After missing the last three NASCAR Cup Series points-paying events due to a back injury sustained April 25, Alex Bowman makes his return Sunday – during the longest race of the year in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (6 p.m., Fox, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). 

“[Race length] was definitely discussed but at the same time, I feel I am ready,” Bowman said Saturday afternoon. “It is what it is. I ran a lot of laps Tuesday at North Wilkesboro and I’m pretty confident I’ll be just fine.”

Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, says he is still dealing with lingering pain from the injury, but not enough to keep him from behind the wheel any longer – particularly when he still sits 17th in the Cup Series point standings with plenty of time to earn a spot in this year’s playoffs.

“It shows how good a season we were having before I got hurt,” Bowman said. “A lot can happen and change pretty quickly. There’s some discomfort but I’m just going to have to deal with it. After five hours in the race car, I’m probably not going to feel the best.”

HONORING SERVICE MEMBERS
In what has become a traditional Memorial Day salute, the Cup Series cars have special paint schemes this weekend and also feature the name of a fallen service member.

“NASCAR does a good job with the 600 Miles of Remembrance program,” said Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. “This weekend, the windshield headers of every car are replaced with the name of a fallen soldier. We’re honoring a Navy SEAL, Mark Crampton. We also have a special decal on our car honoring Rusten Smith, a soldier who died in April in a Blackhawk training accident.

“This weekend is about remembering those who gave everything for our country. It’s great to see the impact the 600 Miles of Remembrance program has on the service members’ families. There’s nothing like the national anthem during the Coca-Cola 600. It’s a real freedom feel, American flag flying-type weekend.”

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY 
Aside from the increased distance, the Coca-Cola 600 also offers NASCAR Cup Series drivers another challenge to navigate – one extra stage.

But for a driver on the bubble of the playoffs, like Team Penske’s Austin Cindric who enters Charlotte in 20th place, it’s another opportunity to gain some elusive points for the postseason chase.

“It could be one of the most important regular season races,” Cindric said. “The biggest difference is the extra stage.”

The 24-year-old is still looking for his first win since the 2022 Daytona 500, a span of 48 races.

“The last two months have been extremely frustrating. Twentieth in points is not where we want to be. We’re not pushing the panic button. We’re fortunate to be able to keep going to the track every week and try to improve.”

KEEP TRACK:
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.      

CMS PR

Doug Manmiller of Shoemakersville, Pa. became the first repeat feature winner of the season after capturing the 30-lap T.P. Trailer Modified main event Saturday night at Grandview Speedway

Manmiller started tenth in the 28-car main event, battled with Mike Lisowski of Minersville, Pa. for four laps before grabbing the lead to score lap 14, then held off some serious late race challenges from Brett Kressley of Orefield, Pa. in the closing laps to score his 32^nd career Saturday night NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series feature win.

Kyle Smith of Fleetwood, Pa. started thirteenth in the 25-lap T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman main event, was part of a spectacular five car race for the lead that lasted for ten laps, then was able to gain the lead with just five laps remaining, to motor on to his first win of the season and fourth career win at Grandview on Saturday night.

Both winners received bonus money (Modified $300, Sportsman $200) from T.P. Trailers and Truck Equipment of Limerick, Pa., sponsors of the two divisions at Grandview Speedway, in a program that is run under the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series banner.

Scott Schaffer was the Modified winner and Gage Phillips took the Sportsman win during the Outlaw Racing Series Vintage main event.

The T.P. Trailer Modified main event saw Bob Trapper Sr. of Scranton, Pa. lead the opening eight laps while some great action was going on behind him.

Ray Swinehart of Perkiomenville, Pa. and Mike Lisowski were dueling for second while Dylan Swinehart of Fleetwood, Pa. and a quick moving Doug Manmiller were battling for fourth. Right behind them was a three-car scramble for position between Ryan Grim of Laurys Station, Pa., Eddie Strada of Lake Ariel, Pa., and Brett Kressley who was quickly on the move from 13^th starting spot.

A caution on lap eight reset the field, and during the caution leader Trapper Sr. pulled off the track handing the lead to Ray Swinehart.

The restart saw Lisowski out race Swinehart down the backstretch to grab the lead, with Manmiller and Dylan Swinehart following into second and third. Manmiller then began to pressure Lisowski for the lead, and after some side-by-side action took over the top spot down the back straightaway on lap thirteen.

The race ran uninterrupted from that point till the end, with Lisowski, Grim, Kressley and Craig Von Dohren of Oley, Pa. waging war for the second spot, while Manmiller would build a comfortable lead.

Kressley would move by Lisowski on lap 21 and Von Dohren would gain third on lap 22, setting the stage for the late race drama, leaving Lisowski to fend off challenges from Grim and Jeff Strunk of Boyertown, Pa. for the remaining top five positions.

It appeared as though Manmiller had a big enough advantage to cruise to the win, but after taking second spot, Kressley was quick to track down Manmiller, and for the final three laps the duel was on for the win.

Manmiller, Kressley and Von Dohren battled through some lapped traffic in an exciting conclusion to the race, but Manmiller was able to stave off all challenges to score his second feature win of the season.

At the checkered it was Manmiller, Kressley, Von Dohren, Strunk, Lisowski, Ryan Grim, Tim Buckwalter of Douglasville, Pa., Dylan Swinehart, Jared Umbenhauer of Richland, Pa. who qualified from the consolation, and Strada.

Winning the qualifying heats for the 34 cars on hand were Ray Swinehart, Strada and Strunk with Umbenhauer winning the consolation.

The T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman 25-lap main event saw Kenny Bock of Birdsboro, Pa. take the early lead followed by Tom Miller of Gilbertsville, Pa., and Zane Roth of Slatington, Pa. who were in a battle for second position.

Following two quick cautions on laps four and five, the action really heated up with Roth taking second and challenging Bock for the lead, which he did take for two laps before Bock took back the top spot-on lap nine after some great side by side action.

This action became part of an unbelievable five car race for the top spot which included many different players as position kept changing. In the hunt were Zach Steffey of Sinking Spring, Pa., Dakota Kohler of Kutztown, Pa., Logan Bauman of Bechtelsville, Pa., TJ Mayberry of Sellersville, Pa., and a fast-climbing Kyle Smith.

During a ten lap stretch in the middle of the feature, five cars circled the track practically under a blanket battling for the lead, with Bock out front, Kohler second, Smith third, running up in the high groove, followed by Bauman and Mayberry.

Smith eventually snuck by Kohler on lap 17 and set his sights on Bock. His chance came as the leaders exited turn four to score lap 20, as Smith powered off the bottom lane to sneak by Bock and take a lead he would never surrender.

At the finish it was Smith scoring the win to become the fifth different Sportsman winner this season, followed by Kohler, Bauman, Mayberry, Bock, Roth, Mark Kemmerer of Pennsburg, Pa., Brad Grim of Coplay, Pa., Parker Guldin of Fleetwood, Pa., and Addison Meitzler of Kempton, Pa.

Winning the qualifying heats for the 42 cars on hand were Steffey, Kyle Smith, Tom Miller Sr., and Brad Grim with Jesse Hirthler of Boyertown, Pa. and Brian Hirthler of Green Lane, Pa. winning the consolations.

Scott Schaffer took the lead early and led the entire distance to take the Outlaw Racing Series Vintage feature win. Andy Cassel pressured Schaffer most of the way, recovered from a spin and finished second, followed by Wes Cassel, Kevin Kuser, Joe Medaglia, and the Sportsman winner Gage Phillips who was sixth.

Grandview Speedway will be presenting another NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series program next week featuring the T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modifieds and T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman, plus the only visit of the season by the Wingless Super Sportsman in a racing program sponsored by A.D. Moyer Lumber Company.

The show on Saturday, June 3 will include qualifying events for all three classes leading into a 30-lap T.P. Trailer Modified feature and 25-lap features for the T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman and Wingless Super Sportsman.

Pit gates will open at 4 pm. with grandstand gates opening at 5:30 pm. warm-ups starting at 6:15 pm. and the first race of the evening getting the green flag at 7:30 pm.

Grandstand admission for adults will be $22, students 10-15 with ID are $12, while children ages 9 and under will be admitted free of charge. Pit admission is $35 for NASCAR members and $45 for non-members.

