KEVIN HARVICK FINISHES THIRD AT THE GLEN

 

Three Chevy SS Drivers in Top 10

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – August 10, 2015 – Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Kevin Harvick, had to settle for a third-place finish in the CHEEZ-IT 355 at Watkins Glen International when his No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS ran out of fuel on the final lap of the race.  Having led 29 of the 90-lap,

Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet SS (Photo by Harold Hinson/HHP for Chevy Racing)

220.5-mile event, more than any other driver, Harvick ran dry with just two corners to go.  It marked the second week in a row that a driver ran out of gas and relinquished the lead.

“I thought I’d done a pretty good job of saving fuel under the caution,” said Harvick, who scored his eighth top-10 finish in 15 races at the Glen. “I was just running as fast as I needed to, to protect the lead. All in all, our Budweiser/Jimmy John’s team did a great job today and we were in position to have a win; two corners away. So, hopefully we’re saving that up for the last 10 weeks.”

Harvick continues to hold the lead in the current point standings by 42 markers over second place driver Joey Logano.

Kurt Busch battled back from a pit road violation in his No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS to finish fifth, and six-time Sprint Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson, brought his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS home 10th, to give Team Chevy three of the top 10 overall.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., was 11th in his No. 88 Nationwide Chevy SS, Kyle Larson was 12th in the No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS, and Paul Menard brought his No. 27 Libman/Menards Chevrolet SS across the stripe in 13th place.

It was a rough day for several other Team Chevy drivers who experienced mechanical problems on the 2.54-mile road course.  Jeff Gordon finished 41st in his No. 24 Axalta Chevy SS after experiencing brake issues early in the race. Tony Stewart was 43rd in the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, had the seal in the rear-gear fail on his machine sending him to the garage, and pole-sitter AJ Allmendinger finished 24th in the No. 47 Kroger/Bush’s Beans Chevy SS, after a battery failure mired him deep in the field late in the 90-lap contest.

Logano (Ford) was the race winner; Kyle Busch (Toyota) was second, and Matt Kenseth (Toyota) finished fourth to round out the top five.

The next race on the circuit will be August 16 at Michigan International Speedway.

 

 

 

ROAD COURSE SPECIALISTS: SAID AND HABUL READY TO BRING ONE HOME FOR JGR

Boris Said

Aug. 7, 2015 – Joe Gibbs Racing is pulling out all the stops this weekend; road course enthusiast Boris Said and Kenny Habul have been brought in to showcase their expertise at turning both left and right in Saturday’s Zippo 200 at The Glen.

For the first time in Said’s career, the Carlsbad, Calif., native will be jumping into the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at Watkins Glen International with crew chief Chris Gayle. Said’s lone series win came on a road course back in 2010 (Montreal) and the veteran wheelman has made eight series starts at WGI posting one top five and two top 10s.

Said’s JGR teammate this week will be driver Kenny Habul in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with crew chief Michael Wheeler. Over the past three seasons, Habul, from Sydney, Australia, has only run the road course events on the NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule, posting his best NXS career finish at Road America (14th-place) last season in the JGR No. 20 Toyota. Habul has made three series starts at The Glen posting a best finish of 20th in 2012.

CORVETTE RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: THIRD STRAIGHT VICTORY FOR GARCIA, MAGNUSSEN

Win equals GT Le Mans championship leads; Gavin and Milner fourth after penalty

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. June 30, 2014 – In its 15 years of existence, Sunday marked Corvette Racing’s first event at Watkins Glen International. The team made its debut one to remember with a dominating GT Le Mans (GTLM) victory in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen for Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.

The duo led most of the day to earn their third straight class victory in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. In the process, Garcia and Magnussen moved into the lead of the GTLM driver’s championship, as did Chevrolet in the manufacturer standings and the No. 3 Corvette C7.R in team points.

“The Corvette C7.R team’s first race at Watkins Glen was exciting given the challenging track and intense competition that kept the pressure on all race,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Antonio and Jan drove a great race and the crew executed quick pit stops. We are thankful to come out of The Glen with a GTLM class win and the class championship lead.”

Garcia and Magnussen also won the third round of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup – a four-race championship made of the TUDOR series’ four endurance events.

The Garcia/Magnussen combination led 154 of the 185 GTLM laps. Magnussen drove the opening stint and took the lead from the pole-sitting BMW on the first lap. Despite holding as much as a 30-second lead at various points, the final minutes were tense ones. A full-course caution with 25 minutes left brought the Corvette inside its fuel window for the rest of the race. A final yellow period just after the restart meant a final-lap dash that saw Garcia hold off the second-place Viper by 0.185 seconds.

Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner finished fourth in their No. 4 Corvette C7.R after running second to their teammates for most of the day. A stop-and-go penalty inside the last hour for what race officials judged to be avoidable contact halted their podium charge.

The day wasn’t a complete loss. Gavin and Milner moved into the lead of the Patrón Endurance Challenge with just the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans remaining at the end of the season.

The next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The race, which Gavin and Milner won last year as part of the American Le Mans Series, is set for 2:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 13.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“The car was really good. I was running perfect. Jan (Magnussen) made perfect start and pulled a gap. Then we got a caution but we made the gap back up from zero to almost 20 seconds. Whenever I was able to go full-on we went up to almost a 30-second lead. Strategy-wise we were like two or three laps short (on fuel) I believe. We decided because the Viper … maybe they gambled a little bit more at the beginning so they were out of sequence to stretch their fuel to start with; they were good to go to the end. We decided to go too, and it was hard. To go through traffic, it was really difficult to save fuel. At the end we would have been OK to the end (without the last caution). That yellow obviously helped us a little bit more just in case. We weren’t really on it, but I believe Corvette Racing again did a perfect race. I think we led everything but qualifying.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“I have to say I am so pleased for how things have gone for the team this year, with the No. 3 car especially, but how we have developed a new car and we keep finding better things to do with it. We are finding better race speed over one lap over the whole distance and making the Michelin tires last for the whole stint. We have a fantastic race car. It’s a very competitive category and you have to be on your game with everything you do. There is no room for any mistakes otherwise you lose it.”

(First race in the Corvette C7.R at The Glen) “I have been here before in other categories, the GRAND-AM GT and also the GRAND-AM DPs earlier. Driving the Corvette C7.R around here is just a fantastic feeling. It’s such a fast race track. It’s almost like there is a part missing of the corner – normally you would have a big braking zone downshifts and everything getting the car ready to rotate and then shoot out the corner. Here that little bit is gone so basically for every corner you barely touch the brake, downshift, back to full throttle. It’s all about the momentum here to build the speed, and that is where dealing with all the traffic was very important; you didn’t get bogged down too much because it would kind of ruin your rhythm. I think both of us did that really well today.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“Certainly we made a step forward with the car after yesterday morning. We went back to basics with stuff, we changed a lot chassis-wise with the car. So was it the perfect setup? No because it was just really a bit of a stab at it, but it was good enough to race and be in the hunt. I genuinely think we should have had a second-place. Tommy (Milner) did a great job at the start and really got us in a fantastic position. It looked like we were going to be able to race cleanly for second.

(Race impressions) “On the double stint that I did, the first on the medium tire was good and I hung with Jan (Magnussen) pretty much. And then on the harder tire it was trickier. It made it a lot more difficult. But we were still there still in second-place looking like we were going to be able to fight for that and then Tommy (Milner) just got a crazy decision with the penalty. We went back and forth for a long time and it’s a great shame that it ruined our race. We went from second to fourth and I think we should have really had a second. That would have been a great result for the team and the guys. They worked so hard over the whole weekend.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“First and foremost, I’m very proud of our guys. After Oliver (Gavin) and I were not very happy with the car in practice they put a lot of work into trying to fix the car and it seems like that we have done that. The car was certainly quite a bit better in the race. We were just kind of behind the eight ball – just needed some more practice time to kind of fine tune it, but I think we are back in the ballpark again. That is obviously really encouraging for going forward.

(Race impressions) The race was pretty good. I had a really fun start there. It was just a shame that I got a penalty for something that I don’t believe should have been a penalty. Obviously the race control saw it differently. We can only just move on and kind of put that behind us and be proud of what we achieved. Obviously a great job by the No. 3 car guys; they executed very well. Our guys did as well. We had great pit stops, great strategy calls… they did everything right.  We deserved a podium today, but we had it taken away.”

DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER

“Today was emblematic of one of my key racing axioms – 25 percent great car, 25 percent great team and 50 percent good fortune. We had all those in our corner today, backed up by flawless pit stops and a great strategy by our engineers. With plenty of power from GM Powertrain, you add all that up and it’s a victory in our first visit to Watkins Glen International in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys for standing on that top step. Everyone worked very hard to earn this one.”

