NEW YORK — Today, Prime Video green-lit a new documentary from NASCAR Studios that will chronicle NASCAR’s special “Garage 56” entry at the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The documentary will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. The “Garage 56” documentary is the latest addition to the Prime membership. Prime members in the U.S. enjoy savings, convenience and entertainment, all in a single membership.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the ultimate test of driver and machine. With high-speed stretches and iconic turns, Le Mans has earned a reputation as the most demanding race in the world. Now, nearly half a century after NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. first took stock cars to the prestigious event in 1976, his son, and current NASCAR chairman and CEO, Jim France returns to Le Mans — in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear — to showcase their revolutionary Next Gen race car to an international audience. Behind the driving of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller and 2009 Formula One world champion Jenson Button, the special “Garage 56” entry will compete with some of the fastest and most durable cars in the world. The documentary will take viewers inside the preparation and behind the wheel on race day of the historic endeavor.
“We’re proud to partner with our friends at NASCAR Studios to bring this incredible story of innovation and determination to our Prime Video customers,” said Matt Newman, head of Prime Video Original sports content. “The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most exciting and grueling competitions in sports, and the work that goes into preparing for a moment like this is something we think audiences will find equal parts entertaining and inspiring.”
“The Next Gen car has been a game changer in NASCAR, and bringing it to an iconic international stage like Le Mans during NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season is a monumental moment for our sport,” said Matt Summers, NASCAR managing director, entertainment marketing and content development. “We’ve had cameras rolling behind the scenes throughout the entire journey, and we can’t wait for fans around the world to come along for the ride thanks to this amazing partnership with Prime Video.”
The documentary is being produced by NASCAR Studios with NASCAR’s Tim Clark, Matt Summers, Amy Anderson and Tally Hair serving as executive producers.
LE MANS, France — Of all the motorsports legends roaming around Le Mans’ Circuit de la Sarthe this week – and there are many – one in particular received an exceedingly warm welcome by the NASCAR Garage 56 team. NASCAR Hall of Famer Hershel McGriff returned to the circuit on Wednesday afternoon – a race-week guest of NASCAR – and the reception he received walking into the team’s pit area couldn’t have been more endearing.
“Welcome back to Le Mans,” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France told him.
The entire team – NASCAR’s “Innovative Class” entry in the June 10-11 24 Hours of Le Mans – was equally as excited to have the 95-year-old McGriff trackside. The NASCAR legend competed at Le Mans twice himself – in 1976 and 1982.
“Come on, let’s get you in a driver’s suit. Do you have your helmet?’’ Hendrick Motorsports Vice President and Garage 56 manager Chad Knaus said in greeting McGriff.
The look on the legendary driver’s face said it all. He joked about forgetting his helmet but promised he would have loved to compete in this race again or even help out in the pits.
“I’m just kind of a guest this week, but I told Jim France, ‘I don’t really want to be a spectator, I just want to fill in somewhere,’ ” McGriff said, grinning. “I think Chad must have gotten the word.”
McGriff was genuinely moved to be a part of NASCAR’s return to the race for the first time in 47 years. He flew to France with NASCAR executives and said he’d been smiling from the time his feet hit the French pavement.
As soon as he arrived trackside, the Garage 56 drivers surrounded him – former Formula One champ Jenson Button and renowned sports-car champion Mike Rockenfeller smiling as they listened to McGriff’s stories of stock cars past at the legendary sports-car venue.
A member of McGriff’s original 1976 Le Mans crew – Dick Pierson – even made the trip across the Atlantic, eager to share in his former team owner’s connection with the track, which is celebrating the race’s 100th year of existence.
“When I heard about this and that Hershel was coming, I just was like, ‘Oh man, this is so good,’ ” Pierson said. “I certainly decided then I needed to come here. And here I am.”
It was a reunion 47 years in the making and duly appreciated.
“Thank goodness for NASCAR, Jim France and [IMSA President] John Doonan, they invited me,” McGriff said. “Of course, I threw a lot of hints that I would like to come (smiling). And I’ve been treated as royalty.
