Month: October 2018

KURT BUSCH – 2018 Martinsville II Race Advance

Kurt Busch is ready for the sectional round of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Busch and the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford Fusion team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) earned one of the final eight playoff positions and have three races to make it into the winner-take-all season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

If one notices the term “sectional,” think back to the old Indiana High School basketball championship, which was contested in a single classification for all schools until 1997. It took four rounds to get the final four – or state championship – weekend. The format went sectional, regional, semi-state and final four.

So this week’s First Data 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway race is the “sectional” round for Busch.

And what a history Martinsville has considering it opened for business in 1947, two years before NASCAR came to be. Every series champion including Busch has competed at the track, which has hosted Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events twice a year since 1950.

Martinsville is the shortest track on the NASCAR schedule and, viewed from the air, its looks like a paperclip as its long straightaways lead into tight, flat turns. The racing there can be described as “give-and-take,” with drivers giving some bumps and taking some bumps while dozens of cars constantly fight for space in its tight confines.

So, no matter how good a driver’s car is, one does need a bit of luck to win at Martinsville. Several drivers have been leading late in the 500-lap race only to be nudged out of the way in the closing laps. A good vehicle is needed, but also that stroke of luck.

Should Busch win this weekend, he’ll not only score a final-four berth, but once again score one of the most unique and coveted trophies in NASCAR – the Ridgeway Furniture Company’s grandfather clock that’s given to race winners at Martinsville Speedway.

The tradition of giving the famous grandfather clock to the winner of every NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville got its start in 1964. Henry Clay Earles, who founded the short track, was inspired to use the grandfather clock as his trophy when Curtis Turner told him he had to start finding storage room for his trophies and give some away, as well. It was then that NASCAR’s most iconic trophy was born.

Busch already has a pair of grandfather clocks for winning the fall Martinsville race in 2002 and the spring race in 2014 – the latter win for SHR. He also won the pole positon for the fall race in 2006.

He knows he will have a good Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford Fusion from crew chief Billy Scott this weekend. He’s also hoping for a stroke of luck, as well.

 

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

 

How much does pit strategy become a factor at Martinsville? 

“It’s definitely something that comes into play. You may gamble early to pick up some positions on the track, especially if you’ve had trouble in qualifying. It’s just one of those things, though, where you always hope you’re on the right one (strategy) and, if you get caught on the wrong one, then you’re kicking yourself the whole time.”

How much more important is track position at a place like Martinsville?

“Track position is everything, everywhere, but at Martinsville it is just so easy to lose it. It doesn’t take much to find yourself going backward, whether it’s a situation with someone bumping you out of the way or you get too high on the track and up in the marbles. Then, deal with what that does to the tires and, boom, next thing you know, you may have had a 10th-place car and now you are 18th. It’s a goal all day to work your way forward and then just to have smooth pit stops to carry you through those midpoints of the race. Then, at the end, when everything is on the line, you have to be aggressive and you can’t be afraid to use the fenders on people to get that solid finish.” 

What is the toughest part about racing at Martinsville? 

“To me, the toughest part about Martinsville is you just never have a moment to breathe. You have to be on your game nonstop for 500 laps because somebody’s on you, or you are on top of somebody the whole time, and there’s just no room for error.”

CLINT BOWYER – 2018 Martinsville II Race Advance

No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) driver Clint Bowyer endured a major crisis in March when he last visited Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Minutes after winning his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race for SHR, Bowyer ran up into the stands to celebrate with the Virginia race fans.

“It’s awesome at Martinsville,” Bowyer said. “You’re on the front straight away and you’re talking to the people. You don’t even have to scream to them. You can hear what they’re saying.”

That’s when the crisis occurred.

“They didn’t hear me when I was asking them for a Busch beer – none of them,” he said. “They were all like, ‘Are you serious?’ I’m like, ‘Yes, I’m serious – give me a beer.’ But to be able to go up there and interact with those fans and share a beer with them, it’s just special. That’s what celebrating is all about.”

Bowyer finally got his beer and celebrated with the fans.

