KEVIN HARVICK – 2018 Las Vegas Race I Advance

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), is heading to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Las Vegas 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in search of his 100th career win in NASCAR’s top three series and his 100th top-10 result since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in the Cup Series.

Harvick scored career win No. 98 Saturday in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Atlanta, and No. 99 Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series event.

As the 2014 Cup Series champion heads to Las Vegas looking for win No. 100, he also will be looking for the 100th top-10 result since joining forces with crew chief Rodney Childers at SHR.

The Bakersfield, California, native has collected 75 points through the first two Cup Series events of 2018, which ranks fourth in the series but, more importantly, last weekend’s Cup Series win at Atlanta secures the No. 4 Jimmy John’s team’s position in the NASCAR playoffs. The team has collected a series-best six playoff points through the first two events of the season – five points for the win and one for winning Sunday’s first stage.

Harvick has also led a series-best 181 of 532 total laps through the first two Cup Series events of the year. Ryan Blaney is second with 118.

Thus, there is reason to believe Harvick’s strong start will continue at the 1.5-mile track in Las Vegas this weekend.

He dominated the Las Vegas 400 in 2015 to score his first win in only the third race of the season and his first at Las Vegas. His No. 4 car led five times for a race-high 142 laps en route to his 29th career Cup Series win.

The 42-year-old driver also has two wins in Xfinity Series competition at Las Vegas. His first came in March 2004, when he started 11th, led 14 laps and raced his way to victory by .119 of a second over runner-up Kasey Kahne.

Harvick’s second Xfinity win at Las Vegas came in February 2010. Driving his own No. 33 car for Kevin Harvick Inc., he started second, led 82 laps and beat runner-up Denny Hamlin to the finish line by 1.361 seconds. It was the sixth win for Harvick’s team in the Xfinity Series.

He is still searching for his first Cup Series pole at Las Vegas, but he did win the pole for the Xfinity race in 2007, when he turned a lap at 181.111 mph.

Harvick’s goal this weekend at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway is to score his second win of the 2018 Cup Series season, the 100th win of his career in NASCAR’s top three series, and his 100th top-10 Cup Series result since joining SHR.

 

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

 

What’s it like to sit here with 99 wins in NASCAR’s top three series and to be chasing win No. 100?

“It’s crazy that you can sit here and think that I’ve won 99 races in NASCAR’s top three series. I’m honored to say that I’ve gone to victory lane – ever. To be able to live out and get paid to do what you used to do for a hobby and now call it your job is pretty incredible. For me, it’s really taken up until I went to Stewart-Haas Racing to have an appreciation of how much you actually love sitting in this racecar. I am so lucky to be able to do what I do, drive around in circles, travel to all these places – there really isn’t ever a day that my job isn’t fun. To be able to have won that many races with some great people at different teams and different racetracks is something I really don’t ever think about it. I don’t ever look at stats a lot. I like to look at stats, but I like to look at everybody else’s stats when I’m doing the TV stuff. For me, it’s my job. It’s what I do. We’ve been fortunate to have so much success at it.”

What was it like to have all four Stewart-Haas Racing cars perform well at Atlanta?

“Everybody was really pleased with the performance at the first 1.5-mile race. The thing I took away from it was the No. 10 car and Aric Almirola were more competitive for us and that is important for us to have that extra set of notes that we really hadn’t used the last several years because that car hasn’t performed well enough. It hasn’t been competitive enough to really bring anything to the table. To see that No. 10 car running well is great for myself, Kurt (Busch) and Clint (Bowyer) and, really, everybody at SHR. To see Kurt up there leading laps. To see (No. 10 car crew chief) Billy Scott with a car up there that was winning the race with Kurt driving it had to be great confidence for him and his abilities. It was a great first weekend on the 1.5-mile tracks for SHR.”

Compare Atlanta to Las Vegas.

“The size of the racetrack is about the only similarity. Atlanta is so worn out and the surface is so abrasive. You go to Las Vegas and it’s newer and doesn’t have those huge rocks in the surface that wears the tires out. Las Vegas does still wear the tires out and you’ll have quite a bit of fall-off, but there is a really, really high pace. The hardest thing about that pace is the bumps in the middle of turns one and two on the bottom of the track. A lot of the guys will run the middle of the racetrack as the weekend goes on, and the groove will move all the way up against the wall. The other thing we’ll have to deal with is 20- to 25-mph winds at Las Vegas. A couple of years ago, we were in the middle of a sandstorm there at the beginning of the race. Vegas is really fast, and we deal with some fall-off, but we still carry a lot of speed.”

