FORCE STILL A FACTOR AS COUNTDOWN MOVES TO LVMS.

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 24, 2018) — In a career spanning 42 seasons, John Force routinely has defied the odds while paying little attention to conventional wisdom. It’s a strategy that has worked out okay for the former big rig truck driver if you call 16 championships and 149 tour victories okay. The upshot is that even though he is only seventh in Mello Yello driver points entering this week’s 18th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the sport’s most successful pro driver still believes he can win another title at the wheel of a much-improved PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro. “This PEAK Camaro has gotten better every week,” said the former Driver of the Year for all American motorsports (1996). “It has consistency now. (At the last race at Charlotte) it went down the racetrack every run in qualifying and every run (on race day). Overall, as a team, we’re doing good. “It’s a long way to that championship and we are running out of races,” he grudgingly admitted, “but I never give up as long as there’s a chance. Things happen. It’s drag racing. I know we’ve got our work cut out for us but if we go out and win Vegas, we’ll see where it goes?” Winning Vegas” is something Force knows how to do. After a horrid first 10 years at The Strip during which he won just one time in 17 attempts, the Hall of Famer has turned things around, winning five of his last 16 Vegas starts including Toyota Nationals’ titles in 2010, 2013 and 2016, the first two paving the way to championships. After a start to the 2018 season where Force made multiple trips to the hospital after on track incidents, the racing icon turned around and won the Mile-High Nationals at Denver and extended to 31 the number of different seasons in which he has won at least one tour event, a feat unparalleled in professional sport. “I want to win and I know I still can,” Force said. “This isn’t NASCAR. I don’t have to drive around for three or four hours. I’ve been doing this a long time. I know the drill. When it’s over, I’ll know it’s over – but it ain’t over yet!” Although he is on the verge of win 150, Force will be focused on something much grander. “It’s all about the championship,” Force said. “If I can’t get it and Courtney (youngest daughter Courtney Force, driver of the Advance Auto Parts Camaro) can’t get it, then I’m going to try to take out the guys who are chasing Robert (Hight, the current points leader and president of John Force Racing) so he has the best chance of winning.” Nitro qualifying at the Toyota Nationals is scheduled at 12:30 and 3 p.m. on Friday, 12:30 and 2:45 p.m. Saturday. The single elimination tournament will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery

Tanner Gray wins his First Ptro-Stock Race. In Vegas no less.

17 YEAR OLD ROOKIE HITS THE JACKPOT IN SIN CITY AND BECOMES THE YOUNGEST PROFESSIONAL DRIVER IN NHRA HISTORY TO WIN A NATIONAL EVENT!

Las Vegas, Nevada (April 3) - 13 days before his 18^th birthday rookie Tanner Gray earned his first wally in Pro Stock at the 18^th Annual Denso Spark Plug NHRA Nationals and becomes the youngest professional driver in NHRA history to win a national event.

Tanner defeated Deric Kramer in the opening round of eliminations Sunday, current point’s leader Greg Anderson in the quarterfinals, and the 2016 World Champion Jason Line in the semi-finals before taking a huge starting line advantage in the final against Bo Butner.  

Tanner moved “all-in” in each of the 4 rounds Sunday, with an average reaction time of .017 seconds including a near perfect .001 in the quarter finals against Anderson. “It is my job as a driver to perform on the tree. I let Dave (Connolly) and his guys make the calls and trust that they have given me a good race car.”

“Dave (Connolly) has this car running really well and we saw that all weekend.” Tanner continues, “In qualifying he was able to make some adjustments that really paid off today.”

Tanner Gray’s teammate, and father, Shane Gray also had a successful weekend. Gray runner up in Saturday’s Pro Stock specialty race: the K&N Horsepower Challenge and nearly missed an opportunity to face son Tanner in the semifinals on Sunday. Gray’s race day ended when he met Jason Line in the quarter finals and ran an ET of 6.732 seconds at 205.91 mph to Line’s ET of 6.695 seconds at 206.10 mph.

Running two Gray Motorsports Valvoline Chevy Camaro’s help’s crew chief Dave Connolly collect additional data to equip both drivers with the best race car possible.

“We knew the track was going to be hot Saturday and we just tried to race smart,” Connolly said. “With Shane’s (Gray) 3 runs on Saturday, we capitalized on seeing what kind of track conditions we were going to have on Sunday, or at least something similar. I felt like we had the upper hand going into eliminations. With the sun being out and the track getting hotter and hotter, we knew it was going to be tricky but felt comfortable with what we learned from Saturday that led into Sunday’s results.”

There was a true optimism that circled the Gray Motorsports pit all weekend long. Connolly spoke about this optimism, “There are times when you are able to produce impressive ET’s with a pro stock car, but you know things are not right. You know the car is not happy. After Gainesville, we stayed and tested and learned a lot. I felt very comfortable coming into race day, especially with the run we made Q4. The track was 120 plus degrees, and we made great run with what we figured would be our race day set up. Take that confidence and combine it with a driver who we have all the faith in the world in come race day, and these are the results we work towards. Tanner did his job all afternoon and earned this win”

Tanner Gray has always been a spectator at the Denso Spark Plug NHRA nationals until given the opportunity by grandfather, Johnny Gray, at the beginning of the 2017 NHRA season.

