Chase Briscoe won his eighth NASCAR Xfinity Series race of the 2020 season and first race of the NASCAR Xfinity Playoffs winning the ALSCO 300. Briscoe collected back-to-back wins at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this season for Stewart-Haas Racing and Ford Performance.

“Congratulations to Chase, Richard, Tony, Gene and the No. 98 crew,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Chase and the No. 98 crew showcased their speed at Vegas while winning both stages and taking home the checkered flag. Eight wins in a season is a testament to the hard work and partnership between Ford Performance, Stewart-Haas Racing, Chase, and our team at Roush Yates Engines."

Briscoe dominated at Las Vegas Motor Speedway leading a career high 164 laps out of 200 while winning both stages and taking the checkered flag by 1.370 seconds over second place. On Lap 180, Briscoe had over a six second lead, but a late race caution brought the field together for a 10 lap shoutout.

Briscoe joins an elite group of NASCAR legends as Sam Ard and Jack Ingram are the only two drivers to win eight races in the opening 27 races of a Xfinity Series season.

“First off, an incredible car by everybody at Stewart-Haas. That made my job way too easy, honestly,” said Briscoe. “The restart, I knew if I could take the lead on the restart, I would be okay, but I was spinning the tires so bad all night for whatever reason. I guess that Roush Yates horsepower. We have had a lot of wins this year, but this is by far our most dominant car and I am so glad I can sleep a little easier this week going into Talladega and the Roval and just enjoy them.”

Ford Performance teammate Austin Cindric from Team Penske finished 6th and now with Briscoe locked into the next round, Cindric leads the Xfinity Playoffs standings by 17 points. Cindric was also recognized and received his regular season championship trophy while in Las Vegas.

The NASCAR Cup Series also rolled the dice during the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon. Wood Brothers Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto finished P2, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney finished P7, Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher finished P9, while Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick finished P10.

In addition, the Ford Mustang GT4s were back in action in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series for a double header at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. On Saturday, the No. 22 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang finished P5 while No. 40 PF Racing finished P9. On Sunday, PF Racing finished P4 while Multimatic Motorsports finished P19 due to an early race incident.

The NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series Playoffs are in full swing as both series head to Talladega Speedway this weekend.

RYE PR

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Duracell team put the disappointment of dropping out of the playoffs behind them by scoring a strong second-place finish in Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

DiBenedetto started the race from 19th place and began moving forward from the drop of the green flag.

He broke into the top 10 for the first time at Lap 34 and was rarely outside that elite group for the remainder of the race.
 
After leading the race during a cycle of pit stops he ended the second Stage in eighth place, earning three bonus points.
 
DiBenedetto continued to work his way to the front and took second place for a time with a bold, four-wide move with 71 laps remaining.
 
His biggest break came during the race’s final round of green-flag pit stops when crew chief Greg Erwin’s strategy of running long paid off when the caution flag flew for debris while DiBenedetto was on pit road.
 
When the scoring was sorted out, DiBenedetto had the lead with 25 laps to go.
 
From then on to the checkered flag, he battled with eventual winner Kurt Busch for the top spot, while also holding off the charges of drivers behind him on fresher tires to score his third top-three finish of the season and his eighth top-10. He moved up two positions to 14th in the points standings, six points behind 13th-place Ryan Blaney.
 
“It’s tough to come that close,” DiBenedetto said. “I just wanted it so bad for this team. I love driving for the Wood Brothers. I want that [win] number 100 for them so bad and for Menards, the whole family and everything they do for us and the team.”
 
He offered his appreciation for his backers, including Menards/Duracell, Motorcraft/Quick Lane, Ford, Roush Yates Engines, and all the people that put a fast Ford Mustang under him.
 
DiBenedetto said his Mustang was at its fastest at the end of the race, but he just couldn’t overcome Busch on the late restarts.

“Kurt, did a great job,” he said. “We had completely different ratios for the restarts, and once he gained control of the race, he played the right games on the restarts. 

“Man, it’s tough to come that close. I just want it so bad, but I’m proud of the team. They did a great job. My pit crew did a great job tonight and really earned that one for us.”