He hopes he’ll get a second chance to drink beer in the crowd this Sunday as the Cup Series returns to Martinsville for the First Data 500 – a race in which the stakes are as high as any this season. Martinsville is the first of the three-race Round of 8 in the Cup Series playoffs that determines the final four drivers who will contend for the title Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

A win at Martinsville Sunday guarantees a place in the Homestead finale. Bowyer enters the Round of 8 fifth in the points but only three points out of the fourth and final transfer position.

“Now it is getting down to the nitty-gritty,” he said. “Now it is eight good teams. There were 16 good teams, but there are eight damn good teams. All eight of these teams have found victory lane and things like that. Now you’re starting to pick up the pace or you’re going home.”

Bowyer’s No. 14 Ford will carry the Rush Truck Centers paint scheme again this weekend in Martinsville. Rush Truck Centers has been the primary partner on the No. 14 team since Bowyer arrived at SHR in 2017 and has been with the organization since 2010. The Texas-based company has used Bowyer and the team to appeal to NASCAR fans as one way to recruit the technicians it needs to operate the largest network of commercial truck and bus dealerships in the country, with locations in 22 states. According to Rush Truck Centers, the trucking industry is expected to need 200,000 diesel technicians over the next 10 years to keep up with maintenance demands.

In addition to his March victory on the flat, half-mile Martinsville oval, Bowyer owns six top-five finishes and 14 top-10s in 25 starts there. Located just 90 minutes from his Mocksville, North Carolina home, Bowyer says the facility reminds him of the roots of the sport. The pictures of his family running down the front stretch after the victory in March were some of the season’s best.

“Martinsville for me is my new home track,” he said. “Everybody lives down in the Charlotte area. We live up north, Winston-Salem area. That’s my home track. That’s the one racetrack you drive back and forth on qualifying day then go back up there for the race.

“Martinsville has such an old-school feel. Even the two-lane road going up to it where you can’t ever get around anybody. You’re stuck in traffic and then you finally get on the open road. Then, you get a ticket as soon as you get across the Virginia line. I had the same guy pull me over three years in a row. Finally, he gave me a ticket, which I deserved, and then you get to the racetrack. You’re pulling into these people’s backyards and here’s this awesome racetrack.”

Bowyer is part of a four-Ford SHR contingent that put all four of its drivers in the Round of 8 – the only team to do so in 2018. SHR owns 11 victories and each of its four drivers has visited victory lane in 2018. Bowyer hopes he can add to those numbers at one of the Round of 8 races in Martinsville, Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth or ISM Raceway near Phoenix.

“I am way more comfortable on the short tracks,” Bowyer said. “If I can put together Martinsville and Phoenix like I am capable of and run Texas like we are capable of, I think we can be in Homestead (for the winner-take-all championship final).”

If that happens, he won’t have trouble finding a post-race Busch beer.

 

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

 

Is there any gloating at SHR over the 2018 performance?

“No, and that is what is cool about SHR. There is none of that. There are no cocky attitudes or arrogance or anything else. Everyone works hard and are racers and we’re damn proud of what we’ve accomplished. We all know that we have to continue to do that and continue to get better because, if we are not, the next team is. There is a lot of work to be done. We need to bring a championship home to Ford. They have invested so much into their motorsports program, into Stewart-Haas in particular, each and every one of us. They invest in us.”

What are your thoughts on Martinsville?

“Yeah, for me, I spent a lot of time on an airplane this week and a lot of time thinking and just playing out where we are at. Where we are at as a race team and as far as the playoffs and opportunities ahead and things like that. I have two good tracks for me that historically have been good and can put me in the Championship 4 for a shot at the championship at Homestead. I love Phoenix. That is another good track for us. This is a big deal – I know it is.”

Should there be more Martinsville-type tracks on the circuit? 

“If I could do anything in this sport, I would remove that track and I would move it as we go all through the country. That’s what I would do. We need more short tracks and places just like Martinsville is exactly the ticket.”

