people who have stuck by us. The TRD support is amazing and Global Electronic Technology coming aboard this year, and Hangsterfer’s has been so loyal to us. Our supporters give us the motivation, and we beat the resistance with persistence. We have a great staff at DSR. We never gave up or quit. We put our heads down and Brian and Mark and the guys just kept marching forward. It feels so good to end the season with a win. We know we have our work cut out for us in ’21. We’re going to keep improving and working hard. We’ve got a great place to start next season. We can run with anybody out there. We just have to get better, be more consistent and do what we do and that’s win rounds. When you win rounds, you win races and when you win races you win championships.”
Antron Brown Hoist the Wally for the First Time This Season, Photo Courtesy of Auto Imagery
As Brown celebrated the victory, Torrence, the Kilgore, Texas native enjoyed the third Top Fuel championship of his career after being runner-up for the third time this season and the 22nd of his career.
“I am excited to win our third championship” he acknowledged, “(but) I’m a big Doug Kalitta fan. I know what it takes to get here, what it takes to be in this position and how hard every one of those guys over there (at Kalitta Racing) work and how hard Doug’s worked. “The amount of time that he’s spent out here, to come up short, not just one time, but so many times, it’s a mixed emotion for me,” he said. “I know where his head’s at right now. I know how he feels. I’m happy for my team and myself, but I was saddened for Doug and that whole Mac Tools team. They fought so hard. They had a great car.”
Torrence also gave credit to his team following his championship-winning victory and dedicated the title-winning effort to Dom Lagana (crew member for Torrence’s team) who was injured in a car accident following the U.S. Nationals event.
“These (Capco boys) spend countless hours and days and weeks working on this race car and then they give it to me with the hopes that I’m going to go do my job,” Torrence said. “(The Nationals), after Dom’s accident, was extremely difficult. I never found myself in an emotionally motivated situation where you’re trying to do it for your brother (who’s) fighting for his life.
“You want nothing more than to win that race for him (but) I went up there and lost on a holeshot (to Leah Pruett). I didn’t take it well,” he admitted. “I didn’t do my job that race but, fortunately, we were able to redirect our focus. “(Through) nothing short of a miracle and the grace of the Good Lord, Dom he said of the younger brother of car chief Bobby Lagana Jr. “He’s gonna be banged up, in bad shape, but we’re gonna do whatever we have to do to get him back out here with us.”
By winning the Top Fuel championship for the third consecutive time, Torrence made history by tying legendary greats Tony Schumacher and Joe Amato as the only driver to win three Top Fuel Championships. Torrence ends the 2020 season with four victories, three runner-ups and three No. 1 qualifiers.
Steve Torrence Wins His Third Top Fuel Championship, Photo Courtesy of NHRA.
Final Top Fuel Results
Antron Brown
Steve Torrence
Justin Ashley
Billy Torrence
Leah Pruett
Clay Millican
Troy Buff
Doug Kalitta
Jim Maroney
Kebin Kinsley
Shawn Langdon
Cameron Ferre
Chris Karamesines
Tony Schumacher
Funny Car
Three drivers had the chance to compete for the 2020 Funny Car Championship heading into the Las Vegas event. To no surprise of anyone, all three drivers running were all Don Schumacher Racing drivers with those being Matt Hagan, Jack Beckman and Tommy Johnson Jr. After leaving the SpringNationals event in Houston, those three drivers were separated by 43 points with Ron Capps having the slightest opportunity in fourth, but he would need a lot of help in order to make anything happen.
When Saturday rolled around for qualifying, Capps qualified on the pole for the first time this season and the 25th of his career. Jack Beckman would qualify in the 10th position with Matt Hagan in second and Tommy Johnson Jr. good enough for fourth. As qualifying was completed, Hagan left the sessions with 900 overall points. Johnson Jr. trailed in second, 45 points behind, while Beckman was 52 points back in third. Another interesting item to note, if Hagan and Beckman won their respective rounds, they would end up facing each other.
