Sunday
Aug082021
AUGUST 11, 2021
Sunday, August 8, 2021 at 12:47PM 
(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Marcus Ericsson (with race Grand Marshal Dario Franchitti) after Ericsson won the inaugural NTT INDYCAR Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday. Yes, Ericsson (No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Bryant Honda) went airborne over another car early in the race and improbably came back to win, which would be a great story if the race wasn't a complete Shit Show with on-track mayhem everywhere and a track layout - and surface - that was an unmitigated disaster. The last 20 laps of the race somewhat salvaged the (long) afternoon, as Colton Herta (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Gainbridge Honda) stalked Ericsson until he smacked the wall with five laps to go, allowing Ericsson to cruise to the win. It was Ericsson's second victory of the season. Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Grow Up Great Honda) finished second, and James Hinchcliffe (No. 29 Andretti Autosport Honda) finished third for his best result in two years. But make no mistake about it, the race was a piss-poor - and infuriating - debut by INDYCAR in what has to be the most over-hyped race in years. It also solidified what I've been saying pretty much from the beginning of this website, and that is that street circuits are a joke and this idea that if you "bring the race to the people" it will all work out in the end is a false premise. And, in case you're wondering, that goes for Long Beach too. -PMD
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Marcus Ericsson (with race Grand Marshal Dario Franchitti) after Ericsson won the inaugural NTT INDYCAR Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday. Yes, Ericsson (No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Bryant Honda) went airborne over another car early in the race and improbably came back to win, which would be a great story if the race wasn't a complete Shit Show with on-track mayhem everywhere and a track layout - and surface - that was an unmitigated disaster. The last 20 laps of the race somewhat salvaged the (long) afternoon, as Colton Herta (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Gainbridge Honda) stalked Ericsson until he smacked the wall with five laps to go, allowing Ericsson to cruise to the win. It was Ericsson's second victory of the season. Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Grow Up Great Honda) finished second, and James Hinchcliffe (No. 29 Andretti Autosport Honda) finished third for his best result in two years. But make no mistake about it, the race was a piss-poor - and infuriating - debut by INDYCAR in what has to be the most over-hyped race in years. It also solidified what I've been saying pretty much from the beginning of this website, and that is that street circuits are a joke and this idea that if you "bring the race to the people" it will all work out in the end is a false premise. And, in case you're wondering, that goes for Long Beach too. -PMD
Watch the race recap here.
(Gold and Goose/Motorsport Images)
Rookie sensation Jorge Martin (No. 89 Pramac Racing Ducati) held off World Champion Joan Mir (No. 36 Team Suzuki ECSTAR) for his first premier class win at the Michelin® Grand Prix of Styria. Martin showed experience beyond his years to hold off the challenge from Mir. At an event that brought out red flags, Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (No. 20 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) extended his points lead by finishing third. It was a sensational performance from the poleman Martin, who was able to keep his nerve despite a dramatic backdrop to a thrilling race in Spielberg. A pulsating start to the Grand Prix was brought to a premature end on the second lap when the red flag was waved after Dani Pedrosa (No. 26 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) highsided and Lorenzo Savadori (No. 32 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) crashed into his loose bike. The Italian was sent flying from his RS-GP, which exploded into flames on-track. Thankfully, both riders walked away from the incident relatively unscathed, with Pedrosa able to take his place on the grid upon the restart. It took some time to clean up the mess, but eventually the field was good to go again, though not before we had even more drama as Maverick Viñales (No. 12 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was penalized with a pitlane start after stalling his M1 on the warm-up lap. Eventually, it was lights out for a 27 lap race and Martin took the holeshot, again having to contend with a factory Ducati, this time Jack Miller (No. 43 Ducati Lenovo Team). Mir got off the line quickly once more and transitioned from third to second over the course of the opening laps at the expense of the Australian, and began his pursuit of Martin. Just outside the podium places, Quartararo and Johann Zarco (No. 5 Pramac Racing Ducati) were engaging in their own Championship top-two battle. The Yamaha man won this one before setting his sights on the top three, with the Frenchman moving past Miller next. It went from bad to worse for the Aussie, who crashed out of the race with less than 10 laps remaining, handing Quartararo a podium on a plate and all but ending his 2021 MotoGP™ Championship hopes. Watch race highlights here. (Thank you to MotoGP Media)