Eddie Wood said he was glad to see DiBenedetto and the team score a strong finish, both for the team’s sponsors and for Marnie Howiler, whose name was above the driver’s door as part of the Nominate a Cancer Hero program spearheaded by the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation.
 
Howiler, from Cornelius, N.C., is the granddaughter of the late NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Isaac and was diagnosed with Stage IV Wilms Tumor at five years old and underwent eight months of treatment.
 
“We’re happy for Menards and Duracell, Motorcraft and Quick Lane and for Ford, and we’re especially glad to have a great race for Marnie.
 
“Growing up, I knew Bobby and got to spend a lot of time around him, especially when David Pearson drove our car.
 
“Bobby and David were great friends, and they were our friends too.”
 
DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Wood Brothers team now head to Talladega Superspeedway for Sunday’s YellaWood 500.

WBR PR

Race Winner: Kurt Busch of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):             

● Cole Custer started 22nd and finished 15th.

● At the lap-25 competition caution, Custer reported his HaasTooling.com Mustang wasn’t bad, but he didn’t want to get too tight. He pitted for service from 17th and restarted 13th.

● On lap 63, from the 16th position, Custer said his Mustang was much better while running the top groove.

● Custer ended the stage in 15th and pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Custer started 15th and finished 14th.

● “A little freer,” Custer told the HaasTooling.com crew from 14th on lap 93.  

● From 17th on lap 115, the rookie driver told the crew he was struggling over the bumps.

● The California native made a scheduled green-flag pit stop from 17th on lap 120 after reporting his Mustang was struggling in dirty air.

● Custer was up to 14th on lap 150 where he finished the stage and pitted for service to help with his tight-handling car.

 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-268):

● Custer started 14th, finished 16th.

● Custer entered the top-10 by lap 170 and reported his car fired off tighter.

● Under caution on lap 190 Custer told the crew he was struggling to run the bottom in turns 1 and 2. He pitted from 16th for service.

● The 22-year-old driver restarted 11th on lap 196.

● On lap 221 Custer reported his car was stuck in his current position of 16th.

● Custer made a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 233 but got caught a lap down after an untimely caution on lap 237. Custer took the wave-around to get back on the lead lap.

● After restarting 24th, Custer was trapped in dirty air and was 23rd when the next caution was displayed on lap 250. He pitted for service and restarted 20th.

● Custer was able to work his way up to 16th on the final restart, where he ultimately finished.

 

Notes:

● Custer was the highest finishing NASCAR Cup Series rookie.

● Kurt Busch won the South Point 400 to score his 32nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Las Vegas. His margin of victory over second-place Matt DiBenedetto was .148 of a second.

● There were seven caution periods for a total of 36 laps.

● Twenty-five of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Kevin Harvick remains the championship leader after Las Vegas with a three-point advantage over second-place Denny Hamlin.

 

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We just didn’t have the restarts we needed tonight. Obviously, the caution that came out in the middle of the green-flag pit stop cycle hurt us. The guys did a good job tonight and were good on pit road too.”

 

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the YellaWood 500 on Sunday, Oct. 4 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. It is the fifth race of the 10-race playoffs and the second race in the Round of 12. It starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

 

TSC PR

Race Winner:      Kurt Busch of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Winner:  Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 2 Winner:  Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Clint Bowyer started sixth and finished 10th to earn one bonus point.

● The No. 14 One Cure Mustang fell to 10th by the lap-25 competition caution.

● Bowyer told crew his car was “wicked loose.”

● Bowyer raced in 11th until the closing laps of the stage when he moved to 10th place to earn a bonus point.

● During the stage break the No. 14 crew made more handling adjustments and returned Bowyer to the track in sixth.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Bowyer started sixth and finished ninth to earn two bonus points.

● The No. 14 One Cure Mustang had debris on the front of the grill for several laps before it finally came off on lap 97.

● Bowyer fell to 13th by lap 110 and pitted under green for routine service on lap 122.

● Bowyer again used a late charge in the final laps of the stage moving from 11th to ninth to earn two bonus points.

