Nutri Chomps Backing Chase Briscoe for Start of 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Season

 

Nutri Chomps on Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 98 Ford Mustang for First 13 Races of 2019 as Briscoe Embarks on Fulltime Xfinity Series Campaign

Stewart-Haas Racing with Fred Biagi (SHR) will field driver Chase Briscoe in its No. 98 Ford Mustang fulltime in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2019, with Nutri Chompsserving as the primary sponsor for the first 13 races.

Briscoe won his first career Xfinity Series race in October at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval in SHR’s No. 98 Ford Mustang in just his 14thcareer start. The 23-year-old from Mitchell, Indiana, has run 17 Xfinity Series races in 2018 with next year marking his first fulltime season in the stepping-stone division to the elite Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Nutri Chomps and its parent company, Indiana-based Scott Pet, have been longtime supporters of Briscoe. Nutri Chomps are rawhide-free alternative dog chews made with real chicken and pork skin. Nutri Chomps are high in protein and fiber, low in carbohydrates, and come in milk, chicken and peanut butter flavors.

“The Nutri Chomps brand has grown in lockstep with Chase Briscoe’s career, and as Chase seizes this opportunity at Stewart-Haas Racing, we’re doing the same,” said Mike Bassett, CEO, Scott Pet. “Chase is an excellent ambassador for our brand and this is a very strong platform for Nutri Chomps to showcase its products to an extremely loyal fan base, many of whom are pet owners.”

Briscoe will drive the No. 98 Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang alongside SHR teammate Cole Custer in the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang.

“I got a taste of what Stewart-Haas Racing is capable of in the five races I ran with the team this year,” Briscoe said. “Winning at Charlotte was one of the greatest moments of my career, and I have to thank Nutri Chomps, Ford, Tony Stewart, Gene Haas and Fred Biagi for believing in me and providing this opportunity to race fulltime. I’ve been working so hard for this moment and 2019 can’t come soon enough. If I could fast forward to February and climb inside the No. 98 Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang there at Daytona, I would.”

Briscoe’s background makes him an excellent fit at the team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. Like Stewart, Briscoe’s path to NASCAR began on dirt tracks where the third-generation driver has been running sprint cars since he was 13 years old.

“I’ve been paying attention to Chase since he raced sprint cars and I saw how well he transitioned to stock cars,” Stewart said. “It was obviously great to see him in our Ford Mustangs a few times this year, and Chase didn’t disappoint. His win at Charlotte showed us a lot. He was patiently aggressive and he did a really good job of managing his tires. He’s learned a lot in a very short period of time and we’re really looking forward to seeing what he can do when he’s in the same car, working with the same crew, week in and week out. It was our desire to have him in our racecars, but thanks to Nutri Chomps and Ford, they made it happen.”

Briscoe has thrived in his transition to NASCAR, which began after a six-win campaign in the 2016 ARCA Racing Series earned him the championship by a whopping 535 points. He advanced to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2017, earning four poles and winning the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes allowed Briscoe to make the playoffs, finish sixth in points and score the series’ rookie of the year and most popular driver awards.

“Chase Briscoe is the kind of person we’re looking to develop with our Xfinity Series program,” said Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition, SHR. “Young, hungry and talented is the best way to describe Chase, and there’s no better place for him to learn and, ultimately, succeed than here at Stewart-Haas Racing. I know he’s looking forward to this opportunity, and we are too.”

The Briscoe name is still relatively new in NASCAR, but it’s a venerable name in the sprint car community.

Chase’s grandfather, Richard Briscoe, is a legendary sprint car team owner, who has fielded entries for 37 different drivers including such renowned wheelmen as Chuck Amati, Dave Blaney, Dick Gaines, Jack Hewitt, Steve Kinser and Rich Vogler. Chase’s father, Kevin Briscoe, raced sprint cars for over 20 years and won more than 150 feature events. He claimed track championships at Indiana’s Tri-State Speedway and Bloomington Speedway five times, including a streak of three straight titles.

​Chase Briscoe’s first time behind the wheel of a racecar came in 2001. Driving a quarter midget, he won his first heat race and then won the feature event later that evening. Briscoe moved on to mini sprints and, when he was 13, stepped into a 410 sprint car where in his first race he finished 10thin a 40-car field. In a rookie season that saw 37 starts, Briscoe racked up eight top-five and 17 top-10 finishes, including a win in the last race of the season, where he broke Jeff Gordon’s record for being the youngest person to win a 410 sprint car race.

Briscoe continued to race 410 sprint cars in Indiana and other surrounding states. People began to take notice, and soon the switch from sprint cars to stock cars was on. Cunningham Motorsports hired Briscoe in 2016 to pilot its No. 77 Ford Fusion for a fulltime drive in ARCA. Briscoe responded by winning six races and the championship.

