Chastain on Saturday’s Race at COTA: “It means a lot to run for Al [Niece] at his home track. Our team is known to bring really fast race trucks and we sure had one today. So, I’m proud to do that here in Austin with our Worldwide Express team even though we’re a little disappointed, but we have to be proud of how fast we were,” Chastain said.

A quick-time for Ross Chastain on Friday would put the Florida driver on pole for the XPEL 225 at Circuit of the Americas. From his front-row starting position, Chastain would lead a majority of the first stage after battling with Christian Eckes in the early laps.

A caution late in the first stage would bring the No. 41 Silverado down pit road for the first time for a routine pit stop. Although a handful of the leaders remained on the track under this caution, Chastain would make easy work of them to finish 6th in Stage One.

As the race progressed, a fuel cell issue would be the cause of a lengthy pit stop which would restart Chastain in 28th for the final stage. But, the NASCAR Cup Series driver would use his experience at COTA to weave through the field to salvage a fifth place finish, the second in as many weeks for the No. 41 team.

Niece Motorsports PR

Welcoming a field of 82 entries between A-Class (63) and Restricted (19), the Dirt2Media National Open Wheel 600 Series presented by Hi-Plains Building Division graced the clay of Port City Raceway on Saturday night with Braxton Weger and Shawn Mahaffey collecting Turn Pike Challenge Victories.

Putting an exclamation point on his evening, Tulsa’s Shawn Mahaffey landed his second career NOW600 A-Class victory Saturday night; along with his second win of the night, with a different sanctioning body, and different style of car.

Kicking things off with a late race pass on Kale Drake to win the POWRi Outlaw Non-Wing A-Feature, the No. 11k, left nothing to chance with the wings on.

Taking off from the top of the front row, Mahaffey moved quickly to familiar territory around the hub of the Port City Raceway and did his best to stay there when traffic came into play. Caution with five to go, Mahaffey would have Daison Pursley chasing.

Working anywhere he could find traction, Pursley, who had just topped the POWRi National Midget A-Feature, made his run on the final lap, but would come up shy by 0.265-seconds. J.J. Loss crossed third, followed by Kale Drake, and Matt Carr to complete the top five.

The first time that Braxton Weger has parked in Victory Lane in NOW600 competition, the No. 31bw led the opening two lap before Bradley Cox muscled his way by following a Lap 3 restart. Looking like the race was in hand for the Arizona shoe, one wrong move in traffic on Lap 16 spelled disaster for the No. 45.

Sidelined with steering damage while working traffic, the lead was put back in the hand of Weger. Pursued by Carson Bolden on the restart, the No. B2 made every effort, but could not deny Braxton the win. Both improving by eight positions, Garyn Howard made it to third with Landen Adams in fourth. Making every attempt to hustle the high-side, Stone Smith held on to fifth.

The next outing for the Dirt2Media National Open Wheel 600 Series presented by Hi-Plains Building Division will be at Dallas County Speedway in Urbana, Mo. on Friday, April 14, and Saturday April 15.

Fans not able to attend can see every lap live on https://www.now600.tv and http://www.dirt2media.tv.

The 2023 season marks the 11th year of competition for the National Open Wheel 600 Series. Anchored by the Dirt2Media NOW600 National Championship, the NOW600 Series comprises several regional tours and sanctioned racetracks. The NOW600 National Championship features three divisions of 600cc micro sprints at each event: Stock Non-Wing, Winged A-Class, and Restricted 'A' Class.

To keep up on everything happening with the National Open Wheel 600 Series, from the National Tour to Regional and Weekly racing lineups, log onto http://www.now600series.com and make sure to follow the tour on Facebook and Twitter (@NOW600Series).

Race Results:

Dirt2Media NOW600 Series

Port City Raceway (Tulsa, Okla.)