Since the 1960’s, Grandview Speedway has been presenting exciting wheel to wheel NASCAR stock car racing every Saturday Night starting in April and running through October, plus special events. Grandview Speedway is located at 43 Passmore Road, Bechtelsville, Pa. 19505, just off Route 100, ten miles north of Pottstown, Pa.

Information is always available at www.grandviewspeedway.com or on Facebook, or by telephone at 610.754.7688.

T.P. TRAILER NASCAR MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH (30 laps): DOUG MANMILLER, Brett Kressley, Craig Von Dohren, Jeff Strunk, Mike Lisowski, Ryan Grim, Tim Buckwalter, Dylan Swinehart, Jared Umbenhauer, Eddie Strada, Kevin Hirthler, Ryan Watt, Rick Laubach, Jesse Leiby, Justin Grim, Jimmy Leiby, Mark Malcolm, Joe Funk, John Willman, Ryan Beltz, Ray Swinehart, Eric Biehn, Bobby Trapper Jr, Bobby Trapper Sr., Chris Gambler, Kevin Graver Jr., Craig Whitmoyer, Ron Haring Jr.

DID NOT QUALIFY: Eric Kormann, Darin Schuler, Lex Shive, Mark Kratz, Bobby Gunther-Walsh, Steve Young

T.P. TRUCK EQUIPMENT NASCAR SPORTSMAN FEATURE FINISH (25 laps): KYLE SMITH, Dakota Kohler, Logan Bauman, TJ Mayberry, Kenny Bock, Zane Roth, Mark Kemmerer, Brad Grim, Parker Guldin, Addison Meitzler, Logan Watt, Adrianna Delliponti, Brett Gilmore, Decker Swinehart, Cody Manmiller, Jesse Hirthler, Nathan Mohr, Brian Hirthler, Ryan Graver, Mark Mohr, Zach Steffey, Nicholas Hamm, Michael Burrows, Tom Miller Sr., Jesse Landis, Ronnie Solomon, Andy Ressler

DID NOT QUALIFY: BJ Joly, Keith Haring, Tom Miller Jr., Kaitlyn Bailey, Troy Gibson, Tyler Vidal, Colton Perry, Molly Struss, Mark Gaugler, Mike Stofflet, Nick Faust, Kyle Hartzell, Dallas Breidenbach, Nathan Horn, Hunter Iatalese

OUTLAW RACING SERIES VINTAGE FEATURE FINISH (15 laps): SCOTT SCHAFFER (Modified), Andy Cassel, Wes Cassel, Kevin Kuser, Joe Medaglia, GAGE PHILLIPS (Sportsman), Curt Neiman, Gene Whitehouse, Myron Haydt, Tori Hall, Leon Gaugler, Steve Hahn, Sven Olsen, Ron Paulson

UPCOMING EVENTS –

Sunday, May 28 – THUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES – ‘Balls to the Wall 50’ – 358 Modifieds*, 602 Sportsman – 7:30 pm.

Saturday, June 3 – A.D. MOYER LUMBER NIGHT - T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modifieds, T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman, Wingless Super Sportsman – 7:30 pm

Fri. June 9 – Outlaw Racing Series Enduro, Outlaw Racing Series Vintage, Xcel 600 Modifieds – 7 pm

Sat. June 10 – T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modifieds, T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman – 7:30 pm

Tue. June 13 – THUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES –JESSE HOCKETT CLASSIC EASTERN STORM – USAC National Sprint Tour, 358 Modifieds* - 7:30 pm - PIONEER POLE BUILDINGS NIGHT

Grandview Speedway PR

Introduction

The motorsport industry relies on the latest academic achievements. They help enhance vehicle performance, safety, and efficiency. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, And mathematics. It plays a crucial role in the motorsports industry. STEM education generates experts that can provide the tools to advance vehicle development. As well as racing strategies. Engineers, data analysts, vehicle dynamics specialists, and technology developers. Many other career opportunities await university graduates that took a STEM oriented course.

Engineering Innovations in Motorsports

STEM education provides students with the knowledge of scientific principles and mathematical concepts. There are many places that offer pro essay help for students engaged with this topic. This is where students can buy essays. But also, here you can find some of the best writers in their fields and draw inspiration. Engineering innovations in the fields of aerodynamics, powertrain enhancement. Even the materials improvement holds a use for STEM education.

With a STEM background, you could figure out ways to improve fuel consumption. Or you can come up with a simulation tool that would increase safety on the track. Computer simulations provide actionable information. While data-analysis can show the drawbacks of certain engineering solutions. This way racing teams avoid accidents in real-life.

Data Analysis and Performance Optimization

STEM professionals can analyze data, identify areas for improvement, and optimize performance strategies. They can do this through statistical analysis, computational modeling, and mathematical techniques. Data Acquisition systems use a series of sensors. These gather information on the vehicle speed, engine performance, or acceleration. Telemetry allows the crew to make quick decisions. Supplying real time information of both the driver’s and the vehicle’s conduct during the race.

Video analysis, statistical and modeling software help the entire team in their job. With these pieces of data, they can improve vehicle performance. And make the most of the conditions on the track. Mathematical models can predict racing scenarios based on historical patterns. Thus, allowing optimal pit stops, tire changes, or refueling strategies.

Electric and Autonomous Technologies in Motorsports

STEM education is shaping the future of motorsports. Driving it towards cleaner, more advanced racing platforms. Modern-day motorsport adopts electric and autonomous technology. Race teams lean on STEM educated professionals to keep fuel consumption low. As well as the industry’s environmental impact.

Formula E is a racing series that features all-electric vehicles. It is getting more popular by the day. It propelled car battery lifetime enhancement, faster charging systems, and electric drivetrain efficiency. Formula 1 cars use hybrid powertrains that accumulate energy when the car brakes. It then sends power to the electric motor that improves the performance of the vehicle. Autonomous systems can detect and react to potential hazards faster than human drivers. These systems can predict and avoid collisions with AI-powered sensors and advanced algorithms. Also, maintain optimal racing lines, and respond to unpredictable situations with split-second precision.

Career Opportunities at the Intersection of STEM and Motorsports

Career Pathways and Educational Requirements

The intersection of STEM education and motorsports offers a range of job opportunities. These positions include motorsport engineers and data analysts. Also, race strategists, control system engineers, and many others. This means that when you finish school, there's a range of jobs for you. From building racing cars and optimizing their performance to developing race strategies. All you have to do is gain a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in any STEM field that you’re interested in. You also have to work on your problem-solving, teamwork, and time management skills.

There’s a plethora of universities that you can enroll in to get ready for a future in motorsports. Including the KTH Royal Institute in Sweden with their Electric Power Engineering course. There's the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. It holds a department of engineering called “Enzo Ferrari”. It offers a master’s degree in motorsport engineering. The list also includes Clemson University in the US, Oxford Brookes in the UK and many others.

Conclusion

The connection of STEM education and motorsports is pivotal for both sides. Through scientific, engineering, and technological advancements vehicles become more efficient. Also, they become safer, and their performance increases. Each breakthrough brings new value to the fields of engineering, mathematics, and technology. Thus, STEM education benefits other industries, too. Embracing any of the four fields of STEM is a great starting point for a career in motorsports.

So many laps led over the years. Finally, Missouri’s Joe B. Miller led the last one Saturday night at Lake Ozark Speedway for his first career victory with the National Tour of the American Sprint Car Series.

The 166th different winner with the American Sprint Car Series, Joe became the 13th Missourian to win with the National Tour, joining names like Brian Brown, Danny Lasoski, and Jesse Hockett to name a few.

Almost a spectator, Joe B. Miller borrowed an engine from Scotty Milan, as his is still getting worked on. “I have to thank Scotty Milan. We didn’t have an engine for this weekend, and he wasn’t able to come in, so I called and asked if I could use his, and he said go for it.”

Adding to his success across numerous divisions at Lake Ozark, Joe said, “We got the regional win, but we’ve been working on getting this National Tour win for a little bit. We’ve been hit and miss, so this is pretty cool. It’s a relief really. We were talking this week that we’ve been pretty good here in just about everything. We were just lacking the National Tour win.”

