August 2017 - Page 5 of 5 - The Official Stewart-Haas Racing Website

Hunt Brothers Pizza will pay tribute to its first year in NASCAR with a throwback paint scheme on the No. 41 Ford Mustang Kevin Harvick will drive during the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series race Sept. 2 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

The 2017 scheme was inspired by Hunt Brothers Pizza’s No. 70 car that debuted at the 2008 Talladega Superspeedway for what was then known as Haas CNC Racing, the precursor to Stewart-Haas Racing.

In addition to the iconic green base, the No. 41 Ford Mustang will feature red and white ribbon accents mirroring the brand’s former pizza shoppe design that race fans recognize from convenience stores across the country.

“Hunt Brothers Pizza has been a proud sponsor of NASCAR drivers for 10 seasons. Participating in the Darlington throwback weekend is incredibly exciting and brings back very humbling memories,” said Scott Hunt, Chief Executive Officer at Hunt Brothers Pizza. “Everyone remembers their first NASCAR race, and to have this paint scheme back on the track makes us reminisce about ours. What incredible experiences we have had along the way with so many great drivers, teams and partners. We are truly thankful and blessed.”

Hunt Brothers Pizza and Haas CNC Racing first teamed up for the 2008 season. In 2014, Hunt Brothers Pizza reunited with what had become Stewart-Haas Racing to serve as a sponsor in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. When Stewart-Haas Racing formed an XFINITY Series team for the 2017 season, Hunt Brothers Pizza became a primary sponsor with Harvick and the No. 41 team.

“We love that the Hunt Brothers Pizza throwback scheme is celebrating NASCAR roots. When I look at this car, I am instantly reminded of our first race together back in 2008 under the Haas name,” said Gene Haas, co-owner and founder of Stewart-Haas Racing.

The No. 41 Ford Mustang will also include a nod to Harvick’s early days of NASCAR in the Camping World Truck Series. A classic pepperoni pizza is displayed on the car, just as the saw blade sliced across the rear quarter panel of Harvick’s No. 98 Porter Cable Ford F-150 truck in 1999.

“As Hunt Brothers Pizza celebrates its 10^th season in NASCAR, I am honored to have been a part of their journey as they’ve supported me in the Truck, XFINITY and NASCAR Cup Series. But I am completely floored by their creative way to implement an element of my beginnings in NASCAR for this memorable weekend,” Harvick said. “This is our eighth season together and Hunt Brothers Pizza has been a great sponsor over the years. I’m looking forward to a strong race in their throwback car.”

In addition to its throwback paint scheme, Hunt Brothers Pizza is offering its fans the opportunity to win throwback-themed T-shirts and hats and to request a limited-edition throwback hero card. All items are available in limited quantities and for a limited time. Fans are encouraged to follow along on social media (Facebook.com/HuntBrothersPizza, @HuntBrothersPizza on Instagram and @HBPizza on Twitter) for more information.

Hunt Brothers Pizza is committed to NASCAR. Along with sponsoring Harvick, Hunt Brothers Pizza is also a sponsor of Elliott Sadler, Cole Custer, Ken Schrader and Harrison Burton. For more information on the Hunt Brothers Pizza racing team, please visit huntbrotherspizza.com/hbpracing.

To find the Hunt Brothers Pizza location nearest you, please download the Hunt Brothers Pizza app in the Apple or Google stores.

About Hunt Brothers Pizza:

With more than 7,500 locations in 28 states, Hunt Brothers® Pizza is the nation’s largest brand of made-to-order pizza in the convenience store industry. Hunt Brothers Pizza offers original and thin crust pizzas available as a grab-and-go Hunk perfect for today’s on-the-go lifestyle or as a customizable whole pizza that is an exception value with All Toppings No Extra Charge®. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Hunt Brothers Pizza is family owned and operated with more than 25 years of experience serving great pizza to convenience store shoppers through its store partners.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The organization fields four entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – the No. 4 Ford Fusion for Kevin Harvick, the No. 10 Ford Fusion for Danica Patrick, the No. 14 Ford Fusion for Clint Bowyer and the No. 41 Ford Fusion for Kurt Busch. The team also competes in the NASCAR XFINITY Series by fielding a full time entry – the No. 00 Ford Mustang for Cole Custer – and one part-time entry – the No. 41 Ford Mustang. Based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, Stewart-Haas Racing operates out of a 200,000-square-foot facility with more than 300 employees. For more information, please visit us on the Web at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