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Winged A-Class

A-Main (25 Laps): 1. 11K-Shawn Mahaffey[2]; 2. 71K-Daison Pursley[4]; 3. 67-JJ Loss[1]; 4. 26K-Kale Drake[3]; 5. 93-Matt Carr[6]; 6. 1H-Connor Lee[7]; 7. 8K-Tyler Kuykendall[8]; 8. 59-Brody Mclaughlin[20]; 9. 12K-Jack Kassik[11]; 10. 28-Chelby Hinton[17]; 11. 20Q-Brecken Reese[16]; 12. 83-Brant Woods[12]; 13. 88M-Max Crabdree[19]; 14. 3T-Trevor McIntire[10]; 15. 13-Elijah Gile[15]; 16. 3-Cole Roberts[13]; 17. 1V-Johnny Boland[5]; 18. 4N-Ryan Winter[9]; 19. 14G-Madelyn Gjerness[18]; 20. 49-Cody Barnes[14]

B-Main 1 (12 Laps): 1. 13-Elijah Gile[1]; 2. 14G-Madelyn Gjerness[5]; 3. 52-Hayden Mabe[7]; 4. 19J-Justin Robison[8]; 5. 15-Brody Brown[16]; 6. 57-Kyle Chady[13]; 7. 11-Laydon Pearson[3]; 8. 34-Colton Robinson[11]; 9. 14F-Bobby Wofford Jr[9]; 10. 5B-Cade Bierman[17]; 11. 45-Bradley Cox[12]; 12. 18G-Leonard Scheumack[15]; 13. 27-Ethan Wicker[6]; 14. 9K-Kieran Casillas[10]; 15. 22RL-Gage Laney[2]; 16. 82S-Austin Saunders[4]; 17. 94L-Jordan Herrman[14]

B-Main 2 (12 Laps): 1. 20Q-Brecken Reese[1]; 2. 88M-Max Crabdree[2]; 3. 5S-Stone Smith[4]; 4. 27KW-Kaden Weger[5]; 5. 21G-Garth Kasiner[10]; 6. 24C-Cale Lagroon[3]; 7. 5X-Reed Whitney[11]; 8. 23L-Tyler LaPointe[9]; 9. 212-Daniel Williams[7]; 10. 38-Levi Henderson[12]; 11. 5G-Landon Graham[8]; 12. 13T-Caiden Mitchell[13]; 13. 10R-Ray Brewer[6]; 14. 22-Jesse Pate[14]; 15. 9D-Degan Lelsz[15]; 16. 5C-Casey Bierman[16]

B-Main 3 (12 Laps): 1. 28-Chelby Hinton[2]; 2. 59-Brody Mclaughlin[4]; 3. 92-Jake Rosario[3]; 4. 52JR-Conner Long[5]; 5. 66-Jayden Clay[8]; 6. 5-Ryder McCutcheon[7]; 7. 78C-Chance Cody[6]; 8. 67JR-Waylon Phillips[10]; 9. 53J-Rob Johnson[11]; 10. 24U-Tristan Ullstrom[9]; 11. 36-Kris Carroll[1]; 12. 21W-Will Perdue[12]; 13. 23-Journey Hunt[13]; 14. 22T-Thomas Byford[14]; 15. B2-Carson Bolden[15]; 16. 08-Jace McIntosh[16]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 1V-Johnny Boland[3]; 2. 3-Cole Roberts[2]; 3. 8K-Tyler Kuykendall[4]; 4. 78C-Chance Cody[1]; 5. 52-Hayden Mabe[5]; 6. 14F-Bobby Wofford Jr[6]; 7. 53J-Rob Johnson[7]; 8. 94L-Jordan Herrman[8]; 9. (DNS) 5C-Casey Bierman

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 12K-Jack Kassik[1]; 2. 71K-Daison Pursley[4]; 3. 11-Laydon Pearson[2]; 4. 24C-Cale Lagroon[6]; 5. 27KW-Kaden Weger[7]; 6. 5G-Landon Graham[3]; 7. 45-Bradley Cox[5]; 8. 21W-Will Perdue[8]; 9. (DNS) 5B-Cade Bierman

