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(Photo Source : Twitter.com/NASCAR_Trucks)

--Press Release From Michael Shank Racing-- Sebring, Fla, (19 March 2021) – Olivier Pla made his first qualifying run of 2021 with Meyer Shank Racing and put the No. 60 Acura ARX-05 DPi on the inside of the third row in fifth for Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Pla posted a fast time of 1:46.377-seconds on lap seven during Friday’s 15-minute qualifying run. A packed day of three practice sessions proceeded Friday’s qualifying run to set the grid for the day to night event. Pla’s familiarity with MSR dates back to 2016 which saw the Frenchman score pole position in his role as endurance driver for the Ohio-based team. Pla will join forces with Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya for Saturday’s race. The trio are coming off of the IMSA season opener at Daytona International Speedway which saw the team finish fourth. MSR completed all 807 laps in its debut with the Acura ARX-05. “We worked a lot on the car balance yesterday,” said Pla. “With good balance we will be in a better position for the end of the race tomorrow. Our qualifying session was difficult and we aren’t in the position that we wanted to be, but now it is time to focus ahead on the race. The Meyer Shank Racing team will get the car setup for tomorrow so that we can race through the field and be in the front in the last few hours.” The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will be broadcast live starting at 10:00am ET on NBCSN. Flag to flag coverage can be viewed on TRACKPASS or on SiriusXM Ch. 392 or Sirius Ch. 216. Broadcast Schedule: NBCSN 10:00-12:00pm NBC Sports App 12:00-7:00pm NBCSN 7:00-10:30pm TRACKPASS Flag-to-flag

(Photo Source : Twitter.com/amsupdates)

--Press Release From Michael Shank Racing-- Pataskala, Ohio (15 March 2021) – It’s been five years since Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) raced on the iconic Sebring International circuit equipped with Prototype machinery, but the Ohio-based team is prepared to make a strong return on Saturday for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring (NBC, 10:00am ET). The MSR squad will enter the weekend with full-season drivers Olivier Pla and Dane Cameron who will also be joined by Juan Pablo Montoya in the No. 60 Acura ARX-05 DPi. While it has been several years since the team raced at Sebring with a Prototype, it has only been a few months since MSR clinched its second consecutive GTD Championship title at the track back in November. Now, just four months later, MSR will return with a whole new lineup of drivers and all-new car as it aims to capture its inaugural Sebring 12 Hour victory. MSR’s last outing in a Prototype at Sebring International Raceway (2016) saw Pla – who served as MSR endurance driver – secure the pole position for the 12 hour endurance classic. Pla raced to a six second lead before the race was temporarily red flagged for weather. Once back to action, the team was on its way to a strong result when a broken suspension on the final lap hindered what could have been a top finish. Pla most recently rounded out the Sebring podium in 2020 after finishing third overall. The Frenchman has yet to claim the coveted victory in the 12 Hour, and will be on the hunt for it this weekend with MSR. “Sebring is a crazy place and one of my favorite tracks that we race at,” said Pla. “It’s a very demanding track and you have to make sure to have the best car possible to ride the bumps into T1 and T17, but at the same time without affecting the car’s balance for the rest of the track. This place always brings a big fight and a good show from the beginning until the end, and it becomes even more special at night the last few hours of the race.” The team will return with plenty of past data with Cameron and Montoya’s three years of experience onboard the Acura ARX-05. The pair closed out the 2020 IMSA season with a second place finish at Sebring. The duo also captured a sixth place result during the July Sebring event. In addition to the pair’s experience, MSR have had the opportunity to test at Sebring prior to the day-to-night event. “The Sebring 12hr is one of my favorite events of the year, I really enjoy the track and the challenges the bumps create,” said Cameron. “The atmosphere and fans there are second to none so its always cool to see all the setups in the infield when we do the track walk. I am looking forward to a strong result with Oil and Juan. The team has been working hard since Daytona and we had a productive test a few weeks ago, so that should give us a good balance for the race and we can push for the win.” “Last time I raced at Sebring in the Acura we were very competitive and had a very strong car,” said Montoya. “All of the work that the team has put in ahead of the event should make it another great race and I’m looking forward to the weekend.” The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is set for Saturday, March 20th with a 10:10am ET green flag start time. The first two hours of the race will be broadcast on NBCSN beginning at 10:00am ET. Flag-to-Flag coverage can be viewed on TRACKPASS or listen in to live radio coverage on Sirius Ch. 216 or XM Ch. 392. Broadcast Schedule: *Flag-to-flag coverage on TRACKPASS 10:00am-12:00pm NBCSN 12:00pm-7:00pm NBC Sports Gold App 7:00pm-10:30pm NBCSN

