JOHN FORCE RACING: ROBERT HIGHT RUNNER-UP AT NHRA CAROLINA NATIONALS
ED CARPENTER RACING NOTES: FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY
RACE NOTES: FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY
RACE RESULTS
10th: RYAN HUNTER-REAY No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet
18th: RINUS VEEKAY No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet
NEXT RACE: 2024 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
RYAN HUNTER-REAY, NO. 20 BITNILE.COM CHEVROLET
RYAN HUNTER-REAY, No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, Finished 10th:
“It was a good day for the No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet team. Mission accomplished is what we see here at the end. It’s always tough when you are trying to points race while also being aggressive and competitive. We tried to balance those two in what was a pretty chaotic race. It was difficult at times to think about points but also wanting to move forward. All in all, we ran in the Top 3, finished in the Top 10 and secured a position in Leaders Circle. Mission accomplished!”
OF NOTE:
• Despite making solid gains throughout each session, Ryan Hunter-Reay had to start today’s season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca from the 25th position. During his qualifying run, the No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet spun coming out of Turn 11. As his spin caused a red flag, he was penalized by losing his two fastest laps.
• When multiple cars made contact and went off-track on the opening lap, Hunter-Reay made it through unscathed. By the restart on Lap 6, he was scored in 14th, up 11 positions from his start. He picked up two more positions before the next yellow flag flew just a few laps later, moving him into 12th.
• Hunter-Reay stayed in the Top 10 for the middle portion of the race, cycling as high as 4th. On Lap 67 restart, he passed two more cars to move into 2nd. Hunter-Reay made his final pit stop four laps later, relinquishing the 2nd position. He rejoined the field in 12th, but made up two spots in the closing laps to earn his first Top 10 finish with Ed Carpenter Racing.
RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITNILE.COM CHEVROLET
RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, Finished 18th:
“I stayed out of the initial chaos in Turn 2, but then got hit by (Scott) Dixon. They gave him a drive-through penalty, which then helped him get on the right strategy. How lucky can he be and how unlucky can I be? It took three minutes to get my car restarted which was very frustrating. I felt like I was trying to create a tornado with my hand, signaling the safety team over! But from there my race was pretty much over, I just had to concentrate on staying out of all of the mess. It was a good day for the team, good day for Ryan (Hunter-Reay) and good to get both cars in Leaders Circle. Unfortunately, just not a great finish for the No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, we should have had a shot at winning. Now we will wait a few months and try again!”
OF NOTE:
• After turning Top 10 lap times in five consecutive practice sessions, Rinus VeeKay earned his highest road course starting position of the year for today’s season finale. He qualified 8th for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, but started from 6th as two cars ahead of him had to serve grid penalties.
• Multiple cars made contact in Turn 2 on the opening lap, but VeeKay made it through without incident. However, once he had cleared the scene, the No. 9 car ran directly into the side of the No. 21. VeeKay was sent off-track and stalled, losing a lap to the leaders while he was waiting to be re-fired. Damage to the car included left front suspension and cosmetic issues with the bodywork, which the crew quickly repaired when the pits opened. VeeKay rejoined the race in the 24th position, two laps down to the field.
• From Lap 2 onward, VeeKay did everything he could to salvage a solid result. The race was mired with seven more cautions and VeeKay managed to avoid any further issues. As other competitors ran into trouble, VeeKay continued to pick up positions. By the checkered flag, he was up to 18th.
JOHN FORCE RACING: ROBERT HIGHT SEMIFINALIST AT NHRA US NATIONALS
JOHN FORCE RACING: ROBERT HIGHT, CORNWELL TOOLS READY FOR US NATIONALS
ED CARPENTER RACING: BOMMARITO 500 NOTES
RACE NOTES: BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 500 AT WWT RACEWAY
(Photo Courtesy of Ed Carpenter Racing)
RACE RESULTS
11th: RINUS VEEKAY No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet
14th: RYAN HUNTER-REAY No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet
24th: ED CARPENTER No. 33 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet
NEXT RACE: BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland, September 3 (NBC, 3 p.m. ET)
RYAN HUNTER-REAY, NO. 20 BITNILE.COM CHEVROLET
(Photo Courtesy of Ed Carpenter Racing)
RYAN HUNTER-REAY, No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, Finished 14th: “All in all, a good day for the points. Our pace in clear air was as fast as some of the leaders. I felt really good about the car in clean air, but in traffic we were just stuck all day. The guys did a great job in the pits cycling through that process, but most importantly we came away with some good points.”
OF NOTE:
• Ryan Hunter-Reay had one of his strongest races with ECR to date this afternoon, gaining nine positions over the course of today’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500.
• Hunter-Reay rolled off from the 23rd position after this morning’s qualifying. Through solid strategy and quick stops by the No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet crew, he moved up through the field.
• Once final pit stops had been completed, Hunter-Reay had settled into the 14th position. He was able to hold off competitors on fresher tires and keep the position through the checkered flag.
RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITNILE.COM CHEVROLET
(Photo Courtesy of Ed Carpenter Racing)
RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, Finished 14th: “Pretty good race! Really good strategy by the team. It was a long one. I struggled a little bit to make passes happen in the train of cars. I wish I could’ve moved a bit through traffic, I struggled a little bit with that. I sat back most of the time and we made the right calls in strategy! For myself and Ryan (Hunter-Reay) to finish P11 and P14, it’s pretty good. I did not think this would happen after qualifying. Thanks to the BITNILE.COM No. 21 crew for great stops and strategy. Two back-to-back P11’s, we’re pretty pleased with that. On to the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland!”
OF NOTE:
• For the second race in a row, Rinus VeeKay narrowly missed out on a Top 10 finish. He started 20th today, immediately moving up three positions before the first turn.
• When the early-race caution period ended, VeeKay gained two more positions on the ensuing restart. Once the pit cycles began, VeeKay continued to move forward. He stayed near the Top 10 for the rest of the event, cycling as high as 4th.
• VeeKay came into the pit lane for the final time on Lap 204. As the rest of the field made their last stops, VeeKay had slotted into 11th. He remained there for the remainder of the race, finishing 11th for the second time in two races.
ED CARPENTER, NO. 33 BITNILE.COM CHEVROLET
(Photo Courtesy of Ed Carpenter Racing)
ED CARPENTER, No. 33 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, Finished 24th: “Today got off to a rough start, I was trying to work my way to the outside and made contact with the 55 car. I feel bad that it happened and I will talk to Benjamin. I am bummed that we started the race off so many laps down. We had a better car than we have had in awhile here and I am proud of the team for continuing to fight.”
OF NOTE:
• Despite an early-race penalty, Ed Carpenter’s No. 33 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet was strong in today’s event at World Wide Technology Raceway.
• He was the first out to qualify this morning as the order is set in the reverse order of entrant points. Just after taking the green flag from the 27th position, the No. 33 made contact with the No. 55. Carpenter served a 30-second stop-and-hold penalty for avoidable contact which ultimately dropped him several laps behind the field.
• Even with the early setback, Carpenter was determined to finish his season strong and ran a steady race. He was credited with a 24th-place finish.
JOHN FORCE RACING: ROBERT HIGHT REACHES FINALS AT BRAINERD
BRITTANY FORCE, FLAV-R-PAC RACE TO FINALS AT HEARTLAND MOTORSPORTS PARK
AUSTIN PROCK EARNS NO. 1 SPOT AT NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS
ROBERT HIGHT, CORNWELL TOOLS AIM FOR REPEAT WIN AT NORTHWEST NATIONALS
BRITTANY FORCE, MONSTER ENERGY SET TRACK RECORD AT BANDIMERE SPEEDWAY