Getting the lead from the start, Miller had to fend of Seth Bergman with five laps to go. Moving just off the cushion, the Corridor Electric No. 23 was quick to Miller’s back bumper. Pulling under the No. 51b off the fourth turn, Seth got next to Joe, but could not clear into the first turn. Going on the defense, Miller adjusted and held on for the win.

Slipping by for second on Lap 22, Jason Martin posted his 20th career ASCS National podium finish. Pushing his podium streak to six on the season, Seth Bergman grabbed third. Moving up from 11th, Landon Britt crossed fourth, with Howard Moore fifth.

Kyle Bellm, in sixth, was chased by Miles Paulus, who was the night’s KSE Hard Charger, after gaining 11 positions. Matt Covington was eighth, with Brandon Anderson ninth. Moving up ten spots, Michael Day completed the top ten.

Night 1 of the Spring Sprint Showdown included a 32-car field with Blake Hahn, the overall quick qualifier at 12.389-seconds. Four AR Dyno Specialty Heat Races went to Matt Covington, Howard Moore, Seth Bergman, and Joe B. Miller. The BMRS B-Feature was won by Gunner Ramey.

The Spring Sprint Showdown at Lake Ozark Speedway continues on Sunday, May 28. Hot Laps are at 6:30 P.M. and Racing at 7:30 P.M. (CDT). Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors, $10 for youth (6-12), and $40 for the Pits.

The 2023 season will mark the 32nd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

Live coverage of the American Sprint Car Series can be found on http://www.racindirt.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ASCSRacing).

Race Results:

ASCS National/ASCS Warrior

Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, Mo.)

Saturday, May 27, 2023

Car Count: 32

The Driver's Project Group Qualifying (Top 4 in each group invert into Heat Races)

The Drivers Project Qualifying 1 (3 Laps): 1. 13-Elijah Gile, 12.517[6]; 2. 45X-Kyler Johnson, 12.550[7]; 3. 7C-Chris Morgan, 12.626[1]; 4. 95-Matt Covington, 12.626[5]; 5. 14E-Kyle Bellm, 12.667[4]; 6. 55B-Brandon Anderson, 12.757[3]; 7. 88-Terry Easum, 12.839[2]; 8. 7JR-JD Black, 13.196[8]

The Drivers Project Qualifying 2 (3 Laps): 1. 87J-Jace Park, 12.466[8]; 2. 3-Howard Moore, 12.549[5]; 3. 22S-Slater Helt, 12.588[7]; 4. 8M-Kade Morton, 12.787[1]; 5. 1JR-Steven Russell, 12.799[2]; 6. 91-Michael Day, 12.806[4]; 7. 1X-Brad Ryun, 13.008[6]; 8. 9M-Dale McCarty, 14.597[3]

The Drivers Project Qualifying 3 (3 Laps): 1. 52-Blake Hahn, 12.389[5]; 2. 36-Jason Martin, 12.427[6]; 3. 23-Seth Bergman, 12.490[2]; 4. 0-Chase Porter, 12.577[8]; 5. 71-Bradyn Baker, 12.673[4]; 6. 98P-Miles Paulus, 12.783[1]; 7. 21-Gunner Ramey, 12.783[7]; 8. 31-Casey Wills, 13.050[3]

The Drivers Project Qualifying 4 (3 Laps): 1. 51B-Joe B Miller, 12.748[8]; 2. 6-Christopher Townsend, 12.839[5]; 3. 77-Jack Wagner, 12.931[6]; 4. 14-Jordon Mallett, 12.979[2]; 5. 73-Samuel Wagner, 13.066[1]; 6. 10-Landon Britt, 13.128[4]; 7. 32D-Daryn Langford, 13.543[3]; 8. 9C-Tony Crank, 13.797[7]

AR Dyno Specialty Heat Races (Top 16 in Qualifying/Passing Points advance to the A-Feature)

AR Dyno Specialty Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington[1]; 2. 7C-Chris Morgan[2]; 3. 14E-Kyle Bellm[5]; 4. 55B-Brandon Anderson[6]; 5. 45X-Kyler Johnson[3]; 6. 7JR-JD Black[8]; 7. 13-Elijah Gile[4]; 8. 88-Terry Easum[7]

AR Dyno Specialty Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 3-Howard Moore[3]; 2. 8M-Kade Morton[1]; 3. 22S-Slater Helt[2]; 4. 1JR-Steven Russell[5]; 5. 87J-Jace Park[4]; 6. 91-Michael Day[6]; 7. 1X-Brad Ryun[7]; 8. (DNS) 9M-Dale McCarty

AR Dyno Specialty Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 23-Seth Bergman[2]; 2. 36-Jason Martin[3]; 3. 52-Blake Hahn[4]; 4. 0-Chase Porter[1]; 5. 98P-Miles Paulus[6]; 6. 71-Bradyn Baker[5]; 7. 31-Casey Wills[8]; 8. 21-Gunner Ramey[7]

AR Dyno Specialty Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 51B-Joe B Miller[4]; 2. 14-Jordon Mallett[1]; 3. 77-Jack Wagner[2]; 4. 10-Landon Britt[6]; 5. 73-Samuel Wagner[5]; 6. 6-Christopher Townsend[3]; 7. 9C-Tony Crank[8]; 8. 32D-Daryn Langford[7]

BMRS B-Feature (Top 6 advance to the A-Feature)

BMRS B-Main (12 Laps): 1. 45X-Kyler Johnson[1]; 2. 98P-Miles Paulus[2]; 3. 6-Christopher Townsend[6]; 4. 91-Michael Day[8]; 5. 71-Bradyn Baker[9]; 6. 21-Gunner Ramey[13]; 7. 0-Chase Porter[7]; 8. 31-Casey Wills[10]; 9. 73-Samuel Wagner[3]; 10. 1X-Brad Ryun[12]; 11. 13-Elijah Gile[5]; 12. 9C-Tony Crank[11]; 13. 7JR-JD Black[4]; 14. 32D-Daryn Langford[15]; 15. 88-Terry Easum[14]; 16. 9M-Dale McCarty[16]

A-Feature

RacinDirtTV A-Main (25 Laps): 1. 51B-Joe B Miller[1]; 2. 36-Jason Martin[4]; 3. 23-Seth Bergman[5]; 4. 10-Landon Britt[11]; 5. 3-Howard Moore[2]; 6. 14E-Kyle Bellm[8]; 7. 98P-Miles Paulus[18]; 8. 95-Matt Covington[7]; 9. 55B-Brandon Anderson[10]; 10. 91-Michael Day[20]; 11. 22S-Slater Helt[12]; 12. 1JR-Steven Russell[14]; 13. 71-Bradyn Baker[21]; 14. 87J-Jace Park[9]; 15. 6-Christopher Townsend[19]; 16. 8M-Kade Morton[15]; 17. 7C-Chris Morgan[6]; 18. 45X-Kyler Johnson[17]; 19. 14-Jordon Mallett[16]; 20. 21-Gunner Ramey[22]; 21. 52-Blake Hahn[3]; 22. 77-Jack Wagner[13]

Lap Leader(s): Joe B. Miller 1-25

KSE Hard Charger: Miles Paulus +11

Driver's Project Quick Time: Blake Hahn - 12.389-seconds

High Point Driver: Joe B. Miller

Provisional(s): N/A

ASCS Online:

American Sprint Car Series: http://www.ascsracing.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/americansprintcarseries

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ascsracing [@ascsracing]

Broadcast: RacinDirt.com

Live-Scoring: My Race Pass App

2023 Race Winners: Jason Martin – 3 (4/20 – Jackson Motor Speedway; 4/22 – Boothill Speedway; 5/20 – Longdale Speedway); Seth Bergman – 1 (4/21 – Longdale Speedway); Austin McCarl – 1 (5/26 – Lakeside Speedway); Joe B. Miller – 1 (5/17 – Lake Ozark Speedway);

2023 Driver Points (Top 10): 1. Seth Bergman 839; 2. Jason Martin 803; 3. Matt Covington 745; 4. Landon Britt 731; 5. Howard Moore 693; 6. Brandon Anderson 691; 7. Jordon Mallett 662; 8. Kyler Johnson 651; Christopher Townsend 598; 10. Brady Baker 588;

ASCS PR

The inaugural “Cornfield Combat” was a huge success this past weekend at Macon Speedway, in Macon, IL. The Thursday-Saturday show featured the PureMax Racing Oil HART Non-Wing Micros, Restricted Micros, and the Junior Sprints. Nearly 100 cars attended the event, including 63 Non-Wing Micros.

