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Press Release | TRACKHOUSE RACING CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA. –What began as a one-off PROJECT91 race in 2023 and continued as a successful Xfinity Series campaign in 2024 will turn into a fulltime NASCAR Cup Series season in 2025 for New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen. Trackhouse Racing announced today that it has acquired a third charter for the three-time Supercars champion who will join Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez in the team’s 2025 Cup Series lineup. “This is a big day in so many ways for Trackhouse Racing, Shane, Chevrolet and race fans around the world,” said Trackhouse Racing founder and owner Justin Marks. “This is an important step for our organization and it’s a credit to the men and women at Trackhouse Racing whose hard work and success the last few years has led to us expanding to three Cup teams in 2025. “It’s also a big step up for Shane who took a chance on Trackhouse Racing, moved here from New Zealand and now joins the most competitive stock car racing series in the world. Everyone will get to watch one of the world’s racing superstars compete in the NASCAR Cup Series next year.” Van Gisbergen said his mission since leaving the Supercars Series has been to come to America and earn a place in the Cup Series. He has raced full-time with Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2024, winning at Portland International Raceway, Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and the Chicago Street Race. He’s also raced in four Cup Series races in 2024 with plans to run in seven more races. “This is what I have planned for and I am ready,” said the 35-year-old Auckland, New Zealand native. “I know there is a tough learning curve ahead, but the best way to learn is to go out and do it. I feel I have made progress running the Xfinity Series this year with Kaulig Racing and I can’t thank everyone there enough. I look forward to the Cup Series. Those drivers and teams are the best in the world and it will be an honor to be part of their races.” Van Gisbergen’s Chevrolet will carry the number 88 in 2025. That car number has been driven to victory lane 76 times in NASCAR history by legends including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darrell Waltrip, Dale Jarrett, Donnie Allison, Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace, Buddy Baker and others. Stephen Doran, 38, will serve as the No. 88 crew chief in 2025. Doran is in his first year as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief working with driver Zane Smith on the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. The Butler, Pennsylvania native began his NASCAR career in 2006 at Petty Enterprises and worked as Kevin Harvick’s lead engineer at Stewart-Haas Racing from 2014 to 2023. Trackhouse Racing will announce the No. 88’s sponsors in the upcoming weeks. The story of today’s announcement began in 2023 when Marks convinced Van Gisbergen to climb behind the wheel of Trackhouse’s PROJECT91 Chevrolet at the inaugural Chicago Street Race. Marks created PROJECT91 in 2022 to expand the organization’s global reach by fielding a Cup Series entry for renowned international racing drivers. 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen raced for PROJECT91 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in 2022 and at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas in 2023. Van Gisbergen, though popular around the world, was little known to most of the NASCAR audience despite a resume that includes Supercars Championships for Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2016, 2021 and 2022, plus 78 wins and 47 pole positions making him the fourth most successful driver in series history. He also won the Bathurst 1000 in 2020, 2022 and 2023. The NASCAR world took notice at Chicago in 2023 when he led nine laps and won the race by 1.259 seconds in overtime. Van Gisbergen became one of six foreign-born drivers to win a Cup Series race and the first driver since Johnny Rutherford in 1963 to win his first Cup Series start. He returned later in the season to finish 10th on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Shane is the type of driver we had in mind when we created PROJECT91,” said Marks who expects another PROJECT91 entry in 2025. “He took advantage of his opportunity and that experience in Chicago launched a whole new chapter in an already successful story.” Van Gisbergen signed a driver development agreement with Trackhouse Racing that led to a full-time Xfinity Series seat at Kaulig Racing in 2024 along with competing in a handful of Cup Series races. Trackhouse Racing made its debut in 2021 and with Suárez as a single car team housed at Richard Childress Racing in Welcome, North Carolina. After purchasing the NASCAR assets of Chip Ganassi Racing later that season it expanded to a two-car team in 2022 with Suárez and Chastain. In 232 races, Trackhouse has won seven races, posted 41 top-five and 78 top-10 finishes.  (Photo Courtesy NASCAR)

