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Brandon Matus’ Last Lap Pass Wins Battle and War at Tri-City; Shingledecker, Whitling, and Dalton Speer also Take Features

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FRANKLIN, PA (August 15, 2021) – It was a last lap pass that Brandon Matus will remember forever. He rocketed past race leader Carl Bowser on the backstretch to get the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Car win at Tri-City Raceway Park and to gain four additional points, enough to change a two point deficit to a two point advantage in the championship tilt with the defending title holder, Jack Sodeman, Jr.

In other action, Jeremiah Shingledecker clinched the Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modified championship by starting the feature event, but then he led every lap to get his sixth win of the season. Bobby Whitling won his 100th career feature by sailing under the checkered flag thrown by his father in the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks. Dalton Speer, who dominated the early season action before hitting a rough patch, came back to win the final point race in the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks. Nonetheless, Curtis J. Bish and Justin Bailey secured their point championships in the Pro Stocks and Mini Stocks, respectively.

Bowser and Brandon Matus paced the field in the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprints. Brent Matus and Logan McCandless drew the second row, with Clay Riney and Sodeman lined up in the third. Row four had Bob Felmlee and Brandon Spithaler, and the fifth belonged to Ken Rossey, Jr. and Mike Lutz, Jr. Rod Jones and his daughter, Vivian, made up row six.

Bowser took the lead at the start of the twenty-five lapper that would decide the track championship. Brandon Matus, who shaved two points from Sodeman’s eight point advantage through heat race action, slid into second. The race was slowed after just two laps due to debris.

Racing resumed again with Bowser continuing to lead Matus. But Sodeman did not enter the top five until lap five.

A spin by Roman Jones brought out the second caution. On the ensuing restart, Sodeman climbed to fourth. Had the race ended that way, there would have been a tie for the championship. But things were not finished yet.

At lap ten, the final caution was displayed, setting up a fifteen lap run to the checkers.

Bowser took the point, followed by Brandon Matus, but Sodeman was now up to third after passing Felmlee. That broke the potential tie and would have given Sodeman the nod with two points to spare.

While Brandon Matus hounded Bowser, Clay Riney and Bob Felmlee were swapping the fourth place behind Sodeman. Brandon Matus searched in vain, but could not find a way to get by Bowser, who won earlier in the weekend at another area speedway.

With the white flag waving and traffic looming ahead, Brandon Matus took the high line off turn two and moved past Bowser on the long back chute. The pass for position was critical, not only for the outcome of the race, but also the point championship.

The Wheelman got the win and his title by .904 seconds. It was his second victory of the season and third overall at the track. He was followed by Bowser and Sodeman. Felmlee held off Riney for fourth. Spithaler, McCandless, Gallagher, Rod Jones, and Bryan Salisbury rounded out the top ten.

A pair of heat races were presented by Donovan & Bauer Auto Group for the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Cars. Taking the wins were Felmlee and Brandon Matus. There was no B Main.

After spending two weeks at the rear of the starting line-ups because of his string of successes, Jeremiah Shingledecker drew the pole for the twenty lap Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modified go. He had D.J. Schrader on his right. Behind them were Jimmy Holden and Lonnie Riggs. Nick Joy and Sid Unverzagt, Jr. were in the third row. Max Smoker and Tom Holden followed. Ryan Riffe and Kevin Green were in row five. Ryan Riffe started shotgun on the field.

The championship was determined when the green flag was shown to the field and, for all intents and purposes, so was the feature event. Shingledecker took the lead and only one caution, on lap two, would slow his progress.

He had smooth sailing over the remaining eighteen laps, winning by 3.412 seconds. Jimmy Holden took over second on lap six and held it the rest of the way. Riggs took third, matching his best run of the season. Joy was fourth, a season’s best for him. Unverzagt crossed in fifth, giving him top fives in consecutive weeks.

Schrader, Hoffman, Smoker, Riffe, and Green completed the top ten.

The Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modifieds needed two Donovan & Bauer Auto Group heats to set the starting line-up. Shingledecker and Joy scored the victories. There was no B Main.

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Tim Bish grabbed the pole for the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stock race. Bryan Daugherty started his first feature of the season in second. Curtis J. Bish and Curt Bish were in row two, followed by Whitling and Hunter Exley. Jason Johns and Tyler Wyant were in row four. Josh Seippel was paired off with Charlie McMillen in row five, then came Patrick Fielding and Darr Diegelman. Josh Blum was on the tail of the field.