CLINT BOWYER – 2018 Kansas II Race Report

Date: Oct. 21, 2018
Event: Hollywood Casino 400 (Round 32 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 14th/13th (Running, completed 267 of 267)
Point Standing: 5th with 4,015 points, 40 points behind first

Race Winner:      Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner:  Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:  Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Ended at Lap 80):

● Bowyer started 14th and finished seventh to earn four bonus points.
● Bowyer drove from 14th to eighth in the opening laps.
● Initially told the crew his car was a little tight, but that condition grew worse with each lap.
● Reported the car was tight at the bottom of the turns and loose at the top.
● No. 14 took four tires during a caution at lap 60.
● Bowyer drove from 11th to seventh in the final 20 laps of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Ended at Lap 160):

● Bowyer started seventh and finished 11th.
● Continued to struggle with handling and fell outside the top-10.
● Pitted on lap 121 for tires and fuel plus adjustments that would enable him to race in the lower groove in the final stage.
● Finished just a second behind 10th place.

Stage 3 Recap (Ended at Lap 267):

● Bowyer started 10th and finished 13th.
● Contact with another car on the opening lap of the stage damaged his left-front fender.
● Bowyer said the car was “plowing” because of the damage.
● Dropped to 14th-place with 60 laps remaining.
● Bowyer pitted under green on lap 213 for tires and fuel and to repair the damage.
● Despite reporting his car was tight in the closing laps, Bowyer held on to finish 13th and advance to the Round of 8.

Notes:

●  SHR is the only team to feature all four of its drivers in the Round of 8.
●  Chase Elliott won the Hollywood Casino 400 to score his third career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Kansas. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was .903 of a second.
●  There were three caution periods for a total of 17 laps.
●  Only 13 of the 40 drivers in the Hollywood Casino 400 finished on the lead lap.

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

“That was a tough day. We struggled on the track. We couldn’t run high and we couldn’t run low very well, and we got some damage there at the end. But, man, my guys kept working at it all afternoon, and we got the No. 14 DEKALB Ford up there high enough to advance and that’s the bigger picture. We know we’re going to Martinsville next weekend where we won last time, so we are pretty optimistic.”

Playoff Standings: (at the conclusion of the Round of 12):

1.       Kyle Busch (4,055 points)
2.       Kevin Harvick (4,054 points, -1) 
3.       Martin Truex Jr. (4,038 points, -17)
4.       Chase Elliott (4,018 points, -37)
5.       Clint Bowyer (4,015 points, -40)
6.       Joey Logano (4,015 points, -40)
7.       Kurt Busch (4,015 points, -40)
8.       Aric Almirola (4,006 points, -49)

Failed to Advance to Round of 8:

●  Ryan Blaney
●  Brad Keselowski
●  Kyle Larson
●  Alex Bowman

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2018 Kansas II Race Report

Date: Oct. 21, 2018
Event: Hollywood Casino 400 (Round 32 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 3rd/10th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point Standing: 8th with 4,006 points and one win, advances to Round of 8

Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Aric Almirola began Stage 1 in third and completed it in sixth to earn five bonus points.
● Almirola made his first pit stop of the day from the fourth position on lap 40 for fuel, four tires and adjustments after reporting his Smithfield Ford was “still kind of tight with the front.”
● When the first caution of the day was displayed on lap 56, the Tampa native made his way down pit road for two right-side tires, fuel and adjustments.
● Throughout the balance of the stage Almirola remained in the top-six and ultimately completed it in the sixth spot.
● During the Stage 1 break the Smithfield driver pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments and started Stage 2 running sixth.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Almirola started Stage 2 in sixth and ended it in 16th.
● After working his way up to the fourth position, the Tampa native made a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 120 for fuel, four tires and adjustments. Unfortunately, the No. 10 team was served an uncontrolled tire infraction, which resulted in a pass-through penalty.
● Almirola was then one lap down, but with a fast Smithfield Ford he worked his way back to the lead lap on lap 145.
● The Stage 2 break allowed Almirola to visit pit road for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help his now loose-handling Smithfield Ford.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):

● Almirola started the final stage 15th and ended it in the 10th spot.
● After the green flag waved on the final stage, Almirola worked his way up to the 12th position and pitted on lap 214.
● During the scheduled green-flag pit stop, the Smithfield Ford received fuel and four tires.
● Over the final laps Almirola worked his way forward up to ninth but then slipped back to 10th, where he ultimately finished.