Rookie sensation Jorge Martin (No. 89 Pramac Racing Ducati) held off World Champion Joan Mir (No. 36 Team Suzuki ECSTAR) for his first premier class win at the Michelin® Grand Prix of Styria. Martin showed experience beyond his years to hold off the challenge from Mir. At an event that brought out red flags, Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (No. 20 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) extended his points lead by finishing third. It was a sensational performance from the poleman Martin, who was able to keep his nerve despite a dramatic backdrop to a thrilling race in Spielberg. A pulsating start to the Grand Prix was brought to a premature end on the second lap when the red flag was waved after Dani Pedrosa (No. 26 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) highsided and Lorenzo Savadori (No. 32 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) crashed into his loose bike. The Italian was sent flying from his RS-GP, which exploded into flames on-track. Thankfully, both riders walked away from the incident relatively unscathed, with Pedrosa able to take his place on the grid upon the restart. It took some time to clean up the mess, but eventually the field was good to go again, though not before we had even more drama as Maverick Viñales (No. 12 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was penalized with a pitlane start after stalling his M1 on the warm-up lap. Eventually, it was lights out for a 27 lap race and Martin took the holeshot, again having to contend with a factory Ducati, this time Jack Miller (No. 43 Ducati Lenovo Team). Mir got off the line quickly once more and transitioned from third to second over the course of the opening laps at the expense of the Australian, and began his pursuit of Martin. Just outside the podium places, Quartararo and Johann Zarco (No. 5 Pramac Racing Ducati) were engaging in their own Championship top-two battle. The Yamaha man won this one before setting his sights on the top three, with the Frenchman moving past Miller next. It went from bad to worse for the Aussie, who crashed out of the race with less than 10 laps remaining, handing Quartararo a podium on a plate and all but ending his 2021 MotoGP™ Championship hopes. Watch race highlights here. (Thank you to MotoGP Media)
(sportscar365.com)
Pipo Derani and Felipe Nasr (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) won the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Road America on Sunday. Derani was at the wheel of the No. 31 machine when Dane Cameron (No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-05 co-driven by Olivier Pla) had to pit for fuel with 3 minutes, 30 seconds left in the race, handing the lead - and the win - to Derani and Nasr. The Cadillac duo ended up finishing 1.594 seconds ahead of Harry Tincknell (No. 55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda RT24-P, co-driven by Oliver Jarvis). Renger van der Zande and Kevin Magnussen finished third in the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R. With their second consecutive victory, Derani and Nasr became the first back-to-back race winners in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship DPi class this season. “We had a fantastic weekend – perfect, to be honest,” Derani said. “When I was in the car, the (No.) 60 car was completely out of my hands, whatever was going to happen to them. So I was just hitting my marks, focusing on making sure that we could make it to the end with a fuel save.” Cameron led Derani by more than 12 seconds during the final half hour of the two-hour, 40-minute race. But the Cameron didn’t have enough fuel to reach the finish without a full-course caution. Having done the math, the No. 31 Action Express Racing crew knew the lead might come back to them. A yellow didn’t happen, Derani maintained his position while saving fuel, and the lead was his again as the clock ran out. Derani and Nasr moved into second in the DPi driver standings, 41 points behind Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor, who finished fourth Sunday in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura. Watch race highlights from Road America here. (Thank you to Jeff Olson/IMSA Wire Service)
