Posted on by Adam Fenwick

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.

MORE SEEKONK: Watch on FloRacing | Get tickets

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.

The complete entry list for the Seekonk 150 is available here.

Action during the most recent NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Seekonk Speedway on June 1, 2019. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

RACE FACTS

Race Seekonk 150
Date Saturday, June 10, 2023
Track Seekonk Speedway
Layout Third-mile asphalt oval
Location Seekonk, Massachusetts
Start Time 8 p.m. ET
Laps 150
Posted awards $81,600
Live stream FloRacing (Live)

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.

Posted on by Staff Report

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.

RELATED: Gateway results

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.

TEN FASTEST FOUR-TIRE PIT STOPS IN 2023

RankTrackDriverTime
1RichmondCorey LaJoie9.309 seconds
2CharlotteWilliam Byron9.383 seconds
3CharlotteTy Gibbs9.443 seconds
4CharlotteWilliam Byron9.504 seconds
5KansasBubba Wallace9.509 seconds
6CharlotteWilliam Byron9.541 seconds
t-7KansasTy Dillon9.543 seconds
t-7KansasDaniel Suárez9.543 seconds
t-9DarlingtonKevin Harvick9.576 seconds
t-9KansasJosh Berry (No. 48)9.576 seconds

BEST AVERAGE FOUR-TIRE PIT STOP TIMES IN 2023

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

After a hugely successful debut at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2022, the second running of the Jack Ingram Memorial is scheduled for Saturday night.

Held in honor of the late Jack Ingram, a three-time NASCAR Late Model Sportsman champion and two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, the event will feature some of the Southeast’s best Late Model Stock Car competitors battling for 111 laps and a $5,011 top prize.

STREAMING: Watch Saturday’s Jack Ingram Memorial live on FloRacing

Held for the first time last season, the event was won by current NASCAR Xfinity Series star Josh Berry in a car owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr.

A strong field is again expected to head to Hickory Motor Speedway to pursue a victory on Saturday night, including weekly stars like defending track champion Landon Huffman, Tyler Matthews and Kade Brown, among others.

Below is everything you need to know about the 2023 Jack Ingram Memorial at Hickory Motor Speedway.

Jack Ingram Memorial at Hickory Motor Speedway
Scenes from the Jack Ingram Memorial at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway on June 11, 2022. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

What TV channel is the Jack Ingram Memorial at Hickory Motor Speedway on in 2023?

All feature racing action from the 2023 Jack Ingram Memorial at Hickory Motor Speedway can be viewed live on FloRacing, the streaming home of all NASCAR Roots properties.

The race will not be shown on a television network.

Below is the complete schedule for coverage on FloRacing.

Date Start time How to watch
Saturday, June 10 7 p.m. ET FloRacing

2023 Jack Ingram Memorial schedule

This year’s event at Hickory is scheduled for Saturday, June 10. Below is the complete race-day schedule for the 2023 Jack Ingram Memorial.

(All times ET)

8 a.m. Sign In Begins
9:45 a.m. Pit Gates Open
10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Optional Early Practice
10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Late Model Pre-Tech Inspection
2 – 4:15 p.m. Practice
5 p.m. Qualifying
7 p.m. Feature Racing
Jack Ingram Memorial at Hickory Motor Speedway
Josh Berry and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Victory Lane after Berry’s victory in the Jack Ingram Memorial at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway on June 11, 2022. (Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

Entry list

A complete entry list for the Jack Ingram Memorial has not been released by track officials, but the event is expected to feature some of the top Late Model Stock Car racers from across the Southeast.

That includes defending Hickory track champion Landon Huffman, who has one victory this season at the historic 0.363-mile asphalt oval.

Kade Brown, who captured the track championship at South Carolina’s Florence Motor Speedway last season, is also expected to be in action, as well as current Hickory championship leader Tyler Matthews.

Posted on by Brandon White

Berlin Raceway has always been a special place for Erik Jones.

The two-time Southern 500 winner not only obtained his lone ARCA Menards Series triumph at the facility in 2013, but he has also claimed two consecutive victories in the Battle at Berlin, one of the track’s crown-jewel races of each season.

On Wednesday evening, Jones will look to claim his first victory in Berlin’s prestigious Money in the Bank 150, which would carry extra significance for the NASCAR Cup Series veteran as he gets more acclimated to overseeing his own Super Late Model.