 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-268):

● Bowyer started seventh and finished 12th.

● The No. 14 One Cure Mustang moved to fifth – its best position of the race - with 97 to go.  

● He slid back to 10th with 60 laps to go telling his crew the front end wasn’t turning and the engine was overheating.    

● Bowyer fell back to 22nd when a caution flew one lap after he pitted under green.

● Bowyer stayed on the track during a caution with 12 laps to go moving from 22nd to 12th when others pitted.  

● He held the position through another caution then survived wild racing in a two-lap shootout to end the race.

 

Notes:

● Bowyer has scored the seventh most points in the last seven races.

● Bowyer finished 12th in both races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2020.

● Kurt Busch won the South Point 400 to score his 32nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Las Vegas. His margin of victory over second-place Matt DiBenedetto was .148 of a second.

● There were seven caution periods for a total of 36 laps.

● Twenty-five of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Kevin Harvick remains the championship leader after Las Vegas with a three-point advantage over second-place Denny Hamlin.

 

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 One Cure Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“That was a tough race with a pretty wild ending. I think I hit the wall there twice in the final laps and I was running real hot. I was lucky to finish. We made a good call to stay out. It’s on to Talladega now. Twenty points isn’t a lot to make up at Talladega and the road coursel at Charlotte. I like the next two races.”

 

Playoff Standings (with two races to go before the Round of 8):

1.       Kurt Busch (3,041 points) 1 win

2.       Kevin Harvick (3,104 points) +61 points

3.       Denny Hamlin (3,101 points) +58 points

4.       Brad Keselowski (3,059 points) +16 points

5.       Martin Truex Jr. (3,058 points) +15 points

6.       Joey Logano (3,054 points) +11 points

7.       Chase Elliott (3,053 points) +10 points

8.       Alex Bowman (3,052 points) +9 points

9.       Kyle Busch (3,043 points) -9 points

10.    Clint Bowyer (3,032 points) -20 points

11.     Aric Almirola (3,025 points) -27 points

12.     Austin Dillon (3,020 points) -32 points

 

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the YellaWood 500 on Sunday, Oct. 4 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. It is the fifth race of the 10-race playoffs and the second race in the Round of 12. It starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

 

TSC PR

The 2020 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season is in full swing and this weekend the historic Circuit Zolder, in Belgium will host Round 3 and 4 of the championship. Four exciting NASCAR sprint races around the 4-km road course in the heart of the Belgian Limburg region will delineate the battle for the European NASCAR title. 

25 cars and 44 drivers figure in the Circuit Zolder American Festival NASCAR entry list, six of which will defend the hosting country’s colors.

NASCAR GP BELGIUM LINKS
SCHEDULE | ENTRY LIST | RACE CENTER | POINTS STANDINGS

In EuroNASCAR PRO, Loris Hezemans and Gianmarco Ercoli grabbed the wins in Vallelunga to open the season and the reigning NWES champion leads the points standings by three markers on Alon Day. The two are on the way to a season-long battle, but with competition being stronger than ever, the contenders will definitely be many more. Lucas Lasserre and Lasse Soerensen are tied for third place and while the French veteran stepped on the podium for the first time since 2018, the Dane proved to be immediately competitive among the best NASCAR drivers in Europe. 

Ercoli, looking in the best shape of his career, rounds out the top-5 seven points behind Hezemans and just ahead of 2019 Zolder championship runner-up Stienes Longin.

Jacques Villeneuve was arguably the strongest driver on track in Italy. The Canadian, who went two laps from his first NASCAR win on Saturday and took second on Sunday, will be poised to keep his momentum at Zolder and grab the checkered flag.

All eyes will be on Tobias Dauenhauer in EuroNASCAR 2. After dominating in Italy and becoming the first German to win a NWES race, the Hendriks Motorsport driver will be the clear favorite in Belgium. The rookie leads four Italians in the points standings: Alessandro Brigatti, Vittorio Ghirelli, Nicholas Risitano and Alex Ciompi. Among them, Brigatti and Ghirelli boast the most experience at Zolder having both finished in the top-5 in 2019. 