Notes:

● This was Almirola’s 14th top-10 finish of 2018 and his sixth top-10 in 14 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas.
● Almirola finished sixth in Stage 1 to earn five bonus points.
● Chase Elliott won the Hollywood Casino 400 to score his third career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Kansas. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was .903 of a second.
● There were three caution periods for a total of 17 laps.
● Only 13 of the 40 drivers in the Hollywood Casino 400 finished on the lead lap.

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

“We had a really fast Smithfield Ford Fusion today. We ran in the top-five until we had that pit stop in Stage 2 where we got the penalty. That set us behind, and we had to do a pass-through penalty and barely got back on the lead lap. Then we restarted 15th for the final stage and had to drive from there all of the way back through the field in that last stage. I think we passed probably as many cars as anybody driving back up in the final stage. I’m proud of our effort, though. We’ve been bringing super-fast Smithfield Fords, and I felt like we had a car that could’ve run top-three or top-five today, but track position was extremely important and we just got a little behind with that penalty.”

Playoff Standings (at the conclusion of the Round of 12):

1.       Kyle Busch (4,055 points)
2.       Kevin Harvick (4,054 points, -1) 
3.       Martin Truex Jr. (4,038 points, -17)
4.       Chase Elliott (4,018 points, -37)
5.       Clint Bowyer (4,015 points, -40)
6.       Joey Logano (4,015 points, -40)
7.       Kurt Busch (4,015 points, -40)
8.       Aric Almirola (4,006 points, -49)

KURT BUSCH – 2018 Kansas II Race Report

Date: Oct. 21, 2018
Event: Hollywood Casino 400 (Round 32 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 11th/18th (Running, completed 266 of 267 laps)
Point Standing: 7th with 4,015 points…advances to Round of 8

Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Kurt Busch started 11th and finished 13th.
● Busch said the No. 41 Haas Automation/Mobil 1 Ford Fusion was lacking grip.
● Busch was 15th on lap 37, and on lap 40 he pitted for four tires and fuel.
● On lap 62, running in 16th, he pitted for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Busch started 14th and finished 20th.
● On lap 83, Busch was in 13th and pitted for four tires and fuel.
● Busch said there continued to be a lack of rear grip.
● On lap 119 Busch pitted for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. He was in the 16th position.
● Busch had to return to pit road for a drive-through penalty for an uncontrolled tire. He returned to the track in 29th place.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):

● Busch started 22nd and finished 18th.
● On lap 164 Busch pitted for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. He was in 20th position, a lap down, and said the car lacked grip.
● While 18th on lap 215, Busch pitted for four tires and fuel.
● Busch maintained his position and finished 18th, one lap down.

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Mobil 1 Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“I am really happy. It is exciting for us. It is our goal to win the championship. We were an elite-eight team when we started Daytona, and here we are, we did it. It was a rough day in the pits and on the track, but we had enough points from the roval and our stage races. It was a rough day, and we need to put it quickly behind us. We are back on even ground. We are in the top-eight, and Martinsville is the path to the championship down in Homestead. I want to thank Haas Automation, Mobil 1, Monster Energy and Ford.”

Notes:

●  Chase Elliott won the Hollywood Casino 400 to score his third career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Kansas. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was .903 of a second.
●  There were three caution periods for a total of 17 laps.
●  Only 13 of the 40 drivers in the Hollywood Casino 400 finished on the lead lap.

