NAPA

Following back-to-back wins the previous weekend at Lakeside Speedway, Brad Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team arrived at 34 Raceway in Iowa on Friday looking to keep the streak alive while defending Sweet’s High Limit Racing championship points lead.

With a packed house at 34 Raceway, Sweet hit the track in qualifying and landed fourth in Flight A with a lap time of 13.116 seconds. The NAPA driver then started on the pole of his heat race and dominated every lap to the finish, claiming victory and earning a spot in the dash.

A spin of the wheel put the No. 49 third to start the dash, and the Big Cat held his spot through the seven-lap race to finish third, marking his starting spot for the evening’s 30-lap main event. The feature proved the highlight of the night as Sweet powered his way forward. At the drop of the checkered flag, the NAPA No. 49 was first to the line. The crowd erupted as Sweet achieved the High Limit Hat Trick by earning his third win in a row.

On Saturday, the on-track excitement continued at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Illinois. It was challenging from the start for the No. 49 team, though, as Sweet qualified 13th overall with a time of 13.251 seconds. The NAPA driver showcased his resilience in heat race competition, securing a fourth-place finish after starting fifth. Missing the dash, the No. 49 team knew they would need to make big gains in the main event.

Brad Sweet achieved those gains in Saturday night’s Tri-City Speedway feature, starting from the 11th position and slicing through the field to cross the finish line in second. Despite narrowly missing a fourth win in a row, the NAPA No. 49 earned the Hard Charger award for picking up the most spots during the feature along with the podium finish. Further, Sweet extended his championship points lead to 45 over second-place Tyler Courtney.

Start / Finish: 
Friday, May 10, 34 Raceway: 3 / 1
Saturday, May 11, Tri-City Speedway: 11 / 2
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 965 pts. (+45)

Next Race: Monday, May 13, Kokomo Speedway, Kokomo, Indiana
How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Brad Sweet: @BradSweetRacing
Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt

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• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 UniFirst team qualified 31st for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway.
• Elliott methodically worked his way forward in the first stage to earn a 26th-place result before ending stage two in 16th.
• After an issue during a pit stop relegated Elliott outside the top 20 to start the final stage, he battled back to take the checkered flag in the 12th position.
• The 2020 Cup Series champion ranks fourth in the points standings and is just 49 markers behind the leader.

Chase Elliott qualified 31st for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. Driving the No. 9 UniFirst Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Elliott maneuvered his way to 29th by lap 22 and was in that same position when the team made its first pit stop of the race for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment on lap 37. Once the field cycled through green-flag pit stops, Elliott was up to the 23rd position. Further into the run, the 2020 Cup Series champion relayed that he hurt his right-rear tire as he began to lose some track position. When the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end stage one, Elliott was scored in the 26th position.

Under the stage-ending caution, crew chief Alan Gustafson made the call for chassis and air-pressure adjustments during the team’s pit stop for four tires and fuel. Elliott was the 23rd driver to choose his lane to start the second stage. He chose the inside lane prior to taking the green flag on lap 98. The Hendrick Motorsports driver continued to battle inside the top 25 and was scored in 22nd when the caution flag waved on lap 120. Elliott radioed to Gustafson that the UniFirst Chevrolet was too tight during the course of that run, so the team opted to reverse the previous chassis adjustment when Elliott visited pit road for fresh tires and fuel. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native restarted from the 21st position on lap 128 and was up to 19th when the yellow flag was displayed again just one lap later.

Staying out, he restarted 19th and advanced to 17th early before dropping back outside of the top 20. Elliott reported that the UniFirst Chevrolet was still too tight. When another caution flag came out on lap 164, the team called Elliott in for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. He was 20th to choose his lane and took the outside for the restart on lap 169. From there, he pressed forward and nearly entered the top 15 before the end of the second stage, ultimately finishing it in the 16th position on lap 185.

After an issue during the team’s pit stop under the stage break, Elliott lined up deep in the field to start the final stage on lap 193. He was up to 24th on lap 212 and reported shortly after that his No. 9 UniFirst Chevy would be ok if he had good track position. He improved one more spot before coming to pit road under the green flag for four tires and fuel on lap 226. Once the pit cycle concluded, he was scored in 13th and advanced to 12th before cars on fresher tires started gaining on him. He was in 16th when a caution came out on lap 254 and was 14th to choose his lane after pitting for four tires and fuel. He chose the outside lane for the lap-260 restart and battled hard in the closing laps of the race to take the checkered flag in the 12th position.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver leaves Darlington fourth in the Cup Series points standings, just 49 markers behind the leader.

Start / Finish: 31 / 12
Points Standing / Total: 4th / 437 pts.

Next Race: Sunday, May 19, North Wilkesboro Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 8:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick
No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team

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Christian Eckes reclaimed the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series points lead with a steady fourth-place result at Darlington Raceway on Friday night. The driver of the No. 19 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST captured his fourth consecutive top-five finish to lead the championship standings for the second time this season. Eckes delivered a monster points night by earning 50 markers, the most of all drivers in the field, and now holds a 14-point advantage after nine races.

Eckes’ red and yellow Brownie King throwback scheme set the fastest lap in Friday afternoon’s practice session and turned in the seventh-quickest qualifying lap. The 2023 Darlington Raceway winner immediately cracked the top five on lap two when the evening’s first caution flew. He instantly jumped into a podium position on the lap six restart and began to stalk the race lead. While the balance on his Chevrolet swung free in the first segment, Eckes managed to track down the race leader in the first 45 laps. Stage 1 came to a close on lap 45 with Eckes running second and claimed nine points.

Under the first stage caution, crew chief Charles Denike brought Eckes to pit road for four tires, fuel, and a minor adjustment to secure his free balance. Eckes restarted third and took control of the runner-up position by lap 71. While he attempted to reel in the race lead in the waning laps of Stage 2, he surrendered that position to a fellow Chevrolet competitor that had fresher tires with an alternative strategy. Nevertheless, Eckes banked another eight points at the end of Stage 2 on lap 90.

Eckes pitted again under the stage caution for more of the same service, fresh tires and a small adjustment. He restarted third on lap 98 and took the lead for the first time on lap 106. As the final segment progressed, Eckes’ loose handling condition did also. The rear of his Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet progressively lost grip and caused him to lose touch with the lead. However, a caution on lap 143 reset the field for an overtime finish. With fresh tires, Eckes lined up sixth on the final restart and navigated his way through a chaotic conclusion to collect a fourth-place finish.

“At times we were good, times we weren’t,” Eckes said. “Real inconsistent as far as handling, sets of tires, everything was kind of inconsistent for us. Proud of the execution. Proud of a top-five but felt like we were probably a little more capable than that. We kind of let the balance get away from us on our Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet. On to Wilkesboro.”

Start / Finish: 7 / 4
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 387 pts.