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(LP Dumoulin in victory lane celebrates his 2nd NASCAR Pinty Series Championship) Cancer in one way or another has effected all of us, whether we have suffered and fought through it or have had family and friends face the fight. For LP Dumoulin and his team, Cancer and research for it hits close to home. On March 3, 2021 a virtual press conference was held to talk about the continued effort of the Race against Cancer initiative in support of the Quebec Cancer Foundation. Every year since 2016 the team has collected donations through fans, partners and sponsors by letting people sign the car as a gift for their generosity. More donors are always welcomed in addition to their current partners...especially in the fight against Cancer. Jeff the owner of a Gin Distillery in Becancour, Quebec called Distillerie du Quai, and a Disco DJ, Jean Beauchesne who has survived a battle with Cancer, have teamed up with Dumoulin Competition for this upcoming race season for the Race Against Cancer program. Approximately $78,000 in donations has already been collected since the 2016 year when it started, all the money goes directly to the Quebec Cancer Foundation to help support cancer patients and family members effected by this disease. "$100 donation would be a night in our hostel and a $50 donation would help patients get massage therapy" Luce Girard shared when asked about how donations help the foundation give support. Trois Rivieres, Quebec is where Dumoulin Competition calls home and every year the NASCAR Pinty Series makes a stop there on the schedule for the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres. During the Press Conference, Jessica Menard from the Trois Rivieres race track was excited about the chance of spectators this year. "August 13, 14 and 15th race weekend we are planning on having fans at the track". Written by: Matt Marr

( Freddie Stroma as Jake Martin and Kevin James as Kevin Gibson) If Days of Thunder and Talladega Nights had a love child, this Netflix sitcom The Crew makes light of the life a NASCAR race team goes through through an entire season. There is currently only a single season on the streaming site which includes 10 episodes. The premiere season covers different topics within the sport and clever jokes that poke fun at different characters, most prominently lead characters Jake, Kevin and Amir. The show includes cameos from current NASCAR stars Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon and sophomore Cole Custer. Plenty of pleasant banter between drivers and team members. While the storylines are fictional, the series is a reflection of the current culture in the NASCAR garage throughout a racing weekend. When considering the hardcore fans of the sport, this really was not the type of Netflix series they were hoping for as opposed to Formula 1's Drive To Survive. That being said, it shows the business themes of a race team. The show comedically details how race teams are operated from a business standpoint and what drivers go through in reality with their work outs and training regiments while fulfilling sponsorship obligations. What does this sitcom mean for NASCAR? The show is generally a funny Netflix series with good jokes. The Crew isn't just for NASCAR fans or racing fans in general. I think this show will bring a lot of attention to NASCAR itself and hopefully potential fans that are not exposed to NASCAR worldwide. The Crew on Netflix will likely bring more international interest to stock car racing. Written by: Matt Marr

