Event:               60^th Daytona 500 (Round 1 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Daytona (Fla.) International Raceway (2.5-mile oval)
Format:             200 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/80 laps)
Start/Finish:      37th/11th (Running, completed 206 of 207 laps in overtime)
Point Standing: 8th (33 points, 15 out of first) 

Race Winner:    Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Kurt Busch of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-60):

• Aric Almirola started Stage 1 in the 37^th position and completed the season-opening stage in the 18^th spot.
• During the first caution of the race, Almirola had to make two pit stops after sliding his tires on the originally scheduled fuel-only pit stop.
• At lap 50, during the second caution of the race, Almirola visited pit road for fuel, four tires and adjustments to the No. 10 Ford.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 61-120):

• The Tampa, Florida, native began Stage 2 from the fifth spot and gained one position to end the stage in fourth.
• The fourth caution of the race came out on lap 93, and Almirola visited pit road for service to his Ford Fusion. He received two right-side tires and fuel from the Smithfield pit crew and restarted 12^th.
• On lap 112 Almirola reached the third position, his highest-running spot to that point in the race, before ending Stage 2 in fourth.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 121-207):

• The 33-year-old driver entered Stage 3 in the seventh position and completed it in 11^th.
• Before the start of the final stage, Almirola once again visited pit road for fuel and four tires.
• Almirola made a scheduled green-flag stop on lap 170 from the 12^th position for the pit crew to put on two right-side tires and fill his Smithfield Ford full of fuel.
• With 10 laps to go Almirola was in the seventh position, and with five scheduled laps to go he was battling for the lead with teammate Kurt Busch.
• The race was sent into overtime due to a late-race accident, and Almirola found himself in the second position for the final restart. He took the lead on lap 206, but Austin Dillon made contact with the No. 10’s bumper, turning Almirola into the wall on the final lap.

Notes:

• Almirola led the penultimate lap of the Daytona 500 before contact from the race-winning car of Dillon on the final lap sent the No. 10 out of the lead and into the wall.
• Almirola finished fourth in Stage 2 to earn seven bonus points.
• There were eight caution periods for a total of 37 laps.
• Only 10 of the 40 drivers in the Daytona 500 finished on the lead lap.
• Dillon’s win in the Daytona 500 was his second career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory and his first at Daytona. His margin of victory over runner-up Darrell (Bubba) Wallace Jr. was .26 of a second.

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

“I’m so devastated. I thought I was going to win the Daytona 500. I’m just disappointed. I wanted to get Smithfield to victory lane, and I wanted to get Ford to victory lane. With this switch to Stewart-Haas Racing this year I couldn’t have thought of a better way to start off this relationship than with a trip to victory lane in the Daytona 500. I did everything I could. I just ended up in the infield care center. You know, the beauty is that there is always next week. We’ll go to Atlanta and try to win in our Smithfield Ford there.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Folds of Honor 500 on Sunday, Feb. 25 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 1:30 p.m.

Aric Almirola’s Day Ends Early in Xfinity Series Season Opener at Daytona

Smithfield/DenBeste Water Solutions Driver Collected in Late-Race Accident

Date: Feb. 17, 2018
Event: Powershares QQQ 300 (Round 1 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Raceway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 120 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/30 laps/60 laps)
Start/Finish: 13th/35th (Accident, completed 121 of 143 laps in overtime)

Race Winner: Tyler Reddick of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-30):

● Aric Almirola started Stage 1 in the 13th position and reached the top-10 before completing it in 15th.
● The Tampa, Florida, native pitted on lap 10 for fuel, four tires and adjustments.
● Almirola pitted at the conclusion of Stage 1 for fuel and adjustments to improve the No. 98 machine’s handling.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 31-60):           

● The Ford driver began Stage 2 from the fourth spot, and finished second.
● At the end of the stage, Almirola made his third pit stop of the day for two right-side tires and fuel only.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 61-143): 

● The 33-year-old started the final stage in the first position.
● After jockeying for positions throughout the final stage Almirola restarted fourth with five scheduled laps remaining in the race.
● Unfortunately, Almirola was caught up in a multi-car accident during the first overtime attempt which ultimately ended his day.

Notes:                   

● This marks Almirola’s 10th NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and 101st career Xfinity start.
● Almirola led one time for four laps in the Smithfield/DenBeste Water Solutions Ford, bringing his Xfinity Series Daytona laps led total to 16.
●12 cautions slowed the race for 49 laps
●The race went 23 laps past the scheduled 120-lap distance.
●Tyler Reddick won the Powershares QQQ 300 to score his second careerXfinity Series victory, first of the season and first at Daytona. His margin of victory over second-place Elliot Sadler was .001 seconds.

