Racing Archives — Advanced Auto Clinic in Delavan, WI

NAPA Know How: Elliott, NAPA Team Rally Late to Win at Charlotte

September 30, 2019/in Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott, Cup Series, Featured Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, NAPA Chevrolet, NAPA Know How Blog, NASCAR, NASCAR Playoffs, No. 9, Racing, ROVAL, Winner/by Advanced Auto Clinic

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Chase Elliott overcame mid-race trouble to earn his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series victory with a win in Sunday’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway “roval.” With the win, the NAPA driver advances to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Starting Sunday’s race in 19th, Chase Elliott quickly got to work in his No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, breaking into the top ten on Lap 15. After pitting during a caution and then avoiding a multiple-car incident shortly thereafter that sent the race back under yellow, Elliott found himself in ninth, which is where he would finish the segment as Stage 1 ended under caution.

#9: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro NAPA AUTO PARTS

Elliott began Stage 2 in fourth, jumped up to second on the restart and took the lead on Lap 31. He paced the field until a caution flag waved on Lap 42, when he headed down pit road and returned to the track in seventh. It didn’t take long for him to race his way back to the front, finding fourth on Lap 46, third on Lap 47, second on Lap 48 and the lead once again on Lap 49. He maintained the top spot through the green-checkered flag to capture the Stage 2 win.

#9: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro NAPA AUTO PARTS

Elliott started the final segment from first with 45 laps remaining in the race, but he locked up the brakes and missed Turn 1, causing him to run into the wall and bringing out a caution. After quick work on pit road by the No. 9 NAPA team to repair the damage, Elliott returned to the track in 37th. By Lap 73, however, he had moved all the way back up to 14th. As competitors headed to pit road for green-flag stops, he put the No. 9 car back in the race lead briefly before heading in for a stop. He returned to the track still inside the top ten with 30 laps to go.

#9: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro NAPA AUTO PARTS, celebrates after winning.

With 21 laps to go, Elliott found himself in the top five just before a caution flag waved. He stayed on the track and climbed to fourth, and through multiple more cautions he made his way to third for a restart with six laps remaining. When the green flag flew, he took over the race lead before the end of the lap. He held it through the checkered flag, winning the final race of the Round of 16 in the Playoffs and advancing to the Round of 12.

#9: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro NAPA AUTO PARTS

“What a mistake. Holy moly,” said Elliott. “You talk about messing something up, right here. Don’t do that. What a day. We had such a fast NAPA Camaro ZL1 and honestly, that was the only reason we were able to get back in. I pretty well blew it; and got the cautions at the right time and brought it home. Thank you guys.”

#9: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro NAPA AUTO PARTS celebrates his win in Victory Lane

Start / Finish: 19 / 1
Points Earned: 52
Points Standing / Total: 6th / 3024 pts.

Next Race: October 6, Dover 400, Dover International Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

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

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NAPA Know How: Rossi Experiences Tough Night in St. Louis

August 26, 2019/in Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport, IndyCar, NAPA Honda, NAPA Know How Blog, No. 27, Racing, WWT Raceway/by Advanced Auto Clinic

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In a race that may be better explained by watching the replay a few times, Saturday night’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 was certainly a head-scratcher for Alexander Rossi and the No. 27 NAPA AutoCare crew.

While a mediocre qualifying effort had the team starting 11th on the grid, Rossi’s car steadily improved throughout the race and he was moving through the field. In front of a packed house at World Wide Technology Raceway just outside St. Louis, the crowds cheered as he made bold moves on re-starts and was running in podium contention.

But pit strategies and yellow flags stirred up the field on the 1.25-mile oval, and Rossi found himself stuck in a must-pit situation with 20 laps remaining. Shuffled to mid-pack, he was running hard to make up position, eventually crossing the finish line 13th.

“I think we had the car and we drove it up to P3 on pace,” said Rossi. “It’s just the way the Series works and the way the yellows fall sometimes. I think the whole 27 NAPA Andretti Honda team did a really good job overnight, putting together a fast race car. We were able to get from 11th to 3rd and were content running up there and could run the same pace, if not quicker, than Josef.”

Throughout the race, Rossi was running with or ahead of Championship leader Josef Newgarden, who had a chance to top-off on fuel during a late yellow. However, while running fifth in the final lap, he spun making a move on Santino Ferrucci, and finished P7.

