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In The Know – Las Vegas

NASCAR CUP SERIES OVERVIEW:

●  Event:  South Point 400 (Round 33 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 15

●  Location:  Las Vegas Motor Speedway

●  Layout:  1.5-mile oval

●  Laps/Miles:  267 laps/400.5 miles

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 85 laps / Final Stage: 102 laps

●  TV/Radio:  NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

SHR FAST FACTS:

Kevin Harvick:

In 23 years of NASCAR Cup Series racing that has spanned 822 career starts, Kevin Harvick has racked up plenty of laps and even more miles in his Hall-of-Fame-worthy career. So, it’s only appropriate that his No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang carries the branding of Mobil 1 Extended Performance High Mileage advanced full synthetic motor oil in the South Point 400 this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mobil 1 Extended Performance High Mileage safeguards an engine for 20,000 miles between oil changes by providing exceptional wear protection of critical components. Among active Cup Series drivers, there is no one with higher mileage than Harvick. He ranks fifth all-time in miles run (308,238.364) and 10th all-time in laps completed (231,068). These statistics place Harvick among a who’s who of NASCAR royalty.

Aric Almirola:

In 20 career starts on the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway desert oval, Almirola has four top-10s, all coming since he joined Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in 2018. Almirola has a best finish there of sixth (twice – September 2018 and March 2022) and a best start of fourth (twice – September 2019 and 2020).

Chase Briscoe:

In five Cup Series starts at Las Vegas, Briscoe has a best finish of fourth earned last year during the NASCAR Playoffs. He took the lead on a lap-246 restart and held it for the next six laps when the race quickly returned to caution. Briscoe lost the lead on the ensuing restart on lap 252 but maintained his position in the top-five over the final 15 laps.

Ryan Preece:

Preece will make his eighth career Las Vegas start this weekend. His first was in 2019 for JTG-Daugherty Racing. In March 2021, Preece tallied his best Las Vegas finish of 15th. In his last visit in March, Preece started 31st and finished 23rd in his outing there with SHR and his first in a Ford Mustang.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:

WHAT OUR DRIVERS ARE SAYING:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 High Mileage Ford Mustang:

Has there been a particular moment this year during all the tributes to your career that’s really resonated with you?

“I think when the 4EVER signs started showing up on the walls and you had to drive by them every lap – at Watkins Glen they had the tribute through the esses and you drove by it every single lap. You drive by my pit marker at a lot of these racetrack and it’s the 4EVER sign. Marcus Smith (president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports) was very up front in saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got to have a chance to do this type of stuff, and to be able to do it with the fans and the sponsors and with the team and everybody that’s involved in it.’ What I don’t think is a big deal is a big deal to a lot of people, because I do this on a week-to-week basis. I’ve grown up around it and I’ve seen it from every end of the spectrum that you could see it from. It’s a big deal to a lot of people, and it’s a big deal to each racetrack and their local fans and markets. So it’s been fun to see it all play out. I don’t know if there’s one that sticks out above the other ones, but I think for me the biggest moment was running that 29 car at North Wilkesboro.”

 

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 IHOP Ford Mustang:

Stewart-Haas and the No. 10 team have found more speed over the last few weeks. Do you feel that will carry over this weekend to Las Vegas?

“I think so. We found some things at Kansas and Texas that we didn’t have earlier in the year as an organization. There is a fine line to finding that balance, but Stewart-Haas Racing has come together more in the last month as a team to better each car and we’ve seen strides in speed ever since. We had two cars in the top-10 at Texas and have seen more consistent top-10 runs across the board, so I think we’ll see improvements from earlier this year at Vegas. Vegas is just such a tricky track to dial in each time we visit it, but I enjoy racing there and the challenge it always brings.” 

 

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Code 3 Associates Ford Mustang:

You’re down to the last four races of the season. What are you most looking forward to in the final stretch?

“We’ve got four more chances to learn on the track for next year and I feel like two of those may also be chances to get a win. We’ve been really good at Martinsville and Phoenix and I don’t see that changing. I’d love to finish the season with a win but, no matter what, we’ve come a long way this year and have turned a tough start into a decent finish. We have learned a lot and have a good start on next season. We’ll just keep taking advantage of every opportunity to improve and hopefully that pays off for us in the end.”

 

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang:

Whenever you’ve been asked about the goal for the remainder of the season, you’ve said it’s all about consistency. You’ve had three top-12 finishes in the last four races. Do you feel like that consistency is showing?

“I do, for sure. This team has what it takes to run up front and have top-10, top-five finishes every week. From the beginning of the season, we have worked so hard on being a team that is consistent the entire weekend. It all counts, not just the laps during the race. It’s showing and we are proving that we can be up there and in the mix. I’m proud of these guys and I’m excited to see what this team can do as we end the season and prepare for next year, too.”