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 98 Smithfield/DenBeste Water Solutions Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi DenBeste:               
“I hate that we got caught up in a wreck.  Our Ford Mustang was really fast and I thought we were going to get us another Xfinity victory, but unfortunately we didn’t.  I’m really proud of everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste.  They brought some really nice race cars for speedway racing.”

Next Up:               
The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Atlanta 250 on Saturday, Feb. 24 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 2p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FS1.

Cole Custer Finishes 14th At Daytona

Haas Automation Driver Survives Wreck-Filled Race

Date: Feb. 17, 2018
Event: Powershares QQQ 300 (Round 1 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 120 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/30 laps/60 laps)
Start/Finish: 14^th/14^th (Running, completed 143 of 143 laps) in overtime
Point Standing: 12th with 24 points

Race Winner:    Tyler Reddick of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-30):

• Cole Custer started 14^th, finished 10^th. Earned one bonus point.
• Custer piloted the Haas Automation Ford in and out of the top-10 throughout the stage.
• With two laps to go, Custer found a push from the rear sending him to the seventh position.
• Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments at the conclusion of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 31-60):       

• Started 10^th, finished 12^th.
• Custer battled inside the top-15 for the majority of Stage 2 while noting tight-handling conditions.
• At the conclusion of the stage, Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 61-143):

• Started 16^th, finished 14^th.
• On lap 79, Custer powered the Haas Automation Ford Mustang to the ninth position.
• During the lap 83 caution, crew chief Jeff Meendering radioed Custer in for a fuel-only stop. He restarted in the ninth position.
• Custer was involved in an accident on lap 99 causing splitter damage on both sides.
• He pitted for damage repair five times during two caution periods and remained on the lead lap.
• After numerous cautions pushing the race 23 laps past the scheduled distance, Custer survived the late race chaos untouched and battled in and out of the top-10 before finishing 14^th at the checkered flag.

Notes:              

• The 14^th-place finish was Custer’s highest finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
• Custer is 24th in the Xfinity Series Playoff points standings.
• 12 cautions slowed the race for 49 laps.
• The race went 23 laps past the scheduled 120-lap distance.
• Tyler Reddick won the Powershares QQQ 300 to score his second career Xfinity Series victory, first of the season and first at Daytona. His margin of victory over second-place Elliot Sadler was .001 seconds.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing With Biagi-DenBeste:      

“I have to give a huge thanks to the Haas Automation crew for keeping us alive in this race. We were caught up in an accident early and were able to salvage a decent finish. It was still really drivable there at the end. I was really surprised, but I had a huge vibration, so we didn’t have the fastest car there. I was happy with it. Compared to last year, this is a lot better. We didn’t put ourselves in a hole, so I’m looking forward to Atlanta.”

Next Up:          

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Atlanta 250 on Saturday, Feb. 24 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FS1.

Event:                           Can-Am Duel (qualifying race for the Daytona 500)
Series:                           Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:                      Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format:                         Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Start/Finish:                  8^th/4^th (Running, completed 60 of 60 laps) 

Duel No. 1 Winner:        Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford) in overtime.
Duel No. 2 Winner:        Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

SHR Finish:

• Kevin Harvick (Started 4th, Finished 2nd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
• Clint Bowyer (Started 8th, Finished 4th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Kurt Busch (Started 9th, Finished 5th / Running, completed 60 of 63 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Aric Almirola (Started 7th, Finished 20th / Crashed, completed 8 of 63 laps in Duel No. 1)

Notes:                          

• Bowyer will start tenth in Sunday’s 60th Daytona 500.
• Bowyer raced in the top-10 when he narrowly missed a spinning Erik Jones in a lap-12 accident.
• Bowyer made a lap-13 pit stop for four tires and adjustments to fix his loose handling condition.
• Bowyer remained in the top four for the rest of the race.
• Stewart-Haas Racing scored three top-five finishes in the Can-Am Duels at Daytona.
• Bowyer scored seven regular-season points, Harvick nine and Kurt Busch six.
• Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Sunday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times. 

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

“Man we wanted to win that race. I was in a good spot to have a safe finish. If (Harvick) hadn’t made a move, maybe that would have opened it up. He had his hands full too. We were both protecting pretty good. I thought he had a run to get to the outside but he just didn’t do it. That move is for Sunday. We will make that move and get these Fords in victory lane.”