The outsiders will be many as usual, starting with Andre Castro and Guillaume Dumarey, both eager to close the gap from the #50 Mustang of Dauenhauer, and Simon Pilate, who showed great potential in Rome but only completed six laps in two races.

The event will be open to a maximum of 200 fans per day. Ticket holders will be able to access the main grandstand, a grass section and will be able to follow the races on big screens. All four races of the American Festival NASCAR at Circuit Zolder will be streamed live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitch profile as well as on Motorsport.tv. 

On October 1st, Zolder will also host the first event of the 2020 Club Challenge, the regularity contest designed to provide all kinds of drivers with the best opportunity to have a taste of EuroNASCAR.

EuroNASCAR PRO 

Five wins for Day at Zolder – Alon Day is the most successful NWES driver at Circuit Zolder with five wins. The driver of the #24 Monster Energy Camaro is also the only one who won multiple times at the Belgian track.

Rowbottom looks to fulfill high potential – Coming from touring cars, Daniel Rowbottom impressed in his first NASCAR outing by racing in the top-5 and posting the fastest lap in Round 2. The results were not what he expected, but it looks just a matter of time before the Brit can fulfill his potential.

2019 winner poised for victory lane return – He didn’t have the pace to compete for the win in Vallelunga, but Thomas Ferrando will definitely look to turn things around in Belgium, where he grabbed his maiden ENPRO win in 2019. 

EuroNASCAR 2

PK Carsport expands to three cars – For the second season in a row, PK Carsport will field a third car at the team’s home track of Zolder. The #43 Camaro will be driven by Pol Van Pollaert, who boasts four EN2 starts in his career, two of which at Zolder.

Casoli leads Lady and Legend – Arianna Casoli and Eric Quintal won the Legend Trophy one time each at Vallelunga and they enter the NASCAR GP Belgium separated by just one point. The Italian also leads the Lady trophy by two points on Julia Landauer.

Romanov to make EN2 debut –  After Evgeny Sokolovsky, another Ukranian driver will make his NASCAR debut in the second event of the season. Igor Romanov will pilot the #89 Not Only Motorsport car in the EuroNASCAR 2 championship competing in the Rookie Trophy and in the Legend Trophy

NWES PR

Officials from Talladega Superspeedway and Chevrolet announced today that the intensity-filled elimination race of the first round of the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend will be known as the Chevy Silverado 250 at TALLADEGA.

The Chevy Silverado 250 at TALLADEGA will be part of an anticipated doubleheader this Saturday, Oct. 3, that will also feature the Ag-Pro 300 At TALLADEGA NASCAR Xfinity Series race. The field of 10 eligible drivers for the 2020 Gander Trucks championship will be reduced from 10 to eight at the checkered flag.

“There’s no better time than Chevy Truck Month to bring the Chevy Silverado 250 to the famed Talladega Superspeedway,” said Steve Majoros, Vice President of Chevrolet marketing. “Not only will the Silverado be racing, but it will also be pacing the race, a great way to showcase the strongest, most advanced Silverado ever.”

The official NASCAR Chevy Silverado pace truck will lead the field to green at 12 Noon CT. Three out of the last four winners of the Chevy Silverado 250 at the 2.66-mile venue have been won by Chevrolets – Mobile, AL native Grant Enfinger (2016), Timothy Peters (2018) and Spencer Boyd last fall. In the NASCAR Cup Series, Chevrolet is Talladega Superspeedway’s leader in total wins with 41.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

“Chevrolet has been a staple at Talladega Superspeedway – and great partner to the track – for many years,” said Talladega Superspeedway President Brian Crichton. “The Chevy Silverado 250 continues that tradition. It’s going to be the last-chance, cutoff race for the next round of the playoffs, and as always, will provide nail-biting action throughout the race. The event comes at a perfect time during the celebration of Chevy Truck Month.”

Heading into Talladega for the final race in the Round of 10 for the Gander Trucks Playoffs, four out of the top-five drivers in the championship points standings pilot Chevrolets. They include Sheldon Creed (1^st), Brett Moffitt (^2nd), Zane Smith (3^rd) and Tyler Ankrum (5^th).