COLE CUSTER – 2018 Las Vegas I Race Advance

Event:               Boyd Gaming 300 (Round 3 of 33)
Date:                 March 3, 2018
Location:          Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Layout:             1.5-mile oval

 

Cole Custer Notes of Interest

 

  • The Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the second of 11 races on 1.5-mile tracks on the 33-race NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule.
  • Custer has competed in two career races at Las Vegas – one last year in the Xfinity Series and one in the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Custer finished 11th in the Xfinity Series start and third in his Truck Series start. 
  • In 16 Xfinity Series starts and nine NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at 1.5-mile ovals, Custer has one win, six top-five finishes and 14 top-10s. 
  • Custer earned four top-five finishes in the Xfinity Series last season at 1.5-mile tracks – April 8 and Nov. 4 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (fifth each time), Sept. 23 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta (fifth) and Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (first). He also finished in the top-10 at three other venues – March 4 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (10th), May 27 and Oct. 7 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (seventh and sixth, respectively) and Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois (seventh).
  • This weekend, NASCAR is headed West. Custer, a native of Ladera Ranch, California, grew up racing in grassroots series across the Western United States. He began racing at the Bullring at Las Vegas in 2011, earning a victory in the USAC Young Gun division to help him secure the USAC National Focus Young Gun championship. Then, in 2012, he became the youngest Late Model division winner at the Bullring, also earning the NASCAR Nevada Rookie of the Year title.
  • 00 Haas Automation Ford crew chief Jeff Meendering isn’t a stranger to success at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Meendering was the NASCAR Cup Series crew chief for Bobby Labonte throughout the 2008 season, earning a 17th-place finish at Las Vegas in his third race with the team. He has come close to victory lane at the 1.5-mile oval as a car chief for Jeff Gordon, earning a fourth-place finish in 2005, a fifth-place finish in 2006 and a second-place finish in 2007.
  • In 2017, Custer led the Xfinity Series with 422 points at mile-and-a-half tracks.
  • Custer is 25th in the Xfinity Series standings with 25 points.
  • Last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Custer started fourth and ran within the top-three during the opening laps. On lap 11, he was contacted by another car, sending his Haas Automation Ford into the wall, ultimately ending his day. His Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste teammate Kevin Harvick brought the Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang to victory lane after dominating all three stages of the race.
  • Custer will pull a double-duty weekend by making his Cup Series debut Sunday at Las Vegas driving the No. 51 Haas Automation Ford Fusion for Rick Ware Racing.

 

Cole Custer, Driver Q&A

 

Describe a lap behind the wheel at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“It’s pretty much just really fast and you’re wide open. You’re going to start racing around the bottom, but you’ll be able to move around a bit by the end of the day. The biggest challenge is just trying to get used to the edgy feeling that you’re going to have from running wide open.”

You grew up racing on the West Coast and even at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. What are you most looking forward to about heading closer to home and about racing at Las Vegas?

“It’s definitely going home for me, so it’s cool to see some friends throughout the West Coast swing. I’ve been to Vegas a lot of times, so it’s a familiar territory and it’s awesome to race at the speedway. I definitely ran a lot of races at the Bullring and it was a really fun track to race on. It was neat because I would look at the big track and think about racing there someday, but I was just the smaller guy working my way up back then and hoping to race there one day and now I’m actually racing there. It’s pretty humbling to think I’ve come this far.”

You survived Daytona with a top-15, but ran into some bad luck in Atlanta. How do you mentally prepare yourself heading into a race weekend? Do you have more confidence heading to a 1.5-mile track this weekend?

“I don’t think I’ll change a ton going into this weekend because we mostly just struggled with bad luck. It will be important to focus on the little things a lot more because of running double duty and we have a great mile-and-a-half car, so hopefully we can have a strong run.”

 

Jeff Meendering, Crew Chief Q&A

 

Are you confident you’ll bounce back heading to another 1.5-mile track after this weekend at Atlanta?

“We ran in to bad luck last year at the start of the season and still made it to the playoffs and won at Homestead. We’re confident that we can make up the points and contend for a championship. We had a good run last year at Las Vegas and we have some notes to bring back. We’re looking for a strong run from the Haas Automation Ford Mustang this weekend.”

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2018 Las Vegas I Race Advance

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series makes the journey to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend for the first of three consecutive races out West. Aric Almirola heads to Las Vegas in the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion looking to build on his success Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he earned a 13th-place finish in his second start with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).

The 33-year-old earned bonus points in the first two stages of the Atlanta race with finishes of fifth and eighth, respectively. The bonus points were indicative of the solid weekend SHR had at the Hampton, Georgia track. All four of the SHR Ford Fusions ended the soggy weekend with top-13 finishes. The last time SHR placed all four entries in the top-15 was at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway last July.