NASCAR Final Appeal Officer Bill Mullis today heard and considered an appeal of a Behavioral penalty issued on August 14, 2024 to driver Austin Dillon, owner Richard Childress and spotter Brandon Benesch in the NASCAR Cup Series. The penalty concerns the following sections of the 2024 NASCAR Rule Book for the owner and driver: Sections 4.4.B NASCAR Member Code of Conduct Penalty Options and Guidelines; 10.1.A General Procedure; 12.3.2.1.B Eligibility. Benesch was cited for violating 4.4.D and 10.1.A. The original penalty issued was a loss of 25 Championship driver and owner points, the race finish would not count when determining eligibility for the Playoffs, Playoff Points or Playoff seeding and a three-race suspension to the spotter. Following the decision of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel, Benesch’s suspension was reduced to one race. Upon hearing the testimony, the decisions of the Final Appeal Officer are: That the Appellants violated the Rule(s) set forth in the Penalty Notice. That the FAO affirms and upholds the modified penalty as determined by the National Motorsports Appeals Panel on August 21, 2024. In reaching the above decision, the FAO provided the following explanation: “The data presented today from SMT and IDAS systems indicate that more likely than not a rule violation did occur at Richmond Raceway on 8-11-24 by the No. 3 RCR car on the last lap of the race. (Rule 12.3.2.1.B Eligibility, race finishes must be unencumbered by violations of the NASCAR rules or other actions detrimental to stock car auto racing or NASCAR as determined in the sole discretion of NASCAR.)” The decision of the National Motorsports Final Appeal Officer is final and binding on all parties. (Photo Courtesy NASCAR)

Press Release | KAULIG RACING Lexington, N.C. (August 23, 2024) - Kaulig Racing announces Daniel Dye will return to the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro to run full time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) in 2025. Dye has competed part time for Kaulig Racing in the 2024 NXS season. So far, the Daytona Beach, Fla. native has made seven starts in the No. 10 Chevrolet and has earned two top 10s and four top-20 finishes. “Daniel [Dye] has done a really great job for our team this season,” said team president Chris Rice. “He is invested in our program and putting in the time and effort to keep getting better. I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with him throughout the season, and we’re looking forward to having him with us full time in 2025.” Dye is scheduled to make three additional starts in the No. 10 this season at Kansas Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway. “I’ve really enjoyed driving the Xfinity car this year, and I’m excited for the opportunity to continue working with Kaulig Racing in 2025,” said Daniel Dye. “It’s been a fun experience learning the car and trying to navigate the different feeling compared to the truck. I’m looking forward to finishing out the season, running for the Truck Championship and making the most of my remaining races in the No. 10.” Partnership details for Dye and the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro will be announced at a later date. (Photo Courtesy NASCAR)

NASCAR The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team and driver Denny Hamlin were issued an L2-level penalty for violating NASCAR’s engine inspection requirements, the sanctioning body announced Thursday. The team was found in violation of Sections 14.7.1.E&F and 14.7.1.1.B&E of the NASCAR Rule Book. As a result, Hamlin and team owner Joe Gibbs were each docked 75 points and 10 playoff points, while crew chief Chris Gabehart was fined $100,000. Section 14.7.1.E states all race-winning engines “will be long block sealed by NASCAR and must be completely inspected by NASCAR before the engine may be disassembled by the team. If the team chooses to use the long block sealed race winning engine again before being inspected, the engine must be used in the same vehicle number the next time it is used.” Section 14.7.1.F states the long block engine assembly seals of a long block sealed engine must not be altered, removed or replaced. Additionally, the team violated 14.7.1.1.B&E, which respectively states, “seals must not be removed without prior approval by NASCAR,” and “if a race winning engine is sealed and presented for post-race inspection at a later date with damaged, altered or missing seals, an L2 Penalty will be assessed.” “Each race-winning engine must be inspected by NASCAR once the race team determines that its life cycle is complete,” a NASCAR statement read. “In this instance, prior to presenting the engine to NASCAR for inspection, Toyota Racing Development disassembled and rebuilt the No. 11’s Bristol-winning race engine. Per the NASCAR Rule Book, this violation results in an L2 penalty to the race team and driver. Toyota Racing Development self-reported this violation.” The penalties levied against Hamlin and the No. 11 team are the lowest L2-level penalties permissible, according to the rule book. Additionally, Hamlin’s Bristol win will no longer count toward eligibility for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, advancement in the playoffs or eligibility for non-points events and tiebreakers. Hamlin is a three-time race winner in 2024, including his Bristol triumph and is still locked into the postseason. The penalty drops Hamlin from third in the regular-season standings to sixth, effectively eliminating him from contention to win the Regular Season Championship. “As the engine builder for our partner NASCAR Cup Series teams, TRD (Toyota Racing Development) is solely responsible for the handling and disposition of all our engines pre- and post-race,” David Wilson, president of TRD USA, said in a statement. “Despite procedures being in place, Denny’s race-winning engine