“It can be frustrating,” said Rossi. “[Newgarden] spins and is unaffected; crashes in Toronto and is unaffected. It’s just the way it goes. It’s unfortunate the way it goes down, the Series is really difficult. But we’ve got two more to go and we’ll just keep our head down and try to win races.”

Three unlikely podium candidates stood on the box with Takuma Sato, Ed Carpenter and Tony Kanaan finishing in the top three spots. Simon Pagenaud finished fifth and passed Rossi in the Championship standings. Newgarden leads Pagenaud by 38 points and Rossi by 46 points with two races remaining.

The NTT IndyCar Series immediately heads west for next Sunday’s Grand Prix of Portland. Live race coverage on NBC begins at 3 p.m. ET (noon PT local) with the green flag at approximately 3:45 p.m.

Start / Finish: 11 / 13
Points Earned: 17
Points Standing / Total: 3rd / 517 pts.

Next Race: Grand Prix of Portland, Sunday, September 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET
How to Watch or Listen: NBC broadcast at 3 p.m. ET; INDYCAR Radio Network Sirius 214//XM 209

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Alexander Rossi: @AlexanderRossi
Andretti Autosport: @FollowAndretti

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NAPA Know How: Kraus Earns Runner-Up Finish in K&N Pro Series West Race at Evergreen

August 19, 2019/in Bill McAnally Racing, Brittney Zamora, Derek Kraus, Evergreen Speedway, Hailie Deegan, K&N Pro Series West, NAPA Know How Blog, NAPA Toyota, NASCAR, NASCAR K&N Pro Series, No. 16, No. 19, No. 99, Racing, Top-5/by Advanced Auto Clinic

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Bill McAnally Racing earned two of the top three positions at the NAPA AUTO PARTS 150 presented by ENEOS NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Evergreen Speedway on Saturday. Derek Kraus led the team with a runner-up spot in the No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry while teammate Brittney Zamora enjoyed her homecoming at Evergreen Speedway by qualifying on the pole in her No. 99 ENEOS/NAPA Filters Toyota Camry, leading nearly a third of the laps and matching her career-best mark with a third-place finish.

Hailee Deegan challenged the leaders on numerous occasions in the No. 19 Monster Energy/NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Camry, but faded to seventh in the final laps.

Zamora – a 20-year-old series rookie from Kennewick, Washington – set the pace for the first 46 laps. She got shuffled back to fifth on a later restart and settled in at that point, but mounted a charge after making adjustments at the midway break of the race.

Zamora remains second in rookie points and fifth in the overall championship standings for the series. She has five top-five and six top-ten finishes, along with two poles, in nine starts this season.

Kraus, who qualified third, worked his way to the front and led laps 81 through 100. He was battling a tight condition, however, and had to settle for second.

With his second-place finish, Kraus retained his lead in the championship standings by 18 points. He has three wins, six top-five and eight top-ten finishes in nine starts this season.

Deegan, also a NASCAR Next driver, slipped to third in the standings. The 18-year-old from Temecula, California, has two wins, five top-five and seven top-ten finishes – along with two poles – in her nine starts this year.

The Evergreen Speedway race will be televised to a national audience on NBCSN on Aug. 22 at 3 p.m. PST.

Derek Kraus Hailie Deegan Brittney Zamora NAPA AUTO PARTS BMR NASCAR KN West Evergreen

Derek Kraus

Start / Finish: 3 / 2
Points Earned: 43
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Points Standing / Total: 1st / 372 pts.

Hailie Deegan

Start / Finish: 4 / 7
Points Earned: 37
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Points Standing / Total: 3rd / 350 pts.

Brittney Zamora

Start / Finish: 1/3
Points Earned: 42
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Points Standing / Total: 5th / 310 pts.