 

About Nutri Chomps:

Nutri Chomps are 100 percent rawhide-free dog chews. Nutri Chomps are high in protein and fiber, low in carbohydrates, and have added vitamins and minerals for canine health benefits. Nutri Chomps are an excellent chewing source for all dogs, from weaned puppies to senior dogs. For more information or to find a retailer near you, go to www.nutrichomps.com.

About Scott Pet:

Scott Pet is a family-owned manufacturer and distributor of quality products for over 40 years. Scott Pet offers several complete product lines, including its rawhide-free brands, Nutri Chomps and Pork Chomps. Scott Pet’s motto has always been “Helping Pets Lead Quality Lives.” For more information about Scott Pet’s rawhide free brands, visit www.nutrichomps.comor www.porkchomps.com.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The organization fields four entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – the No. 4 Ford Fusion for Kevin Harvick, the No. 10 Ford Fusion for Aric Almirola, the No. 14 Ford Fusion for Clint Bowyer and the No. 41 Ford Fusion for Kurt Busch. The team also competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with two fulltime entries – the No. 00 Ford Mustang for Cole Custer and the No. 98 Ford Mustang for Chase Briscoe. Based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, Stewart-Haas Racing operates out of a 200,000-square-foot facility with approximately 380 employees. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcngand on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

 

Army Veteran Wins Smithfield® ‘Smoke Machine’ Mustang and Trip to Miami

Prior to the start of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season finale Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield® Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing and his team owner, Tony Stewart, introduced Mr. Jerome Sanders, Sergeant, U.S. Army Retired, from Linwood, Pennsylvania, as the grand prize winner of the Smithfield Smoke Machine Ford Mustang in the company’s 2018 national sweepstakes.

“Our sweepstakes and project build celebrate the love we all share for ‘making smoke’ on the grill and on the racetrack,” said Chris Braselton, manager of Smithfield Foods’ NASCAR program. “We were thrilled to welcome Mr. Sanders as Smithfield’s guest for the Championship race weekend in and introduce him as our grand prize winner.”

Throughout the 2018 NASCAR season, tens of thousands of loyal Smithfield consumers, race fans, and automotive enthusiasts entered to win the high-performance Mustang at SmithfieldRacing.com. Grand prize winner Sanders was flown to Florida to see his new car in person, meet Stewart and Almirola, and attend the Ford EcoBoost 400 as a VIP guest of Smithfield.

“I feel lucky and blessed, and can’t wait to get my new Smithfield Smoke Machine Mustang back home, so I can give the keys and this magnificent car to my wife as her early Christmas present,” Sanders said.  “And of course, I’m looking forward to riding with her as she cruises the roads in Pennsylvania.”

The Smithfield Smoke Machine Mustang Grand Prize was developed under the direction of Stewart, best known as “Smoke” for his ability to smoke the competition and burn up a set of tires when celebrating a victory. Stewart and Smithfield teamed up with vaunted car builder RTR Vehicles and the man behind it, drifting champion Vaughn Gittin Jr., to build this one-of-a-kind 2018 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 3.

“It was a really cool moment when I got to hand over the keys for the Smithfield Smoke Machine to our winner, Mr. Sanders, during Ford Championship Weekend,” Stewart said. “RTR, Vaughn Gittin Jr., Ford Performance and my crew back at Stewart-Haas Racing built an unbelievable, one-of-a-kind performance car.”

A video series documenting the entire Mustang build process was posted on the social media platforms of Smithfield, Stewart-Haas Racing and Gittin throughout the year, and the car has been on display at some of the country’s largest automotive enthusiast events, including select NASCAR races, the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour, Goodguys Rod & Custom shows, and the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit. Stewart’s Smithfield Smoke Machine Mustang features:

●  5.0-liter V8 engine with 6-speed manual transmission

●  2018 Ford Performance / ROUSH supercharger and intercooler kit, delivering 700 horsepower

●  RTR adjustable shocks/struts, sway bars, lowering springs, and axle-back performance exhaust

●  RTR complete aero package, LED grille lighting, and a custom leather interior

●  Exclusive graphics, inspired by the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion driven by Almirola

●  Custom set of RTR’s 20-inch Tech 5 wheels, and Goodyear® performance tires

●  Unique, serialized “1 of 1” build plaque signed by Stewart and Gittin

 

In addition to winning the sweepstakes, Sanders had an opportunity of a lifetime by taking his new Mustang for a test drive on the Homestead-Miami Speedway with Almirola Sunday morning.