The buildup for the three days was for the $5,000 to win HART Non-Wing Micros. Only the best 22 drivers of the 63 attendees made the 35-lap feature event. Polesitter, Frank Flud, from Tulsa, OK, one of the leading favorites for the weekend, started on the front row and took the early lead. His closest challenger for much of the event was Johnny Boland, of Gainesville, TX before a flip with five laps to go eliminated him from action. Flud held off the hungry pack of challengers down the stretch to claim the win over Kyle Spence and Austin Saunders. Matt Carr and Todd Kirkman completed the top five in a Micro field that was represented by over 10 US States.

Farmington, MO driver, Brody Bridgeman took the victory in the Restricted Winged Micros over Callan Hill, Jace Cooksey, Eli Holden, and JJ Williams.

Rounding out the Saturday night feature action was the youngsters in the Junior Sprints. Galesville, WI driver Miken Iverson took the victory, while Braxton Flatt, Jagger Wiggs, Grayson Cooksey, and Kaden Wells completed the top five.

Macon Speedway will be back at it in a very short period of time for the Memorial Day Monday Twin 50’s featuring the Midwest Big Ten Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models and Midwest Big Ten BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds, each paying $1,000 to win and $125 to start. Joining the two classes will be the DIRTcar Pro Mods, Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman, 51 Bistro Street Stocks, and DIRTcar Hornets.

Pit gates open Monday at 3:00, grandstands at 4:00, hotlaps at 5:00, and racing at 6:00. Grandstand admission will be $18, while kids 11 and under are free.

For more information, visit www.maconracing.com.

Macon Speedway Saturday Night Rundowns

HART Non-Wing Micros 63 Entries

A Feature 1 35 Laps | 00:31:37.933

1. 81-Frank Flud[1]; 2. 25-Kyle Spence[6]; 3. 82S-Austin Saunders[4]; 4. 93-Matt Carr[3]; 5. 2TK-Todd Kirkman[7]; 6. 15-TJ Smith[8]; 7. 97D-JB Gilbert[12]; 8. 71-Jaxton Wiggs[20]; 9. 29S-Stone Sharpe[18]; 10. 71C-Jake Cheatham[13]; 11. 33D-Daniel Robinson[11]; 12. 16W-Hunter Walker[19]; 13. 22-Kole Kirkman[15]; 14. 5-Cale Coons[14]; 15. 43-Parker Perry[21]; 16. 55S-Daryn Stark[17]; 17. (DNF) 37-Aiden Purdue[9]; 18. (DNF) 11-Alex Midkiff[10]; 19. (DNF) 1V-Johnny Boland[2]; 20. (DNF) 35-Tyler Robbins[5]; 21. (DNF) 12K-Dylan Kadous[22]; 22. (DNF) 87-Reed Whitney[16]

B Feature 1 15 Laps | 00:05:33.539

1. 55S-Daryn Stark[5]; 2. 16W-Hunter Walker[7]; 3. 126Z-Zak Gorski[1]; 4. 47-Caleb Shietze[8]; 5. 72H-Hunter Pruitt[3]; 6. 43-Parker Perry[12]; 7. 32K-Kyran Keith[4]; 8. 126-Autumn Criste[11]; 9. (DNF) 12K-Dylan Kadous[10]; 10. (DNF) 40S-Dawson Stealy[2]; 11. (DNF) 101-Tobias Midkiff[6]; 12. (DNS) 61-Noah Bellew

B Feature 2 15 Laps | 00:06:16.270

1. 29S-Stone Sharpe[11]; 2. 71-Jaxton Wiggs[2]; 3. 45-Camden Winter[1]; 4. 4R-Kameron Romack[6]; 5. 55H-Hayden Harvey[12]; 6. 14G-Madelyn Gjerness[4]; 7. 25B-Chevy Boyer[3]; 8. 86-Kyle Touchette[10]; 9. (DNS) 20-Logan Null; 10. (DNS) 20X-Tayler Hungate; 11. (DNS) 17-Molly Day; 12. (DNS) 96-Alex Burgener

C Feature 1 12 Laps | 00:07:01.688

1. 126-Autumn Criste[1]; 2. 43-Parker Perry[2]; 3. 21M-Matt Morton[3]; 4. 12-Jeffrey Newell[6]; 5. 74X-Caleb Edington[9]; 6. 7F-Nolan Bartley[7]; 7. (DNS) 00-Joe Taft; 8. (DNS) 66-Jason McDougal; 9. (DNS) 40-Devin Feger

C Feature 2 12 Laps | 00:39:07.217

1. 29S-Stone Sharpe[4]; 2. 55H-Hayden Harvey[8]; 3. K24-Kade Ballinger[5]; 4. 44S-Jacob Stewart[6]; 5. (DNF) 12M-Austin Schaeffer[7]; 6. (DNS) 21-Aaron Andruskevitch; 7. (DNS) 7B-Jay Tindal; 8. (DNS) 4-Wyatt Walters

Qualifier 1 15 Laps | 00:06:41.000

1. 81-Frank Flud[1]; 2. 25-Kyle Spence[2]; 3. 37-Aiden Purdue[3]; 4. 71C-Jake Cheatham[4]; 5. 126Z-Zak Gorski[9]; 6. 72H-Hunter Pruitt[5]; 7. 55S-Daryn Stark[7]; 8. 16W-Hunter Walker[8]; 9. 61-Noah Bellew[6]; 10. 126-Autumn Criste[10]; 11. 21M-Matt Morton[14]; 12. 00-Joe Taft[12]; 13. 7F-Nolan Bartley[11]; 14. 74X-Caleb Edington[13]

Qualifier 2 15 Laps | 00:08:09.000

1. 1V-Johnny Boland[1]; 2. 2TK-Todd Kirkman[7]; 3. 11-Alex Midkiff[2]; 4. 5-Cale Coons[8]; 5. 45-Camden Winter[6]; 6. 25B-Chevy Boyer[9]; 7. 20-Logan Null[4]; 8. 17-Molly Day[13]; 9. (DNF) 96-Alex Burgener[10]; 10. (DNF) 7B-Jay Tindal[11]; 11. (DNF) 21-Aaron Andruskevitch[5]; 12. (DNF) K24-Kade Ballinger[12]; 13. (DQ) 12M-Austin Schaeffer[3]

Qualifier 3 15 Laps | 00:09:37.000

1. 82S-Austin Saunders[1]; 2. 15-TJ Smith[2]; 3. 33D-Daniel Robinson[3]; 4. 22-Kole Kirkman[6]; 5. 40S-Dawson Stealy[10]; 6. 32K-Kyran Keith[13]; 7. 101-Tobias Midkiff[11]; 8. 47-Caleb Shietze[9]; 9. (DNF) 12K-Dylan Kadous[5]; 10. (DNF) 43-Parker Perry[4]; 11. (DNF) 40-Devin Feger[8]; 12. (DNF) 12-Jeffrey Newell[7]; 13. (DNS) 66-Jason McDougal

Qualifier 4 15 Laps | 00:16:59.000

1. 93-Matt Carr[4]; 2. 35-Tyler Robbins[2]; 3. 97D-JB Gilbert[1]; 4. 87-Reed Whitney[6]; 5. 71-Jaxton Wiggs[5]; 6. 14G-Madelyn Gjerness[9]; 7. 4R-Kameron Romack[10]; 8. 20X-Tayler Hungate[8]; 9. 86-Kyle Touchette[11]; 10. (DNF) 4-Wyatt Walters[7]; 11. (DNF) 29S-Stone Sharpe[3]; 12. (DNF) 44S-Jacob Stewart[12]; 13. (DNF) 55H-Hayden Harvey[13]

