Notes Package for Camping World SRX Series Event No. 5 at Slinger Speedway

Camping World SRX Series at Slinger

Round 5 of 6 – Slinger Speedway – July 10 LIVE on CBS

WHAT:  Camping World SRX Series (Round 5 of 6)

WHERE:  Slinger Speedway in Slinger, Wisconsin

WHEN:  8 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 10

DISTANCE:  Feature consists of 150 laps (preceded by two 12-minute heat races, which sets starting lineup)

CARS:  Purpose-built SRX racecars

TV: LIVE on the CBS Television Network with streaming on Paramount+ Premium at 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 10

●  Host: Lindsay Czarniak

●  Booth: Allen Bestwick (play-by-play) and James Hinchcliffe (driver analyst)

●  Pit Reporter: Matt Yocum

●  Roaming Analyst: Brad Daugherty

●  Producer: Pam Miller

●  Director: Jim Cornell

 

THE TRACK: Slinger Speedway (quarter-mile, high-banked, paved oval)

●  Banking: 33 degrees in the turns; 12 degrees on the frontstretch; 25 degrees on backstretch

●  Width: 50 feet all around

●  Frontstretch Length: 340 feet

●  Backstretch Length: 340 feet

 

SPOTTER GUIDE: Car color, car number, driver and series they represent

●  Black: No. 98 of Marco Andretti (INDYCAR)

●  Teal: No. 18 of Bobby Labonte (NASCAR)

●  Yellow: No. 2 of Ernie Francis Jr.(TRANS AM)

●  Red: No. 3 of Helio Castroneves (INDYCAR and IMSA)

●  Lime Green: No. 13 of Paul Tracy (INDYCAR)

●  Purple: No. 9 of Bill Elliott (NASCAR)

●  Magenta: No. 1 of Hailie Deegan (NASCAR)

●  Gold: No. 69 of Greg Biffle (NASCAR)

●  Indigo: No. 17 of Willy T. Ribbs (TRANS AM, IMSA and INDYCAR)

●  Patriotic: No. 4 of Luke Fenhaus (SLINGER ALL-STAR)

●  Orange: No. 14 of Tony Stewart (NASCAR, INDYCAR and USAC)

●  Blue: No. 15 of Michael Waltrip (NASCAR)

 

ROUND 1: June 12 at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut (half-mile, paved oval)

●  Feature Winner: Doug Coby (Local All-Star)

●  Heat Race No. 1 Winner: Greg Biffle (Ringer)

●  Heat Race No. 2 Winner: Doug Coby

 

ROUND 2: June 19 at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa (half-mile, dirt oval)

●  Feature Winner: Tony Stewart

●  Heat Race No. 1 Winner: Tony Stewart

●  Heat Race No. 2 Winner: Scott Bloomquist (Ringer)

 

ROUND 3: June 26 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio (half-mile, high-banked, clay oval)

●  Feature Winner: Tony Stewart

●  Heat Race No. 1 Winner: Tony Stewart

●  Heat Race No. 2 Winner: Marco Andretti

 

ROUND 4: July 3 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Indiana (.686-mile, paved oval)

●  Feature Winner: Ernie Francis Jr.

●  Heat Race No. 1 Winner: Scott Speed

●  Heat Race No. 2 Winner: Helio Castroneves

 

DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: After Round 4 of 6

1.    Tony Stewart (160 points)

2.    Ernie Francis Jr. (130 points, -30)

3.    Helio Castroneves (120 points, -40)

4.    Bobby Labonte (115 points, -45)

5.    Marco Andretti (111 points, -49)

6.    Tony Kanaan (105 points, -55)

7.    Michael Waltrip (86 points, -74)

8.    Paul Tracy (83 points, -77)

9.    Bill Elliott (52 points, -108)

10.  Willy T. Ribbs (45 points, -115)

Note: Points are awarded in both heats and the feature. In each heat, the winner receives a maximum of 12 points. Second place earns 11 points with every position in descending order receiving one fewer point, with the 12th-place finisher earning one point. Points increase in the feature, with the winner receiving 25 points, second place 22 points, third place 20 points, fourth place 18 points, fifth place 16 points, sixth place 14 points, seventh place 12 points, eighth place 10 points, ninth place eight points, 10th place six points, 11th place four points and 12th place two points.