“It was an honor to take Mr. Sanders for a few hot laps on the racetrack in his new Smithfield Smoke Machine Mustang here at the Speedway,” Almirola said. “I’m sure it was an experience he won’t soon forget!”

 

About Smithfield:

A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, establishing the town as the “Ham Capital of the World.” From hand-trimmed bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfield’s products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com, www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand, and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield. Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

 

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The organization fields four entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – the No. 4 Ford Fusion for Kevin Harvick, the No. 10 Ford Fusion for Aric Almirola, the No. 14 Ford Fusion for Clint Bowyer and the No. 41 Ford Fusion for Kurt Busch. The team also competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series by fielding a full-time entry – the No. 00 Ford Mustang for Cole Custer – and one part-time entry – the No. 98 Ford Mustang. Based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, Stewart-Haas Racing operates out of a 200,000-square-foot facility with approximately 380 employees. For more information, please visit us online atwww.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

KEVIN HARVICK – 2018 Homestead Race Report

Event:               Ford EcoBoost 400(Round 36 of 36)
Series:               Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format:            267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish:      12th/3rd(Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point Standing:  3rdwith 5,034 points

Champion:        Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Race Winner:    Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner:Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80): 

  • Kevin Harvick started 12th and finished first.
  • The Jimmy John’s Ford entered the top-five by lap 21 and was up to third by lap 33.
  • Harvick reported that his Ford had goodbalance but lacked rear grip through the majority of the stage.
  • The Jimmy John’s team made a scheduled, green-flag stop on lap 38 for four tires, fuel and adjustments and came out as the leader among the Championship 4.
  • The 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion took the race lead on lap 43 and kept it to capture his 19thstage win of the 2018 season.
  • At the conclusion of Stage 1, the Jimmy John’s Ford came down pit road forfour tires, fuel, tape and air pressure adjustments.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160): 

  • Harvick started first and finished second.
  • The Freaky Fast crew started from the lead but dropped to third on the ensuing restart.
  • Harvick regained the lead shortly after lap 105, but he pitted from the lead on lap 120 for four tires, fuel and adjustments.
  • By lap 123, Harvick had worked his way up to second and was the top Championship 4 contender.
  • The caution flag came out on lap 140, and Harvick reported a loose-handling condition as he pitted from the second spot.
  • The Jimmy John’s driver regained the lead on lap 147, but he relinquished the top spot on the final lap of Stage 2 to Kyle Larson. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267): 

  • Harvick started second and finished third.
  • The Bakersfield, California, native took the lead on the first lap of the final stage but quickly dropped to third.
  • The Jimmy John’s team serviced its Ford with four tires, fuel and tape during the lap-193 caution period, restarting fourth.
  • Harvick gained one position on the restart, taking over the third spot.
  • Interim crew chief Tony Gibson called Harvick to pit road for a scheduled pit service on lap 230, beginning the green-flag stop cycle.
  • The caution flag was displayed on lap 249 before Harvick had the opportunity to cycle through to the lead, but the Jimmy John’s team pitted from the fourth position and restarted fourth on the following restart.
  • Ultimately, Harvick finished the Ford EcoBoost 400 race – and the 2018 season – in the third position.

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

You led a number of laps tonight. Just take us through your race, please.

“Yeah, we had a daytime racecar. As soon as it got dark we never could get our car tightened up there at the end. They made a great call to put us in position to win the race, and then the caution came out when the 2 car spun the 19 out. We came off pit road fourth, and just our strong point was not the restarts tonight, and we wound up on the wrong side of it.”

It seems like every year this race comes down to that late‑race caution. So as you’re leading what appears is going to be the championship battle there with about 25 to go and knowing that Kyle (Busch) has to pit again, in the back of your mind are you just thinking, “What’s going to happen, what’s going to change this?”

“You know, in the end, not really. I was just driving away and wound up with a restart there and didn’t wind up getting off, going at the beginning. I don’t really think about stuff like that. You just try to hit one lap at a time.”

Kevin, you guys didn’t seem to be that happy with what you had yesterday after practice. What all went into it? When you got in the car and started to race, did you feel there had been a lot of big changes made?

“We didn’t make a lot of big changes, we made a lot of small changes, and the car was definitely better. But like I say, when it got dark, we just lost the rear grip and couldn’t get off the corner and was having trouble turning in the corner. Just the balance was really good until it was dark outside, and we just never could get the rear grip back to where we needed to, and I couldn’t take off. But like I say, they put us in a position to win if the caution didn’t come out, and we had a shot there with, I don’t even know, 18 laps to go when the caution came out. It’s just the way it all shook out. The 22 (of winner Joey Logano) could take off really good.”