“This is unbelievable to me. I recognize nothing, but I’m anxious to see everything,” McGriff said. “I’ve been watching and seeing pictures, and I can certainly see the fans love their NASCAR.”
Chase Elliott sits 98 points below the playoff elimination line, due in large part to six missed races because of a leg injury and one more because of a suspension. However, he can wipe away the slow start by having one outstanding afternoon in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
History is firmly on his side because Elliott is third on the all-time list with seven road-course wins, trailing only NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight). Elliott also has had a hot hand on road courses lately, with four top-10 finishes (in six starts) since the beginning of 2022 with the Next Gen car.
Elliott also comes back focused on making things right after his one-week suspension for wrecking Denny Hamlin. He told NASCAR.com on Tuesday he hopes to establish some momentum for his team, admitting that he hasn’t found the right groove yet this season.
With 11 regular-season races left for Elliott to get that playoff-securing victory, the pressure will certainly ramp up as we get closer to the August race at Daytona International Speedway. But we’ve seen when Elliott gets things going, he can be unstoppable — as he was in 2020 on the road to winning a championship.
The driver of the No. 9 qualified 10th for Sunday’s race, and he remains the projected winner.
OTHERS TO WATCH
TYLER REDDICK: He has won three of the last five road-course races and finished in the top 10 in seven of the last eight road-course races.
KYLE BUSCH: He has finished in the top seven in six of the last seven races at Sonoma and is a two-time Sonoma winner.
AJ ALLMENDINGER: He has finished in the top 10 in four of his last five road-course starts, but has only two top-10 finishes in 11 Sonoma starts. Following Saturday’s on-track action, his projection improved by three positions.
CHRIS BUESCHER: He has finished in the top 10 in the last six road-course races (longest active streak) and was runner-up last year at Sonoma.
RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350
Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results.
LE MANS, France — Toyota and 23XI Racing announced Wednesday that sports-car ace Kamui Kobayashi will make his NASCAR debut in the Cup Series event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on Aug. 13.
The announcement was made at the NASCAR display at the Circuit de la Sarthe’s manufacturer village in Le Mans, with NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France among the dignitaries in attendance. Kobayashi is competing in this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans for Toyota Gazoo Racing in the Hypercar class. He has two wins already this season in FIA World Endurance Championship competition, where he is a two-time champ, but said he was eager to explore a new motorsports discipline in NASCAR.
“I think NASCAR is kind of like baseball. It’s something different in the culture of motorsports compared to Japan and Europe, and it’s NASCAR, and as a driver, it’s an American dream,” Kobayashi said. “I was lucky as I was able to race in IMSA the last couple of years. It’s a different way of racing, but I think as racing technology, it’s really at a high level. I really appreciate this opportunity from TRD, U.S.A., and of course, Toyota Motor North America and Toyota Gazoo Racing.
“For us, especially the Japanese people, Toyota has been in NASCAR for a while, and I don’t think any other Japanese driver has been in a Toyota racing in the Cup Series. I’m very proud of this opportunity.”
Kobayashi is set to drive the No. 67 Toyota Camry TRD, a third entry that will compete alongside 23XI Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace on the 2.439-mile IMS circuit. The last time 23XI fielded a third car, action-sports star Travis Pastrana drove it to an 11th-place finish in this year’s Daytona 500.
Kobayashi becomes just the second driver from Japan to enter a Cup Series race, but the first to do so in a Toyota; Hideo Fukuyama made four Cup starts between 2002-03, and three other drivers from Japan — Akinori Ogata, Kenko Miura and Shigeaki Hattori — have competed in Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series events. It’s another effort for the automaker to broaden its reach within the NASCAR world.
“To have Kamui carrying a global flag with him to our sport, we’ll put some eyeballs on it that we haven’t had before,” said David Wilson, Toyota Racing Development (TRD) USA president. “And then, focusing narrower to Japanese drivers, I would say we have even broader goals for global drivers and aspirations. So European kids who maybe have a frame of reference that goes through Formula 1, maybe this opens another for ‘Well, why not NASCAR?’ ”
The 36-year-old Kobayashi has had a varied racing career after a start in karting, which eventually led to a prime scholarship spot with Toyota’s Young Drivers initiative. He progressed to a stint in Formula 1 with the automaker and now races in the Supra Formula Series along with his sports-car duties. That wide list of experience, Kobayashi says, doesn’t include driving a stock car, and he marveled at his first sight of one once his No. 67 entry was unveiled Wednesday at Le Mans.