Tim Bish took control for the first six laps, but an issue for McMillen slowed the pace.

Bish led the way again upon the display of the green, but Whitling was up to the challenge. He nosed ahead just before the second caution, this time for Daugherty.

Back to green, and Whitling was holding strong in the top spot. Tim Bish was challenged by Curtis J Bish, who took over second on lap twelve.

As Whitling took the checkered flag, there was a special family moment. His father had joined Todd Beichner atop the flag stand and he was allowed to wave it in celebration of his son’s landmark achievement. The win was Whitling’s one hundredth overall, and fifty-fifth at the track, with all but one of those coming in the Pro Stock division.

Curtis J. Bish was second, which ensured his first track championship. Tim Bish was third, followed by Johns, Curt Bish, Jr., Wyant, Seippel, Daugherty, Exley, and Fielding.

The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks also had two heats courtesy of Donovan & Bauer Auto Group. Curtis J. Bish and Johns prevailed. There was no B Main.

The 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks had Evan Sobieski and Daltin Speer on the fron row, Kelly Clark and Bodey McClintock in row two. The third row had D.J. Macrae and Justin Bailey, while the fourth belonged to Levi Maskal and Chad Greeley. Diezel Marvin and Michael Barr were in row five. Jesse Armstrong and Jamie Tasker were in row six.

Dalton Speer completed the dozen laps without interruption. It was his sixth win of the season, which was filled with ups and downs. He was hotter than a firecracker at the start of the season but a series of bad finishes in the middle of season dashed his championship aspirations. Although he needed only a top ten to claim the top prize, Bailey chased Speer home. Then came Greeley, Macrae, and Sobieski. Bodey McClintock, Maskal, Clark, Barr, and Tasker were the next five finishers.

The 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks contested two heats under the auspices of the Donovan & Baeer Auto Group. Topping them were Greeley and Dalton Speer. There was no B Main.

Remember that Tri-City Raceway Park will be dark on August 22. There will also be no racing on August 29.

The Renegade Monster Trucks will put on their awesome display on August 28, which is a Saturday.

Racing will return to Tri-City Raceway Park on Labor Day weekend. There will be a wide variety of racing, as eight divisions will be in competition. The activities will kick off with an open practice session for all classes on Friday, September 3. The Shawgo Real Estate LLC Sprint Cars will headline both September 4 and 5. The Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modifieds will be the undercard on Saturday, September 4. The BRP Modified Tour will be in for its only appearance of the season on Sunday, September 5. Five support divisions will also see action both nights. After the races on Sunday, there will be a bonfire and music.

Further information about Tri-City Raceway Park can be obtained by calling the track office at 724-967-4601, or by e-mailing the office at tricityracewaypark2020@gmail.com. Or, you can check the web at Tri-CityRacewayPark.com, or the Facebook page at Tri City Raceway Park. Tri-City Raceway Park is located just a few miles north of Franklin, PA, at 3430 State Route 417 in Oakland Township.

Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Cars: Brandon Matus, Carl Bowser, Jack Sodeman, Jr., Bob Felmlee, Clay Riney, Brandon Spithaler, Logan McCandless, Darin Gallagher, Rod Jones, Bryan Slisbury, Brent Matus, Ken Rossey, Jr., Steve Bright, Sterling Theiss, Vivian Jones, Michael Marano, Michael Lutz, Jr., Roman Jones.

Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modifieds: Jeremiah Shingledecker, Jimmy Holden, Lonnie Riggs, Nick Joy, Sid Unverzagt, Jr., D.J. Schrader, Kevin Hoffman, Max Smoker, Ryan Riffe, Kevin Green, Tom Holden.

Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks: Bobby Whitling, Curtis J> Bish, Tim Bish, Jason Johns, Curt Bish, Jr., Tyler Wyant, Josh Seipple, Brian Daugherty, Hunter Exley, Patrick Fielding, Darr Diegelman, Josh Blum, Charlie McMillen.

4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks: Dalton Speer, Justin Bailey, Chad Greeley, D.J. Macrae, Evan Sobieski, Bodey McLin tock, Kelly Clark, Michael Barr, Jamie Tasker, Joanne Wilson, Howard Garlick, Diezel Marvin, Charles McClintock, J.R. Shaner, Jesse Armstrong, Dillon Speer (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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