Month: June 2017

Event:               Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 (Round 15 of 33)
Date:                 June 30, 2017
Location:          Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
Layout:             2.5-mile oval

Cole Custer Notes of Interest

• The Firecracker 250 will mark Cole Custer’s 20^th career NASCAR XFINITY Series start and his second XFINITY Series start at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. 
• Custer has competed in five restrictor-plate races – two this season in the XFINITY Series – Daytona and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. He also competed once at each track in the Camping World Truck Series and once at Daytona in ARCA. His best Truck Series finish was 24^th at Daytona and his best ARCA finish was 10^th at Daytona.
• Custer won the pole for the 2016 ARCA season opener at Daytona, becoming the youngest pole winner in Daytona history among the ARCA, Truck, XFINITY and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. 
• In Custer’s 2017 XFINITY Series debut at Daytona, he ran in the top-10 after starting from the 20^th position before he was collected in a multicar accident on lap 20. 
• Custer’s best finish in the 14 XFINITY Series races run this season is fourth, earned in the 11^th event June 3 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. It was his eighth top-10 and third top-five and it equaled his career-best finish in 18 career XFINITY Series starts.
• Custer is third in the XFINITY Series Rookie of the Year standings, 34 points behind leader William Byron and three points behind second-place Daniel Hemric.
• Custer has earned five Rookie of the Race awards this season. Rookie of the Race awards are given to the highest-finishing XFINITY Series rookie.
• Custer is seventh in the XFINITY Series driver standings, 180 points behind series leader Elliot Sadler.
• Custer’s best qualifying effort in the 14 XFINITY Series races run this season is third, earned in the seventh race of the season April 22 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Custer has eight top-10 starts and three top-five starts this season.
• Custer will support the Marine Corps Installations Pacific (MCIPAC) from Camp Mujuk with a decal on the upper level of his Haas Automation Ford Mustang’s windshield as part of the NASCAR Salutes initiative. MCIPAC strengthens and enables force projection in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region with U.S. allies and partners to protect and defend the territory of the United States, itspeople and its interests.

Cole Custer, Driver Q&A 

What does it mean to support the military on the windshield of your Haas Automation Ford Mustang this weekend?

“It’s awesome. Obviously, we wouldn’t be able to race and do what we love to do without the military, and it’s awesome to pay tribute to them and show our respect. It’s a cool thing we get to do on the Daytona race weekend and you don’t get to see it anywhere else. The military members really deserve this kind of recognition.”

What is the key to success at a restrictor-plate track like Daytona?

“One of the biggest keys is just to stay out of trouble. Especially this year, it seems like that is the biggest thing. If we can be there at the end with our Haas Automation Ford Mustang, we’ll have a shot to win.” 

Describe the intensity of racing at Daytona.

“Daytona is definitely one of the most intense places we run. Running turns three and four wide open is pretty hard and you know that if you make one small mistake, you can take yourself and a lot of other guys out.”

Jeff Meendering, Crew Chief Q&A

What are your thoughts on racing at Daytona?

“We were still in the building process of our team when we showed up for Daytona in February. Now that we’ve had more time to prepare, we should have a better showing, as long as we can avoid all the accidents that come with speedway racing. We’re bringing a solid speedway car to Daytona this weekend and I think we’ll have a good run if we stay out of trouble.”

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), will arrive at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway as the most recent winner on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit, but it is partner Jimmy John’s who is providing a hero’s welcome to a lucky and deserving Kevin Harvick fan.

The folks at Jimmy John’s recently came across a story on NASCAR.com written by Pat DeCola that documents the story of 11-year-old Jenna Dumanski of Milltown, New Jersey. Dumanski, a Kevin Harvick fan, made a life-saving decision on Aug. 28, 2014 to donate bone marrow to her then-infant brother Tommy.

Tommy Dumanski was 2 months old when he was diagnosed with Chronic Granulomatous Disease, which is a rare genetic disease that would require a bone marrow transplant to survive. The family faced genetic testing to see if there was a match in the family and, sure enough, his big sister Jenna was a perfect match.

Jenna’s decision to donate bone marrow to her younger brother saved his life.

Now, three years later, both Jenna and Tommy are doing well. Jenna was scheduled to attend the Daytona 500 in February but a bout of meningitis prevented her from making the trip.

After seeing the story on NASCAR.com, Jimmy John’s decided to provide Jenna, Tommy and their family with a trip to Daytona of their own. They are scheduled to watch the Coke Zero 400 Saturday night from the comfort of the Jimmy John’s suite high above the front stretch at the “World Center of Racing.”

Harvick is hoping to make Jenna’s trip extra special by crossing the finish line first Saturday night.