Playoff Standings (at the conclusion of  the Round of 12):

1.       Kyle Busch (4,055 points)
2.       Kevin Harvick (4,054 points, -1) 
3.       Martin Truex Jr. (4,038 points, -17)
4.       Chase Elliott (4,018 points, -37)
5.       Clint Bowyer (4,015 points, -40)
6.       Joey Logano (4,015 points, -40)
7.       Kurt Busch (4,015 points, -40)
8.       Aric Almirola (4,006 points, -49)

Failed to Advance to Round of 8:

●  Ryan Blaney
●  Brad Keselowski
●  Kyle Larson
●  Alex Bowman

KEVIN HARVICK – 2018 Kansas II Race Report

Date: Oct. 21, 2018
Event: Hollywood Casino 400 (Round 32 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 2nd/12th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point Standing:2nd with 4,054 points, 39 points ahead of top-four cutoff

Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Harvick started second and finished second to earn nine bonus points.
● The Busch Light Ford came to pit road on lap 39 under green-flag conditions for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments.
● The team returned to pit road under caution on lap 57 for four tires and fuel, while several teams opted for a two-tire strategy.
● Harvick restarted ninth on lap 64 and raced up to second by the completion of the stage.
● The team came to pit road for four tires and fuel at the completion of the stage.
● The second-place finish in Stage 1 allowed Harvick to clinch his spot in the Round of 8 in the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Harvick started second and finished first, earning 10 bonus points and one playoff point.
● The No. 4 Ford fell back to the third position on the restart of Stage 2 but battled back to reclaim the second position on lap 98.
● Harvick came to pit road under green-flag conditions on lap 122 for four tires and fuel.
● The green-flag stop by the No. 4 crew allowed Harvick to take the lead at the completion of the pit cycle.
● Harvick held the lead for the remainder of the stage.
● The No. 4 team came to pit road for four tires and fuel at the end of Stage 2.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):

● Harvick started first and finished 12th.
● The No. 4 team surrendered the lead to come to pit road on lap 214 for a green-flag pit stop to take four tires and fuel.
● Harvick received a pit-road speeding penalty and had to serve a pass-through penalty to drop him to the 18th position.
● The No. 4 Busch Light Ford rallied to a 12th-place finish in the closing laps.\

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Today wasn’t great from my standpoint. Our Busch Light Ford was really fast and leading the race there, and I got a speeding penalty. That was my fault. I tried to get a little too much and wound up going too fast. We will take it one week at a time. We have had fast cars, and whether it is speeding on pit road or flat tires or valve stems or fuel, we haven’t put together a full day except for Richmond. Hopefully we have gotten all that out of our system and we can go to Martinsville and start off good.”

Notes:

● Harvick finished second in Stage 1 to earn nine bonus points, and he won Stage 2 to earn an additional 10 bonus points and one more playoff point.
● Harvick led once for 76 laps to increase his laps-led total at Kansas to 751.
● SHR is the only team to feature all four of its drivers in the Round of 8.
● Chase Elliott won the Hollywood Casino 400 to score his third career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Kansas. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was .903 of a second.
● There were three caution periods for a total of 17 laps.
● Only 13 of the 40 drivers in the Hollywood Casino 400 finished on the lead lap.

Playoff Standing (at the conclusion of the Round of 12):

1.       Kyle Busch (4,055 points)
2.       Kevin Harvick (4,054 points, -1) 
3.       Martin Truex Jr. (4,038 points, -17)
4.       Chase Elliott (4,018 points, -37)
5.       Clint Bowyer (4,015 points, -40)
6.       Joey Logano (4,015 points, -40)
7.       Kurt Busch (4,015 points, -40)
8.       Aric Almirola (4,006 points, -49)

Failed to Advance to Round of 8:

●  Ryan Blaney
●  Brad Keselowski
●  Kyle Larson
●  Alex Bowman

CHASE BRISCOE – 2018 NXS Kansas Race Report

Event: Kansas Lottery 300 (Round 30 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish: 12th/30th (Accident, completed 79 of 200 laps)

Race Winner: John Hunter Nemechek of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: John Hunter Nemechek of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):

● Briscoe started 12th and finished 30th.
● A nine-car accident in the second turn of the first lap left Briscoe’s No. 98 with heavy, front-end damage.
● Over several caution laps, the crew made repairs before returning Briscoe to the race in 30th position.
● Briscoe spent the remainder of the stage pitting whenever possible for more repairs and running at the back of the pack.
● Briscoe stayed on the lead lap until lap 30.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):

● Briscoe started 29th and finished 29th.
● Climbed to 27th place as the crew took every opportunity to continue making repairs to the No. 98 under caution and even pitting under green.
● Despite the repairs, the damage was too great to continue and Briscoe retired from the race after completing only 79 laps.