Junior Sprints 18 Entries

A Feature 1 15 Laps | 00:21:06.535

1. 7M-Miken Iverson[2]; 2. 81-Braxton Flatt[3]; 3. 71-Jagger Wiggs[1]; 4. 9C-Grayson Cooksey[6]; 5. 5-Kaden Wells[5]; 6. 5E-Eli Holden[4]; 7. 88A-AJ Williams[7]; 8. 1-Paxton Perry[15]; 9. 17C-Willow Coleman[8]; 10. 95G-Gunner Griffin[9]; 11. 1N-Noah Betts[14]; 12. 22D-Dalton Clary[10]; 13. 95-Lane Wells[18]; 14. 2-Aj Barber[13]; 15. (DNF) 2V-mason vincent[17]; 16. (DNF) 5B-Evan Boyd[12]; 17. (DNF) 12C-Bella Coleman[11]; 18. (DNS) 17-Cole Jones

Heat 1 6 Laps | 00:02:08.359

1. 7M-Miken Iverson[1]; 2. 71-Jagger Wiggs[2]; 3. 88A-AJ Williams[3]; 4. 17C-Willow Coleman[4]; 5. 9C-Grayson Cooksey[9]; 6. 5B-Evan Boyd[6]; 7. 2-Aj Barber[8]; 8. 1-Paxton Perry[5]; 9. (DNS) 2V-mason vincent

Heat 2 6 Laps | 00:02:05.134

1. 5E-Eli Holden[4]; 2. 5-Kaden Wells[2]; 3. 81-Braxton Flatt[6]; 4. 95G-Gunner Griffin[3]; 5. 12C-Bella Coleman[1]; 6. 22D-Dalton Clary[8]; 7. 1N-Noah Betts[5]; 8. 95-Lane Wells[9]; 9. (DNF) 17-Cole Jones[7]

Restricted Winged Micros 13 Entries

A Feature 1 15 Laps | 00:10:53.284

1. 14B-Brody Bridgeman[9]; 2. 87C-Callan Hill[8]; 3. 9C-Jace Cooksey[3]; 4. 5E-Eli Holden[7]; 5. 8J-JJ Williams[5]; 6. 21C-Chase Kosmatka[12]; 7. 9-Cole Bennett[2]; 8. 12C-Bella Coleman[1]; 9. 1K-Mackenzie Dowllar[11]; 10. (DNF) 82H-Tucker Pruitt[6]; 11. (DNF) 71-Jagger Wiggs[4]; 12. (DNF) 3E-Bodee Everett[10]; 13. (DNS) 103-Caden Tolliver

Heat 1 8 Laps | 00:03:17.535

1. 8J-JJ Williams[5]; 2. 12C-Bella Coleman[2]; 3. 82H-Tucker Pruitt[3]; 4. 9-Cole Bennett[7]; 5. 3E-Bodee Everett[4]; 6. 1K-Mackenzie Dowllar[6]; 7. (DNF) 103-Caden Tolliver[1]

Heat 2 8 Laps | 00:03:30.060

1. 71-Jagger Wiggs[2]; 2. 9C-Jace Cooksey[3]; 3. 87C-Callan Hill[1]; 4. 5E-Eli Holden[5]; 5. 14B-Brody Bridgeman[6]; 6. 21C-Chase Kosmatka[4]

Macon Speedway PR

Grandview Speedway will be presenting another NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series program next week featuring the T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modifieds and T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman, plus the only visit of the season by the Wingless Super Sportsman in a racing program sponsored by A.D. Moyer Lumber Company.

The show on Saturday, June 3 will include qualifying events for all three classes leading into a 30-lap T.P. Trailer Modified feature and 25-lap features for the T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman and Wingless Super Sportsman.

Pit gates will open at 4 pm. with grandstand gates opening at 5:30 pm. warm-ups starting at 6:15 pm. and the first race of the evening getting the green flag at 7:30 pm.

Since the 1960’s, Grandview Speedway has been presenting exciting wheel to wheel NASCAR stock car racing every Saturday Night starting in April and running through October, plus special events. Grandview Speedway is located at 43 Passmore Road, Bechtelsville, Pa. 19505, just off Route 100, ten miles north of Pottstown, Pa.

Information is always available at www.grandviewspeedway.com or on Facebook, or by telephone at 610.754.7688.

T.P. TRAILER NASCAR MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH (30 laps): DOUG MANMILLER, Brett Kressley, Craig Von Dohren, Jeff Strunk, Mike Lisowski, Ryan Grim, Tim Buckwalter, Dylan Swinehart, Jared Umbenhauer, Eddie Strada, Kevin Hirthler, Ryan Watt, Rick Laubach, Jesse Leiby, Justin Grim, Jimmy Leiby, Mark Malcolm, Joe Funk, John Willman, Ryan Beltz, Ray Swinehart, Eric Biehn, Bobby Trapper Jr, Bobby Trapper Sr., Chris Gambler, Kevin Graver Jr., Craig Whitmoyer, Ron Haring Jr.

DID NOT QUALIFY: Eric Kormann, Darin Schuler, Lex Shive, Mark Kratz, Bobby Gunther-Walsh, Steve Young

T.P. TRUCK EQUIPMENT NASCAR SPORTSMAN FEATURE FINISH (25 laps): KYLE SMITH, Dakota Kohler, Logan Bauman, TJ Mayberry, Kenny Bock, Zane Roth, Mark Kemmerer, Brad Grim, Parker Guldin, Addison Meitzler, Logan Watt, Adrianna Delliponti, Brett Gilmore, Decker Swinehart, Cody Manmiller, Jesse Hirthler, Nathan Mohr, Brian Hirthler, Ryan Graver, Mark Mohr, Zach Steffey, Nicholas Hamm, Michael Burrows, Tom Miller Sr., Jesse Landis, Ronnie Solomon, Andy Ressler

DID NOT QUALIFY: BJ Joly, Keith Haring, Tom Miller Jr., Kaitlyn Bailey, Troy Gibson, Tyler Vidal, Colton Perry, Molly Struss, Mark Gaugler, Mike Stofflet, Nick Faust, Kyle Hartzell, Dallas Breidenbach, Nathan Horn, Hunter Iatalese

OUTLAW RACING SERIES VINTAGE FEATURE FINISH (15 laps): SCOTT SCHAFFER (Modified), Andy Cassel, Wes Cassel, Kevin Kuser, Joe Medaglia, GAGE PHILLIPS (Sportsman), Curt Neiman, Gene Whitehouse, Myron Haydt, Tori Hall, Leon Gaugler, Steve Hahn, Sven Olsen, Ron Paulson

UPCOMING EVENTS –

Sunday, May 28 – THUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES – ‘Balls to the Wall 50’ – 358 Modifieds*, 602 Sportsman – 7:30 pm.

Saturday, June 3 – A.D. MOYER LUMBER NIGHT - T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modifieds, T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman, Wingless Super Sportsman – 7:30 pm

Fri. June 9 – Outlaw Racing Series Enduro, Outlaw Racing Series Vintage, Xcel 600 Modifieds – 7 pm

Sat. June 10 – T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modifieds, T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman – 7:30 pm

Tue. June 13 – THUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES –JESSE HOCKETT CLASSIC EASTERN STORM – USAC National Sprint Tour, 358 Modifieds* - 7:30 pm - PIONEER POLE BUILDINGS NIGHT

Grandview Speedway PR

A longtime sponsor in motorsport, Caymus Vineyards and the Wagner family are excited to announce their partnership with 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner, Tony Kanaan, in the 107^th Running of the Indianapolis 500.

The family’s Bonanza Cabernet Sauvignon will be riding along with Kanaan as he takes to the starting grid for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Kanaan is universally adored by race fans and has been the recipient of a month-long celebration of his career as he possibly makes his final start in the iconic race. After posting a third-place finish a year ago, he will start ninth when he takes to the grid on Sunday.

“Tony has had an incredible career and we feel it is a good opportunity for us to celebrate his success as he pursues another Indianapolis 500 win,” said Karen Perry Executive Vice President of Caymus Vineyards. “His passion for auto racing, his family and the way he lives his life aligns well with our values at Caymus Vineyards. We will be following along and cheering for him.”

Kanaan, who has embraced Caymus over the years, is happy to have Bonanza Cabernet Sauvignon on board for 500 miles at the famed Brickyard. Bonanza was introduced in recent years by Caymus owner and winemaker Chuck Wagner, who aimed to offer a wine that celebrates the great state of California and can be enjoyed as a simple pleasure of life.