Next Race: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race, World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway near St. Louis on Saturday, Aug. 24
How to Watch or Listen: fanschoice.tv

Derek Kraus: @derek9kraus
Hailie Deegan: @HailieDeegan
Brittney Zamora: @BrittneyZ52
NAPA Racing: @NAPARacing
Bill McAnally Racing: @BMR_NASCAR

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NAPA Know How: Andretti Autosport Renews Rossi with Honda, NAPA AUTO PARTS and AutoNation Support

July 27, 2019/in Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport, Featured Racing, IndyCar, NAPA Know How Blog, No. 27, Racing/by Advanced Auto Clinic

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LEXINGTON, OHIO — Alexander Rossi will continue to call Andretti Autosport home after extending his tenure with the team on a multi-year agreement. The championship contender will return in 2020 and beyond to pilot the No. 27 Honda Indy car, with primary sponsorship divided between long-time team partners NAPA AUTO PARTS and AutoNation.

“We’ve been working hard on this, and I’m happy to see everything come together,” said Andretti Autosport Chairman and CEO, Michael Andretti. “Since 2016, we’ve built a strong relationship with NAPA AUTO PARTS – they’re such a natural fit for the series, Alexander and for the team and we’re pleased to be able to continue working with them into 2020 and beyond. We first met AutoNation through Ryan Hunter-Reay – and we can’t thank Ryan enough for his support and efforts in helping the continued growth of that relationship. It’s been exciting to see AutoNation grow within the sport, and to see them now welcome Alexander to their family is just great.”

NAPA AUTO PARTS first appeared as a partner with the Andretti Autosport team in 2016 for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 where Rossi drove his NAPA Racing machine to victory lane. Headquartered in Atlanta, NAPA AUTO PARTS will paint the No. 27 racing machine at nine races, including the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 and for the championship run up to the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“We are pleased to announce our extension with Andretti Autosport and Alexander Rossi,” stated Gaylord Spencer, NAPA Senior Vice President – Marketing. “Since our initial partnership back in May of 2016, when NAPA was fortunate enough to ride along to a historic win at the 100th Running of the Indy 500, the team at Andretti Autosport and Alexander have continued to represent us well both on and off the track. Alexander brings a unique style to IndyCar that resonates well with many loyal fans of Indy car racing. NAPA is honored to play a small part in keeping this winning combination together for many years to come.”

AutoNation, America’s largest automotive retailer, has been a long-time partner with the championship winning team providing associate support for Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti and made their IndyCar Series primary sponsorship debut at the 2017 Indianapolis 500. The past two seasons, AutoNation’s DRVPNK campaign decorated Marco Andretti’s race car for the doubleheader event in Detroit. The NTT IndyCar Series circuit will see an AutoNation livery featured at seven events including the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and the INDYCAR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as well as the Detroit Grand Prix.

“Alexander is a great addition to the AutoNation Team,” said Marc Cannon, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for AutoNation. “We look forward to a very successful run for the No. 27 AutoNation / NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda. AutoNation continues to partner with great drivers and co-sponsors; 2020 is going to be a memorable IndyCar season.”

Rossi boasts a total of seven wins (Indianapolis ’16, Watkins Glen ‘17, Long Beach ’18, Mid-Ohio ’18, Pocono ’18, Long Beach ’19, Road America ’19) and 18 podiums in just 62 starts. Finishing second in the 2018 championship, Rossi currently sits second in the championship, 29 points from the lead with five races remaining. The 2020 season will mark Rossi’s fifth season in the NTT IndyCar Series, each with Andretti Autosport and Honda.

“It feels good to continue with Andretti Autosport,” said Rossi. “Over the past four years, we’ve built a very strong team with great chemistry and I believe that we have the tools necessary to win races and championships. I’m looking forward to not just calling this my team, but my home in the IndyCar Series. Michael [Andretti], J-F [Thormann], Doug [Bresnahan] and the entire team have been working very hard to put all the pieces of this deal together and it’s definitely a relief to have the future settled and be able to focus on the championship fight ahead of us.

“It’s fantastic to have NAPA AUTO PARTS, AutoNation and Honda supporting the 27 program. I’ve had the pleasure of developing a great relationship with both NAPA and Honda and couldn’t imagine not having them in my corner. AutoNation has always had a strong partnership with the team through Ryan [Hunter-Reay] and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to represent the Drive Pink campaign and getting to know the AutoNation team better.”

The Andretti Autosport team will also continue to drive under Honda Power in 2020 as part of a multi-year extension. Together, Andretti Autosport and Honda Performance Development have captured three championships and five Indianapolis 500 wins. In addition, the team has collected 55 Indy car wins with Honda power. In 2018, Honda won the NTT IndyCar Series manufacturers championship with 11 wins in 17 races. Honda currently leads Chevrolet in a tight battle for the 2019 championship – Honda with 976 points and Chevrolet with 930.