Kobayashi joins a growing number of newcomers from other series to recently give NASCAR a try. One of the most recent examples came in late March at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, where former F1 champs Jenson Button and Kimi Räikkönen joined sports-car standout and Garage 56 reserve driver Jordan Taylor in providing some new faces on the entry list. Kobayashi said he watched the full race with interest.
“Actually, I like this type of racing because you bump each other all the time, and you have to be very sharp on the start, otherwise, you lose all the momentum, and you’re going backwards, and you have no chance,” Kobayashi said. “I think the way they race is different, but I like it because I think this is something the driver brings instead of the car bringing something.”
Räikkönen’s participation was part of the Trackhouse Racing Project 91 initiative to provide opportunities for global motorsports stars. Wilson said that “Project 67” had served as a sort of internal codename for the part-time 23XI effort with a similar intent of broadening stock-car racing’s audience.
“We are absolutely open to using this as a platform to bring in other drivers on occasion,” Wilson said. “Now, the challenging part, of course, is you want to do it well, right. And you want to make sure that we give Kamui the best experience. We take this very personally because it is some heavy lifting with the regular lot, and so if future opportunities present themselves, we certainly have the seats, we certainly have the willingness of our friends from 23XI — Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, Steve Lauletta. They had Travis Pastrana in a car at Daytona, so certainly, we’re open to further opportunities down the road.”
Kobayashi said the opportunity emerged for the Indianapolis race primarily because of scheduling, given his busy racing workload. He also said he was focused on debuting on a road course but that the Chicago Street Race on July 2 was “too close, so we decided to look at Indianapolis to be safe.”
Kobayashi said his preparation time still may be short, and he indicated he plans for two days of racing simulator prep, plus a potential test of a Next Gen stock car on a test track. Leaning on Toyota teammates for information will also be a resource. “With on-track opportunities, we are limited,” he said, “but with experience and knowledge, we have some of the best for this form of racing.”
Kobayashi also said that he hopes his Cup Series debut might open the door for other Japanese drivers to explore stock-car racing and that a solid showing could pave that path.
“I will try my best, but I’m very thankful for this opportunity and happy to be in this position,” Kobayashi said. “For Toyota and for the entire family, I think this will create something new for us. Now we have to finalize all the small details, but at the end of the day, I think a strong performance would help with future possibilities.”
Chase Elliott’s one-race suspension from the NASCAR Cup Series is in the rearview mirror, right where he’d like to keep it.
The driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet said Tuesday he understands the sanctioning body’s decision to sit him out for last weekend’s event at World Wide Technology Raceway after officials ruled he intentionally crashed Denny Hamlin. The 2020 Cup champion looks forward to returning at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“I think certainly it was an unfortunate circumstance on many accounts,” Elliott told NASCAR.com via teleconference. “And I hate that we’re in the position that we’re in. Obviously, it’s been a pretty wild year, even prior to last week or two weeks ago. But yeah, look, I mean, I hate that I put our team and our partners and our fans and all the folks that make this go in a tough spot. Certainly glad Denny’s OK, and I understand NASCAR’s call and what they felt like they needed to do. So I respect all that.”
Elliott has missed seven races in 2023, six due to an injury suffered while snowboarding ahead of his most recent absence. He’s hopeful his Sonoma arrival triggers a more long-term stay on the schedule.
“For me personally, just looking forward to getting back to work and just trying to get in a groove because I don’t really feel like I’ve been in one throughout the year,” Elliott said. “It’s been kind of stop-and-go all season, unfortunately. But the way I see it is there’s 11 races left (in the regular season), and we pretty much need to go win one of those to get in the show. So that’s where my head’s at right now.”
