“It takes a team to put on a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series event, and we are thankful for our partners Clean Harbors and Wisconsin State Fair Park in giving Milwaukee race fans their first NASCAR race since 2009,” exclaimed Track Enterprises President Bob Sargent. “We had a great crowd of over 17,000 and we are thrilled with this opportunity to build on the success of our “Clean Harbors 175” and “Sprecher 150″ race events again on Sunday, August 25, 2024!”

Once again, The Milwaukee Mile race will be within the elimination-style NASCAR Playoffs. Alabama’s Grant Enfinger drove his Chevrolet Silverado to victory in the “Clean Harbors 175” in August and he remains in the 2023 championship hunt.

“NASCAR’s return to The Milwaukee Mile is made possible by the support of the race fans and our industry and sponsor partners. We encourage fans to follow us on our Milwaukee Mile – Track Enterprises Events Facebook page and on our website for exciting developments,” Sargent concluded.

Details on the 2024 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Milwaukee Mile race weekend, ticket and camping renewals and more, will be announced soon. For new ticket or camping inquiries, sign up to receive information by visiting the Track Enterprises-developed website, www.milwaukeemileracing.com.

RacingNation Crew

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West Allis, WI – After a late race pitstop, Grant Enfinger charged through the field at the historic Milwaukee Mile to capture his third win of the season in the Clean Harbors 175 and punch his ticket to the Round of Eight as he challenges for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship.

Enfinger pitted under caution after an incident in turn three involving the trucks of playoff contenders Nick Sanchez and Corey Heim. Carson Hocevar, who took the lead at the start of stage three, stayed on track and retained the lead. Several other drivers stayed out as well and with 27 laps to go, Enfinger was restarting in the 14th position. Starting on the pole, Enfinger had led the race twice for 77 laps to that point.

The Craftsman Truck Series returns to the Milwaukee Mile on a pace lap past the crowd in the stands. [John Wiedemann Photo]

The start of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Clean Harbors 175 at the Milwaukee Mile. [John Wiedemann Photo]

#16 Tyler Ankrum, #88 Matt Crafton [Roy Schmidt Photo]

#11 Corey Heim, #23 Grant Enfinger [Roy Schmidt Photo]

Playoff contenders Matt DiBenedetto, Corey Heim and Christian Eckes race into turn one at the Milwaukee Mile. [John Wiedemann Photo]

Zane Smith and Ty Majeski battle for position at the Milwaukee Mile during the Clean Harbors 175. [John Wiedemann Photo]

#1 William Sawalich, #33 Derek Lemke [Roy Schmidt Photo]

#35 Jake Garcia, #4 Chase Purdy, #13 Hailie Deegan, #98 Ty Majewski [Roy Schmidt Photo]

#2 Nicholas Sanchez and #11 Corey Heim bring out the final caution as #35 Jake Garcia, #4 Chase Purdy, #17 Taylor Gray, #38 Zane Smith, #98 Ty Majewski race past. [Roy Schmidt Photo]

#2 Nicholas Sanchez, 43 Daniel Dye [Roy Schmidt Photo]

#23 Grant Enfinger, #42 Carson Hocevar [Roy Schmidt Photo]

#23 Grant Enfinger (Winner) [Roy Schmidt Photo]

Hailie Deegan (13) battles ThorSport Racing teammate Conner Jones (66) for position at the Milwaukee Mile. [John WIedemann Photo]

Grant Enfinger on his way to victory at the Milwaukee Mile. [John WIedemann Photo]

Hailie Deegan races down the frontstretch at the Milwaukee Mile. [John Wiedemann Photo]

With his fast Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet, Enfinger quickly drove through the field to get to Hocevar and with 16 laps to go in the race, Enfinger retook the lead.

Earlier in the week, Enfinger’s team GMS Racing had announced it would be shutting the truck series team down at the end of the season. But that announcement wasn’t slowing Enfinger down.

“I don’t think anybody’s going to ask if we’re going to lay down again,” Enfinger said after climbing from his No. 23 Chevrolet. “(Crew chief) Jeff Hensley’s been focused the whole year. There’s been distractions going on all year long. So if anything, this has clarity.

Enfinger’s win was the 10th of his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series career.

Playoff contender Hocevar held on to second place in his Worldwide Express Chevrolet. Christian Eckes, Corey Heim, and Matt Crafton, all playoff contenders, rounded out the top five.

Wisconsin’s Ty Majeski finished seventh in his Road Ranger Ford. Majeski started at the back of the field and had to overcome a pass-through penalty at the start of the race due to issues getting through technical inspection prior to qualifying. Further penalties may be forthcoming as NASCAR had confiscated a right rear tire and ejected his crew chief, Joe Shear Jr.

The race had five lead changes with four different leaders and seven caution periods for 44 laps including the cautions ending Stage one and two.