The full schedule for Oct. 3-4 Playoff Weekend for Talladega Superspeedway includes:

• Sat, Oct. 3 – Chevy Silverado 250 at TALLADEGA NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series at 12:00 p.m. CDT (FS1, SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90 & MRN); 94 laps
• Sat, Oct. 3 – Ag-Pro 300 At TALLADEGA NASCAR Xfinity Series at 3:30 p.m. CDT (NBCSN, SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90 & MRN); 113 laps
• Sun, Oct. 4 – YellaWood 500 NASCAR Cup Series at 1:00 p.m. CDT (NBC, SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90 & MRN); 188 laps

 

The Chevy Silverado 250 at TALLADEGA, as well as the Ag-Pro 300 (the first time the NASCAR Xfinity Series has competed at Talladega in the fall), will not have fans in attendance in in the frontstretch grandstands. In addition, most hospitality areas and the Talladega Garage Experience will be closed for the weekend, however limited camping will be allowed. For further information, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA. Fans can keep up with all the happenings at the biggest, baddest race track on the planet by following Talladega Superspeedway on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and by downloading the track’s mobile app.

TSS PR

COVID-19 has thrown numerous sports schedules into disarray, put others on hold or simply canceled events.  The Illinois Truck & Equipment Allen Crowe 100 was one of those events thought to be lost until 2021 but with the hard work of promoter Track Enterprises, the Automobile Racing Club of America and the state of Illinois, the race will go on, albeit not during the Illinois State Fair.  When the announcement of the Sunday, October 4 race was made, long time participant Bill Hendren of central Illinois began getting his stock car ready for driver Ryan Unzicker.  Hendren’s tenure at Springfield goes back to the mid-1970’s giving him the distinction of the longest active streak of any participant in the Allen Crowe 100.

In April 1974 a yellow and orange Dodge Charger owned by Hendren rolled onto the pavement of Pocono Raceway.  Behind the wheel was central Illinois race driver Ken Rowley.  Rowley and Hendren were good friends who raced together on the area's short tracks.  When Hendren decided to go USAC Stock Car racing he called on Rowley as his pilot.

Their venture started auspiciously.  While Bloomington, Illinois driver Steve Drake finished 12^th in the Pennsylvania 500 Rowley’s car burned a piston and failed to make a lap.  He was credited with 33^rd.  Gradually the Hendren team came together and by June posted at top ten in the Indiana Classic on the dirt mile at Indianapolis. Ken posted enough top ten finishes by the end of 1974 to be named USAC Stock Car Rookie of the year at the December banquet.

One of those finishes was a 9^th in the Allen Crowe 100 at Springfield in August of 1974 with a large contingent from McLean and Woodford counties in the stands.  It started a string for both Hendren and Rowley that would lead to spots in the record books for owner and driver.

Rowley and Hendren would be involved in stock car racing for the next 25 years.  Bill mostly as a car owner, entrant or helping out a race team, Ken behind the wheel.   Full season efforts morphed into limited schedules by the end of the 1970’s but the mile dirt tracks were always in play, especially Springfield and DuQuoin.

When ARCA took over sole sanction of the mile dirt tracks in 1985 Hendren and Rowley were among the entrants at both Springfield and DuQuoin.  Not only was there a large crew presence on the infield the team could be counted on to have nearly a full section of rooters in the grandstands.  When the yellow and orange 27 pulled on the track there was a lot of noise coming from the Hendren and Rowley army of followers.

Bill and Ken had some of their best runs during the ARCA years with a 3rd in the 200 miler on the DuQuoin dirt in 1984, a 4^th on the old Gateway road course in 1986, a 3^rd at Toledo in 1991.  Two pole runs at DuQuoin including becoming the first driver to crack the 100-mile an hour barrier in a stock car on the Magic Mile.  All along Bill and Ken kept trying to win the Crowe 100 at Springfield.

They came “oh so close” in 1993.  Ken started 20^th and began moving up in the field.  Pit stop shuffles and yellow flags kept him close to the leaders and on lap 81 a roar went up from the crowd when the yellow and orange Chevrolet was posted in the top slot on the infield leaderboard.