This weekend’s event at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas oval, which sits next to Nellis Air Force Base, is the second consecutive intermediate track on the 36-race Cup Series schedule. Almirola enters Sunday’s 267-lap event 10th in the driver standings, joining his three SHR teammates in the top-10. SHR’s Kevin Harvick leads the way in fourth place after his win at Atlanta Sunday in the first race on a mile-and-a-half track this season.

Almirola will take to the track in Nevada this weekend looking to improve on his career-best finish of 14th at the 1.5-mile oval. The native of Tampa, Florida will be making his 10th start at Las Vegas and hopes to build on the momentum from Atlanta to accomplish another solid finish.

Smithfield, a brand of Smithfield Foods, which is based approximately five hours northeast of SHR headquarters in Smithfield, Virginia, enters its seventh season with Almirola and first with SHR. Las Vegas marks the third consecutive weekend the Smithfield livery has adorned Almirola’s No. 10 Ford Fusion. Founded in 1936, Smithfield is a leading provider of high-quality pork products, with a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts.

In addition to his Cup Series starts, Almirola has four Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas, where he’s never finished outside the top-17 or started outside the top-15. The Cuban American has also made three starts in the Camping World Truck Series and completed all three events inside the top-10.

Almirola and the No. 10 team led by crew chief Johnny Klausmeier participated in the Goodyear Tire Test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s sister track, Texas Motor Speedway, in January. Almirola’s teammate Kurt Busch tested at Las Vegas earlier this season on behalf of SHR, providing the championship-winning organization with copious notes from which to try and build a winning setup for this weekend’s 400.5-mile event.

So far this season, Almirola has completed a combined total of 531 laps and has an average finish of 12.0 in the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion. Coming off two top-13 finishes – 11th at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and 13th at Atlanta – Almirola is looking forward to Las Vegas, where he hopes to capitalize on the successful start to the season. “We started the day out really strong at Atlanta, but I think we just got a little bit off with one adjustment and worked to correct that in the final stage,” he said. “Unfortunately, we had a lot of long, green-flag runs, which didn’t provide us a lot of pit stops to work on the car. The good news is, overall, it was a strong day for SHR. We all ran well and it ended with my teammate Kevin Harvick in victory lane. The great thing about this sport is there is always next week and we have a lot to look forward to at Las Vegas this weekend.”

Las Vegas marks Almirola’s 247th start behind the wheel of a Cup Series car. He’ll reach the 250 race-start milestone at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway at the final weekend in March.

 

ARIC ALMIROLA, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

 

You’ve started off the season really strong. How does it feel to be so competitive early in the season?  

“It’s great to start the season off so strong. Not only do I feel like the No. 10 team has been strong, but all of the SHR cars have been extremely competitive. At the end of both races so far, two of our cars have had the chance to win the race, and Kevin Harvick was able to go to victory lane at Atlanta. If we keep running strong and putting ourselves in the right position, we’ll eventually get a win. These guys on the Smithfield team know how to win, and I want to be able to give that opportunity to them.”

How significant of a role do intermediate tracks play during the season?  

“It’s crucial to really excel at the intermediate tracks. We have so many of them on the schedule and, if you can get them figured out, they can make a huge impact on your season. We’ve seen it so many times where teams get something figured out at those tracks and go on a tear winning races. We tested at Texas before the season started, which was great. Kurt (Busch) tested at Las Vegas a few weeks ago, so that’s helpful. Of course, you hope when you go back to these tracks you’ve tested at, that some of the information you learned still applies. I’m happy with how our weekend went at Atlanta and look forward to another solid weekend at Las Vegas.”
One advantage you’ve had with your transition to Stewart-Haas Racing is the same manufacturer and sponsor. Can you talk a little bit about that?

“I am happy about continuing my relationship with Smithfield and with Ford Motor Company. I have enjoyed that relationship with them and the continuity of having the sponsor and manufacturer stay the same. That part is awesome, but I have a task at hand. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what manufacturer or sponsor is on the car, I want to go out and compete and win. For me, it’s about going out and doing my best each and every weekend. I would love to put Ford Motor Company back in victory lane. They put a lot of resources and effort into winning on Sunday and I couldn’t be more proud to drive for the blue oval. Smithfield has been a great supporter for many years and there is nothing more I’d like than to get them back in victory lane with Stewart-Haas Racing.”

KURT BUSCH – 2018 Las Vegas I Race Advance

Hunter S. Thompson spoke the quote in the subhead about Las Vegas in 1972.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has raced at Las Vegas Motor Speedway since 1998 and Kurt Busch has raced in 16 events at the track that he watched being built as a youngster. He’s also seen the city get bigger and bigger and more exciting.

Busch grew up in Las Vegas and perhaps no one is more excited that his home racetrack will host a second NASCAR Cup Series race in September.