The final race of the playoffs round of ten will take place on Friday, September 8th at Kansas Speedway.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race – Clean Harbors 175
Milwaukee Mile Speedway
West Allis, Wisconsin
Sunday, August 27, 2023

       1. (1) Grant Enfinger (P), Chevrolet, 175.
       2. (3) Carson Hocevar (P), Chevrolet, 175.
       3. (6) Christian Eckes (P), Chevrolet, 175.
       4. (8) Corey Heim (P), Toyota, 175.
       5. (22) Matt Crafton (P), Ford, 175.
       6. (7) Chase Purdy, Chevrolet, 175.
       7. (13) Ty Majeski (P), Ford, 175.
       8. (25) Derek Kraus(i), Chevrolet, 175.
       9. (9) Jake Garcia #, Chevrolet, 175.
       10. (14) Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 175.
       11. (11) Tanner Gray, Toyota, 175.
       12. (18) Zane Smith (P), Ford, 175.
       13. (4) Taylor Gray #, Toyota, 175.
       14. (15) Rajah Caruth #, Chevrolet, 175.
       15. (19) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 175.
       16. (10) Ben Rhodes (P), Ford, 175.
       17. (24) Colby Howard, Chevrolet, 175.
       18. (28) Conner Jones, Ford, 175.
       19. (29) Bret Holmes #, Chevrolet, 175.
       20. (16) Tyler Ankrum, Toyota, 175.
       21. (20) Lawless Alan, Chevrolet, 175.
       22. (17) Hailie Deegan, Ford, 175.
       23. (27) Sean Hingorani, Toyota, 175.
       24. (2) Nick Sanchez # (P), Chevrolet, 175.
       25. (26) Matt Mills (P), Chevrolet, 175.
       26. (12) William Sawalich, Toyota, 175.
       27. (23) Matt DiBenedetto (P), Chevrolet, 173.
       28. (5) Daniel Dye #, Chevrolet, 173.
       29. (32) Tyler Hill, Toyota, 173.
       30. (21) Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 172.
       31. (33) Derek Lemke, Ford, 172.
       32. (30) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 172.
       33. (35) Josh Reaume, Ford, 171.
       34. (36) Greg Van Alst, Chevrolet, Accident, 63.
       35. (34) Brad Perez(i), Toyota, Accident, 62.
       36. (31) Josh Bilicki(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 9.

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The Seymour, Wis. native is eyeing the winner’s trophy riding a huge wave of momentum, and has the luxury of already being locked in to the next round of the NASCAR Playoffs by virtue of his dominating series victory August 11 at Lucas Oil IRP in Indiana.

Majeski also led 76 of 100 laps on The Milwaukee Mile on June 18, 2023, on his way to victory in the “Father’s Day 100” ASA STARS National Tour super late model race, his 5th stock car race on The Mile in recent years. Majeski has more recent experience on the historic oval than all of his NASCAR competitors.

Only Majeski’s ThorSport Racing teammate Matt Crafton has NASCAR Truck Series experience on The Mile, as the series competed annually there from 1995 – 2009. Promoter Track Enterprises has ended the long 14 year wait for Wisconsin fans for NASCAR’s return to the speedway located on the Wisconsin State Fair Park grounds.

Adding to Majeski’s odds-on favorite status to win on his home track is the experience of his team’s crew chief Joe Shear, Jr., a Clinton, Wis. native. Shear won as a crew chief on The Mile in 2005 in the NASCAR XFINITY Series with driver Johnny Sauter, coming after years of working on his father’s team in ASA and ARTGO Series events on The Mile.

“This is obviously really close to me, being a Wisconsin native,” said Majeski. “My Crew Chief Joe Shear Jr. is from Wisconsin as well. When the 2023 NASCAR schedule came out I don’t know if there was a track I would be more excited about than Milwaukee! I’m super excited to be back here, there’s so much history with the Tuck Series here.”

For Majeski, winning the 2021 “Father’s Day 100” ASA race on The Mile completed a list of asphalt Wisconsin tracks he’s raced on and won on. He has won on all of them!

“It’s cool to have finally won at The Mile. I think I’ve won at every paved racetrack in Wisconsin, including Road America,” he exclaimed. “You only get so many chances to run at the Milwaukee Mile so that was one that I always had circled on my schedule, one that we’ve wanted to win. Just coming to a racetrack that I have a lot of experience at, over the other Truck competitors, and having it be a playoff race is a huge benefit to our race team. We expect to come here and run well and have a chance to win.”

Majeski leads an expected entry list that includes 3-5 more Wisconsin drivers competing in the “Clean Harbors 175” NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race, scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Central Time, which will be the second of two races on August 27th.

Wausau, Wis. native Luke Fenhaus is racing in the “Sprecher 150” ARCA Menards Series race at noon. In NASCAR’s top development series, the past two Milwaukee ARCA race winners are now racing full-time in NASCAR National Series, in Ty Gibbs and Sammy Smith.

For information on NASCAR’s return to The Milwaukee Mile, visit www.milwaukeemileracing.com.

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by Pete Gorski

Let’s get this out of the way right here at the top. There are more than a few people in Wisconsin (and probably some in downtown Chicago) who wish that the Xfinity Road America 180 on Saturday was the opening act for a Sunday Cup race. But it wasn’t, and that’s…ok. The drivers of the Xfinity series still gave their all, and put on a show just like they have for the last thirteen years. More on the NASCAR part of the weekend later.

Three other series ran with NASCAR over the weekend — GridLife, Porsche Carrera Cup North America, and the Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car. The Carrera Cup is a long-running and familiar series, running as support with many different sanctioning bodies over the years. The Optima Search is maybe less well-known, but has been around for many years as well. GridLife…this was my first exposure to their particular form of motorsports.

