American Racing News - Issue 6

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Columns 4 Bench Racer 20 Straightline 43 Next Issue 44 Subscribe

6 5 Snapshot: Mid Ohio

30 Chad Boat’s First Win

9 Belardi Racing Stays Strong

32 Dillard Tops Titan Pro 32 33 Sunoco North/South 100

10 Marco’s Toughest Season

34 Round 7 at Muskegon

13 Swanson's Spectacular

36 Indian unveils FTR750 38 Wiles Wins 12th Peoria TT

17

40 Corvette Wins Fifth at VIR At Gateway Motorsports Park Dragplex

42 Trans Am Battle at MidOhio

14 A Wild One at Berlin 18 Brandon Welch: Living His Dream

26

Is Chase Elliot Too Hard On Himself?

I’ve been seeing a lot of discussion about Chase Elliott’s post race interview at Michigan. It seems like everyone thinks that he is too hard on himself.

The people who have publicly voiced their opinions are quick to point out that Chase has more than met the expectations of a rookie. These people correctly point out that his results have been impressive. The well wishers remind the everyone that this is perhaps the toughest competition in the world, and his performance is good for a rookie. Why are people so quick to allow a future champion to settle with second?

I too, am impressed with Chase’s talent. I admit that I thought he should have been the same number 25 that he ran last year, so he wouldn’t have the pressure of filling Jeff Gordon’s shoes.

Chase is in, either the easiest seat in NASCAR or the hardest, depending how you look at it.

He has it easy, because his equipment is the best. His team is a championship caliber team. His surrounding support staff takes care of all the things that would distract a less fortunate driver. All Chase has to do is drive.

The difference between Being a Champion and Being an “Also-Ran” is critical self evaluation and improvement.

As impressive as his natural born abilities behind the wheel are, his post race interviews are the true mark of a champion.

This is a two edged sword though.

Because he has the best, he has no excuses. Everything he needs to win is there. If he fails, it will be seen as his failure, not the team’s.

When others would celebrate a second place finish, he was analyzing what he could have done better.

When others point out what the competition did or didn’t do, Chase focuses on the mistakes that he made. This is the sign of a champion. This is what will possibly make him a legend some day.

Just look at Kyle Larson. The fans’ opinion for his lack of a victory (until now) was that the team just wasn’t good enough. Fans see Kyle as a winner, and are quick to give Larson a pass for any lack of results. Now, while Kyle may not ask for an excuse, he sure does benefit from it.

The thing I like about Chase is he doesn’t waste time patting himself on the back for the things he already knows how to do right. You don’t hear him talk about how he found a fast line or how good the car felt.

Elliott goes directly to what he should do better next time. Instead of celebrating the things that got him to second, he looks to eliminate the things that kept him out of victory lane. Before you think of telling Chase to take it easier on himself, STOP! Leave him alone. Instead watch, listen, and learn from this young man.

Parents should make their children watch Chase. It is not often we get to see excellence like this.

Drivers, was there a corner you could have taken a little faster?

Did you lift a half a second earlier than you should have?

Crew members, did you tighten every lug nut? Is the air pressure perfect in every tire?

All of us can learn from Chase.

Each one of us can make improvements in nearly everything we do.

The difference between being a Champion and being an “Also-Ran” is critical self evaluation and improvement.

Snapshot: Mid-Ohio

By RJ Kraft | Photos By NASCAR PR

He called it!

"This type of racing is much more in my wheelhouse.

It's much less of a learning curve then the other tracks I've gone to this year. I know what the car needs and kind of hit the ground running. Just the style of racing here plays more into my strengths and experience than the oval tracks." -- Justin Marks, driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing, who has an extensive road racing resume and earned his first XFINITY top 10 in 2014 at Mid-Ohio.

Ready for the rain A pit crew member prepares to load rain tires during the 4th annual NASCAR XFINITY Series Mid-Ohio Challenge at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 13, 2016 in Lexington, Ohio.

Justin Marks, driver of the No. 42 Katerra Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after taking first place in the 4th annual NASCAR XFINITY Series Mid-Ohio Challenge at MidOhio Sports Car Course on August 13, 2016 in Lexington, Ohio.

Trevor Bayne, 2011, Daytona

Trevor Bayne was making just his second Sprint Cup Series start for the legendary Wood Brothers Racing team and had celebrated his 20th birthday a day earlier. Bayne held off Carl Edwards on a green-white-checkered restart, giving the sport one of its greatest Cinderella stories.

It was a photo finish at Talladega, with Bouchard sneaking by Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte as they battled for the lead.

Ron Bouchard, 1981, Talladega

Chris Buescher, 2016, Pocono

Chris Buescher's first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win came on a foggy Monday at Pocono, where the Front Row Motorsports rookie and his No. 34 team played a perfect strategy with bad weather looming. He led on Lap 138 through a scheduled 160 when the race was red-flagged due to fog, and was the winner when it was declared official.

NASCAR’s

Biggest Up Story and Photos | NASCAR.COM

se

Kevin Harvick, 2001, Atlanta Making only his third career start with the premier series at Atlanta Motor Speedway and just weeks following teammate Dale Earnhardt's tragic death in the Daytona 500, Kevin Harvick beat Jeff Gordon to the line by a mere 0.006 seconds for his first career win.

Derrike Cope hadn't run a full season until 1990, much less won a race in NASCAR's premier series. Despite the odds, he was running second on the final lap when a blown tire on Dale Earnhardt's powerful No. 3 Chevrolet allowed Cope to sweep by the "Intimidator" for the victory.

Tiny Lund, 1963, Daytona DeWayne "Tiny" Lund wasn't supposed to be in this race -- he was filling in for an injured Marvin Panch. Tiny would give Wood Brothers Racing its first of five 500 wins.

Derrike Cope, 1990, Daytona

BELARDI AUTO RACING AND VEACH SCORE TOP FIVES AT MID-OHIO LEXINGTON, OH – Belardi Auto Racing has enjoyed an extremely solid couple of months on the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires circuit, winning three races on the strength of five podium finishes and seven top-five results. Stockdale, Ohio’s Zach Veach extended the team’s top-five run at the recent Mazda Road to Indy Presented

by Cooper Tires event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, posting a pair of strong finishes on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course.

Veach drove his #5 JD Equipment entry to fourth in the opening race on Saturday and then capped the weekend with a fine run to fifth on Sunday. These results come hot on the heels of Veach’s win at Road America, his second place finish at Iowa and Felix Rosenqvist’s sweep of the victories on the streets of Toronto. The team has good momentum heading into the next event at Watkins Glen International. “Our team is extremely focused on winning races and our recent victories have only served to strengthen the expectations that

we have for ourselves,” offered Brian Belardi, Team Principal. “We know we have a team that can win races, and we expect to run in the top-five and contend for victory every weekend. Zach turned in a strong and consistent performance for us at Mid-Ohio and he rewarded the team’s hard work with a pair of top-fives that keep us in the championship fight. With three races to go, we’re ready to fight.”