Notes:                   

● John Hunter Nemechek won the Kansas Lottery 300 to score his first career Xfinity Series victory,
● Six different drivers swapped the lead 10 times during the race that saw seven caution periods.
● The No. 98 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing With Biagi-DenBeste (SHR) made its 12th and final appearance of 2018 in this race. Aric Almirola, Kevin Harvick and Briscoe shared driving duties this season.
● The No. 98 team posted two wins, four top-five and six top-10 finishes in 2018. Harvick won Feb. 24 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Briscoe won the Sept. 29 race on the “roval” at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 98 Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing With Biagi-DenBeste:             

“That’s disappointing. Sure not the way we wanted to end our schedule with the No. 98. I was just going into turn two and everybody in front of me started spinning and I had nowhere to go. It was a long day after that, but everyone on the No. 98 team worked really hard to keep us in the race as long as we could. It was a pleasure and honor to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste this year. We got a win and had some good runs. This is a great team and I really appreciated all the support from Ford and Nutri Chomps as well.”

COLE CUSTER – 2018 NXS Kansas Race Report

Date: Oct. 20, 2018
Event: Kansas Lottery 300 (Round 30 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish: 10th/26th (Running, completed 181 of 200 laps)
Point Standing: (7th with 3,011 points, 46 points out of first and 23 behind the cutoff to advance)

Race Winner: John Hunter Nemechek of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: John Hunter Nemechek of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):

● Custer started 10th, finished 28th.
● On the first lap, Custer was caught in an accident with nowhere to go, causing significant damage to the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford.
● Custer visited pit road three times to repair the damage and said he had a power steering issue.
● After a lap-25 caution, Custer visited pit road to cover his steering wheel with grip tape to help him turn in the corner with no power steering.
● When the stage ended, he brought the No. 00 Ford to the garage to replace the power steering fluid.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):

● Custer started 30th, finished 29th.
● Custer reentered the race on lap 54. He said he had power steering for a few seconds, then it completely went away.
● Crew chief Jeff Meendering radioed him back to the pits during a lap 56 caution. The team assessed the issue, but found a mechanical issue in the steering component that could not be repaired.
● He finished the stage 13 laps down but gained one position.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 91-200):

● Custer started 28th, finished 26th.
● Thanks to the Haas Automation Ford team’s hard work to keep Custer on track, he was able to gain two more positions before the race concluded.

Notes:               

● Only eight of the 40 drivers finished on the lead lap.
● John Hunter Nemechek won the Kansas Lottery 300 to score his first career Xfinity Series victory.

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

“I have no idea what happened on that first lap. It seemed like I kind of got loose before everyone started wrecking. I don’t know if something was wrong with the track or something. We all wrecked on lap one and that kind of sunk our boat. We fixed the car and muscled it out but it is what it is. We will have to go try to win at Texas and Phoenix. It sucked. It took a lot. I didn’t think I was going to make it after about 30 laps without power steering, but you kind of get used to it and find a way to get a rhythm. Hopefully, I don’t ever have to do that again.”