 

 

SRT MOTORSPORTS VIPERS SHED SKIN FOR CLASSIC LOOK

New Livery for Dodge Viper SRT GTS-Rs Debuts at Watkins Glen International

June 19, 2014 , Auburn Hills, Mich. – SRT (Street and Racing Technology) Motorsports is honoring the Dodge Viper’s racing heritage by molting its ‘skin’ and returning to the Viper’s classic red and white livery, beginning at the upcoming Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen race weekend, June 27-29, at New York’s Watkins Glen International circuit.

The SRT Motorsports Viper entries – the No. 91 and No. 93 Dodge Viper SRT GTS-Rs – will compete in ‘Viper Red’ and ‘Race White’ for the duration of the 2014 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season. The classic colors are the same worn by Dodge Viper entries that took the overall victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 2000, a GTS class win in the 2000 24 Hours of Le Mans, and American Le Mans Series championships in 1999 and 2000.

“We are honoring the racing history of the Dodge Viper by returning to its classic colors as we are in the midst of celebrating the Dodge brand’s 100th anniversary and 100 years of American performance,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of SRT Motorsports and Senior Vice President of Product Design for Chrysler Group LLC. “The new livery not only brings back this classic look but also enables us to continue to connect our Viper racing program to its spirited racing heritage.”

In addition to the new livery, the team is carrying a special 100th anniversary logo on both IMSA TUDOR Vipers.

The classic-colored Dodge Viper SRT GTS-R will first take to the track on Friday, June 27, for the initial practice for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen race weekend. The third endurance race of the 2014 IMSA TUDOR season, part of the North American Endurance Cup (NAEC), will take place at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, June 29, starting at 11:15 a.m. EDT.

 

 

JEFF GORDON AND TONY STEWART THE “RIGHT” STUFF

Tony Stewart

June 19, 2014 – Twice a year, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers turn left and right – at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International. And in those two races, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are no-doubt-about-it threats to win.

Gordon wears the road-course crown as the series’ all-time winner in this style of racing. He has a series-high five wins at Sonoma, the last coming in 2006. Since then, he has done just about everything but win, scoring top-10 finishes in each of the last eight races – the longest streak in the series at Sonoma. Last year, he finished second to Martin Truex Jr.

Stewart has two wins at Sonoma, the last coming in 2005. He, too, has been strong since that win nearly a decade ago, finishing in the top 10 in five of the last seven races.

He’s also had a string of solid starts recently. Stewart finished seventh in Dover, and followed that up with a performance at Pocono that could’ve ended in victory – if not for a pit road speeding penalty that Stewart labeled as a “driver error.”

 

DP DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP UP FOR GRABS IN THE GRAND-AM ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES

10 drivers separated by 5 points with 2 races to go

August 22, 2013 – To say it’s crowded at the top would be the understatement of the 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series season.

Ten drivers representing five teams are within five points of the Daytona Prototype lead with two September races remaining at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Lime Rock Park. It’s unprecedented in DP history.

Ryan Dalziel calls it “perfect timing” on the eve of the Rolex Series merger with the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.

“It further builds the credibility of the Daytona Prototypes and their drivers,” said Dalziel, who shares the cockpit of the No. 2 Starworks with Alex Popow BMW/Riley with Alex Popow. The pair is third in driver standings, three points behind the leading duo of Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli.

“I have been racing off and on in GRAND-AM since 2003, and not only the level of drivers, but also the level of teams and their preparation is just radically different,” said Christian Fittipaldi, two points behind Taylor and Angelelli. “It is just so much more competitive.”

Dalziel, who finished second in DP points a year ago, said all of the DP teams have stepped it up this year. A Scot living in Orlando, Fla., Dalziel is focused on winning a title as a Pro-Am team – the only one of the top contenders with a gentleman driver in the lineup. “We’d like nothing better than to beat the pros,” he said.

None of the contending teams have been able to avoid trouble, keeping the standings tight.

Only Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa have been able to fashion back-to-back victories but the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP followed its second win at Watkins Glen International with a finish of 14th at Indianapolis. Popow and Dalziel likewise have a 14th on their season record while reigning DP champions Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett suffered the worst disappointment – no points scored in the Belle Isle round after an early-race accident claimed the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW/Riley. The Ganassi drivers remain just five points out of first place.

Teams that weren’t contenders in the past have elevated their performances this season according to Jon Fogarty, who shared 2007 and 2009 DP titles with Alex Gurney in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP.