“We have a longstanding relationship of success with Honda and we’re happy to continue to build accolades together” continued Andretti. “All five of our Indy 500 wins have come under Honda power, and I’m looking forward to working with the entire HPD team to add to that count.”

“This is an important moment for Honda Performance Development,” said Ted Klaus, President, Honda Performance Development. “Andretti Autosport is unquestionably one of the premier teams in the NTT IndyCar Series, and we are gratified to earn their confidence for the foreseeable future. At HPD, our first goal every season is winning the Indianapolis 500, and Andretti Autosport has won more ‘500s’ for Honda than any other team. That said, HPD is fortunate to work with multiple high-caliber racing organizations. This commitment from Andretti Autosport strengthens our entire effort, as we move into the next era of Indy car competition.”

With only five races remaining in the NTT IndyCar Series season, Rossi continues his quest to capture his first championship at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend. NBC will cover Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio live at 4 p.m. ET.

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Alexander Rossi: @AlexanderRossi
Andretti Autosport: @FollowAndretti

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NAPA Know How: Solid Points Day for Rossi in Toronto

July 15, 2019/in Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport, Indy Toronto, IndyCar, NAPA Honda, NAPA Know How Blog, No. 27, podium finish, Racing, street course/by Advanced Auto Clinic

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Alexander Rossi drove his No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda to a third-place finish at the Honda Indy Toronto.

With Rossi starting the Honda Indy Toronto from the fourth position, the NAPA Racing driver knew he had to have a flawless race in order to collect a podium finish. On the first turn of Lap 1, Rossi overtook the third-place starter, Ed Jones. At the tail end of the first lap, a six-car incident brought out the first caution of the day.

The remainder of the race remained consistent and clean for Rossi and the NAPA AutoCare crew. Two quick pit stops later, the team gave Rossi a fuel target to hit in order to hold position through the end of the race.

With only one lap remaining, Will Power made contact with the tire barriers bringing out the second and final caution of the race and ending the 85-lap event under yellow conditions. Rossi returned to pit lane with a third-place finish and only four points away from the championship lead.

“I think that we knew going into today that we didn’t have a race winning car,” said Rossi, “and it would take a little bit of luck to get that. The two in front of us drove a great race so to be able to finish in front of Josef [Newgarden] and get a trophy is a good day. Huge hats off to the 27 NAPA Andretti Honda boys – great pit stops, good strategy and we did what we needed to do today.”

Start / Finish: 4 / 3
Points Earned: 35
Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 430 pts.

Next Race: Iowa 300 at Iowa Speedway, Saturday, June 20 at 7:10 p.m. ET
How to Watch or Listen: NBC Sports Network at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday; INDYCAR Radio Network Sirius 214//XM 209

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Alexander Rossi: @AlexanderRossi
Andretti Autosport: @FollowAndretti

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NAPA Know How: Sweet Continues Strong Summer Stretch

July 9, 2019/in Brad Sweet, Brown County Speedway, Cedar Lake Speedway, dirt track racing, Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Know How Blog, No. 49, points leader, Racing, Sprint Car Racing, Winner, World of Outlaws/by Advanced Auto Clinic

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Brad Sweet captured his eighth and ninth World of Outlaws Series victories at Brown County Speedway and Cedar Lake Speedway over the weekend, maintaining his position atop the points standings.

Brad Sweet entered this week riding a wave of momentum by winning five out of the last seven NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Series (WoO) races. On Wednesday at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, SD, the momentum continued.

Before the racing began at the 1/3-mile oval in northeast South Dakota, the NAPA AUTO PARTS team stopped at the NAPA location in downtown Aberdeen for a public meet and greet with Sweet, where fans could get an up-close look at the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 car and hauler.

Brad Sweet Outlaws points leader Brown County 2019

When on-track action got underway later that evening, Sweet and team were once again fast in practice and also won their heat race. The Dash, however, did not go the team’s way as Sweet finished fifth after starting third in the eight-lap shoot out.