The Mid-Ohio event featured a compact schedule for the Indy Lights drivers and teams, with just four on-track sessions. A Friday morning practice session was followed by qualifying in the afternoon, and daily races on Saturday and Sunday, so Veach needed to come up to speed quickly, and was able to post the seventh fastest time of the session, which would put him on the inside of row four for the start of Race 1. The team had tested at Mid-Ohio in June, but the track is notorious for its changing conditions, and with a full day of Mazda Road to Indy testing by the USF2000 and Pro Mazda teams,

the racing surface was uncharacteristically ‘grippy’ on Friday.

In the two races, Veach was able to make up any ground during the first couple of laps. On Saturday, he was able to advance quickly to fifth on the opening lap and then made a pass for fourth on the second circuit. Zach fought valiantly to hold the position, but he lost a little pace with the car and slipped to fifth. Sunday's race seemed to be a mirror image on the start as Zach was again able again to get up to fifth before a mid-race spin by Felix Serralles advanced him to fourth.

It was a strong points haul for the team, as Veach now sits just 52 points out of the lead. He’ll need a strong run of finishes and a little luck to steal away the championship, but the team is up for the challenge.

BELARDI AUTO RACING PR | INDYLIGHTS.COM

Marco Andretti couldn’t have been happier at the beginning of the year after announcing his engagement to model Marta Krupa in February.

Then the Verizon IndyCar Series season began a month later. It’s been a struggle for Andretti to enjoy much of anything since.

The 29-year-old son of team owner Michael Andretti and grandson of 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti is experiencing his worst season. It’s not just because the Andretti Autosport driver is 18th in points. He hasn’t been a serious contender in most of the races. His best finish was ninth at Detroit. His only other top-10 run was a 10th at Toronto.

“I’m not going to hide it. It’s been miserable. It’s been one thing after another,” Andretti said.

“To be honest, it’s extremely trying, man. It’s hard to go home. I don’t relax. My poor fiancée has to deal with that. I’ll try to sit at the pool by her, I’m physically there but I’m not mentally there. I’m on the phone with my engineers. I’m training harder than ever, I’m in the best shape of my life.”

He points the finger first at himself first, but concedes his struggles can’t be attributed to only one factor. His team has made mistakes; be it a costly pit stop in the 100th Indianapolis 500 or race strategy or the shocks package. His No. 27 entry carries a Honda engine and aero

kit, which has been consistently outperformed by the Chevrolets that have won 11 of the 12 completed races this season.

“It’s me qualifying (poorly), that’s a big thing,” Andretti admitted. “The team, I think our shock package is out to lunch, quite honestly. I’m being pretty blatant about it.

That’s making life pretty miserable on bumpy tracks. I think the manufacturer is not the strongest manufacturer in the series. So there’s a lot of things.

“My dad just says, ‘Stay in it, keep at it.’ Right now, we’re not the best Honda team. And Honda is behind Chevy. And Penske is the best Chevy. So it’s like we’re in the fourth class right now.

By Phillip B. Wilson | Photos from IndyCar.com

“A 10th (at the Honda Indy Toronto last month) felt like a podium. It’s frustrating. You drive almost a perfect race and it’s 10th. That’s just where we’re at right now. We don’t have cars that can go out and win every race like Penske can.

“But you know what? There’s going to be a year in my career when we’re going to have that. Learning to fight, this is really toughening me up.”

He said the shock problem has prevented the car from turning downforce from the Honda aero kit into grip.

“It’s not translating to the tire, so we’re not using the tires (to their

maximum),” Andretti said. “You would think if you just put an aero kit on a race car, it’s just going to be better. It actually made our setups worse. It made (fellow Honda driver Graham) Rahal’s setups better. it’s just one of those things we need to adapt to and we haven’t done a great job because we’re trying to find the most grip instead of stabilizing the platform.”

cars on different strategies would need to pit. But then the front tires were installed on the wrong side in the final pit stop, which adversely affected the car’s handling.

Much like his father and grandfather, Andretti puts a lot of stock in the Indy 500. It’s always the most important race. In May’s 100th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” he was running 12th but confident he could make up ground in the final 35 laps as other

Two months later, he still wonders what might have been.

“Fun day until the front tires were put on the wrong side,” Andretti tweeted. “Really bummed, the car was good. Unfortunate mistake but my guys are the best.”

“I think one of the biggest ones that hurt was Indianapolis,” he said. “I think we had a top-three finish going there, which in the championship was going to be a huge difference from where we are

now to where we should be.

Things would be a lot different if we were sixth or seventh in the points if we got the finish that I think we deserved there.”

Andretti arrived in 2006 with so much promise. Then 19, he lost the Indy 500 by 15 feet to Sam Hornish Jr. on a front-straight, slingshot pass in the final 100 yards. Andretti later won at Sonoma Raceway to become the youngest series winner (since surpassed by Rahal) and was the Verizon IndyCar Series rookie of the year.

His only other win in 169 starts came at Iowa Speedway in 2011.

But he’s usually been in the hunt — he finished a career-best fifth in series championship in 2013. This season is the first time he’s not had a single top-five finish.

“It’s just one of those things, we just need to get that one result and once we do it will start coming back,” he said. “My qualifying has been just dreadful, which is making my Sundays worse. I’ve had to

come up through the back row three times this year, two of them we’ve turned into top 10s.

“If we’re starting in the top 10, we’re going to have different results. Qualifying is huge and just getting the most from the car, not overdriving, because that’s what happens. You get more frustrated, you drive past what the tires are going to give you, now you have two problems instead of one.

“When you see guys go rattle off a couple of wins, they probably didn’t do much different. It’s just that stuff started clicking. I’m going to stay at it. I’m not going to quit because people think I should.”

He realizes the remainder of a lost season is still important. The sooner he figures out the problems, the better Andretti can be in the future.

“I’m just not going to write this year off,” he said. “Maybe for a championship write it off, but I

need to approach every event like a championship in itself and try to maximize every session and just get better and get the momentum going because we’re not just going to come off a horrible year and win a championship. Having said that, (points leader Simon) Pagenaud is on his way to doing that (this year).

“You can look like you’re far off in this sport and you’re not. Once you find that one little thing, it will put you right back in.”

Andretti and Krupa are waiting for the 2017 series schedule to be announced before they set a wedding date.

“I have everything I’ve ever wanted off the track,” he said. “It’s just that I find it’s almost hard to enjoy everything because of the results. My life revolves around results. Once we get one or two of those, I think we’ll be right back on track.

“It has to come naturally and the only way that’s going to come is with results. She knows. You can’t hide it any other way. You’re not happy when it’s not going good.”