Clint Bowyer knows the reason why NASCAR’s road-course racing has gained in popularity in recent years. It’s the same reason the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has added another road-course race to its schedule next year and could add even more in the future.

“Road-course racing is just an emotional roller coaster that you just flat don’t know the outcome of until that rag finally falls,” said Bowyer, who grew up racing on the dirt tracks of Kansas but has become one of the sport’s better road-course aces. “It’s just a hell of a show for the fans, the television audience and even the drivers. Man, they’re just so difficult. They’re so out of the ordinary. There are so many opportunities. That’s the thing about a road course, that there are not a lot of opportunities to pass, but there are a lot of opportunities. If somebody makes a mistake, like if you catch pit road as a caution’s coming out, there are just so many things to capitalize on one of those road courses.”

For years, Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and Watkins Glen (N.Y) International have been the only two road courses on the Cup Series schedule. But in 2018, Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway will run its September race on its “roval” – a new 13-turn, 2.4-mile road course incorporating part of the infield and all but 400 feet of Charlotte’s 1.5-mile oval on which drivers will race 500 kilometers over 130 laps.

How serious is the sport taking to road-course racing? The Charlotte race marks the first NASCAR road-course race in the track’s 58-year history and will serve as the final race in Round 1 of the 2018 playoffs – the first time the 14-year-old playoff format includes a road course.

That’s good news for Bowyer, whose road-course statistics are impressive. He finished second at Sonoma in June behind Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Kevin Harvick. It marked the 23rd road-course start of his Cup Series career. That record includes a victory, eight top-five finishes and 13 top-10s.

He’ll get his chance to improve upon those stats this weekend when the Cup Series visits Watkins Glen for the final road-course race of the season. Historically, Bowyer hasn’t enjoyed the success at Watkins Glen that he has at Sonoma. He’s earned one top-five and four top-10s on the historic Upstate New York track near the southern tip of Seneca Lake that has hosted everything from the Formula One United States Grand Prix for 20 years to a 1973 rock concert that drew more than 600,000.

Bowyer said Sonoma success doesn’t equate to similar success at Watkins Glen because the tracks aren’t very similar beyond the fact both are road courses.

“You are way more at ease at Sonoma,” he said. “It’s a finesse, rear-grip, take-care-of-your-tires, type of track. I think it is a much more technical track. When you go to Watkins Glen, it’s a ton of fun but it’s a whole different beast. It’s wide-open. It’s balls-to-the-wall. You have to be extremely good on braking and have a fast racecar. Both of them are a ton of fun and so unique. That is the thing. We race and chase each other in circles non-stop. It is refreshing to have a break like this when we come to these road courses.”

Bowyer has plenty to accomplish this weekend when his Ford Fusion carries the Five Star Urgent Care paint scheme in practice Saturday and qualifying and racing Sunday. He arrives in New York 17th in the 16-driver playoffs, just 17 points behind Matt Kenseth, who holds the final playoff position. A victory automatically earns Bowyer a spot in the playoffs that begin in just five races. If he doesn’t win, he knows every point matters as the regular season draws to a close.

With all that on the line, the Watkins Glen race should be just like Bowyer likes his racing – an emotional roller coaster.

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Five Star Urgent Care Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What are some more of the differences between Watkins Glen and Sonoma road courses?

“The consequences just seem far greater at Watkins Glen than they are at Sonoma. If you hit at Sonoma, it’s like, ‘Man that hurt.’ You hit at Watkins Glen, you might be telling ’em about it a couple days later when it comes back to you.”