Next Race: Saturday, May 18, North Wilkesboro Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Christian Eckes: @christianeckes
Bill McAnally Racing / McAnally-Hilgemann Racing: @BMR_NASCAR

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Brad Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team had high expectations for a Kansas swing with High Limit Racing, starting with a  mid-week show scheduled for Wednesday at 81 Speedway in Park City, KS. But after severe storms crossed the area Tuesday night and forced a cancelation, the team looked ahead to Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City for two nights of High Limit Racing action at Shane Stewart’s Heartland of America Showdown.

With NASCAR in town at Kansas Speedway just a short drive away, Lakeside was buzzing with racing fans on Friday night. In qualifying, Sweet made his mark in the NAPA No. 49, hitting the charts in fourth with a time of 15.354 seconds. After starting on the pole of his heat race, the Big Cat maintained his position to the checkers and secured his spot in the dash.

The NAPA team came up with a sixth-place starting position for the dash after Sweet’s spin of the wheel, and the No. 49 team had seven laps to improve their starting position for the evening’s feature.  A strong start allowed the No. 49 to jump to fifth, and Sweet finished in that spot to earn a fifth-place start in the feature. The enthusiastic crowd was in for a treat with the main event. Sweet and the NAPA team showcased their skills as the No. 49 surged through the field. The Big Cat had the best car setup on track, and he swiftly made his way to the front before clinching his third High Limit Racing win in the Lakeside thriller.

With Friday night’s win under his belt, Sweet wasn’t required to make a qualifying run on Saturday; he was locked into heat race action ahead of Saturday’s $50,000-to-win main event. With the pressure on, the No. 49 was second across the line after starting the heat race in fourth, again locking Sweet in to the dash. A spin of the wheel put him eighth to start.

Despite tough competition, the Big Cat picked up two spots in the dash, placing the NAPA team sixth to start the 30-lap, final race of the Heartland of America Showdown. A $50,000 payday awaited the winner, and Sweet and the No. 49 team were determined to cash in. Sweet again found his NAPA machine to be a rocket on the Lakeside Speedway dirt. He blazed through the competition and held off Kyle Larson to surge from sixth to first. Taking the checkered flag for his second-consecutive win of the weekend,  Sweet secured the $50,000 grand prize and took over the High Limit Racing points lead.

Start / Finish:
Friday, May 3: 5 / 1
Saturday, May 4: 6 / 1
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 816 pts. (+8)

Next Race: Friday, May 10, 34 Raceway, West Burlington, IA
How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Brad Sweet: @BradSweetRacing
Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt

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• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified ninth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.
• Elliott finished stage one in 10th and followed that up with an 11th-place result in stage two.
• The 28-year-old driver lined up fourth for an overtime restart in the final stage, driving to a third-place finish.
• It was Elliott’s second consecutive top-five result and his fifth top-five in the last six Cup Series races.
• The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion ranks third in the points standings, just 55 markers behind the leader.

Chase Elliott started ninth in Sunday’s rain-delayed NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway and was scored in the 14th position on lap 10 when he reported that his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was tight. As the run went on, he radioed that his Chevy’s handling was coming to him. Elliott was in 15th when green-flag pit stops started near lap 30. Crew chief Alan Gustafson called the driver of the No. 9 to pit road on lap 33 for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. He was back inside the top 15 once the field cycled through pit stops. By lap 62, he found his way to 10th where he remained to end stage one on lap 80.

After pitting for four tires and fuel during the stage break, Elliott took the green flag for stage two from the ninth position on lap 89. A chaotic restart shuffled the 28-year-old driver back to 15th, but as the run went on, he made up ground and climbed to 12th by lap 113. As green-flag pit stops were drawing near, Gustafson asked Elliott for feedback on the NAPA Chevrolet. After receiving positive comments from his driver, Gustafson radioed for Elliott to visit pit road on lap 119 for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. Once the pit cycle was complete, Elliott was back up to 12th and continued to close in on the cars ahead of him. By lap 143, he re-entered the top 10. He battled hard to remain in the 10th position, but another car just barely beat him to the line to finish stage two, relegating Elliott to 11th.

Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott reported that he really liked his NAPA Chevy’s balance. He brought the No. 9 Chevrolet to the attention of his pit crew for fuel and four fresh tires. A fast stop gained Elliott three spots on pit road. He started the final stage from the eighth position on lap 173. The early portion of the stage was plagued with cautions, with Elliott and the No. 9 team opting not to pit during the first few yellow flags. When the caution came out again on lap 198, Elliott pitted from the ninth position for four tires and fuel. Varying pit strategies put Elliott in the 20th position as the field lined up for the choose cone. He took the outside lane for the restart on lap 205 and powered his way back inside the top 15 on lap 208. Elliott continued his climb forward, reaching 10th less than 10 laps later. As the long green-flag run went on, he gained two more positions. Elliott was in eighth after a caution came out on lap 261, which sent the race into overtime. When pit road opened, Gustafson called Elliott in for right-side tires and fuel. Elliott was the fourth car off pit road, with the top nine cars all taking two tires. The 2020 Cup Series champion lined up on the outside of the second row for the overtime restart. He battled intensely in the final two laps to take the checkered flag in the third position.

The finish was Elliott’s second consecutive top-five finish and his fifth top-five in the last six Cup Series races. The Hendrick Motorsports driver leaves Kansas Speedway third in the Cup Series points standings, just 55 markers behind the leader.

Start / Finish: 9 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 3rd / 412 pts. (-55)

Next Race: Sunday, May 12, Darlington Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick
No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team

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Christian Eckes continued his remarkable consistency with a third-place finish on Saturday night at Kansas Speedway for his third-straight top-five result. The driver of the No. 19 Adaptive One Calipers Chevrolet Silverado RST led twice for 11 laps en route to his sixth-straight top-10 and continued his streak of leading laps in all eight events this season. Eckes netted 50 points on the night, second-most, and sits second in what is developing into a two-horse race for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) regular season crown.

Eckes posted the fourth-fastest single lap in Saturday morning’s practice session and qualified 10th for the 134-lap event. His patented aggression was on full display in the opening lap as he made multiple three-wide maneuvers to take the fifth position. A restart on lap seven after the race’s lone natural caution allowed him to take the fourth position and he advanced to third by lap 24. Eckes was able to pocket eight points at the end of Stage 1 on lap 30.

Crew chief Charles Denike called Eckes to pit road under the first stage caution where the No. 19 team ripped off a lightning four-tire stop to take the race lead. Eckes restarted as the race leader on lap 38 and led the field at the start of the second segment. A tight handling condition hampered Eckes’ pace, but he continued to maintain a podium position through the conclusion of Stage 2 at lap 60 to collect an additional eight points.

Denike and the No. 19 team armed Eckes with another set of tires and track bar adjustments to improve the balance during the second stage caution, and delivered another rapid pit stop to regain the lead. Eckes jumped out to a brief advantage on the lap 68 restart, but ran fourth by lap 82 due to a lingering tight condition. He made his final pit stop of the night under green on lap 96 and was able to cycle to third position by lap 103. He maintained pace with the race leader over the final 20-plus laps and took the checkered flag in third for his fourth top-five finish of the season.