Andretti heads next to his home race, the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway. Practice and qualifying take place Aug. 20, with coverage for the 200-lap race beginning at 3 p.m. ET Aug. 21 on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.

SWANSON’S SPECTACULAR IN SALEM'S "JOE JAMES/PAT O'CONNOR MEMORIAL"

NEIL CAVANAH PHOTO On a night in which every person at Salem Speedway was mindful of Bryan Clauson, how fitting it was that a car adorned with number 63 "parked it" in victory lane in Saturday night's 57th running of the "Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial."

Kingsburg, California's Kody Swanson took over the race lead on lap 61 after Aaron Pierce spun out of the top spot between turns three and four. Swanson went virtually unchallenged throughout the final 15 laps of the USAC Silver Crown series' first visit to the track since 1988 to take his 15th career USAC Silver Crown victory, tying him for fourth all-time with J.J. Yeley.

Earlier in the night, Swanson became the first driver ever to break into the 15-second bracket in a Silver Crown car around Salem's high banks on his way to a new track record and ProSource Fast Qualifying time,

which put him on the pole position for the night's 75-lap event.

After amazingly avoiding the rain all throughout the afternoon, the skies opened up just prior to the start of the main event. The brief shower moistened the track, but, 20 minutes later, through the efforts of the track crew, the track was dry and drivers were called to their cars.

"This means a lot," Kody said. "It's a pleasure to drive for these DePalma Motorports guys anywhere, but especially at a place like Salem. This is a place where it's usually the braver you are, the faster you go.

That's not my style. We got a little lucky. Don't get me wrong; these guys prepare to win, but we were close enough to be able to capitalize on a couple things late in the race. I never have "parked it." I've never felt like I'm worthy enough to use that term, but we "parked it" tonight for BC (Bryan Clauson)."

Rookie Dalton Sargeant survives

to capture his career-first win

As difficult as it was for several, Dalton Sargeant kept himself out of trouble for 200 laps and out in front when it counted the most to win the action-packed, spark-filled Berlin ARCA 200 Saturday night at Berlin Raceway.

Sargeant, in the No. 55 Toyota Racing Development-Windows 10 Toyota, drove away from Chase Briscoe over the final 10 laps, denying Briscoe what would have been his fifth consecutive win, but

ensuring himself of his career-first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards victory in his 11th series start.

"This is amazing," Sargeant said.

"I can't thank my guys enough at Venturini Motorsports...they killed it tonight."

Sargeant, who led twice for 28 laps, got a little help on lap 181 of the 200-lap race when leaders Josh Williams and Briscoe spun off the

backstretch after making contact with one another. Briscoe was able to restart despite the front end damage to his No. 77 Big Tine Ford while Williams found his No. 6 Musselman's Apple Sauce Chevrolet stuck between Styrofoam blocks off turn three.

"It was pretty crazy out there," Sargeant continued. "I knew how this race was going to unfold. I saw how rough the 6 was being with the 77 in front of me. Still, we

By Don Radebaugh | Photos ARCA.com

were strong on that final restart and showed how good our Venturini Motorsports car was. I just had to pace myself, be smart with my tires and expect that the race would turn out like it did. Hats off to this team. We've been so close so many times. It feels so good to come out and finally get the win."

After the incident, Briscoe's car didn't have the same get-up-and-go and he had to settle for second, about five lengths behind the winner.

"At the beginning of the race, we really struggled battling a tight issue," Briscoe said. "But when we came down for four tires on that second stop and took some swings with the chassis, it freed up the car and it started to come to life.

Once I passed him, I knew I was going to get hit down in one and two. Then coming off two, I felt like he ran me out off the track. It's unfortunate...you have two guys going for the championship that have two wrecked cars now."

"Disappointed in the outcome. I got into (turn) three too hot...got into his (Williams) door and passed him, but I gave it back to him. Got into him again and gave the spot right back. At the end there, I was completely under him.

Williams was scored in the 10th position despite not being able to finish the last 19 laps.

"He (Briscoe) didn't want us to win," Williams said. "They can build new racecars every week; we

can't. We'll be at the dirt track (Springfield) though in a steel bodied 105 (inch wheel base) car."

Matt Kurzejewski survived the carnage and finished third in his No. 52 Ansell-Menards Toyota.

"We got lucky tonight," Kurzejewski said. "We didn't have a third-place car, but we had a thirdplace team tonight and a third place crew. They never give up...just an amazing bunch of guys here at Ken Schrader Racing.

Brought our Ansell-Menards Toyota home unscathed. There are a lot here tonight that can't say that."

Kurzejewski was no doubt also referring to an earlier incident on a restart that took out several leaders including Tom Hessert, John Wes Townley, Quinnton Bear, Clayton Weatherman and Landon Huffman.

The crash happened on lap 113 when Townley got into the left rear corner of Hessert's machine which sent both cars careening up into the wall in turns one and two.

Once Townley and Hessert were hooked, Bear, Weatherman and Huffman, with nowhere to go, piled in behind. Hessert, Weatherman and Bear were able to restart, albeit with heavily-damaged cars.

Townley and Huffman were through for the night.

As disappointing as it was for all involved, it had to be especially heart-wrenching for Hessert, who dominated the front half of the race in the No. 25 So Good! Entertainment-Relax Wraps Toyota, leading the first 108 laps before the incident. Hessert also earned a new one-lap track record earlier in the day, winning his fourth career Menards Pole presented by Ansell.

Once the wreck was cleaned up, Williams took control, leading 63

Hessert and Townly tangled on lap 114 collecting Bear and others laps before he and Briscoe locked horns.

Bret Holmes finished a career-best fourth in the No. 23 Holmes II Excavation Chevrolet.

"We learned a lot tonight," Holmes said. "This is a challenging track and we came out with our best finish. We just need to keep our heads up and keep going, and that first win will come."

AJ Fike finished fifth in the No. 27 MatrixCare-Consonus HealthcareRD McMillen Ford.

"Stayed out of trouble and got a good finish out of it. That's about all you can say about this one tonight. We'll take it and go on to Springfield."

Clair Zimmerman finished a career-best sixth in the No. 30 Hunti-

lar Ford, the last car on the lead lap. Hessert battled back to finish seventh. Thomas Praytor was eighth in the No. 9 DK-LOK Ford.

Ed Pompa finished a career-best ninth in the No. 10 Milwaukee Crusher-Double H Ranch Chevrolet.

The next event for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is the 54th running of the Central Illinois SuperChevyStores.com 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds mile dirt Sunday, August 21.

at Gateway Motorsports Park's Dragplex

Charles Willis Jr. scored his sixth Super Pro Motorcycle win on Friday, July 1, at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois.

Megan Meyer (right lane) of Spring Hill launches her NHRA Top Alcohol Class dragster at the All-American Hot Rod Showdown (NHRA Division 3 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series).