The 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion is fresh off his first win of the year last weekend at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, and will be looking to make it two straight trips to victory lane.

If February’s Daytona 500 was any indication, Harvick and the No. 4 team could be favorites heading into the event. Harvick started fifth and led 50 of 200 laps in the season-opening event before being collected in a multicar accident and finished 22^nd.

The Bakersfield, California native is no stranger to victory lane at Daytona. He is one of four active drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400, joining the likes of Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jamie McMurray.

Harvick, who secured his position in the 2017 NASCAR playoffs with last weekend’s win at Sonoma, would now like to add a second win and start collecting as many playoff points as he can in the final 10 races before the start of the playoffs at Chicago in September. But a win Saturday night would provide an extra special moment for Jenna, Tommy and their family in Daytona.

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion:

What makes racing under the lights at Daytona in July so special?

“The July race at Daytona is special for a lot of reasons. I think when you look at the night race at Daytona, it kind of marks the halfway point of the year and you know that you’re going to Daytona. It’s not the Daytona 500, but it’s still Daytona, and everybody wants to win a race at Daytona no matter what it’s in or what it’s for. Daytona just has that special place in our sport and everybody wants to win there.” 

Describe the intensity of restrictor-plate racing?

“Plate racing is something that you have to be aggressive at just for the fact that if you’re not aggressive, it always seems like you’re not going to be where you need to be. Nine times out of 10, I believe that the aggressor is going to be the guy who comes out on the good side of things just for the fact that you’re making things happen and you’re not waiting for something else to happen. When you wait for something else to happen, that’s usually when you get in trouble because it’s usually someone else’s mess. You can still get in trouble if you’re aggressive, but it seems like, with this rules package and the way things are, it’s best to stay aggressive and try to stay up front.”

As Danica Patrick and the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford Fusion team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) approach the middle of the season, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams return to the sunny shores of Daytona Beach, Florida for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

With 16 races complete, the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford team has earned five top-20 finishes, including a season-best 10th-place result at Dover (Del.) International Speedway earlier this month. Patrick has led a total of seven laps and is currently ranked 28th in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings.

When the season kicked off at Daytona in February, Patrick started the Daytona 500 from the 12th position and was scored as high as second near the midpoint of the race. With less than 80 laps to go, the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford was collected in a 17-car accident that ended the team’s day early and left Patrick with a 33rd-place finish.

While the season opener at Daytona didn’t end well for the No. 10 team, Patrick has experienced success at the track in the past, including a history-making performance at the 2.5-mile track in 2013. That year, she became the first woman to win a NASCAR Cup Series pole when she set the fastest time in qualifying for the Daytona 500. Patrick led twice for a total of five laps in that event, becoming the first female to lead NASCAR’s most prestigious race, as well as the first woman to lead a NASCAR race under green-flag conditions. She finished the race eighth, setting the mark for the highest finishing position ever for a woman in the “Great American Race.”

The following July, Patrick added an eighth-place finish in the Coke Zero 400. In 10 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Daytona, those two eighth-place efforts mark her top results at the track. Patrick has also started seven NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Daytona and scored her best finish of 10^th in July 2011. She won the pole for the February 2012 event.

When the NASCAR Cup Series teams return to the high banks of Daytona for Saturday night’s race, the weather forecast for the beach town predicts temperatures nearing 90 degrees Fahrenheit. As the summer heat cranks up in Daytona, Patrick and the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford team will be ready to have a fun night at the track and hope to close out the race by celebrating a top finish in the Coke Zero 400 with an ice-cold Coca-Cola.

DANICA PATRICK, Driver of the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Your team was a part of the Daytona test earlier this season. Was there anything that was tried at the test that might come into play as you return?

“There wasn’t really anything racing-wise that moved the needle, but there were some things that were tried to make the cars lift off less easily if they get spun around backwards, so that was fine. It didn’t really change anything, so I wouldn’t be surprised if those kinds of changes were implemented for speedway racing. But, other than that, the racing was all very similar and, like we all said, there were five of us. You can go out in a pack of 15 and still not really know before the race, and then you get into the race and then you know. It’s pretty hard to really have a race-like scenario. You don’t even want a race-like scenario at a superspeedway unless you’re actually racing because it’s risky. There’s a chance for big accidents and that’s just silly in practice, but I think it was still somewhat productive – as productive as a superspeedway test could go.”

What is it about Daytona International Speedway that you like? 