On Sunday, things took a quick turn for the worse. Hagan was able to accomplish his job and win over No. 16 qualifier Cruz Pedregon by going 3.901 seconds and 328.38 mph to advance to Round 2. Next was Jack Beckman who was squaring off against Paul Lee. In an upset, Lee ended Beckman’s championship chances by eliminating Beckman in the first round. However, Hagan still had to worry about Johnson Jr. who won over Jim Campbell and advanced into the second round.
Hagan and Johnson Jr. continued their winning ways by winning in Round 2 as well as the semifinals. Capps on the other hand was also enjoying success by claiming victories over Chris Morel and J.R. Todd. The most intriguing matchup came in the semifinal as Capps was facing his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. Capps fired off a 3.906 seconds and 329.83 mph over Johnson Jr.’s 3.943 seconds and 324.20 mph to move on to the finals. Unfortunately for Johnson Jr., his championship hopes were dashed as well by being eliminated early.
Meanwhile, in the semifinal for Hagan, he was able to clinch the Funny Car championship with a victory over Alexis Dejoria. This eventually set a final round match between the Don Schumacher cars of Hagan and Capps. As the Christmas tree lights went green, Hagan overcame Capps for the victory as Capps’ car blew up, going up in smoke. The victory was Hagan’s third of the season and the 36th of his career.
“Dodge and the DSR fab shop, they’ve put a great race car underneath us. My crew chief Dickie Venables, I can’t say enough about the guy. He’s won me two world championships (2014, 2020) and we’ve runnered-up a few times. There’s a handful of guys on this team who haven’t won a championship before. I’m just so proud to give them that opportunity and I know how bad everybody wanted it. For us to have won three world championships now in this sport, it’s incredible.
“It all comes back down to my guys and the car they put under me. It’s not just me. I try not to mess it up. This is one of the most humbling sports I’ve been involved in and it always seems to come down to the last race and that certainly doesn’t make me look any younger. Thank you to everyone who supports what we do and we hope we made you proud to be a part of this.”
Matt Hagan Wins the 2020 Funny Car Championship, Photo Courtesy of Auto Imagery.
Hagan, who celebrated for the third time in his career winning the Funny Car Championship, is now tied with drivers Raymond Beadle and Robert Hight.
Capps had to settle for yet again another runner-up finish. The second-place finish was Capps’ 60th of his career.
“What a weekend. It all came to plan. Especially getting the No. 1 qualifying spot and that Camping World hat. We did get a lucky break first round, but Rahn Tobler and the NAPA/Pennzoil guys did a great job turning it back around. It went almost to plan until the final round. The car was running great and I’m not sure what happened, but another one of those pretty big explosions. Thanks to Impact for great safety gear and everyone at the DSR fab shop for mounting a great Dodge body. Two wins this year, some finals, a pole, not a bad 2020 season for this NAPA team.”
All four Don Schumacher Racing cars finished one through fourth in points. Hagan first, Johnson Jr. in second, Beckman in third and Capps in fourth. Schumacher also enjoyed a great season by winning all 11 races.
Final Funny Car Results
Matt Hagan
Ron Capps
Tommy Johnson Jr
Alexis Dejoria
Bob Tasca III
Blake Alexander
J.R. Todd
Paul Lee
Jack Beckman
Cruz Pedregon
Terry Haddock
Tim Wilkerson
Jim Campbell
Steven Densham
Dave Richards
Chris Morel
Pro Stock
In the Pro Stock category, Erica Enders, the three-time Pro Stock Champion, was looking forward to defending her 2019 title. Enders entered the final round with a 55 point advantage over second-place Jason Line. Enders qualified her Chevrolet Camaro in the 12th position after going 6.652 seconds and 205.35 mph. Line qualified in the second position, going 6.635 seconds and 206.39 mph.