Brad Plant Photo

Jeremy McKague of Chamois, Missouri, scored twice at Gateway Motorsports Park's Dragplex in the Quarter-Mile No-Box final

Brandon Welch:

living his dream

It has been a long and circuitous journey for Brandon Welch, but the Funny Car newcomer is now living his dream and he doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon. Welch made his professional debut in 2015, racing the final two events of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

“To get a little taste of driving this car, I want to live in this world all the time,” said Welch, who is the grandson of veteran NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Chuck Beal. “To race 3-4 times in a little over a month is great and to do it two weekends in a row is fantastic. It’s been a lot of fun and a great time. The guys are working hard The journey to this point might have taken a and doing a great job. little longer than Welch had expected, but with plans to race eight total times in 2016, the rising “I think there’s something endearing and somestar couldn’t be more excited about his current thing people like about a team that looks at this position. massive challenge and goes after it. We’re going

to work hard and do whatever we can to climb this mountain to get where we want to go. I think we’re definitely on the right path.”

Welch’s journey started more than 15 years ago, working as a crew member on Beal’s Top Alcohol Funny Car as a teenager. From that point, his dream became to drive a nitro Funny Car, something that finally came to fruition for the 33-year-old Welch in 2015 thanks to Beal and AutoAnything.com. He raced in Las Vegas and Pomona to close out 2015, but took another

step this year when he qualified for eliminations for the first time in Norwalk.

“We completely overhauled and upgraded our parts and engine set-up in the offseason,” Welch said. “It’s taken a couple of races to it honed in and our goal is to consistently be in the

4.0s.

If we got in the 3.90s, that would be amazing. I think I would throw a party. But if we’re a consistent 4.0 car, we can qualify and win rounds. I was happy with the progress we made from Norwalk to Chicago. Hopefully we can continue to improve.”

“Life’s Been Good To Me So Far” Life’s been good to me so far, is a true statement. Linda and I have been blessed during the past fifty plus years of marriage, with two kids and six grandkids, including twenty eight years as followers of Jesus Christ. We’ve been blessed traveling and enjoying the good life in the world of motorsports. We have hundreds of friends. Life’s been good to us.

We’ve all had difficult periods in life including your racing endeavors, and everyone who dabbles in racing will have situations arise they would not have chosen. But that’s life. Things happen simply because the risk in drag racing is high for those who choose to drive fast.

Drag racing has brought so many good times into all of our lives, and also brought many wonderful people into all of our lives, so the good times far out-weigh the bad times a million to one. Everyone who reads this column has experienced unpleasant things at the racetrack, i.e. personal issues, explosions, crashes, and worse things like the loss of good friends.

Life’s been good to me so far… I get to drive a nice car…I didn’t have to go to war…my life isn’t trapped on a sandbar…someday I may shoot par…I’m not stuck in a pit of tar…my nightlife doesn’t consist of a drink at a bar…my life’s wealth isn’t stashed in an old jar…my conscience is free from any mar…my future is guaranteed to reach quite far…the only life blemishes are a God forgiven scar.

Joe Walsh (who plays and sings with The Eagles) is a guy known for getting a little wild back in the day. He sings about how life had been good to him so far. The lyrics detail a few of their shenanigans throughout the years, yet life was still good. We can all say the same thing, even through our trials and tribulations; life has been good to you and to me. You know, if Joe was a drag racer, he may have written the lyrics to go something like this: “My Top Fuel Hydro goes 265; I have a license so I can drive.

We stay in hotels, some nights I don’t recall; Our awesome sponsors pay for it all.

We ride in a motor home, we’re truly blessed; Even racers need extra comfort and rest.

Racing fans like to tell me I’m great;

I have world record plaques hanging on my wall; If you need any advice, maybe I’ll call.”

Joe also penned some other very interesting words; “I’m just looking for clues at the scene of the crime.” As I wrote in a previous column, there was only one real crime committed in and around our planet—Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross.

Let’s think back to those days during the Passion Week. There were many clues as to what was happening and what it all meant to mankind? God had lovingly left hundreds of clues during the previous two thousand years. He also exposed some of those clues during that haunting week, such as betrayal, mocking and torture, a bogus trial, an innocent man found guilty, the innocent man crucified—but then Jesus was raised from the dead three days later! All the clues came together pointing to the Savior of mankind.

Check out the trophies on my mantelpiece;

Fortunately for us, even today, these clues still point to the situation Jesus was in, and why He was headed to the cross…for Him [and us] it wasn’t a loss…He didn’t lose the coin toss…He was innocent with no obvious dross…God’s plan didn’t slip on any moss…He didn’t need a big ‘ol cowboy named Hoss…because He has always been the universes’ Boss.

I’d shake your hand, but mine’s covered with grease.

If we look back into drag racing history, there are many people who

For a championship, I can hardly wait.

We’re rebuilding the engine sometimes until four; Feeling so tired we’ll just sleep on the trailer floor.

could say life’s been good to me so far. Even with trials and tribulations, life was still good as the pros outweigh the cons, and thinking about our heroes in the past, life was good—even if it was cut too short.

If we take a peek inside the Bible, in both the Old and the New Testament, we will find many interesting individuals who could say life’s been good to me so far. These people’s lives had plenty of difficulties as they endured wandering in the Middle Eastern deserts, facing serious distrust, coping with ignorance, dealing with family disownment and dysfunction, severe persecution, torture, and martyrdom. Yet, they could still say life’s been good to me so far.

Moses, a man whom God spoke to and through, was a faithful servant, a miracle baby, a murderer, a leader of millions, recipient of the Ten Commandments, wasn’t a good speaker, the writer of the first five books of the Bible, and even though he didn’t get to join the Israelites making it into the Promised Land, he could still say life’s been good to me so far.

David, a man after God’s own heart, was a shepherd, a king, a man on the run for his life, an adulterer, and the writer of most of the Psalms, and even though his family life was filled with tragedy, he could honestly say, life’s been good to me so far. He lived to a ripe old age enduring tough times, while he fought the good fight, because he was faithful to God. The apostle Paul, a man who persecuted, arrested, and murdered Christians, but eventually became the most prolific writer of the New Testament, planted tons of churches, led thousands of people to

Christ, and being imprisoned for his faith before he was executed, could still say life’s been good to me so far. He knew what lay ahead in eternity.

If we look back into our own lives, I honestly believe everyone who reads this column can truly say life’s been good to me so far. Why? You live in America. You’re involved in motorsports. You have the freedom to race, work, go to school, and go to church at any time and any place of your choice. You have freedoms many people will never have.

Life’s been good to you and me...I hope you are able to see...there is never a fee…it’s sweeter than honey from a bee…we really should say oh gee…look at that crossedshaped tree…simply get on your knee…and identify what it takes to really be free.