He has won two poles and scored one top-five finish and four top-10s at the 1.5-mile oval. Additionally, the 39-year-old driver has led 85 laps, has an average starting position of 9.4, an average finish of 21.8, and has completed 96.9 percent – 4,185 of 4,293 – of the laps he’s contested there.

But he’s never found victory lane at Las Vegas. And it would be a Vegas-style party if he wins it this year.

Think of Dale Earnhardt in 1998 winning the Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Or Busch’s boss, Tony Stewart, when he finally won the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2005.

That would be Busch if he could score a victory at Las Vegas.

He and the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Fusion team for Stewart-Haas Racing, got a bit of a head start when they tested at Las Vegas in late January. It was the first time he and new crew chief Billy Scott worked together and they seemed to click right away.

In two races in 2018, they’ve led 68 laps, have one top-10 and are a solid eighth in points.

And both Busch and Scott would love nothing better than getting a victory at Las Vegas to lock themselves into the playoffs and give Busch a heartfelt, hometown win.

KURT BUSCH, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

How important was the test out in Las Vegas in late January?

“I love going back to my hometown and racing. I always like to test in Vegas in the offseason. I think it helps answer a lot of questions going into the season and better prepares you for the race. Normally, that was the first mile-and-a-half track of the year and all of your offseason work showed up at Vegas. And if you have a test session, it moved along that much faster.”

Does coming to Las Vegas give you a “home-field” advantage, and are you excited about two chances to win at Vegas in 2018?

“It never translated to a home-field advantage. I’ve always struggled at Las Vegas. I’ve qualified well but just haven’t raced that well. I’m looking to turn that around. There’s no sense in having the fast laps at the beginning if you can’t back them up at the end. And to get the second weekend, that’s huge for Las Vegas. To kick off the NASCAR playoffs in Las Vegas, it will be hot – be forewarned – and it will be a new, exciting feel for our sport. I’m really happy for the track and the town to have two dates.”

What does it feel like coming back to Las Vegas?

“Vegas is different. It’s our hometown and we grew up racing on that little three-eighth-mile bullring that is in the shadows of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Every time I go out there, it reminds me of all the people who helped Kyle (Busch, brother) and I, especially our dad Tom. But the different Late Model teams, Modified teams, the Legend car races, and all the competitors, the Dwarf car days. It’s just fun to come back and reminisce. But, ultimately, you’ve got to strap on the helmet and focus on the task at hand. It’s always special in Vegas.”

 

KURT BUSCH, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

 

The West Coast swing of races at Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Fontana serves as a pretty good indicator of where a team stands. How important is that slate of races?

“The West Coast swing is a perfect gauge for how your work went through the offseason, whether it’s the wind tunnel, the chassis dyno, new development, and then the team, as far as how the pit crew is performing. Those races on the West Coast swing really can put a stamp on where you are, what needs to be done, and what weaknesses or strengths we have.”

There are a lot of logistics involved in the West Coast swing. What do you do? Do you stay out on the West Coast or do you commute like you would to other NASCAR races?

“I stay on the West Coast. I call in to the team call-ins. Ashley (Busch, wife) likes to drive to the races out West. So, it’s just a nice, old-school road trip, going from Vegas to Phoenix to Los Angeles and making the best of it. We stop at some of the scenic spots – Grand Canyon, there are the beaches out in L.A. So, it’s a fun, cool West Coast trip.”

Of those venues that you mentioned, is there an area of the West Coast that you like to visit – have to visit – when you’re out there?

“My hometown of Las Vegas, going back there to see family, friends, and restaurants. There’s this old-school place where we always used to go get pizza when I was a kid. It was just great to go back to the roots and reminisce. It gets you back to where everything started, going to Vegas.”

 

CLINT BOWYER – 2018 Las Vegas Race Advance

Clint Bowyer is one of the most engaging drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Normally, the 38-year-old Kansan sports a smile and offers a quick laugh or joke for all the friends and fans he meets and greets at the track, but there’s also a serious side to Bowyer that may become evident this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Sure, he’ll likely cut up and smile as usual, but when he discusses his No. 14 Ford’s Las Vegas sponsor One Cure, he’ll turn serious knowing the gravity of the cancer research One Cure is performing and the potential payoff.

“I’ve always heard of One Cure since I came to Stewart-Haas Racing, but we met with them in Daytona and I was amazed at what they are doing for people and pets,” Bowyer said. “The bottom line I learned is this: There isn’t much difference between dogs and humans when it comes to cancer. What they get we get. We’re both in the same environment, drink the same water and react the same way. So, One Cure is researching cancer in dogs and other pets not only to treat them, but to apply that research in the hopes it will lead to curing cancer in humans, as well.”