Next Up:                                                                       

The 60th Daytona 500 gets underway at 2:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 18, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

Event:                           Can-Am Duel
Series:                           Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:                      Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format:                         Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Start/Finish:                  7^th/20^th (Accident, completed 8 of 63 laps)
Duel No. 1 Winner:        Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Duel No. 2 Winner:        Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

SHR Finish:     

• Kevin Harvick (Started 4^th, Finished 2^nd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Clint Bowyer (Started 8^th, Finished 4^th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Kurt Busch (Started 9^th, Finished 5^th / Running, completed 63 of 63 laps in Duel No. 1)
• Aric Almirola (Started 7^th, Finished 20^th / Accident, completed 8 of 63 laps in Duel No. 1)

Notes:              

• Almirola held steady in the top-10 of the 20-car field.
• The Tampa native was collected in an accident on lap eight after Jimmie Johnson sustained a flat tire and lost control of his racecar.
• Almirola will start 39th in the Daytona 500.
• Duel No. 1 ran three laps past its scheduled 60-lap distance as a late caution sent the race into overtime.
• Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Sunday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times. 

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

“It’s disappointing and not the way I wanted to start Speedweeks with our Smithfield Ford Fusion, but we will get another car out and get ready for the rest of the weekend. The beauty of it is that it’s just the Duel 150s and it wasn’t the Daytona 500. Our car was really fast. I was really impressed with how fast it was. I was literally just idling around and running quarter throttle. I was keeping up and just kind of managing my runs to the cars in front of me. I’m sure our other car is just as fast.” 

Next Up:                                                                        

The 60^th Daytona 500 gets underway at 2:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 18, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

Event:                           Can-Am Duel
Series:                           Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:                      Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format:                         Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Start/Finish:                  9^th/5^th (Running, completed 63 of 63 laps in Duel No. 1)

Duel No. 1 Winner:        Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Duel No. 2 Winner:        Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) 

Stewart-Haas Racing Finish:      

• Kevin Harvick (Started 4^th, Finished 2^nd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Clint Bowyer (Started 8^th, Finished 4^th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Kurt Busch (Started 9^th, Finished 5^th / Running, completed 63 of 63 laps in Duel No. 1)
• Aric Almirola (Started 7^th, Finished 20^th / Accident, completed 8 of 63 laps in Duel No. 1)

Notes:              

• Busch’s No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion was loose early on in the race. During the first caution on lap 10 while running 11^th, he pitted for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.
• Busch pitted on lap 14 to top off with fuel.
• On lap 39, Busch just missed an incident between Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and William Byron. He was in 10^th positon and used the subsequent caution to pit for four tires and fuel.
• Busch started fifth on the final restart with two laps remaining and brought the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion to a fifth-place finish.
• Duel No. 1 ran three laps past its scheduled 60-lap distance as a late caution sent the race into overtime.
• Busch will start 11^th in the 60^th Daytona 500. He is the defending Daytona 500 champion.
• Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Sunday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times. 

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

“All the cars are dancing around pretty good. We would like the handling side to go away as the run goes on, but right now the cars are so edgy that you’re just holding on trying to watch others. If they make too big of a mistake, you will get wrapped up in it. I just played it patient tonight. I didn’t seal the deal on that last restart. We restarted fifth and finished fifth. Our car doesn’t have a scratch on it and we will go to work on our setup and I hope everybody else does too.”

Next Up:                                                                        

The 60th Daytona 500 gets underway at 2:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 18, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

Event:                           Can-Am Duel (qualifying race for the Daytona 500)
Series:                           Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:                      Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format:                         Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Start/Finish:                  4th/2nd (Running, completed 60 of 60 laps) 

Duel No. 1 Winner:        Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford) in overtime
Duel No. 2 Winner:        Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) 

Stewart-Haas Racing Finish:

• Kevin Harvick (Started 4th, Finished 2th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Clint Bowyer (Started 8th, Finished 4th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Kurt Busch (Started 9th, Finished 5th / Running, completed 63 of 63 laps in Duel No. 1)
• Aric Almirola (Started 7th, Finished 20th / Crash, completed 8 of 63 laps in Duel No. 1)

Notes:                          

• Harvick will start sixth in the Daytona 500.
• The Jimmy John’s Ford came to pit road for a splash of fuel under caution on lap 13.
• Harvick gained the lead on pit road and went on to lead twice for seven laps.
• He raced in the third position from lap 25 until the final lap when he raced for the lead, but finished in the runner-up spot by 0.081 of a second.
• Harvick scored his eighth top-five finish in a Daytona qualifying race.
• Harvick received nine regular-season points for his runner-up finish in the second Duel.
• Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Sunday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times. 