“The series has come a long way in the last couple of years,” said Fogarty. “People are rising to the challenge.”

Among them is 22-year-old Taylor, whose Kansas Speedway victory in the No. 10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette DP he shares with Angelelli, pushed the pair into the championship lead.

The younger Taylor finished second in the 2011 GT championship, losing the title by two points to Leh Keen and Andrew Davis.

“It was very tight in the last few races; my first time being involved in a professional fight,” said Taylor. “I’m glad I have been through a similar situation in my career. I now know and have a great idea of what to expect the next two races and understand what we need to do to keep fighting.”

Taylor doesn’t believe any one team or set of drivers has the inside track to this year’s title.

“Everyone in this championship can win races and win the championship; everyone,” he said. “It is now just down to who has the best final two races. Whichever team executes the best and has the fewest mistakes will come out on top.”

Source: Grand-Am Road Racing WS.

 

BOBBY LABONTE NO. 47 KINGSFORD TOYOTA CAMRY MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY PREVIEW

August 15,2013 – Bobby Labonte has three wins (8/22/99, 8/20/95, 6/18/95), four poles, three top-five finishes, nine top-10 finishes and has led 241 laps in 41 starts at Michigan International Speedway. His average start is 16.214 and his average finish is 17.667.

The 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series best finish of the season is 15th, which occurred at Daytona International Speedway in February.

QUOTES:

Ready for another good weekend: 

“I talked to my crew chief Brian Burns a few times and it seems like from what we have done recently, we have narrowed some things down and made some gains with the No. 47 Kingsford Toyota,” Bobby Labonte said. “I have been talking to him on what we can take to Michigan International Speedway. There are some things we have eliminated that we should not try during the weekend. We are going to go with what we think is going to better for us in the long run. We have a different engine package as well, which should be good for us. It’s one of my favorite tracks and always has been. With their excitement and mine, we’re looking forward to a good weekend.”

Burns reunites with Labonte at MIS:

“After a good finish (10th) at Watkins Glen International with AJ Allmendinger, it is good to have Bobby Labonte return to the No. 47 Kingsford Toyota Camry at Michigan International Speedway (MIS),” crew chief Brian Burns said. “Michigan is one of the tracks he likes the most and he has three wins there.”

Aiming to improve upon Allmendinger’s 19th-place finish in June with Labonte:

“We are looking forward to being back at Michigan after having a solid finish (19th) with AJ Allmendinger in June,” Burns said. “When we tested recently at Atlanta Motor Speedway with AJ, we learned some things that can translate to Michigan with Bobby. Since the last visit, we have a different front suspension package to show up with that will be even better than before.”

Reflecting on the Watkins Glen International race:

“Having AJ Allmendinger run up front and finish in the  top-10 (10th) at Watkins Glen International helps boosts the team’s confidence and assures us we are working in the right direction,” Burns said. We are going to keep pushing as hard as we can in the same direction with Bobby Labonte behind the wheel of the No. 47 Kingsford Toyota Camry this weekend at Michigan International Speedway.”

Team Morale:

“I think running as well as we did at Watkins Glen International lifts everybody,” competition director Bobby Hutchens said. “This JTG Daugherty Racing team has put in a lot of hours and hard work. It is finally paying off with all the times we have been to the wind tunnel, seven-post and pull-down rig. It paid off with a good finish last weekend.”

Looking to improve at MIS:

“The guys are working real hard to get our cars to run better from a handling standpoint,” Hutchens said.  “We learned some things with AJ at the Atlanta (Motor Speedway) test that will point us in the right direction at Michigan (International Speedway). We will use that data and the data from the previous Michigan race with AJ to help us this weekend with Bobby in the No. 47 Kingsford Toyota Camry.”

Work that goes into having two drivers:

“The biggest challenge with having two drivers mostly has to do with the interior of the car,” Hutchens said. “The seats, belts and the location of the steering wheel and pedals are all different to name a few things. There is a lot of extra work on the interior. The team has done a great job of keeping things straight. Both drivers have been comfortable. When it comes down to being at the track, it is business as usual. We talk before practices and debrief after. The dynamic really does not change.”

 

BRAD KESELOWSKI FOCUSED ON VICTORY, NOT POINTS

August 14, 2013 – Brad Keselowski thrives on pressure and the next four weekends should provide plenty of it.

The reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion continues to pursue his first victory of 2013 and fight for a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. Keselowski has bounced in and out of the top 10, a third consecutive second-place finish at Watkins Glen International boosting the competitor to eighth in the standings – a gain of four positions.

A victory is primary for Keselowski, especially this weekend when the Rochester Hills, Mich. native drives the No. 2 Penske Racing Ford in front of hometown fans. He’s yet to win at Michigan International Speedway finishing second and third in the last two August events at the two-mile track.

“The repaved style of track hasn’t been one of my favorites or go-tos, but we’re very optimistic that we can at least get a solid finish like we did in the spring there,” said Keselowski, who finished 12th in Michigan’s June race.        “I really see no reason why we can’t sustain our position in the points if not improve it before the Chase starts.”

Many would take a Chase berth through any means – race in or qualify with the help of other competitors. Keselowski is not among them, believing his team must show it can be a contender and not just take up post-season real estate.

“I would rather have a win or two and be a Wild Card than finish seventh or eighth and squeak my way in without any wins because the momentum of a win and the confidence builder it instills in both yourself and the fear that it puts in your competition is more than worth it,” he said following last Sunday’s runner-up finish.

Still, there’s a matter of pride in qualifying for the Chase as the reigning series champion. Only 2005 champion Tony Stewart has failed to make the following season’s post-season competition during the Chase era.

 

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA TAKES TOP FIVE FINISH FOR TEAM CHEVY

Johnson Maintains NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Point Lead

Juan Pablo Montoya

WATKINS GLEN, NY – Aug. 11, 2013 – The Cheez-It 355 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International featured plenty of cautions and a lengthy red flag delay, but that didn’t deter Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS from posting a strong top-five finish – his third top-five finish of 2013.

“It was fun it’s just not enough laps,” Montoya said after exiting his No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS.   “It’s hard to pass.  These cars, you know, guys that run up front are pretty good here.  Our Target Chevy was really good all day.  To be honest with you we didn’t think we could make it in two (pit stops) all weekend.  We got so many cautions and I felt, you know they told me to save and I started saving a ton of gas and even saving gas we were pretty good.”

On the challenging 11-Turn, 2.45-mile road course, where passing is difficult, five-time series champion, Jimmie Johnson, ran a solid race in his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS to finish eighth overall from his 18-place starting position. Johnson maintained the series point lead on the strength of 15 top-10 finishes this season and now has a 75-point advantage over second place.

Kurt Busch brought his No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevy SS home in ninth, his 10th top-10 finish in 22 races completed this season.

Montoya and Busch were joined by four other Team Chevy drivers all recording top-15 finishes.  Jamie McMurray driving the No. 1 McDonald’s/Monopoly Chevrolet SS finished 11th followed by Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS in 13th.

Ryan Newman brought his No. 39 Haas Automation 30th Anniversary Chevrolet SS home in the 14th position followed by his Stewart-Haas Racing interim teammate, filling in for the injured Tony Stewart, Max Papis piloting the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS.

Kyle Busch (Toyota) was the race winner, Brad Keselowski (Ford) was second, Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota) finished third, and Carl Edwards (Ford) was fourth to round out the top-five.

The next race on the tour will be Sunday, August 18, 2013 at Michigan International Speedway.

BRAD KESELOWSKI WINS THE ZIPPO 200 AT THE GLEN IN NASCAR NATIONWIDE

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – August 10,2013 – Brad Keselowski won the NASCAR Nationwide Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International, holding off teammate Sam Hornish Jr.

It was the fourth consecutive win over five months in the series for BK, who beat his Penske Racing teammate for his first victory at The Glen.

Sam Hornish, Jr., who started from the pole, and Keselowski, dominated the race, running – one and two – the final 16 laps with Joey Logano in third until he ran out of gas at the end.

Brian Vickers was third, followed by Regan Smith and Elliott Sadler.

Austin Dillon, who was the points leader at the beginning of the race, finished 11th, and saw his lead shrink to just three points over Sam Hornish, Jr.

Kyle Busch, looking for his ninth win in 16 starts this season, lost control of the No. 54 Toyota entering the first turn of the 82-lap race and was slammed hard by Mike Wallace. Busch finished the race in 24th.

“I made a couple of mistakes. I thought Sam (Hornish Jr.) would get me. … He’s a phenomenal road course racer,” Keselowski said … “We had three magnificent Penske cars today. This is an awesome day for Team Penske.”