Allgaier qualified 3rd on Friday. [Pete Gorski Photo]

[Pete Gorski Photo]

Smith throws flames off throttle entering Turn 6 during Friday qualifying. [Pete Gorski Photo]

GridLife Touring Challenge action. [Pete Gorski Photo]

Yep, a minivan. [Pete Gorski Photo]

The fastest duck hunter in Grid Life Time Attack. [Pete Gorski Photo]

Sometimes the Ultimate Street Car is a truck! — The Optima Ultimate Street Car Challenge. [Pete Gorski Photo]

[Pete Gorski Photo]

Not the celebration we were looking for… [Pete Gorski Photo]

Future-winner Sam Mayer narrowly escapes the carnage behind him in Turn 5. [Pete Gorski Photo]

Bunched up early during Stage One. [Pete Gorski Photo]

The curbs are a part of the course… [Pete Gorski Photo]

[Pete Gorski Photo]

[Pete Gorski Photo]

[Pete Gorski Photo]

For this event, GridLife ran multiple Track Battle Time-Attack sessions interspersed with mixed-class races, emphasis on “mixed”. While some of the cars appear professionally prepared, as their announcer stressed, these cars are all built in a garage. I think the distinction he was trying to draw is, these aren’t pro teams or prep shop specials (Because aren’t those cars built in a garage too? Anyway…), they’re developed and maintained by the people who drive them. But clearly these folks know what they’re doing. Some of the cars, especially the front-runners, produced serious speed and looked the part. I suspect a few entries may have been getting some experience on the new surface for the upcoming Michelin Pilot and World Challenge events.

There’s that famous quote from Ernest Hemmingway about there being only three real sports, everything else is just games. And yes, racing (one of his three) is a serious activity. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun or display some humor. Whether it was the hashtag GoFastOrSuck on a Mitsubishi Evo, a Duck Hunt-inspired livery on a Mustang, or the Good and Plenty colors on a first-gen NSX, there was levity, at least in this regard, that you don’t see in capital-P pro series.

The aforementioned variety made for an interesting symphony of engine notes too. That Duck Hunt Mustang? You could hear its blower whining from two turns away, with waste gates from the many turbo-ed motors thwapping away as they sprinted from turn to turn. And of course the smaller displacement cars make their distinctive high-pitched whir.

Perhaps the most “unique” entry of the weekend ran in the Touring Cup portion — a Honda Odyssey minivan, and a fairly stock one at that. It may not have been the fastest set of wheels out there, but it sounded better hustling into Turn 8 than you might expect.

As a known commodity, the Porsche Carrera Cup provided what you’d expect them to — a large field of well-prepared 911s with some spirited competition at the front. Most sports car series feature different manufacturers, often with different engine configurations, producing their own specific engine notes. Unless you’re a regular fan of single-make series, hearing 30+ cars blast past you producing the exact same engine sound…well it’s not bad, it’s just unusual.

The Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car entries are similar in style to the GridLife folks, in that they’re heavily modded machines. But the Optima cars are different in one big way, and it’s right there in the name — they’re street-legal, not racecars. Their weekend was comprised of a variety of competitions: a start-stop exercise, lapping on the full 4.048-mile course, and an autocross session, this year run on the Briggs and Stratton Motorplex course. I checked out some of the autocross action after the Xfinity race. I think the narrowness of the Motorplex course (it’s predominantly used for karting) worked against the bigger cars.

So…the Xfinity race. It’s an interesting dynamic, the way their weekend runs. It wasn’t until 4pm Friday that the stockers went out for about 50 minutes of practice, followed by another 50 minutes of qualifying. And with their race scheduled to end around 4pm Saturday, they were really going to be in town for only about 24 hours.

This was the fourteenth time the Xfinity series has run at Road America, with the previous two visits run as the Saturday opener for the Cup race. The big story before the green flag fell was the presence of three Wisconsin drivers in the field, Josh Bilicki, Parker Retzlaff, and Sam Mayer. By now you’ve probably seen the dramatic green-white-checker finish that saw the trio of Justin Allgaier, Sage Karam, and Mayer battling between Turn 6 and Turn 8, with Allgaier spinning under braking in Turn 8 and Mayer running wide in Canada Corner. Karam then joined the many drivers (and not just in this series) who found themselves running wide on the exit of Turn 13, giving the lead to a lurking Parker Kligerman.

Mayer ran inside Kligerman at Turn 14, taking the lead as they powered up the long front straight. Mayer defended well, especially when you consider that due to an extensive oiling of the track earlier in the race, large segments of the new surface were coated in grip-reducing oil-dry residue. He held on to take his first Xfinity win in front of a vocal crowd of supporters.

The only thing Mayer didn’t get quite right was the expected and eagerly-anticipated victory donuts in Turn 5. Running a little deep into the paved runoff, he seemed to be setting up for the tire-smoking ritual, but then changed his mind. Turning back toward the track, he drove across part of the gravel trap and, no doubt not wanting to beach the car, got back on the throttle…damaging the front end as he bounced back on to the pavement.

Oh well. They say winning makes everything better, and it’s not the first time a car has rolled into Victory Lane sporting some damage. Here’s hoping he has more opportunities in the future to get that burnout game in shape.

Pete Gorski

I’ve been a race fan from the first time my Dad put a slot-car controller in my hand. That was back in the 1970s, and in the intervening years, I’ve spent hours watching racing, photographing racing, and for the past seven years, writing about racing. My work has appeared in Victory Lane magazine and SpeedTour Quarterly, along with the Visors Down Motorsports Photography Facebook page.

www.gorskiphotoservices.com

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NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (May 21, 2023) – Kyle Larson left no doubt as to who shined brightest in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The iconic track’s 27-year wait for NASCAR’s return led to Larson pulling a remarkable weekend sweep – winning the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Tyson 250 on Saturday – and following it with a convincing All-Star Race win a day later.