(IMSA)
(IMSA)
(Michelin Motorsport)
Cooper MacNeil and Matt Campbell (No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19) capitalized on a two-stop strategy to win the GTLM race ahead of the two Corvette Racing entries on the famed 4.048-mile, 14-turn Road America road course in the Kettle Moraine area of central Wisconsin. MacNeil started the two-hour, 40-minute race in the No. 79 Porsche, keeping touch with the Corvettes ahead of him until making the first stop under a full-course caution less than an hour into the race. Campbell wheeled the No. 79 from there to the finish with just one more stop, nursing the car to the checkered for the last hour on a single tank of fuel. “It definitely wasn’t easy at times,” Campbell said after earning his fourth IMSA win and second at Road America. “The team was always updating me and giving me the information I needed to be able to do what I had to do with getting the fuel mileage we needed to be able to make it to the end of the race. We did the job we needed to." MacNeil and Campbell, who teamed with Mathieu Jaminet to win at Sebring, benefited Sunday from a drive-through penalty assessed to the No. 4 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R for wheel spin while the car was on jacks during its final pit stop. MacNeil, the Illinois native won at his home track and that of sponsor WeatherTech for a second time. MacNeil and Cooper finished 15.855 seconds ahead of the No. 3 Corvette shared by Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia, ending a three-race win streak for the No. 3. Hindered by the penalty, Nick Tandy and Tommy Milner finished a lap down in third in the No. 4 Corvette. "I couldn’t be more thrilled to get a home win in front of 300-plus (WeatherTech) employees, family, friends and, of course, all the fans who are here this weekend,” MacNeil said. “It’s a huge win for me, obviously this one is very important with it being my home track. It’s definitely up there with Sebring earlier this year.” Garcia and Taylor lead Milner and Tandy by 214 points in the GTLM standings, with MacNeil just nine points farther back. (Thank you to Mark Robinson/IMSA Wire Service)
(Michelin Motorsport)
Pipo Derani and Felipe Nasr (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) won the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Road America on Sunday. Derani was at the wheel of the No. 31 machine when Dane Cameron (No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-05 co-driven by Olivier Pla) had to pit for fuel with 3 minutes, 30 seconds left in the race, handing the lead - and the win - to Derani and Nasr. The Cadillac duo ended up finishing 1.594 seconds ahead of Harry Tincknell (No. 55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda RT24-P, co-driven by Oliver Jarvis). Renger van der Zande and Kevin Magnussen finished third in the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R. With their second consecutive victory, Derani and Nasr became the first back-to-back race winners in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship DPi class this season. “We had a fantastic weekend – perfect, to be honest,” Derani said. “When I was in the car, the (No.) 60 car was completely out of my hands, whatever was going to happen to them. So I was just hitting my marks, focusing on making sure that we could make it to the end with a fuel save.” Cameron led Derani by more than 12 seconds during the final half hour of the two-hour, 40-minute race. But the Cameron didn’t have enough fuel to reach the finish without a full-course caution. Having done the math, the No. 31 Action Express Racing crew knew the lead might come back to them. A yellow didn’t happen, Derani maintained his position while saving fuel, and the lead was his again as the clock ran out. Derani and Nasr moved into second in the DPi driver standings, 41 points behind Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor, who finished fourth Sunday in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura. Watch race highlights from Road America here. (Thank you to Jeff Olson/IMSA Wire Service)
(IMSA)While Derani patiently waited for the win, Ryan Dalziel and Dwight Merriman bolted from fourth to the lead in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class and won by 5.641 seconds in the No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07. The victory was a successful test run for the team’s plans to compete later this month in the 89th 24 Hours of Le Mans with Dalziel, Merriman and Kyle Tilley. “I absolutely love this place, so I was pushing for it hard, and it paid off,” Dalziel said. “The car was fantastic. We had a good pit stop and a good strategy, and it was just managing the gap. I'm not going to say it was easy. No two-and-a-half stint under green and in a prototype in this place is easy. I was relieved I had the big gap at the end because I started feeling it a little bit.” Gabriel Aubry and John Farano (No. 8 Tower Motorsport ORECA) finished second, and Mikkel Jensen and Ben Keating (No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA) finished third. (Thank you to Jeff Olson/IMSA Wire Service)