Sonoma signals an excellent opportunity for Elliott to relocate the rhythm he’s sorely missed, as seven of Elliott’s 18 career wins have come on road courses. Yet Sonoma is the only road course at which Elliott has made at least three starts and not scored a victory — so far.
“I think we can go out there and win for sure,” said Elliott, a 2021 runner-up in Napa Valley. “We had a pretty solid run there last year. We weren’t the best I didn’t think, but we were fast enough to contend. And I think that being said, I also know the areas we could be better in leaving there last year, so I have a lot of confidence in the direction that I think we need to go in and what we need our car to do to be more successful there this year.”
As Elliott noted, just 11 races remain in the regular season. With seven races missed this year — six due to injury, one due to suspension — Elliott sits 28th in points, 98 points beneath the cutoff line for the NASCAR Playoffs. A win is almost necessary to lock into the postseason, but the No. 9 team has also balanced chasing stage points this season in Elliott’s return.
However, stages have a different look at road courses this season. The caution flag no longer flies at the end of each stage, but the top 10 drivers at the stage breaks will still receive a points payout. That may alter what strategies each team may utilize Sunday in Sonoma.
“For the most part there toward the end of last year and throughout the season, as this car kind of continued to evolve, you really had to had to short those stages to give yourself a shot to win,” Elliott said. “So I think just taking that out of the equation makes makes things a little more straightforward and doesn’t penalize the guys who are running well, right? You know, that’s the big thing with that is it ended up hurting the people who are running good and were deserving of stage points and forced them to not take any. So I think it’s a good move.”
Sonoma will mark Elliott’s first road race since returning from injury, a broken left leg suffered in a March snowboarding accident. The good news is Elliott has zero concerns about his leg’s comfort heading into the twists and hills of Sonoma, California.
“It’s been fine in the car really,” Elliott said. “I mean, Martinsville was a little challenging, but since then, I’ve felt pretty good with it in the car and getting stronger outside of the car too. You know, that particular injury is a long recovery. If you were playing a stick-and-ball sport, it would be quite some time before you could go play again.
“So I’m very fortunate that just the way our seats are and where my leg is positioned in the car and how secure it is in the car, those are all things that are working to my advantage and being able to get back to work as quick as I did.”
Elliott’s results have been decent this season. Aside from DNFs in the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600, Elliott has landed safely between second and 12th in his other six starts. A seventh-place run at Kansas was “probably our best race” since returning from injury, Elliott said, but he noted he’s largely had eighth-to-10th-place cars.
As Elliott strives to make NASCAR’s postseason for the eighth consecutive season, he has the speed of Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman to lean on. Byron’s three victories this season are tied for the series best, while Larson has an additional two. Bowman has yet to find Victory Lane but boasts the second-best average finish (11.8) despite missing three races due to a back injury.
“Those guys are having having a lot of success, and when you have that, it definitely can help lead you in directions setup-wise or car-build wise or whatever it may be,” Elliott said. “So the program in general have been solid all year and there’s been a lot of pace. Obviously a lot of victories. So yeah, we’d like to tap into that and add to it.”
Elliott is entering a stretch of races that saw him rattle off five straight top-two finishes in 2022 — wins at Nashville, Atlanta and Pocono with runner-up results at Road America and New Hampshire. The Chicago Street Race replaces Road America this year, but his confidence is still high the No. 9 team can rekindle some of last year’s summer magic.
“I think we’re certainly capable of doing it; it’s just getting in a little bit of a rhythm,” Elliott said. “Running two races, skipping six, and then jumping in there for a few weeks and missing another one, it’s just kind of hard to find a rhythm. So yeah, hopefully no more skips over the next 11 weeks and we can just start chipping away at it. And obviously, that starts at Sonoma.”
LE MANS, France — One of the primary differences in a NASCAR-type pit stop vs. a European sports-car-style stop found its way to the peak of the Le Mans podium, doused with champagne. Garage 56 jackman Donovan Williams made sure the apparatus — the only jack that will be used for tire changes in this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans — traveled the length of the circuit’s pit road for its own place of prominence.
The Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 crew collected one of race week’s preliminary prizes Tuesday by showing the international crowd how it’s done stateside, winning the Le Mans Pit Stop Challenge. The Garage 56 effort — which is classified in the Innovative Car category — was best among the 21 LMGTE Am entries and fifth-fastest out of the 62-car field.
The crew was popping corks in the late-spring sunshine from the elevated start-finish platform Tuesday afternoon as the driver lineup of Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller took cell-phone videos and cheered.
“We were feeling good in practice, it was kind of a warm-up, starting off with a medium tempo and then continue to increase your speed, and then once our confidence, we just relied on our training, and it just came into place,” Williams said from the busy Garage 56 paddock. “Instinctively, I think we all just went out there and performed and didn’t think too much, and that’s what’s special about sports. Most of us have athletic backgrounds, and we’re able to kind of lean on that when you talk about canceling out a crowd and locking in and being in the moment. So that was a special moment, and we were able to capitalize.”
The competition gave the Garage 56 team members some early bragging rights, but it also showed a modified version of the stock-car pit procedures to an eager new audience, which applauded the choreography. It also illustrated how the pit crew has adapted to new regulations and equipment to prepare for a twice-around-the-clock endurance run.
Getting the Garage 56 crew to build chemistry and adjust to Le Mans rules has been the charge of Evan Kureczka, now in his sixth season with Hendrick Motorsports and currently its pit development manager. Since the group’s arrival at the French circuit, fellow racers have taken an interest in the American visitors — much as the fans have at every turn.
“I feel like a lot of teams on pit road have opened up to us, and they’ve come and asked why we’re doing pit stops one way compared to another and trying to give us tips,” Kureczka said. “It’s like NASCAR is like a big community. You can tell this style of racing is also like one big community, and they’ve accepted us in and we’re almost working together at this point.”
Indeed, all 62 teams are operating under the rules of the same house, run by race organizers Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). And the pit stalls on the frontstretch of the iconic 8.467-mile Circuit de la Sarthe are their own unique being — snug both in width and in length, though the G56 entry has the benefit of some extra room as the pit box nearest the pit-lane exit.
The stalls also have air hoses affixed to an overhead boom that swivels as team members move from one side of the car to the other with their lug-nut guns. Kureczka says that’s meant making extra sure the jack handle doesn’t become entangled in the hoses as part of the rotation. He also said that Hendrick’s team mocked up a gantry-style system back home in North Carolina to practice with a similar setup.
The rules also require teams to complete fueling before tire changers can engage the car. The fuel comes from an overhead tank, and a nozzle seals with the filler — which is located behind the right-side B-post. The tall, quick-dump gas cans used in NASCAR are not found in Le Mans. Driver changes are done during fueling, and Kureczka says replenishing a full fuel load takes approximately 42 seconds — theoretically enough time to complete a change-out.
Tire changers are also not allowed to rush out in front of the car on its approach to get in position to start changing the outside tires. Changers and carriers begin on the right side before rotating over to the left, and there’s no pit wall for the crew members to start on. Regulations mandate four “over the wall” pit crew members, but the Garage 56 project was granted a fifth because of race officials’ insistence that the No. 24 team use a jack for NASCAR authenticity instead of the in-car pneumatic jack system that all other cars carry.
“Since we started, it’s been like a day-by-day process, learning how to go by their rules instead of NASCAR’s,” said Jarius Morehead, the rear tire carrier. “They’re so tedious about everything that we do, from the tires, the gun hose up top with the boom system, so it’s just getting used to everything that they do and try to do what we do in NASCAR.”
Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Kureczka said the Garage 56 pit crew is part of a development group but that all of the team have found some experience in NASCAR national-series events. This pit team was assembled a little under a year ago but has grown since their first at-track practice in a wintertime test at Daytona International Speedway.
“So they’re pretty seasoned,” Kureczka said. “We did plenty of two-a-days of practice leading up to the event, and so it was a little bit of a balance between them pitting Trucks, Xfinity and some of them pitting Cup and doing this, trying to get all our work in.”