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 67-JJ Loss[2]; 2. 22RL-Gage Laney[1]; 3. 20Q-Brecken Reese[3]; 4. 28-Chelby Hinton[4]; 5. 14G-Madelyn Gjerness[7]; 6. 10R-Ray Brewer[9]; 7. 67JR-Waylon Phillips[8]; 8. 22-Jesse Pate[5]; 9. 9D-Degan Lelsz[6]

Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 1H-Connor Lee[2]; 2. 88M-Max Crabdree[1]; 3. 4N-Ryan Winter[4]; 4. 82S-Austin Saunders[3]; 5. 212-Daniel Williams[5]; 6. 23L-Tyler LaPointe[6]; 7. 24U-Tristan Ullstrom[9]; 8. 57-Kyle Chady[8]; 9. 18G-Leonard Scheumack[7]

Heat 5 (8 Laps): 1. 11K-Shawn Mahaffey[2]; 2. 26K-Kale Drake[3]; 3. 59-Brody Mclaughlin[1]; 4. 52JR-Conner Long[4]; 5. 19J-Justin Robison[5]; 6. 21G-Garth Kasiner[6]; 7. 38-Levi Henderson[7]; 8. (DNS) 15-Brody Brown; 9. (DNS) 08-Jace McIntosh

Heat 6 (8 Laps): 1. 93-Matt Carr[4]; 2. 49-Cody Barnes[2]; 3. 36-Kris Carroll[3]; 4. 92-Jake Rosario[6]; 5. 66-Jayden Clay[1]; 6. 9K-Kieran Casillas[5]; 7. 5X-Reed Whitney[8]; 8. 23-Journey Hunt[7]; 9. 22T-Thomas Byford[9]

Heat 7 (8 Laps): 1. 83-Brant Woods[1]; 2. 13-Elijah Gile[2]; 3. 3T-Trevor McIntire[4]; 4. 5S-Stone Smith[3]; 5. 5-Ryder McCutcheon[5]; 6. 27-Ethan Wicker[9]; 7. 34-Colton Robinson[8]; 8. 13T-Caiden Mitchell[7]; 9. B2-Carson Bolden[6]

Performance Electronics Qualifying 1 (3 Laps): 1. 8K-Tyler Kuykendall, 09.791[6]; 2. 1V-Johnny Boland, 09.799[3]; 3. 3-Cole Roberts, 09.852[2]; 4. 78C-Chance Cody, 10.159[7]; 5. 52-Hayden Mabe, 10.195[5]; 6. 14F-Bobby Wofford Jr, 10.320[4]; 7. 53J-Rob Johnson, 10.528[9]; 8. 5C-Casey Bierman, 10.528[1]; 9. 94L-Jordan Herrman, 10.528[8]

Performance Electronics Qualifying 2 (3 Laps): 1. 71K-Daison Pursley, 10.126[3]; 2. 5G-Landon Graham, 10.148[8]; 3. 11-Laydon Pearson, 10.158[2]; 4. 12K-Jack Kassik, 10.186[9]; 5. 45-Bradley Cox, 10.196[7]; 6. 24C-Cale Lagroon, 10.292[6]; 7. 27KW-Kaden Weger, 10.345[4]; 8. 21W-Will Perdue, 10.448[5]; 9. 5B-Cade Bierman, 10.793[1]

Performance Electronics Qualifying 3 (3 Laps): 1. 28-Chelby Hinton, 09.984[4]; 2. 20Q-Brecken Reese, 09.985[5]; 3. 67-JJ Loss, 10.035[1]; 4. 22RL-Gage Laney, 10.124[2]; 5. 22-Jesse Pate, 10.145[7]; 6. 9D-Degan Lelsz, 10.146[6]; 7. 14G-Madelyn Gjerness, 10.192[9]; 8. 67JR-Waylon Phillips, 10.511[8]; 9. 10R-Ray Brewer, 11.037[3]