Larson started 15th in Sunday’s 200-lap showcase event, but he struggled with an ill-handling car in the early stages. One pit stop after a Lap 15 caution – for tires and chassis adjustments – transformed Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet into a rocket, but he had to go through the entire field after being penalized for speeding on pit road. Larson went from the tail end to second in 36 laps, and passed pole winner Daniel Suarez for the lead on Lap 55.

Larson led 145 of the remaining 146 laps and beat Bubba Wallace to the finish line by 4.124 seconds. Tyler Reddick finished third with Chase Briscoe fourth and Chase Elliott fifth. Ryan Blaney was sixth with Suarez seventh. Erik Jones – in a throwback STP No. 43 Chevrolet, painted like NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty’s iconic car – finished eighth.

Ty Gibbs and Joey Logano rounded out the top 10.

The victory was Larson’s third in a NASCAR All-Star Race, and his third at a different facility. He won the 2019 event at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the 2021 running at Texas Motor Speedway.

Josh Berry, subbing for the injured Alex Bowman, won Sunday’s All-Star Open and finished 15th in the All-Star Race.

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (RACE WINNER): “It was a great night. Great job to Marcus (Smith, Speedway Motorsports’ president and CEO) and his whole team on reviving this place. I don’t think any of us thought that when Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) was here cleaning up weeds and cleaning it up for iRacing (in December of 2019), that we’d ever be here racing. The vibe was great tonight, with all the fans, and it helped that my car was quick. I didn’t expect to be fast at all. … Friday (in practice) we were really bad. We had a good one-lap run but if you looked at my 30-lap average, it was like second to last. I thought we’d run around 15th tonight.

“We pitted for tires, I sped on pit road and we restarted last, but I started picking off some cars and I could get my line working and manage my tires. Once I was picking people off, I was wondering, ‘Is my car this good, or is the tire fall-off this bad?’ We got the lead, and I was like, ‘I want to lap as many cars as I can.’ I think they said I had a 12-second lead at one point. It’s just so cool to dominate like that, like you used to see people dominate races here in the 1980s. I’m very proud of winning this race at three different venues. I am extremely proud to have won the All-Star Race, but to win it at three different tracks is really neat. … This track is so cool. It has a grassroots feel to it, and to me, I think that’s what makes it so special.”

CLIFF DANIELS, NO. 5 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (WINNING CREW CHIEF): “I wasn’t sure how the flow of the race would go. I was watching old North Wilkesboro races earlier this week on YouTube, and there were a lot of green flag runs. I knew that drivers were going to be driving the track, so there was a chance that there would be fewer caution flags. When we pitted (after the Lap 15 caution), we were in 18th, so I thought we needed to do something different than the leaders.”

BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 23 23XI RACING TOYOTA (RUNNER-UP): “We won ‘the best of the rest.’ (Kyle) Larson was lights-out, so congrats to him. Those guys, they’ve been hitting it on the head really all season, so running second to them isn’t so bad. … I’m proud of my team. Our Columbia Toyota Camry was super strong. … To keep our name in the mix is super important for us. The momentum train is still real. It’s still rolling.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 45 23XI RACING TOYOTA (THIRD-PLACE FINISHER): “I feel like I got into a rhythm that I needed to be in, maybe 50 laps into the race.. I knew the speed of the car was there. It was there on Friday afternoon in practice. We were stacked down in the field from the heat races (on Saturday) and we didn’t have the long-run speed we needed to get going in the right direction.”

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West Allis, WI – Current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point leader, Ty Majeski was at the Milwaukee Mile to help announce, after a fourteen-year absence, the return of NASCAR to the oldest operating motor speedway in the world.

The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series 175-lap race at the Milwaukee Mile on Aug. 27 will be named the Clean Harbors 175. Clean Harbors is a long-time race partner and worldwide sustainability leader.

Ty Majeski at the Milwaukee Mile to talk about the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Clean Harbors 175 race at the Mile on August 27th, 2023. [John Wiedemann photo]

Majeski, a native of Seymour Wisconsin, accomplished the dream of winning at “The Mile” in the Midwest Tour Series race on Father’s Day weekend in 2021. “It’s cool to finally have won here at the Mile. I think I’ve won at every paved racetrack in the state of Wisconsin, including Road America. You only get so many chances to race at the Milwaukee Mile. That was one that I always had circled on my schedule, one that we wanted to win, and we finally got it done in 2021.”

The 2023 Craftsman Truck Series season has started off hot for Majeski and with seven races complete he sits on top of the standings. Majeski only has one finish outside of the top six in the seven races, an eleventh place run at Atlanta.

Looking to be in the playoffs when August rolls around, Majeski is happy to see Milwaukee as the second race in the Truck Series playoffs. “Just coming to a racetrack that I have a lot of experience at over the other competitors and having it be a playoff race is a huge benefit to the entire race team and we expect to come here and run well and hopefully have a chance to win at the end.”

“I think having experience here is going to be a leg up on everyone else. I think there are only a couple drivers in the series now that have had experience here in a truck so knowing the racetrack is going to be an advantage over everyone else. NASCAR doesn’t allow us to come test anymore so we’ll just have a short 50 minute practice session on the 27th. Just to have that experience level will be crucial.”