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

“The 21 and 14 got side by side over there and Clint (Bowyer) got to my bumper, but my car was so loose that I didn’t want to pull it really hard to the right because it felt like it would spin out all night. We definitely need to work on the handling on our Ford to make it better. I want to thank everybody from Jimmy John’s, Busch Beer, Ford, Mobil 1, Outback, Hunt Brothers Pizza, Morton Building and everybody at Stewart-Haas. We have a fast car.”

Next Up:                                                                        

The 60th Daytona 500 gets underway at 2:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 18, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

Event:               Powershares QQQ 300 (Round 1 of 33)
Date:                 Feb. 17, 2018
Location:          Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
Layout:             2.5-mile oval

Aric Almirola Notes of Interest 

• The Powershares QQQ 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway is the first of two XFINITY Series races Aric Almirola will be participating in this season. He’ll also pilot the No. 98 Ford Mustang at the upcoming July race at Daytona.
• Almirola has nine XFINITY Series starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway and has completed 96.9 percent of all possible laps. He led the most important lap, the final one, in July 2016 to earn his second career win in the series.
• Most recently, the Tampa native led 13 laps and visited victory lane at the only other restrictor-plate track on the circuit, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, in May 2017 with a .142-second margin of victory.
• The Talladega win was one of five XFINITY Series races Almirola contested in 2017.
• In his first XFINITY Series start in February 2007 at Daytona, the 33-year-old captured the pole position with a speed of 183.741 mph.
• NASCAR XFINITY Series team Biagi-DenBeste joined forces with Stewart-Haas Racing during the offseason. The team is now formally recognized as Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (SHR). Biagi-DenBeste’s track record at restrictor-plate races includes two superspeedway wins – 2016 at Daytona and 2017 at Talladega – with Almirola behind the wheel for both victories.
• Cole Custer, who won the final XFINITY Series race of the 2017 season, is Almirola’s teammate this weekend at Daytona. Custer pilots the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang.
• Smithfield will adorn the No. 98 Ford Mustang for this weekend’s 120-lap event. 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.
• William and Lori DenBeste are the founders of DenBeste Water Solutions. The company designs, sources and leases specialty storage tanks and bins in various sizes and models for use in the oil, gas, environmental, construction and water management industries.
• The No. 98 Smithfield DenBeste Water Solutions Ford Mustang is powered by a Roush Yates Engines FR9 Carb V8 engine. In 2017, Roush Yates won three of the four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series restrictor-plate races and one XFINITY restrictor-plate race.

Aric Almirola, Driver Q&A

Can you talk about the enjoyment you get out of racing in the XFINITY Series?

“The XFINITY Series is one of the highest levels in any form of stock car auto racing. For me, to have the accomplishment of winning at both Daytona and Talladega in the XFINITY Series has been a huge feather in my cap for my career and a big boost of confidence to make me appreciate where I’ve come from and also that I have opportunities that lie ahead of me, and that I can go out and be successful. The XFINITY Series is such an awesome series that I get to race in a few times a year. I hope I get to add a few more XFINITY Series checkered flags to my collection this year.”

Your first XFINITY Series win was the first time you were able to have your family in victory lane with you. How cool was it to have that experience with them?

“To see the smile on my kid’s face and the tears in my wife’s eyes, that was special. To have them there when I won my first XFINITY race, that was so cool. To see the reaction on my kids’ faces when they got Gatorade sprayed all over them and they got soaking wet – they were confused and startled but, at the same time, happy and elated. It was really cool.”

How do you feel about going into Daytona?

“Restrictor-plate races have been really good for me over the last few years, not only in the XFINITY Series, but in the Cup Series, too. The Roush Yates engine under the hood of the Ford Mustang has been very strong and is a big part of the success I’ve had. I also still get the opportunity to work with the Biagi and DenBeste families, so there’s a lot of familiarity this year along with everything that is new. Everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste has been working really hard over the offseason to prepare for Daytona and it’s up to me to do my job behind the wheel.”

Richard Boswell, Crew Chief Q&A

What are you looking forward to the most about Daytona?

“I’m looking forward to working with Aric and having a good showing for Smithfield and DenBeste Water Solutions. All the guys at Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste have worked their guts out all winter to give us a shot in Daytona. Aric is a great speedway racer and we are hopeful for a great start to the season.”