Life’s been good to me so far. I get to write for a great magazine, the Drag Boat Review. You get to read about yourself in this magazine. I get to drive around the country at 75 mph. You get to drive 200 plus mph. I am able to see you race. You are able to be ministered to by RFC chaplains. I’ve seen spiritual growth in many racers over the past twenty five years. You’ve had the opportunity to enjoy church at the track.

Think back on your life. Think about your family and friends.

Think about your sponsors. Think about your trophies. Think about your victories. Think about your job. Think about your future retirement. Honestly, I believe you can say life’s been good to me so far.

Let’s consider an engine explosion as a crime scene. In a few seconds after the crack of the throttle, some-

thing happened to cause an engine component to break. The crew chief dissects everything looking for clues—at the scene of the crime— in order to determine the cause.

Once the reason is found, he takes steps to alleviate the problem for future runs. If the clues do not give clear evidence for the cause, history is likely to repeat itself with another catastrophic engine eruption.

Here are some eternal clues: During Jesus’ crucified, the earth shook and the rocks split, the tombs broke open and many holy people were raised to life, the sky turned black at mid day, the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, the murderer on the cross was granted immediate entrance into Paradise, and a centurion who was a witness to the whole ordeal, said, surely he was the Son of God. Life [and death] may not have looked so good for Jesus on that fateful day, but for you and me, we can truly say after His atoning sacrifice, life’s been good to me so far.

Joe Walsh also sang: “Lucky I’m sane after all I’ve been through, I can’t complain but sometimes I still do. Life’s been good to me so far.”

God is good…God’s Word is good…life is good…racing is good…family life is good…friends are good…as they should…you my friend get to put it to the wood…hold it down as long as you could…I hope after reading this column life for you is better understood!

a n n e K c M McKenna Haase is a nineteen year old up and coming female sprint car driver from Des Moines, IA. She races in the Lucas Oil Championship Cup Series at Knoxville Raceway in the 305 division, and in her second season became the first female to win a sprint car feature at Knoxville Raceway.

Like many young racers, Haase began racing in Karts. She started behind the wheel of a box stock outlaw sprint kart at English Creek Speedway in 2010.

After tasting her share of success she decided to move up the sprint cars. Unlike many young racers she had a hurdle to clear before she moved up to sprint cars. Rather than getting out the checkbook, McKenna’s parents challenged her to come up with the funding needed for a move up to the sprint car division. Kudos to her parents as McKenna seems to be as grounded as she is talented.

Another thing that sets Haase apart is the fact that after moved up, she handed the “keys” to her box stock outlaw sprint kart to a young deserving driver, launching her own driver development program, Compass Racing Development.

Ten year-old Gage Stevens is the first Compass Racing Development driver and already has his share of success.

While we wish McKenna much success. I’m sure there is now a few young drivers with an eye on a certain silver and pink print car that are wishing a little harder.

Photo Provided byTeamHaaseRacing

Studio 92 Photos

Haase’s win is a significant event that will rank among the most important events in the over 100-year history of the track: •

Donny Schatz winning the 2013 Nationals from the 11th row

•

Bobby Allen breaking into the 15 second lap time barrier in 1989

•

Don Droud Jr. breaking into the 14 second lap time barrier in 1998

•

Steve Kinser winning his record 12th Knoxville Nationals in 2002

•

Bobby Allen winning the 1990 Nationals

•

Dick Gaines passing Jan Opperman on the last lap to win the 1974 Nationals

•

Roy Robbins winning the first Nationals in 1961 with an “air-scoop” which introduced us to winged race cars

By Knoxville Track Historian Eric Arnold (Edited)

5

Take

with McKenna Haase American Racing News asked these five questions‌

Where is your racing career at right now?

I currently race 305 and 360 sprint cars, primarily at Knoxville Raceway.

How did you get to this point?

I started in box stock outlaw karts in 2010 before moving up to micro sprints in 2012 and then sprint cars in 2014.

I couldn't have done it without the help of a lot of people.

Iowa Select Farms (my primary sponsor) has been on board since day 1 and my career wouldn't have been possible without them. Wyckoff Heating and Cooling, Stine Seed, Casey's General Stores, and Tyr Endurance Sport came on board when I moved up to sprint cars, and their support has been amazing for our team.

I also could never thank our many associate partners enough, as many of them have been on board since day one as well (Larry Huff and Fleck Trucking).

My family and friends have been very supportive, and my fans are some of the best out there. They always come

see me after the races and purchase my merchandise as well, and they make me a better racer and person.

What are your upcoming plans?

My short term plans are to finish running the 305 championship points series at Knoxville as well as run a handful of 360 shows in 2016.

What is one thing that nobody knows about you yet that you can share with American Racing News?

I've been blessed with the opportunity to try a lot of different things in life in a short period of time, so it's tough to pick just one. A few would include that I got my first black belt when I was 12, my first hole in one when I was 14, and purchased my first stock when I was 14.

What can McKenna Haase do to make the sport better?

I'm always trying to improve the sport in any way that I can, primarily through giving back to kids and charity as well as trying to find ways to bring tracks, fans, and racers together, as after all, everyone has a role in the sport.

Photo Provided byTeamHaaseRacing

Photos by Knoxville PR

by Bryan Hulbert and Bill Wright

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (August 13, 2016) – In a race that will go down as one of the best ever runs at the Knoxville Raceway, the 56th annual 5-hour ENERGY Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores found a new champion as “The Ragin’ Cajun” Jason Johnson brought a near capacity crowd to their feet with a hair raising battle with Donny Schatz to claim Sprint Car racing’s biggest prize.

“Parked it. B.C.!” screamed the Louisiana native as he immediately dedicated his win to Bryan Clauson.

Asked about his nearly race long battle with the nine-time Knoxville Nationals Champion; Johnson stated, “I wasn’t giving up. I mean, this is the biggest race of the year, and the biggest race of my career. It was a golden opportunity, and I needed to make the most of it and I know he wasn’t happy with me for crowding him but $!&% I wanted to win.”

While Jason occupied the outside of the front row, it was Daryn Pittman who took off with the race lead with Jason Johnson in tow. Working to third on the second round, Donny Schatz worked smoothly around the

Kyle Larson in the @Paul_Silva57 owned #57

bottom of the Knoxville Raceway with Jason Johnson to his front.

Coming up on the tenth lap, the leaders began closing in on the back of the field. Giving Johnson the advantage to close the gap, the MVT No. 41 worked the cushion as Pittman rolled the bottom side. Completing the ninth circuit, Pittman came very close to a slower car at the bottom of turn four, just as Jason Johnson shot off the fourth turn. Closing more on the tenth round, Johnson made a break for the lead on Lap 11.