Line was set to face Cristian Cuadra in Round 1 while Enders was going to square off against Alex Laughlin in her round. As the time came for Enders to face Laughlin, the Houston, Texas native locked up the Pro Stock title after winning over Laughlin by going 6.662 seconds and 205.47 mph. Line had a losing effort in Round 1 after falling to Cuadra.
Despite winning the title early on, Enders was determined to win the race as well. She would move on to the finals after winning over Troy Coughlin Jr. in the second round and Greg Anderson in the semis to set herself up for a final round match with Kyle Koretsky. When those two met in the finals, it was Koretsky who ended up fouling in the left lane, automatically giving the victory to Enders for the fourth time this season and the 29th of her career. Enders is now a four-time champion after winning titles in 2014, 2015, and most recently, in 2019.
“Being able to lock up our fourth world championship and becoming the winningest of all time for females. Shirley Muldowney and Angelle Sampey mean a lot to me and I’m in good company with them. I’ve not had the best year, but this is a lesson that you dig deep, you fight and pray with all the heart, you have every single chase you get because you never know when it’s your last. Richard Freeman gave me this opportunity and I’m a blessed girl.”
Erica Enders Celebrates Fourth NHRA Pro Stock Championship, Photo Courtesy of Chevy Racing.
Laughlin finishes second in points, just 167 points back of Enders.
Final Pro Stock Results
Erica Enders
Kyle Koretsky
Greg Anderson
Cristian Cuadra
Aaron Stanfield
Troy Coughlin Jr
Bo Butner
Matt Hartford
Deric Kramer
Jason Line
Kenny Delco
Jeg Coughlin
Mason McGaha
Chris McGaha
Aaron Strong
Alex Laughlin
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Last, and certainly not least, was the Pro Stock Motorcycle division. Matt Smith in his DENSO Auto Parts/Stockseth/MSR EBR Motorcycle had to worry about one competitor and that was Scotty Pollacheck, who entered the final event 58 points back from the top spot.
On Saturday, Smith qualified in the second position with a time of 6.821 seconds and 198.38 mph while Pollacheck qualified fourth after setting a time of 6.900 seconds and 196.04 mph.
In the first round on Sunday, Pollacheck won over David Barron by going 7.020 seconds and 191.62 mph. Smith got his victory in Round 1 after winning over two-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Angelle Sampey. The victory for Smith set up the second-round match against Andrew Hines, as Pollacheck was set to face Angie Smith. Pollacheck would end up being eliminated by Angie and was unable to move onto any more rounds following the loss.
As for Smith, he got the victory over Hines by going 6.875 seconds and 196.13 mph to advance to the semifinals. By advancing, he would be set to face Steve Johnson in the semifinals. However, Smith would lose the round to Johnson, due to Smith’s bike not going off the starting line. Even though Smith could not race his way into the finals, the second-round win was enough for Smith to win his fourth Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship.
“This was a long hard deal today,” M. Smith said. “That [Vance & Hines] group played their cards right and I had to race them in the first and second rounds. If you want to be the champ you have to beat the champ and I just beat the champ [Hines] to win this, so we are the champions. I can’t thank Denso and Mark Stockseth enough for what they do for me.”
Matt Smith Celebrates Winning the Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship, Photo Courtesy of NHRA.
With winning the championship, Smith now has four titles to his credit and is right up there with names such as Andrew Hines, Dave Schulz and Eddie Krawiec who have four or more championships.
In the final round, Angie Smith rocketed her bike over Steve Johnson to win her first race of the season in just eight starts.
“You never know when you’re going to get back here and I’m so emotional,” A. Smith said. “I want to thank my team. They have built me up and have told me to never give up. This one’s for them.”
Up Next: The NHRA 2020 season is now complete. The focus will now turn to the offseason and the 2021 season which is currently set to open up at the 52nd annual Gatornationals on March 12-14.
The Houston Nationals at Houston Raceway Park marked the 33rd annual SpringNationals on Sunday afternoon, where the racetrack featured some thrilling and exciting action.