Performance Electronics Qualifying 4 (3 Laps): 1. 4N-Ryan Winter, 09.959[4]; 2. 82S-Austin Saunders, 10.016[9]; 3. 1H-Connor Lee, 10.213[3]; 4. 88M-Max Crabdree, 10.219[7]; 5. 212-Daniel Williams, 10.363[6]; 6. 23L-Tyler LaPointe, 10.392[8]; 7. 18G-Leonard Scheumack, 10.494[5]; 8. 57-Kyle Chady, 10.497[2]; 9. 24U-Tristan Ullstrom, 10.603[1]

Performance Electronics Qualifying 5 (3 Laps): 1. 26K-Kale Drake, 09.967[2]; 2. 15-Brody Brown, 09.979[9]; 3. 11K-Shawn Mahaffey, 09.985[5]; 4. 59-Brody Mclaughlin, 10.102[3]; 5. 52JR-Conner Long, 10.102[7]; 6. 19J-Justin Robison, 10.196[4]; 7. 21G-Garth Kasiner, 10.238[6]; 8. 38-Levi Henderson, 10.315[1]; 9. 08-Jace McIntosh, 10.517[8]

Performance Electronics Qualifying 6 (3 Laps): 1. 93-Matt Carr, 09.877[8]; 2. 36-Kris Carroll, 10.015[9]; 3. 49-Cody Barnes, 10.082[5]; 4. 66-Jayden Clay, 10.454[6]; 5. 9K-Kieran Casillas, 10.528[2]; 6. 92-Jake Rosario, 10.573[3]; 7. 23-Journey Hunt, 10.583[4]; 8. 5X-Reed Whitney, 10.627[1]; 9. 22T-Thomas Byford, 11.196[7]

Performance Electronics Qualifying 7 (3 Laps): 1. 3T-Trevor McIntire, 10.160[1]; 2. 5S-Stone Smith, 10.208[3]; 3. 13-Elijah Gile, 10.239[8]; 4. 83-Brant Woods, 10.349[4]; 5. 5-Ryder McCutcheon, 10.387[7]; 6. B2-Carson Bolden, 10.445[5]; 7. 13T-Caiden Mitchell, 10.551[9]; 8. 34-Colton Robinson, 10.588[2]; 9. 27-Ethan Wicker, 10.793[6]

Restricted 'A' Class

A-Main (25 Laps): 1. 31BW-Braxton Weger[1]; 2. B2-Carson Bolden[6]; 3. GH7-Garyn Howard[11]; 4. 88L-Landen Adams[12]; 5. 5S-Stone Smith[4]; 6. 24C-Cale Lagroon[5]; 7. 4-Jude Allgayer[9]; 8. 1P-Mekentzi Potter[16]; 9. 11-Kyle Hooper[18]; 10. 83-Dawson Woods[3]; 11. 6-Brylee Kilmer[15]; 12. 12-Tori Tyer[13]; 13. 14R-Jaxon Nail[17]; 14. 9-Sami Porter[19]; 15. 3-Lathe Griggs[7]; 16. 45-Bradley Cox[2]; 17. 2T-Tyler Crow[8]; 18. 73-Chase McDougal[14]; 19. 97-Cash Lacombe[10]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. B2-Carson Bolden[3]; 2. 31BW-Braxton Weger[2]; 3. 45-Bradley Cox[4]; 4. 12-Tori Tyer[1]; 5. 73-Chase McDougal[5]; 6. 14R-Jaxon Nail[6]; 7. 9-Sami Porter[7]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 5S-Stone Smith[2]; 2. 24C-Cale Lagroon[4]; 3. 2T-Tyler Crow[3]; 4. GH7-Garyn Howard[5]; 5. 6-Brylee Kilmer[1]; 6. 1P-Mekentzi Potter[6]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 83-Dawson Woods[2]; 2. 4-Jude Allgayer[1]; 3. 3-Lathe Griggs[3]; 4. 97-Cash Lacombe[4]; 5. 88L-Landen Adams[6]; 6. 11-Kyle Hooper[5]