from Bristol was mistakenly returned to our Costa Mesa facility, disassembled and rebuilt instead of being torn down and inspected by NASCAR per the rule book. Although we know with absolute certainty that the engine was legal and would have passed inspection, we left NASCAR in an impossible position because they were not given the opportunity to properly inspect our engine. We have reviewed our processes and have implemented several additional steps to ensure that this never happens again. TRD takes full responsibility for this grievous mistake, and we apologize to Denny, Chris, Coach Gibbs, the entire JGR organization, NASCAR and our fans.” Hamlin still has the opportunity to gain playoff points, of course, in the final two regular-season races at Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway. A 54-time winner at the Cup level, Hamlin is a three-time champion of the Daytona 500, and the series will race at Daytona in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Peacock). He also is a four-time winner at Darlington, where the Cup Series’ regular season will come to an end Sept. 1. (Photo Courtesy NASCAR)

Press Release | NIECE MOTORSPORTS Salisbury, NC (August 16, 2024) – The Gould family heritage with Niece Motorsports will strengthen as the team announces Matt Gould to make his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut at the Milwaukee Mile Speedway. Gould, a second-generation driver from Mooresville, NC, is the son of Niece Motorsports' winningest and longest-tenured crew chief, Phil Gould. The 18-year-old competes in grassroots NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly events throughout the southeast, primarily honing his craft at Hickory Motor Speedway. He has earned three wins in the Late Model Stock Car ranks, picking up victories at Orange County Speedway, Florence Motor Speedway, and Hickory. Having made his ARCA Menards Series debut at Milwaukee two years ago, the track is the perfect site for Gould to take the next step in his career progression. In 2022, he competed in two ARCA events for Niece Motorsports which both produced top-10 finishes; 10th at Milwaukee and eighth at Toledo Speedway. "This opportunity means a lot to me, especially having Al (Niece) and my dad help me get to this point," said Gould. "I'm looking forward to it and can't thank them enough. I've been having a lot of fun working on the truck and putting everything together in the interior knowing that this is for my truck, not someone else's. Huge thank you to Niece Equipment and Chevrolet for the support as well. I'm hoping to get into their simulator soon to get a feel for it, but I've already had some help and have leaned on so many people. I'll have a bunch of family members watching that have been waiting on this for a long time, so I'm excited to finally be able to go and do it." Following in his father's footsteps, the younger Gould took an opportunity within the team to learn the mechanical ropes of the Truck Series while he was in high school. He picked up a nickname around the shop and became affectionately known as "LP" (Little Phil). Since he graduated in May, he has spent most of his time in the shop preparing several of the team's race trucks as a full-time crew member. Thanks to Al Niece, he'll trade in a wrench for a steering wheel next week. "Matt has been such a great kid to have around our team," said Niece. "His determination, whether it be from behind the wheel in his late model or from lending a helping hand to our crew, has proven how much he wants this opportunity. He's always pitched in with whatever we throw at him and has continued to learn ever since he first started to come around. One of our goals here has always been to give him a chance to race in the Truck Series. We've been waiting on this for a while now, and I'm glad that we were finally able to put everything together for him in his debut. I think he'll do a great job for us." This will be the first race of Gould's career that he won't have his father working directly with him on his team. Phil Gould believes that will create some friendly competition in the family. "That's going to be crazy for me," said Phil. "You know, I'll have my own team to worry about when I'm working on our truck, but I'll be peeking over around him to make sure he's good. It's really cool, I'm super thankful to Al (Niece) and Cody (Efaw) and everyone here at the shop for believing in him and giving him this opportunity. He's been working really hard in the background, working on his truck and doing all the things he needs to do to prepare for it. Of course I believe in him; I'm his dad, so I'm supposed to, right? But it'll be really cool to see everyone else behind him, and I'm confident he'll do well. I'm definitely hoping for the best." Niece Equipment will join Gould on board as his primary sponsor for the race, while the team's Competition Director, Tom Ackerman, will serve as his crew chief on the No. 44 Silverado RST. It will be the second time this year that the team enters the part-time truck which debuted at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with Conor Daly. The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series heads to the Milwaukee Mile Speedway on Sunday, August 25th for the running of the LiUNA! 175. Live coverage of the race will be shown on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 4:00 PM ET. For more news and updates, please visit NieceMotorsports.com. (Photo Courtesy Niece Motorsports)