We are four races into the season, and so far we have four different winners. Will this be the race that crowns our first repeat winner of the season? We may only be 1/9th of the way through the season, but there are some trends that are starting to form that may help paint a picture of how the rest of the season may go. This weekend, the Cup Series makes a trip to Phoenix Raceway for the Instacart 500, and also perhaps for a sneak peek at who can bring the speed to this track and challenge for a championship at the end of the year. Let’s get the StatChat started: Phoenix Raceway, while also the site of the Championship Race in November, is the Cup Series’ first visit to a short track in 2021. It is a 1.022-mile (though NASCAR scores it just as one mile) oval with a distinctive dogleg just past the start/finish line. The NASCAR Cup Series has been racing at Phoenix since 1988, but has undergone a few reconfigurations in the time since. The race will be 312 laps (for a total of 312 miles), with stage breaks occurring at 75 – 190 – 312, and a competition caution at lap 30. The fuel window is approximately 90-95 laps. NASCAR has run 1,553.70 miles so far this year, with only Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin having run all of them. Top 5 Career Average Finishers at Phoenix: Kevin Harvick8.92 over 36 racesKyle Busch10.52 over 31 racesDenny Hamlin11.03 over 31 racesChase Elliott11.80 over 10 racesKyle Larson12.00 over 13 races Bottom 5 Career Average Finishers at Phoenix: Quin Houff34.33 over 3 racesCorey LaJoie33.14 over 7 racesMichael McDowell31.75 over 20 racesRyan Preece29.80 over 5 racesTyler Reddick26.00 over 2 races Phoenix is a Short Track Top 5 Career Average Finishers at Short Tracks: Kyle Busch11.61 over 152 racesDenny Hamlin11.85 over 146 racesBrad Keselowski12.56 over 109 racesChase Elliott12.96 over 48 racesKevin Harvick13.23 over 198 races Kevin Harvick is by far the winningest driver at Phoenix, with 9 wins to his credit. Jimmie Johnson is a distant second with 4 wins, with Dale Jr. and Kyle Busch each having 3. Notable drivers who have not won at Phoenix: Brad Keselowski(has won at 17 other tracks)Martin Truex Jr.(has won at 14 other tracks) No current driver has Phoenix listed as their BEST track, and no current driver has it listed as their WORST track. No drivers have ever scored their first Cup Series win at Phoenix – will that change this weekend? Based on their point pace, let’s have a look at who’s having a better year than last year. Drivers Faring Better than in 2020 Michael McDowell+528 pts Christopher Bell+475 pts Denny Hamlin+379 pts Ricky Stenhouse Jr.+201 pts William Byron+138 pts Drivers Faring Worse than in 2020 Aric Almirola-701 pts Matt DiBenedetto-569 pts Ryan Blaney-417 pts Erik Jones-318 pts Alex Bowman-280 pts While some drivers may be doing better this year than they did in 2020, how does this year stack up against their entire career? This statistic does not include rookies, as this is their first full year in the Cup Series. Drivers Having their BEST Career Year Denny Hamlin5.75Michael McDowell8.00Brad Keselowski9.00Kyle Larson11.25Ryan Preece12.75Austin Dillon15.25 Drivers Having their WORST Career Year Quin Houff34.25Tyler Reddick22.25 In 2017, NASCAR introduced the concept of Stage Racing, which pauses the race at certain intervals and awards bonus points for the top 10 at that moment. Here are the Top-5 Stage Point earners so far this year: Stage Point Leaders: Denny Hamlin62 ptsBrad Keselowski37 ptsChase Elliott35 ptsJoey Logano31 ptsMartin Truex Jr.29 pts For those that aren’t aware, the Manufacturer Standings are calculated by awarding points to the highest finisher for each manufacturer according to their finishing position. (40 for 1st, 35 for 2nd, 34 for 3rd, etc.) No stage points or playoff points count. Manufacturer Standings Chevrolet148Ford142Toyota140 Here is the same formula, but used on a team-vs-team basis: Chartered Team Standings Hendrick142Joe Gibbs140Front Row120Penske116Stewart-Haas113Chip Ganassi110JTG-Daugherty109Richard Childress97Roush-Fenway85Richard Petty61Spire6123XI55Trackhouse55Rick Ware43Wood Brothers35Live Fast33StarCom15 The race begins Sunday, March 14th at 3:30 pm EST (12:30 pm PST) – Enjoy the race everyone! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @StatChat_RR Is there an error? Is there a stat missing that you’d like to see? Let us know!

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