Playoff Standings:          

1.     Daniel Hemric (3067 points, +23)
2.     Elliott Sadler (3058 points, +14)
3.     Tyler Reddick (3055points, +11)
4.     Christopher Bell (3003 points, +1)
5.     Matt Tifft (3044 points, -1 )
6.     Justin Allgaier (3039 points, -5)
7.     Cole Custer (3011 points, -23)
8.     Austin Cindric (3,001 points, -43)

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2018 Kansas II Race Advance

Aric Almirola and the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) head into Kansas Speedway in Kansas City this weekend coming off a win Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The four-car SHR contingent dominated the superspeedway race by leading 155 of 193 laps. Almirola only led a single lap, the final one, but it was the most important lap. The Tampa native crossed the finish line in the Smithfield Bacon for Life Ford Fusion first to earn his first win while driving for SHR and the second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win of his career.

Overall, SHR had a solid weekend at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, which started by seizing the first four starting positions during qualifying Saturday. Almirola’s victory was SHR’s first at Talladega in the team’s 10 year history. Kentucky Speedway in Sparta is the only remaining active track where SHR is winless.

Capturing the victory at Talladega also means Almirola and the No. 10 team automatically transfer to the Round of 8 in the Cup Series playoffs. While Almirola’s spot is secure in the Round of 8, it’s still vital for the team to perform at its highest potential and score maximum points this weekend at Kansas. Each point will be crucial for the No. 10 team as it works to advance to the Round of 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion will be crowned.

Almirola piloted a special bacon-themed Smithfield Ford Fusion at Talladega. The unique paint scheme coincides with Smithfield’s Bacon for Life promotion. Yes, it’s possible to win bacon for life. The sweepstakes can be entered by finding specially marked packages of Smithfield bacon in stores, then visiting Smithfield.com/BaconForLife and entering the unique code provided in the package. More than 1,000 runners-up will be awarded select bacon merchandise during the sweepstakes, which runs until Dec. 31.

The No. 10 team rolls into Kansas after qualifying fourth and finishing ninth at this year’s spring event there. In his 13 Cup starts at the 1.5-mile oval, Almirola has accumulated five top-10 finishes along with 69 laps led. Almirola finished ninth at Kansas last fall. Overall, the Smithfield driver has an average starting position of 15.8 and an average finishing positon of 19.8 at Kansas.

Almirola heads into Sunday’s race fifth in the standings with 3,087 points and, having automatically secured his spot in the Round of 8 with the Talladega victory, he will advance farther into the playoffs than ever has in his seven-year Cup Series career. All four SHR entries are still alive in the playoffs, making up 33.3 percent of the remaining playoff field with all four cars in the top-six in points.

Kansas is the 29th points-paying event during which 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.

Almirola’s Talladega win marked Ford’s 16th victory this season with SHR accounting for 11 of those. The manufacturer has seven Cup Series wins at Kansas with the most recent Ford win captured by SHR’s Kevin Harvick this past spring. All seven Ford drivers who remain in contention for the NASCAR playoffs have earned victories, the first time since 1997 that Ford has had seven different drivers visit victory lane.

Through the first 31 races this season, Almirola has earned one win with an average start of 16.8 and an average finish of 13.5 with three top-five finishes and 13 top-10s. He’s also led 181 laps this season, already a career best with five races remaining in the 2018 season.

 

 

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

 

How do you view going to Kansas? It has been one of your better tracks, but it’s also presented you with challenges.

“It’s great going to Kansas and being in the playoffs and being locked into the next round. I got hurt there last year in May and that was a big deal for me to go back there in October and rebound and kind of face the track, if you will. We went there and ran top-10, and that was a great day for me to kind of go and put that behind me. We went back to Kansas, ran well and it’s not on my radar anymore going into that race and thinking, ‘Hey, I broke my back here.’ This year in the spring with Stewart-Haas Racing, I ran in the top-10 almost the entire weekend and got a top-10 finish. Going to Kansas, I feel like I’ve put the whole back thing behind me and I don’t even think about it. I go there and it’s just another racetrack, and we just have to execute and show up with a fast racecar and, if we do that, we’ll get out of there with a good day and I think we have the capability to win there.”

 

John Klausmeier, Crew Chief of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

 

As a crew chief, how do you prepare setup-wise for Kansas? 

