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WIRE/NHRA INDIANAPOLIS (July 27, 2022) – In a move designed to strengthen the class, improve participation, and drive innovation, NHRA officials have announced the addition of an A/Fuel engine program for the Top Alcohol Funny Car class beginning in the 2023 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. The Top Alcohol Funny Car class features some of the top drivers in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, with cars capable of reaching speeds of more than 270 mph and covering the quarter-mile in less than 5.4-seconds. With the addition of the A/Fuel (injected nitromethane) engine program into the class, NHRA will look to increase participation in the class, and give drivers and race teams another viable, efficient option to run in the thrilling category. NHRA officials have released a full ruleset for the new combination, which can be viewed at NHRARACER.com. “We’re really excited to introduce the A/Fuel engine program to Top Alcohol Funny Car in 2023,” NHRA Technical Services/ Top Alcohol Rules Committee Chairman Josh Hamming said. “This is something we’ve been working on for several years and it’s all about building new excitement and a sustainable business model for the category. We believe there is going to be strong interest right off the bat, will reduce costs for interested teams and we’re eager to see this class continue to grow. “The rules committee came up with a rule set that allows racers to enter the class and be competitive, but not dominate. We will evaluate performance from the start and will make adjustments as needed.” Prior to the announcement, NHRA officials worked closely with teams, drivers, team owners and NHRA Division Directors to develop an A/Fuel engine program that is economically efficient for interested participants. As an added benefit, the ruleset and opportunities afforded by the injected nitro combination can also serve as a viable path for drivers, teams, and crew members to ultimately advance to the nitro Funny Car class in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. “We wanted to come up with an option that will be more efficient for teams,” NHRA Vice President of Competition Ned Walliser said. “We’re confident there will be significant savings over the course of a full season running the A/Fuel program. The ruleset will also allow teams to purchase bodies, chassis, engine parts and other items from nitro teams, allowing for a significant reduction in costs. “It’s also going to provide a better stepping-stone for drivers, crew chiefs crew members if their goal is to race in nitro Funny Car. That is a big development and we’re excited about that. Our goal is to continue to build participation at every level and this addition to Top Alcohol Funny Car should only help that.” Drivers in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class were also excited about the decision to add A/Fuel to the category, believing it will aid in long-term success and viability. It will also continue to be a marquee class that tracks can promote at NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series regional and divisional events. “I think it’s going to be a good thing for our class and it’s a step in the right direction to help increase participation,” said 2020 Top Alcohol Funny Car world champion Doug Gordon. “We needed to step out of our comfort zones and come up with some new ideas to add more cars to the class. I’m looking forward to it. I want 16-car fields and I want to have to fight for the win against a full field. “By bringing in the A/Fuel program, I think it will help someone jump in one of these cars and be competitive right away, and that will bring more people to the class. I think it’s going to be good addition.”

Photo by: Logan Riely/Getty Images By Matt Marr Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch led the field to the green flag Sunday afternoon. Due to a hard impact during qualifying Saturday, Kurt Busch had not been medically cleared to start the race. Ty Gibbs was named his replacement in what would be his NASCAR Cup Series debut. Austin Cindric brought out the first caution of the day on lap 7 after losing control on the exit of turn 3. Kyle Larson was declared the winner of stage 1 as the caution flew for Aric Almirola with 2 laps to go. After a caution-filled stage 2 that saw Josh Bilicki, Hamlin and Corey Lajoie all spin, Kyle Busch held on to win the stage. With 23 laps to go in the race, Ryan Blaney hit the inside wall of the front stretch head-on. Hamlin regained the lead after a battle with Ross Chastain but the yellow came out as he came across the track and into the nose of Kevin Harvick. Denny Hamlin kept a gap to teammate Kyle Busch and took the checkered flag. However, after post-race tech inspection, both Hamlin and Kyle Busch were disqualified. Chase Elliott, who initially crossed the finish line third, was declared the winner despite not leading a single lap. M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 top 5: 1. Chase Elliott 2. Tyler Reddick 3. Daniel Suarez 4. Christopher Bell 5. Kyle Larson

WIRE/Indycar Race weekend: Friday, July 29 - Saturday, July 30 Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course (clockwise) Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES 85 laps / 207.3 miles Media Links: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Entry List (PDF) | Driver Video Quotes (individual driver quotes posted to content.indycar.com ) | Trackside Media Guide (Interactive PDF) Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time, with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation. Firestone tire allotment: Five sets primary, four sets alternate (Note: A sixth set of primary tires is available to any car fielding a rookie driver.) Twitter: @IMS @INDYCAR, #GallagherGP, #IndyCar Event website: www.ims.com NTT INDYCAR SERIES website: www.indycar.com 2021 race winner: Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) 2021 NTT P1 Award winner: Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet), 1:10.7114, 124.167 mph Qualifying lap record: Will Power, 1:07.7044, 129.687 mph, May 12, 2017 (Set in Round 3 of knockout qualifying) NBC Sports race telecast: Noon ET Saturday, July 30, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC's coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Peacock Premium Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product. and NBC’s Gallagher Grand Prix race telecast will be simulcast on the streaming service, while Peacock Premium’s exclusive post-race show – featuring driver interviews, podium ceremonies and post-race analysis – will be streamed following the race. INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Chris Denari, Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn, Brad Gillie and Brett McMillan are the pit reporters. The Gallagher Grand Prix race (noon ET Saturday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates (race only), SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. At-track schedule (all times local): FRIDAY, JULY 29 (All times are local) 9:30-11 a.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (90 minutes), Peacock Premium 1 p.m.: Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of NTT INDYCAR SERIES knockout qualifications), Peacock Premium (Live) SATURDAY, JULY 30 8:15-8:45 a.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock Premium Noon:NBC on air 12:23 p.m.: “Drivers, start your engines” 12:30 p.m.: Gallagher Grand Prix (85 laps/207.3 miles), NBC (Live) NTT INDYCAR SERIES Championship facts: Marcus Ericsson leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with five races to go for the first time in his INDYCAR SERIES career. Ericsson, who took the points lead at Road America in June, has led the point standings after six of the 12 races this season. Since the first INDYCAR SERIES race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course, the winning driver has won the INDYCAR SERIES championship twice: Simon Pagenaud in 2016 and Scott Dixon (2020-Race 1). Key championship point statistic: Since 2008, the championship leader with five races to go has gone on to win the championship eight times. Those drivers were: Scott Dixon (2008, 2018 and 2020), Dario Franchitti (2011), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Josef Newgarden (2019) and Alex Palou (2021). Point differential: The eight points that separate Marcus Ericsson and Will Power is tied -- with the 2009 season – for the second-closest point margin with five races remaining since INDYCAR SERIES racing was unified in 2008. Before this season, the average lead with five races to go since 2008 was 43.7 points. CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 5 TO GO Year Leader Second-Place Lead Eventual Champion (Deficit- if any) 2008 Scott Dixon Helio Castroneves 58 Scott Dixon 2009 Ryan Briscoe Scott Dixon 8 Dario Franchitti (-11) 2010 Will Power Dario Franchitti 41 Dario Franchitti 2011 Dario Franchitti Will Power 62 Dario Franchitti 2012 Ryan Hunter-Reay Will Power 34 Ryan Hunter-Reay 2013 Helio Castroneves Scott Dixon 31 Scott Dixon 2014 Helio Castroneves Will Power 28 Will Power 2015 Juan Pablo Montoya Will Power 46 Scott Dixon (-49) 2016 Simon Pagenaud Josef Newgarden 73 Simon Pagenaud 2017 Scott Dixon Helio Castroneves 3 Josef Newgarden (-23) 2018 Scott Dixon Josef Newgarden 62 Scott Dixon 2019 Josef Newgarden Alexander Rossi 29 Josef Newgarden 2020 Scott Dixon Josef Newgarden 96 Scott Dixon 2021 Alex Palou Scott Dixon 42 Alex Palou 2022 Marcus Ericsson Will Power 8 ??? NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes: The Gallagher Grand Prix will be the 13th INDYCAR SERIES event conducted on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course. Active race winners who are expected to compete are: Colton Herta, Rinus VeeKay , Scott Dixon , Josef Newgarden , Simon Pagenaud and Will Power . ACTIVE RACE WINNER WINS SEASONS Will Power 5 2015, 2017, 2018 (GMR Grand Prix); 2020 (Harvest Grand Prix-2); 2021 (Gallagher Grand Prix) Simon Pagenaud 3 2014, 2016, 2019 (GMR Grand Prix) Scott Dixon 1 2020 (GMR Grand Prix) Josef Newgarden 1 2020 (Harvest Grand Prix-1) Rinus VeeKay 1 2021 (GMR Grand Prix) Colton Herta 1 2022 (GMR Grand Prix) Five NTT P1 Award winners have won on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course from the pole: Will Power won the 2015, 2017 and 2018 GMR Grand Prix and second Harvest GP race in 2020 from pole. Simon Pagenaud also won the GMR Grand Prix from pole in 2016. ACTIVE POLE WINNER POLES SEASONS Will Power 5 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020 (GMR Grand Prix and Harvest Grand Prix-2) Pato O’Ward 1 2021 (Gallagher Grand Prix) Romain Grosjean 1 2021 (GMR Grand Prix) Rinus VeeKay 1 2020 (Harvest Grand Prix-1) Felix Rosenqvist 1 2019 Simon Pagenaud 1 2016 Sebastian Saavedra 1 2014 Six drivers have competed in every INDYCAR SERIES race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course – Scott Dixon , Josef Newgarden , Simon Pagenaud , Will Power , Graham Rahal and Takuma Sato . All are entered this year. Team Penske has eight wins on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020-Race 2, 2020-Race 3, 2021-Race 2). Andretti Autosport, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing and Arrow McLaren SP are the only other teams to win at the track. Andretti Autosport won the GMR Grand Prix with Colton Herta in May, while Ed Carpenter Racing won in 2021-Race 1 with Rinus VeeKay . Chip Ganassi Racing won with Scott Dixon in 2020-Race 1, and Arrow McLaren SP won the inaugural race in 2014 with Simon Pagenaud when it was known as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Five NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year contenders – Devlin DeFrancesco , Callum Ilott , Kyle Kirkwood , Christian Lundgaard and David Malukas - are entered. All five raced in the GMR Grand Prix in May. Milestones: Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his 370th INDYCAR SERIES start, which would break a tie with A. J. Foyt and give him sole possession of third on the INDYCAR SERIES all-time starts list … Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 301st consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history … With his next win, Dixon will break a tie with Mario Andretti and take sole possession of second on the INDYCAR SERIES all-time victory list with 53 wins … With his next pole position, Will Power will tie Mario Andretti for the INDYCAR SERIES record for most career poles with 67 … With his next win, Power will tie Michael Andretti for fourth on the INDYCAR SERIES all-time victory list.

NHRA Wire Services KENT, Wash. (July 26, 2022) – Brittany Force knocked one item off her bucket list just days ago when the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series star driver won in Sonoma. Now the Top Fuel points leader will try to add another, this time at Pacific Raceways for this weekend’s 33rd annual Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals. It’s her sponsor’s race and it closes out the famed three-race NHRA Western Swing, and Force would like nothing more than to win for the first time in Seattle as the NHRA returns to the facility for the first time in 2019. Force is riding high in her 11,000-horsepower Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy dragster heading to the race, obliterating the track record books in Sonoma and moving back into the points lead. She’s collected four wins thus far during a championship-worthy 2022 season and Force is eager to keep rolling and come through for the first time in Seattle, at a track and a race that means a great deal to the Top Fuel standout. “It is exciting and it’s great to return to Seattle,” Force said. “It’s been a while, but that’s another racetrack where I grew up racing in Super Comp, Top Alcohol Dragster, and going there as a kid. (Teammate) Austin (Prock) got his first win there (in 2019) and there are just a lot of great memories there. It’s exciting that it’s our sponsor’s race and we’re coming out of Sonoma strong, and we plan to have the same success this weekend in Seattle.” Austin Prock (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car) and Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) won the race in 2019, the last time the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series raced at Pacific Raceways. This year’s race will be broadcast on both the FOX broadcast network and Fox Sports 1 (FS1), including live eliminations coverage starting at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 31 on FOX. It is the 13th of 22 races during the 2022 season and the anticipation is high for NHRA’s return to Seattle. That includes Force, who is chasing her second world championship. To get in a position for that, she knows the importance of running well this time of year. Of course, so does her competition, a list that includes Mike Salinas, who also has four wins in 2022, Denver winner Leah Pruett, Justin Ashley, four-time Seattle winner Antron Brown, Tony Schumacher, Doug Kalitta, four-time defending world champ Steve Torrence, Josh Hart, Clay Millican, and Austin Prock. But Force has the ultimate confidence in her team, which is led by crew chief David Grubnic, and her goal is to put on a show in Seattle. “I’m always betting on us, and I feel that we are the team to beat,” Force said. “It’s tough weekend after weekend in this class and there’s a lot of good competition out here, but I’m always pulling for us. We have a solid race car and we’re going for a championship. It’s coming up close now. It’s been a long season and now we’re getting ready to finish this Western Swing. We’ve got a couple more after that and then we start the Countdown to the Championship. But we’re ready and I’m excited to see what this team can do.” In Funny Car, John Force made history at Pacific Raceways in 2019 with his 150th career win. The 16-time Funny Car world champ enjoyed a memorable celebration after the historic win and the legendary driver returns to Seattle looking for his second win this season and the 10th in his career at the track. Nobody has won more than Force at Seattle and he enters with momentum, too, after advancing to the final round in Sonoma in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS. It puts Force in a good place heading to Pacific Raceways where he’ll have to deal with the likes of teammate and points leader Robert Hight, Tim Wilkerson, who has three wins in Seattle, defending world champ Ron Capps, Matt Hagan, who won the race in 2013, J.R. Todd, Cruz Pedregon, Alexis DeJoria, and Bob Tasca III, who knocked off Force last weekend in Sonoma. But there were plenty of positives last week for the Funny Car legend and he’ll look to build on that to close out the Western Swing. “Sunday in Sonoma was a good day for this PEAK Chevy,” Force said. “It would have been great to get the win, but we figured some things out, and (crew chiefs) Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi had my hot rod running well and we were getting after it (in eliminations). We’re in a good place and we’ll pick up and get after it again in Seattle. It’s a Flav-R-Pac race and we’re looking forward to putting on a show for everyone. Brittany is going in there with a win and hopefully, she’ll do it again, too.” Pro Stock’s Hartford had a memorable moment at the last Seattle race in 2019, knocking off Greg Anderson in the final round to keep the all-time wins leader from sweeping the Western Swing. Hartford has current momentum, too, winning in Denver as his season continues to get on track. He’ll try for another Seattle win against a talented group that includes points leader Erica Enders, who has six wins in 2022, Anderson, who is a win away from his 100th career victory, two-time race winner this season Aaron Stanfield, local native Dallas Glenn, rookie Camrie Caruso, Troy Coughlin Jr., Mason McGaha, and Kyle Koretsky. The event also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which includes some of the sport’s top drivers, as well as Street Legal exhibition runs. A special cacklefest will take place on the return road after nitro qualifying on Friday and then in the nostalgia pits on Saturday. The race also features the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Shootout, with eight young drivers competing for the win. The final round will take place on Sunday and will be featured during the FOX broadcast. The Total Seal Tech Talk Engine Seminar takes place at Matt Hartford's Pro Stock Car Pit at 1 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday. Fans can also attend Nitro School at 12 p.m. on Saturday in Clay Millican’s pits to learn more about how the cars operate and reach their thrilling speeds. For autograph-seeking fans, they can attend an autograph session featuring Toyota drivers at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Toyota Display. Race fans at Pacific Raceways can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce and celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday after racing concludes, where fans are invited to congratulate the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals event winners. As always, fans also get an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet in Seattle. This unique opportunity gives fans a unique chance to see teams in action and service their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers, and more. Fans can also visit NHRA’s popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, simulated competitions, merchandise, food, and fun for the entire family. The new Pep Boys midway display will include tire change challenges, oil change challenges, a slot car track, and much more, adding even more excitement to the midway. NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature one round at 6:00 p.m. PT on Friday, July 29, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, July 30 at 1:15 and 4:00 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. PT on Sunday, July 31. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, and then eliminations on FOX at 4 p.m. ET Sunday. To purchase tickets to the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals, fans can visit www.nhra.com or call 800-884-6472. For more information about NHRA, visit www.nhra.com .