If they’re not seasoned now, they will be before the 24 hours is up. If all goes according to plan, team members estimated approximately 25 to 30 pit stops for the full distance, with the No. 24 car stopping nearly hourly and drivers mostly working double stints after shorter earlier ones.
The Hendrick Motorsports crew members working the Le Mans event include:
Front-tire changer Dawson Backus, who joined Hendrick in September 2019 and currently changes the rear tires for the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in the Cup Series.
Front-tire carrier Cody French, who has changed tires, carried tires and manned the jack in his two-plus years with Hendrick. He’s now the jackman on the No. 77 for Spire in the Cup Series.
Rear-tire carrier Jarius Morehead, former captain of the N.C. State football team and who has been a tire changer for various teams in Xfinity and Trucks.
Rear-tire changer Mike Moss, a two-sport standout in basketball and football collegiately who is the newest member of the crew — joining just last October.
Jackman Donovan Williams, who also signed on with Hendrick Motorsports less than a year ago and has served on the jack and as the fueler for Xfinity and Truck teams.
Then there’s Kureczka, who hasn’t been content to sit on the supervisory sidelines and merely observe and coach. Here at Le Mans, he’s donned a full fire suit and has been the self-termed “lollipop guy” handling the pit sign, which features the Camaro logo.
That, too, has been a little different.
“In NASCAR, the sign’s held from the other side of the wall — the cold side of the track,” Kureczka says. “And so now I’m out there on pit lane holding the sign, which is a great experience to be out there with the guys and be part of the team with them. I think they appreciate it, and they’re glad I’m out there with them.”
Before Tuesday’s pit stop challenge, Kureczka said he had a fleeting wish that the Garage 56 Next Gen car had been equipped with air jacks to lift the car. The 36-year-old coach said that such a modification would make their technique even faster. “I’d like to try it their way without the jack because I feel like you know for the pit challenge coming up, man, we can definitely win that.”
Nearly 24 hours after that speculation about the team’s chances, Kureczka was clearing French bubbly from his eyes. The No. 24 pit crew had practiced 8-10 stops already that day, he said, and the final one — the one that mattered — was the cleanest of the day, checking in at 10.364 seconds behind three Hypercar entries and one in LMP2.
“All the hard work these guys put in, and to see them to see them reap the rewards of all the work they put in is just phenomenal,” Kureczka said on the walk back from the podium to the front of pit road, a victory march interrupted every few stalls for photos by fans and press. “So glad they had the chance to go up there and experience that and represent all of NASCAR. Goodyear, all our sponsors, America, so it’s phenomenal.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Though the distinct roar of the NASCAR Garage 56 Chevrolet has earned global attention at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it was NASCAR’s over-the-wall athletes who took center stage — and a victory — on Tuesday.
The Hendrick Motorsports pit crew topped 16 competitors in the GTE class to win the Pit Stop Challenge, despite being the only team competing with a manual jack. The five-person crew changed four Goodyear Eagle tires in 10.364 seconds, edging Northwest AMR by 0.12 seconds. They finished fifth overall, just 0.3 seconds behind the top-finishing team.
“It was actually our fastest stop of the day, so I would say I was surprised but also very pleased,” said Hendrick Motorsports Pit Crew Coach Evan Kureczka. “You can tell the fans were very impressed with the fact that we were using a jack to jack the car up. You could see the smiles on their faces, we put on a great show for the fans.”
Even more impressive is the fact it was the team’s first time working together in a competition setting.
“Over the past eight months, we’ve put this team together, and we’ve rolled with them the entire time and knew this is what we were going to bring to Le Mans, but we had to get them up to speed together,” Kureczka said.
The crew includes Dawson Backus (front tire changer), Mike Moss (rear tire changer), Donovan Williams (jackman), Cody French (front tire carrier) and Jarius Morehead (rear tire carrier). All five compete for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“This is a special moment to be able to represent Hendrick Motorsports, represent our families, America and NASCAR as a whole,” said Williams, the only jackman competing in the competition. “We just relied on our training, and it came into place instinctively. I think we all just went out there and performed and didn’t think too much.
“That’s what’s special about sports — we all come from athletic backgrounds and were able to lean on that when you talk about canceling out the crowd, locking in and being in the moment. It was a special moment, and we were able to capitalize.”
