Red Bull GRC Media Alert // Race Previews: Seattle

Red Bull GRC Race Preview: Seattle
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IN BRIEF: Red Bull Global Rallycross returns to one of its most popular markets for the first time in two years this weekend, as Seattle hosts the penultimate event of the 2016 season. Evergreen Speedway will serve as the venue for the event for the first time, promising a challenging new course with numerous variables for drivers to manage.
TUNE IN INFORMATION:
Sunday, September 18, 1:30PM ET on NBC
Sunday, September 18, 2PM ET on Red Bull TV<http://www.redbull.tv/live/AP-1KNHTGXN11W11/red-bull-global-rallycross>
TICKETS: Click here<http://bit.ly/grctickets>
EVENT SPOTTER GUIDE: Click here<http://redbullglobalrallycross.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/SEA-Spotter-Final.pdf>
LAST RACE: Late-race tire issues in Atlantic City, for Tanner Foust allowed Scott Speed to grab his third consecutive Supercar victory, winning the inaugural event at Bader Field. A chaotic final lap saw Patrik Sandell jump from fifth to second on the final lap, while Brian Deegan muscled by Foust in the final corners to secure third, returning the favor from Foust’s similar move in Washington DC the month before.
DRIVER CHANGES: Subaru Rally Team USA’s two-car effort will see Chris Atkinson, fresh off his Red Bull GRC debut in Atlantic City, and David Higgins partnered in Seattle. Higgins made three Supercar starts in the 2015 season, most recently in last year’s Las Vegas finale, and comes off his sixth consecutive American stage rally championship.
THE TRACK: One of the most unique courses on the 2016 calendar, Evergreen Speedway combines elements of its iconic .625-mile oval with the mixed-surface action and 70-foot jump that are signature to Red Bull GRC. Click here<http://redbullglobalrallycross.com/news/features/track-facts/track-facts-red-bull-global-rallycross-seattle/> for more information on the track.
CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD SHIFTS COMING INTO SEATTLE: With three straight victories to his name, Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross driver Scott Speed reclaimed the Red Bull GRC points lead in Atlantic City for the first time since winning last year’s championship. However, he enters this weekend’s action ahead of teammate Tanner Foust by only nine points—less than the difference between a first and third place finish in the final. Steve Arpin remains third in the championship at 52 points back, while Patrik Sandell and Brian Deegan complete the top five.
FAN FAVORITES SUBARU CARRY MOMENTUM INTO WEEKEND: Subaru Rally Team USA scored its first-ever Red Bull GRC victory two years ago in Seattle and enjoys a strong fanbase in the Pacific Northwest owing to its lengthy and successful history in stage rally. The team enters this weekend with plenty of optimism: newcomer Chris Atkinson gave the team its first top-three semifinal finish last time out in Atlantic City, and David Higgins added a stage rally championship earlier this month. They’ll team up for the first time this weekend.
GANASSI DRIVERS ARPIN, DEEGAN PART OF HISTORIC WEEKEND: For the first time in its history, Chip Ganassi Racing will have drivers competing in every race series it runs this weekend. The squad will run 14 cars and 19 drivers in six series across the United States; representing them in Red Bull GRC will be Steve Arpin and Brian Deegan, who currently rank third and fifth in Supercar points with a win and seven podiums between them.
QUOTES: A selection of quotes in advance of this weekend’s Red Bull Global Rallycross Seattle:
Patrik Sandell, #18 Bryan Herta Rallysport Ford Fiesta ST: “It’s a unique place. I know there’s a big following of rally out here. Most of them know my background and I think we will have a lot of fans coming out, so it will be super cool. The track layout looks really good. I have a really good feeling going into this event—last time we ran a track like this was in 2013 and I really liked those tracks. I specifically remember Bristol and we were dominating there, so that’s kind of the plan this weekend.”
David Higgins, #75 Subaru Rally Team USA WRX STI: “I can't wait to get back into GRC, and to do it in Seattle with its big Subaru following and home of DirtFish will be amazing. The penny dropped with GRC for me in qualifying at Las Vegas last year but I wasn't able to use it after first race big crash. But that did give me a lot to think about over the winter and during this year. Lots of time karting has helped, and I have also changed my style in stage rally to try and make it feel more natural.”
Steve Arpin, #00 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford Fiesta ST: “It’s pretty cool to be right in the middle of a title battle right now. It’s where we’re meant to be—we have an incredible team, crew, Ford Fiestas, and partners, so we need to be where we’re at right now. We’ve had a couple of tough weeks the past few weeks, so these next few races we’re going to keep our nose down and do the best we can possibly do. It’s not one of those deals where we’re going to get entirely engulfed and consumed by the points battle; if we can go out there and win the next three races the points will take care of themselves.”