“The Adaptive One Chevy was a little bit tight all day,” Eckes said. “We got it better at times, but just didn’t keep up with the racetrack enough. There’s a lot of race track changes that we just weren’t really anticipating and just couldn’t keep up with the racetrack. But still had a race-winning capable truck if we kept up with the balance. Definitely a lot to look forward to in the future here and just excited for the next couple races.”

Start / Finish: 10 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 337 pts. (-7)

Next Race: Friday, May 10, Darlington Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Christian Eckes: @christianeckes
Bill McAnally Racing / McAnally-Hilgemann Racing: @BMR_NASCAR

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• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified 29th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway.
• Elliott showcased a 16-position gain by lap 60 en route to a ninth-place result in stage one and followed that up with a fifth-place finish in stage two.
• The 28-year-old driver remained in the top 10 during the final stage, ultimately finishing the 400-lap race in the fifth position.
• The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion ranks third in the points standings, just 33 markers behind the leader.

Following Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions at Dover Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott started Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race 29th. At the start of the scheduled 400-lap race, Elliott navigated among the surrounding cars, advancing to 20th by lap 39 before the first caution waved over the field. Under the caution, Elliott brought the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to pit road for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. Unfortunately, when exiting pit road, he made contact with a competitor but sustained no damage. On lap 48, Elliott took the green from the outside lane in the 15th position. Progressing steadily, he maneuvered to 13th halfway through stage one, making a gain of 16 positions at the “Monster Mile.” Continuing his charge, the 28-year-old driver entered the top 10 behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman with 46 laps to go in the stage. As the first stage drew to a close, another caution came out with two laps to go, ultimately leading to a ninth-place finish for Elliott under the yellow flag on lap 120.

Amid the caution, Elliott communicated to the No. 9 team that his Chevrolet experienced some tightness when near to his competitors. On lap 123, he pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. When the green flag waved on lap 130, Elliott resumed in the ninth position. Shortly after the restart, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native reported that he got into the wall, but No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson reassured him that the NAPA Auto Parts Chevy was good and had no visible damage. On lap 182, Elliott visited pit road for fresh tires and fuel as green-flag pit stops were underway. He raced inside the top 10 as the pit cycle continued and advanced to the top five in the closing laps of the second stage. Ultimately, he took the green-and-white checkered flag in the fifth position on lap 250.

During the stage break, Elliott expressed confidence in his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, stating that he felt “just as good as everyone else” before pitting for four tires and fuel on lap 253. As the green flag waved for the start of the final stage on lap 259, Elliott was in the fifth position and continued to battle inside the top 10 until green-flag pit stops began. Elliott pitted for more tires and fuel on lap 320, but following his return to the track, a caution came out. Leveraging the No. 9 team’s strategy, Elliott stayed out during the caution, along with other drivers who had already pitted, which put him in the fourth spot for the restart. Following another caution, the green flag waved again on lap 339, with Elliott placed fifth. Demonstrating resilience, Elliott fended off his competitors to secure a top-five finish, taking the checkered flag in the fifth position at the conclusion of Sunday’s race on lap 400.

Elliott leaves Dover Motor Speedway third in the Cup Series points standings, just 33 markers behind the leader.

“I was really happy with our car, honestly. A couple of moves here or there… I needed to just get myself a little further forward. But I’m really happy with the NAPA Chevy. We had a really solid day, and it was fun. It’s always fun when you can pass your way to the front.”

Start / Finish: 29 / 5
Points Standing / Total: 3rd / 377 pts. (-33)

Next Race: Sunday, May 5, Kansas Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick
No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team

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Ron Capps and his NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra looked strong in qualifying at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway, but the three-time Funny Car world champion didn’t have the Sunday eliminations results he was looking for after a final-round finish at the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals two weeks ago. The No. 5 qualifier, Capps struggled to find traction on the starting line Sunday afternoon, leading to a first-round exit.

Crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli tuned Capps to the quickest and fastest pass of Friday’s first qualifying session, a 3.877 E.T. at 335.40 MPH, to earn three bonus points. Capps had traction issues in the second session, but he came back on Saturday and ran a pair of 3-second passes, a 3.994 E.T. and a 3.901 E.T., to qualify fifth.

In Sunday’s first round of eliminations, Capps lined up against No. 4 qualifier Alexis DeJoria, No. 12 qualifier J.R. Todd, and No. 13 qualifier Buddy Hull to form the Funny Car Marquee Matchup. Capps drove into tire smoke after smashing the throttle pedal in his NAPA Auto Care machine
and wasn’t able to recover. He noted the team is still figuring out the characteristics of the new car they brought out earlier this month.

“Man, these weekends are tough,” said Capps, a four-time winner at zMAX. “I was so excited for Guido. We unloaded and went to No. 1 qualifier. It shows the hard work that our NAPA Auto Care team did testing Monday after Vegas. I’ve talked time and time again about how we have
to get ahead of the competition. Guido and our team could easily go off of what we ran last year, and we would probably win races and have a shot at a championship, but we’re looking to be better and that’s the sort of thing I love about this team.”

Capps, who’s in his third year as a driver and team owner, pointed out the off-track highlights of an otherwise challenging weekend.

“Obviously, Vegas was such a great race Friday through Sunday, and then you get to Charlotte and all the NASCAR fans came out and we almost sold the place out every day,” Capps said. “It was just an incredible crowd, and we love doing [these Four-Wide races]. We love especially doing it earlier in the year. We see the same fans when we come back in the Countdown for the second race of the playoffs.

“Had a blast all weekend with our Toyota crossover event, and then having my NAPA teammate, Christian Eckes, come hang out with us on Friday, which was a lot of fun,” Capps continued. “I was hoping to take the Wally to NAPA headquarters on Tuesday, but I’m looking forward to hanging out with my NAPA teammates, Brad Sweet, Chase Elliott, and Christian Eckes. It’s a fun event we do every year at headquarters, and then we’ll focus on going to Chicago.”

The Ron Capps Motorsports Funny Car team will have a few weeks away from the track before the next stop on the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule, the Route 66 Nationals, May 17-19, at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., outside Chicago.

Start / Finish: No. 5 / def. in first round
Points Standing / Total: No. 6 / 274 pts. (-125)

Next Race: May 17 – 19, Joliet, Ill., Route 66 NHRA Nationals
How to Watch or Listen: FS1, NHRA.TV

NAPA Racing:@NAPARacing
Ron Capps: @RonCapps28
Ron Capps Motorsports: @TeamRonCapps

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It was take two for High Limit Racing at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas, last week after the original date of April 9 was postponed due to heavy rain in the days prior. Race fans eager to see some 410 sprint car action packed the stands, leaving standing room only by the time Brad Sweet hit the track for hot laps in the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 machine.

Sweet was lightning-fast right away, clocking a lap time of 11.266 seconds in qualifying, putting him in the top spot and within just two-tenths of the track record. It marked Sweet’s fifth QuickTime award on the season, all achieved within a ten-race span.

As the evening unfolded, Sweet found himself starting fourth in his heat race, where he maintained his position to the checkered flag. Though finishing fourth, the Big Cat still earned a trip to the Dash as the fastest qualifier.