Press Release | NHRA READING, Pa. (Aug. 22, 2024) – At the beginning of every NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, drivers have their sights on a championship and the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway will kick off that playoff hunt to open the Countdown to the Championship.   The 39th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals takes place Sept. 12-15 and the historic, fan-favorite track is the first stop of the NHRA’s six-race playoff race. Setting the tone in Reading can make for celebration or heartbreak come the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona and drivers will be laser-focused as they take to the track at Maple Grove Raceway.   The tradition-rich facility is known for being one of the quickest on the NHRA tour, providing an epic backdrop for incredible runs and memorable action on a must-see weekend that includes two rounds of qualifying on both Friday and Saturday, leading into eliminations on Sunday.   Last season, Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all claimed wins in their respective categories and this year’s race will again be broadcast on FS1 and FOX, including elimination coverage on FOX on Sunday, Sept. 12 beginning at 2 p.m. ET. Overall, the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals is the 15th event during the 20-race season and it promises to deliver a weekend of thrilling action at a facility always packed with fans.   Kalitta, a veteran in the Top Fuel ranks, will always remember last year’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals win as the turning point in his 2023 campaign. Heading into the Countdown, Kalitta had yet to win last season and was forced to a backup car during eliminations in Reading. But he rolled to the win, defeating four-time champion Steve Torrence in the final round. Kalitta won two additional Countdown races, including a winner-take-all final round in Pomona, to win his first championship. This season, Kalitta is the Top Fuel points leader, with his teammate Shawn Langdon in second, along with Justin Ashley, Torrence and Antron Brown to round out the top five.   In 2023, Hight earned his third Pep Boys NHRA Nationals win over Chad Green. This season, Hight has stepped out of the driver’s seat and Austin Prock has taken over duties in impressive fashion. Prock currently leads the points with four event wins and seven Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge wins, putting together a remarkable campaign. Also in the mix this season is Bob Tasca III, who is after his first world championship, reigning champion Matt Hagan, Ron Capps and J.R. Todd. Funny Car veteran Jack Beckman has also returned to racing, stepping into the seat of 16-time champion John Force as Beckman aims to try and win another title for the iconic Force.   Pro Stock’s Hartford not only won the prestigious Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals last season, but he also went on to win the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, defeating Kyle Koretsky. Hartford hopes the Countdown will be the turning point of his season after a tough year with two quarterfinal finishes. But it won’t be easy against the likes of points leader Dallas Glenn, who has three wins this season including most recently in Brainerd, Greg Anderson, reigning champion Erica Enders, Aaron Stanfield and veteran Jeg Coughlin Jr.   The six-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Smith was thrilled to collect back-to-back wins in Indianapolis and Reading last season after Gaige Herrera dominated the majority of the year. Smith defeated Chip Ellis in the final round to earn his third Pep Boys NHRA Nationals win. This season, Smith won in Sonoma and 2023 Rookie of the Year Chase Van Sant picked up the Seattle race victory. Reigning champ Herrera has won the other six Pro Stock Motorcycle races and was dominant in the playoffs a year ago, winning the final five races of the year.    The event also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown and Johnson's Horsepowered Garage Mountain Motor Pro Stock.     Fans will be invited all weekend long to the Nitro Alley Stage, which is the main entertainment hub in the pits, hosting Nitro School, meet and greets, music and much more. Race fans at Maple Grove 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 event winners.   As always, fans get an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet in Reading. Fans get a unique chance to see teams in action and service their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers, and more. They can also visit NHRA’s popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.   NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 2:30 and 5 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 13 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 12 and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 15. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, as well as at 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday and eliminations on FOX at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.   To purchase tickets to the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, fans can visit  www.maplegroveraceway.com . All children 12 and under are admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult. For more information on the NHRA, please visit  www.nhra.com .  (Photo Courtesy NHRA)

(Photo Courtesy NHRA) PRO STOCK FUNNY CAR TOP FUEL