“This is still a pretty new car for me,” Jones said. “We built it over the offseason, and [Wednesday will] be the second start on it for us, so I’m looking forward to learning more about it and getting it better. This is a nice car and one that I’ve been excited to get racing. It’s going to be a strong field, and I’ll get to race against a lot of guys that I raced with years ago.”

STREAMING: Watch Wednesday’s MITB 150 live on FloRacing

Jones’ initial rise through the Super Late Model ranks was crucial toward his eventually earning a full-time Cup Series ride.

After accumulating several wins as a teenager during the early 2010s, Jones caught the attention of the motorsports community in the 2012 Snowball Derby with an efficient performance that saw him lead a race-high 124 laps and win against drivers like Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Grant Enfinger, John Hunter Nemechek and many more.

Within a year, Jones found himself in a driver development deal with Kyle Busch Motorsports, all while he proceeded to win numerous other prestigious Super Late Model events, including another Snowball Derby in 2013 and three consecutive Winchester 400s from 2013-15.

All the track time Jones recorded when he was younger helped him find a competitive rhythm in Super Late Models that eventually carried over into the Cup Series. But he also credited his success in the discipline to the fast cars prepared by the teams with which he’s competed.

Now that race weekends for the Cup Series are more condensed following the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones has more freedom to participate in Super Late Model events of his choosing. Transitioning back into Super Late Models has not been easy for Jones, who is impressed by the competitive depth prevalent in the discipline today.

“It’s been a challenge getting back into [Super Late Models],” Jones said. “The cars have changed a lot with so many different rules compared to when I first started racing. Everybody now has pretty good stuff, but I’ve been figuring things out. We ran a few races last year and won one of those, so I want to keep doing some more going forward.”

In the early 2010s, Erik Jones was one of the most efficient Super Late Model drivers in the country with two Snowball Derby wins and three Winchester 400 victories. (Photo: NASCAR)

Among the races Jones competed in last year included the Money in the Bank 150 and the Battle at Berlin, scoring finishes of 10th and third, respectively.

Jones anticipated a learning curve with his own Super Late Model in both of Berlin’s crown jewel events. The storied facility always posed a challenge for Jones when he was younger because of its design and the loyal group of competitors that race there every weekend.

“[Berlin] is by far one of the most unique places I’ve ever raced on as far as ovals go,” Jones said. “It has a unique shape. The surface is abrasive and slick, so it never has a lot of grip. You’re running down on the apron off [Turn] 4 and [Turns 1 and 2] are a big sweeping turn where you have to focus on your exit.

“It’s tough, and the local guys there are always hard to beat.”

RELATED: Everything to know about the 2023 MITB 150

Headlining the talented group of track regulars Jones will have to contest with Wednesday is defending track champion Evan Shotko, who also won the most recent edition of the Battle at Berlin.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular Carson Hocevar is also on the preliminary entry list; he’s a Berlin track champion and two-time Money in the Bank 150 winner. Other notable names include Super Late Model veteran Bubba Pollard, along with Sean Hingorani, Gio Ruggiero and Kyle Busch’s Cup Series spotter Derek Kneeland.

A talented field of cars is only one of Jones’ worries, as he will have to strike a perfect balance between being conservative and aggressive with his tires over 150 laps so he can be in contention for a win at the end of the night.

Jones admittedly prefers longer Super Late Model events due to all the different strategy aspects associated with them, but he plans to be more aggressive in Wednesday’s Money in the Bank 150 compared to last year.

“The [Battle at Berlin] is definitely more of an endurance race,” Jones said. “You’re saving a lot more in that race just trying to get to the end. The track also changes a lot from day to night, whereas [the Money in the Bank 150] is a pretty quick race.

“It goes by quick, so you’ve got to push a little bit harder.”

With two Battle at Berlin victories on his resume, Erik Jones will chase his first Money in the Bank 150 victory with his own car. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

With plenty of experience on his side in both short tracks and NASCAR, Jones has high aspirations for his Super Late Model program and expects to take another step forward during the Money in the Bank 150.

Jones is enjoying every moment of being a team owner in the discipline that helped define him as a driver. He admitted taking home a checkered flag in front of his home crowd in his own car would be a highlight in a career already filled with numerous accomplishments.