Drawing the third starting spot for the Dash, the NAPA team had seven laps to gain a better starting spot and test their setup in the feature. Sweet mounted a thrilling battle for second but ultimately crossed the line in third. He lined up in that spot for the main event, and the feature went green. The NAPA driver navigated the track to the best of his abilities as the laps ticked by. With an extended mid-race caution, the No. 49 team tried to modify their strategy. Sweet faced fierce competition and a challenging track surface but brought the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 to the finish line in fourth place.

Start / Finish: 3 / 4
Points Standing / Total: 2 / 662 pts. (-17)

Next Race: Wednesday, May 1, 81 Speedway, Park City, KS
How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Brad Sweet: @BradSweetRacing
Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt

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Last week, the high-speed action of High Limit Racing descended on the Sooner State , and Brad Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team emerged as the dominant force of the series’ Oklahoma swing.

When action kicked off Tuesday at Red Dirt Raceway in Meeker, Sweet appeared quick from the start. The NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 sprint car topped the charts in Flight B qualifying, clocking in at 12.334 seconds. The Big Cat maintained his composure despite tough competition in his heat race, where he started fourth and finished fifth. Sweet earned a spot in the dash thanks to having the quickest time in his qualifying group. In just seven laps, he advanced from fifth to fourth, placing the No. 49 fourth to start the feature. There, Sweet battled fierce competition and a technical track to ultimately finish eighth.

Undeterred, the NAPA team went on to Southern Oklahoma Speedway for a Friday night High Limit Racing show. A strong qualifying run placed the No. 49 third overall, and Sweet lined up fourth for his heat race. Despite starting in dirty air and finishing in fifth, Sweet again made the dash on his strong qualifying time. With his dash finish setting his feature starting spot, the Big Cat had seven laps to improve from his fourth-place dash draw. He crossed the line in third, and went on to deliver an outstanding performance in the feature. Sweet surged to the lead from third and claimed his first High Limit Racing victory.

The No. 49 team carried that winning momentum into Saturday’s event at Salina Highbanks Speedway. Logging a lightning-fast lap of 11.585 seconds in qualifying, Sweet dominated the competition and secured his fourth Quick Time award of the season. In a display of his skill and experience, Sweet powered the NAPA No. 49 from fourth to third in his heat race, again earning a spot in the dash. He advanced from third to second, locking into a front-row starting spot for the feature. He successfully seized the lead in a flawless performance and took the checkered flag to sweep the weekend.

Start / Finish: 
Tuesday, April 16, Red Dirt Raceway: 4 / 8
Friday, April 19, Southern Oklahoma Speedway: 3 / 1
Saturday, April 20, Salina Highbanks Speedway: 2 / 1
Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 597 pts. (-14)

Next Race: Tuesday, April 23, Riverside International Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Brad Sweet: @BradSweetRacing
Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt

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• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified ninth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
• Elliott led laps en route to a second-place result in stage one and followed that up with an eighth-place finish in stage two.
• After making multiple moves to try to advance to the front of the field towards the end race, he avoided a last-lap multi-car incident to finish 15th.
• The 28-year-old driver now sits third in the Cup Series point standings, just 22 markers behind the leader.

Chase Elliott advanced to the final round of Saturday’s qualifying session, ultimately claiming a ninth-place starting position for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup series race at Talladega Superspeedway. Early in the race, Elliott opted to drop back in the field in an effort to conserve fuel. He maneuvered his way forward utilizing the outside lane as the field went three wide. Eventually, the driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 found the front of the pack and took over the lead for the first time of the race on lap 42. Just two laps later, Elliott made his way to pit road for a fuel-only stop. Once green-flag stops cycled through, the 28-year-old driver retook the lead. He raced side-by-side with the No. 2 for the top spot as the field ran double file. Elliott came up just short of the stage win, taking the green-and-white checkered flag in second at the conclusion of lap 60.

Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott relayed that he thought he wore out the right front tire. After the team made a pit stop for four tires and fuel, crew chief Alan Gustafson examined the tires and relayed to Elliott that the right front looked fine. The 2020 Cup Series champion was the second one off of pit road but opted to line up on the outside of row two to start the second stage. The majority of the field went back to three-wide racing and Elliott utilized all the lanes throughout the stage to find momentum. On lap 103, he brought the NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet to the attention of his crew for fuel. In the closing laps of stage two, Elliott was running among the front half of his competitors and scored an eighth-place result at its lap-120 conclusion.

After pitting for four tires and fuel during the stage break, the team opted to pit again to top off the fuel tank of the NAPA Auto Parts Chevy. Elliott took the green flag for the final stage deep in the field and was running just outside of the top 20 when the yellow flag waved for a multi-car incident. After pitting for fuel only, Elliott restarted inside the top 15 and continued to run among the top 20 in the running order. After another caution came out on lap, the No. 9 NAPA team took the opportunity to pit for the final time for fuel. Elliott was the 16th to choose his lane for the lap-161 restart and opted for the inside. As the laps wound down, Elliott joined a third lane of cars on the outside. After initially making progress, the lane stalled out and he lost his momentum. On the final lap of the race, the leaders triggered a multi-car incident and Elliott avoided the melee to earn a 15th-place finish.

A solid points day for Elliott moved him up to third in the Cup Series driver standings. He’ll head to Dover Motor Speedway next week just 22 markers behind the leader.

Start / Finish: 9 / 15
Points Standing / Total: 3rd / 337 (-22)

Next Race: Sunday, April 28, Dover Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 2:00 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN or SiriusXM

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick
No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team

The post Elliott Avoids Last-Lap Incident, Earns Top-15 Result at Talladega appeared first on NAPA Blog.

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Jack Wood was on track to collect a top-five finish at Kevin Harvick’s Kern County Raceway Park (KCRP) before trouble dealt him a 12th-place finish on Saturday night. The driver of the No. 16 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet SS was in position to secure a fourth-place finish but suffered a melted right-front tire bead with five laps to go.

Wood started on the front row for his second appearance at KCRP after stopping the clock at 18.646 seconds to equal his career-best qualifying effort. He made an early bid for the race lead before settling into second position for the majority of the event’s first half. As the opening 75-lap run progressed, Wood began to battle brake issues and a loose handling condition. The balance hampered his ability to keep pace with the lead and was in fourth position by the halfway caution at lap 75.

Crew chief Kevin Bellicourt and the NAPA Auto Care team made an adjustment during the five-minute halfway break to aid Wood’s handling balance. When the race restarted, Wood took advantage of the outside line to reclaim third position. However, his brake issues escalated in the second half despite running in fourth position. Wood suffered a flat right front tire in the waning laps and was handed a 12th-place finish.

“We had a fast NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet today,” Wood said. “I’m proud of the speed these guys at BMR had in our car. We had a brake issue and I didn’t have much of a pedal before halfway and we got really loose. Kevin (Bellicourt) and the guys made a good adjustment at the halfway break on the balance and we got the car better. But the brake pedal just went to the floor as the night went. We were still in the top five and were going to have a good points night but had a flat right front at the end. It’s unfortunate we didn’t get the result, but happy with the speed we had today.”