Majeski started racing karts at the age of nine and started touring Wisconsin in a late model when he was fifteen. Moving to Super Late Models, Majeski was a threat to win every race he went to. One of those victories was at the Milwaukee Mile and that experience gives him confidence at the track even with a different vehicle. “With Super late models, this is a big track for us and coming here in a truck it is a small one. It’s a different mindset, the trucks are a lot heavier. In the truck it will be a lot more tire management with a lot of tire fall off, definitely a different mindset.”

Being a home-state favorite, look for a Majeski crowd in the Milwaukee stands in August. “Oh yeah, we have busses lined up. There is one coming from LaCrosse, where my Late Model team is from and also from the Valley, where I am from, so definitely a lot of people in the stands.”

In addition to the Clean Harbors 175, fans will be treated to a double-dose of side-by-side racing action when the ARCA Menards Series opens the day’s racing card with the Sprecher 150.

“This race was always a battle and this year, in its return, won’t be any different,” said Milwaukee Mile promoter and Track Enterprises president Bob Sargent. “The relatively flat mile means lots of gear shifting, lots of lead changes and, most importantly, lots of action. The whole Track Enterprises team looks forward to NASCAR’s return to the historic Milwaukee Mile. We’re excited to see some great CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series Racing.

“A lot of people missed this race. There’s nostalgia and there’s excitement – the best of both worlds. We think this is a win-win for everyone and anticipate the teams, fans, sponsors and local community to enjoy a fantastic weekend of action at this incredible race track.”

For more information or to purchase tickets for the Clean Harbors 175 weekend, please log on to trackenterprises.com.

The Clean Harbors 175 from the Milwaukee Mile will be televised live on FS1 Sunday, August 27 beginning at 4 p.m. EDT. The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

John Wiedemann

John Wiedemann is the owner, editor and developer of the RacingNation.com website.

A motorsports fan from his earliest memories, John started going to local short tracks and the Milwaukee Mile with his parents, brother and sister. John enjoys drivers racing side by side and battling for the same piece of real estate on the racetrack as much as he appreciates the technical aspects of the sport.

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By Holly Cain – NASCAR Wire Service

SEBRING, Fla. – A sunny sky, low humidity and a historic sports car track greeted the NASCAR Garage 56 Project at Sebring International Raceway Tuesday as the team turned its final test laps before the No. 24 Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is loaded up for its trip to compete in the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 10-11.

Drivers Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller, Jenson Button and Jordan Taylor ran laps in both the primary and back-up Camaros all day Monday and Tuesday, working out any lingering technical bugs in the car and also practicing pit stops and driver changes underneath the “Gurney Terrace” overlooking Sebring pit lane.

New stickers have now been affixed to the cars – including the boxed letters “IC” just in front of the front wheels. – marking the single-car “Innovative Car” class that the Garage 56 Chevrolet will compete in at Le Mans.

Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick flew into the Sebring airport adjacent to the rural track late Tuesday morning to see the car on track and take a photo with the approximately 50 team members guiding the test. The Garage 56 entry is a combined effort with Hendrick Motorsports, IMSA, Chevrolet and Goodyear – representatives from all invested in the project there to wish the car “au revoir.”

“I feel really good about it,” said the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who, like Hendrick, will be making his first trip ever to the Le Mans endurance race. “We’ve put in many hours, a lot of work, a lot of collaboration and I feel like we’re in a really good spot. This has been a great test this week, really just working on the small details literally down to things like what color are the buttons on the steering wheel and is the black light inside the car bright enough in the right areas that we can see the dayglow buttons to push at the right time.

“We’re really in a good place.”

Johnson, now a team owner/driver with Legacy Motor Club in the NASCAR Cup Series, will drive in the iconic Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28 and then leave immediately for Paris where he will undergo a nearly day-long mandatory orientation the following day.

“There’s a requirement that every new driver must come in and drive their simulators and work through all their procedures,” Johnson said. “They use a different safety car procedure; they have slow zones. There are some nuances I need to learn and that’s what the sim session is for.”

His teammate Rockenfeller was equally satisfied with the Sebring test sessions. The drivers – all dressed in plain black drivers suits – were smiling in between discussions with the engineers.

“As a driver or engineer, you always like to have more time and do more stuff and prepare better,” said Rockenfeller, a sports car champion and former Le Mans winner (2010), adding with a smile, “Luckily there is a fixed date, or we would continue to test for another three years. That’s normal in racing.

“I think we are feeling quite good to be honest. I am quite confident we are prepared. We have to go to Le Mans and it’s a different place, different track and see what challenges we will face there in terms of set-up with the car or issues we may face that we didn’t here. Then you have to react. We have a great team here.”

There were lots of smiles in the team’s trackside temporary tented headquarters. NASCAR Chief Executive Officer Jim France and IMSA President John Doonan joined Hendrick to take a final look at the Garage 56 Project before the cars are sent overseas. Former NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Greg Ives is crew chief on the No. 24 and Hendrick Motorsports executive Chad Knaus is overseeing the project for the team.

“The thing I’m most proud of is all the partners that have come in, and the sound of that race car,” France said watching laps from pit lane and declaring with a smile. “A year ago, at the Sebring race we sat down here and now to go over and watch them race is an exciting moment.”

“A lot of European fans are familiar with our IMSA cars and when a NASCAR car shows up there it’s going to be unique for a lot of European fans to actually see one up close and personal. And of course, we’ve got a fantastic driver lineup.”

“We were able to get NASCAR drivers,” he said smiling, noting that Johnson, Rockenfeller, Button and Taylor have all made NASCAR Cup Series starts in the last two seasons.