“[Winning] would be cool for me since this is my car,” Jones said. “Any time you can win a Super race now is a great feeling. They are harder to win than ever with the fields being so tight. For me, winning with my own car and my own guys would be one I’d remember for a long time.”

Following the Money in the Bank 150, Jones plans to take his car to the Slinger Nationals before heading back to Michigan in August for the Battle at Berlin, where he will look to tally another victory at one of his favorite tracks.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio during his weekly appearance that the sanctioning body will not suspend or penalize Austin Cindric for Sunday’s wreck with Austin Dillon.

Cindric’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford connected with the right rear of Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet late in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Worldwide Technology Raceway while battling for 12th place. The contact sent Dillon into the No. 47 of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Cindric would finish 13th in the race, with Dillon and Stenhouse slipping to 31st and 32nd, respectively.

RELATED: Full race results

“We didn’t see anything that really would rise to a level that would be a suspension or a penalty,” Sawyer said. “It looked like hard racing. One car coming up a little bit and another car going down. …

“As we said last week, we take these incidents very seriously when we see cars that are turned head-on into another car or head-on into the wall. I spent a lot of time (Monday) looking at that, looking at all the data, looking at TV footage and just deemed this one really hard racing.”

The on-track incident received extra scrutiny Monday, especially following NASCAR’s one-race suspension of Chase Elliott the week prior. The sanctioning body ruled Elliott intentionally wrecked Denny Hamlin at Charlotte Motor Speedway, sitting the Hendrick Motorsports driver for one week as a result.

Dillon had called for a similar penalty on Cindric after being checked and released from the infield care center, saying: “I was wrecked intentionally by (Cindric), hooked right … he better be suspended next week.”

Cindric disagreed with Dillon’s assessment, according to the Team Penske driver’s social media post:

And as Sawyer said, the data did not indicate this incident should rise to the level of a penalty or suspension.

Sawyer also said NASCAR officials would meet with Dillon and Cindric ahead of Sonoma weekend.

Posted on by Press Release

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is 100 years old. The race is always popular but this year there will not be a spare seat in the house as the automotive world celebrates its glittering anniversary.

For this milestone event, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) has the privilege of welcoming one of the biggest superstars in the history of world sport to France. LeBron James, the legendary American basketball player, business innovator and philanthropist will lower the French flag to unleash the 62-strong field.

RELATED: All things Garage 56

Since 1949, the role of race starter has often been given to a personality from the world of politics, sport, film or industry. Previous official starters include Brad Pitt (2016), Rafael Nadal (2018), Alain Delon (1996), French president Georges Pompidou (1972) and Steve McQueen (1971).

Pierre Fillon, Automobile Club de l’Ouest president: “I am thrilled to welcome LeBron James to the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary and thank him most sincerely for accepting our invitation. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a world-renowned event that, in the past, has welcomed some great names from various fields. LeBron James is a true sporting legend whose list of achievements and records commands respect and admiration. We are looking forward to introducing him to the unique Le Mans atmosphere and the excitement generated by the Centenary of the world’s greatest endurance race.”

LeBron James: “There’s nothing like seeing and experiencing sports at their highest level. It’s an honor for me to be part of this historic moment in motorsports and help celebrate the Centenary of one of the biggest sporting events in the world. I look forward to kicking off this iconic race and watching its world-class drivers compete on Le Mans’ global stage.”

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Fifteen races into his tenure at Richard Childress Racing, Kyle Busch is once again a favorite for the NASCAR Cup Series championship.

The two-time title winner surged to his third victory of the 2023 campaign Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway, dominating the race with 121 laps led after winning his first pole with RCR.

MORE: Relive Busch’s Gateway win | Cup standings

Busch’s win totals had slowed relative to his historic pace over the past three seasons, scoring no more than two victories a year since 2020. The last time Busch won at least three races in a season was 2019 — a five-win campaign that resulted in his second Cup Series championship.

Just past the midway point of the 2023 regular season, there’s no indication Busch and the No. 8 team will slow down soon. Together, they’ve garnered the second-most playoff points so far this season, just behind William Byron, who’s also scored three wins this year.

But while Byron’s success feels like an arrival, Busch’s feels like a reminder.