The Garage 56 project is a partnership between NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear — the winningest team, manufacturer and tire in the sport’s 75-year history. The Garage 56 Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will be driven by 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller in this weekend’s 100th anniversary running of the world-famous endurance race.
With a quarter of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season officially in the books, the Mod Squad shifts its focus to Seekonk Speedway this Saturday night for the running of the Seekonk 150.
The Seekonk 150 marks a return for the series to Seekonk Speedway after last visiting the track in 2019. It marks the 11th visit by the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour to the third-mile asphalt oval in Massachusetts.
Seekonk Speedway first welcomed the series in 1987, with Reggie Ruggiero outlasting Jimmy Spencer to secure the victory. The series didn’t return again until 2000, when Jerry Marquis visited Victory Lane. Other Tour winners at the track include Chris Kopec, Ed Flemke Jr., Chuck Hossfeld, Eric Beers, Timmy Solomito, Justin Bonsignore and two-time Seekonk winner Doug Coby.
Tickets to Saturday’s Seekonk 150 are available here. Below is everything you need to know about the sixth race of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
Seekonk 150 at Seekonk Speedway
What to watch for:
With five races now in the rearview for the stars of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the battle at the top of the series standings is between Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore.
Silk, who won the opening race of the season at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway, leads the standings by three points ahead of Bonsingore, who triumphed in Race 4 at New York’s Riverhead Raceway.
Both should be considered contenders Saturday when the Whelen Modified Tour makes its return to Seekonk for the first time since 2019.
Doug Coby is also likely to be among the frontrunners Saturday. The Tommy Baldwin Racing driver is the most recent Tour winner at Seekonk and already has a victory this year, which came at New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway last month.
Matt Hirschman is still riding a wave of momentum following his victory in the most recent Tour event at New Hampshire’s Lee USA Speedway. He led laps in 2019 at Seekonk and will no doubt be in the mix when the green flag waves Saturday night.
Austin Beers will also be among those to watch Saturday. His father Eric Beers won his first Whelen Modified Tour race at Seekonk in 2005, and Austin would love to join his father as a Tour winner at the track.
Defending Tour champion Jon McKennedy will chase his first victory of the season Saturday at Seekonk alongside fellow 2022 race winners Anthony Nocella and Craig Lutz. One driver, Tommy Wanick, will be making his Whelen Modified Tour debut Saturday night.
Schedule: Saturday, June 10 … Final practice from 3 to 4 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 5:30 p.m. ET … Local racing at 6 p.m. ET … Seekonk 150 at 8 p.m. ET.
Qualifying: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the Seekonk 150 is limited to 28 starters including Provisional Positions.
Tire allotment: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eight (8) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. The tire change rule is zero (0) tires, any position.
A 26th-place finish in Sunday’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway was not the result Alex Bowman and the No. 48 team wanted. However, with Bowman back full time following an injury, the team appears close to a breakthrough via it’s pit-road acumen — especially given Sunday’s performance.
Spearheaded by Donnie Tasser (front changer), Andrew Bridgeforth (rear changer), Scott Riddle (tire carrier), Allen Holman (jackman) and Jacob Conley (fueler), the No. 48 team put on a stellar showing reminiscent of Richmond two months earlier. Let’s take a look.
In terms of average four-tire stop, Bowman’s No. 48 crew clocked out an average time of 9.743 seconds at Gateway, good enough for first on the year among all races. In fact, the mark stands out as the only time under 10 seconds for the duration of a race.
The only average four-tire stop time somewhat close is Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet. The No. 24 team established a swift pace in its own right via a 10.008-second average time during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Although Sunday’s on-track finish might not have been a preferable one, Bowman will look to capitalize on any sort of momentum. And if pit-road statistics are an indicator, perhaps the remedy will start from the pit box.
After all, each Hendrick Motorsports team — Bowman’s included — has shown a knack for thriving on brisk pit-road stops.
See below to analyze additional pit-road statistics through last weekend’s race at Gateway, courtesy of Racing Insights.