Bowyer said racing is fun and cool. But this is a whole other level.

“Everyone knows somebody who has been touched by cancer,” the father of two said. “I like to have fun in life, but racing is my job and I take it very seriously and, even as seriously as I take racing, I’d like to think there are few things more important to all of us than finding a cure for cancer.”

One Cure is a project led by the Flint Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State University. The One Cure program is founded on the principle that cancer affects all creatures and that treatment breakthroughs come through collaboration between scientists and doctors working with people and animals. This approach is known as comparative oncology and it is the guiding concept of One Cure and the Flint Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State. The center works to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer in pets, and teams with the human medical field to translate research findings that will help people with cancer.

The center, located in Colorado State’s James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, sees more than 1,500 new animal cancer patients every year, with approximately 130 patients enrolling in carefully monitored clinical trials specific to their cancer type. The canine and feline patients are helping pioneer cancer research, moving cutting-edge treatments out of the laboratory and into clinical practice, ultimately providing hope to the next generation of animal and human cancer patients.

SHR first featured the One Cure initiative on its No. 10 Ford in 2017. This year, it will appear on Bowyer’s No. 14 in several races with the goal of engaging race fans in the program by visiting www.OneCure.com, where they can learn about the research and to offer financial support, as well as to check out the No. 14 team merchandise.

“This is a real honor to carry the One Cure paint scheme and spread the word on all the good work Colorado State’s Flint Animal Cancer Center is doing,” Bowyer said. “Anyone who knows me or hangs around me knows how much I love animals, whether it’s our dogs or farm animals. So, helping animals is important to me but, when you can take what you know from animals and translate it to us humans, that’s just amazing and important for all of us.”

Bowyer hopes he can create even more attention for One Cure Sunday at the fast 1.5-mile Las Vegas oval. It marks his 13th start at Las Vegas, where he earned a second-place finish in 2009, plus three other top-10 finishes. Last year, Bowyer made his 400th Cup Series start there and earned a 10th-place finish, gaining seven spots in the race’s final stage.

He’s riding momentum into Las Vegas after finishing third Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. That finish, combined with Bowyer’s 15th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, put him fifth place in the standings after two races.

“It’s been a lot of fun to run so well early in the season,” Bowyer said. “Let’s keep it that way in Las Vegas.”

 

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 One Cure Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing:

 

Do you enjoy Las Vegas?

“Who wouldn’t? And I don’t just mean the track. There’s so much to do there. If you aren’t a gambler, there are good restaurants and good shows and concerts to go to. I think it’s a great place to catch a race if you are a fan.”

Is success important at Las Vegas?

“This is racing. Success is always important. Vegas might mean more because it’s a 1.5-mile track and, if you are going to do well in this sport, you have to do well at those tracks. Plus, we are running two races at Las Vegas this year. When we come back, we’ll be kicking off the playoffs so you better have the right setup there.”

KURT BUSCH – 2018 Atlanta Race Report

Event:               Folds of Honor 500 (Round 2 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval)
Format:             325 laps, broken into three stages (85 laps/85 laps/155 laps)
Start/Finish:      7th/8th (Running, completed 325 of 325 laps)
Point Standing: 8th (68 points, 21 out of first)

Race Winner:    Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-85):

  • Kurt Busch started seventh, finished eighth and gained three bonus points.
  • The No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford Fusion was in third when Busch pitted under caution for four tires and fuel.
  • Busch pitted at the end of the stage for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170):     

  • Started seventh, finished second and picked up nine playoff bonus points.
  • Busch passed Brad Keselowski for the lead on lap 100.
  • The No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford Fusion was in second place when Busch pitted for four tires and fuel.
  • Busch pitted on lap 160 for four tires and fuel, then restarted in third.
  • Busch pitted after the stage for four tires and fuel and came out in first place. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 171-325):          

  • Started first, finished eighth.
  • On lap 198, Keselowski passed Busch for the lead.
  • Lap 213 saw Busch in third, but he hit pit road for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment, exiting the pits in fifth place.
  • While running fifth on lap 250, Busch pitted for four tires and fuel.
  • On lap 297, the caution came out as Busch ran in 10th but one lap down. He received the “lucky dog” and got his lap back before pitting for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. 