Shortly after the morning session ended, the full gathering of drivers, owner, crew and racing executives stood alongside the cars for a final photograph before they all dispatch to France to see their hard work in action.

“Now we’ve got to go do it,” Hendrick said. “There’s a tremendous amount of pride in this from our organization, Goodyear, Chevrolet, NASCAR, IMSA. You don’t have to talk to Jim France very long to know what this means to him. And I was honored he asked us to do this.”

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TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 19, 2023) – Talladega Superspeedway announced today that original “Alabama Gang” members Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, and Red Farmer will serve as the Grand Marshals and will give the command to fire engines for the GEICO 500 this Sunday, April 23.

The pre-race celebrants are joining the weekend as part of the NASCAR Legends Presented by GEICO campaign, highlighting traditions and stories throughout the rich history of NASCAR, which will conclude with the GEICO 500. Fans will get to see the legends on Sunday at BIG BILL’S in the Talladega Garage Experience, as the “Alabama Gang” members will have an autograph session from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CT.

In addition to giving the command, after the familiar sight of Johnny Ray’s big rig flying the American flag during the National Anthem, Donnie Allison will take a ceremonial lap in his famed #27 1968 Ford. The car won five races between 1968-1970, and had a local tie-in to Talladega with sponsorship from Sunny King Ford in nearby Anniston, Alabama. It is being provided for the race weekend by The Garage Shop Performance Fabrication collection from Catawba, NC.

“To have the original ‘Alabama Gang’ members involved in our pre-race ceremonies is truly an honor,” said Talladega Superspeedway President Brian Crichton. “It’s going to be very special seeing Donnie drive around the track during his ceremonial lap. The impact that Bobby, Donnie, and Red had on both NASCAR and Talladega can’t be measured and it always means a lot to the fans when they come out to the track.”

Farmer and the Allison brothers became popular in Alabama during the late 1950s and early 1960s while racing on short tracks in Birmingham, Huntsville and Montgomery. In 2014, Talladega Superspeedway named the 4,000-foot backstretch “The Alabama Gang Superstretch,” which showcases scripts at the exit of turn two and near the entrance of turn three in their honor.

The Alabama Gang also had great success racing at Talladega Superspeedway. Bobby visited Victory Lane four times during his career. He won 85 career races and was the 1983 NASCAR Cup Series champion. Donnie was able to win twice at Talladega (1971, 1977) and earned 10 career wins in the NASCAR Cup Series. Farmer obtained two wins in the ARCA Menards Series at Talladega and is a 3-time NASCAR Late Model Sports Champion (1969, 1970, 1971). Bobby was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2011 and Red joined him with the Class of 2021.

While legends will be celebrated all weekend long as part of the NASCAR Legends Presented by GEICO, the future of the sport will also take to the track as part of the all-new NASCAR Youth Series. The NASCAR Youth Series is a partnership between USAC and NASCAR in which young racers compete in quarter midgets in a schedule that includes nine pavement and four dirt races at temporarily constructed tracks.

Racing starts at 8:30 a.m. each day. Friday’s racing goes throughout the day, Saturday’s racing goes until 11:30 a.m., and Sunday will feature the A-Mains followed by award presentations. All racing takes place in the Midway outside the frontstretch and is free to fans.

Racers from the series will join the NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers on-stage during pre-race for the Ag-Pro 300 on Saturday, and the winners will be recognized on Sunday during pre-race for the GEICO 500.

The GEICO 500 weekend will have many other great activations and events. These include the Big One on the Blvd, Saturday Night Infield Concert with Travis Denning and Cole Swindell, Kids Day sponsored by First Bank of Alabama, and Alabama Racing Pioneers which includes vintage cars highlighting Dale Earnhardt Sr & Jr, and Richard Petty.

The Midway will have 17 corporate displays, merchandise haulers, food and beverage, and fan activities including axe throwing, caricature artists and balloon artists. And the pre-race ceremonies Sunday will showcase high school bands, including one with more than 300 members. Live music will be featured from a DJ with a T-Shirt cannon for fan giveaways.

This year’s spring action at Talladega kicks off Saturday, April 22, with a doubleheader featuring the ARCA Menards Series General Tire 200 followed by the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 later that same day. Then the sun sets and the party starts with Cole Swindell’s performance in the Saturday Night Infield Concert Presented by Cabo Wabo Tequila.

Saturday’s excitement continues into Sunday with the return of the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, as drivers prepare to tackle the iconic 33-degree banking. Admission to Swindell’s concert is free with purchase of a ticket to Sunday’s race.

For ticketing information and more details about upcoming events, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com. Fans are also encouraged to keep up with all the happenings at Talladega Superspeedway by following along on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as in the NASCAR Tracks App for the latest speedway news.

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Aug. 7, 2022

By Reid Spencer – NASCAR Wire Service

On a blustery Sunday in the Irish Hills of Michigan, Kevin Harvick saved his season.

Grabbing the lead and pulling away after a restart on Lap 166 of 200 at Michigan International Speedway, Harvick won the FireKeepeers Casino 400 by 2.903 seconds over pole winner Bubba Wallace and leap-frogged bubble-riding Martin Truex Jr. in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings.

Harvick’s victory ended a 65-race drought for the 46-year-old former series champion from Bakersfield, California. The win was his sixth at Michigan and his fifth in the last seven races at the 2.0-mile track.