 

CREW CHIEF CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: After Round 4 of 6

1.    Local Legends (304 points)

2.    Todd Parrott (297 points, -7)

3.    Mike Beam (297 points, -7)

4.    Jeff Hammond (257 points, -47)

5.    Tony Eury Jr. (87 points, -217)

Scott Hansen is the local legend crew chief at Slinger Speedway. A native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Hansen was a national short-track barnstormer who won more than 100 events in five major touring series – American Speed Association (ASA), ARTGO Challenge, Hooter’s Cup, All Pro Super Series and NASCAR Southwest Tour. Hansen won events on dirt tracks, road courses and pavement, earning rookie-of-the-year honors during the 1984 ARTGO Challenge and 1989 ASA Challenge campaigns. Hansen also drove for team owner Ken Schrader in NASCAR’s Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series, as well as the Menards ARCA Series.

 

THE LOCAL ALL-STAR: LUKE FENHAUS

Hometown: Wausau, Wisconsin, United States

Social: IG: @superluke04 / Twitter: @luke_fenhaus./ Facebook: @LukeFenhausRacing

●  Won the 42nd running of the Slinger Nationals on Tuesday night to earn entry into Camping World SRX Series race at Slinger.

●  At 17 years old, is the youngest winner in the history of the Slinger Nationals.

●  Currently second in the ARCA Midwest Tour championship standings, but is skipping the upcoming Wayne Carter Classic 100 at Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Illinois, to compete in the Camping World SRX Series race at Slinger.

●  Two-time Kulwicki Driver Development Program participant (2019 and 2021).

●  Won the 2021 Icebreaker 100 Super Late Model race at Dells (Wis.) Raceway Park.

●  Three-time winner of the prestigious Lodi Memorial Super Late Model race at State Park Speedway in Wausau, Wisconsin (2018, 2019 and 2020).

●  Won 2018 State Park Speedway track championship and rookie-of-the-year title at the age of 14, his first year in Super Late Models. Won five races and had an average finish of 3.25.

●  Also competed fulltime in the Midwest Truck Series in 2018, picking up four wins and finishing second in points while earning rookie-of-the-year honors.

●  Began racing in the Midwest Truck Series in 2017. Despite being able to compete in only eight of the 18 races due to the series’ age restriction, earned two poles and won two races

●  Began racing snowmobiles at age 4. From there, started racing go karts at age 7 and then competed in the Bandolero Series from ages 9-12.

●  Is a rising senior at Wausau East High School.

Note: The Slinger Nationals is a short-track staple, a proving ground for the best of the best among Super Late Model drivers for the last 42 years. Past winners include NASCAR Hall of Famers Alan Kulwicki (1981) and Mark Martin (1984) and NASCAR Cup Series champions Matt Kenseth (1994, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016 and 2019) and Kyle Busch (2011).

 

THE RINGER: GREG BIFFLE

Hometown: Vancouver, Washington, United States

Social: IG: @gbiffle / Twitter: @gbiffle / Facebook: @gregbiffle

●  Biffle competed in the SRX season opener June 12 at Stafford. He won the first heat, finished last in the second heat, and finished second in the feature race to winner Doug Coby. Slinger marks his second SRX race.

●  Won the 2000 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship and the 2002 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.

●  First of only three drivers to win championships in both the Xfinity Series and Truck Series, and one of 36 drivers to win races in the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series.

●  Winner of 19 NASCAR Cup Series races and finished second in points in 2005.

●  While retired from full-time racing, occasionally competes in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races and Stadium Super Trucks races.

●  Competes in the six-race Sand Outlaw Series and builds many of the side-by-sides and off-road cars that compete in the series.

●  Owns a fully operational mine and rock quarry in Virginia, operates heavy equipment there, and is also a real estate investor, oftentimes doing his own repair work on properties.

●  Helped build Lake Norman Humane, a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization located in Mooresville, North Carolina.

 

THE REPLACEMENT: HAILIE DEEGAN

Hometown: Temecula, California, United States

Social: IG: @HailieDeegan / Twitter: @HailieDeegan / Facebook: @ HailieDeegan4 / TikTok: @HailieDeegan

●  Substituted for Tony Kannan June 19 at Knoxville. She finished third in the first heat, finished fifth in the second heat, and finished second in the feature race to winner Tony Stewart. Slinger marks Deegan’s second SRX race, as Kanaan has schedule conflicts that prevented him from competing at Knoxville and Slinger.