Performance Electronics Qualifying 1 (3 Laps): 1. 45-Bradley Cox, 10.154[5]; 2. B2-Carson Bolden, 10.190[6]; 3. 31BW-Braxton Weger, 10.289[7]; 4. 73-Chase McDougal, 10.302[4]; 5. 12-Tori Tyer, 10.367[1]; 6. 14R-Jaxon Nail, 10.654[3]; 7. 9-Sami Porter, 10.711[2]

Performance Electronics Qualifying 2 (3 Laps): 1. 24C-Cale Lagroon, 10.158[6]; 2. 2T-Tyler Crow, 10.315[3]; 3. 5S-Stone Smith, 10.323[2]; 4. 6-Brylee Kilmer, 10.397[1]; 5. GH7-Garyn Howard, 10.403[4]; 6. 1P-Mekentzi Potter, 10.512[5]

Performance Electronics Qualifying 3 (3 Laps): 1. 97-Cash Lacombe, 10.213[3]; 2. 3-Lathe Griggs, 10.262[4]; 3. 83-Dawson Woods, 10.445[1]; 4. 4-Jude Allgayer, 10.828[6]; 5. 11-Kyle Hooper, 10.834[5]; 6. 88L-Landen Adams, 10.834[2]

NOW 600 PR

The Flowdynamics Racing duo of Matt McCarthy and Logan Williams made its 2023 debut when Perris Auto Speedway hosted the 20^th Annual “Sokola Shootout” last Saturday night.  The race was round #3 of the USAC/CRA Series campaign and it was the first of the year at the track located closest to the  Flowdynamics Ontario, California headquarters.

The last time McCarthy, who was the 2017 USAC/CRA “Rookie of the Year,” and 2014 “Rookie of the Year” and 2013 PAS Young guns Sprint Car champion Williams, competed on the track was four and a half months ago at the prestigious Oval Nationals.  While the team had not been on the track since then, it was not resting on its laurels.  Over the winter the crew stripped down the cars and went over them with a fine toothcomb in preparation for 2023.  In addition, new parts and supplies were ordered to make sure there were adequate backups heading into the new year.

Things started off well enough for the popular drivers in qualifying.  McCarthy, who lives in nearby Riverside, California, got his year started by being the eighth-fastest driver of the 25 on hand with a lap of 16.749.  Yorba Linda, California’s Williams was just a tick slower at 16.812.  That was the tenth-quickest time.

The Flowdynamics duo was matched up against seven other drivers in the first 10-lap heat race on the famous Riverside County half-mile oval.  McCarthy ended up with a fifth-place finish after pressuring the fourth-place driver the entire distance.  Williams was not far behind his teammate and finished in seventh.

Hopes were high for the team going into the main.  McCarthy was coming from the 10^th spot and Williams started 13^th.  Unfortunately, issues knocked Williams out of the race after just 16 laps.  That resulted in a 22^nd-place finish.  McCarthy had to restart at the back after a tangle with another car and ended up 15^th.  

After one outing on the year, McCarthy is 21^st in the championship standings and Williams is 25^th.  Last year they both placed in the top 10.  They will be attempting to climb higher in the series standings starting next week at the Mohave Valley Raceway in Arizona.

This week the Flowdynamics drivers were scheduled to compete in Central California on Friday and Saturday.  Friday was slated to be at the Kings Speedway in Hanford.  Saturday’s scheduled date began at the Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare.  However, persistent, heavy rains forced the Tulare race to be canceled last week. When that race was lost, Kings Speedway moved its show from Friday to Saturday.  The hopes were that moving the race one day would give the track more time to dry out.  Sadly, Mother Nature threw a whammy at the track with heavy midweek rain forcing the cancellation of that show as well.

McCarthy and Williams will now return to action on April 1^st at Arizona’s Mohave Valley Raceway.  That event will be followed by races on April 15^th at Perris, April 22^nd at Tulare, and April 29^th at The Dirt Track at the Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield.