Notes:                          

  • Busch scored his 13th top-10 finish in 27 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta.
  • He led three times for 52 laps to bring his laps-led total at Atlanta to 801.
  • Busch finished eighth in Stage 1 to earn three bonus points. He finished second in Stage 2 to earn an additional nine bonus points.
  • There were five caution periods for a total of 28 laps.
  • Thirteen of the 36 drivers in the Folds of Honor 500 finished on the lead lap.
  • Kevin Harvick won the Folds of Honor 500 at Atlanta to score his first NASCAR Cup Series win of 2018, his second at Atlanta and the 38th of his career. It was his 15th NASCAR Cup Series victory since joining SHR in 2014.
  • Harvick’s margin of victory over second-place Keselowski was 2.69 seconds.
  • This was Harvick’s second win, seventh top-five and 13th top-10 finish in 28 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta. Harvick’s previous win at Atlanta was on March 11, 2001 – his first-ever win in the series. He scored the victory on what was just his third career start in the NASCAR Cup Series. 

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

“I’m real happy with that run. I could really gas her up hard on green flag runs and the fresh tires after restarts. Harvick is a master at it, and Keselowski is pretty good at it, but it just felt like our car would come unhooked on lap 20 of a run, and we were just trying to make sure we were on the right pit sequence and stayed with our car’s strength. Our car’s strength was short-run speed today.” 

Next Up:                                                                       

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Las Vegas 400 on Sunday, March 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FOX TV, PRN and SiriusXM Radio channel 90.

KEVIN HARVICK – 2018 Atlanta Race Report

Event:               Folds of Honor 500 (Round 2 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval)
Format:             325 laps, broken into three stages (85 laps/85 laps/155 laps)
Start/Finish:      3rd/1st (Running, completed 325 of 325 laps)
Point Standing: 4th (75 points, 14 out of first) 

Race Winner:    Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-85):

  • Kevin Harvick started third and finished first, collecting 10 bonus points and one playoff point.
  • The No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford raced to the lead by lap 20.
  • Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel during the competition caution on lap 30.
  • The Jimmy John’s driver led the remainder of the stage.
  • An equipment malfunction on the pit stop following the stage caused a slow stop and forced the team to make a second stop to ensure the tires were installed correctly.
  • Earned a playoff point for prevailing as the victor in Stage 1. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170):

  • Started 19th, finished fifth and collected six bonus points.
  • Harvick drove back to the lead by lap 125.
  • The Jimmy John’s team came to pit road under green for four tires and fuel on lap 127 and reclaimed the lead on lap 132.
  • The team came to pit road for four tires and fuel on lap 160 and came out in the second position.
  • Harvick fell from second to fifth on the lap-162 restart. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 171-325):

  • Started fourth, finished first.
  • Harvick pitted on lap 212 from second place for four tires and fuel, but a fast racecar enabled the driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion to take the lead on lap 226.
  • Harvick made a green-flag pit stop on lap 252 for four tires and fuel.
  • Once green-flag stops cycled through, Harvick was back in the lead by lap 266.
  • After leading for several circuits around the 1.54-mile oval, Harvick gave up a 12.5-second lead to make yet another green-flag pit stop for four tires and fuel on lap 287. He reassumed the lead on lap 290.
  • A caution on lap 298 allowed Harvick to pit on lap 300 for four tires and fuel. He won the race off pit road and maintained the lead to the end, winning the Folds of Honor 500.

Notes:

  • Harvick’s victory in the Folds of Honor 500 marked the 44th overall win for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). It was the organization’s 40th points-paying Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win and its second at Atlanta. Tony Stewart won at Atlanta on Sept. 5, 2010.
  • This was SHR’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory with Ford. The team won its first race with Ford when Kurt Busch captured the 2017 Daytona 500.
  • This was Harvick’s first NASCAR Cup Series win of 2018, his second at Atlanta and the 38th of his career. It was his 15th NASCAR Cup Series victory since joining SHR in 2014.
  • Harvick’s margin of victory over second-place Brad Keselowski was 2.69 seconds.
  • This was Harvick’s second win, seventh top-five and 13th top-10 finish in 28 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta. Harvick’s previous win at Atlanta was on March 11, 2001 – his first-ever win in the series. He scored the victory on what was just his third career start in the NASCAR Cup Series.
  • With the win Harvick earned five playoff points. He finished first in Stage 1 to earn 10 bonus points and one playoff point. He finished fifth in Stage 2 to earn an additional six bonus points.
  • Harvick led eight times for a race-high 181 laps to bring his laps-led total at Atlanta to 1,152.
  • There were five caution periods for a total of 28 laps.
  • Thirteen of the 36 drivers in the Folds of Honor 500 finished on the lead lap. 

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

“I’m just so proud of everybody on our team. I had the first win in my career here, and to be able to pay tribute to Dale (Earnhardt) was pretty cool. I’ve been waiting a long time to do that. We’ve had so many days where we could do that here, but I just want to thank everybody from Stewart-Haas Racing, Jimmy John’s, Busch, Ford, Mobil 1, Outback, Hunt Brothers, Morton Buildings, Textron Off Road, Liftmaster – everybody who puts this car on the racetrack. For five years it’s been so fast at this particular racetrack and a lot of other ones. I love racing here, and it’s good to be back in victory lane finally. It took a while.” 