●  Three-time winner in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, and was the first female to win a race in the series.

●  Currently competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

●  At just 19 years old, leads all NASCAR drivers – male and female – in fan engagement on social media.

●  Daughter of Brian Deegan, a championship-winning motocross rider, off-road racer and Gold medal-winning X-Games athlete.

 

THE REGULARS:

 

MARCO ANDRETTI

Hometown: Nazareth, Pennsylvania, United States

Social: IG: @marcoandretti / Twitter: @marcoandretti

●  Third-generation racer, son of INDYCAR champion Michael Andretti and grandson of the legendary Mario Andretti.

●  Racing select NTT INDYCAR Series races in 2021 (which included the Indianapolis 500).

●  Winner of the 2006 INDYCAR Series Rookie of the Year.

●  Tested for Honda Racing’s Formula One program in 2006 and 2007.

●  Purchased childhood home in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and runs a successful real-estate business.

●  Prepared to run the 2020 New York Marathon before the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of the event.

 

HELIO CASTRONEVES

Hometown: São Paulo, Brazil

Social: IG: @heliocastroneves / Twitter: @h3lio / Facebook: @h3lio

●  Four-time and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner (2001, 2002, 2009 and 2021).

●  Winner of the 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona with co-drivers Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor and Alexander Rossi.

●  Credited with beginning the tradition of climbing the fence after a race win, which he did after scoring his first career INDYCAR victory at the 2000 Detroit Grand Prix.

●  Mirror Ball Trophy winner on Season 5 of Dancing With The Stars in 2007, alongside partner Julianne Hough.

 

BILL ELLIOTT

Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia, United States

Social: Twitter: @billelliott9 / Facebook: @billelliott

●  Affectionately known as “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville”.

●  Won the 1988 NASCAR Cup Series championship and is a two-time Daytona 500 winner (1985 and 1987).

●  Still holds the track qualifying records at Daytona International Speedway (210.364 mph) and Talladega Superspeedway (212.809 mph), both set in 1987.

●  Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015.

●  Voted NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver by fans a record 16 times.

●  Father of reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott. They are the third father-son duo to win NASCAR championships, joining Lee and Richard Petty, and Ned and Dale Jarrett.

 

ERNIE FRANCIS JR.

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

Social: IG: @erniefrancisjr / Twitter: @erniefrancisjr

Won the fourth round of the Camping World SRX Series race July 3 at Lucas Oil Raceway. It was Francis’ first career win on an oval.

Winningest driver in the 55-year history of the SCCA Trans Am Series, all while being just 23 years old.

●  At 16, became the youngest champion in Trans Am history and is the youngest professional driver to win seven consecutive championships.

●  One of his most impressive performances came in the 2018 Trans Am race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He had to miss qualifying because of a NASCAR commitment, but still won the race from the back of the grid.

●  Has made select starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR K&N Series.

●  Grandfather immigrated to New York City from Haiti five decades ago.

●  Counts Willy T. Ribbs as a mentor and, like Ribbs, making a name for himself in Trans Am.

 

TONY KANAAN

Hometown: Salvador, Brazil

Social: IG: @tkanaan / Twitter: @tonykanaan / Facebook: @tonykanaan

●  Won the 2004 INDYCAR championship.

●  Winner of the 2013 Indianapolis 500.

●  Splitting 2021 NTT INDYCAR Series season with seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson in Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 48 entry, competing in all of the series’ oval races.

●  Lebanese ancestry but grew up in Brazil; member of racing “Brat Pack” with Dario Franchitti, Max Papis and the late Greg Moore.

●  Fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and English.

●  Avid triathlete and has completed Ironman event in Hawaii.

 

BOBBY LABONTE

Hometown: Corpus Christi, Texas, United States

Social: IG: @bobby_labonte44 / Twitter: @bobby_labonte

●  Won the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series championship and 1991 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.

●  Won 2001 International Race of Champions (IROC) title, which was the precursor to SRX.

●  Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020.

●  Is a television analyst for FOX, specifically FS1’s RaceDay.

●  Competes in the Southern Modified Auto Racing Tour (SMART).