(IMSA)Colin Braun and Jonathan Bennett (No. 54 CORE autosport Ligier JS P320) started fourth in Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) and went on to victory. They finished 22.243 seconds ahead of the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier JS P320 co-driven by Rasmus Lindh and Dan Goldburg. Once he got the lead, Braun tried to be as careful as possible – while still being fast – in traffic. “I was focused on trying to have good restarts, being clean in traffic, driving hard by myself but making sure I gave a lot of patience and respect to the guys as I was coming through the GT field,” Braun said. “It’s so easy to make a little mistake and have a little contact and have that ruin your day.” The WeatherTech Championship season resumes Sept. 12 with the Hyundai Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The race airs live at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN and TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold. (Thank you to Jeff Olson/IMSA Wire Service)
Cooper MacNeil and Matt Campbell (No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19) capitalized on a two-stop strategy to win the GTLM race ahead of the two Corvette Racing entries on the famed 4.048-mile, 14-turn Road America road course in the Kettle Moraine area of central Wisconsin. MacNeil started the two-hour, 40-minute race in the No. 79 Porsche, keeping touch with the Corvettes ahead of him until making the first stop under a full-course caution less than an hour into the race. Campbell wheeled the No. 79 from there to the finish with just one more stop, nursing the car to the checkered for the last hour on a single tank of fuel. “It definitely wasn’t easy at times,” Campbell said after earning his fourth IMSA win and second at Road America. “The team was always updating me and giving me the information I needed to be able to do what I had to do with getting the fuel mileage we needed to be able to make it to the end of the race. We did the job we needed to." MacNeil and Campbell, who teamed with Mathieu Jaminet to win at Sebring, benefited Sunday from a drive-through penalty assessed to the No. 4 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R for wheel spin while the car was on jacks during its final pit stop. MacNeil, the Illinois native won at his home track and that of sponsor WeatherTech for a second time. MacNeil and Cooper finished 15.855 seconds ahead of the No. 3 Corvette shared by Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia, ending a three-race win streak for the No. 3. Hindered by the penalty, Nick Tandy and Tommy Milner finished a lap down in third in the No. 4 Corvette. "I couldn’t be more thrilled to get a home win in front of 300-plus (WeatherTech) employees, family, friends and, of course, all the fans who are here this weekend,” MacNeil said. “It’s a huge win for me, obviously this one is very important with it being my home track. It’s definitely up there with Sebring earlier this year.” Garcia and Taylor lead Milner and Tandy by 214 points in the GTLM standings, with MacNeil just nine points farther back. (Thank you to Mark Robinson/IMSA Wire Service)
(Michelin Motorsport)Zacharie Robichon played the pivotal role in the No. 9 Pfaff “Plaid” Porsche winning in GTD. The Canadian dove into the pits for fuel and tires just before the first caution to gain valuable track position. On the ensuing restart, he bolted from sixth place to second and a lap later passed Frankie Montecalvo (No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3) for the class lead. "I think the crew made a fantastic call to bring us in right before the yellow,” said Robichon, who won at Road America for the second time in three years with Pfaff. “I think they saw it coming, so that allowed us to actually get two laps under caution where we were able to warm up the tires. The cars in front of us were all on older tires, so I knew we’d have the advantage." Robichon stayed in front until making his final stop with 57 minutes remaining in the race. Laurens Vanthoor took over the No. 9 and brought it to the finish 11.876 seconds ahead of Robby Foley and Bill Auberlen in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3. Auberlen and Foley regained the GTD championship lead with the second-place finish. They are 18 points ahead of No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 drivers Roman De Angelis and Ross Gunn, who finished fourth Sunday. Robichon and Vanthoor moved into third place, 100 points out of the lead. The next WeatherTech Championship race is the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship, Sept. 10-12 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The race airs live at 4 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 12 on NBCSN and TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold. (Thank you to Mark Robinson/IMSA Wire Service)