Notes:

  • This was Harvick’s series-best 23rdtop-five and 29thtop-10 finish of 2018.
  • Harvick earned his 10thtop-five and 16thtop-10 in 18 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Homestead.
  • Harvick won Stage 1 and finished second in Stage 2. He ends 2018 with a series-best 19 stage wins.
  • Harvick led five times for 58 laps to increase his laps-led total at Homestead to 373.
  • Logano won the Ford EcoBoost 400 to score his 21stcareer Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Homestead. His margin of victory over second-place Martin Truex Jr. was 1.725 seconds.
  • In winning the Ford EcoBoost 400, Logano won the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship for the first time in his career, outdueling fellow Championship 4 contenders Truex, Harvick and Kyle Busch.
  • Logano’s victory delivered Ford its first manufacturers’ championship since 2002 and 16thoverall.
  • This was Ford’s 19thMonster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win this year, tying its own record for the second-most victories in a season. (Ford also won 19 races in 1997.)
  • Logano’s triumph marked the 108thpoints-paying victory for Ford’s Fusion in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It was Ford’s 677th all-time win in the NASCAR Cup Series.
  • There were five caution periods for a total of 26 laps.
  • Only 18 of the 39 drivers in the Ford EcoBoost 400 finished on the lead lap. 

Championship 4 Results:

  1. Joey Logano (5,040 points)
  2. Martin Truex Jr. (5,035 points)
  3. Kevin Harvick (5,034 points)
  4. Kyle Busch (5,033 points)
  • Harvick competed in the Championship 4 for the fourth time in the last five years. He won the championship in 2014.

Next Up: 

The 2019 season kicks off with the traditional Speedweeks at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The 61stDaytona 500, the first points-paying race of the year, is Feb. 17 and will be broadcast live on FOX.

CLINT BOWYER – 2018 Homestead Race Report

Event: Ford EcoBoost 400 (Round 36 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway(1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 26th/8th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point Standing:12th with 2,272 points

Champion:           Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Race Winner:      Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner:  Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:  Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Ended at Lap 80):

Bowyer started 26th and finished 13th.
Told his crew on the opening lap, “You’ve worked your asses off this year, had a lot of fun and a lot of success.”
Drove from 26th to 18th in the first 10 laps of the race.
Pitted from 15th on lap 36 for minor adjustments to help his car’s handling.
Stage ran caution-free, never giving Bowyer a chance to climb into the top-10.

Stage 2 Recap (Ended at Lap 160):

Bowyer started 11th and finished 10th.
Asked for air adjustment to help his car turn in the center of the corners.
● Broke into the top-10 on lap 87.
● Turned in top-five lap times and climbed as high as eighth.
● Pitted on laps 119 and 141 for tires and fuel.
● Race restarted with 16 laps left in the stage, but Bowyer was blocked in traffic and fell back to 13th.
● Bowyer climbed back to 10th before the stage ended.

Stage 3 Recap (Ended at Lap 267):

Bowyer started 11th and finished eighth.
Moved to eighth in the opening laps of the stage and seventh 10 laps later.
Restarted the race in fifth with 68 laps remaining but fell to eighth with 40 to go.
Pitted with 39 to go but told his crew in the closing laps that he couldn’t turn in the middle of the corners.
Caution fell with 20 to go, and Bowyer pitted, returning to the track in 13th.
Bowyer raced his way up to seventh in the final laps before Chase Elliott edged him at the finish line.

Notes:

● This was Bowyer’s 16th top-10 finish of 2018.
● Bowyer earned his seventh top-10 in 13 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Homestead.
● Joey Logano won the Ford EcoBoost 400 to score his 21st career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Homestead. Logano also won his first career championship.
● Only 18 of the 39 drivers in the Ford EcoBoost 400 finished on the lead lap.

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

“I want to congratulate everyone at Ford Performance. I wish it were Kevin (Harvick) winning the championship, but I’m glad we kept it in the Ford family. That was a decent way to end the season tonight for us. We didn’t qualify like we wanted Friday, but we had a good car tonight. We’ve had a good year. My guys have worked hard and had a lot of fun and a lot of success. We’re ready for a break, but it won’t be long, and we’ll be ready to go to Daytona and start the new season.”

Next Up:

The 2019 season kicks off with the traditional Speedweeks at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The 61st Daytona 500, the first points-paying race of the year, is Feb. 17 and will be broadcast live on FOX.