“The Wagner family has been committed to excellence in winemaking for over 50 years, and I share their passion in what I do on the race track,” said Kanaan. “It means a lot that Bonanza Cabernet Sauvignon is joining me as I try to capture my second Indianapolis 500 win on Sunday. I will be in Napa soon and I’m looking forward to making a visit to the winery and thanking them in person.”

On Sunday, Kanaan will start the Indianapolis 500 for the 22^nd time in his legendary career. He is second among active drivers in most laps led with 352, and he has a chance to make history yet again in what is projected to be his final Indy 500. If Kanaan leads a lap on Sunday, he will become the first driver to lead laps in the Indianapolis 500 with six different teams.

The Wagner family – who founded Caymus Vineyards – is celebrating a decade of sponsorship in auto racing. In the NASCAR Cup Series, the vineyard is partnered with championship-winning team, Stewart-Haas Racing, and race-winning driver, Aric Almirola, and their 2023 motorsport celebration was kicked off with a partnership with Haas F1 driver, Pietro Fittipaldi, in the esteemed Rolex 24 at Daytona. Caymus Vineyards also sponsors Kanaan’s Arrow McLaren teammate, Felix Rosenqvist, in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

The Wagners have a history in Napa Valley dating back to the 1850’s. Through the years, they have embraced a hands-on work ethic and are constantly trying out new ideas in pursuit of making exceptional wines. Whether it’s venturing to different regions to find diverse sources of top-quality grapes or experimenting with new farming techniques, the result is a pairing of tradition with innovation, a respect for the old with the promise of the new.

Chuck Wagner and his late parents, Lorna and Charlie, started Caymus Vineyards in 1972. They were a family of farmers who worked together for decades to create a signature style of Cabernet Sauvignon. Today, the family’s two Cabernets – Caymus Napa Valley and Caymus Special Selection – are among the region's most celebrated wines. Chuck now works alongside two of his children, Charlie and Jenny, and the family produces diverse wines from Napa Valley, other parts of California and beyond. Continually pursuing new ideas, they feel extremely fortunate to spend their days farming grapes and making wine. For more information, please visit wagnerfamilyofwine.com.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CaymusVineyards | www.facebook.com/tonykanaan

Twitter: @CaymusCab | @TonyKanaan

Instagram: @CaymusCab | @tkanaan

YouTube: www.youtube.com/wagnerfamilyofwine /

PMI PR

A FEW WEEKS AGO, YOU SAID YOU HAVEN’T BEEN LOOKING AT POINTS. NOW THAT YOU’RE GETTING A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO THE CUTOFF, I’M CURIOUS IF YOU’VE TAKEN ANY MORE OF A LOOK AT IT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS?

“I haven’t, really. I hear people talking about it.. that we were I guess somewhere closer and within reach of pointing our way in. But no, I haven’t been paying much attention to it. Really just trying to run better and get some stage points. To me, that’s probably been the biggest thing that we haven’t done, aside from winning. But we haven’t been getting a lot of stage points. We got some at Talladega and a pretty big chunk, but that’s really been about it. We’ve had some decent finishes, but not a lot of stage points.

What did you say.. 63 points?”

YES, 63 POINTS BEHIND 16TH RIGHT NOW WITH 13 RACES TO GO.

“Obviously there’s still some stuff going on there right because you have Alex (Bowman), who’s been out, and opportunities for new winners, too. It sounds like 63 points is attainable in 13 weeks, but I think a lot can happen. My goals don’t really change either way. Your best chance of having a shot at the championship is to go and put yourself in position to win races, and same for gaining the most amount of points you can have. If you’re running up front and in the mix of winning, those are the guys that are getting the most points every week. So to me, it’s all one in the same.”

IT’S BEEN SIX RACES, INCLUDING THE ALL-STAR RACE, THAT YOU’VE BEEN BACK BEHIND THE WHEEL. HOW DO YOU FEEL PHYSICALLY GETTING BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS? DO YOU FEEL MORE CAUGHT UP TO SPEED, SO TO SPEAK, WITH THE PACK?

“Yeah, I do. I don’t feel any different, honestly. I don’t even really feel like I missed any time, just from driving. I think the things that I haven’t done well, I wasn’t doing well before I got hurt, too. I think all that stuff is very much back on pace.

In the car, physically driving, I don’t feel any bit different than I did last season or the beginning of this year. I feel like all of that is very normal. Certainly outside of the car and just getting back to being 100 percent physically, it’s a long recovery. If I was playing a stick-and-ball sport, it would still be months from doing those things. So fortunately we’re in a position in these cars that – and I’ve said this – your leg is in a pretty good spot and it’s pretty secure, too. You could be in a much more compromised situation, for sure. Just lucky that’s the reality for us and in what we do, and I could get back to work.”

WHERE IS THE NO. 9 TEAM, IN TERMS OF PERFORMANCE? WHAT’S THE BIGGEST THING YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FOCUS ON?

“Well, stage points being one. And I think some of that comes with how you qualify. So yeah, qualifying has been really pour for me for probably six months or more. Unfortunately that trend has continued. I think that’s the big one, for sure. That impacts your pit pick – your pit pick you have to live with throughout the entire race. But yeah, qualifying a little better and stage points. And certainly want to run better in the races, too. I feel like some of the components have been there. Our pit stops have been really good this year. I feel like Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and everybody has called good races. I think it’s really just on me to do a better job and make sure I’m giving those guys the information that they need to make our car better, and then ultimately to go put down a faster lap in qualifying. Just trying to fine tune all of those little pieces. I think the pieces of the puzzle are there and our team has been performing really well in all of the areas that don’t necessarily pertain to me. So I’ve been super pleased with all of that and just trying to push and get a little better on my end to make sure I’m bringing my part to the table.”

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS HAS LED THE MOST LAPS. AT THIS RACE TRACK, HMS IS SO GOOD. IS THERE ANY REASON TO THINK THIS ISN’T A TYPICAL YEAR WHERE ONE OF THE HMS CARS WOULD WIN AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN THE COCA-COLA 600?

“Yeah, I certainly would like to think so, right? That betters my chances. Yeah, it’s been a really good track for Hendrick Motorsports over the years, even before I was around. I hope that those trends continue. Obviously I think you have to look at more recent history now to gauge where things are, especially since the Next Gen car has been implemented. And then even more recent than that, looking at this season - I feel like the 1.5-mile program has been solid as a whole for Chevrolet, which is a good thing, and also very solid for Hendrick Motorsports, in particular with William (Byron), Kyle (Larson) and Alex (Bowman), as well, before he got hurt. I think that’s been a strong suit, so would love to capitalize on that. I think it’s a place where we can come and run well at. I know one of our cars did the test here a couple of months ago or whenever they had it, so have some notes and information to look back on from that, so that’s always a help coming into the weekend. Just try to put together 600 miles and be around there for those last 100 to have a shot.”

YOU’VE SAID IT’S THE LONGEST RACE OF THE SEASON, BUT IT DOESN’T FEEL THAT WAY TO YOU? IS THAT TRUE WHEN YOU’RE RACING IT.. THAT IT DOESN’T FEEL THAT LONG?

“It really doesn’t. It is a long race, for sure. But I don’t know.. from the driver’s seat, I just feel like a lot of times when you’re running this race – which I feel like I’ve crashed out of quite a few of them. I did last year.. I think I was out before halfway last year. I guess it’s been a couple of years since I’ve finished one. But the couple that I have finished, I just feel like – it might seem a little longer, but you’re just so honed in on what’s going on right now, that next pit stop and just focused on that next task, so it makes it go by pretty fast from the driver’s seat, in my experience. Hopefully that’s the case again. Typically if things are going good, it goes by quicker. If you’re really struggling and having a hard time, it can make it go by slower. Hopefully we’re on the good end of that.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE THE WHOLE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS’ CAMP BACK FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY?

“Yeah, it’s just nice to be back to normal. I feel like everything at our campus over there has just been a little chaotic in one way or another right - with me getting hurt and just kind of not knowing when I was going to be able to come back and talking through all of that stuff. I feel like everybody over there did a great job handling it and same for Alex’s (Bowman) injury, too. But it’s just extra work, you know, that you don’t want to have to do – more questions to answer and I think a little bit of just a distraction more than anything. But fortunately or unfortunately, we’ve gotten well-versed in this category this year. Hopefully that’s the end of it, at least for this season. The good news is that there’s a lot of racing left. You have the entire summer stretch into early fall before the playoffs start, so plenty of time to get done what you’re going to get done and to figure out how you’re going to run and whether or not you’re going to be a contender or not. Those things don’t just change overnight, so plenty of time to get back on track if that’s what we’re going to do. I certainly feel like we can as a group and as a company and particularly in the No. 9 camp, too.”