(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) had to navigate lapped traffic in the closing laps and hold off his hard-charging teammate Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) – the track’s most prolific winner of late – to earn the victory in Sunday’s Go Bowling at the Glen. But the 28-year-old Larson - looking more and more like Tim Richmond - has been a driver to count on this season, finishing either first or second 10 times through the 23 races to date. And Sunday’s trophy at the historic Watkins Glen International road course is Larson’s NASCAR Cup Series-best fifth of the year, 11th of his career. Larson's 2.430-second victory over Elliott was good enough to move him into a tie with Denny Hamlin for the regular-season championship with only three races remaining before the playoffs. It marked the eighth Hendrick Motorsports victory in the last 11 races and the fourth time Larson and Elliott have finished 1-2 – the third time at a road-course event. Larson led the final 27 laps of the 90-lap event, taking the lead for good from Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr., who had paced the field for a race-best 34 laps. Elliott got around Truex with nine laps remaining to claim second place. Truex finished third. “Chase was already catching me pretty quick, even with me being in open track so when I caught those, I think four (lapped) cars and got into the 38 (Anthony Alfredo) right here, I thought I would look at my mirror and the 9 (Elliott) would be right on me, but thankfully had a comfortable enough gap to where I could make a mistake like that,” said Larson, who apologized to Bell during his post-race interview. The two made contact racing door-to-door for second place late in the race. "Incredible race today, hats off to Hendrick Motorsports,” Larson added. “It’s awesome. It really just shows how good the organization is, all the people that they’ve assembled at the race shop, all the men and women. All four of us (Hendrick drivers) could not be getting these wins like we have been without them. Thanks to them and thanks to everybody else I get to race for.” Although Elliott, 25, had to settle for a runner-up showing, it was a stellar drive for the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion and two-time Watkins Glen winner. He started the race from the last row – and his crew chief Alan Gustafson was suspended – after his car failed pre-race technical inspection. The series makes its Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course debut next Sunday with the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (1 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It will mark the first time the NASCAR Cup Series has raced on the famed track’s 2.439-mile road course since it began racing at Indianapolis in 1994. (Thank you to Holly Cain/NASCAR Wire Service)
(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) had to navigate lapped traffic in the closing laps and hold off his hard-charging teammate Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) – the track’s most prolific winner of late – to earn the victory in Sunday’s Go Bowling at the Glen. But the 28-year-old Larson - looking more and more like Tim Richmond - has been a driver to count on this season, finishing either first or second 10 times through the 23 races to date. And Sunday’s trophy at the historic Watkins Glen International road course is Larson’s NASCAR Cup Series-best fifth of the year, 11th of his career. Larson's 2.430-second victory over Elliott was good enough to move him into a tie with Denny Hamlin for the regular-season championship with only three races remaining before the playoffs. It marked the eighth Hendrick Motorsports victory in the last 11 races and the fourth time Larson and Elliott have finished 1-2 – the third time at a road-course event. Larson led the final 27 laps of the 90-lap event, taking the lead for good from Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr., who had paced the field for a race-best 34 laps. Elliott got around Truex with nine laps remaining to claim second place. Truex finished third. “Chase was already catching me pretty quick, even with me being in open track so when I caught those, I think four (lapped) cars and got into the 38 (Anthony Alfredo) right here, I thought I would look at my mirror and the 9 (Elliott) would be right on me, but thankfully had a