By Adam Carabine Photos Courtesy: NHRA SONOMA, Calif. – It was the perfect weekend for drag racing in northern California, as the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series made their annual visit to Sonoma Raceway. There was no shortage of excitement as each of the top four national touring series took to the drag strip. In the end, four drivers each earned their first career victories at Sonoma. PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLES Angelle Sampey was the number-one qualifier with a track record – 6.700 – which actually ended up being the fastest motorcycle e.t. of the entire weekend. She said of the run, “I told myself from the burnout to the starting line, I kept repeating, trust your team, trust your equipment, everything’s going to be fine.” Sampey was the one to beat, and actually ran a 6.696 in the semi-finals, but jumped the gun on the tree, invalidating her time. Joey Gladstone, who qualified 3rd, won the day, earning his first career victory. The picture of consistency, his motorcycle runs were all in the 6.70s, and he defeated Eddie Krawiec in the final round. “I’ve never won an NHRA race, but I’ve won a few other races. Some days it just feels like you can’t lose, and today felt a lot like that. This is pretty surreal.” PRO STOCK CARS 18-year veteran Erica Enders had a decent first qualifying run, but it was only good enough for 8th in the field. Troy Coughlin Jr. was the provisional number-one qualifier after Friday night qualifying under the lights. However, Enders came back with a vengeance on Saturday to post a 6.506 and earn the number-one qualifier. On Saturday she said, “It’s always good to qualify on the pole. The other two that we have so far this season, we’ve carried it all the way through Sunday, and got it done, so hopefully the trend continues.” Her wish came true on Sunday, as she defeated teammate Fernando Cuadra Jr. in the first round. She then exacted some revenge on Mason McGaha who beat her last week in Denver, and was able to cruise to the final round after Aaron Stanfield had issues in the semi-finals. Her fiercest rival, Greg Anderson, was her opponent in the finals. She famously beat Anderson 10 years ago when she became the first woman to win in NHRA Pro Stock. Anderson was hoping to earn his 100th win on Sunday, but Erica denied him, running a 6.574 en route to her first ever victory at Sonoma. On Anderson, she said, “No matter who comes into this class, he will always be the baddest dude in my career lifespan. He’s always been the guy to beat. To be able to race next to him is a huge honour, there’s massive respect there, but at the same time I want to stomp his throat, (laughs).” FUNNY CAR The undisputed legend of Funny Car, John Force, initially put up disappointing qualifying runs on Friday and Saturday. The 16-time NHRA Funny Car Champion wound up qualifying 15th out of a field of 16. The star in qualifying was current points leader Robert Hight. He posted a 3.825 Friday night which wound up staying the best time all weekend, and earned him the number-one qualifier. Chasing his 6th win on the season, and his 3rd in a row, he said, “Everything’s clicking right now. It keeps you rolling, we’re not going to put pressure on ourselves. In drag racing, you’re only as good as your last run. You’ve got to stay positive and just roll with what’s going.” Bob Tasca III qualified 4th, but had the car to beat on Sunday, and he took Hight out in the semi-finals. Despite a poor qualifying showing, John Force was strong all day Sunday, making his way to the finals, where he ultimately lost to Bob Tasca III. This was Tasca’s first win ever at Sonoma. On beating Force in the finals, he said, “John Force is superhuman. Let’s just put that on record. He’s 73 years old. The guy is a legend. I wouldn’t be here, sitting at this stage, if it weren’t for John Force. There’s nobody out here I want to race more than John. To win against him in the finals […], it’s pretty special.” TOP FUEL DRAGSTER Leah Pruett, of Tony Stewart Motorsports, was the darling of the field heading into Sunday. She won last weekend in Denver, and carried that momentum forward to Sonoma where she posted a 3.689 to earn her first number-one qualifier of the year. “We’re finding our stride and we’re able to show that – that’s the exciting part. We feel validated. We feel like our work has been validated and that’s what we expected eventually in the season.” While Pruett easily beat Jim Maroney in the first round, she ultimately lost in the second round to Shawn Langdon. Brittany Force only had one qualifying run faster than 4 seconds, but it was enough to earn her the 5th qualifying spot. She pointed to the things she was able to learn in all three qualifying runs, despite them not all being great times, “We only got down there one out of the three runs. The other two were still good runs, even though we didn’t make solid passes down there, we knew how far we could push, so we still learned from it.” What started as an underachieving qualifying run turned into a record-breaking Sunday for Force. In the first round, she defeated Austin Prock, setting track records for both e.t. (3.662) and top speed (336.07mph). She immediately beat her own top speed record in the 2nd round against Steve Torrence, going 0.42 mph faster. The 3rd round saw her topping that speed record yet again, with a 337.75 mph while beating Shawn Langdon. She may not have posted a new record in the final against points leader Mike Salinas, but that didn’t stop her from crossing the finish line first, earning her the win – also her first ever at Sonoma. “We’ve always struggled on the western swing. Sonoma’s always been on my bucket list. It’s almost a home track for me, I grew up at this race track watching my dad. To run outstanding all day long, I’m so proud of this entire team.”

NEWTON, Iowa (Sunday, July 24, 2022) – Pato O’Ward won the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google on Sunday at Iowa Speedway after dominant leader Josef Newgarden crashed out of the race with 65 laps remaining. O’Ward drove his No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet to a 4.2476-second victory over Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Scott McLaughlin finished third in the No. 3 Freightliner Team Penske Chevrolet, giving the Penske team two of the top three finishers. SEE: Race Results “We knew that we had a great car,” O’Ward said. “So, it was all about just capitalizing and being there when it counted. The guys did a great job calling when we had to pit. It was very, very enjoyable.” Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon finished fourth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, while his teammate and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson recorded the best finish of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career by placing fifth in the No. 48 American Legion Honda. Series points leader Marcus Ericsson finished sixth in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. He leads second-place Power in the standings by eight points with five races remaining this season. O’Ward earned his second victory of the season – he also won May 1 on the road course at Barber Motorsports Park – and fourth win of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career. The victory, coupled with his second-place finish Saturday in the HyVeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash, helped O’Ward climb from sixth to fifth in the series standings. He is 36 points behind leader Ericsson. “Hopefully we can win a couple more,” O’Ward said. “That would be fantastic. We’ve had a good year, but we’ve dumped two wins in the past couple of months. So, it’s definitely been a frustrating but rewarding few weeks. This is the perfect momentum we need.” It looked like Team Penske might sweep the top two spots until Newgarden spun into the Turn 4 SAFER Barrier while leading on Lap 235 of 300 in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden, who won Saturday on the .894-mile oval, had led 148 of the first 234 laps and was 2.8384 seconds ahead of O’Ward before the stunning incident. Newgarden was in cruise control before the crash, maintaining a steady gap to O’Ward. As he entered Turn 4 on the “Fastest Short Track on the Planet,” the left front wheel of his car lifted off the ground after an apparent mechanical problem in the rear of the car, sending Newgarden spinning into the SAFER Barrier. His car suffered heavy rear-end damage, but Newgarden walked away from the incident. “It was a bit of a shock,” Newgarden said. “Man, I want to cry. So sad for my team. I don’t know what happened. It was a good run. I feel terrible for us. I don’t know; something went wrong there.” Two-time series champion Newgarden was on track to lead the championship by 10 points when he crashed. Instead, he was credited with 24th place and is third in the standings, 34 points behind Ericsson. After Newgarden’s unexpected exit from the race, O’Ward took the lead for good. The victory was secured when O’Ward, Power and the rest of the lead-lap drivers entered pit road for their final pit stops on Lap 239. O’Ward won the race off pit road and then deftly navigated lapped traffic over the closing 60 laps. “The No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP guys in the pits were awesome,” O’Ward said. “That’s what gave us our win. Obviously, I did my job in the car to keep her safe and maintain. “I knew we had the pace, but it’s just tough whenever you’re going through the traffic. The guys in front of me are handling it a different way than you do, so it’s just different every lap.” O’Ward put himself into position to grab the unlikely victory by passing NTT P1 Award winner Power as Power turned his out lap after his second-to-last pit stop on Lap 195. O’Ward gained 2.953 seconds on Power during his in lap, stop and out lap for his penultimate stop on Lap 194. Power led 80 laps, second only to teammate Newgarden’s 148 laps. O’Ward led 66 laps and averaged 140.681 mph in a race slowed by just two caution periods for 25 laps. O’Ward will split $10,000 with his team and his charity of choice for the victory as part of the PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge. A busy July continues for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with the Gallagher Grand Prix on Saturday, July 30 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. It’s the fourth race in three weekends. Live coverage starts at noon ET on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