Eddie Krawiec, Aaron Stanfield, Tommy Johnson Jr. and Tony Schumacher were victorious in their respective classes following the completion of the second to last NHRA race of the season.
Top Fuel
In Top Fuel, No. 1 qualifier Steve Torrence looked to continue his dominant 2020 season success Sunday by being the No. 1 qualifier for the 27th time of his NHRA career. Torrence had a bye run in the first round, while he won against Shawn Langdon in Round 2 going 3.686 seconds and 328.46 mph, and then advanced to the semifinals with a victory over Don Schumacher Racing driver Antron Brown to get to the finals. Meanwhile, rival and competitor Tony Schumacher hadn’t been to victory lane in over two years with his last victory coming at Bristol in 2018.
Schumacher qualified second on Saturday afternoon after posting a time of 3.685 seconds and 330.07 mph, with a first-round opponent, the No. 15 qualifier Cameron Ferre. Schumacher would win over Ferre with a time of 3.712 seconds, and 319.37 mph, then won against Doug Foley in Round 2 and defeated Billy Torrence in the semis to help get Don Schumacher Racing in the finals against Steve Torrence.
It’s not too often you get a No. 1 qualifier and No. 2 qualifier to face each other in the final rounds, but that’s what occurred with Torrence and Schumacher. As fate would have it, Schumacher ousted Torrence in the final for his 85th career Top Fuel victory and his first win of the year. Schumacher went 3.669 seconds and 330.63 mph over Torrence’s 3.687 seconds and 330.07 mph.
“This is an incredible opportunity and I’m going to display this trophy proudly,” said Schumacher, who won for the first time since the 2018 Bristol race. “I’m super happy for the guys. This is our home track. My fiancé [Summer] and her family are from here and they’re all here today. Half of my neighbors in Austin have come out today and have never been here before. They just saw two of the best semifinal and final rounds you’re ever going to see. I don’t know what that came down to, but I’m guessing inches and thousandths of a second. That’s what it’s about. It’s about the people who showed up here in the stands, the people who worked so hard on this car. We just love the opportunity. We’ve got one more in Vegas and I’m looking forward to that, it’s one of my favorite tracks coming up. I want to win Vegas because you get the whole off-season to think about it.”
Tony Schumacher Celebrates 85th Career National Victory, Photo Courtesy of NHRA.
By finishing second, Torrence ended up with the 21st runner-up of his NHRA career and the second of the season.
“That was a helluva drag race,” admitted a disappointed Torrence. “To be honest, we did exactly what we wanted. In hindsight, I don’t think we’d change anything. They took a shot and made it work. That’s why they won all those championships. The bottom line is we know we’re taking a great car to Vegas. I can’t wait to get started. I wish we were racing tomorrow.”
Top Fuel Results
Tony Schumacher
Steve Torrence
Billy Torrence
Antron Brown
Leah Pruett
Doug Kalitta
Doug Foley
Shawn Langdon
Clay Millican
Joe Morrison
Scott Palmer
Justin Ashley
Lee Callaway
Kebin Kinsley
Cameron Ferre
Funny Car
Following their 12th consecutive victory at the Texas Motorplex last Sunday, Don Schumacher Racing continues to carry momentum late in the season from when Tommy Johnson Jr. gave Schumacher their 13th consecutive win. Johnson Jr. ended up facing his teammate Ron Capps in the finals and won with an E.T. of 3.929 seconds and 321.04 mph to pick up his 22nd career Funny Car victory. The victory was Johnson’s third of the year.
“It was a must-win,” said Johnson, who is aiming to close out his seven-year Chandler family ‘giving car’ run by delivering his first Funny Car world title for Doug Chandler. “We get close and then we stumble, and we think we’re out of it, and here we come again. We just keep coming back. It’s like a heavyweight battle and when we get knocked down, we get back up and keep swinging. I’m just really proud of these guys. They never quit. I’m just super happy with the fight in these guys and this has got drama written all over it when we go to Vegas. You’ve got to keep digging and you knew the final round was going to be a great race. It’s definitely been different this year, but once you fire the engine it’s no different. (Crew chiefs) John Collins, Rip Reynolds, and the whole MD Anderson team has done a really good job under some tough circumstances.”
