Month: May 2018

Aric Almirola and the No. 10 Smithfield/Waffle House Ford Fusion team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will venture just a few miles down the road from the race shop for Saturday night’s Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. While this weekend is an exhibition race, the No. 10 team is riding the momentum from last weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City after qualifying fourth and taking the checkered flag ninth.

This weekend marks the sixth time Almirola will compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series non-points race. In 2015, he was locked into the main event after capturing his first Cup Series win the previous year, which automatically qualified him for the All-Star Race. This year, Almirola will need to qualify his way into the main event by either winning a stage in the All-Star Open that precedes it, or by earning the most fan votes. If Almirola succeeds in one of those two things, he will earn another opportunity to win the $1 million grand prize and compete in the All-Star Race against his three SHR teammates, who have already secured their spots by virtue of winning last year or so far this year.

Almirola’s No. 10 Ford Fusion will have a different look for Saturday’s event that is a perfect fit for this weekend’s All-Star theme. Waffle House will appear on the car to help kick off its first-ever “Who’s Your All-Star?” sweepstakes in conjunction with Smithfield Foods. Fans can enter beginning Saturday by snapping a photo with their favorite Waffle House associate and sharing via Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #WhosYourAllStar. The top-10 associates and the customers who nominated them will receive special recognition and a Waffle House gift card. One grand prize customer and associate winner will each receive a VIP experience to the NASCAR Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.

Waffle House restaurants are headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, which is approximately four hours southwest from the Kannapolis, North Carolina headquarters of SHR. The company operates more than 1,850 restaurants in 25 states.

On the racetrack at Charlotte this weekend, most notable is the new rules package with which NASCAR’s competition department has challenged the teams and drivers. Horsepower-reducing restrictor plates will be used for the first time at the 1.5-mile venue, as well as changes to the aerodynamic package. The modifications have been implemented in hopes of tightening the field for the event and generate added excitement.

The 34-year-old Almirola has one top-five and four top-10 finishes in the Open. In his lone start in the main event in 2014, he finished 14^th.

In addition to the Waffle House sweepstakes, fans can enter for their chance to win Smithfield’s Smoke Machine Mustang designed by team co-owner Tony Stewart with the help of drifting champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. They helped create a one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang RTR Spec 3 that will be given away to one lucky fan. Fans can register for their chance to win the suped-up Mustang and a trip to November’s Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead by visiting SmithfieldRacing.com, or by texting SMOKE to 82257.

Fans also continue to have the opportunity to celebrate the summer grilling season by entering Smithfield’s “Hero of the Grill” contest that Almirola and five-time world-champion barbecue pitmaster Tuffy Stone helped launch earlier this month. Fans are encouraged to nominate their favorite grill hero by visiting SmithfieldGetGrilling.com. One “Hero of the Grill” nominee will win $5,000. Plus, the first 10,000 nominees will have the chance to see their name featured on Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield Ford at Richmond (Va.) Raceway in September.

Charlotte All-Star weekend marks the 11^th time the Smithfield livery has adorned Almirola’s No. 10 Ford Fusion. Smithfield, a brand of Smithfield Foods, which is based approximately five hours northeast of SHR headquarters in Smithfield, Virginia, is in its seventh season with Almirola and its first with SHR. 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.

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

What has been the biggest challenge so far for 2018?

“The biggest challenge is just (crew chief) Johnny (Klausmeier) and I building a notebook together. On a personal level, we already have a relationship. On a crew chief and driver level, we are 12 weeks into building that relationship, and Johnny is a brand new crew chief and doesn’t have a ton of experience from that side as far building a notebook. And, as far as that gut feeling on how to prepare for practice and the race, especially with me as the driver, we’re brand new together. It’s just about building that confidence together and having the ability to say, ‘Hey, remember we did this last time at this track and it was bad, or remember last we did this and it really helped our car?’ All of those things take time and experience. At the same time, to not get too greedy and keep our heads down and focus on ourselves.”

At a glance, what do you think of the new rules package at Charlotte?