NEWTON, Iowa (Saturday, July 23, 2022) – Hunter McElrea earned his second consecutive Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires victory Saturday, elevated to first place at Iowa Speedway after a post-race penalty was levied on Linus Lundqvist. Series points leader Lundqvist took the checkered flag first in the No. 26 HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing car, 3.4258 seconds ahead of McElrea in the No. 27 Andretti Autosport car on the .894-mile oval. But INDYCAR officials determined Lundqvist made avoidable contact with Matthew Brabham in a duel for the lead with five laps to go, damaging Brabham’s front wing. Lundqvist was penalized three spots, dropping to fourth in the final results. That penalty gave Andretti Autosport a sweep of the top three spots. with pole sitter McElrea the winner, fellow rookie Christian Rasmussen second in the No. 28 Road to Indy/Stellrecht car and Brabham third in the No. 83 Andretti Autosport entry. “Not the way I want to get it, obviously,” McElrea said. “I think, to be honest, Matt deserved that. But I’ll take it. Back to back. You’ll take what you can get in this game.” McElrea’s victory in the first oval race of the Indy Lights season was the 250th across all series for Andretti Autosport. The flashpoint of the 75-lap race took place on Lap 71. Leader Lundqvist lost momentum in Turn 1, and Brabham pounced by steering to the outside lane, looking to pass as they drove nearly side by side entering Turn 2. Lundqvist moved up to the high line before he was clear of Brabham, making contact with and damaging Brabham’s front wing. Brabham also made right-side contact with the SAFER Barrier exiting Turn 2 while trying to avoid contact with Lundqvist. “It was a close fight,” Lundqvist said. “I got a little bit loose through (Turn) 1, and I saw that he was behind me. But I got a ‘clear’ from my spotter, so I switched my lane, and unfortunately I think my rear just touched his front nose. It’s inch-perfect on ovals, and I put my trust in the spotter. Sorry to Matt for the incident.” Said Brabham: “My perspective is that I got drove into the wall. It looked like he was struggling coming off that corner, and I took the high line and he took the low line. It looked like he just committed to going low and trying to block for the next corner. I said, ‘If you’re going to give me the top, I’ll take the top.’ There was overlap, and we’re still side by side, and I felt like he figured out, ‘Oh, maybe he doesn’t want to give me the top,’ and came over. “He said his spotter cleared him. But we still have mirrors, at the end of the day. He knew I was there because he was giving me the lane at first.” Brabham hung on to second place on track in his damaged car until the final lap, when teammates McElrea and Rasmussen passed him. McElrea led the first 50 laps from pole, resisting a move by Lundqvist for the lead on Lap 35. But Lundqvist passed McElrea for the lead on the only restart of the race, on Lap 50. McElrea’s car drifted toward the SAFER Barrier in Turn 4 as the field headed for the green flag on the restart, giving Lundqvist a huge opening to exploit. “That restart, I don’t know what I did,” McElrea said. “I’ll have to look back, look at the footage and stuff. Really not good enough to get up in the marbles like that.” Despite losing what would have been his fifth victory of 2022 to the penalty, Lundqvist still maintains a sizable lead in the series standings with five races remaining this season. He is 77 points ahead of McElrea, who leapfrogged teammates Sting Ray Robb and Brabham to jump from fourth to second in the championship. Indy Lights drivers and teams return to action Sunday, Aug. 7 at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tennessee. About Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Celebrating 35 years, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires develops drivers and teams to compete in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Past champions include INDYCAR SERIES champions Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Paul Tracy and Cristiano da Matta. In 2021, 20 drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES were Indy Lights graduates, including rising stars and race winners Colton Herta, Pato O’Ward and Rinus VeeKay. The 2022 season consists of 14 races in the United States. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Indy Lights, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IMS Productions are owned by Penske Corporation, a global transportation, automotive and motorsports leader. For more information on Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, please visit www.indylights.com . For more information on INDYCAR and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, please visit www.indycar.com

By Adam Carabine

WIRE/INDYCAR NEWTON, Iowa (Saturday, July 23, 2022) – It might be time to change the name of the city where Iowa Speedway is located from Newton to Newgardenton. Josef Newgarden became the all-time INDYCAR SERIES win leader at Iowa Speedway by capturing the Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash on Saturday, his fourth career win at the .894-mile oval and his fourth win of the 2022 season in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden and Ryan Hunter-Reay both entered this race tied atop the all-time Iowa win list with three apiece. Newgarden, who started second, beat Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet to the checkered flag by 6.1784 seconds for his 24th career victory. NTT P1 Award winner Will Power finished third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet on a scorching day in which air temperatures nearly reached 100 degrees. SEE: Race Results “I’m glad I wore this cool shirt,” Newgarden said. “It was actually pretty nice and easy in there, to be honest with you. The car was good. I was surprised at how hard these guys were pushing on the restarts. This is a long-game day. “I was disappointed after qualifying. I just hate losing, and I felt like we had enough to get the job done, and we didn’t. It motivated me. I knew we had a car here today to win this race in front of this great crowd. It’s one of my favorite tracks.” Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden added this victory to his wins in 2016, 2019 and the second race of the Iowa doubleheader in 2020. He’ll get a chance to add to his win total at Iowa in the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, live on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network), starting second again behind teammate Power. Newgarden also passed Power for second in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship standings and clawed to within just 15 points of leader Marcus Ericsson, who finished eighth in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “I feel good,” Newgarden said. “We’ve been in the game. It’s just not where we want to be in the game. We’re in the fight; we’re relatively there. We just got to figure out how to have more consistency. It’s either winning or going sideways on our weekends.” There was nothing sideways about Newgarden’s performance today. He led 208 of the 250 laps and ran away from O’Ward over the last 25 trips around the “Fastest Short Track on the Planet.” Newgarden also has finished every lap in the last nine INDYCAR SERIES races at Iowa. That’s a stunning feat considering the perils of close-quarters oval racing and how easy it is to fall a lap down on a circuit where race laps take only 20 seconds. While Newgarden never trailed after Lap 80, O’Ward made it interesting during the final fuel and tire stint. O’Ward pulled to within eight-tenths of a second of the lead with 25 laps to go when Newgarden was held up in traffic. But once Newgarden cleared that thicket of cars, it was check-out time. He will split $10,000 with his team and his two charities, SeriousFun Children’s Network and Wags and Walks Nashville, for the victory as part of the PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge. “I was pushing Josef there at the end, but we didn’t quite have it,” O’Ward said. “We kept making the car better and better each stint. There at the end, I think we took a little bit out of them getting by Will and getting by Alex (Palou) and getting back the lappers trying to catch the No. 2.” Rinus VeeKay continued his recent resurgence by finishing fourth in the No. 21 Bitcoin Racing Team with BitNile Chevrolet, his second top-four finish in his last three starts. Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon followed his victory last Sunday at the Honda Indy Toronto by finishing fifth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Dixon is one of five drivers lurking within about a race’s worth of points from leader Ericsson. Newgarden is second, 15 points back; Power third, 22 behind; Palou fourth, 33 behind; Dixon fifth, 38 back; and O’Ward sixth, 59 back. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson also was one of the stars of the show today, finishing 11th in the No. 48 Carvana Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Johnson made many brave moves in the highest groove of the racetrack to pass numerous foes. He led a career-high 19 laps – one of only three lap leaders today – and was running in the top five for a healthy portion of the race. While there were only three lap leaders, the competitive race featured 772 total on-track passes, including 372 for position.