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2018 Homestead Race Report

Event: Ford EcoBoost 400 (Round 36 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway(1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 10th/9th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point Standing: 5th with 2,354 points

Champion:           Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Race Winner:      Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner:  Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)</strong
Stage 2 Winner:  Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Aric Almirola started Stage 1 in the 10th spot and finished it in seventh to earn four bonus points.
● The Smithfield driver worked his way up to seventh before he made a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 37 for fuel, four tires and adjustments.
● The entirety of the stage was run under the green flag, but Almirola was able to reach the sixth position on lap 54 even though he reported his Ford Fusion “was not much better on entry and exit.”
● The Tampa native pitted during the stage break for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help the Smithfield machine and restarted Stage 2 in seventh.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Almirola started Stage 2 in seventh and ended it in fifth to capture six bonus points.
● He reached the fifth spot on lap 92.
● The 34-year-old made his second scheduled green-flag stop of the day on lap 119 for fuel and four tires. After pit stops cycled through, he remained in the fifth position.
● The first caution of the race was displayed on lap 139, and Almirola reported he needed “a little bit of turn without missing lateral.”
● He pitted on lap 140 from fifth for fuel, four tires and adjustments and restarted in sixth on lap 144.
● The remainder of the stage was run under green, and Almirola completed it in fifth.
● During the Stage 2 break, Almirola visited pit road for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with his lateral grip. He started the final stage in sixth.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):

● Almirola started the final stage sixth and ended it in the ninth position.
● Almirola had raced up to fifth when the caution came out on lap 194. He pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments and restarted fifth on lap 199.
● Almirola made a scheduled green-flag pit stop from sixth on lap 230 for fuel, four tires and adjustments.
● During the last caution period of the race on lap 248, Almirola brought the No. 10 machine down pit road for the final pit stop of the season. He came in ninth and restarted ninth on lap 253.
● Almirola remained in the top-10 for the closing laps and ultimately closed out the season with a ninth-place finish at Homestead.

Notes:

● This was Almirola’s 17th top-10 of 2018 and his third top-10 in nine career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Homestead.
● Almirola enjoyed a career year in 2018, securing his best points finish (fifth) and the most top-fives (four) and top-10s (17) in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career dating back to 2007. Almirola’s previous best points finish was 16th in 2014. His previous high for top-fives was three, earned twice (2015 and 2017), and his previous best for top-10s was seven (2014).
● Almirola finished seventh in Stage 1 to earn four bonus points and fifth in Stage 2 to earn six more bonus points.
● Joey Logano won the Ford EcoBoost 400 to score his 21st career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Homestead. His margin of victory over second-place Martin Truex Jr. was 1.725 seconds.
● In winning the Ford EcoBoost 400, Logano won the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship for the first time in his career, outdueling fellow Championship 4 contenders Truex, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch.
● Logano’s victory delivered Ford its first manufacturers’ championship since 2002 and 16th overall.
● This was Ford’s 19th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win this year, tying its own record for the second-most victories in a season. (Ford also won 19 races in 1997.)
● Logano’s triumph marked the 108th points-paying victory for Ford’s Fusion in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It was Ford’s 677th all-time win in the NASCAR Cup Series.
● There were five caution periods for a total of 26 laps.
● Only 18 of the 39 drivers in the Ford EcoBoost 400 finished on the lead lap.

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

“It was a great year for us, our first year working together. That was quite an accomplishment for us to battle the way we battled and to come out of here with a top-five in points. I’m just really proud of everybody on this Smithfield team. Ford had an amazing year. We won 19 races, so just an incredible year, and I’m really excited about getting ready for 2019. We had a great season, so it was nice to cap it off with a good run here at Homestead. We had a really good long-run car. That short run there at the end kind of hurt us a little bit, but I’m just really proud of (crew chief) Johnny Klausmeier, everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing and this entire 10 team. We accomplished a lot in one year, and I’m just really proud of that. I feel like we have so much potential, and we just continue to grow and get better and better, and next year is going be a lot of fun.”

Next Up:

The 2019 season kicks off with the traditional Speedweeks at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The 61st Daytona 500, the first points-paying race of the year, is Feb. 17 and will be broadcast live on FOX.

KURT BUSCH – 2018 Homestead Race Report

Event: Ford EcoBoost 400 (Round 36 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 6th/10th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point Standing: 7th with 2,350 points

Race Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

Kurt Busch started sixth, finished 10th, earning one bonus point.
Busch said on lap 31 that the car was a bit loose off.
● The No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion pitted on lap 37 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment while running seventh.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

Busch started sixth, finished seventh, earning four bonus points.
The No. 41 pitted on lap 83 for four tires, fuel and wedge and tire pressure adjustments.
● While sixth, Busch pitted on lap 117 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment.
● On lap 141 Busch pitted for four tires and fuel. He entered the pits seventh and exited seventh.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):

Busch started ninth and finished 10th.
He pitted on lap 163 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment and reported that the car was “quite loose.”
● The No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion pitted on laps 230 and 249 for four tires and fuel.
● Busch ended up finishing 10th.