comfortable enough gap to where I could make a mistake like that,” said Larson, who apologized to Bell during his post-race interview. The two made contact racing door-to-door for second place late in the race. "Incredible race today, hats off to Hendrick Motorsports,” Larson added. “It’s awesome. It really just shows how good the organization is, all the people that they’ve assembled at the race shop, all the men and women. All four of us (Hendrick drivers) could not be getting these wins like we have been without them. Thanks to them and thanks to everybody else I get to race for.” Although Elliott, 25, had to settle for a runner-up showing, it was a stellar drive for the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion and two-time Watkins Glen winner. He started the race from the last row – and his crew chief Alan Gustafson was suspended – after his car failed pre-race technical inspection. The series makes its Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course debut next Sunday with the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (1 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It will mark the first time the NASCAR Cup Series has raced on the famed track’s 2.439-mile road course since it began racing at Indianapolis in 1994. (Thank you to Holly Cain/NASCAR Wire Service)
(Chevrolet)
The COPO Camaro returns to the drag strip for 2022 with a newly available 572-cubic-inch Big Block V8 engine. COPO stands for Central Office Production Order, which was first used with the 1969 COPO Camaro, a purpose-built drag racer created by dealers using the COPO system to equip cars with Chevrolet’s largest V8. The COPO 572 uses a cast-iron block with four-bolt main caps, aluminum heads, a forged steel crankshaft, forged steel connecting rods and forged aluminum pistons. Pricing for the COPO Camaro with the 572 starts from $105,500 (excluding tax, title, license, and dealer fees). The 2022 COPO Camaro is also available with LSX-based Small Block engines – a supercharged 350-cubic-inch V8 rated by the NHRA at 580HP and a naturally aspirated 427-cubic-inch V8 with an NHRA-rated 470HP. All 2022 COPO Camaros use an ATI Racing Products TH400 three-speed automatic transmission. Engineered for drag racers, the COPO Camaro is sold as a Chevrolet Performance part and cannot be registered for street use. It competes in NHRA Stock and Super Stock eliminators and comes standard with a carbon fiber hood and wheelie bars. Buyers can customize their cars with options such as a trunk-mounted weight box and parachute. Chevrolet has built fewer than 700 examples since the program restarted in 2012. In past years, interested customers have entered a lottery to win an allotment for one of 69 cars. Chevrolet will not limit production for 2022, and orders will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Buyers may also participate in a private tour of the COPO Build Facility in Oxford, Michigan, where each car is custom made. The order form for the 2022 Chevrolet COPO Camaro can be found at www.chevrolet.com/performance-parts/copo-camaro.
The COPO Camaro returns to the drag strip for 2022 with a newly available 572-cubic-inch Big Block V8 engine. COPO stands for Central Office Production Order, which was first used with the 1969 COPO Camaro, a purpose-built drag racer created by dealers using the COPO system to equip cars with Chevrolet’s largest V8. The COPO 572 uses a cast-iron block with four-bolt main caps, aluminum heads, a forged steel crankshaft, forged steel connecting rods and forged aluminum pistons. Pricing for the COPO Camaro with the 572 starts from $105,500 (excluding tax, title, license, and dealer fees). The 2022 COPO Camaro is also available with LSX-based Small Block engines – a supercharged 350-cubic-inch V8 rated by the NHRA at 580HP and a naturally aspirated 427-cubic-inch V8 with an NHRA-rated 470HP. All 2022 COPO Camaros use an ATI Racing Products TH400 three-speed automatic transmission. Engineered for drag racers, the COPO Camaro is sold as a Chevrolet Performance part and cannot be registered for street use. It competes in NHRA Stock and Super Stock eliminators and comes standard with a carbon fiber hood and wheelie bars. Buyers can customize their cars with options such as a trunk-mounted weight box and parachute. Chevrolet has built fewer than 700 examples since the program restarted in 2012. In past years, interested customers have entered a lottery to win an allotment for one of 69 cars. Chevrolet will not limit production for 2022, and orders will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Buyers may also participate in a private tour of the COPO Build Facility in Oxford, Michigan, where each car is custom made. The order form for the 2022 Chevrolet COPO Camaro can be found at www.chevrolet.com/performance-parts/copo-camaro.