Whenever you get the chance to meet the Flowdynamics drivers in person, be sure to visit them in the pits.  They will be glad to sign autographs for you and each will have their fine-looking team shirts available.

If you or your company would like to be a part of one of the West Coast’s most prominent sprint car teams for the upcoming season, please contact John McCarthy at 909 930-5522 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

McCarthy and Williams would like to thank the following sponsors for making the 2023 season possible. Flowdynamics Inc., PurgePlugs.com, , Cal Therm Mechanical Insulators, JFK Design Build, So Cal Racing Fuel, and Full Throttle Lift.

Flowdymanics PR

Garnering his 17th career victory with the ASCS Arizona Non-Wing Sprints, R.J. Johnson returned to Victory Lane Saturday night at Central Arizona Raceway.

Taking off from the right of the front row, the win is R.J.'s first of the season with the wingless series.

Leading from start to finish, the advantage at the finish was 2.399-seconds over Logan Calderwood, who picked up five spots for second. Cameron La Rose third was followed by Pete Yerkovich. The top five rounded out with Daylin Perreira from 12th.

Charles Davis, Jr., Eugene Thomas, Tuesday Calderwood, Troy DeGaton, and Justin Kierce made up the top ten.

The ASCS Arizona Non-Wing Sprints return to Central Arizona Raceway on Saturday, May 6. For information on the track and coming events, log onto https://www.facebook.com/CentralArizonaRaceway or call (602) 292-7607.

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

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 (@LucasOilASCS).

Race Results:

ASCS Arizona Non-Wing

Central Arizona Raceway (Casa Grande, Ariz.)

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 51-RJ Johnson[1]; 2. 3-Pete Yerkovich[2]; 3. 17-Ricky Lewis[6]; 4. 0-Jonas Reynolds[3]; 5. 43-Justin Kierce[4]; 6. 3V-Jim Vanzant[5]; 7. (DNS) 10-George Zills

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 11C-Charles Davis Jr[4]; 2. 6-Logan Calderwood[1]; 3. 39T-Troy DeGaton[3]; 4. 21-Austin Ervine[6]; 5. 4-Tuesday Calderwood[5]; 6. 49Z-Karl Ackley[7]; 7. 72-AJ Hernandez[2]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 5-Cameron La Rose[4]; 2. 51W-Ronald Webster[5]; 3. 10T-Eugene Thomas[1]; 4. 007-Wayne Siddle[2]; 5. 21P-Daylin Perreira[6]; 6. 3K-Patrick Krob[3]; 7. 13-Alex Wood[7]

A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 51-RJ Johnson[2]; 2. 6-Logan Calderwood[7]; 3. 5-Cameron La Rose[5]; 4. 3-Pete Yerkovich[1]; 5. 21P-Daylin Perreira[12]; 6. 11C-Charles Davis Jr[6]; 7. 10T-Eugene Thomas[10]; 8. 4-Tuesday Calderwood[14]; 9. 39T-Troy DeGaton[9]; 10. 43-Justin Kierce[15]; 11. 007-Wayne Siddle[13]; 12. 49Z-Karl Ackley[16]; 13. 21-Austin Ervine[8]; 14. 51W-Ronald Webster[4]; 15. 0-Jonas Reynolds[11]; 16. 3K-Patrick Krob[18]; 17. 72-AJ Hernandez[20]; 18. 3V-Jim Vanzant[17]; 19. 13-Alex Wood[19]; 20. (DNS) 17-Ricky Lewis; 21. (DNS) 10-George Zills

ASCS PR

With a dash of luck and a heaping helping of talent, A.J. Allmendinger cooked up the perfect recipe for success at Saturday’s Pit Boss 250 presented by USA TODAY, returning to Victory Lane at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) for the second consecutive year.

Starting on the pole, Allmendinger led every lap in the opening stage before a caution in the middle of green flag pit stops shuffled the Kaulig Racing driver back in the field. The chance at a repeat appeared doomed after Allmendinger was collected in a pileup in the treacherous Turn One during the ensuing restart.