Notes:

●  Busch earned a career-high 22 top-10s in 2018, besting his previous high of 21 top-10s, earned four times (2004, 2009, 2015 and 2016).
●  This was Busch’s seventh top-10 in 18 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Homestead.
●  Busch finished 10th in Stage 1 to earn one bonus point and seventh in Stage 2 to earn four more bonus points.
●  Joey Logano won the Ford EcoBoost 400 to score his 21st career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Homestead. His margin of victory over second-place Martin Truex Jr., was 1.725 seconds.
● In winning the Ford EcoBoost 400, Logano won the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship for the first time in his career, outdueling fellow Championship 4 contenders Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch.
●  Logano’s victory delivered Ford its first manufacturers’ championship since 2002 and 16th overall.
●  This was Ford’s 19th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win this year, tying its own record for the second-most victories in a season. (Ford also won 19 races in 1997.)
●  Logano’s triumph marked the 108th points-paying victory for Ford’s Fusion in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It was Ford’s 677th all-time win in the NASCAR Cup Series.
●  There were five caution periods for a total of 26 laps.
●  Only 18 of the 39 drivers in the Ford EcoBoost 400 finished on the lead lap.

Next Up:

The 2019 season kicks off with the traditional Speedweeks at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The 61st Daytona 500, the first points-paying race of the year, is Feb. 17 and will be broadcast live on FOX.

COLE CUSTER – 2018 NXS Homestead Race Report

Date:  Nov. 17, 2018
Event:  Ford EcoBoost 300 (Round 33 of 33)
Series:  NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location:  Homestead Miami-Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format:  200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish:  1st/2nd (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Point Standing:  (2nd with 4,035 points)

Race Winner:  Tyler Reddick of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner:  Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:  Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):

Custer started first after securing his sixth career NASCAR Xfinity Series pole and finished first.
● Custer dominated Stage 1 by leading all 45 laps.
● At the end of the stage, Custer said his Haas Automation Ford was loose on the restart and became tighter as the race wore on.
● Custer pitted for four tires and fuel and won the race off pit road.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):

● Custer started first and finished first.
● The driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford held the lead during the restart, where he ran for the entirety of Stage 2.
● At this point, Custer had led every lap at Homestead since lap 61 in 2017.
● Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments at the conclusion of the stage.
● Caught in traffic on pit road, Custer exited in the third position.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 91-200):

Custer started third, finished second.
● On lap 98, Custer advanced to second and regained the lead over the other Championship 4 competitors.
● On lap 146, Custer pitted under green-flag conditions for four tires and fuel. He returned to the track in fifth place.
● Climbed all the way back to second, but leader Tyler Reddick established an insurmountable lead.
● Finished 6.902 seconds behind Reddick in second place.

Championship 4 Notes:  

● Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (SHR) won the Xfinity Series owners’ championship, its first in the series.
● Custer finished second among the Championship 4 contenders for the Xfinity Series drivers’ title.
● Custer was the highest finishing Ford driver in the 2018 Xfinity Series championship.
● This was Custer’s first time participating in the Championship 4 in his two-year Xfinity Series career.

Race Notes:         

Custer led twice for a race-high 95 laps in the Ford EcoBoost 300.
● In Custer’s two career Xfinity Series starts at Homestead, he finished first (2017) and second (2018).
● Custer earned his 14th top-five of the season and second top-five at Homestead.
● Custer’s 26 top-10s this season are the most among full-time Xfinity Series drivers.
● Custer earned the most points at 1.5-mile tracks this season (369 points).
● Both Custer and his SHR teammate in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Kurt Busch, earned the most pole awards among competitors in their respective series. Busch earned a total of five poles this season.
● Only two cautions slowed the race for a total of10 laps.
● Reddick’s victory in the Ford EcoBoost 300 was the third of his Xfinity series career, his second of 2018 and his first at Homestead.

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

“First off, congrats to Tyler. I’m happy for him. He could run the wall better than I could at the end there and we were so far back from our pit stop with their strategy that once I got to him it seemed like our tires kind of equaled out and then he started running the top and I couldn’t keep up with him. It is what it is. It was a solid day. We had a fast car, we just didn’t have it play out right at the end. I’ve just got to thank everybody at Haas Automation, Gene Haas, Tony Stewart – everybody that’s been behind us all year. We were really close, it’s just sucks to be second.

“It means a lot being through this scenario. I thought we kept our calm all day. We did a great job it’s just that it didn’t play out right at the end. We still have something to hang our hats on. We still won the owner’s championship, which is really awesome, but I still wanted the driver’s one too.