Start / Finish: 2 / 12
Points Standing / Total: 7th / 37 pts. (-12)

Next Race: Friday, May 31, Portland International Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Jack Wood: @DriverJackWood
Bill McAnally Racing / McAnally-Hilgemann Racing: @BMR_NASCAR

The post Wood’s Top-Five Run at Kern County Deflated by Flat Tire appeared first on NAPA Blog.

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ATLANTA, April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC), a leading global distributor of automotive and industrial replacement parts, announced today its results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.

"Our performance in the quarter highlights the value of our business mix paired with our geographic diversity as our teams delivered profits that were ahead of our expectations," said Paul Donahue, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We did this by staying focused on both our near- and long-term strategic initiatives to improve our business and drive profitable growth. I want to take a moment to thank our GPC teammates across the globe for their hard work and dedication to delivering value for our customers."

First Quarter 2024 Results

Sales were $5.8 billion, a 0.3% increase compared to $5.8 billion in the same period of the prior year. The sales result is attributable to a 1.9% benefit from acquisitions, offset by a 0.9% decrease in comparable sales and 0.7% unfavorable impact of foreign currency and other.

Net income was $249 million, or $1.78 per diluted earnings per share. This compares to net income of $304 million, or $2.14 per diluted share in the prior year period.

Adjusted net income, which excludes a net expense of $62 million after tax adjustments, or $0.44 per diluted share, in non-recurring costs related to our global restructuring, was $311 million. This compares to net income of $304 million for the same three-month period of the prior year, an increase of 2.3%. On a per share diluted basis, adjusted net income was $2.22, an increase of 3.7% compared to diluted earnings per share of $2.14 last year. Refer to the reconciliation of GAAP net income to adjusted net income and GAAP diluted earnings per share to adjusted diluted earnings per share for more information.

First Quarter 2024 Segment Highlights

Automotive Parts Group ("Automotive")

Global Automotive sales were $3.6 billion, up 1.9% from the same period in 2023, reflecting a 0.2% increase in comparable sales and a 2.8% benefit from acquisitions, partially offset by 1.1% unfavorable impact of foreign currency and other. Segment profit of $273 million increased 3.2%, with segment profit margin of 7.6%, up 10 basis points from last year.

Industrial Parts Group ("Industrial")

Industrial sales were $2.2 billion, down 2.2% from the same period in 2023, with a 0.5% benefit from acquisitions, offset by a 2.6% decrease in comparable sales and 0.1% unfavorable impact of foreign currency. Segment profit of $271 million increased 3.4%, with segment profit margin of 12.3%, up 70 basis points from the same period of the prior year.

"We are pleased with the start to 2024, which was highlighted by operating discipline that delivered improved overall earnings against a backdrop of low sales growth," said Will Stengel, President and Chief Operating Officer. "In Industrial, sales decreased low-single-digits, in-line with our expectations, as we were up against our most difficult comparative period for the year. In Automotive, the actions taken in our U.S. Automotive business are gaining traction, and we are encouraged by the sequential improvement in performance. This improvement, coupled with the solid performance of our other businesses, is reflected in our reaffirmed sales growth and improved earnings outlook for 2024."

Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and Capital Allocation

The company generated cash flow from operations of $318 million for the first three months of 2024. We used $178 million in cash for investing activities, including $116 million for capital expenditures and $135 million for M&A. We also used $175 million in cash for financing activities, including $133 million for quarterly dividends paid to shareholders and $38 million for stock repurchases. Free cash flow was $203 million for the first three months of 2024. Refer to the reconciliation of GAAP net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow for more information.

The company ended the quarter with $2.5 billion in total liquidity, consisting of $1.5 billion availability on the revolving credit facility and $1.0 billion in cash and cash equivalents.

2024 Outlook

The company is updating full-year 2024 guidance previously provided in its earnings release on February 15, 2024. The company considered its recent business trends and financial results, current growth plans, strategic initiatives, global economic outlook, geopolitical conflicts and the potential impact on results in updating its guidance, which is outlined in the table below.

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High Limit Racing returned to full-time competition over the weekend with two stops the Lone Star State, and Brad Sweet earned a pair of top-five finishes in a strong restart for the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team.

With Friday night’s program at Texarkana 67 Speedway canceled due to rain, Sweet and the No. 49 team made their way directly to Texas Motor Speedway for Saturday night’s show. With 49 days since his last race, the Big Cat was determined to make a mark on the series and the season. Sweet set the pace right from the start. During qualifying, the NAPA driver claimed the top spot with a blistering, 13.735-second lap.

As competition heated up, the five-time World of Outlaws champion continued to shine. Sweet finished third after starting fourth in his heat race and earned a ticket to the dash by being the fastest car in his heat. During the dash draw, Sweet drew fifth. He maintained his position over seven laps to line up fifth to start the feature. He again advanced during the evening’s feature race, crossing the line third for the final podium spot.

On Sunday, the No. 49 team traveled to Crandall, Texas, for another evening of High Limit Racing at RPM Speedway. Sweet wasted no time, showing again in qualifying the speed of the NAPA machine. Posting a lightning-fast lap time of 12.245 seconds, the Big Cat went to the top of the speed chart.

In his heat race, Sweet climbed from fourth to second, securing a spot in the dash. Starting in sixth place gave the team seven laps to perfect their setup for the main event. The NAPA driver advanced to fifth and locked in that spot for the start of the evening’s 30-lap main event.

The NAPA No. 49 team put forth their best effort as Sweet navigated the Crandall race track. Maintaining his position throughout the race, Sweet crossed the finish line in fifth for his second top-five finish on the weekend.

Start / Finish:
Saturday, April 13, Texas Motor Speedway: 5 / 3
Sunday, April 14, RPM Speedway: 5 / 5
Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 386 pts. (-18)

Next Race: Tuesday, April 16, Red Dirt Raceway, Meeker, OK
How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Brad Sweet: @BradSweetRacing
Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt

The post No. 49 Team Returns to High Limit Racing Action in Texas appeared first on NAPA Blog.

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Christian Eckes took the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series points lead on Friday night with a stout fourth-place performance at Texas Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 19 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST captured his third top-five finish of the season and scored 50 points on the night, the second-most of all drivers in the field. Eckes led 31 laps, the only driver to have led laps in each race this season, and tallied his third top-five finish in the last four events.

For the second-consecutive weekend, Eckes qualified on the front row and was a mainstay in the top five for the entire event. He settled into second at the drop of the green flag and challenged for the lead near the midway point of the opening stage. The first lead change of the night occurred when Eckes powered his Gates Hydraulics Chevy to the lead on lap 17 and paced the field for 21 circuits. He surrendered the lead on lap 38 and collected nine points at the end of Stage 1 on lap 40 while running second.