“I have no idea what to expect, absolutely zero. I’m going into it very open minded, ready to accept the challenge ahead and trying and make the most it. At the end of the day, there’s going to be a race and there’s going to be a winner and, whatever the rules package is, I hope we do a good job of  maximizing our efforts and come out on top. I think it will be interesting for sure, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes and what kind of race we put on.”

How does SHR stay collaborative and not break into separate teams?

“I think that’s what makes Stewart-Haas Racing so successful. You’ve got four competitive teams and obviously there are a lot of big personalities there and a lot of fun-loving spirit, but the commonality of Stewart-Haas Racing is that everybody who shows up to work, whether it’s Kevin Harvick or Tony Stewart or Gene Haas or the people sweeping the floors, everybody just loves racing. I’ve been at a lot of organizations, fortunately and unfortunately, in my career, so I’ve gotten to see some of the good, bad and the ugly of each organization. I’ve been a part of Joe Gibbs Racing. I’ve been affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports through Junior Motorsports, and the six weeks I spent working with Jimmie Johnson on the baby duty deal that I did there. I’ve been a part of DEI. I’ve been a part of RPM, and through RPM I’ve gotten to work with Roush, so I’ve seen a lot of the garage area, and the one thing that stands out to me the most at Stewart-Haas Racing is that, from top to bottom, the passion for just racing in general is unbelievable. The people who work at Stewart-Haas Racing wake up every morning excited to go to work for no other reason than to just figure out how to make racecars go faster, and everybody wants to just pull their weight and that’s something that’s rare in this industry, because this industry is a very dog-eat-dog world and that’s just not the case at SHR. Everybody is there to pull their own weight and to do the best they can at their job to try and help make their part of the racecar go faster, and that collective effort, I think, is what has Stewart-Haas Racing on top right now.”

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), has – with all due respects to the band Smash Mouth – “got his game on” this year as he looks to further upgrade his all-star status Saturday night in the Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Harvick has dominated this season with five Cup Series victories, three of which have come on intermediate tracks similar to Charlotte  – Feb. 25 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, March 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and last Saturday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.

In addition to his impressive results this season, Harvick’s All-Star Race history is noteworthy, as well.

He’s making his 18^th consecutive All-Star Race appearance, which will move him ahead of Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Labonte and into a tie with Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr., for the fifth-most consecutive appearances. Mark Martin has the most consecutive All-Star appearances at 24, and Jeff Gordon is second after making his 22^nd straight appearance prior to his retirement at the conclusion of 2015. Rusty Wallace and Harvick’s team owner Tony Stewart are tied for third with 19.

The 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion earned his first appearance in the All-Star Race during his 2001 rookie campaign, when he scored his first Cup Series win in only his third start at Atlanta that March, when he started fifth, led 18 laps and beat runner-up Gordon by .006 of a second for one of the closest finishes in series history. While it took Harvick just three races to qualify for his first All-Star Race, a brake issue in the non-points event in Charlotte forced him to retire after only 19 laps. He finished 21^st.

Harvick won the 2007 All-Star Race when he started fourth, led 20 of 80 laps and beat runner-up Jimmie Johnson to the finish line by .141 of a second. The win made Harvick an automatic All-Star qualifier for the rest of his full-time career. However, he has also qualified for the All-Star Race by virtue of a win every season since 2010, as well as via his 2014 series title.

In addition to the 2007 win, Harvick has three runner-up finishes in the All-Star Race – two in the last four events and both under the SHR banner. He started third, led five laps and finished second to race-winner Jamie McMurray by .696 of a second in 2014. In 2015, he started 20th and finished second by .923 of a second to Denny Hamlin.

Harvick has three career points-paying victories at Charlotte winning the Coca-Cola 600 in both 2011 and 2013, and the Bank of America 500 in 2014.

While his Charlotte resume is rock solid in several respects, there will be some new modifications this weekend that the veteran driver and his fellow competitors will have to deal with in order to earn the $1 million prize Saturday night.