SONOMA, Calif. (July 22, 2022) – A week after winning in Denver, Top Fuel star Leah Pruett kept rolling on Friday in Sonoma, powering to the provisional No. 1 spot for Tony Stewart Racing at the 34th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway. Robert Hight (Funny Car), Troy Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 12th of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. It is also the second event in the three-race NHRA Western Swing. Pruett went 3.689-seconds at 327.59 mph in her 11,000-horsepower Rayce Rudeen Foundation Top Fuel dragster during the lone qualifying session, putting her on track to qualify No. 1 for the first time this season and the 12th time in her career. It also puts the team on a great path following their Denver win, which only further bolstered the overall desire to add another victory. “What was most important to this team was starting off in Q1 in a different fashion than we have in the last handful of races,” said Pruett, who was the runner-up in Sonoma last season. “We considered it a little bit conservative, but it gives us a really solid look into our tuning window. The win in Denver was so big for us because it showed us where we needed to improve to do it again and that’s what we’ve prepared for this week.” Doug Kalitta was the only other driver in the 3.60s on Friday, going 3.694 at 331.45, while Steve Torrence, the defending event winner, took the third spot after his 3.710 at 326.08. Robert Hight continued his dominant run in Sonoma in Funny Car, making his quickest pass in five years with a stellar pass of 3.825 at 332.75 in his 11,000-horsepower Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS. Hight, who is the points leader on the strength of five wins in 2022, has won three straight years at Sonoma and will now try to become the first driver in NHRA history to win four consecutive times. After Friday’s incredible run, he couldn’t have asked for a better start. “You have to have a gameplan when you come into one of these races. You can’t think of the end result,” Hight said. “You have to go one round at a time and it’s a job well done for this team tonight. We saw what was out there and (crew chief) Jimmy (Prock) and Chris (Cunningham) have a really good handle on this tune-up. I was impressed. When it left the starting line, it really wanted to go right on me. This thing was trucking, and I had to get it back in the groove. At the middle of the race track it was pulling, and I knew it was on a great run.” Defending world champ Ron Capps took the second spot in Funny Car after one session with his 3.846 at 334.48, while Alexis DeJoria’s 3.867 at 330.63 slots her third heading into Saturday. Troy Coughlin Jr. made a strong impression on Friday in Pro Stock, vaulting to the top with a run of 6.549 at 210.87 in his JEGS/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. That run would give the young standout his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and the second in his career. Coughlin rebounded from a mid-season slump by going to the semifinals in Denver and he appears to have continued that momentum at Sonoma Raceway. “We’re very pleased and everyone works so hard on this team,” Coughlin said. “We have one goal and that’s to turn (win lights) on and make good laps. It’s an exciting thing to be a part of. This team is putting a lot of hours in and it shows. They’re so much passion in the pit area and the shop, and there’s not a stone unturned with these guys. I think we’ve got some left in it. We’ll keep a clear mindset, and we just want to stay consistent.” Mason McGaha’s 6.551 at 210.57 has him second and Kyle Koretsky is currently third after his run of 6.553 at 209.36. Points leader Erica Enders is eighth after the first qualifying session. After struggling at the past two races, Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Steve Johnson returned to form on Friday, jumping to the top on his Butter Transportation Suzuki with a standout pass of 6.743 at 198.73. If it holds, it would be the first No. 1 qualifier of the season for Johnson and the eighth in his career. The run was also a welcome sign for the veteran after suffering back-to-back first-round losses. His points lead shrunk to just 10 points heading into Sonoma, but Johnson with pleased with how his weekend opened on Friday. “Our philosophy was just to get it down the track so we can get data and test some things,” Johnson said. “We really wanted to go ‘A to B.’ We made some good decisions, and we had a good run. That 60-foot was really good and very important to what we do, and that was huge. It’s so important to run well because it’s so hard to ride a Pro Stock Motorcycle and you need the confidence as a rider.” Denver winner and reigning world champ Matt Smith took second with a 6.758 at 200.74, while Eddie Krawiec is currently third after going 6.785 at 198.23. Qualifying continues at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway. *** SONOMA, Calif. -- Friday's results after the first one of three rounds of qualifying for the 34th annual DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, 12th of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations. Top Fuel -- 1. Leah Pruett, 3.689 seconds, 327.59 mph; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.694, 331.45; 3. Steve Torrence, 3.710, 326.08; 4. Alex Laughlin, 3.840, 314.97; 5. Justin Ashley, 3.861, 268.33; 6. Ron August, 3.916, 306.40; 7. Jim Maroney, 4.012, 269.89; 8. Clay Millican, 4.687, 155.27; 9. Tony Schumacher, 4.839, 144.10; 10. Austin Prock, 5.839, 105.84; 11. Shawn Langdon, 6.366, 104.32; 12. Josh Hart, 6.518, 95.85; 13. Brittany Force, 6.693, 84.46; 14. Mike Salinas, 7.319, 75.91; 15. Antron Brown, 7.865, 73.30; 16. Cameron Ferre, 8.907, 72.97. Not Qualified: 17. Scott Palmer, 9.910, 84.30. Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.825, 332.75; 2. Ron Capps, Toyota Supra, 3.846, 334.48; 3. Alexis DeJoria, Supra, 3.867, 330.63; 4. Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 3.898, 326.56; 5. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.900, 323.58; 6. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.903, 325.45; 7. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.018, 314.02; 8. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.099, 244.16; 9. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.325, 244.21; 10. J.R. Todd, Supra, 4.432, 194.97; 11. John Force, Camaro, 4.788, 159.89; 12. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 5.284, 137.55; 13. Steven Densham, Mustang, 6.707, 98.61; 14. Jim Campbell, Charger, 7.159, 87.04; 15. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, broke. Pro Stock -- 1. Troy Coughlin Jr., Chevy Camaro, 6.549, 210.87; 2. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.551, 210.57; 3. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.553, 209.36; 4. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.555, 210.37; 5. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.564, 210.54; 6. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.564, 210.41; 7. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.564, 209.88; 8. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.569, 210.80; 9. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.571, 208.71; 10. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.572, 208.30; 11. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.577, 209.07; 12. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.579, 210.18; 13. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.588, 209.39; 14. Fernando Cuadra, Mustang, 6.613, 209.82; 15. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, 6.622, 209.46; 16. Steve Graham, Camaro, 6.635, 209.17. Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.743, 198.73; 2. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.758, 200.74; 3. Eddie Krawiec, Suzuki, 6.785, 198.23; 4. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 6.793, 197.97; 5. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.803, 198.15; 6. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.816, 197.45; 7. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.827, 200.74; 8. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.888, 195.42; 9. Jianna Evaristo, Suzuki, 7.055, 189.36; 10. Scott Bottorff, Buell, 7.150, 187.83; 11. Lance Bonham, Buell, 7.178, 189.31; 12. Katie Sullivan, Suzuki, 8.003, 149.93; 13. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 8.797, 106.05; 14. Angie Smith, EBR, broke.