Crew chief Charles Denike brought Eckes to pit road under the stage caution for four fresh tires, fuel, and a minor air pressure adjustment to tighten his balance. Eckes restarted second on lap 47 and maintained position inside the top five for the ensuing 35-lap run. An improved handling balance and consistent lap times netted Eckes another eight points at the end of Stage 2 on lap 80 by running in third position.

Eckes was armed with another batch of fresh tires, fuel, and minor adjustments to fine-tune the handling during the second stage caution. After restarting third on lap 87, he waged war for the runner-up position and gained control of it by lap 100. He ran there until a cycle of green flag pit stops began on lap 119. Eckes made his final stop on lap 129 just before a caution waved. He was able to stay on the lead lap in fourth position and in contention for the victory. He made another fierce run for the race lead on a lap 150 and led until lap 158. During the final 10 laps, Eckes fought valiantly for one final charge at the lead but took the checkered flag in fourth position for his third top-five and sixth top-10 of the season.

“Not a bad points night,” Eckes said. “I thought we’d have a pretty good shot at the win there, but just went down into Turns 1 and 2 and got way too tight and slid up the racetrack. It is what it is. I’m proud of the No. 19 Gates Hydraulics team for making the improvements that they did. Our mile-and-a-half stuff has definitely shown a little bit of an improvement. We still have a little bit of a ways to go, but we’ll see how it goes.”

Start / Finish: 2 / 4
Points Standing / Total: 1 / 287 pts. (+2)

Next Race: Saturday, May 4, Kansas Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 8:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Christian Eckes: @christianeckes
Bill McAnally Racing / McAnally-Hilgemann Racing: @BMR_NASCAR

The post Eckes Takes Points Lead with Top-Five Performance in Texas appeared first on NAPA Blog.

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In one of the closest Funny Car races in four-wide drag racing history, three-time world champion Ron Capps finished third in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals final round Sunday afternoon at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Driving the NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra, Capps laid down a weekend-best 3.902-second pass at 333.00 MPH to come up just thousandths of a second short in a four-wide photo finish. 

Capps and crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli worked their way through qualifying, steadily improving in each session. After a pair of 4-second passes on Friday, Capps laid down a 3.988 E.T. at 324.67 MPH to step up in the third session on Saturday. A consistent but slightly quicker 3.980 E.T. in the final session put Capps in the No. 11 position going into Sunday eliminations. 

The first quad of Funny Car eliminations was a tricky one, but Capps came out on top. He and fellow Toyota driver J.R. Todd left first with identical .059 reaction times, then Capps held on to win with a 4.289 E.T. at 222.88 MPH over Todd, Dave Richards, and Daniel Wilkerson. Capps was first off of the starting line again in the second round, an advantage that helped him and his 3.932 E.T. finish ahead of Matt Hagan’s 3.938 E.T., Todd’s 3.951-second effort, and Jason Rupert’s 4.055 E.T. 

Appearing in his 148th career final round, Capps cut his best light of the day, .056, and charged to his best performance of the weekend to reach the finish line third behind winner Bob Tasca III and runner-up Austin Prock. Capps finished less than a thousandth of a second behind Prock and just nine thousandths behind Tasca. 

“What a drag race to watch as a fan,” said Capps, who’s won six times in Las Vegas. “I can’t tell you how ecstatic I am with our NAPA Auto Care team and what they’ve done with a brand-new car and a lot of the new parts that they’ve had to get used to. It usually takes teams a lot longer than this. I’m pretty bummed that we couldn’t win that round. I’m so happy we have our race car back, especially getting on a swing here where Guido is getting comfortable. I’m so happy about the car, but I’m so bummed at the same time. It’s going to take a little bit to digest.”

No. 6-ranked Capps and the Ron Capps Motorsports Funny Car team will get another shot at four-wide glory in two weeks at the East Coast edition of the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 26-28, at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C.

Start / Finish: No. 11 / def. in Final Round
Points Standing / Total: No. 6 / 242 pts.

Next Race: April 26-28, Concord, N.C., NHRA Four-Wide Nationals
How to Watch or Listen: FS1, NHRA.TV

NAPA Racing:@NAPARacing
Ron Capps: @RonCapps28
Ron Capps Motorsports: @TeamRonCapps

The post Capps Finishes Third in Electrifying Four-Wide Nationals Final in Las Vegas appeared first on NAPA Blog.

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• Chase Elliott scored his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, snapping a 42-race winless streak
• The win is Elliott’s 19th career Cup Series victory in his 295th start, his third at a 1.5-mile track and his first at Texas
• It was the Dawsonville, Georgia, native’s first victory with Hooters as the primary partner on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
• Elliott led three times for a total of 39 laps, including the final 17 circuits
• The 28-year-old driver now sits fourth in the Cup Series point standings, just 32 markers behind the leader

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hooters team qualified 24th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Once the green flag dropped, Elliott improved to 21st and remained there until the first round of green-flag pit stops got under way. As part of the team’s strategy to try to gain track position, Elliott ran long and eventually took over the lead. Crew chief Alan Gustafson was close to calling his driver to pit road, but the caution flag waved at an opportune time with Elliott still out front when the yellow flag waved on lap 50. Under the caution, Elliott brought the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel. He restarted in the ninth position and advanced to seventh to end the first stage at lap 80.

During the stage break, Elliott relayed that the Hooter’s Chevrolet was a little edgy late in the run and could use a little bit of security. After a fast stop for four tires and fuel, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native lined up seventh to start the second stage and was up to fifth when the race was slowed for a caution on lap 101. Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for right-side tires and fuel. The driver of the No. 9 was fifth to line up for the restart. He got shuffled back to 10th early in the run and was in that same spot when the caution came out on lap 114. Staying out, Elliott restarted ninth and remained inside the top 10. He came to pit road for four tires and fuel when the race fell under caution on lap 137. With varying pit strategies, Elliott restarted in 13th and drove to 10th to finish stage two at lap 165.

Under the stage-ending caution, the team opted not to pit. Elliott took the green flag for the final stage from the fifth position on lap 172 and advanced to fourth before the caution came out for an incident the very next lap. Once again, Elliott stayed out on the track and was fourth for the restart on lap 177. He was in that same position at the time of the next caution on lap 181. After choosing not to pit, he was in fourth for the restart and moved into third on lap 185. A long green-flag run ensued, and Elliott pitted from the third position with just over 50 laps remaining in the race. He was scored in 15th when a caution came out on lap 230 before the field had cycled through pit stops. Once the teams that hadn’t pit yet made their stops under the yellow, Elliott moved up to third for the restart. The 28-year-old driver made a power move to the lead. He held point until the driver of the No. 11 worked his way by with 22 laps to go. An on-track incident brought out the yellow flag with just 13 laps remaining, giving Elliott another shot at the lead on the ensuing restart. Once the race was back under way with eight laps to go in regulation, Elliott was battling for the lead and was scored ahead when another caution flag came out. He led the field to the green flag with just two laps remaining, but an incident brought out the caution again and sent the race into overtime. Elliott held off the competition through multiple overtime restarts to earn his first victory of the season.

It was his 19th career Cup Series victory and his first premier series win at Texas. With the win, Elliott and the No. 9 team moved up to fourth in the Cup Series points standings, just 32 markers behind the leader.