Harvick now has 59 victories in the series, 10th-most all-time. With the win, the eighth straight at the track for Ford drivers, he is likely to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff. Harvick is the only driver to have earned a postseason spot every year since the current elimination format was introduced in 2014, the same year he won his series title.

“Everybody who doubted us doesn’t know us,” said Harvick, who led 38 laps on Sunday, 25 more than he had led in the previous 22 races combined. “They, obviously, know we thrive in these types of situations. And a lot of things went our way today, which we haven’t had all year long—have things go our way and have things fall our way.

“And then there at the end we pitted, didn’t go a lap down, and the caution came out, got control of the race. That’s the thing I struggled with the most today was traffic and the restarts and just having to make up ground. Once I got clear track, that baby was hunting.”

As Harvick indicated, the race broke his way. The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford brought his car to pit road on Lap 158 for a green-flag stop. A lap later, NASCAR called the seventh caution of the afternoon when Ross Chastain’s Chevrolet and Christopher Bell’s Toyota collided in Turn 4.

Harvick remained on the lead lap and inherited the top spot when the contending cars ahead of him pitted under the yellow. With Wallace bottled up behind Joey Logano’s Ford after the Lap 166 restart, Harvick opened a gap of more than four seconds in clean air and cruised to his first win since Sept. 19, 2020 at Bristol.

Wallace was disconsolate as he replayed the final restart in his head.

“Just replaying everything I could have done,” said Wallace, who led twice for 22 laps. “Took the top there on the restart. Thought I could hang with the 4 (Harvick), and just got to racing the 5 (Kyle Larson) and the 22 (Logano). And 22 did a good job of getting another Ford contract, helping a Ford win.

“Just all in all an incredible weekend. Appreciate my team. Wished we could have got Toyota in the Victory Lane. Wish we got (sponsor) McDonald’s back in victory lane. She was fast all week, man. Just I’ll wear this one on my heart for a while. I failed everybody.”

Denny Hamlin finished third in arguably the fastest car in the race. On his final pit stop under caution on Lap 160, Hamlin incurred a penalty for too many men over the wall when his crew corralled a runaway tire from an adjacent pit stall.

Hamlin restarted 22nd and charged to third, 3.910 seconds behind the race winner.

Logano came home fourth, followed by Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney. Martin Truex Jr., Larson, Erik Jones, Alex Bowman and Ty Gibbs (subbing for injured Kurt Busch) completed the top 10.

The race was delayed just over an hour due to inclement weather. That didn’t deter the fans in the grandstands, the largest crowd at Michigan International Speedway since 2016. In addition, infield camping was sold out for the weekend for the first time since 2012.

Blaney now leads Truex by 19 points for the final Playoff berth, which will be determined on points if there are no additional unique winners in the next three races.

An early nine-car accident in Turn 2 eliminated two of the top five qualifiers—Kyle Busch and Austin Cindric. Moments after a restart on Lap 25, J.J. Yeley’s No. 15 Ford got loose, checked up and turned sideways in the middle of the pack.

In the ensuing melee, Cindric’s No. 2 Ford crashed nose-first into the outside wall and Buch’s No. 18 Toyota also sustained terminal damage. The cars of Yeley, Almirola, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and rookie Harrison Burton also were knocked out of the race.

“Just chaos ensued on the restart there, and I don’t know what started it, but the 10 (Almirola) got spun in front of me, and then I got wedged between him and the wall,” said Busch, who had elected to pit on Lap 22 under a competition called because of a rainstorm that delayed the start of the race.

“When you get back there, things happen on restarts, especially when you have guys that stayed out and don’t have tires versus those that have four tires. Was not really in a hurry and knew we were coming to stage points in another 40 laps or so and it was going to be a long run to get there—and then we all just crashed.”

NASCAR Cup Series Race – 54th Annual FireKeepers Casino 400
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Michigan
Sunday, August 7, 2022
1. (16) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 200.
2. (1) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 200.
3. (9) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200.
4. (4) Joey Logano, Ford, 200.
5. (24) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 200.
6. (7) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 200.
7. (8) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200.
8. (10) Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 200.
9. (30) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 200.
10. (11) Ty Gibbs(i), Toyota, 200.
11. (13) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200.
12. (20) William Byron, Chevrolet, 200.
13. (26) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.
14. (25) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.
15. (33) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 200.
16. (19) Chris Buescher, Ford, 200.
17. (21) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 200.
18. (31) Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, 200.
19. (32) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 200.
20. (23) Chase Briscoe, Ford, 200.
21. (35) Josh Bilicki(i), Chevrolet, 200.
22. (34) Cody Ware, Ford, 200.
23. (36) BJ McLeod(i), Ford, 199.
24. (22) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 199.
25. (15) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 198.
26. (2) Christopher Bell, Toyota, Accident, 193.
27. (37) Todd Gilliland #, Ford, 188.
28. (14) Michael McDowell, Ford, 187.
29. (6) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, Engine, 110.
30. (12) Noah Gragson(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 109.
31. (17) Cole Custer, Ford, Accident, 94.
32. (27) Harrison Burton #, Ford, Accident, 29.
33. (28) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 25.
34. (18) Aric Almirola, Ford, Accident, 25.
35. (29) JJ Yeley(i), Ford, Accident, 24.
36. (3) Kyle Busch, Toyota, Accident, 24.
37. (5) Austin Cindric #, Ford, Accident, 24.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 137.825 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 54 Mins, 8 Secs. Margin of Victory: 2.903 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 7 for 36 laps.

Lead Changes: 15 among 10 drivers.