WIRE/NHRA SONOMA, Calif. (July 23, 2022) – Looking to become the first driver in NHRA history to win four straight races at Sonoma Raceway, Funny Car’s Robert Hight secured the No. 1 position in front of a capacity crowd on Saturday at the 34th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Leah Pruett (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 12th of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the second stop of the three-race NHRA Western Swing. Hight’s run of 3.825-seconds at 332.75 mph from Friday in his 11,000-horsepower Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro held up, giving the Funny Car points leader his third No. 1 qualifier this season and 74th in his career. In addition to his three straight wins at Sonoma, Hight also has five victories in 2022, including two in a row, and he will open eliminations against Jeff Diehl on Sunday. “There’s a lot on the line, but we just need to take it one round at a time,” Hight said. “You’ve got to try to be perfect and you have to be aggressive out there. To win rounds and come out on top, you’ve got to be on edge, and I’ve got the best guys in the business behind me to get this done. We’re very confident right now because we’ve won the last two races and we qualified No. 1 here, but you have to continue to take it one round at a time because the competition is so good. There’s a lot of good cars right now so to do what we’re doing makes it that much more special.” Defending world champ Ron Capps qualified second with a 3.846 at 334.48 and Alexis DeJoria qualified third with a 3.867 at 330.63. In Top Fuel, Leah Pruett earned her first No. 1 qualifier this season and 12th in her career when her pass of 3.689 at 327.59 in her 11,000-horsepower Rayce Rudeen Foundation Top Fuel dragster stood up. Pruett closed out qualifying with a solid run as well, giving her confidence heading into eliminations. She’ll start raceday against Jim Maroney and after finishing as runner-up in Sonoma last year, Pruett will try to finish the job on Sunday and pick up her second consecutive win this season in the process. “It’s extremely exciting to qualify No. 1 and it shows just difficult it is for anybody,” Pruett said. “We know exactly where we’re at. It feels like the work has been validated and we’re just going to keep digging on that. If we’re able to do what we did in Denver and make it to the final and possibly win it, that’s when we’re really going to see it come full circle. We are racers and we are finally feeling like we get to race, and that’s what is most exciting for us.” Doug Kalitta stayed in the second spot with his 3.694 at 331.45 and points leader Mike Salinas jumped to third after going 3.696 at 332.67 on Saturday. Enders grabbed the No. 1 spot from Elite Motorsports teammate Troy Coughlin Jr. on Saturday, as the Pro Stock points leader jumped to the top with a standout run of 6.506 at 210.97 in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro. It gives Enders, the four-time world champion, her third No. 1 qualifier of the season and 26th in her career and she will open eliminations against Fernando Cuadra Jr. Enders will also try to pick up her first win at Sonoma Raceway, something that has eluded her thus far. “It’s been a dream season to this point,” Enders said. “It’s always big to qualify on the pole. The other two we have this season we’ve carried it all the way through on Sunday and got it done. Hopefully, the trend continues, but the field is stacked and it’s super tough. We’ve got work to do and this is my favorite place to race, but we’ve never had super successful Sundays. We’re hoping to change that tomorrow. We just have to have a positive mindset and work really hard together, and one thing I have is the best team in the world. I wouldn’t want anyone else behind me, that’s for sure.” Defending world champ Greg Anderson, who has six wins in Sonoma, made a big move on Saturday into the second spot with a run of 6.518 at 209.43, while Coughlin will start raceday from third thanks to his 6 . 521 at 210.90. Sampey put on an incredible show on Saturday in Pro Stock Motorcycle, making the quickest run of each session and blistering the track record with an incredible pass of 6.700 at 200.95 on her Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. That run closed out qualifying and also tied the third-quickest run in class history, putting Sampey in a prime position heading into eliminations. It’s her third No. 1 spot of 2022 and 56th in her career as she looks to leave Sonoma with the points lead in the class. “I’m still trying to be better and trying to improve, and I’m lucky to have a really successful team behind me,” Sampey said. “My focus is just on trying to get down the track and Andrew (Hines) has done a wonderful job tuning my bike. I’m really glad to have had some success with him tuning this bike. If we leave the starting line right, it’s going to be fast. This is an amazing class to compete in, but you have to be on your game all four rounds if you want to be successful.” Steve Johnson, the points leader and provisional No. 1 qualifier on Friday, took the second spot with a 6.743 at 198.73 and Joey Gladstone moved to third with a 6.757 at 200.26. Eliminations for the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals begin at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway. Television coverage on the FOX broadcast network begins at 4 p.m. ET. *** SONOMA, Calif. -- Sunday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the 34th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, the 12th of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings. Top Fuel -- 1. Leah Pruett, 3.689 seconds, 327.59 mph vs. 16. Jim Maroney, 4.012, 269.89; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.694, 331.45 vs. 15. Ron August, 3.916, 306.40; 3. Mike Salinas, 3.696, 332.67 vs. 14. Cameron Ferre, 3.900, 308.57; 4. Steve Torrence, 3.701, 329.91 vs. 13. Tony Schumacher, 3.898, 252.10; 5. Brittany Force, 3.705, 335.15 vs. 12. Austin Prock, 3.815, no speed; 6. Justin Ashley, 3.713, 332.51 vs. 11. Alex Laughlin, 3.815, 322.19; 7. Josh Hart, 3.752, 316.52 vs. 10. Clay Millican, 3.767, 324.36; 8. Antron Brown, 3.755, 330.23 vs. 9. Shawn Langdon, 3.766, 326.40. Did Not Qualify: 17. Scott Palmer, 4.014, 84.30. Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.825, 332.75 vs. 16. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 5.284, 137.55; 2. Ron Capps, Toyota Supra, 3.846, 334.48 vs. 15. John Force, Camaro, 4.757, 166.70; 3. Alexis DeJoria, Supra, 3.867, 330.63 vs. 14. Terry Haddock, Ford Mustang, 4.325, 244.21; 4. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.875, 331.04 vs. 13. Jason Rupert, Mustang, 4.130, 304.67; 5. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.898, 326.56 vs. 12. Steven Densham, Mustang, 4.067, 306.12; 6. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.900, 323.58 vs. 11. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.018, 314.02; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.903, 325.45 vs. 10. J.R. Todd, Supra, 3.991, 325.30; 8. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.980, 324.75 vs. 9. Jim Campbell, Charger, 3.990, 24.91. Pro Stock -- 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.506, 210.97 vs. 16. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Ford Mustang, 6.585, 210.24; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.518, 209.43 vs. 15. Steve Graham, Camaro, 6.578, 209.85; 3. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.521, 210.90 vs. 14. Fernando Cuadra, Mustang, 6.574, 209.88; 4. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.522, 211.03 vs. 13. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.556, 209.79; 5. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.534, 209.20 vs. 12. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.554, 210.83; 6. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.537, 209.49 vs. 11. Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.549, 210.11; 7. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.539, 209.82 vs. 10. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.547, 210.34; 8. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.540, 211.26 vs. 9. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.543, 210.93. Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 6.700, 200.95 vs. 14. Lance Bonham, Buell, 7.178, 189.31; 2. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.743, 198.73 vs. 13. Scott Bottorff, Buell, 7.034, 191.46; 3. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.757, 200.26 vs. 12. Jianna Evaristo, Suzuki, 7.015, 188.75; 4. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.758, 200.74 vs. 11. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.881, 197.74; 5. Eddie Krawiec, Suzuki, 6.761, 200.44 vs. 10. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.864, 196.50; 6. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.764, 199.97 vs. 9. Katie Sullivan, Suzuki, 6.847, 197.45; 7. Angie Smith, EBR, 6.766, 203.95 vs. 8. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.816, 197.45.

By Adam Carabine Welcome to the 2nd annual Playoff Forecast project. Projections are calculated by simulating the 2022 Cup Series schedule 125,000 times, using a top-secret predictive formula that is based on 3 important factors: Driver History @ Each Track, Driver Recent Overall History, and Team Performance. How to read it: The numbers in brackets show that driver’s position last week. The percentages in each column refer to the probability of that driver making it to that round. We have also simulated the week's Cup Series race. Check back each week to see who's favoured to win. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @StatChatRefresh Or you can email directly: acarabine@racingrefresh.com Get all your StatChat Merch from the Racing Refresh online store!