RELATED: Busch on Byron: ‘I think William is a rare talent’

While Busch was never far from Victory Lane, other drivers’ successes stole the spotlight away from him. Now, we’re relearning why Busch is one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers. The 38-year-old now has 228 wins across NASCAR’s three national series, with Sunday marking his 63rd in the Cup Series.

Credit should also be distributed to crew chief Randall Burnett. Burnett has overseen more wins in the Next Gen car than any other crew chief, thanks to his three additional wins with Tyler Reddick piloting the No. 8 car in 2022.

But for as well as Busch and Burnett have run — three wins, four top fives and eight top 10s in 15 starts — they feel the best is yet to come.

“I think we’ve got a lot of potential,” Burnett said. “I think we’ve got a lot to clean up, too, and we talk about it repeatedly. We’ve had some really fast cars and taken ourselves out of races with some mistakes and things like that. Me and Kyle and our whole group have talked about it, and we know we’ve all got to clean it up on our end, especially if we’re going to compete for the championship.”

The past six races have produced two victories and four top-10 finishes, but the other two results were 21st at Dover, three laps down after a speeding penalty, and a DNF at Kansas after a crash.

MORE: All of Busch’s national series wins

“We’ve had some really good runs,” Busch said. “We’ve had three wins, obviously, which is great. But we’ve also had some of the dismal days as well. We’ve had peaks and valleys so far this year. We just got to find the greater plains, if you will, and level this thing out a little bit.”

But a new environment has served Busch well — and according to Burnett, he’s serving the environment well, too.

“Really proud of this 8 bunch. They dig in hard,” Burnett said. “Great group of guys, great group of racers, and Kyle has fit right in with them. He’s done a great job of adapting over here and lent plenty of insight on his side to how to make things better as well, so we’re all working together towards that.”

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Thomas Hatcher, the front tire changer for the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet, was injured on pit road during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Hatcher, who was changing tires for driver Erik Jones, got tangled up with another crew member and fell to the ground during a sequence of pit stops at Lap 180. A NASCAR spokesperson confirmed Hatcher was transported to an area medical facility and was awake and alert.

MORE: Cup standings

Houston Stamper, the front tire changer for the No. 45 Toyota, filled in after the 23XI Racing entry crashed out of competition.

MONDAY UPDATE: Hatcher was treated and released from St. Louis University Hospital on Sunday night, according to the team.

Shortly after Legacy announced Hatcher had been released from the hospital, Joe Gibbs Racing stated the following:

“Hatcher, who is a member of JGR’s pit crew department, was serving as the front tire changer on the No. 43 car for Legacy Motor Club when he was injured during a stop. After an initial evaluation in the Infield Care Center at the track he was transported to the hospital for further testing. Hatcher has been cleared and has returned home. He will undergo the NASCAR concussion protocol this week and his status for this week will be updated.”

 

Posted on by Zack Albert

LE MANS, France — With his years of experience as a NASCAR crew chief, Greg Ives is familiar with the routine: Arrive at the track, work diligently to prepare a race car, leave the track, hotel time, repeat.

“I’m not quite the tourist, you know, I’m a worker,” Ives said as the Garage 56 project wrapped up its final test at Sebring International Raceway. He was seven weeks away from his first trip to Le Mans, where the modified Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will take on the grand 24-hour race that commemorates its 100th year.

RELATED: At-track photos: Le Mans | Race-week schedule

Now that he’s here, that hotel-to-track-and-back routine is still familiar, but with some key differences in his surroundings in France.

“Having maybe a bit more team outings where I go and spend a little bit more time with the guys and have dinner and try to enjoy it more so than trying to pressure myself to be better every lap, that’s probably a difference,” Ives said between the two sessions of Sunday’s test day ahead of the June 10-11 endurance classic, adding that his family would be joining him for race week to savor some of the experience. “The spectacle of Le Mans is unlike any other. I feel like if I want to compare it to something, it’d probably be considered the Daytona 500 where you’re here for two weeks, setting up and getting prepped and going through tech. You have all your new clothing and your new branding everywhere. Trailers look good, and you bring some extra here and there. But like I said, all in all, this is going to be a race like no other than I’ve been a part of.”

Ives manned the headset for Sunday’s test, just as he has for the rigorous testing of the Garage 56 car – a NASCAR Next Gen-based racer built to match wits with the sports-car crowd in the Innovative Car classification. Calling those shots over the team communications has been his business in the NASCAR national-series ranks since 2013.