“I think I’ve always had the good fortune of driving for good teams that have good cars. I also think that my IndyCar background is very similar to the style of racing that the superspeedways bring to NASCAR. That was full-speed, flat-out, don’t-lift-if-you-don’t-have-to racing where you have to keep your momentum up and lots of big-pack racing. For me, that was a big comfort zone when I came over to NASCAR, that it was a lot like the IndyCar days of driving on mile-and-a-half speedways. It’s all about having an awareness of what’s around you, making good decisions and trying to stay out of trouble until the end.”

Describe the intensity of restrictor-plate racing.

“It’s super easy to drive around the track flat-out by yourself. It’s not hard at all. When you put all of the other cars around you, it’s not necessarily about how the car feels on the track, although that can be an issue, for sure, at times. It’s more about what everyone else is doing around you. You’re constantly looking at what’s happening in front of you. You’re also looking at what’s behind you. Probably more important than what’s happening in front of you is what’s happening behind you – who’s coming, who’s following you, who’s helping you move forward. There have been plenty of times that I’ve gone to the bottom and complained, ‘Where’s my help?’ It seems like I’ll slot in on the bottom line and then everyone behind me disappears. You really have to have people behind you, pushing you. The race is constantly evolving and you and your spotter have to be on it. It’s a big race for spotters, so having a really good one that you trust is very important.”

What are three words that describe restrictor-plate races?

“Three words that describe plate racing would be: crazy, fast and risky.”

Remember comedian Jeff Foxworthy’s joke about the famous last words of a “redneck?”

“Hey y’all, watch this!”

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), is certainly an expert on racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and, admittedly, he’s witnessed his fare share of redneck behavior in his lifetime, the kind referred to by Foxworthy. So, take Bowyer’s word when he says that what the world’s best stock car drivers will do during Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 presented by Coca-Cola at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway isn’t nearly as easy as it looks.

“I saw something on Twitter after that wreck that we had in Kansas with Aric Almirola and Danica (Patrick) and Joey Logano, and it was captioned, ‘Do you still think that you could do this just like you’re driving down a highway?’” Bowyer said with a laugh. “I mean, people forget that we’re going upwards of 200 miles an hour on racetracks and that it is very dangerous.”

Bowyer, who finished the 2007 Daytona 500 upside down, on fire and uninjured, said the exponential advances in safety might be luring people into believing the sport has become 100-percent safe. But accidents like he described in Kansas and the hard hits suffered by Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray at Pocono remind you that danger element is never far away.

Apart from the danger, it’s also a physically demanding job.

“You don’t see that week-in and week-out, and maybe every week you don’t see that, but when you do see it, it reminds you just how dangerous this sport is,” Bowyer said. “And then the heat element of it, the duration of it, the endurance of the races, everything that goes into it. Hey, do we have to go out and run a marathon or bench press 500 pounds to do what we do? No, but you do have to be conditioned just like any other athlete does for his or her profession.”

Given the danger and demands, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Bowyer and others shy away from the sport after a while.

“Are you kidding?” he said. “I wouldn’t want do anything else in life. My life is either racing, talking about racing, watching racing or traveling to racing.”

Saturday’s race is one of four restrictor-plate events held each year and often results in the multicar accidents sure to make ESPN’s SportsCenter or local news highlights in the days following the race. A 17-car accident on lap 127 triggered by other drivers ended Bowyer’s bid for a Daytona 500 victory this season end with a trip to the garage, leaving him with a 32nd-place finish.

The Daytona 500 in February marked his debut with SHR, replacing three-time champion Tony Stewart. Since the debut, Bowyer enjoyed mostly good times at SHR, posting three top-five finishes and six top-10s, including a second-place finish last weekend on the road course at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. The No. 14 Ford team, led by crew chief Mike Bugarewicz, is 11th in points. The team’s goal is a victory to earn one of 16 berths in the NASCAR playoffs that begin in September.

Bowyer has good chance to do that Saturday night at Daytona. He’s earned three top-five finishes, 11 top-10s and has led a total of 153 laps in his 23 career Cup Series starts at Daytona. The Emporia, Kansas native also won the July 2009 Xfinity race there. While he hasn’t won at Daytona in a Cup Series race, he has won two races at Daytona’s sister track Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Hopefully for Bowyer and his team, that victory will come Saturday night.

Who knows, he might even make it look easy.

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Do you get mad when you are in an accident? 

“There is a lot of emotion in our sport. Again, the sport’s dangerous. Tracks are different. We have short tracks. We have mile-and-a-half tracks. We have restrictor-plate tracks where we see cars flying through the air like lawn darts. You just have a different variety of situations you’re in all the time throughout the year, so sometimes the level of – I guess call it – fear, call it whatever you want, changes your emotion as you get out of a wreck or something like that. If it was something that somebody put you in harm’s way, that honestly could have hurt you badly or even potentially killed you, the level of anger and emotion is definitely different.”