Tommy Johnson Jr Celebrates Winning the Houston Nationals, Photo Courtesy of NHRA.
Johnson Jr. claimed victories over Jim Campbell in Round 1, JR Todd in Round 2 and teammate Matt Hagan in the semis which ultimately set up the final round victory over Capps.
Capps on the other hand, will have to settle for his 59th career runner-up finish after falling a little bit short to Johnson Jr. The runner-up finish was his first of the year, despite being an upset to his teammate and No. 1 qualifier Jack Beckman in the first round.
“We were trying to implement some new parts and do some testing, and that’s hard to do with only two qualifying runs and you definitely don’t want to do that on Sunday,” Capps said. “That put us behind. But I say it time and time again, coming in Sunday morning, I’ve never thought we didn’t have a chance at winning the race no matter what position we start from. We sure had the FOX TV people scrambling to see when the last time someone won from the 16th spot.
“You hate to knock out a teammate in the championship, but it’s mano-a-mano up there, and Sunday morning you have one of the leading cars in the points race, and we knew we were capable. It’s just one of those ‘grind ‘em out’ days. These are the weekends where you look back at the end of the season and you sort of circle them and you remember that this is where most teams would have gone out early and we gutted out a lot of big round wins and 20 points here and there. When you’re running great and things don’t go wrong, it seems a little easier.
“Today was one of those knock-down, drag-out fights. In the semifinals, I stayed in the throttle and I didn’t see Alexis (DeJoria). In a nitro Funny Car, when you stay in the throttle bad things can happen and unfortunately, we hurt the beautiful Pennzoil body. But fortunately, we have great sponsors with Pennzoil and NAPA AUTO PARTS and we have plenty of parts at DSR and we have four days to get to (Las) Vegas and do it again.”
Capps got to the final with victories over Beckman in Round 1, Cruz Pedregon in the second round and Alexis Dejoria in the semis before losing to Johnson Jr. in the finals.
Funny Car Results
Tommy Johnson JR
Ron Capps
Matt Hagan
Alexis Dejoria
Cruz Pedregon
Bob Tasca III
J.R. Todd
Blake Alexander
Bobby Bode
Dave Richards
Jack Beckman
Chad Green
Tim Wilkerson
Paul Lee
Jim Campbell
Terry Haddock
Pro Stock
In the Pro Stock category, it was an emotional day for Aaron Stanfield and company, who picked up his first ever career NHRA Pro Stock victory. Stanfield came close to victory earlier this season at Gainesville when he was a runner-up to Alex Laughlin.
Stanfield qualified fourth after the two rounds of qualifying on Saturday to give him a first round matchup against No. 13 qualifier Kenny Delco. Stanfield won over Delco in the first round, Troy Coughlin Jr. in round two, and Kyle Korestky that helped him get to the final round facing Jeg Coughlin Jr.
Stanfield went 6.535 seconds and 211.03 mph over Coughlin Jr’s 6.611 seconds and 207.53 mph en route to an emotional victory on Sunday.
“I definitely can’t put this into words,” Stanfield said. “I remember listening to my dad race and I’ve dreamed of the day that I could hold up a Pro Stock Wally ever since I was a little guy watching my dad race. It’s always been at the top of my goals. I tried to stay as calm as I could, but I knew my guys had my best interests in mind. I stayed focused, we did our job and we got it done. To be honest, this whole day has been crazy, just accomplishing huge, huge dreams. I haven’t had time to soak it all in, but what my dad has taught me is to clear your head and focus on what you need to do. That’s what I was able to do today.”
Aaron Stanfield Claims 48th Career Win, Photo Courtesy of NHRA.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. would have to settle for the second runner-up of his NHRA career.