Since then, Ives has collected 10 Cup Series wins and an Xfinity Series championship before coming off the road with his retirement from that full-time role with Hendrick’s No. 48 team at the end of last season. Though he joined VP of Competition Chad Knaus’ group in that transition, the crew chief label still fits with the unique project ahead of the team.

“I’ll tell you that Greg and Chad take a lot of pride in this event, and they’ve taken a lot of pride in this car,” team owner Rick Hendrick said at Sebring in April. “Little innovative things that we’ve done, I mean, some people don’t realize the engineering talent we have in NASCAR, how many engineers we have in our shop that are looking at every aspect of the car to try to make it better.”

Garage 56 crew chief Greg Ives, by the window net of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Le Mans paddock.
Chris Graythen | Getty Images

The experience has been a new one for Ives and the rest of the No. 24 team in France, from conducting pre-race inspection in front of a phalanx of fans in a downtown square to the distinctive paddock footprint on a massive pit road that will accommodate the 62-car field. But it’s also been a unique happening for the rest of the European motoring world. Firing the Camaro’s throaty V8 for test runs has attracted a swell of curious onlookers – fans and other team members alike.

Though Ives admitted that being an extra entrant — invited to race but not competing for a win – from another discipline of motorsports has made the Garage 56 car something of an outsider. But Ives said that the team has also made its best effort to be gracious visitors who look the part – on and off the circuit.

“For me, the level of professionalism, the level that Mr. Hendrick expects, the level that Chad wants us to be here in presence is accepted by everybody and they know their role in making sure that when they see us, we have a nice pit area, we’re clean, we’re performing on the race track,” Ives said. “I think that probably was a big thing. An innovation car is probably, I wouldn’t say well-accepted no matter if you’re NASCAR or not, but NASCAR brought a different dynamic and they see us on Sundays and have maybe formed their own opinion between what they watch with F1, Indy and NASCAR.

“But in our environment, we had a given goal of lap time and mile per hour, and you give that to any type of racer here at Hendrick Motorsports and we’re going to try to achieve it — and not only achieve it, but we’re going to try and make sure we win. So there’s no real winning in this, but getting to that 24-hour mark, having pace, having people look down and say, ‘Hey, man, they did a great job.’ And that’s all we can ask for.”

MORE: Timetable, coverage of Garage 56 project

So far in the early stages, the job has gone well. The Garage 56 car outpaced the others in the LMGTE Am class in Sunday’s final three-hour test session, and the accomplished driver roster of veteran aces Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller have excelled – both with an incident-free six hours of track time and by waging their own friendly internal competition in finding speed at Circuit de la Sarthe.

There was some satisfaction to be found in the car’s performance, according to Ives. It also helped put away any fears that the full-bodied stocker would be a slower nuisance amid the lightning-fast Hypercar prototypes.

“You can never question the driver lineup that we have in the car, and I get their concerns, you know. The car is unlike any other,” Ives says. “They feel like it’s big, it’s heavy, may not be able to handle as well, top speed might not be as high. But like I said, the (race organizers) ACO, the FIA, Dallara, all those people are communicating well with each other, gave us the target that we needed to hit. I think they are happy that we are in that sentence, and that the true meaning of why there’s an innovative car in this paddock right now is to do exactly what we’re doing — bring another form of racing, bring in another form of technology to Le Mans, allow people to see it and maybe learn from it.”

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

For the sixth time in track history, Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan will host the running of the Money in the Bank 150 this Wednesday evening.

One of the newer events on the Berlin calendar, the Money in the Bank 150 has quickly become one of the most popular races in the Midwest for Super Late Model competitors. It has drawn some of racing’s biggest stars to compete for the $10,000 top prize.

STREAMING: Watch Wednesday’s Money in the Bank 150 live on FloRacing

Local stars have controlled most of the Money in the Bank 150 events held thus far. Brian Campbell and current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitor Carson Hocevar have won the race twice. Last year, however, NASCAR Cup Series star William Byron proved his worth by conquering this race for the first time.

More than 30 drivers are slated to hit the track Wednesday for the 2023 running of the Money in the Bank 150, with each looking to take home the $10,000 top prize after 150 competitive laps around one of Michigan’s top short tracks.

Below is everything you need to know about the 2023 Money in the Bank 150 at Berlin Raceway.