“The strategy wasn’t all of it. Tyler could just run the top better than I could at the end, but looking back on it I don’t know if the call that we made, I think we would have rethought things, but you don’t want to be caught a lap down. There’s a lot of risk involved with pitting early, so it is what it is. If I could have run the top better, we probably would’ve won also.

“They (the tires) weren’t done, it’s just that you reach a certain point on tires where everything just starts to level out, and once I caught him I feel like everything just kind of leveled out and then he could run the top better than I could.

“Within my means I did as good as I could do as a driver at this point in my career. Maybe down the road if I could drive the top better we would have probably been better, but I couldn’t run the top. I don’t know. It is what it is. You run consistent and you do what you can and it just didn’t play out.

“I think I got way better as a driver this year just because I think I got way better at racing, so now it’s just a matter of kind of closing it out. That’s the biggest thing for me, but we’re really close. We’re one step away.

“We’ve come a long ways and everybody has worked really hard. It means a lot, but it’s still bittersweet when you finish second.”

Tony Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste:    

“Like Cole said, we all think it is bittersweet. We are proud as an organization to get the owners’ championship, but we wanted to do it with our driver winning the drivers’ championship. Cole did an awesome job. The whole team did an awesome job all year. That is the hard part about the last race is that it is down to a one-race deal and we just fell a little short. We might have made a mistake on the strategy on pitting too late.

“We will just come back next year and try to get him one. I am excited that we were able to get Ford their first one for the weekend and, hopefully, get another for them tomorrow. I’m excited about our Xfinity program – in such a short amount of time to have cars and the personnel that can put these cars up front each weekend and excited about having a second full-time car next year. More resources for Cole and another young driver and we are excited about the program.

“It is an awesome day for us, but it would be a hell of a lot more exciting if Cole was out there hoisting the trophy over his head for winning the drivers’ championship. We came up short but it wasn’t for a lack of effort. I am proud of Cole as a driver. He has come a long way and keeps getting better and better.”

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2018 Homestead Race Advance

Aric Almirola and the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) head to Homestead-Miami Speedway to cap off what has been the Tampa, Florida native’s most successful of 11 seasons in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

While he fell short in the point standings and just three positions short on the track Sunday of transferring to the Championship 4 and the chance to battle for the 2018 Cup Series title during Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400, Almirola joins SHR teammate Kurt Busch in the battle to finish as high as fifth in the final standings.

Almirola is seventh in points entering Homestead, trailing sixth-place Busch by two points and leading eighth-place Brad Keselowski by seven. Last week at ISM Raceway near Phoenix, Almirola qualified 18th and finished fourth after running as high as second place late in the race.

Almirola’s history at Homestead includes one top-five finish and two top-10s in eight starts on the 1.5-mile oval south of Miami. But this is the first year Almirola has driven a Ford for SHR, which had all four of its drivers advance to the Round of 8 in the Cup Series playoffs after combining for 12 wins, 41 top-fives and 80 top 10s in 2018. SHR’s Kevin Harvick is one of the four drivers battling for the title Sunday as part of the Championship 4.

The 34-year-old Almirola has had some success on 1.5-mile ovals this season. In his last 10 starts at tracks similar in length, he’s accrued six top-10 finishes with four of those earned in his most recent starts. He’s led 70 laps and earned an average start of 10.6 and an average finish of 13.4 at intermediate tracks this season.

The 2018 season has been one of resurgence for the Smithfield driver whose highlight was a return to victory lane in October at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. He nearly won the season-opening Daytona 500, as well as races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, Dover (Del.) International Speedway and, most recently, Phoenix last weekend. But Almirola took the checkered flag at Talladega just ahead of teammate Bowyer for his second career Cup Series win and the first with the Smithfield paint scheme.

Under the leadership of first-year crew chief Johnny Klausmeier, Almirola set season bests this year in laps led with 181 – more than during his previous 10 Cup seasons combined – top-fives with four, and top-10s with 16. And no matter where he finishes in points after Homestead, he’ll notch another season best in the final standings.

In addition to it being the conclusion of the 2018 racing season, the Smithfield Smoke Machine Ford Mustang giveaway culminates this weekend. The grand prize winner will be flown to Miami and will ride in the one-of-a-kind 2018 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 3 with Almirola for a few laps around Homestead-Miami Speedway. Tony Stewart, who designed the high-performance Mustang in conjunction with Vaughn Gitten Jr., will present the keys to the winner on Sunday during Ford Championship Weekend.

The timing of his Talladega win couldn’t have been any better because he sported a special bacon-themed Smithfield Ford Fusion that afternoon. The unique paint scheme coincided with Smithfield’s Bacon for Life promotion. Yes, it’s possible to win bacon for life. The sweepstakes runs until Dec. 31, and fans can enter 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.