Off the fourth turn, the cushion was the line for Jason to grab the point, but it would be short lived as Pittman drove back around the Priority Aviation No. 41 to lead Lap 12. With the Bad Boy Buggies No. 15 taking over the runner-up spot in the mix, Schatz brought a full head of steam behind him to grab the top spot on the Lap 13.

The packed stands saw plenty of action.

Putting the Great Clips No. 9 to third, Johnson returned to the cushion with Schatz in the crosshairs.

The caution flew on lap 16 for Craig Dollansky, who suffered a failed engine. Johnson rolled the center of the first turn to no avail as Kerry Madsen made his presence known with a high side pass off the second turn to grab third from Pittman in the Keneric Racing No. 1AUS. Struggling to get up to speed, Pittman ended up three wide to hold onto the fourth spot.

Finally fighting off the challenge, Pittman went to work to regain lost ground.

Still keeping pace with Schatz for the lead, Johnson began searching around the track, vacating the cushion as the mandatory caution flew on Lap 26.

With adjustments made, the field went back to green with Johnson

on a mission‌keeping pace with Schatz as Kerry Madsen worked to get around the pair. Going to the cushion, Johnson built his momentum, taking the race lead off the fourth turn of the 27th lap.

Side-by-side for several laps, Donny worked the bottom side as Johnson continued on the cushion. Pulling away slowly from the No. 15, Johnson found traffic on Lap 33. Nearly climbing the wall off the fourth turn on Lap 34, the bobble allowed Schatz to bring the No. 41 back into his grasp.

Under a second behind, Schatz had his hands full as Kerry Madsen powered to by the No. 15 on Lap 38.

Into the final ten rounds, the leaders found themselves in heavy traffic as the race for second heated up again with Schatz retaking the spot on Lap 41. Carrying a huge run into the second spot, the

race of the lead was on. On trip No. 44 around Knoxville, the slide jobs came, as Schatz delivered an onslaught of haymaker moves with Johnson returning in kind.

With under five laps to go, the scream of the crowd roared louder than the cars as Johnson ran the right rear of his No. 41 on the ragged edge with traffic about to come into play. With three laps to go, off the fourth turn, Johnson nearly tagged the wall. The bobble was just what Donny needed as the No. 15 was ferocious around the bottom of the Knoxville Raceway.

To the white flag, the stage was set as Johnson entered the final two turns. Powering the bottom side, it was all or nothing as Donny gave it one last run, but it was not to be as Jason Johnson worked to the checkered flag a mere .168 seconds over the nine-time cham-

pion. The win is also Johnson’s third at the Knoxville Raceway in 410cid competition.

Donny’s runner-up finish is the 12th time in as many years that Schatz has been on the podium at the Knoxville Nationals. “We did everything we could,” he said. “Jason [Johnson] did a great job. I didn’t think you could run that hard a pace for 50 laps, but he did, and once he got out there, I tried everything to catch him and just couldn’t do it,” commented Schatz from the second podium step.

Rookie of the Year honors went to Matt Juhl in the Octane Ink No. 09.

Juhl advanced from the C-Feature to finish 16th in the ‘B’. The Jesse Hockett Mr. Sprint Car Award presented by Cox Fabrication was awarded to Jamie Veal, who is the first Australian to earn the title since

BOAT CRUISES TO FIRST CAREER SERIES VICTORY IN USAC MIDGETS' JEFFERSON COUNTY DEBUT USAC PR | BRAD BROWN / www.ibracn.com PHOTO

Fairbury, Nebraska.........In the USAC Midget National Championship's return to the state of Nebraska after a nine-year hiatus, Phoenix, Arizona's Chad Boat broke through in his 65th career series start, leading the final 19 laps to take his first series victory in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Riverside Chevrolet's "Tuesday Night Thunder" in USAC's first ever visit to Fairbury, Nebraska's Jefferson County Speedway.

The night's 35-lap feature marked just the sixth the time a USAC National Midget main event of this distance had been held, and the first occasion since February of

1979 when Bob Wente took the victory at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum.

his Tucker-Boat Motorsports/ PristineAuction.com - K & C Drywall/ Spike/Speedway Toyota.

Chad Boat, the 2008 USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year, collected his first career series victory in Riverside Chevrolet's "Tuesday Night Thunder" at Jefferson County Speedway in Fairbury, Nebraska.

"I knew my car was going to come to me on the bottom on that last restart, so I wasn't super nervous," Boat admitted. "I was committed to the top, but Tyler Thomas showed me the bottom in (turns) one and two and I just went down there to make them beat me on the top. What a great car we had, though! Those laps in the middle of the race, when everybody else was on the bottom and we were up top, this thing was hauling! It was dicey getting through the lapped traffic, but it's exciting to get my

Boat, the 2008 series Rookie of the Year, has found success in his first full year of USAC National Midget competition since the 2010 season, joining Shane Golobic (Du Quoin) and Spencer Bayston (Gas City) to become the third different first time winner in the series in 2016 in

first National win. It feels like a monkey off our back and I think we're going to start rolling from here. We have some momentum now and I'm excited to get the rest of the week going."

Thomas hadn't made an appearance in a USAC Midget National Championship event since the "Indiana Midget Week" finale at Kokomo Speedway nearly two months ago, but the Collinsville, Oklahoma native made his return to the series a successful one, equaling his career-best USAC finish of second in his Tyler Thomas Motorsports/BT Machine AirGroup/Spike/Esslinger.

"I drove as hard as I could drive," Thomas said. "Chad (Boat) drove a great race and didn't make any mistakes. I didn't feel like I did either; it's tough to run second again.

We took a two-month break from midget racing to get our program right and it paid off. My dad worked his tail off these last two months to make sure these engines were running right. I just really want to win. It seems like I've had a lot of seconds, but we'll get our win. You have to lose some before you win them, though. Our confidence right now is not even in the same ballpark. We feel really good about what we have. (Solomon Valley Raceway in) Beloit (Kansas) is a good track for us, so we're excited for tomorrow."

Fellow Oklahoma native Brady Bacon, of Broken Arrow, earned his fourth consecutive top-five series finish with his third place run Tuesday night. Although he's yet to pick up a feature win this season, Bacon's consistency has put him just

15 points out of the point lead behind Spencer Bayston and Bryan Clauson in the latest standings for the USAC Midget National Championship on the strength of six topfive finishes in nine series starts in his FMR Racing/Beast/Toyota.

"We got into lapped traffic and that was tough tonight," Bacon said.

"We had a car good enough to win, (we) just needed the cards to fall a little differently. Chad (Boat) and Tyler (Thomas) got through the traffic better at the beginning, but we were up beside them when that first yellow came out, so we were good enough to run with them. It's great to come to a place, though, where the fans are really into the event and everybody who was a part of it did a fantastic job."