Money in the Bank 150 at Berlin Raceway
Cars race during the Budweiser Super Late Model feature at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan on April 23, 2022. (Photo: Nic Antaya/NASCAR)

What TV channel is the Money in the Bank at Berlin Raceway on in 2023?

All feature racing action from the 2023 Money in the Bank at Berlin Raceway can be viewed live on FloRacing, the streaming home of all NASCAR Roots properties.

The Money in the Bank 150 at Berlin will not be shown on a television network.

Below is the complete schedule for coverage on FloRacing.

Date Start time How to watch
Wednesday, June 7 7 p.m. ET FloRacing

2023 Money in the Bank schedule

This year’s Money in the Bank 150 at Berlin is scheduled for Wednesday, June 7. Tuesday, June 6 will serve as a practice day for Super Late Model teams.

Below is the complete race-day schedule for the 2023 Money in the Bank 150 at Berlin Raceway.

(All times ET)

9:30 a.m. Pit Pass Window Opens
10 a.m. Pit Area Opens
11 a.m. Race Tires Sold and Impounded
12 p.m. Super Late Model Driver/Spotter Meeting
1 – 1:50 p.m. Super Late Model Practice
2 – 2:50 p.m. Super Late Model Practice
3:30 p.m. Super Late Model Tech Inspection
4:10 – 4:40 p.m. Sportsman Practice
5:30 p.m. Super Late Model Qualifying
6:27 p.m. Invocation
Following Invocation National Anthem
6:30 p.m. Money in the Bank 150 Last Chance Race (40 Laps)
Following Last Chance Race Sportsman Feature (40 Laps)
Following Sportsman Feature Money in the Bank 150 (150 Laps)
Money in the Bank 150 at Berlin Raceway
Cars race during the Budweiser Super Late Models Feature at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan on April 23, 2022. (Nic Antaya/ARCA Racing)

Entry list

The current entry list for the 2023 Money in the Bank 150 features more than 30 competitors.

Headlining the talented group of competitors is defending NASCAR Cup Series Southern 500 winner Erik Jones, who is returning to his home state of Michigan to compete in Wednesday’s event in his own No. 4 Super Late Model.

Money in the Bank 150 at Berlin Raceway
Erik Jones (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

Joining Jones on the entry list is two-time Money in the Bank 150 winner Carson Hocevar, who is fresh off his NASCAR Cup Series debut Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Other notables include inaugural winner Bubba Pollard, ARCA Menards Series East and West competitor Sean Hingorani, multi-time World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing champion Derek Griffith and Kyle Busch’s NASCAR Cup Series spotter Derek Kneeland.

Below is the complete entry list for Wednesday’s main event.

Car No. Driver
3 Mike Garvey
4 Erik Jones
5 Haden Horvath
6 Eric White
8 Tony Elrod
12 Derek Griffith
12 Brian Bergakker
14 Carson Hocevar
17 Zach Telford
18 Keith Herp
18 Chase Burda
20 Austin Hull
20 Sean Hingorani
22 Gio Ruggiero
22 Evan Shotko
23 Billy VanMeter
24 Dylan Stovall
24 Lee VanDyk
25 Tyler Roahrig
26 Bubba Pollard
28 Scott Thomas
33 Wes Griffith Jr.
47 Brian Campbell
50 Jett Noland
53 Boris Jurkovic
66 Nate Walton
71 Kyle Crump
76 Brian Tillema
81 Andre Gresel
88 Andrew Scheid
88 Trever McCoy
90 Derek Kneeland
101 Joe Bush
131 Blake Rowe

FloRacing: Breaking down the 2023 MITB entry list

Past winners

The Money in the Bank 150 being among newest events on the Berlin schedule hasn’t stopped some of the top stars from Michigan (and the nation) from competing in the event at the 7/16-mile paved oval in search of a $10,000 payday.

The inaugural event in 2017 was won national Super Late Model star Bubba Pollard. Local legend Brian Campbell won the next two Money in the Bank events in 2018-19, followed by current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series star Carson Hocevar winning the event in consecutive years in 2020-21.

Last year, NASCAR Cup Series star and Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron powered to his first Money in the Bank 150 victory.

Year Winner
2017 Bubba Pollard
2018 Brian Campbell
2019 Brian Campbell
2020 Carson Hocevar
2021 Carson Hocevar
2022 William Byron