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Lynch and Shingledecker top Sprint and 358 Modified Races at Tri-City Raceway Park; Bish and Bailey in pro Stocks and Mini Stocks

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FRANKLIN, PA (July 4, 2021): On Big Dog RC night at Tri-City Raceway Park, Sye Lynch scored his first of the season and second career win in the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Car class at a track with strong family ties. Grandfather Ed Sr., and father Ed Jr. were big winners over the years, and grandmother Jean was a former promoter of the track.

Joining him in victory lane were Jeremiah Shingledecker for the third time in a row and fourth overall in the Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modifieds. Taking the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks was Curtis J. Bish. Justin Bailey snapped the three-race win streak of Dalton Speer in the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks.

“We’ve been fast here at Tri-City, but we don’t have the results to show for it,” Lynch said. Lady luck did not ride with him until this night. “We were finally able to put a whole night together,” he noted.

Clay Riney sat on the pole for the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Car A Main. Rolling off second was Lynch. Bob Felmlee and Jeremy Weaver were in the second row, with Carl Bowser and Brandon Spitahler next in line. Dan Kuruger made his first Tri-City start from the seventh position, with last week’s winner, Brandon Matus next to him. Darin Gallagher lined up next to his mentor, Jack Sodeman, Jr. in row six.

Lynch blasted out to a commanding lead at the drop of the green flag for the 410 Sprint Cars. Felmlee settled into second, followed by Spithaler, Riney, Weaver, and Sodeman. The man in the move early, however, was Brandon Matus, who took third on lap three and second on the next round of the big half mile. By then, Lynch was way out front.

A caution on lap four for a spin by Francis Sesco brought Lynch back to the rest of the field, but it did not take him long to move away again from the second place car of Brandon Matus. Spithaler’s car stumbled on the restart, and Riney drove by, but he was flagged for jumping the start and penalized when the next restart took place.

That would come on lap 22. The race was stopped due to a crash by Rod Jones between turns one and two. Jones was unhurt, but his night was done.

On the restart, Lynch led the way, followed by Brandon Matus. They finished in that order. Felmlee, Bowser, and Sodeman completed the top five. Gallagher made a charge on the outside, picking up a few spots, but he was stuck on the outside and faded back at the finish. Brent Matus snuck by him for sixth on the final lap. Spithaler, Riney, and Bob McMillin rounded out the top ten.

Donovan & Bauer Auto Group heat race wins in the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint division went to Clay Riney and Bob Felmlee.

There was no B Main.

Kyle Inman made the tow down from Western New York and started on the pole in the Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modifieds. Lonny Riggs was on his flank. Eric Beggs and Kevin Hoffman were in the second row. Kyle Fink, the defending track champion, lined up in fifth, with another New Yorker, Greg Martin, next to him. Jimmy Holden and Jeremiah Shingledecker, the winner of the last two events, were in row four. Behind them were Tom Holden and Max Smoker. Todd Gabriel made his season’s debut in the eleventh position, and Ryan Riffe started on his outside.

Inman took the early lead with Martin, Shingledecker, Riggs, and Beggs following. The New York contingent was looking strong, as Inman held control for the first eight laps before handing the baton off to Martin.

Martin remained out front for several laps but Shingledecker, who worked his way up from eighth on the grid, began to flex some muscle after the halfway mark. He took second by getting a nose under Inman coming off turn four. A lap or two later, he went to the outside to drive by Martin in turns one and two to take the lead.

Shingledecker withstood a pair of late race restarts that put Martin on his inside. Inman challenged Martin but he could not get the grip on the outside for second.

Kevin Hoffman was fourth and Travis Shingledecker came home fifth. His crew needed commendation for fixing the car after it caught fire in the heat race.

Taking Sixth was Beggs, with Riggs, Jimmy Holden, Max Smoker, and Ayden Cipriano in tenth. This was Cipriano’s first drive in a 358 Modified.

“We are all learning,” Shingledecker said. “I have plenty of laps on the track in a Big Block Modified and these cars are different.” Shingledecker went on to state that he was having problems hooking up the car in the heat race, but they made a number of changes for the feature and hit on a good set-up.