“I was pretty nervous coming up. This is something I wanted to do since I was really young and I finally got the opportunity to do it. When I started this deal, I told my dad I wanted to be the youngest Pro Stock winner. To be able to do that feels really cool,” Tanner said.

When asked about being a part of Tanner Gray’s historical moment, Crew Chief Connolly said, “It’s crazy and gratifying all at once. I’ve said this over and over, this is more gratifying standing behind a car watching Tanner (Gray) who is like a brother to me , 17 years old doing what he’s doing. I don’t know if there is anything else that could put a bigger smile on my face. I knew I was going to be excited about this year. Watching him (Tanner Gray) win, along with the reactions of Shane (Gray), Amber (Gray), Johnny (Gray) and Terry (Gray) really meant a lot. We’re a huge family and we care about each other.” Story from Natalie Jahnke of Gray Motorsports.

Two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Races in 2018 at LVMS.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway will hold a pair of aces next year as the 1.5-mile superspeedway doubles down with a second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race for the 2018 season and beyond.

The speedway made the announcement at a joint news conference with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority at Cashman Center Wednesday, just two days before the green flag drops on its 2017 NASCAR weekend. LVMS will host the new Monster Energy Cup race beginning in the fall of 2018 in addition to its customary March NASCAR weekend.

LVMS also will welcome a second NASCAR Xfinity Series race beginning in the fall of 2018 and an additional NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race beginning in the spring of 2018, meaning both of the speedway's NASCAR weekends will include races from each of NASCAR's top three series - the Camping World Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Monster Energy Cup Series.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway will become the first facility on the NASCAR schedule to host two annual event weekends with all three national touring series. Official race dates will be announced later by NASCAR as part of the full 2018 schedules.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for Speedway Motorsports and Las Vegas Motor Speedway to create a NASCAR spectacle worthy of the greatest racing in the world and the Entertainment Capital of the World," said Speedway Motorsports, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Marcus Smith.

"It's taken a tremendous amount of work to make this happen, and we are very thankful to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and NASCAR for their support in our endeavor to create a triple-header NASCAR weekend in such a world-class destination."

In 2018, Speedway Motorsports (NYSE: TRK) will realign the September Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races from New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the September NASCAR Xfinity Series race from Kentucky Speedway to create the two triple-header weekends in Las Vegas.

"Fans and tourism officials in New Hampshire and Kentucky should know that we are still very committed to creating motorsports entertainment in those regions," Smith added.

"We will work hard to make sure the July NASCAR race weekends that we will continue to host in New Hampshire and Kentucky are bigger and better than ever before for our fans, sponsors and stakeholders."

LVMS first hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in 1996, added a NASCAR Xfinity Series race in 1997 and will host its 20th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event, the Kobalt 400, this Sunday. The first race held at the 1.5-mile oval was the Indy Racing League's Las Vegas 500K in 1996.

"We're honored that NASCAR has entrusted us with a second NASCAR weekend," LVMS President Chris Powell said. "We've pursued a second NASCAR premier-series race weekend for quite some time, so this news is monumental for everyone at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as well as everyone in our wonderful city."

"Las Vegas and Las Vegas Motor Speedway have become great destinations for NASCAR fans," NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell said. "The experience is unique to any other in our sport. We look forward to having NASCAR racing there for two race weekends in 2018."

The addition of a second NASCAR weekend in Las Vegas will be a big boost for the "Entertainment Capital of the World," and the news was welcomed by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Board of Directors at a meeting earlier today.

"We have outstanding support from the LVCVA and other Las Vegas leaders, and we're supremely confident that we'll host two top-notch race weekends," Powell said. "Today's news will create lasting memories for our fans and will provide immeasurable economic impact for Southern Nevada."

"Over the years, Las Vegas has become a major sports city as a popular destination for a variety of championship and professional sports events, and today we are proud to add a second NASCAR Cup race to that roster. Las Vegas, NASCAR and Las Vegas Motor Speedway have developed a strong and successful partnership, and we are certain this second race will prove to be another great success," said Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

"Last year's March race attracted more than 115,000 fans, with more than 96,000 coming from out of town, and generated nearly $140 million in economic impact. We have worked with LVMS and NASCAR for years to bring a second Cup race to Las Vegas, and now we are committed to making the fall race just as successful for all of us."

"Las Vegas is the ideal destination for a second NASCAR Cup race, and this addition will delight the thousands of fans who love visiting Southern Nevada to watch their favorite drivers in action," said Lawrence Weekly, chairman of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board and Clark County commissioner. "As a city, we are uniquely positioned to provide sports fans with a top-notch experience, and our energy and passion are the perfect complement to NASCAR."

LVMS's 2017 NASCAR Weekend begins with the Stratosphere Pole Day on Friday, March 10 with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying beginning at 4:45 p.m. (PST). The Xfinity Series Boyd Gaming 300 takes place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 11, and the weekend's racing culminates on Sunday, March 12, with the Kobalt 400 at 12:30 p.m.

For tickets to all 2017 LVMS events, fans should call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to LVMS.com.

Press release courtesy Neal Reid of LVMS.