Pro Stock Results
Aaron Stanfield
Jeg Coughlin
Kyle Koretsky
Greg Anderson
Alex Laughlin
Erica Enders
Chris McGaha
Troy Coughlin Jr
Jason Line
Matt Hartford
Deric Kramer
Mason McGaha
Kenny Delco
Bo Butner
Fernando Caudra
Bruno Massel
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Eddie Krawiec was successful after beating Ryan Oehler in the final round. Krawiec had an E.T. of 6.801 seconds and 198.61 mph over Oehler’s 6.905 seconds and 181.37 mph to secure his first victory of the season and the 48th of his NHRA career.
Krawiec won over Michael Phillips in Round 1, Jerry Savoie in the second and a semi-final victory over Hector Arana Jr. that preceded the final round match up with Oehler. The Houston National win marked Krawiec’s first victory since Atlanta of 2018.
“I can tell you one thing; don’t take a Wally for granted because sometimes they don’t come,” said Krawiec, who had lost nine-straight final rounds following his Brainerd win, including five-straight against his teammate, Andrew Hines. “Sometimes it’s not what you because sometimes luck just rolls your way. With two plus years being out of it, it just feels good. I feel like I’ve accomplished everything I need to and don’t have to prove anyting. but it’s nice just to get it done. There is a lot of great racers in the class and you can’t take anyting for granted. Take every win for what it is and enjoy it. We now have four or five bikes fighting for the championship so it’s great racing and it’s the way it should be.”
Eddie Kraweic Rockets to Houston Victory, Photo Courtesy of NHRA.
Pro Stock Motorcycle Results
Eddie Krawiec
Ryan Oehler
Hector Arana Jr
Matt Smith
Andrew Hines
Scotty Pollacheck
David Barron
Jerry Savoie
John Hall
Kelly Clontz
Michael Phillips
Chris Bostick
Angelle Sampey
Angie Smith
Steve Johnson
Marc Ingwersen
Updated Top Fuel Points Standings
Steve Torrence. 868 points
Doug Kalitta, -101
Billy Torrence, -193
Leah Pruett, -198
Shawn Langdon, -324
Antron Brown, -334
Justin Ashley, -383
Terry McMillen, -453
Clay Millican, -454
Updated Funny Car Standings
Matt Hagan, 842 points
Tommy Johnson Jr, -42
Jack Beckman, -43
Ron Capps, -163
Bob Tasca III, -247
J.R. Todd, -258
Tim Wilkerson, -272
Alexis Dejoria, -353
Cruz Pedregon, -454
Paul Lee, -460
Updated Pro Stock Standings
Erica Enders, 753 points
Jeg Coughlin, -55
Jason Line, -55
Greg Anderson, -183
Matt Hartford, -206
Alex Laughlin, -222
Aaron Stanfield, -270
Chris McGaha, -319
Deric Kramer, -348
Bo Butner, -355
Updated Pro Stock Motorcycle Standings
Matt Smith, 542 points
Scotty Pollacheck, -58
Andrew Hines, -66
Angelle Sampey, -95
Eddie Krawiec, -118
Ryan Oehler, -203
Angie Smith, -204
Steve Johnson, -239
Jerry Savoie, -239
Hector Arana Jr, -258
Up Next: The NHRA Camping World Series will look to finish out the 2020 season schedule at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Dodge World Finals, with qualifying on Saturday, Oct. 31 and the championship eliminations held on Sunday, Nov. 1.
Josef Newgarden would claim victory for Team Penske to conclude the 2020 IndyCar season. Scott Dixon finished on the podium with a third-place run to claim his sixth IndyCar championship.
“Happy to get a win out here,” Newgarden stated. “So proud of my team, they were on it all year. I don’t think I would change one thing that we did and they were perfect all season in my eyes. Just short, but a decent way to go into the off season with another victory and to hold our head up high.”
Will Power and Alexander Rossi would lead the front row to the green flag. Power would pull a second gap over Rossi as the field tackled the Floridan street course.