(Acura)
Honda Performance Development (HPD) has announced that an enhanced Acura NSX GT3 - designated the NSX GT3 Evo22 - will compete on racetracks throughout the world starting in 2022. The new Evo22 edition will feature upgraded engine intercoolers; revised spring rates and suspension geometry adjustments; increased fluid tank sizes for endurance racing; wheel system revisions for faster tire changes; and a new, FIA-mandated rain light. Additionally, new variant options will be available for the air conditioning system and headlights. The NSX GT3 Evo22 remains available for new orders and is homologated through 2024. As with the current NSX GT3 Evo, the chassis originates at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio. Final assembly is completed by JAS Motorsport in Milan, Italy, which will continue to provide parts and technical support in Europe. HPD is the global technical authority for the NSX GT3 Evo 22, and maintains parts and engineering support throughout North America, with its Acura Motorsports technical trailer present at all official IMSA and SRO events. In the four full seasons since its North American introduction in 2017, the Acura NSX GT3 has recorded 25 class wins in IMSA GTD and SRO GT competition, and is the defending IMSA GTD and SRO GT Manufacturers' Champion.
Honda Performance Development (HPD) has announced that an enhanced Acura NSX GT3 - designated the NSX GT3 Evo22 - will compete on racetracks throughout the world starting in 2022. The new Evo22 edition will feature upgraded engine intercoolers; revised spring rates and suspension geometry adjustments; increased fluid tank sizes for endurance racing; wheel system revisions for faster tire changes; and a new, FIA-mandated rain light. Additionally, new variant options will be available for the air conditioning system and headlights. The NSX GT3 Evo22 remains available for new orders and is homologated through 2024. As with the current NSX GT3 Evo, the chassis originates at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio. Final assembly is completed by JAS Motorsport in Milan, Italy, which will continue to provide parts and technical support in Europe. HPD is the global technical authority for the NSX GT3 Evo 22, and maintains parts and engineering support throughout North America, with its Acura Motorsports technical trailer present at all official IMSA and SRO events. In the four full seasons since its North American introduction in 2017, the Acura NSX GT3 has recorded 25 class wins in IMSA GTD and SRO GT competition, and is the defending IMSA GTD and SRO GT Manufacturers' Champion.
Statements on Passing of Iconic Motorsports Broadcaster Bob Jenkins
INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Aug. 9, 2021) – Statements from Roger Penske and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles on legendary motorsports broadcaster and announcer Bob Jenkins, who died Aug. 9 at 73 after a valiant fight with cancer:
Roger Penske, Chairman, Penske Entertainment Corp.
“Bob Jenkins had an incredible passion for racing and his enthusiasm, combined with his genuine love and knowledge of the sport, endeared him to motorsports fans all over the world. His announcing career spanned nearly 50 years, and to an entire generation, the sound of Bob’s voice simply meant it was time to go racing. That legendary voice became the soundtrack for the Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We will miss Bob’s kindness, his professionalism and his unique ability to bring us all closer to the track with his stories and insights. Our thoughts are with Bob’s family and his many friends throughout the racing community and beyond.”
J. Douglas Boles, President, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
“I grew up a fan of all racing, but especially the Indy 500. As a kid and young adult, to keep up with the sport I had to read newspaper articles and racing magazines. And then came Bob Jenkins. His familiar IMS Radio Network voice transitioned to the familiar TV screen on shows like 'SpeedWeek' and race broadcasts, and he led the transformation of the way race fans enjoyed the sport, which fueled amazing growth in auto racing. But through all the successes, Bob never changed from what he truly was at heart – a race fan. His humility and ability to always remain a fan – even when he was the top racing commentator in the sport – is why race fans around the world loved watching or listening to a race called by Bob Jenkins. He was one of us! Thank you, Bob, for loving our sport so much and working so hard to tell the stories in a way that brought us all along with you. You will be missed, but the love of racing you’ve help grow in so many will be a lasting legacy.”