Next Up:                                                                      

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Las Vegas 400 on Sunday, March 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FOX TV, PRN and SiriusXM Radio channel 90.

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2018 Atlanta Race Report

Event:               Folds of Honor 500 (Round 2 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval)
Format:             325 laps, broken into three stages (85 laps/85 laps/155 laps)
Start/Finish:      11th/13th (Running, completed 325 of 325 laps)
Point Standing: 10th (66 points, 23 out of first) 

Race Winner:    Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-85):

  • After a delay due to rain, Aric Almirola started Stage 1 in the 11th position – his second-highest starting position at the 1.54-mile track in his Cup Series career – and ended it in the fifth spot, earning him six playoff bonus points.
  • During the scheduled competition caution on lap 30, Almirola pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help him with rear grip.
  • Shortly before the end of Stage 1, the 33-year-old entered the top-five in the No. 10 Ford Fusion.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170):

  • The Tampa, Florida, native began Stage 2 from the fourth spot and ended the stage in eighth to earn three bonus points.
  • Before taking the green flag in Stage 2, Almirola visited pit road for service from the Smithfield pit crew.
  • On lap 99, Almirola reported that the handling of his No. 10 machine was loose and he needed more grip overall.
  • On lap 127 he made a scheduled green-flag pit stop for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help the Ford Fusion’s handling.
  • The third caution of the race came out on lap 158, and Almirola once again visited pit road for service. He completed a sprint to the end of Stage 2 and ended it in the eighth position.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 171-325):

  • Almirola entered Stage 3 in the 16th position and completed it in 13th.
  • Before the start of the final stage, Almirola once again visited pit road for fuel and four tires, but an issue during the pit stop dropped him from eighth to 16th.
  • Being in traffic caused the No. 10 Ford Fusion to become difficult to handle, but Almirola worked to gain positions.
  • The last caution of the race came out on lap 298, and crew chief Johnny Klausemeier called for Almirola to stay out on the track and take the wave-around in order to get back on the lead lap after a long green-flag run.
  • Almirola was able to retain the 13th position to complete the 246th race of his Cup Series career.

Notes:

  • Almirola finished fifth in Stage 1 to earn six bonus points. He finished eighth in Stage 2 to earn an additional three bonus points.
  • The Ford driver’s 13th-place finish tonight is the third-best finish of his Cup Series career at the intermediate oval located in Hampton, Georgia.
  • Kevin Harvick’s victory in the Folds of Honor 500 marked the 44th overall win for Stewart-Haas Racing. It was the organization’s 40th points-paying Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win and its second at Atlanta. Tony Stewart won at Atlanta on Sept. 5, 2010.
  • This was SHR’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory with Ford. The team won its first race with Ford when Kurt Busch captured the 2017 Daytona 500.
  • All four SHR drivers finished on the lead lap and in the top-13 at Atlanta on Sunday. As a result, all four drivers are ranked in the top-10 of the driver point standings.
  • There were five caution periods for a total of 28 laps.
  • Thirteen of the 36 drivers in the Folds of Honor 500 finished on the lead lap.

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“The guys did a great job with the Smithfield Ford Fusion. We were really strong to start the race, and it felt great to run up front. I think we just got a little off on one adjustment, and then we kept working to correct it. With the long green-flag runs we didn’t get many chances to keep making adjustments, but we’ll move on to next weekend at Las Vegas.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Las Vegas 400 on Sunday, March 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FOX, PRN and SiriusXM radio Channel 90.

CLINT BOWYER – 2018 Atlanta Race Report

Event:               Folds of Honor 500 (Round 2 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval)
Format:             325 laps, broken into three stages (85 laps/85 laps/155 laps)
Start/Finish:      9th/3rd (Running, completed 325 of 325 laps)
Point Standing: 5th with 74 points, 15 out of first

Race Winner:    Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-85):

  • Started ninth, finished second to earn nine bonus points.
  • Crew told Bowyer he was the fastest car on the track on lap 14.
  • Climbed to seventh by the lap-30 competition caution. Bowyer asked for no adjustments during his pit stop.
  • Moved into second place on lap 75, often turning top lap times.
  • Best stage finish since winning Stage 2 at Pocono International Raceway on July 30, 2017.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170):

  • Started second, finished ninth to earn two bonus points.
  • Bowyer immediately reported his car felt much looser in the corners.
  • Dropped to eighth before pitting for adjustments under green on lap 128.
  • Adjustments paid dividends as Bowyer began climbing through the field and turning quick lap times.
  • Pitted under caution on lap 158 for air adjustments. Bowyer restarted the race in 10th with seven laps remaining in the stage.
  • After some frantic racing in the final laps, Bowyer finished the stage in ninth about five seconds behind the stage winner. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 171-325):

  • Started eighth, finished third.
  • Bowyer moved to fifth by the lap-200 mark as rain began to sprinkle the track.
  • The rain held off, and Bowyer showed he would be a threat for victory lane.
  • Bowyer restarted the race in fifth with 23 laps remaining.
  • Surged to third on the restart and likely would have finished second if the race had lasted another lap. 