Photo | Buck Monson

Dillard tops USMTS Titan Pro 32 at Mason City Motor Speedway Since the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's Cup began ten days ago, Cade Dillard has been in the hunt for a win every night, and he finally bagged his trophy Sunday at the Mason City Motor Speedway.

In a reversal of the finish in the opening round of The Hunt, Rodney Sanders finished second behind Dillard while Zack VanderBeek scooted by 13 competitors to garner the third spot.

The Hunt for the USMTS Casey's Cup powered by S&S Fishing & Rental rolls on Thursday, Aug. 18, at the Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa, for the first of four straight $3,000-to-win shows.

Dillard took the lead from Jason Hughes when his car got upset on lap 11, and then paced the final 21 laps uncontested to make himself the fifth different winner in the first five races in the Hunt for the USMTS Casey's Cup powered by S&S Fishing & Rental.

Johnny Scott, who started on the outside of Hughes on the front row of the Titan Pro 32, held off the defending USMTS national champ for fourth.

On Friday, Aug. 19, the biggest one-day event in the history of dirt modified racing will take place at the Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., for the Grant Junghans Memorial and a $10,200 payday to the winner out of a total purse of more than $100,000.

It was Dillard's sixth United States Modified Touring Series feature win since claiming top rookie honors in 2014, and his effort Sunday evening was worth $3,000.

Sixteenth-starting Brad Dierks, USRA Modified national points leader Josh Angst and Scott Drake were sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, while Grant Junghans Rookie of the Year contenders Mike Jergens and Jacob Bleess completed the top 10.

The Salina Highbanks Speedway in Pryor Creek, Okla., hosts the USMTS on Saturday, Aug. 20, and the four-night swing wraps up Sunday, Aug. 21, at the 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan.

Bobby Pierce Wins Sunoco North/South 100 Bobby Pierce took the lead from Scott Bloomquist on lap 91 and led the rest of the way to win the biggest race in his young career on Saturday night at Florence Speedway. The 19-year-old second generation driver charged from the 16th starting spot to win the 34th Annual Sunoco Race Fuels North/South 100 - presented by Lucas Oil. Pierce earned $50,000 for his family-owned team.

Bloomquist was seeking his first win the annual event since 2000, but settled for second, followed by Dale McDowell, Devin Moran, and Don O'Neal.

"A lot of guys gave me plenty of room tonight. I passed Billy Moyer and then later Scott Bloomquist for the win. I just don't know what to say; to win a crown jewel at a track that I haven't raced a lot is really cool. I was just glad the top was

there. A big shout out to Bob Pierce Race Cars, Advanced Suspension, Pro Power Engines, Champion Spark Plugs, Allgayer Inc., Hoosier, VP, and all the other sponsors who make it work."

pened at Wheatland. I was just hoping the tire would stay tonight and it did. I want to give a shout out to the Clauson and Floyd Families and tell them we are all thinking of them."

O'Neal looked strong in the early going by leading the first 32 laps until he and third-place running Jared Landers got hooked up on restart as both cars had to go to the pit area for repairs - losing their spots in the running order.

Bloomquist inherited the lead and held on until the high-flying Pierce slid under him entering turn one on lap 91 to take over the top spot.

Bloomquist extended his series points lead over Jonathan Davenport who dropped out of the race and finished 25th. "He [Pierce] ran a good race, the top was where you needed to be. The right tire seems to be fine, our left rear kind of gave up there at the end. We have finished second so many times in this race, but we had a good weekend overall."

Pierce nearly scored his first career crown jewel back in May at the Show-Me 100 at Lucas Oil Speedway, but suffered a cut tire just after taking over the lead. "Yes, this is some redemption for what hap-

Completing the ten were Dennis Erb Jr., Jackie Boggs, Billy Moyer, Tim McCreadie, and Steve Francis.

Jay Sallstrom wins Round Seven at Muskegon Jay Sallstrom chalked up wins in the Unlimited and Expert Singles classes and won the Unlimited class All-Star Challenge at Round seven of the AMA Pro Hillclimb at Muskegon, Mich. Jockamo Baldina took his first ever Xtreme class win, while the rookie Brent Nelson took the win in Pro Sport and John Koester won the All-Star Challenge in the Xtreme class.

Xtreme class riders were first to tackle the hill. Phil Libhart led the charge with an impressive 5.935-second win, as Baldina followed up, posting a 5.866second ride for the lead. Koester wedged into third at the half, cresting in at 6.118 seconds.

During the second half of the Xtreme class action, the order remained with only Koester dipping into the five second range. He held onto third ahead of the rookie Sheldon Farnsworth. Baldina took the win and Libhart scored second.

When the Expert Singles attempted the hill, Johnny Curry posted a time of 7.75 seconds but was overtaken

by Sallstrom at 7.739 seconds. Koester upped the ante with a 7.329-second ride and Logan Cipala posted a 7.21-second time.

In the second half, Curry lopped off two-tenths and both Koester and Cipala took off a tenth. But the big

news was Sallstrom's ride at 6.974 seconds (the only rider in that range).

Sallstrom took the win followed by Cipala in second and Koester in third.

Cipala rode first in the Unlimited class and posted a 6.796-second time.

Libhart crested in 6.208 seconds and Sallstrom with 5.731 seconds. Then Koester wedged into third ahead of Cipala with a 6.297-second finish.

After intermission, Koester dropped into the five-second range with a 5.879-second ride to move ahead of Libhart. Cory Strickler and Baldina both moved ahead of Cipala, posting 6.456- and 6.47-seconds, respectively. It was Sallstrom for the win followed in order by Koester and Libhart. Two new riders turned out to compete in the Pro Sport Class, Brent Nelson and Calob Blain. Nelson posted a 8.335-second time and Blain 9.296 seconds.

The annual All-Star Challenge pits the ten fastest riders in both Xtreme and Unlimited classes against each other for one more run up the hill.

Riding in reverse order (slowest to quickest) with the winner of each class taking the largest piece of the day's purse.

Sallstrom took the win in Unlimited and Koester in Xtreme. Cash bonuses were an offer for the fastest time in each run in each class. Sallstrom took all three bonuses in the Unlimited class and posted the all-out fastest time of the day. Baldina took the first run bonus in Xtreme and Koester took the second and third run bonuses.

In series points, Sallstrom widened his lead in the Unlimited class but gave back a little in Xtreme. He leads Unlimited by 14 points and the Xtreme class by just four. Koester and Libhart are in a battle for second in both classes, separated by a single point. Sallstrom has a five-point lead in Expert Singles over rival Koester.

Story and Photos | Indian Motorcycle Racing PR

Indian Motorcycle®, America’s first motorcycle company, unleashed its all-new Indian Scout FTR750 flat track race bike in a place synonymous with the brand – the 76th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The event is the latest milestone in the historic return to professional flat track racing for the brand, while the Scout FTR750 represents Indian Motorcycle’s bid for a strong return to AMA flat track racing.