There were a lot of crossed fingers in the Illinois State Fair grandstand at that point.  Most in the large crowd were rooting for the Hendren team to enter victory lane.  Unfortunately it wasn’t to be.  Bob Keselowski found a way around Ken Rowley with three laps to go and snatched the win.  On older tires Ken slipped to third, only one of three cars on the lead lap.  The third was his best finish ever at Springfield.

Ken’s career ended due to health concerns after the 1998 season. By that time he had amassed a record 25 starts in the Allen Crowe 100 with all of them coming consecutively!  It is a record that is not likely to be broken in the near future.  In fact it would take the current driver of Bill Hendren’s ARCA machine until the year 2035 before he could tie Ken Rowley’s record.  When you factor in the extra stock car races run on the Springfield Mile from 1980-1983 the total comes to 30 during Ken Rowley’s career.  He started 29 of them, also a record at Springfield.

Hendren kept the team going and turned to northern Illinois veteran Bob Strait for 1999.  Strait put a flashy red Chevy sponsored by Budweiser on the pole for the 1999 Allen Crowe 100.  Hendren’s army had a lot of hope as the green flag fell but the engine gave up on lap 89.  Strait would occupy the cockpit for the next few years and a new face would run a second car at Springfield in 2003.  Driving a 4 year old Chevy and with just a race in a sportsman on the Springfield Mile to call as experience, Ryan Unzicker was just 21 when he started 20^th and ran to 6^th.

Unzicker returned to Hendren in 2011 and finished 20^th at Springfield.  Ryan kept moving up the finish pole with an 11^th in 2013, a 12^th in 2014 and an 8^th in 2015.  Ryan came close to victory lane in 2016 with a popular 3^rd place finish.  The team finished 5^th in 2018 and 9^th in 2019 giving Hendren and Unzicker 4 top 10 finishes in the last 5 Allen Crowe races at Springfield.

A new car is being prepared for the 2020 Illinois Truck & Equipment Allen Crowe 100 with the team returning to Chevrolet livery after sporting Toyota body work the last four years.  The meaning of a win on the Springfield Mile for Bill Hendren and Ryan Unzicker is almost indescribable.

Their quest for victory comes at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Sunday, October 4.  Grandstand ticket sales will be limited to 20% capacity in order to promote a safe atmosphere and allow for proper social distancing. In addition, face coverings will be required, temperatures will be checked upon arrival, and multiple hand washing and sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the venue.

To ensure a ticket, fans are encouraged to order online at www.trackenterprises.com.  The 58^th Illinois Truck & Equipment Allen Crowe 100 is slated to begin just after 2 p.m. central time and will run in addition to the Sportsman Nationals which starts at 12 p.m.

For more information, visit www.trackenterprises.com or call 217-764-3200.

Track Enterprises PR

OktoberFAST presented by DIRTVision is a week-long event, Oct. 6-11, boasting more than $300,000-plus in purse and prize money. Now, on top of that, several sponsors have stepped up to put in an additional $40,000 worth of special prizes and cash awards. Racers will have an opportunity to take home their slice of the pie during each of the six nights when the Northeast’s top DIRTcar  racers compete at six historic tracks across Upstate New York. 

In addition to the cash awards, competitors in the Pro Stock and Sportsman divisions will be entered in a drawing to win a Chevrolet Performance 602/604 Crate engine. Competitors will receive one entry per each race entry towards the final drawing. One engine will then be awarded to a competitor in each of those two divisions.

The awards, specific to each track and listed below, range from winning the pole to capturing the Last Chance Showdown, being Hard Charger and many more. 

Starting the event off on October 6 at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Bart Contracting will be paying out nearly $4,000 to competitors. The Columbia County, New York company is a  multi-generational High-End Residential & Commercial Contracting Business & Home Builder. With a focus on combining expert craftsmanship with the highest quality materials, Bart Contracting’s work will last for centuries.