Each car will be required to use a horsepower-reducing restrictor plate – typically reserved for superspeedway races – as well as a splitter borrowed from the 2014 rules package, a 2018 radiator pan, a 6-inch-tall spoiler with two “ear” extensions measuring 12 inches tall, and manufacturer-specific air ducts designed to minimize the advantage of lead cars in undisturbed air.

There will also be a format change to the non-points feature race that is expected to add even more thrills to what it typically one of the wildest events of the year. The race is set to run in four stages – Stage 1 scheduled to end on lap 30, Stage 2 on lap 50, Stage 3 on Lap 70, and a final shootout that ends at the 80-lap race distance. Only green-flag laps will count during the final stage. NASCAR overtime rules will be in effect for the end of each stage. It’s designed to promote passing and tight competition, similar to the package the NASCAR Xfinity Series used at Indianapolis last year in a race that featured a record number of leaders and lead changes.

This year’s scheduled race distance is also 10 laps longer than the 2017 edition but will feature a pared-down procedural structure. Unlike previous formats, there will be no mandated pit stops, no choice of alternate tire compounds, no eliminations and no inversions of the running order.

That being said, Harvick is up for the challenge and ready to “go play” as he channels the “All Star” single in his pursuit of another All-Star Race victory this weekend.

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

What makes this group of guys so successful each week?

“We have a group of guys who want to be successful and push harder every week so they don’t have that letdown. They want to keep experiencing that success. For me, it’s fun right now because I feel like we playoff race every week. I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense to a lot of people but, what that means is, normally when you go from the regular season to the playoffs, people get a little extra out of what they’re doing throughout the year – they find a little more speed, a little more downforce. We’re doing that every week. That’s something I always thought that Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus did very well throughout the years. They came with that same mentality that Rodney (Childers, crew chief) is pushing on his guys. We want to go win practice, win qualifying and then win the race. Those groups of people who buy into that are hard to find because that work capacity level is high and it takes a lot to be able to maintain that.”

How mentally fatiguing is it to have that all-in mentality all the time?

“You have to manage it because of the fact that you have to have a personal life and function at home. For me, that’s easy because, when you get home, it’s Keelan punching you in the stomach, Piper crying and wanting a bottle, or DeLana asking if I did something specific today. So immediately, that switch turns the other way toward family and what you have to do at home. You think about all those things all the time, but you’re able to focus on being at the racetrack or being around the team guys and focused on the cars, then you go home and it immediately switches gears. For me, when you have that circle of life and all those things balanced, you’re able to switch from A to B to C to D and be able to not worry about A because you know you’ve done everything you can do to get A organized, be financially responsible over here and, at your job, you know that you’ve put in the effort to have that relationship with your crew chief, pay attention to the details, go to the meetings and make those phone calls so that, when you’re doing B, you’re not worried about A, C and D. When you’re doing D, you’re not worried about A,B and C. That to me is part of having a balanced life.”

When you look at the makeup and culture at Stewart-Haas Racing, what sticks out to you?

“When you look at the culture at Stewart-Haas Racing, it’s really a result of the owners. When you look at Gene Haas, he is a guy who builds CNC machines and loves racing. Tony Stewart is a blue-collar guy who just loves to race. The common denominator there is that those guys both love to race. Part of what happens at SHR is they hire someone and say, ‘OK, we hired you to be the crew chief of the No. 4 car,’ and they let that person have an open mind and an opinion. They let me have an opinion and be involved in the things that happen at SHR and with the No. 4 team. You feel like you are a piece of the puzzle. When you feel like you’re a piece of the puzzle and you have an environment that’s a racer mentality that is very blue collar – then you add in a partner like Ford, who just wants to race and win. Ford puts so much effort into giving the race teams and buying in to what it takes to be a successful OEM from a NASCAR racing standpoint. I was at Mobil 1 this week and you just look at the research, development and things they bring to the race team – they are the same way. They want to create the best lubricants, greases and things that go into our engines, transmissions, rear-end gears, hubs. You look at everything that we have going on with partners like those two in Mobil 1 and Ford from a technology standpoint and those things are priceless. Everybody wants the same things and has the same mentality. It is very racer-oriented and blue collar.”