SONOMA, Calif. (July 21, 2022) – The trip out West has already been a good one for defending Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Matt Smith, who blistered the track record book in Denver en route to a win last weekend. But now the five-time world champ has the chance to make it a great two-race span at his sponsor’s race, this weekend’s 34th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals at scenic Sonoma Raceway. With the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship just two races away from this weekend, Smith’s third victory of the season on his Denso Auto Parts motorcycle would go a long way in positioning himself well for the playoffs. He was impressive on the Buell in Denver, shattering track records and picking up back-to-back wins at the facility, but Smith has also won on his Suzuki earlier this year. Now he’s looking for his first Sonoma victory since 2007 and no matter what bike he chooses, as long as he or his wife, Angie, picks up the win at the Denso-sponsored event, that’s all that matters in his mind. “We might run the Suzuki on Friday and if we’re not happy with it, maybe we’ll pull (the Buell) out for Saturday,” Smith said after his Denver victory. “I’m not sure yet, but I want to run the Suzuki. The Suzuki seems to have more of an advantage at sea level. But I want to do what’s best for my sponsor. I want Angie or myself to win the race at Sonoma. You always want to win your sponsor’s race, so it would be great if Angie or myself could get it done this weekend.” Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won the 2021 event, and this year’s race will be broadcast on both the FOX broadcast network and Fox Sports 1 (FS1), including live eliminations coverage starting at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 24 on FOX. It is the eighth of 15 events during the Pro Stock Motorcycle season, officially starting the second half of the season in the class. It’s a year where Smith has come on strong after some early struggles and he’s eager to keep rolling. He won in Virginia on the Suzuki, defeating rival Steve Johnson in the final round and Johnson’s points lead has dwindled in recent races. Johnson now leads Angelle Sampey, who recently won in Norwalk, by just 10 points and the veteran has a slim 19-point advantage over Smith. Others to watch in Sonoma include defending event winner Karen Stoffer, who won at the season-opener in Gainesville, Denver runner-up Joey Gladstone, Eddie Krawiec, who has three wins in Sonoma, and Bristol winner Jerry Savoie. But Smith is pleased with the progress he’s made on both bikes in recent weeks, taking great joy in the recent wins that have come his way. Doing so in Sonoma would also put a perfect capper on this two-race Western Swing in Pro Stock Motorcycle. “Anytime you get a win, it’s awesome because these things are hard to come,” said Smith, who has 34 career wins and 68 career final-round appearances. “These things are hard to come by and you can’t take them for granted.” In Pro Stock, Matt Hartford cashed in at Denver with his first win in more than a year, ending a run of five straight wins from Erica Enders and Aaron Stanfield. That duo has been dominant, but Hartford’s win motivated plenty in the class who hope to have a similar breakthrough this weekend in Sonoma. It’s a list that includes veteran and former world champ Bo Butner, who also showed some signs of promise last weekend in his Johnson Horsepowered Garage Chevrolet Camaro. It didn’t end in a victory like Hartford, but Butner did get a round win over reigning world champ Greg Anderson last weekend, giving him more confidence than he’s had most of the season. There will again be plenty of marquee challengers, including Enders, who is the points leader, Gainesville winner Dallas Glenn, Kyle Koretsky, Troy Coughlin Jr., Mason McGaha, and Deric Kramer, but Butner likes the improvements his team has made heading into an important time of the year. “This team, they all want to win so bad,” Butner said. “It’s a big effort – these guys want to win with every car in this group and we’re getting there with the JHG Chevy. It was good to get a round win (in Denver). They’re coming and we see a lot of progress. We’ve made progress. Now we’re looking forward to getting to sea level (in Sonoma) and seeing how we stack up.” Torrence was one of three winners a year ago who picked up their first Sonoma victory, as he slipped past Leah Pruett in a thrilling final Top Fuel round. Pruett impressed last weekend, winning in Denver to hand the first Top Fuel victory to Tony Stewart Racing and she’ll look for another victory this weekend. Standing in her way is points leader Mike Salinas, who has four wins in 2022, three-time race winner this season Brittany Force, Tony Schumacher, five-time event winner Doug Kalitta, Justin Ashley, Josh Hart, Clay Millican, Antron Brown, and Austin Prock. In Funny Car, Robert Hight has dominated Sonoma Raceway in recent years, winning the last three races at the scenic track. He’ll look to make it four in a row – something no NHRA driver has ever done in Sonoma – and also get his third straight win this season, but it won’t be easy against a loaded field. The star-studded lineup also features eight-time race winner John Force, defending world champ Ron Capps, Matt Hagan, who has three wins in 2022, 2017 race winner J.R. Todd, Tim Wilkerson, two-time event winner Cruz Pedregon, Alexis DeJoria, and Bob Tasca III. The event also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which includes some of the sport’s top drivers, as well as Top the Cops, Jr. Dragster and Street Legal exhibition runs. For autograph-seeking fans, they can attend an autograph session featuring riders in Pro Stock Motorcycle at the Suzuki Display at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, while an autograph session featuring Toyota drivers will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Toyota Display. A special Denso Cornhole Challenge and autograph session will take place at the Denso Display in the Fan Zone at 10 a.m. on Saturday, giving fans a unique interactive opportunity. On Saturday, fans can also attend Nitro School to learn more about how the cars operate and reach their thrilling speeds. Race fans at Sonoma Raceway can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce and celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday after racing concludes, where fans are invited to congratulate the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals event winners. As always, fans also get an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet in Sonoma. This unique opportunity gives fans a unique chance to see teams in action and service their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers and more. Fans can also visit NHRA’s popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, simulated competitions, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family. The new Pep Boys midway display will include tire change challenges, oil change challenges, a slot car track and much more, adding even more excitement to the midway. NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature one round at 6:30 p.m. PT on Friday, July 22 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, July 23 at 12:00 and 3:00 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. PT on Sunday, July 24. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, and then eliminations on FOX at 4 p.m. ET Sunday. To purchase tickets to the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals, fans can visit www.sonomaraceway.com or call 800-870-7223. For more information about NHRA, visit www.nhra.com .

Race weekend: Friday, July 22-Sunday, July 24 Track: Iowa Speedway, a 7/8-mile (0.894-mile) oval in Newton, Iowa Race distance: Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash: 250 laps/218.75 miles (Saturday) | Hy-Vee Salute To Farmers 300 presented by Google: 300 laps/262.5 miles (Sunday) | Indy Lights at Iowa Speedway: 75 laps/65.625 miles Media Links: Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash Entry List (PDF) | Hy-Vee Salute To Farmers 300 presented by Google Entry List (PDF) | Indy Lights at Iowa Speedway Entry List (PDF) | Driver Video Quotes (individual driver quotes posted to content.indycar.com ) | Trackside Media Guide (Interactive PDF) Firestone tire allotment: Fourteen sets for use through the doubleheader weekend Twitter: @indycaratiowa, @IndyCar, #IndyCar Event website: www.hyveeindycarweekend.com INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com Most recent race winners: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet) 2020 Race #1 Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet) 2020 Race #2 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Pato O’Ward (Andretti Autosport) 2018 2020 NTT P1 Award winners: Conor Daly (No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet), 18.3711 seconds, 175.188 mph Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet), 18.3559 seconds, 175.333 mph One-lap qualifying record: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Helio Castroneves, 17.2283 seconds, 186.809 mph, July 11, 2014 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Colton Herta, 19.6441 seconds, 163.835 mph, July 9, 2017 NBC Sports race telecast: The HyVeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash 4 p.m. ET Saturday, July 23, NBC; Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google, 3 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC. Kevin Lee is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Peacock Premium Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product, while NBC’s race telecasts of The HyVeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash and Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google will be simulcast on the streaming service. Peacock Premium’s exclusive post-race show – featuring driver interviews, podium ceremonies and post-race analysis – will be streamed following the race. The Indy Lights at Iowa Speedway will be streamed on Peacock Premium with practice and qualifying being shown on INDYCAR Live! INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman (Saturday) and Jake Query (Sunday) are the turn announcers. Michael Young be the pit reporter alongside Query (Saturday) and Yeoman (Sunday). The HyVeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash race (3:30 p.m. ET Saturday), Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google race (3 p.m. ET Sunday), Indy Lights at Iowa Speedway (11:50 a.m. ET Saturday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. At-track schedule (all times Central): FRIDAY, JULY 22 2:15-3:05 p.m. – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Practice, INDYCAR Live! 3:30-5 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, Peacock Premium SATURDAY, JULY 23 8:30 a.m. – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Qualifying (Single car, Two laps), INDYCAR Live! 9:30 a.