When the event moves to Utica-Rome Speedway on October 7, SRI Performance will be offering a generous $5,000 to racers. SRI Performance is your all-inclusive warehouse for racing and street performance products. We also carry a large variety of fasteners, welding equipment, and Industrial Supplies.

Penske Racing Shocks has chipped in a cool $5,000 for night 3 at Fulton Speedway on October 8. Penske Racing Shocks is the world leader in custom damper applications. Our catalog contains different types of shocks with standard lengths as well as certain available technologies.

As the event heads into its second half at Can-Am Speedway on October 9, St. Lawrence Radiology has graciously stepped up to post nearly $5,000 in awards. St. Lawrence Radiology Associates provides radiology services throughout New York, Pennsylvania, and Maine.

At Land of Legends Speedway on October 10, Lane's Yamaha will be awarding racers with an additional $3,000 in awards. Established in March 1973 as a family-owned & operated business, 

Lane's Yamaha Inc. has proudly built their Yamaha dealership on the foundation of customer service.

When OktoberFAST wraps up on October 11 at Weedsport Speedway, Stirling Lubricants has put up nearly $4,000 in rewards. With a dedicated team and quality products, Stirling Lubricants provide their clients with oils and lubricants they can trust from brands they know.

Fans and other businesses will have an opportunity to get in on the action by sponsoring additional awards after October 1. There will be an online submission right here on our website. Stay tuned to our Social Media accounts and web page for further details. 

DIRTcar Series PR

Race Winner: Kurt Busch of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Aric Almirola started fourth and finished 13th.

● The No. 10 HighPoint.com Ford driver said his car was tight and needed more turn at the start of the race.

● He pitted for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and chassis adjustments at the lap-25 competition caution.

● Almirola came off pit road 19th and raced back to 13th before the stage ended. 

● He pitted the No. 10 Ford at the end of the stage for four fresh tires, fuel and more adjustments.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Almirola started 17th and finished 12th.

● Almirola pitted the No. 10 Ford Mustang under green on lap 119. 

● He was scored just outside the top-10 once pit stops cycled through. 

● Almirola pitted at the end of the stage for four fresh tires, fuel, and more air pressure and chassis adjustments. 

 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-268):

● Almirola started 15th and finished 17th. 

● A caution was thrown for debris on lap 192. Almirola pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and reversed previous adjustments to help the balance of the No. 10 Ford.

● Almirola restarted 13th and pitted under green on lap 231 for four tires and fuel from 14th. 

● Another debris caution was called on lap 235. Almirola took the wave around to restart 21st.

● The caution was called on lap 261. 

● Almirola did not pit and restarted 19th for the final two-lap shootout.

 

Notes:

● Kurt Busch won the South Point 400 to score his 32nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Las Vegas. His margin of victory over second-place Matt DiBenedetto was .148 of a second.

● There were seven caution periods for a total of 36 laps.

● Twenty-five of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Kevin Harvick remains the championship leader after Las Vegas with a three-point advantage over second-place Denny Hamlin.

 

 Playoff Standings (with two races to go before Round of 8):

1.     Kurt Busch (3,041 points) 1 win

2.     Kevin Harvick (3,104 points) +61 points

3.     Denny Hamlin (3,101 points) +58 points

4.     Brad Keselowski (3,059 points) +16 points

5.     Martin Truex Jr. (3,058 points) +15 points

6.     Joey Logano (3,054 points) +11 points

7.     Chase Elliott (3,053 points) +10 points

8.     Alex Bowman (3,052 points) +9 points

9.     Kyle Busch (3,043 points) -9 points

10.   Clint Bowyer (3,032 points) -20 points

11.   Aric Almirola (3,025 points) -27 points

12.   Austin Dillon (3,020 points) -32 points

 

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“It wasn’t the day our HighPoint.com Ford team wanted, but we’re headed to one of my favorite tracks next. We raced right back around the top-10 and that caution put us back in 21st. We know what we have to do at Talladega. We won there in 2018 to advance to the Round of 8 and we can do it again.”

 

Next Up: 

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the YellaWood 500 on Sunday, Oct. 4 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. It is the fifth race of the 10-race playoffs and the second race in the Round of 12. It starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

 

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