Laps later Rossi took the lead over Power as the No. 12 would struggle with downshifting. Colton Herta would later run down the Penske car as the No. 88 would pass Power on the outside into Turn One. James Hinchcliffe would follow in tow and also take a spot away from Power.
Scott McLaughlin and Felix Rosenqvist would be one of the first drivers to pit early on. Rinus Veekay would also come in laps later. Not many would pit early on, but would keep their cars out on the track.
As the drivers hit the Lap 30 mark, Dixon would bring his car down pit road. A great number of the drivers would pit laps later to ignite the pit cycle.
Rosenqvist suffered a puncture on Lap 33 after contact with Santino Ferrucci. For Newgarden, he would be able to eke out Power as the cycle of stops concluded. As a result, he would be upwards in the fifth position, while Dixon would remain in 11th.
Power’s issues would continue to grow as he would bring out the yellow on Lap 37. His car would go up into the marbles and hit the wall, sustaining massive left side damage to his No. 12, knocking him out of the running.
Rossi would lead the field on the restart from Herta. Another yellow would shortly fly when Ferrucci’s No. 18 crashed into the Turn 2 wall. Conor Daly would experience some issues under yellow as his No. 20 would have a puncture on the left rear tire.
On the restart, Rossi would have a good launch on Herta. The No. 88 would drop backward as Hinchcliffe would reel him in. At the back of the pack, calamity would strike as McLaughlin and Veekay would crash in Turn 1. The No. 3 would look underneath but spin out into the path of Veekay.
Rossi would maintain his ground on the launch while Rosenqvist would try and get his lap back. Dixon would be stuck in a battle between Jack Harvey, Rahal, and Oliver Askew, with Dixon passing the three of them to get upward to the sixth position.
Oliver Askew would get past Ryan Hunter-Reay for the ninth position. Hunter-Reay would continue to drop as he would fall outside the Top 10 at the end of Lap 54. Marco Andretti would begin to lurk forward as he would pass Rahal into Turn 1 to take seventh away shortly afterwards.
Herta would overdrive the corner, losing two spots to Hinchcliffe and Newgarden.
The No. 1 would come down pit road on Lap 66. Dixon would come in a lap later. Once again green flag pit stops would ignite.
On Lap 70 Rossi would spin out of Turn 3, hitting the inside wall and bringing out the full course caution. Rossi’s crash reshuffled the order as many drivers would come down pit road.
Herta would have the launch over Hinchcliffe with Alex Palou in third. Andretti and Sato would make contact, cutting the No. 98’s tire as he would crash into the barriers. A full course yellow would fly.
Hinchcliffe would spin out under yellow in Turn 14 and hit Harvey’s car after attempting to merge back onto the racing surface.
With 21 laps to go Herta would lead the field once again. However, Palou and Newgarden would pass the No. 88. Newgarden would muscle his way to the lead. Dixon would move his way up to third while Sebastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud would collide but with not much damage. Askew would hit the barriers after contact with Sato, bringing out another yellow.
Newgarden would lead the way with 16 laps to go with Herta, Dixon, and Pato O’Ward rounding out the top spots. O’Ward would march up to second with a dive underneath Herta. On Lap 86 O’Ward would look for the lead into Turn 1 but to no avail. Herta would go wide and would drop outside the Top 10.
With six laps to go Palou would hit pit road, Rosenqvist would also pit as they would have to top off on their fuel.
Newgarden pulled the gap over O’Ward as he would win the finale at St. Petersburg. Dixon would finish in third and claim his sixth championship.
“It feels really cool to finally celebrate something here,” Dixon said. “We have a lot of memories, some of them not so great. It’s nice to be in this situation to celebrate with loved ones. For me, it’s just the people that make this possible and this journey we’ve been on for so long now with this team. This is a great way to top it off this year.”
Newgarden’s win marks the 17th win of his IndyCar career. Dixon’s championship run has made him just one championship short of tying the record set by A.J. Foyt’s seven.