At the drop of the green flag for the feature, Sweet patiently worked his way through traffic from his fifth starting position, navigating tricky track conditions on a fast, tight track. After a few early cautions, Sweet, the current WoO points leader, advanced to the second position and remained there for a majority of the race until he and then-leader Logan Schuchart were deep in heavy lapped traffic. Sweet was able to slip by Schuchart on the inside lane with six laps to go and held on to capture his eighth WoO feature win of 2019.

Brad Sweet Outlaws points leader Brown County 2019

“We were awful in the Dash and the NAPA AUTO PARTS guys made a great adjustment for the [Feature] and we had a really good car,” Sweet said.

The series then shifted its focus to Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wisc., for races on Friday and Saturday night.

Brad Sweet Outlaws points leader Cedar Lake 2019

With inclement weather in the forecast, World of Outlaw teams had one eye on the weather when the pit gate opened on Friday and into the evening. Sweet was able to put down the seventh-fastest lap during qualifying and finished fifth in his heat.

A handful of rain showers delayed the start of the feature, and track crews worked quickly to prep the track once there appeared to be a break in the weather. However, just seven laps of the feature were completed before the skies opened up once again, forcing officials to postpone the remaining 28 laps to Saturday afternoon.

Brad Sweet Outlaws points leader Cedar Lake 2019

Teams returned the following day with clearer skies, ready for a double-header event. First up on the agenda was to finish the remaining 28 laps of Friday night’s feature before rolling into Saturday’s regularly scheduled program.

Sweet and the NAPA team quickly moved up from their seventh position to fourth at the drop of the green flag of Friday’s make-up race, but just four laps into the race the No. 49 machine stopped on the track with a broken U-joint, relegating the team to a 23rd-place finish and their first DNF of the season.

Brad Sweet Outlaws points leader Cedar Lake 2019

With Saturday night’s scheduled program quickly approaching, the NAPA team was forced to roll out a back-up car as repairs to the primary were too lengthy to complete in time.

The Eric Prutzman-led NAPA team did not disappoint, as Sweet qualified in the eighth position and was able to advance to the FastPass Dash after a fifth-place finish in his heat race. The team had the No. 49 machine hooked up during the eight-lap dash, where Sweet was able to advance from the fifth position to win, giving him the pole for the 35-lap feature.

Brad Sweet Outlaws points leader Cedar Lake 2019

Sweet jumped out to an early lead at the drop of the green flag in the feature and never looked back. The Grass Valley, Calif., native led all 35 laps, and as the track began to take rubber late in the race, Sweet maintained his lead. When he crossed the finish line for his ninth World of Outlaws victory of the season, the right rear tire was flat on the Kasey Kahne Racing machine.

Brad Sweet Outlaws points leader Cedar Lake 2019

“If we keep fine tuning this thing, I think we can win a lot of races this year,” Sweet said.

With nine wins halfway through the season – seven of them in the last ten races – Sweet is already on track to a career-best year.

“We’ve got a good thing going, and all we want to do is keep the throttle down,” Sweet said. “We just want to win as many of these races as we can. You don’t get these opportunities like we have very often.”

Start / Finish:
Wednesday, July 3, Brown County Speedway: 5 / 1
Friday, July 5, Cedar Lake Speedway: 7 / 23
Saturday, July 6, Cedar Lake Speedway: 1 / 1
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 4908 pts. (+50 pts. over 2nd)

Next Race: July 12, Hartford Speedway, Hartford, MI
How to Watch or Listen: www.dirtvision.com

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Brad Sweet: @BradSweet49
Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt

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NAPA Know How: Brad Sweet Maintains Second in Championship Standings

May 22, 2019/in Brad Sweet, dirt track racing, Kasey Kahne Racing, Lincoln Speedway, NAPA Know How Blog, No. 49, Racing, Sprint Car Racing, Williams Grove Speedway, World of Outlaws/by Advanced Auto Clinic

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It was a busy week of racing for the NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws series. With four races at three different tracks scheduled over five nights, the Kasey Kahne Racing team was hard at work all week.

The first race of the week was Wednesday at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pennsylvania. Brad
Sweet and the NAPA AUTO PARTS team unloaded fast, qualifying third out of 43 cars. Sweet went on to win his heat race and finish fifth in the dash, earning him the fifth starting spot in the 30-lap feature around the 3/8-mile oval. The Grass Valley, Calif., native stayed in the top five the entire race and crossed the checkered flag in the fourth position – his tenth top-five finish of the season.