The Indian Scout FTR750 was revealed at the “Motorcycles as Art” industry event that took place at the famed Buffalo Chip in Sturgis. Special guests on-hand were the two surviving members of the legendary Indian Wrecking Crew, Bobby Hill and Bill Tuman, both of whom are AMA Hall of Fame members. The third member of the Wrecking Crew, Ernie Beckman, passed away in 1999. The motorcycle featured the #51 of Bill Tuman, as a tribute to the last rider to win a Grand National Championship on an Indian in 1953.

“A heritage of racing and winning is in the lifeblood of this brand, and everyone in attendance was clearly proud to be a part of this important moment in the historic return of Indian Motorcycle to professional flat track racing,” said President of Motorcycles Steve Menneto. “We have an incredible team of engineers and designers working on this initiative, and all of us are deeply committed to building a world-class racing program that will live up to our legendary history on the track.”

The all-new Indian Scout FTR750 features a high-revving, racing V-Twin engine developed in-house and is wrapped in a unique steel frame that allows for a tight wheelbase, large centrally located airbox and unique lightweight carbon fiber body.

The design of the race-only bike reflects the heritage of key Indian racing models from history including the Big Base Scout; a historic bike that won in Daytona, dominated events across the country and is still raced in Vintage competition today.

Once again it was Henry Wiles on the top step of the podium at the Peoria Motorcycle Club. The No. 17 USC Racing Kawasaki KX450F rider extended his streak to 12 straight wins at this year's 68th running of the Peoria TT on Sunday, Aug. 14. Wiles was on point to score a dominant win, crossing the line 9.471 seconds ahead of defending AMA Pro Flat Track champion Jared Mees.

Joining the pair on the podium was Jake Johnson.

Although Wiles is out of contention for the Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines championship, the Michigan rider headed into Peoria with a target on his back. Everyone wanted to dethrone the King of Peoria, so there had to be a bit of pressure on Wiles to keep that streak alive.

"Honestly, I didn't really think about it," Wiles said. "I was just trying to get my motorcycle together. We were still working on it yesterday."

All that work paid off - his 12th straight win at the Peoria TT and his 17th-career TT win - further cemented his legacy in GNC1 record books as a TT specialist. And the importance of those record books and his legacy in the sport is not lost on Wiles. Especially when his name is attached with seven-time Grand National Champion Chris Carr who has one more win - a total of 13 - at Peoria.

"It feels awesome. It's such a big accomplishment to just keep going straight here," Wiles said. "Chris Carr, he technically didn't do it 'straight' but he did it straight. Let's not forget about that. Chris was the man here for so long. Technically, records are records and whatever but nobody's fooling me. I know what's going on and Chris is still the man here.

"But it does feel great for my team and for all of the fans here who are so welcoming. I really feel like I'm coming home to a great big family when I come here with how cool everybody is to me. I really appreciate that, because it could be totally the opposite and this would be not even close to as fun as what it is for me. So, what does it mean to me? There you go - It means a lot!"

Mees, running the No. 1 Montgomeryville Cycle Center Honda CRF450R, has that number one plate for a reason. He's a fierce competitor and Mees was focused on dethroning Wiles for that coveted win at Peoria. Although he came up a bit short in second, the result was like a win after his rival Bryan Smith on the No. 42 Crosley/Howerton Kawasaki KX450F crashed out of the race. Smith's finish moved Mees back into the GNC1 championship lead by 12 points.

Andrea Wilson 2016 Peoria TT is Now Available for VOD Viewing on FansChoice.tv

"I was just trying to get my motorcycle together.

We were still working on it yesterday."

CORVETTE RACING CAPTURES

Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia kept the No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R up front throughout most of Sunday’s Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway, and then prevailed in a one-lap sprint to the checkered flag to win their first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race of the season.

27, with the lead Corvette only relinquishing the lead for six laps during pit stops. The race was slowed by only one full-course caution for a late incident involving Oliver Gavin in the championship-leading No. 4 Corvette C7.R. On the restart, Garcia was able to pull away in a one-lap sprint to beat Mueller to the checkered flag by 0.802 seconds.

After watching their team cars combine to win seven of eight races in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) this season the No. 3 Corvette and Ford Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 66 Ford GT co-driven by Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller battled up front throughout the lone WeatherTech Championship race of the season reserved for the GTLM and GT Daytona classes.

“It was a very hard race,” Garcia said. “My team got me a three- to four-second gap, and then it was a classic green and white/checkered. It was an amazing race and the Corvette was brilliant. It really paid off to be out testing on Monday and Tuesday (at Road Atlanta), because the car was fantastic.”

Magnussen led the opening 28 laps after starting from the pole. Garcia then paced 56 laps, including the final

Hand qualified third, but took second place on the opening lap, with the Ford GT shadowing the winning Corvette for virtually the entire 90-lap race. Mueller

FIFTH WIN OF SEASON

and Hand are still seeking their initial GTLM victory of the season, but they won their class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

“The team did once again a tremendous job in the pit; we had to really rush it at my driver change, but it all went well,” Mueller said. “Then, it was about 1 hour, 50 minutes of me with the Corvette – running one qualifying lap after another. Basically, the only decider was traffic. I got caught in traffic and soon the gap was just too big. I increased the pressure at the end. My Ford GT was running like a rocket ship today, and the Michelin tires were holding on. It was a 100-percent run today.”

Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook finished fourth in the three-time winning No. 67 Ford GT.

ARCHER AND ANDRETTI’S TOP 10 BATTLE AT MID-OHIO ENDS WITH UNFORTUNATE RESULTS

Lexington, OH – The final standings of the 45 lap race at historic Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course did not reflect the type of day both Archer Brothers and ECC Motorsports team drivers Tommy Archer and Adam Andretti had throughout today’s race.

Andretti, who worked his way through the pack from his 8th place starting position, battled for 2nd position with the top 6 cars until a last lap incident had him crossing the start finish line in 12th position. Archer, driving the #54 Camaro, improved his starting

position and was solidly in the 6th position after 16 laps, had his day end early due to a mechanical failure and concluded with an 18th place finish.

“The left front break fitting cracked, causing fluid to be lost in the front brakes. I thought the brakes were overheating but after the 2nd spin I knew we had a bigger problem as there wasn’t any breaks left,” says Archer.

“While I’m disappointed at our end result, especially after the crew working so hard this weekend, I’m happy that the

car is in good shape and there isn’t any damage. I’m already looking forward to our next race at Road America!”

A huge thank you to our Archer Brothers Racing marketing partners: Engineered Components Company, KolarChev.com, TPIS Dyno Services, Koolmat Insulation, BTS Industries, Howe Racing Enterprises, Morgan Stanley, Elite Tinting and Graphics, Quarter Master, Penske Shocks and Teamtech

Are these riders nuts?

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