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Single car, Two laps (Lap 1/Race 1; Lap 2/Race 2), Peacock Premium 11:15 a.m. – Indy Lights at Iowa Speedway “Drivers, start your engines" 11:20 a.m. – Indy Lights at Iowa Speedway (75 laps/65.625 miles), Peacock Premium 3 p.m. – NBC on air 3:01 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines” 3:06 p.m. – HyVeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash (250 laps/218.75 miles), NBC (Live) SUNDAY, JULY 24 10:55-11 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES systems check (Out and In Lap) 2 p.m. – NBC on air 2:25 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines” 2:30 p.m. – Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google (300 laps/262.5 miles), NBC (Live) NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes: There have been seven different winners in 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in the 2022 season. Scott McLaughlin (Streets of St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course), Josef Newgarden (Texas Motor Speedway, Streets of Long Beach and Road America), Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park), Colton Herta (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-1), Marcus Ericsson (Indianapolis 500), Will Power (Raceway at Belle Isle Park) and Scott Dixon (Streets of Toronto) have all won in 2022. The record for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014. There have been seven different winners in the last 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ( Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward, Colton Herta, Marcus Ericsson, Will Power and Scott Dixon ) The only repeat winners in that stretch are Newgarden (Texas 2022, Long Beach 2022 and Road America 2022) and McLaughlin (St. Petersburg 2022 and Mid-Ohio 2022). There have been nine different NTT P1 Award winners in 2022. Scott McLaughlin (Streets of St. Petersburg), Felix Rosenqvist (Texas Motor Speedway), Colton Herta (Streets of Long Beach and Streets of Toronto), Rinus VeeKay (Barber Motorsports Park), Will Power (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-1), Scott Dixon (Indianapolis 500), Josef Newgarden (Raceway at Belle Isle Park), Alexander Rossi (Road America) and Pato O’Ward (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course) have won pole positions in 2022. The record for most pole winners in a season is 12 set in the 1999 CART season. Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend, featuring the Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash and Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google, will be the third and fourth oval races of the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. The previous two oval races were won by Josef Newgarden (Texas Motor Speedway) and Marcus Ericsson (Indianapolis 500). The remaining oval race will take place at World Wide Technology Raceway (Aug. 20). The Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash and Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google will be the 16th and 17th NTT INDYCAR SERIES events at Iowa Speedway. Josef Newgarden is the only entered driver to win at Iowa Speedway more than once. Newgarden has three wins. Other past winners Simon Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves are also entered in the event. ACTIVE RACE WINNERWINSSEASONS Josef Newgarden32016, 2019, 2020 Race #2Helio Castroneves12017Simon Pagenaud12020 Race #1 Andretti Autosport has won seven of the 15 previous races at Iowa Speedway ( Dario Franchitti 2007, Tony Kanaan 2010, Marco Andretti 2011, Ryan Hunter-Reay 2012, 2014 and 2015 and James Hinchcliffe 2013). Team Penske has four wins ( Helio Castroneves 2017, Josef Newgarden 2019 and 2020 Race #2 and Simon Pagenaud 2020 Race #1). Chip Ganassi Racing has two wins ( Dan Wheldon 2008 and Franchitti 2009). Ryan Hunter-Reay , Dario Franchitti and Josef Newgarden are the only drivers to win at Iowa Speedway and win the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in the same season. Newgarden accomplished the feat in 2019, Hunter-Reay in 2012 and Franchitti in 2007 and 2009. Three drivers have competed in every NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at Iowa: Marco Andretti, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan. Only Dixon is entered this year. Eleven drivers entered have led laps at the track ( Josef Newgarden 1,150, Will Power 131, Dixon 130, Simon Pagenaud 98, Takuma Sato 59, Graham Rahal 32, Pato O’Ward 31, Ed Carpenter 18, Conor Daly 17, Felix Rosenqvist 7 and Alexander Rossi 4). Josef Newgarden has finished in the top four in six of the last eight races at Iowa (2014-2016 and 2018-2020) … Scott Dixon has started on pole three times (two earned) and has 12 top-10 finishes at Iowa in 15 starts, but he has never finished better than second. Milestones:Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 299th and 300th consecutive starts, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history… Helio Castroneves needs two starts to tie A.J. Foyt for second on the all-time starts list with 369 starts… Pato O’Ward will attempt to make his 49th and 50th INDYCAR SERIES starts. Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Notes: Linus Lundqvist is on the verge of building an insurmountable lead in the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires point standings. The 23-year-old Swede leads Sting Ray Robb by 87 points heading into the first oval race of the season. The Indy Lights at Iowa Speedway will be the first of two oval events for Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires. The track will be completely new for every driver in the field as no driver has raced on the 7/8-mile oval in any previous series. The series last raced at Iowa Speedway in 2018 with eventual champion Pato O’Ward taking the checkered flag. Danial Frost, Christian Rasmussen and Hunter McElrea became first-time winners earlier this season. Will another talented prospect like Sting Ray Robb , Benjamin Pedersen , Kyffin Simpson or Ernie Francis Jr. score a first series win in 2022?

(Image via NASCAR) With the advent of NASCAR's next generation of race car to set the foundation for the future of stock car racing in America, the car itself has a myriad of new changes and specifications that NASCAR has never seen before. From the 18-inch diameter tire and center-locking lug-nut that are some of the most obvious changes to the car, another introduction to help the on-track product in the series is the introduction of new aerodynamic components on the car. Since 1959, aerodynamics influenced stock car racing even though drivers and crew chiefs did not really grab the concept until the late 60s. But until the end of the 2000s, NASCAR took most of its aerodynamic advantages from the body work of the car with the front valance and rear spoiler. Then with the introduction of the COT and Generation 6, cars would have such a low ride height that cars would effectively seal off out side air from the underside of the car Over the past couple of years, the term "dirty air" and "aero push" have become buzzwords when the series heads to intermediate and superspeedways of late. The idea that cars traveling behind a car have a dramatic loss of downforce which hurts close racing. Whereas in the past, aerodynamic influences have been on the actual body of the car and punches a hole in the air so big that once someone catches another, the battle stalls out leading to less than glamorous racing With the Next-Gen car, most aerodynamic load is actually underneath the car with the advent of the stepped splitter and rear diffuser. Unlike in the two previous generations of NASCAR race car, the new stepped splitter is a revolutionary piece of kit that in my opinion is the start of the three most important parts of the new car. To start, the splitter does not create downforce by itself. With a hypothetical velocity of air as 1, lets go forward with my explanation. So V1 air hits the front splitter of the car. The majority of the air goes around and above the car following the body of the vehicle. The air that impacts the splitter slows the car down due to aerodynamic load and creates a pocket of dead air with a velocity of 0. But with the stepped splitter, air is allowed to go underneath the car. This air is squeezed between the car and the ground. Because the air does not change in volume, physics forces that air to move faster to a velocity of 2. With slower air moving over the top of the car and faster air moving below the car, the aerodynamic load from the air makes the cars have increased grip and traction. Congrats you have downforce. Now the problem. The underside of a Next-Gen car is completely sealed off due to a carbon-fiber under panel which allows air that moves under the car to gain velocity and cause more turbulence and wake. (Mercedes F1 Team, you reading this) . If you are in a car behind our lead car, Your initial contact with air is at V2. Air over the top of the car is slowed to V1. Air under the car is is at V2. Your downforce is less effective as the car in front. Adding the diffuser to the rear slows V2 air to V1 air. Allowing the downforce of the following car to be more effective. It also allows air to be redirected in a vertical trajectory to allow trailing cars to not be effected as much due to a loss of downforce `Now diffusers in motorsports aren't a new concept in series like IMSA, IndyCar, and Formula One. But to the world of NASCAR it can seem at times to reinvent racing all together. I see the criticism on NASCAR's various social media pages all the time. Fans saying "these cars ain't stock no more...", poor English aside, NASCAR hasn't been stock really since the inception of the series, with engineers modifying parts to make cars go faster ever since cars took to the sandy shores of Daytona Beach. To the critics of the new aerodynamic changes, the on-track product has been so much better then what we have seen in previous years. As of writing, we have had fourteen different winners in the Cup Series to date in the 2022 season. The average margin of victory is the closest it has been in years and green flag passing is at an all time high. It is never a bad thing to change, especially if things that change are for the better. When NASCAR does well, every other motorsport benefits from it. I for one couldn't be happier Thank you for joining us on another edition of Tech Tuesday. This article has been released later than usual as I have had a death in the family. My grandfather, Henry Bestor passed away on Saturday. Henry was one of the men in my life that ignited an interest in motorsports and set myself on my professional journalism career. Henry lived a fantastic 96 years on this planet. He served in the Army during World War II. He helped man reach for the stars and land on the Moon as he was an engineer during Project Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs. He lived a life most men won't ever live and I'm grateful of the contributions he made on my life and for all mankind. This edition of Tech Tuesday and each one for the rest of the season will be dedicated to him. First mock-up of Mercury spacecraft, 1959 at McDonnell Aircraft. St. Louis, Missouri Henry is the second from the left in the back row