“First off, thanks to everybody that came out today. You guys are unbelievable,” Elliott said following the win.

“Hooters has been a partner of ours for a number of years now. It’s been a dream of mine to pay respect to the late Alan Kulwicki. Driving this car to a victory and do a Polish victory lap, just really crazy how things came full circle there in that moment. It was pretty emotional for me. He beat dad back in the day. Here we are sharing his sponsor and having an opportunity to win today. 

So just, man, couldn’t be more grateful for this journey and kind of the path that hasn’t always been fun, but certainly have enjoyed working with our guys. We’ve been working really hard and really well together. Like I said, hasn’t always been fun, but we’ve enjoyed the fight together.

Couldn’t be more proud of our team. Thanks to our partners at NAPA, Chevrolet. Everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. Had a big week last week. Boss, thank you for sticking with me. Really, really proud of this. Appreciate all the folks back home that have stuck with me and helped us get back on track.”

Start / Finish: 24 / 1
Points Standing / Total: 4th / 303 pts. (-32)

Next Race: Sunday, April 21, Talladega Superspeedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN or SiriusXM

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick
No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team

The post Elliott Captures the Victory at Texas appeared first on NAPA Blog.

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Christian Eckes orchestrated complete dominance at Martinsville Speedway by sweeping both stages en route to his second victory of the season on Friday night. The driver of the No. 19 Adaptive One Calipers Chevrolet Silverado RST scored the maximum 60 points and pocketed seven playoff points to make a massive swing in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series point standings. He gained two positions to fourth in the standings and is only 11 markers out of the lead.

Eckes displayed considerable pace by positing the third-quickest lap in practice and qualified on the outside of the front row on Friday afternoon. He made a statement at the drop of the green flag by using the outside lane to take the lead on the initial start. During the first 50-lap stage, Eckes methodically paced the field and asserted his dominance. Following a restart on lap 37, Eckes pulled away to comfortably take the Stage 1 win along with 10 points and one playoff bonus point.

Crew chief Charles Denike kept Eckes on track to maintain the No. 19 team’s track position and set up a one-stop strategy. Eckes picked up where he left off in Stage 1 on the lap 61 restart. He jumped out to another quick lead and cleanly executed two additional restarts during the second stage to tally 10 points and a second playoff bonus point for leading at lap 100. Under the ensuing stage caution, Denike brought Eckes to pit road for his only four-tire pit stop of the evening and made a minor air pressure adjustment.

As several trucks stayed on track with alternative pit strategies, Eckes lined up 19th on lap 110. During the second half of the race, Eckes conducted a masterclass in slicing through traffic. It only took him 11 laps to crack the top-10 and was back inside the top five by lap 142. On lap 165, Eckes arrived on the doorstep of the lead and took the runner-up position. Shortly thereafter, he reclaimed the lead with a power move on the outside for the second time on the night. Two cautions over the final 23 laps forced Eckes to execute crucial restarts to defend the race lead, which he did with complete authority. He led the final three-lap dash to the checkered flag and captured his first Martinsville win and grandfather clock by a margin of 0.64 seconds.

“Something really special,” Eckes said of the victory. “It hasn’t been an easy regular season so far, to say the least. We came here and we weren’t that great last year, maybe a sixth-place truck. We worked really hard on it and here we are in victory lane. So, just super proud of everyone on this team. Huge thanks to Adaptive One Calipers, NAPA Auto Care, Gates Hydraulics, all of our partners, and Chevrolet. It’s a good day to be in victory lane. Can’t wait for that clock!”

Start / Finish: 2 / 1
Points Standing / Total: 4th / 237 pts. (-11)

Next Race: Friday, April 12, Texas Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Christian Eckes: @christianeckes
Bill McAnally Racing / McAnally-Hilgemann Racing: @BMR_NASCAR

The post Eckes Dominates Martinsville for Second Victory of 2024 appeared first on NAPA Blog.

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• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 UniFirst team qualified third for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway
• The 28-year-old driver finished stage one in the third position and followed that up with a fourth-place result in stage two
• Elliott took the lead for the first time of the race in the final stage, pacing the field for a total of 64 laps
• After an overtime finish, Elliott ultimately took the checkered flag in the third position – part of a 1-2-3 finish for Hendrick Motorsports during the organization’s 40th anniversary weekend at Martinsville
• The 2020 premier series champion is now sixth in the Cup Series points standings, only 51 points behind the leader

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 UniFirst team qualified third for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway during a special 40th anniversary weekend for Hendrick Motorsports. Driving the ruby red No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Elliott held steady inside the top five throughout the entirety of the caution-free first stage. He took the green-and-white checkered flag in the third position at lap 80, collecting eight valuable stage points in the process.

During the stage break, the 28-year-old driver reported that his UniFirst Chevrolet fired off tighter than he anticipated. To help, the team made an air-pressure adjustment during its pit stop for four tires and fuel. He lined up fourth to start the second stage and continued to run inside the top five. Elliott was scored in the fifth position when the caution came out on lap 113. He relayed to crew chief Alan Gustafson that his Chevrolet was a little better than the last run. The team opted not to pit, and Elliott restarted from the fifth spot on lap 119. He remained there until he made the pass for fourth with three laps left in stage two. That’s where the Dawsonville, Georgia, native would finish the second stage, collecting an additional seven stage points.

Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott relayed that his UniFirst Chevrolet was tighter to start that run. A fast stop for four tires and fuel gained the driver of the No. 9 two spots on pit road, allowing Elliott to fire off for the final stage from the front row. Taking the green flag in second on lap 193, the 2020 Cup Series champion powered to the lead and remained there through the lap-204 caution. Elliott continued to hold point for several laps until the No. 11 caught up to him. The two battled side-by-side until Elliott settled into the second position on lap 258. He held steady in the runner-up spot until green-flag pit stops got under way. After pitting for four tires and fuel on lap 298, Elliott worked his way by the No. 11 as green-flag stops continued, putting himself in position to assume the lead once the field cycled through pit stops. However, Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron passed Elliott prior to pit stops concluding. Byron eventually took over the top spot with Elliott not far behind in second. An incident on the track with less than five laps remaining brought out the yellow flag and sent the race into overtime. Elliott lined up beside Byron for the final restart of the race. He gave it his all in the final two laps, ultimately taking the checkered flag in the third position – Elliott’s second consecutive top-five finish.

Elliott’s result was also part of a 1-2-3 finish for Hendrick Motorsports. Byron won the race with Kyle Larson finishing second. Following the third-place finish, Elliott and the No. 9 team are sixth in the Cup Series points standings, just 51 markers behind the leader.

“Congrats to William (Byron) and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. Rick and Linda (Hendrick), Jeff (Gordon), Jeff (Andrews), Chad (Knaus) and all the people that put this together for us,” Elliott said. “They have an unbelievable program and I think we are all proud to call it home. It was awesome hosting over 1,000 people from Hendrick today – employees and their families. Glad one of us could get it done. Obviously, I wish we could have got it done, selfishly, like anybody would. But it is nice to have a good couple of solid weeks and be in contention for a win. We haven’t been in contention to win one for a while, so (it was) kind of nice to get to that last restart when it actually mattered. So, enjoyed that aspect and certainly hungry for more.”