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In the Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modified ranks, the heat race winners were Kyle Fink and Jimmy Holden. There was no B Main.

Jason Johns rolled off first for the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stock division. Andy Buckley was on his right. Behind them were Doug Iorio, II and points leader William Hurrelbrink. Matt Bernard was set to start in fifth, but he did not drive in the heat race due to personal commitments, so he took the tail for the start of the A Main. That moved Curtis J. Bish, Jr. over to the inside and Curt Bish next to him. Then came last week’s winner, Bobby WHitling and Alan Dellinger, subbing for Rod Laskey. Darr Diegelman and Josh Seippel started in row five and Chase Lambert and Larry Kugel were in row six.

Curtis J. Bish led at the beginning of the race, Whitling moved into second and gave chase for a handful of laps before moving into the lead. Meanwhile, the action was intense throughout the top ten.

Whitling took the lead and held command in the middle stage of the event. Dellinger took over second and was closing in as the laps wound down.

Things took an unusual turn in the final laps. Whitling made contact with a lapped car. On the ensuing restart, Curtis J. Bish overhauled Dellinger.

Curtis J. Bish led the final two laps for the win, with Dellinger in second. Curt Bish, brother of the winner, crossed in third. Fourth went to Tyler Wyant, who started in the final row. He was named the Fisher and Father NAPA Auto Parts Hard Charger, at plus fourteen. Fifth belonged to Larry Kugel.

Positions six through ten went to Andy Buckley, Matt Bernard, Hurrelbrink, Seippel, and Chase Lambert.

Taking the qualifiers in the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply heat races, presented by Donovan & Bauer Auto Group, were William Hurrelbrink and Bobby Whitling. There was no B Main.

Todd Hanlon and Bodey McClintock paced the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks. Jesse Armstrong and Justin Bailey had row two in their hands, with Chad Greeley and Levi Maskal in row three. Row four belonged to Evan Sobieski and Jamie Tasker. Row five had Bill McCollins and D.J. Macrae, while row six was inhabited by Hemi Kineston and Shalyn Kelsey.

Hanlon was the early leader, but Justin Bailey was on a mission. He had an opportunity to rack up some points in his battle with Dalton Speer for the track championship.

Hanlon made contact with a lapped car, sustained a flat tire, and handed the lead over to Bailey. Meanwhile, Speer was coming from the back. He made it to the top five before his car broke down with just a couple of laps remaining.

Bailey went on to the win, followed by steady Chad Greeley. McRae, Bodey McClintock, and Maskal completed the top five. Kevin Watson, Steven Campbell, Evan Sobieski, Michael Barr, and Jamie Tasker were sixth through tenth.

The 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks contested three heat races under the Donovan & Bauer Auto Group banner. The winners were Justin Bailey, Todd Hanlon, and Levi Maskal. There was no B Main.

Remember that Tri-City Raceway Park will be dark for a Summer Break on July 11. Racing will resume the following week, July 18, with the Sprint Spectacular, featuring the 410 Sprints under the auspices of Shawgo Real Estate LLC. The RUSH Sprints will be back with the endorsement of Gary Glass Automotive and Washington House. Junior Sprints will also be on the card. The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks will have a tune-up for the big Penn Ohio Pro Stock Championship round coming up on July 25. The 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks will also compete.

Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Cars: Sye Lynch, Brandon Matus, Bob Felmlee, Carl Bowser, Jack Sodeman, Jr., Brent Matus, Darin Gallagher, Brandon Spithaler, Clay Riney, Bob McMillin, Davey Jones, Randy Wyant, Rod Jones, Leyton Wagner, Francis Sesco, Kyle Colwell, Jeremy Weaver, Gale Ruth, Sr., Dan Kuriger (DNS).

Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modifieds: Jeremiah Shingledecker, Greg Martin, Kyle Inman, Kevin Hoffman, Travis Shingledecker, Eric Beggs, Lonny Riggs, Jimmy Holden, Max Smoker, Ayden Cipriano, Sid Unverzagt, Jr., D.J. Schrader, Nathan McDowell, Kyle Fink, Tyler Clark, Todd Gabriel, Ryan Riffe, Tom Holden, Curt Bish (DNS).

Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks: Curtis J. Bish, Alan Dellinger, Curt Bish, Tyler Wyant, Larry Kugel, Andy Buckley, Matt Bernard, William Hurrelbrink, Josh Seippel, Chase Lambert, Darr Diegelman, Pat Fielding, Josh Blum, Jason Johns, Bobby Whitling, Doug Iorio, II, Charlie McMillen (DNS), Jesse Brock (DNS).

4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks: Justin Bailey, Chad Greeley, D.J. Mcrae, Bodey McClintock, Levi Maskal, Kevin Watson, Steven Campbell, Evan Sobieski, Michael Barr, Jamie Tasker, Howard Garlick, Alex Claypoole, Dalton Speer, William McCollins, Shalyn Kelsey, Todd Hanlon, Jesse Armstrong, Charles McClintock, Hemi Kinneston, Jordan Reges, Trevin Shaffer (DNS).

IndyCar

Alex Palou and Scott Dixon grab Top 10’s to lead Chip Ganassi Racing at St. Pete

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Penske Entertainment: James Black

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (March 10, 2024) – Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou and Scott Dixon grabbed Top 10 finishes in Sunday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by RP Funding.

Palou, the defending and two-time series Champion, started 13th on grid and by the midway point in the race he had worked his way up to the 11th spot in the No. 10 DHL Honda.

Palou continued to gain spots and after his final pit stop he was just outside the Top 5, finishing sixth.

“I’m happy to finish in the top-six and it’s a great start,” said Palou, who was the fourth biggest mover over the course of the race (+7). “That first yellow really didn’t help us, as it put everyone in the same position so we had 35 laps less of the race to do something. We finished two spots better than what we did last year. We started struggling at the beginning of the weekend, so it was an amazing recovery by Chip Ganassi Racing and the No. 10 DHL Honda team. ”

Dixon started right outside the Top 10 in the 12th position and on the opening lap avoided disaster when several drivers split Romain Grosjean, who appeared to approach Turn 1 cautiously.  Grosjean drifted right to avoid the driver on his left, only to make contact with Dixon’s No. 9 PNC Bank Honda.  Luckily Dixon was able to continue without damage to his machine eventually finishing 9th.

“It was a bit of a bland day,” said Dixon, who will be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame on Tuesday. “I thought we had a good situation at the start and then it all kind of closed down to go off-track to make sure that we didn’t hit anybody. There was just no tire degradation so there wasn’t as much racing as I would have liked. Ultimately, I think the PNC Bank crew should have had a fifth, sixth or seventh, so it’s not the absolute best way to start the season.”

Rookie Kyffin Simpson impressed in his INDYCAR debut, starting 23rd and advancing 9-positions to finish 14th in the No. 4 Journie Rewards Honda.

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“What an incredible day,” said Simpson, who finished the day as the top placing rookie. “I’m stoked to have such a good first race in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. I felt like we had a good start to the race and then we just kept it clean. It was definitely tight at times with some side-by-side racing, but we were able to push through and keep things clean. We were able to really push it on the greens at the end with great pace. I’m very happy with the entire day for the Journie Rewards team.”

Linus Lundqvist was running ahead of Simpson and was sitting in 15th place at the midway point of the race and was methodically picking up spots.  Disaster struck on Lap 64 when Grosjean attempted a pass approaching Turn 10, sending the No. 8 American Legion Honda backwards into the tire barrier.  The No. 8 CGR crew replaced the rear wing on pit road and sent the 2022 INDY NXT Champion back into the fight.  Grosjean took responsibility for the ill-advised attempt and served a drive-thru penalty but that little solace for the No. 8 team.

“We were fighting on the edge of the top-10 and then sadly got taken out,” said Lundqvist. “It’s quite unfortunate because the guys and girls with the American Legion team did such a phenomenal job to be fighting for that top-10 position. It is a long season and we will definitely bounce back from that and bring the positives from the speed that we had.”

Marcus Armstrong and the No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda also showed speed all weekend and was the best qualifying car out of the CGR stable starting 11th and working his way into the Top 10 during the first 25-laps of the race.

Turn 10 challenged drivers all day because of a tricky tail wind going into the turn and Armstrong fell victim on Lap 27 when he ended up in the tire barrier.