“The groove is fairly narrow, so you have to be careful not to step over the edge. The tires are on the harder side and they generate some heat. Later in the run, typically you lose rear grip more than other tracks, but you just have to make sure you really have your car balanced in the groove and really be able to move up later in the race.” 

The previous race at Kansas was a night race. Traditionally, how different is the spring race from the fall race?

“Typically, the track gets freer going into the nighttime in the spring race. During the fall, the sun is out and sometimes the track will take more rubber and the groove will usually move up a little bit quicker than it does in the spring race.”

As we get close to ending this year, what has it been like working with Aric and the success you have had together?

“It has been great working with Aric. I like Aric outside of the racecar and we are friends outside of racing. He has a great attitude when he comes to the track and he’s always prepared. This is a really good opportunity for him and he’s making the most of it by being prepared every weekend.”

CHASE BRISCOE – 2018 NXS Kansas Race Advance

Event:               Kansas Lottery 300 (Round 30 of 33)
Date:                Oct. 20, 2018
Location:          Kansas Speedway in Kansas City
Layout:             1.5-mile oval
Television:        3 p.m. EDT on NBC

 

Chase Briscoe Notes of Interest

 

  • Chase Briscoe will start his fifth race in the No. 98 Nutri Chomps Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (SHR) Saturday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.
  • Briscoe won his last race in the No. 98 Ford Sept. 29 on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway’s roval. Briscoe led 33 of the race’s 55 laps and won by 1.478 seconds. It marked his first Xfinity Series victory.
  • Nutri Chomps joins Briscoe on the No. 98 SHR Ford in Kansas: Nutri Chomps are a 100 percent rawhide-free, vitamin- and mineral-enriched, high-protein dog chew made of chicken and pork skin. Nutri Chomps is one of several product lines by Scott Pet, Inc. Scott Pet is headquartered in Rockville, Indiana, and is a family-owned manufacturer and distributor of quality pet products for more than 40 years. Scott Pet began a relationship with Briscoe in 2016 while he was competing in the ARCA Series.
  • Briscoe will be joined in the Kansas field by SHR teammate Cole Custer in the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang.
  • The No. 98 Ford makes its 12th and final appearance of 2018 at Kansas. Aric Almirola, Kevin Harvick and Briscoe have shared driving duties. Harvick won Feb. 24 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
  • Briscoe also won the July 18 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
  • In 2017 Truck Series competition, Briscoe earned four poles and won the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Briscoe’s 10 top-fives and 14 top-10s enabled him to make the Truck Series playoffs, where he finished sixth in points and scored the series’ rookie of the year and most popular driver awards. Briscoe won six races en route to the 2016 ARCA Series championship.
  • The 23-year-old native of Mitchell, Indiana is a third-generation driver. His grandfather Richard Briscoe is a legendary Sprint car team owner, and his father Kevin Briscoe raced Sprint cars for more than 20 years and won more than 150 feature events. Briscoe’s first time behind the wheel of a racecar came in 2001 in a Quarter Midget. In 37 starts driving 410 Sprint cars, Briscoe racked up eight top-fives and 17 top-10s, including a win in the last race of the season, where he broke Jeff Gordon’s record as the youngest driver (13) to win a 410 Sprint car race.

 

Chase Briscoe Quotes:

 

Has the Charlotte roval victory sunk in after a few weeks?  

“It’s pretty cool to say that we’re the first to win at the roval and I don’t think it’s sunk in quite yet, just because going to (the race) I truthfully didn’t expect to go win. I was just going to be happy to run around 10th and have a clean race and finish so, to be able to get the win like that, and not just lead the last lap but lead quite a bit of the laps, it was definitely cool. I don’t know if it’s necessarily sunk in yet. But I think, confidence-wise, it’ll help for the remainder of this season just building that, being able to go to the racetrack just because, truthfully, my confidence had been a little bit down with the way the season had been going. But for next year, I think it always helps if you’re winning, whether it’s in a Sprint car or an XFINITY car or whatever. We’re still trying to line up what 2019 holds, but Ford has assured me that I’ll be in something. Just trying to figure out what it’s going to be.”