Start / Finish: 3 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 6th / 258 pts. (-51)

Next Race: Sunday, April 14, Texas Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN or SiriusXM

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick
No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team

The post Elliott Finishes Third at Martinsville appeared first on NAPA Blog.

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As he celebrated 30 years as a professional drag racer, Funny Car superstar Ron Capps was looking forward to a long race day on Sunday at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park. The three-time world champion entered eliminations in the No. 11 position on the ladder but made an early exit against Blake Alexander in the first round of competition. 

Aboard his brand-new NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra, Capps battled to gain a favorable spot on the ladder among a stacked Funny Car field. Typically, teams at this elite level within the sport will go through several test sessions with a new car before throwing it into the intensity of NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series competition, so Capps, crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli, and the Ron Capps Motorsports team knew that they would experience some trial and error. His first qualifying effort went up in a puff of smoke, but his second attempt showed more promise as he powered to the finish line with a run of 4.020 seconds at 310.34 MPH. A loss of traction in the third qualifying round forced Capps to shut off early, marking the first time in 20 events for him to begin eliminations from the bottom half of the field. 

“Building into the race we had the excitement of the 30 years. Having fans come up throughout the weekend and saying, ‘Happy Anniversary’ and things like that, it was fun,” began Capps as he recalled his weekend. “I always try to keep our NAPA fans updated as much as we can about what goes on with our team. We brought out a new chassis. It’s something we built in the off-season. Rather than testing first, we decided to do it in race conditions and that’s hard to do. But it reminds me a lot of our NAPA Auto Care people because I love this process of trying to take something and be the best with something so new. It’s like pulling your car into an AutoCare Center, you have a dash light blinking and technicians can attack that problem, and they don’t just snap their fingers and fix it. It’s a process, especially with today’s cars, as they try to figure out what the problem is. I love watching my NAPA Auto Care guys do the same thing. The car didn’t go down the track in the first run and to watch how many hours they put in trying to figure things out, it was really impressive.”

As Capps lined up against No. 6 qualifier Alexander, hopes were high as he has defeated Alexander seven out of the eight times they’ve faced each other in the first round of eliminations. Despite getting the starting line advantage, Capps ultimately came up short. Both cars lost traction early in the race resulting in a bit of a pedal fest to the stripe, but Alexander was able to get there first.

“There’s an upside and a downside to bringing a new chassis out at a race. It’s a gutsy move. But a couple of races down the road, I know that we are going to be much better because of it. And that’s also part of me having the utmost confidence in Guido and our NAPA Auto Care team. We didn’t qualify in the top half of the field, so we didn’t have lane choice. As we sat in the staging lanes, seeing dragsters winning only in the left lane made me pretty nervous and sure enough we got put in the right lane. That’s part of not qualifying in the top half. We still felt like we could beat them and that’s the confidence we had going up there. But it just wouldn’t hold, and we lost traction. I feel like I could have done a better job pedaling it. I should win those races, but we didn’t. But I feel like we’re going to have a great car for Vegas.”

Capps is currently fifth in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series points as he heads to the next stop on the tour, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, April 12-14, where he is a six time winner at the facility.

Start / Finish: No. 11 / def. in first round
Points Standing / Total: No. 5 / 170 pts.

Next Race: April 12 – 14, Las Vegas, NHRA Four-Wide Nationals
How to Watch or Listen: FS1, NHRA.TV

NAPA Racing:@NAPARacing
Ron Capps: @RonCapps28
Ron Capps Motorsports: @TeamRonCapps

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• Chase Elliott and No. 9 UniFirst team qualified second for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway
• The 28-year-old driver led the opening five laps of the race before ending stage one in the seventh position
• After finishing stage two in the 13th spot, Elliott rebounded for a fifth-place finish at the Virginia short track – his best result of the season
• The 2020 premier series champion is now eighth in the Cup Series points standings

Chase Elliott earned a front row starting position for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway, taking the green flag in second. Soggy conditions required teams to start the race on wet weather tires and Elliott powered his way to the lead by the end of the first lap. He stayed out front for five laps before his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson got by him. With the track quickly drying, NASCAR officials called for a competition caution at lap 30 so teams could make the switch to slick tires. Teams were able to maintain their positions as pit stops were deemed non-competitive. Elliott was third at the time of the caution and that is where he would restart on lap 48. He continued to battle inside the top 10 and was scored seventh when an on-track incident brought out the yellow flag on lap 63. The race stayed under caution for the remainder of stage one with Elliott gaining valuable stage points for his top-10 stage finish.

Under the stage break, Elliott relayed that his No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was tight through the center of the turns, so the team made a chassis adjustment during its pit stop for four tires and fuel. A fast stop by the UniFirst crew gained Elliott two spots on pit road. He lined up fifth coming to the choose cone and opted for the outside lane. The 2020 Cup Series champion settled into seventh after the restart and stayed there until green-flag pit stops got under way on lap 124. Crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for a four-tire stop just a handful of laps later. Back out on the track, the driver of the No. 9 had to be patient as teams were on different pit strategies. Eventually, he cycled back to seventh on lap 154 and lost a position just prior to an incident forcing a yellow flag on lap 169. Elliott radioed to crew chief Alan Gustafson that he was pretty happy with the UniFirst Chevy’s handling. After pitting for four tires and fuel, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native restarted ninth and lost some momentum after a chaotic restart. When the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end stage two at lap 230, he was scored 13th.

Elliott brought the UniFirst Chevrolet to the attention of his crew for fuel and fresh tires. He took the green flag for the final stage from the 12th position on lap 240. The Hendrick Motorsports driver settled into 13th before retaking 12th on lap 247. Elliott held steady there until Gustafson called him to pit road for a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 287. He found his way back to the top 10 on lap 299 and advanced to ninth before another round of green-flag stops. After pitting on lap 335, Elliott cycled back to 10th and continued to fight hard for position. He was running in seventh with less than five laps to go and that looked like that’s where he would finish, but a caution prior to the white flag sent the race into overtime. The field came to pit road under the yellow and a fast stop by the UniFirst pit crew gained Elliott a position for the restart. He restarted from sixth and picked up one more spot to earn his first top-five finish of the season.

Following the fifth-place finish, Elliott and the No. 9 team are eighth in the Cup Series points standings, just 61 markers behind the leader. 

“I felt like we kind of found a little pace there those last two runs, and we were able to actually pass a couple of cars under green. We got ourselves in a position to have a good pit stop there at the end. I stopped a little short in my box. I think we could have been one spot better there off of pit road, but nonetheless, had a good restart and gave ourselves a top-five. It was a solid night.”

Start / Finish: 2 / 5
Points Standing / Total: 8th / 209 pts. (-61)

Next Race: Sunday, April 7, Martinsville Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick
No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team

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