There will be a lot of talk this week about the changes for the Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

An event with as much tradition as the All-Star Race will see something new this year – restrictor plates. Used only at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway or Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, the plates will be coming to the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval Saturday night.

Restrictor plates were actually used somewhere other than a superspeedway – New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon – on Sept. 17, 2000, when Jeff Burton led all 300 laps en route to victory. One week later at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, a young Kurt Busch made his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut.

In addition to the restrictor plate at Charlotte Saturday night, racecars will also sport a 6-inch high spoiler with two 12-inch “ears,” a 2014-style splitter up front, and aero ducts.

There will also be a format change for Saturday night’s non-points feature event that is expected to make things thrilling for drivers and fans. But, for Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy Ford Fusion, it all means a lot more.

For starters, he is sponsored by Monster Energy and there would be no better reward that winning the Monster Energy All-Star Race. Secondly, the victor takes home a cool $1 million. Thirdly, Busch simply would just like the trophy.

Busch has won exhibition races before, including the All-Star Race at Charlotte, and two events at Daytona – the Can-Am Duels that set the starting field for the Daytona 500, and The Clash, which is the non-points race that kicks off the season there each year.

Both of Busch’s wins at Daytona came in 2011. His win in The Clash came after he swept past Ryan Newman off the final turn, thanks to drafting help from Jamie McMurray. In claiming the checkered flag, he became the 19th different winner of the event that began in 1979. Although it wasn’t a points-paying win, it was the first restrictor-plate victory of Busch’s career. Five days later, Busch again drove into victory lane, this time in the first Can-Am Duel. He started sixth and drafted with Regan Smith all afternoon en route to the win.

Busch would love nothing more than to score another All-Star victory. It would certainly lead to a “Monster” of a party in victory lane.

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

How important is the Monster Energy All-Star Race?

“A little added pressure with Monster being the title sponsor. I’ve been with them the last seven years doing different things with their brand and them doing different things with me and the racecar. We have a lot of fun together. It’s one of those marquee events that I need to perform in. I go there with as much motivation as possible. The team has built a completely different car for this event. And then there are rule changes. This time around, I hope we can get the group around NASCAR, the TV people, the drivers, everybody, to get the fans excited. Hopefully as excited as that hot summer night years ago because that’s how different this rules package is going to be. It’s going to be pretty wild to see how it all plays out. I know at Stewart-Haas we built different cars and we’re going into this weekend with so much more to learn.”

How are the restrictor plates going to be at Charlotte?

“It’s going to be crazy. It’s going to box us all in like we’re at a superspeedway, but we’re at a mile-and-a-half. So, are guys going to be shoving into a three-wide hole when they know they can’t get out of it? That’s going to be the question.”

What does it mean to you to be in the All-Star Race?

“It’s a who’s who of the Cup Series. It’s a big honor to be included in that race. Those are the winners, the top percent of our sport. To win that race in 2010 was a special moment. To beat the best of the best, and then to receive a check for $1 million, that’s a great feeling.”

 Talk about winning the event in 2010. What do you remember about that race? And what would it mean to you to win another one?

“The weekend was perfect. The car unloaded fast. We had an excellent pit stop during our run. We won the pole and it seemed like, in the race, we were the ones dictating what everyone else had to do because of the pace we set. That all starts with the trends that you’ve learned in the beginning of the season. That’s what is different about the All-Star Race and The Clash in Daytona. At Daytona, you’re coming off the offseason, there’s the buildup and excitement for another season and seeing what you’ve got. The All-Star Race is taking what you’ve learned in the first part of the year, applying that and trying to cash in on a big payday.”

Clint Bowyer explains the importance of Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway as well as any marketing or public relations person whose job is to promote the race.

“There’s a million dollars on the line,” said Bowyer, who’ll drive the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) Fan Club Ford Fusion in the annual race first contested in 1985. “How do you think we’re going to race? It’s $1 million. Think about that – $1 million on the line. It’s about money and a trophy.”