YOU HAD A REMARKABLE SEASON LAST YEAR WITH FIVE WINS, BUT WE KIND OF EXPECT YOU TO BE THIS ROAD COURSE WARRIOR ONCE WE GET TO THOSE TYPES OF TRACKS JUST GIVEN YOUR SUCCESS THERE IN THE PAST. DID THE NEW CAR HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH NOT GETTING THE WINS ON THE ROAD COURSES LIKE YOU HAD IN THE PAST?

“No, we talked about this some last year and I feel like I answered this question then, too. I told y’all when we were winning all those road course races that I didn’t feel like I was doing anything special. We had a good package that worked out and it just suited me at the time. I don’t think I did anything special or spectacular. I tried to make sure everyone understood that. I just think as time goes on, everybody gets better and improves. Certainly coming in with a new car, you kind of have to re-baseline on some of those things – those thoughts and ideas that were working for us. You just can’t copy and paste those things, and all the little small details that I feel like we did a good of exceling at. So yeah, it’s just different. It’s definitely different everywhere, but certainly the road courses are no different in that regard.

I guess to answer your question – yes, I would say the new car and all the changes that came along with that, and then combining that with everyone just getting better in the garage, too.”

DID THE CAR FEEL CONSIDERABLY DIFFERENT WHEN YOU WERE AT SONOMA RACEWAY?

“Yeah, the car feels pretty different everywhere that I remember last year. To me, it was a complete departure from anything we had driven in the past in the NASCAR world. It’s just a different animal. The thing is just different, for sure, good or bad. It kind of has its own way now.”

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO GET BACK INTO A CONDITION WHERE YOU KIND OF FEEL LIKE YOU’RE AT 100 PERCENT?

“Well I think racing is the biggest piece of that puzzle, right? I sat around for six weeks or better there before Martinsville and I was hurting for sure after that. But even when you’re in good shape and you have good weeks of preparation, you can still go through a race weekend and certain events, temperatures or whatever can fatigue you more than others. I think it depends on the weekend. The good news is for Alex (Bowman) and probably me too with still trying to get back in the groove of things – it’s kind of cool here this weekend and obviously the rain coming through can impact that, as well. The summer stretch is going to be tough.. it always is. But Alex is in good shape and he hasn’t really been out that long. It’s only been four weeks, so I think he’s going to be fine. Like I said, he’s in good shape, so I don’t think he’s going to have a problem.”

GM PR

 Emerson Axsom qualified seventh and ran in eighth place for the first 40 laps of the Hoosier Hundred USAC Silver Crown race Friday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Unfortunately at that point it appeared that a front suspension component broke on his bright yellow Nolen Racing No. 20, and he crashed hard into the outside wall in Turn 1. Although he escaped injury, his KECO Coatings-sponsored Beast with a Tranter Chevy V8 suffered front-end damage and he was unable to continue in the 146-lap race.

The Franklin, Ind.-based driver, who was making his first USAC Silver Crown pavement start, unofficially finished 28th.

Axsom ran a 42.618 for two laps around the 0.686-mile asphalt oval in qualifying, which was just 0.892 off the time Bobby Santos ran to earn the pole.

Nathan Byrd passed Axsom at the start of the race to push him from seventh to eighth, but Axsom was able to hold off veteran Russ Gamester for the first 31 laps. Taylor Ferns passed Gamester on a restart on lap 31 and inched ahead of Axsom for an instant too, but he passed her back on the same lap and never dropped out of eighth place on the lap charts.

Gamester passed Ferns back on lap 34 to draw behind Axsom again, but once again Axsom was able to prevail until his car darted into the outside guardrail in Turn 1 working lap 41 to bring out the third yellow.

Axsom’s fastest lap of the race was lap three, when he was timed in 22.156 seconds. It was the 11th-fastest lap anyone ran in the race, which attracted the largest USAC Silver Crown field for a pavement race in 18 years with 35 entries.

Bobby Santos III won over Logan Seavey, Tyler Roahrig, Derek Bischak and Ferns.

In addition to Friday’s race, Nolen Racing plans to field a USAC Silver Crown car for Axsom in the races on 1-mile dirt tracks: Aug. 19 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield and Sept. 2 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in Du Quoin, Ill. One or two other USAC Silver Crown races on asphalt tracks will be added to the mix as scheduling permits.

Nolen Racing’s next race is tonight, Saturday, Nov. 27 when it fields asphalt sprint cars for Axsom and Shane Hollingsworth in the Lucas Oil Little 500 Presented by UAW at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway. Axsom will start fourth and Hollingsworth right behind him in seventh in the 33-car field.

Friday’s race was streamed live on Flo Racing and the Little 500 will be streamed live by MAVTV for Flo Racing.

For more information see NolenRacing.com and follow the team on Facebook and Twitter @NolenRacing.

Nolen Racing PR

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang – HOW WAS IT IN THE BOOTH AND WHAT IS YOUR OUTLOOK FOR THE RACE? “The booth today was a lot of just hanging out and eating probably too much junk food before a 600-mile race. We were just chilling and talking to our fans. Kevin graduated from the Driver’s Only, so that was a big news event for you guys today. I don’t know if you want to write all that down, but that was huge. Outside of that, we just had some fun and unfortunately the weather got the best of us. I’m looking forward to the race. The Coke 600, a crown jewel event and one that has haunted me for a while and one that I really, really want to win. Obviously, nobody knows what they’ve got as far as their race car without practice or qualifying, but we’ve got 600 miles to figure some stuff out.”

WHAT HAS CAUSED FORD’S INCONSISTENCY THIS YEAR? “I think you’re going down the right road to understand what’s going on. Everyone had the ability to adjust their front ends, cooling packages, and we didn’t maximize as well as we needed to. I think that’s the bottom line. There’s no other way around it, so we’re constantly looking for improvements and how we can make our cars better, just like everybody else is, but we’re starting a little bit behind. That doesn’t mean we can’t win races. It just means we have to be perfect, and that means the teams are gonna have to do their jobs to really overcome some of the issues. There’s still a long season. There are still plenty of races to win and plenty of time to turn the ship around a little bit, but it’s tough right now. It’s probably gonna be tough for the foreseeable future until we can make some adjustments, but we’re still in the hunt. When I look at the races that we’re executing perfectly from a car setup perspective, pit road perspective, strategy, restarts, if we nail all of those, we can win. If we miss one of those, we can’t win. So that’s just what it’s come down to right now is we have to strive for perfection, which we do anyways, but it really matters now in how we execute.”

IT SEEMS THE SUPERSPEEDWAYS HAVE BEEN SOLID, BUT THE ISSUES ARE SHORT TRACKS AND INTERMEDIATES. “Yeah. We’re lacking downforce. That’s where we’re lacking. There was a compare done a few weeks ago and everybody got to see it, so that’s the situation. It doesn’t mean we can’t make up that difference on car setup and maximizing what we have. If we do a better job than everybody else, we can make up that difference.”

HOW MUCH OF A CHALLENGE IS THIS WEEKEND WHEN NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THEY’VE GOT. IS 400 LAPS A LUXURY IN THAT REGARD? “No, it’s hard to say it’s a luxury. If you asked us this before COVID – what was this like starting a race without practice, we never did that.  We always would have practice before the race. Now, we are kind of used to it. It’s like, ‘OK, there’s no practice, no qualifying all right. We’ll just start the race and see what we’ve got,’ so it doesn’t seem as crazy as it used to be and, like I said, we’ll figure it out. You just hope you get your heights right. Really, these days with practice you can’t change a whole bunch anyway. You can adjust your heights, some wedge, swaybar arms and toe. That’s what you got, so there’s not a whole bunch of room for adjustment anyways, so it’s not as big of a deal as it used to be.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE UPDATES THAT WERE MADE THIS WEEK WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR? “I don’t think any of us are satisfied until we see that it’s better, and I think that’s kind of the situation we’re in. We’ve seen how we got to this spot that we’re in now as far as safety with developing the Next Gen car, and it’s frustrating. That was frustrating, but I feel like now there’s some pretty clear data on where we’re at and at least we can understand that, and there are steps being made to move forward and make it better. So, when you think about the rear clips, OK, that seems to be better. There’s been a few rear impacts and everyone seems like they’re doing OK. It stinks that it got to the point where it’s hurt a few drivers last year, and then you see Larson and Preece’s wreck in Talladega and you’re like, ‘OK, the front is too stiff, too.’ We can’t forget about that, so then next steps are made for that. The frustrating part is that we had to wait until some big wrecks happened to make changes. That was the frustrating part, but changes are being made now and that’s good.”