Brad Sweet NAPA AUTO PARTS 49 Outlaws sprint car Lincoln Williams Grove 2019

Thursday was a travel day for the teams as they headed to Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Penn., for Friday night’s show. Again, 40 cars entered the event, With many of the “Pennsylvania Posse” members vying to take down the Outlaw regulars, it would prove to be a night of some of the toughest competition in the country. Crew chief Eric Prutzman had the NAPA car dialed in off the truck again, and Sweet captured the fifth-fastest qualifying position. Sweet went on to finish third in his heat. In the feature, he started ninth and ultimately finish ninth as passing conditions were difficult for the entire field.

Brad Sweet NAPA AUTO PARTS 49 Outlaws sprint car Lincoln Williams Grove 2019

The series returned to Williams Grove on Saturday for night two of the “Morgan Cup.” Sweet qualified ninth and, after a fifth-place finish in his heat, started deep in the field in 17th for the feature. Sweet was able to maneuver the No. 49 machine up to 14th by the 30th lap of the race.

Brad Sweet NAPA AUTO PARTS 49 Outlaws sprint car Lincoln Williams Grove 2019

Sunday’s scheduled event at Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, NY, was canceled due to rain. No make-up date has been announced.

Brad Sweet NAPA AUTO PARTS 49 Outlaws sprint car Lincoln Williams Grove 2019

The World of Outlaws return to action Tuesday, May 21 at Bridgeport Speedway in Swedesboro, NJ, and then head to Charlotte for the Patriot Nationals on Friday and Saturday. Sweet currently sits second in the championship standings, trailing Donny Schatz by 26 points.

Start / Finish:
Wednesday, May 15, Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, Penn.: 4 / 5
Friday, May 17, Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, Penn.: 9 / 9
Saturday, May 18, Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, Penn.: 14 / 17
Sunday, May 19, Weedsport Speedway, Weedsport, NY: rained out
Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 2538 pts.

Next Race: Tuesday, May 21, Bridgeport Speedway, Swedesboro, NJ
How to Watch or Listen: www.dirtvision.com

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Brad Sweet: @BradSweet49
Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt

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NAPA Know How: Capps Races NAPA Dodge to First Semifinal of 2019

April 16, 2019/in Don Schumacher Racing, drag racing, funny car, Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, NAPA Dodge, NAPA Know How Blog, NHRA, NHRA Drag Racing, Racing, Rahn Tobler, Ron Capps, SpringNationals/by Advanced Auto Clinic

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Behind the wheel of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car, Ron Capps made the second-best pass of qualifying to earn the No. 2 starting position at the MOPAR Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals Presented by Pennzoil. On race day, he successfully advanced to the semifinal round and accumulated 81 points to move to seventh (tied) in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship Funny Car rankings.

Capps powered the NAPA Dodge to a stout run of 3.893 seconds on Saturday to qualify second. The run held up to be the quickest of the session, and Capps was one of only two drivers to dip into the 3.8-second range during qualifying.

Capps drew Jeff Diehl as his first-round opponent and had no trouble defeating the part-time racer with his 3.950 E.T. versus Diehl’s tire-smoking effort. In the quarterfinals, Capps once again had the better car as he navigated the NAPA Dodge to a 3.938-second lap to claim the win over Shawn Langdon’s 3.983 E.T. The round two victory set up a teammate versus teammate semifinal battle with the 2016 NHRA Funny Car world champion squaring off against Matt Hagan.

Capps and Hagan had nearly identical reaction times, but Capps’ machine gave way to tire smoke at the hit of the throttle. Hagan lost traction at the 300-foot mark and Capps attempted to catch up to his stablemate, but Hagan was already too far downtrack and was able to post the win.

“This was definitely a ‘get-healthy’ weekend for the NAPA guys,” said Capps, a four-time Houston Raceway Park event champion. “To come in and run like we did in qualifying, progressively getting better, and end up No. 2 and then to go out there and get to the semifinals was great. We are still looking at the data trying to figure out why we smoked the tires at the hit. They did scrape the track in front of us. Obviously, cars in front of us and behind us ran really well. For some reason, our car didn’t. I always brag about (crew chief Rahn) Tobler and his NAPA Know How; I know he’ll have it figured out by tonight.”