●  Founded Longhorn Chassis in 2010 with his brother, Terry, building dirt late model racecars. (Terry is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, earning titles in 1984 and 1996.)

●  Owns a Red Mango yogurt shop on the campus of Duke University.

 

WILLY T. RIBBS

Hometown: San Jose, California, United States

Social: Twitter: @willyribbs

●  First African-American to compete in the Indianapolis 500 (1991 and 1993) and the first African-American to test a Formula One car (1986 with Brabham in Estoril, Portugal).

●  Winner of the 1977 Dunlop/Autosport Star of Tomorrow Formula Ford 1600 championship.

●  A 17-race winner in the SCCA Trans Am Series. Was the 1983 Trans Am Rookie of the Year on the strength of five wins and finished second in the series championship to teammate David Hobbs.

●  Won 10 IMSA GTO races driving for the legendary Dan Gurney.

●  Showed versatility by competing in Trans Am, IMSA, INDYCAR and various NASCAR divisions, including the Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series.

●  Made 46 INDYCAR starts between 1990-1994.

●  After retiring from racing, became a professional shooter in the National Sporting Clays Association. Ribbs’ son, Theodore, is also a professional shooter.

●  In the Disney Channel cartoon The Proud Family, character Penny proud and her friends attend Willy T. Ribbs Middle School, where the mascot is “Racer.”

●  Ribbs was the subject of the 2020 Netflix documentary, Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story.

 

TONY STEWART

Hometown: Columbus, Indiana, United States

Social: IG: @tsrsmoke / Twitter: @tonystewart / Facebook: @tonystewart / YouTube: @tonystewart14

●  Swept the two Camping World SRX Series dirt-track races June 19 at Knoxville and June 26 at Eldora.

●  Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (2002, 2005 and 2011), 1997 INDYCAR Series champion and four-time USAC champion.

●  Stewart is the first and only driver to win championships in stock cars, Indy cars and open-wheel Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown cars.

●  Co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, winner of two NASCAR Cup Series championships (2011 and 2014).

●  Owner of Tony Stewart Racing, winner of 26 championships – 14 in USAC, nine in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and three in the All Star Circuit of Champions TQ Midgets.

●  Inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2020), the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame (2020), the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2019), the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame (2019), the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame (2019), the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame (2018), the USAC Hall of Fame (2016) and the National Midget Racing Hall of Fame (2001).

●  Formed the Tony Stewart Foundation in 2003.The 501(c)(3) organization’s goal is to raise funds primarily distributed to serving three specific groups – chronically ill and physically disabled children, animals that are endangered or at-risk, and drivers injured in the sport of motor racing. To date, the Foundation has awarded nearly $7 million to assist charitable initiatives for more than 150 well-qualified organizations throughout the United States.

 

PAUL TRACY

Hometown: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada

Social: IG: @paultracyofficial

●  Current NBC TV commentator for its INDYCAR broadcasts.

●  Won the 2003 INDYCAR championship.

●  Finished second to Helio Castroneves in the 2002 Indianapolis 500.

●  Has competed in NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, and dabbled in professional downhill mountain bike racing.

 

MICHAEL WALTRIP

Hometown: Owensboro, Kentucky, United States

Social: IG: @mwr55 / Twitter: @mw55 / Facebook: @michaelcwaltrip

●  Two-time Daytona 500 winner (2001 and 2003).

●  Younger brother of three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip.

●  Color commentator for FOX’s broadcasts of NASCAR Xfinity and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, as well as pre-race commentator for FOX’s broadcast of NASCAR Cup Series races.

●  Author of a New York Times best-seller in 2011, In the Blink of an Eye: Dale, Daytona, and the Day that Changed Everything. A documentary film adaptation was released in 2019.

●  An avid runner, competed in the 2000 Boston Marathon.

●  Participated in season 19 of Dancing With The Stars in 2014.

 

About Camping World SRX Series:

The Camping World SRX Series was created by a team consisting of Sandy Montag and The Montag Group, George Pyne, NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief and team owner Ray Evernham, and legendary driver Tony Stewart. The Montag Group leads business operations and Evernham oversees all racing operations. Pyne is a member of the Board and serves as an advisor. For more information, please visit us online at www.SRXracing.com, on Facebook, on Twitter and on Instagram.

Sources: Laz Denes/True Speed Communication on behalf of the Camping World SRX Series