Notes:

  • Kevin Harvick’s victory in the Folds of Honor 500 marked the 44th overall win for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). It was the organization’s 40th points-paying Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win and its second at Atlanta. Tony Stewart won at Atlanta on Sept. 5, 2010.
  • This was SHR’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory with Ford. The team won its first race with Ford when Kurt Busch captured the 2017 Daytona 500.
  • This was Bowyer’s first top-five and sixth top-10 finish in 18 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta.
  • All four SHR drivers finished on the lead lap and in the top-13 at Atlanta on Sunday. As a result, all four drivers are ranked in the top-10 of the driver point standings.
  • There were five caution periods for a total of 28 laps. Thirteen of the 36 drivers in the Folds of Honor 500 finished on the lead lap.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Haas Automation Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing:          

“It’s a fun racetrack. There aren’t many places left that can put on a show like that and be able to race all over the place, so I just appreciate this place. I appreciate Harvick’s speed. He was so fast. Man, I’m telling you our Haas Automation Ford was good all weekend long. All of our Stewart-Haas cars were fast. That’s a credit to everybody’s hard work over the offseason, and it paid dividends here tonight.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Las Vegas 400 on Sunday, March 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FOX.

KEVIN HARVICK – 2018 Atlanta NXS Report

Harvick Wins at Atlanta

Hunt Brothers Pizza Driver Scores Fifth Xfinity Series Win at Atlanta

Date: February 24, 2018
Event: Atlanta 250 (Round 2 of 33)
Series: NASCAR XFINITY Series
Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval)
Format: 163 laps, broken into three stages (40 laps/40 laps/83 laps)
Start/Finish: 5th/1st (Running, completed 163 of 163 laps) 

Race Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-40):

●  Started fifth, finished first.

●  The No. 98 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang restarted third on the lap-16 restart and immediately drove to the lead.

●  Harvick maintained the lead until a pit stop under caution on lap 37. Several cars stayed out and he restarted 10th.

●  Harvick made the pass to retake the lead on the final lap of the stage.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 41-80):           

●  Started first, finished first.

●  Harvick and the Hunt Brothers Pizza team led every green-flag lap of Stage 2.

●  The No. 98 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford came to pit road for four tires and fuel at the conclusion of Stage 2.

 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 81-163): 

●  Started first, finished first

●  Harvick brought the Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford to pit road with a 6.250 second lead under green for four tires and fuel on lap 128.

●  He led the remainder of the event.

 

Notes:                   

●  Harvick scored his series-best fifth win in 17 XFINITY Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

●  It was his 47th win in 341 XFINITY Series starts and his 98th win in NASCAR’s top-three series.

●  Harvick’s last Xfinity Series win prior to today was at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California in March 2015.

●  The win marks the second Xfinity Series win for Stewart-Haas Racing. SHR teammate Cole Custer scored the organization’s first win at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway in the 2017 season finale.

●  Harvick swept both race stages, led four times for a race-high 141 laps and scored the win.

●  Only seven of the 40 cars entered into the race finished on the lead lap.

●  Harvick’s SHR teammate Cole Custer finished 39th after being involved in a wreck on lap 10.

●  This was Harvick’s first NASCAR XFINITY Series start of the year for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste.

 

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 98 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste:

“The race track has stayed very similar to what it’s been for a number of years. I think as you look at the techniques and the things that I do in the car, they give me what I want in the car as far as the feeling it just applies here. It’s been a great race track for us. I was frustrated last year here. We didn’t leave here with the trophy on either day and that’s always our goal is to win one day. I’ve just got to thank Hunt Brothers Pizza, Fields, Haas Automation, Ford, Jimmy John’s, Busch, Mobil 1, Morton Buildings, Textron Off-Road, Ollie’s, LiftMaster, everybody who puts all this effort into this XFINITY program. Last year was our first race here together as a team and on the race track it was our second race total – Cole ran Daytona – so they’ve done a great job at Stewart-Haas Racing. I’ve got to thank Gene Haas, Joe Custer and Fred Biagi and Bill DenBeste, and everybody who works on this thing. It’s a great day.”