The non-points race has always produced some of the most dramatic moments of the season. This year’s race includes all 2017 and 2018 Cup Series race winners, former All-Star Race winners competing full-time, and former Monster Energy Series champs competing full-time. Bowyer’s March 26 victory at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway ensures he gets to bypass the Monster Energy Open and be one of at least 17 drivers to start in the All-Star Race.

“That’s been our goal all year– to get a win and advance straight to the All-Star Race,” said Bowyer, who advanced to the All-Star Race through his performance in the Open in 2014, 2015 and 2017. “The No. 14 needs to be in the All-Star Race right from the start. We had to race our way in last year in the Open. I’m glad we have our spot in the All-Star Race and can concentrate on winning it.”

As usual, there will be some tweaks to the rules for the exhibition race. Cars will use restrictor plates, a splitter borrowed from the 2014 rules package with a 2018 radiator pan, a 6-inch-tall spoiler with two “ear” extensions measuring 12 inches tall, and manufacturer-specific air ducts designed to minimize the advantage of lead cars in undisturbed air.

The race is scheduled to run in four stages. Stage 1 is scheduled to end on lap 30, Stage 2 on lap 50, Stage 3 on Lap 70, and a final shootout that ends at the 80-lap race distance. Only green-flag laps will count in the final stage. In a new wrinkle to previous formats, NASCAR overtime rules will be in effect for the end of each stage. It’s designed to promote passing and tight competition, similar to the package the NASCAR Xfinity Series used at Indianapolis last year in a race that set a record number of leaders and lead changes.

This year’s schedule race distance is 10 laps longer than the 2017 edition but will feature a pared-down procedural structure. Unlike previous formats, there will be no mandated pit stops, no choice of alternate tire compounds, no eliminations and no inversions of the running order.

Of course, the All-Star Race is a warmup for the May 27 Coca-Cola 600 – the longest race on the circuit. Bowyer is sixth in points and hopes to climb even higher and win one of the sport’s most prestigious races. He said the All-Star Race prepares teams for the 600.

“I think it’s helpful having that All-Star Race ahead of that big, long, grueling 600-mile race that’s a points race,” Bowyer said. “The All-Star Race always has those kinds of stages and short runs, so it helps you kind of get ready for next weekend’s race that will have four stages. Plus, having that practice time on the racetrack is definitely going to be key to learning about the track and preparing for the 600.”

The All-Star Race and the 600 are exciting times for race fans and SHR wanted to throw in a bonus. The organization announced Monday it is reaching back in time and reenergizing a team fan club. Bowyer’s No. 14 will carry a special paint scheme this week that calls attention to the new SHR Fan Club as well as recognizes the team’s corporate partners. At no cost, the SHR Fan Club will offer fans numerous chances to win cool gear and, most importantly, access to the inner workings of SHR. Meet-and-greets with team personalities at the track and VIP events at its race shop will be available to SHR Fan Club members. To join, simply sign up at www.StewartHaasRacing.com/FanClub.

“I hope everyone takes advantage of this fan club,” Bowyer said. “It’s free, so what do you have to lose? Join us and we’ll have some fun together over the coming months and years.”

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

How fun is it at SHR these days?

“Things are finally gelling and working the way they’re supposed to work at a multicar team. It doesn’t do anybody any good to have one car running good. Having all four cars running well up front for our partners on the side of the cars, our manufacturer, it just speaks volumes about everybody pushing in the same direction, and the adjustments we made in the offseason, and putting a year under our belts and learning from that, learning these Fords, the aero maps, the Roush Yates horsepower – all the tools that you use to go to the racetrack week in and week out. We have that year under our belt for our 14 car. The communication, the driver, crew chief communication, our engineers, everybody is just so much more polished this year than we were last year as we were learning. It seemed like last year you were in a different car every week. You never felt like you were sitting in the same car. This year, not only do I feel like I’m sitting in the same racecar, it’s responding to the same things. They have a good aero balance underneath them – your wedge, your track-bar adjustments, your air-pressure adjustments, all those things are making sense and clicking for you and it paints such a clearer picture to make those adjustments and have confidence in your decisions behind those adjustments.”