Lap Leaders: B. Wallace 1-21;C. Bell 22-48;T. Gibbs(i) 49-50;R. Chastain 51-79;D. Hamlin 80-93;C. Bell 94-96;E. Jones 97-101;C. Buescher 102;D. Hamlin 103-122;D. Suarez 123-137;C. Bell 138;D. Suarez 139-156;D. Hamlin 157-160;B. Wallace 161;B. McLeod(i) 162;K. Harvick 163-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Denny Hamlin 3 times for 38 laps; Kevin Harvick 1 time for 38 laps; Daniel Suarez 2 times for 33 laps; Christopher Bell 3 times for 31 laps; Ross Chastain 1 time for 29 laps; Bubba Wallace 2 times for 22 laps; Erik Jones 1 time for 5 laps; Ty Gibbs(i) 1 time for 2 laps; BJ McLeod(i) 1 time for 1 lap; Chris Buescher 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 20,11,43,19,17,1,24,4,22,14

Stage #2 Top Ten: 11,99,5,20,6,43,3,48,24,22

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By Holly Cain – NASCAR Wire Service

Chase Elliott has been declared the winner of Sunday’s M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway after first and second place finishers, Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch were disqualified following post-race technical inspection.

It’s a series-best fourth race victory for the driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, who now leads the championship standings by 105-points over Ross Chastain and 111-points over Ryan Blaney.

It is the first time this season a race winner has been disqualified.

“Yeah, unfortunately we were doing our post-race inspections, which we do,” said NASCAR Cup Series managing director Brad Moran. “There were some issues discovered that affect aero of the vehicle. The part was the front fascia. There really was no reason why there was some material that was somewhere it shouldn’t have been, and that does basically come down to a DQ. It is a penalty, both for the 11 of Denny Hamlin and the 18 of Kyle Busch have been DQed. Their vehicles are being loaded in the NASCAR hauler and they’re going to go back to the R&D Center.”

Hamlin won the pole position, led 21 laps, and ultimately crossed the finish line .927-second ahead of Busch for the apparent win in an action-packed afternoon at the 2.5-mile Pocono track.

But both of the JGR cars failed post-pace inspection leaving the victory to the 26-year-old 2020 series champion Elliott, who now has a series-best four victories – three wins and a pair of second-place finishes in the last five races alone.

The updated finishing order of the race includes a runner-up showing now for Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick. Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez, JGR’s Christopher Bell, and Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson – who won Stage 1 of the race – round out the top five.

Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell was sixth, followed by JGR’s Martin Truex Jr., the Hamlin-owned 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, Petty GMS Racing’s Erik Jones and RCR’s driver Austin Dillon.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action next week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course with Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). A.J. Allmendinger is the defending race winner.

NASCAR Cup Series Race – 49th Annual M&Ms Fan Appreciation 400
Pocono Raceway
Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Sunday, July 24, 2022
1. (3) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 160.
2. (16) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 160.
3. (9) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 160.
4. (11) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 160.
5. (4) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 160.
6. (25) Michael McDowell, Ford, 160.
7. (8) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 160.
8. (7) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 160.
9. (34) Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 160.
10. (15) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 160.
11. (17) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 160.
12. (18) William Byron, Chevrolet, 160.
13. (12) Aric Almirola, Ford, 160.
14. (26) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 160.
15. (13) Chase Briscoe, Ford, 160.
16. (10) Ty Gibbs(i), Toyota, 160.
17. (32) Cole Custer, Ford, 160.
18. (19) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 160.
19. (23) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 160.
20. (14) Joey Logano, Ford, 160.
21. (30) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 160.
22. (27) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 160.
23. (28) Harrison Burton #, Ford, 160.
24. (22) Noah Gragson(i), Chevrolet, 160.
25. (29) Todd Gilliland #, Ford, 160.
26. (36) Cody Ware, Ford, 160.
27. (24) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 160.
28. (33) JJ Yeley(i), Ford, 159.
29. (5) Chris Buescher, Ford, 158.
30. (35) BJ McLeod(i), Ford, 158.
31. (20) Austin Cindric #, Ford, 154.
32. (21) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, Accident, 142.
33. (6) Ryan Blaney, Ford, Accident, 135.
34. (31) Josh Bilicki(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 35.
35. (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 160.
36. (2) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 160.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 122.459 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 15 Mins, 59 Secs. Margin of Victory: .927 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 9 for 37 laps.
Lead Changes: 15 among 10 drivers.

Lap Leaders: K. Busch 1-12;K. Larson 13-30;H. Burton # 31-34;C. Bell 35-48;K. Busch 49-64;M. Truex Jr. 65-66;R. Blaney 67-73;E. Jones 74-84;B. Wallace 85-87;K. Busch 88-122;R. Chastain 123;D. Hamlin 124-126;B. Wallace 127;R. Chastain 128-142;D. Hamlin 143-160.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Busch 3 times for 63 laps; Denny Hamlin 2 times for 21 laps; Kyle Larson 1 time for 18 laps; Ross Chastain 2 times for 16 laps; Christopher Bell 1 time for 14 laps; Erik Jones 1 time for 11 laps; Ryan Blaney 1 time for 7 laps; Harrison Burton # 1 time for 4 laps; Bubba Wallace 2 times for 4 laps; Martin Truex Jr. 1 time for 2 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 5,9,99,12,43,24,19,4,7,34
Stage #2 Top Ten: 1,12,43,4,24,99,9,5,20,19

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