IS IT EASIER TO GO AND UNLOAD WITH THIS NEXT GEN CAR COMPARED TO OTHERS? “No, I don’t think it’s any easier. If anything, it’s harder because we understand the old car probably even better than we still understand this car, but it’s the same for everybody. Nobody had any laps. It’s all going off the setups that the engineers and crew chiefs and drivers have come up with. You’re looking at sim, other races at that track or other tracks like it, and the best decisions you can make. That’s what you’ve got and we’ll see what we’ve got tomorrow. It’s kind of exciting in some ways. It’s like, ‘How good did we do?’ So, I’m kind of excited about that part.”

WAS THAT THE LONGEST BROADCAST YOU WERE A PART OF TODAY? “That was the longest time I sat in the booth not doing anything, yes. I think you were there the whole time to see it.”

WHAT WAS IT LIKE? “It’s just hanging out. At that point, you’re just kind of bs-ing and having a little fun. We just tried to figure out what was going on and what was next as far as next hits that come up. We’ve got to do those and just wait it out like everybody else. It’s really not any different. We’re just waiting to hear the answers. You’d think that we would know the answers before everybody else up there in the TV booth, but that was not the case. We found out right at the same time as everybody else did.”

HAVE YOU DONE ANY iRACING OR SIM WORK FOR CHICAGO? “No.”

WILL THAT START THE WEEK BEFORE? “Yeah, probably something like that. I did some of the iRacing stuff when we did that during COVID. Actually, I take that back. I did do it one other time, but outside of that not right yet, but we’ll do some Ford sim stuff I’m sure and try to figure some stuff out there.”

CAN YOU IMAGINE GETTING IN A CAR A MONTH AFTER YOU BROKE YOUR BACK? “With no practice. That’s really hard, I would assume. It’s gotta be hard. Alex is a professional, though. He’s been racing his whole life. He’s a good driver. I’m sure it’s gonna feel a little weird at first because you’re getting back in something going really fast and it takes a few laps to get used to it again, which I would assume that’s what it’s gonna be. You can think of the offseason most of the time and you get back in the car at Daytona and you’re like, ‘Whoa. I haven’t driven a car since Thanksgiving’, and it feels a little odd. I’m sure it’s gonna be like that. Usually, we have practice to kind of work out those things and knock the rust off, but I’m sure with Alex it’s not gonna take long – a couple laps before he’s right back at it.”

HOW WILL KEVIN DO IN THE BOOTH NEXT YEAR? “I think Kevin will do fine. The one thing that all of us sitting in this room and everyone in this industry are very blessed to have is Kevin Harvick and the fact that Kevin Harvick isn’t going away. Kevin cares about this sport. He cares about the people in this sport. Hearing him talk about the guys in the garage a lot. He talks about the guys in the garage as much as the drivers or the fans. He cares about the sport is what I’m trying to say and that is shown in so many ways that you guys don’t see. I get to see, but also in ways that the world is gonna see in the Fox booth next year, and I think that’s something that we all should be pretty grateful for because, obviously, he has a great fan following, but he also has a very loud voice within the industry that is very well respected and the fact that he’s not just taking and leaving, meaning he had a great career and he left and he says, ‘Thanks. I’m out.’ He has decided to stay involved and continue to build the sport for the next generation. That says a lot about a person to me. If it wasn’t for people like that, I wouldn’t be sitting here today talking to you and you wouldn’t be sitting here watching the sport either or writing about the sport. This, to me, is a true hall of fame move that’s probably even bigger than a few race wins that he’s had. The fact that he cares enough to continue means a lot to me.”

DO YOU GET BETTER IN PRACTICE, IN THE RACES, OR IN THE SIMULATOR? HOW DO YOU DO IT? “It’s never one thing. It takes everything, every little piece to make it better. You’re talking just speed, at least the things you just brought up are speed knob type of things. That’s usually downforce, drag and horsepower. When you’re off, that’s usually the things that will bring the speed in and, really, these days that’s all you’ve got. There’s not gonna be a new spindle or something like that. You can’t make those anymore. What you’ve got is what you’ve got for parts, so if you’re off on speed, there’s only three things you can look at to get faster, and we need to maximize our setups and stuff like that, and understand the balance of mechanical grip versus aero grip and platform, and I feel like we’re doing a pretty good job at a lot of that stuff. We just have to continue to look for the little things. It’s just gonna take some time. It’s gonna be kind of grind it out type races and it doesn’t mean that when the playoffs come around we ain’t gonna be in the hunt. We are every year and I expect to be in the hunt again this year. I’ve been through these situations before and 2018 always comes to my mind when I ended up pretty damn well. My mind is kind of set on that, that we understand where we’re off and we’re working on it and we’ve got a little bit of time before the playoffs start. We may not go into the playoffs with the most playoff points, but it doesn’t mean we can’t win the championship. That’s our situation and until then we have to be perfect all the time.”

HOW MUCH OF A FACTOR IS THAT FOURTH STAGE TOMORROW? “It’s a very important race for that reason. When you add another 10 possible points and another playoff point sitting there, it’s one of those days that if you have a good car and you’re fast, boy, you can stack in some points. You can have an amazing day, so hopefully we have that, but that’s what makes the 600 different and special and you have that added stage to it, and, really, if it goes green stage to stage, there’s not a whole bunch of opportunity on strategy. You can split it down the center. There might be few people that go long, a few people go short if it goes green, but it’s not like there’s a caution and half the cars take two or stay out or whatever. If there is a caution, it may change some things up, but if there’s no cautions, a fast car is just gonna get a lot of points, and if there is a car up front and they execute the day, they’re gonna come walking out of here with a boat load of points.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR VISIT TO THE NAVAL STATION NORFOLK? “I was blessed enough to go for Mission 600 to go to Norfolk, Virginia, to visit the Navy Station out there. I got on a Destroyer and they gave me a tour of the whole ship and the tour was special. It was cool, but meeting the people was what really felt special to me and hearing their stories. I guess the thing that stood out to me the most is they just got back from an eight month tour and there were 14 members on that ship that have not met their kid, not met their baby yet. I guess that, to me, it gives me chills thinking about it right now. I couldn’t imagine the commitment that not only that soldier is making, but their family is making in just everyday living. That’s the way they live. They’re gone for eight months. They’re home for a couple weeks and then they’re leaving again for another three months in two weeks. So they’re going home to meet their kid for the first time. I just couldn’t imagine. I get antsy to go home after a rain delay and I’m home on Monday instead of Sunday night. Can you imagine being gone that long and you miss all of that as you fight for strangers that you have not met? Think about that commitment that these men and women do for us in this country. I guess every time I do something with the military it’s a good refresher, and I wish everybody in our country got to see what I got to see because I think that would change our culture and our perspective a lot because it is unreal. Weekends like this are great because it is in the front of everything. We’re stopping the race. We do all these things before pre-race. These things are key for us to do to be able to show our military the appreciation they deserve and it’s so easy for us to not think about that stuff because we live in our little world as we all do and everything is always great in our little world, but that’s because somebody is out there making a ridiculous commitment for us that we’ll never understand. Think about that. That was just a normal trip. Imagine going into battle and then paying the ultimate sacrifice that so many people have paid for us and a lot of them on the windshields of our cars this weekend. To me, that is unreal – that type of commitment people are willing to make for us. This weekend is special for that reason – to just show some appreciation, shake a hand, say thank you. It’s literally the least we can do. It never feels like enough. I always leave these places thinking, ‘Man, I’m not worthy.’ It’s just a special thing.  I wish everyone got to see it.”

Ford Performance PR