Undeterred, the Los Gatos, Calf. native navigated traffic from 25^th position back to the lead to capture his 11^th career road course win and the 20^th overall victory for Kaulig Racing.

“I wasn’t sure how the race was going to play out with no stage breaks,” Allmendinger said. “I knew we had a really fast car, but it was about trying to get back up there. I knew we had one pit stop to go. When we first got out of the wreck, I was more worried about damage to the car. Once I calmed down and made sure the car was okay, it was just about getting back up there.”

Allmendinger made contact with Sheldon Creed on lap 33 to retake the lead, which he held for the final 14 laps. Closing in on the lead on the final circuit, Byron’s No. 17 machine got loose, giving Allmendinger enough of a cushion to secure the win. Ty Gibbs, Sammy Smith and Justin Allgaier rounded out the top five.

“I just messed the esses up,” Byron said after the race. “I was giving one final run at him. Obviously he’s great at these road courses. I didn’t want to get off and screw up second place, so I slowed way down to keep it on the track. A couple of times I probably had a shot at him, but just needed to be a little better.”

Byron won’t have to wait long for a chance at redemption as both drivers will be among the favorites in Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix NASCAR Cup Series showdown. Byron will start from the pole, while Allmendinger will start seventh.

Tickets:

Tickets for Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix are on sale at NASCARatCOTA.com. Sunday tickets, which include the Darius Rucker pre-race concert, start at $70 for adults and just $10 for kids 12 and under. Further details can be found on the NASCAR at COTA website.

Follow Us:

Keep track of all things NASCAR at COTA by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@NASCARatCOTA). Keep up with all the latest information on the NASCAR at COTA website and mobile app.

COTA PR

After scorching the competition en route to a win at the XPEL 225 at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), Zane Smith brought his fiery performance to Victory Lane, setting his truck ablaze in a memorable celebration that redefined “burnout.”

After short pitting and racing his way to the lead for the final 15 laps, Smith powered his No. 38 Front Row Motorsports machine to a 5.451-second victory over Kyle Busch.

“Obviously that pit call was everything. It’s a true testament to this team behind me,” Smith said. “Besides Victory Lane, today was pretty smooth for the most part.

“I feel like I didn’t leave a mark on it all race long. It didn’t catch on fire when I was in the truck, but I got out and there was white smoke, then all of a sudden there was black smoke all around. I’m probably in trouble after this one. I don’t know how many more burnouts I’m going to be able to do.”

The win marked back-to-back triumphs for Smith in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series at COTA. His Front Row Motorsports team is undefeated at the Austin, Texas circuit, with Todd Gilliland earning the win at the inaugural event in 2021.

While most of the field pitted before the final stage, Busch opted to stay out and take tires later in the race.

“You want the freshest tires at the end,” Busch said of his team’s decision. “We were playing the long game, but unfortunately the long game didn’t work. They got lucky today and got the win.”

Ben Rhodes was poised for a third-place finish before a parts failure on the final corner relegated him to 10^th. Ty Majeski ultimately crossed the finish line in third, with Tyler Ankrum and Ross Chastain rounding out the top five.

Tickets:

Tickets for Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix are on sale at NASCARatCOTA.com. Sunday tickets, which include the Darius Rucker pre-race concert, start at $70 for adults and just $10 for kids 12 and under. Further details can be found on the NASCAR at COTA website.

Follow Us:

Keep track of all things NASCAR at COTA by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@NASCARatCOTA). Keep up with all the latest information on the NASCAR at COTA website and mobile app.

COTA PR

Talk about your race. “Really long day. Thought at the end with strategy we put ourselves in a position to run eighth to 10th until we got spun out. Kind of struggled all day – more so on my end, just had a hard time find speed and keeping speed. Frustrating day but we’ll go back and learn from it and take what we can from today and move on to Texas next week. KBM has had really fast trucks there and it’s been a pretty good track for me so looking to forward to getting there.”

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KBM PR

9th

4th

8th

37th

12th

1st

RCR PR