Sunday’s semifinal appearance was Capps’ first of the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. His strong qualifying performance coupled with two round wins enabled Capps to accumulate 81 points over the course of the weekend and move into a two-way tie for seventh in the Funny Car rankings.

“After a week off for Easter, we’ll be right back at it going four-wide in Charlotte,” said the second-winningest Funny Car driver in NHRA history. “We’ve got a racecar. I’ve been telling our fans to hang with us. After a slow start, we’re back in fighting shape. It’s going to be fun now. It was so much fun going up there with the juices flowing and trying to cut my best light knowing I had a good thoroughbred underneath me. The confidence just grows and grows. We’ll build off this semifinal finish and continue to move up in the points. Our goal is to be ‘top three’ by the middle of the summer.”

Start / Finish: Qualified No. 2 / Lost in the semifinal to Matt Hagan
Points Earned: 81
2019 NHRA Mello Yello Series Points Standing / Total: 7th / 286 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
Don Schumacher Racing:@ShoeRacing

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NAPA Know How: Rossi Grabs Solid Top-Five in IndyCar 2019 Season Opener

March 11, 2019/in Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport, Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, IndyCar, NAPA Honda, NAPA Know How Blog, No. 27, Racing, street course, Top-5/by Advanced Auto Clinic

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NAPA Racing driver and 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi collected a fifth-place finish at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season opener.

The Andretti team of four rolled off the trucks fast, and Alexander Rossi was quickly up to speed on the scenic streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. Placing fifth and sixth, respectively, in the weekend’s first two practice sessions, the No. 27 team was prepared for a solid qualifying effort.

A pair of red flags cut the first round of qualifying short, however Rossi still posted a quick lap that was good enough to advance into the second round. After placing himself comfortably within the top six of that session, the NAPA AUTO PARTS driver advanced into the first Firestone Fast Six of the season – where the Californian claimed a sixth-place starting position.

When the green flag was waved for Sunday’s 110-lap race, Rossi quickly jumped teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay to advance to the fifth position. Rossi, driving a clean and steady race, led two laps during the event and held his position consistently within the top five. The NAPA AutoCare Centers crew had a stellar performance in the pits, and the team left the sunshine state with valuable championship points to kick off the season.

Start / Finish: 6 / 6
Points Earned: 31
Points Standing / Total: 5th / 31 pts.

Next Race: INDYCAR Classic at Circuit of the Americas, Sunday, March 24 at 1:40 p.m. ET
How to Watch or Listen: NBC Sports Network or INDYCAR Radio Network Sirius 214//XM 209

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Alexander Rossi: @AlexanderRossi
Andretti Autosport: @FollowAndretti

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NAPA Know How: Elliott Finishes Eighth in Second Duel at Daytona

February 15, 2019/in Chase Elliott, Cup Series, Daytona International Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports, NAPA Chevrolet, NAPA Know How Blog, NASCAR, No. 9, Racing/by Advanced Auto Clinic

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Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS team will start 18th in the 61st running of the Daytona 500 after finishing eighth in the second Duel of the night at Daytona International Speedway.

Elliott and the NAPA team started the second Duel of Thursday evening the front row alongside teammate Alex Bowman.

Elliott maintained his runner-up position behind Bowman for the first 12 laps of the race before heading to pit road for a fuel only green-flag stop.

On Lap 15, the 23-year-old driver found himself in the inside lane without help in the draft, which caused him to fall back in the pack outside of the top 10.

#9: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro NAPA AUTO PARTS

By Lap 25, he had moved back up to ninth as the field settled into single-file racing. In the final 10 laps, Elliott began to pick off cars one-by-one, making passes on the bottom before sliding back up to the outside lane.

With five laps to go, he had moved up to sixth, but two laps later he fell back a few positions when he was caught on the bottom while attempting to move into fifth.

#9: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro NAPA AUTO PARTS

He ultimately took the checkered flag in eighth, picking up three points for the finish. The result will line Elliott up 18th for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Start / Finish: 2 / 8
Points Earned: 3
Points Standing / Total: 8th / 3 points

Next Race: Feb. 17, Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

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

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