“I was working on a fuel number and touched the brakes and locked the brakes immediately,” explained a dejected Armstrong. “I’m so disappointed by that mistake and I feel terrible for the No. 11 Chip Ganassi Racing Ridgeline Lubricants group because we were fast. To be honest, we weren’t pushing hard at the time. We were fuel saving and waiting for our time to push. It was a costly mistake and it stinks.”

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden was basically untouchable all weekend leading 92-of-100 laps en route to the victory.

Next up for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the $1,000,000 non-points race at The Thermal Club.

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Racing Notebook: PA Motor Speedway cancels Test & Tune; INDYCAR at St. Pete; Kris Wright in Phoenix and more!

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Photo: Steve Skarupa

Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway cancels this weekend’s ‘test & tune’; The NTT INDYCAR SERIES gears up for the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding; Kris Wright takes on Phoenix this Friday and more in the Pittsburgh Racing Now Notebook:

PPMS Cancels Test & Tune

  • Persistent rain on Tuesday and Wednesday have forced Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway to cancel this Saturday’s ‘Test & Tune’ one week before the season-opening ‘Pot of Gold 75’.  The Pits open at 9 a.m. and the Grandstands open at 11 a.m. with the Saturday program scheduled to start at Noon.  For more information visit PPMS.com.
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INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

  • The NTT INDYCAR SERIES kicks off the 2024 season on Friday with one practice session to get teams ready for Sunday’s season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.  Mayor Ken Welch, PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon and other dignitaries raised the flag Thursday morning at 10 a.m. at City Hall to signify the official civic event kickoff to the race weekend.

Kris Wright Gets Ready for Phoenix

  • Wexford native Kris Wright and his Venturini Motorsports team descend on Phoenix Raceway for Friday’s ARCA Menards Series General Tire 150. This weekend marks Wright’s first start at Phoenix in the ARCA Series. Wright has previously competed in a NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race in 2022 and a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) race in 2021 at the Avondale, Ariz., venue.  Wright has participated in two ARCA Menards Series West races, including one event with Venturini Motorsports. “I’m excited to return to Phoenix Raceway after having a fast car there in the fall. Our No. 15 Venturini Motorsports team has been working on it during the off-season, and we’re looking forward to heading back West for this race.”

Chip Ganassi Racing Unveils Season 2 Trading Cards

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Chip Ganassi Racing Unveils Season 2 of Trading Cards Series

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Chip Ganassi Racing

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (March 7, 2024) – Sports fans have a great opportunity to get their hands on some cool Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) team-official collectables and help out a great cause in the process.

CGR unveiled Season 2 of their classic trading card series Thursday, benefitting The American Legion and their Be The One initiative, which is a national platform to reduce the rate of veteran suicide. The program destigmatizes asking for mental health support, provides peer-to-peer support and resources and educates people on how they can Be The One.  Everyone can Be The One by asking veterans in your life how they are doing, listening when a veteran needs to talk and reaching out when a veteran is struggling.

Fans are invited to make a $10 donation for a single pack of eight random cards, drawing from the collection of 36 unique designs. Bulk ordering options are also available again, with quantities offered at 5, 10 and 20 packs.

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“We are excited to see the return of the Chip Ganassi Racing trading cards,” said Dean Kessel, Chief Marketing Officer of The American Legion. “This project was wildly popular last season because it not only provides a remarkable product to race fans across the country, but it also directly impacts our mission to support the veteran community and save lives. We’re proud of this partnership that continues to make a positive impact on the lives of those who have served our nation.”

Season 2 of the #CGRCards feature standard cards, unique chrome cards and rare, autographed inserts from the current Chip Ganassi Racing NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver lineup.

The chrome cards feature notable achievements from this past season and throwbacks to Chip Ganassi Racing lore, including ‘The Pass’ at Laguna Seca by Alex Zanardi, CGR’s first championship with Jimmy Vasser in 1996 and the team’s first Indianapolis 500 win in 2000 with Juan Pablo Montoya.

The trading cards will be available exclusively at ChipGanassiRacing.com/CGRCards. Only 2,000 packs of cards will be available through the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season so be sure to make a donation today and collect all 36 cards.

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