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GRC Lites Race Preview: Seattle
IN BRIEF: The GRC Lites season resumes with a return to the popular Seattle market at brand new host venue Evergreen Speedway. With only three rounds remaining in the 2016 championship, this weekend represents a huge opportunity for young drivers to make a name for themselves with big finishes before the season-ending Los Angeles doubleheader.
TUNE IN INFORMATION:
Thursday, September 22, 5:30PM ET on NBCSN
Sunday, September 18, 2PM ET on Red Bull TV<http://www.redbull.tv/live/AP-1KNHTGXN11W11/red-bull-global-rallycross>
TICKETS: Click here<http://bit.ly/grctickets>
EVENT SPOTTER GUIDE: Click here<http://redbullglobalrallycross.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/SEA-Spotter-Final.pdf>
LAST RACE: Alex Keyes capped off his limited 2016 program with a dominant performance at Bader Field in Atlantic City, sweeping every session of the weekend on the way to his fourth career Lites victory. Travis PeCoy followed in second, giving the AF Racing Team its first podium of 2016, while Colin Braun earned his second podium of the year by placing third.
DRIVER CHANGES: Two of the three podium finishers from Atlantic City will not be competing in Seattle, as Keyes yields to Tanner Whitten at Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Braun gives way to rallycross newcomer Scott Anderson at CORE autosport. They’ll also be joined by a second DirtFish Motorsports car, with fellow Lites debutant James Rimmer partnering Conner Martell.
THE TRACK: One of the most unique courses on the 2016 calendar, Evergreen Speedway combines elements of its iconic .625-mile oval with the mixed-surface action and 70-foot jump that are signature to Red Bull GRC. Click here<http://redbullglobalrallycross.com/news/features/track-facts/track-facts-red-bull-global-rallycross-seattle/> for more information on the track.
SEATTLE CONTINUES INTRIGUING LITES POINTS BATTLE: A strange final in Atlantic City saw none of the top five drivers in GRC Lites points make it to the podium, but Cabot Bigham managed to extend his points lead to 20 over defending champion Oliver Eriksson and 38 over Miki Weckstrom. Conner Martell, racing for DirtFish Motorsports in its home event, remains within 80 points of the lead in fourth, while Christian Brooks completes the top five.
ANDERSON, RIMMER PREPARE FOR LITES DEBUTS: CORE autosport’s Scott Anderson and DirtFish Motorsports’ James Rimmer couldn’t be much more different by way of background, but both drivers will call GRC Lites Seattle their debut. Anderson is a longtime open-wheel racer whose most recent experience came in Indy Lights, while Washington native Rimmer counts most of his experience with DirtFish programs in various stage rally championships.
DAYTONA WINNER WHITTEN RETURNS TO WHEEL IN SEATTLE: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s Tanner Whitten will compete in his first GRC Lites race since taking the victory at Daytona International Speedway when he lines up on the grid this weekend in Seattle. Whitten, who has three podiums in three starts so far this year, drove for Washington-based DirtFish Motorsports last season and earned a fifth place finish in the championship.
QUOTES: A selection of quotes in advance of this weekend’s Red Bull Global Rallycross Seattle:
James Rimmer, #25 DirtFish Motorsports: “I'm extremely excited to have my first event be at home, Seattle and the Pacific Northwest have a huge fan base for this sport and I'm excited to see a great turnout at Evergreen Speedway. With DirtFish Motorsports being based in the Seattle area, it makes it even more exciting to be able to entertain all of our employees and customers.”
Conner Martell, #21 DirtFish Motorsports: “It's awesome racing in the hometown of DirtFish. I've been waiting for this race all year! Being home is going to push me harder than ever to get on the podium. Everyone from DirtFish will be there and they’ll all be pushing for me, which is really exciting for me. We have a good setup for Evergreen Speedway due to the testing we’ve done out there, but I'm sure we will be making changes based on everything we’ve learned this year.”
Tanner Whitten, #24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing: “I’m looking forward to going out and racing at Evergreen. We did some testing out there at the beginning of last season, so I kind of have an idea of how the circuit flows and the way the pavement reacts to the tires—granted, it was the old tire, but it’s still a pretty abrasive surface that should lead to some high-diff corners, and they put us out on the NASCAR-style corners. So I’m really looking forward to the track layout, and the new market, which is great for the sport.”
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