Almirola is piloting the traditional Smithfield paint scheme for the final race of the 2018 season but, with the holiday season is just around the corner, Smithfield continues to promote its perfectly cooked, spiral sliced ham as an ideal addition to most every kind of holiday feast to make family and friends feel special. Not only does it make holiday cooking a breeze, it provides equally flavorful leftover dishes. Fans can visit Smithfield.com/HolidayHub for information on how to make every holiday soiree a breeze, as well as foolproof tips and simple recipes that are sure to wow holiday guests with flavor-filled dishes for all the celebrations the season brings.

Almirola hopes for a good run this weekend en route to his best career points finish in order to build momentum for the 2019 Cup Series season that begins with the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17 in the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang.

 

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

 

For who or what are you racing for?

“I feel like I’m racing for my team, and for our sponsors, and for the people who believe in me. I’m obviously racing for myself, too. But, more importantly, it takes so many people to put me in this position and give me the opportunity that I have. The only way I know how to pay them back is to win, or to go win a championship to thank them for believing in me. You can say thank you and do all of the right things off of the racetrack but, on the track, they want you to perform.”

How do you and your team stay motivated?

“Everybody on this No. 10 team is self-motivated. There really is nothing I can say to change that. I’m not really a leader with words – I’m not really good with words, I’m not a motivational speaker, I’m not a cheerleader. I try to lead by example. I put in a lot of hours of studying and working out and doing all of the things I can do to be as prepared as possible. I think all of the guys on my team appreciate that and see that, and they’re the same way. They all work endless hours to make sure our racecars are fast and perfect. That’s the only way I know how to lead, and that’s to lead by example.”

 

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

 

What are your thoughts overall on the No. 10 team’s season?

“While we came up short on advancing to the final four, the overall performance of this Smithfield team throughout our first season together is something I am proud of. We continued to improve as the year progressed and had some of our best results when it mattered the most in the playoff races. Aric did an outstanding job learning our system at SHR and pushing our team throughout the year. You could see everyone’s confidence grow throughout the season, and that in itself has me looking forward to 2019.”

Any noticeable differences on your moving from an engineer to crew chief this season? 

“I have enjoyed the crew chief role in my first full-time year. The biggest differences are getting to work alongside and rally the talented people we have on our team. As a race engineer, you are so immersed into the technical workings of the car’s performance, you sometimes lose sight of the larger picture. As a crew chief, you get to motivate and rely on the specialists in each area of the team to get the best result possible. Working with Aric has been a great experience and I hope to continue to grow our relationship into a championship-caliber team.”

COLE CUSTER – 2018 NXS Homestead Race Advance

Event:               Ford EcoBoost 300 (Round 33 of 33)
Date:                Nov. 17, 2018
Location:          Homestead-Miami Speedway
Layout:             1.5-mile oval

 

Cole Custer Notes of Interest

 

  • While this will be Cole Custer’s first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship eligibility at the Homestead Miami-Speedway season finale, the 20-year-old California native is no stranger to victory lane at the 1.5-mile oval. Last November, Custer won the Homestead race by a hefty margin – 15.405 seconds – after winning Stages 1 and 2 and leading 182 of 200 laps. He also earned a perfect driver rating of 150. 
  • Custer’s victory two weekends ago at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth clinched his Championship 4 spot in this weekend’s Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead. It was his first victory this season.
  • Custer leads the Xfinity Series playoff standing, and he’s earned the most points (422) at 1.5-mile tracks in 2018. 
  • Custer leads the Xfinity Series playoff standings and is tied with Elliott Sadler for points earned at 1.5-mile tracks this season with 334. Custer’s average start of 5.2 at 1.5-mile tracks leads all Xfinity Series regulars. He also led the series in points earned at 1.5-mile tracks last season with 422.
  • In addition to Custer’s championship eligibility, fellow Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick will race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship at Homestead Sunday. Since NASCAR’s inception, no team has ever won both Xfinity Series and Cup Series titles in the same season.
  • Custer, 20, is the youngest competitor in the Championship 4.
  • This season, Custer has one win, 13 top-five finishes, 15 top-10s, five pole awards and has led 294 laps in 32 career Xfinity Series starts. 
  • In nine Xfinity Series races at 1.5-mile tracks this season, Custer has earned one win, two poles, seven top-10s, six top-five finishes and has led 66 laps.
  • Custer has two wins, 21 top-five finishes, 46 top-10s, five pole awards and has led 596 laps in 70 career Xfinity Series starts.
  • Custer’s five pole awards this season tie Christopher Bell for most in the series and his average starting position of 6.1 is the best among Xfinity Series regulars.
  • Saturday’s Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead caps 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs, which began with 12 eligible drivers and was divided into three rounds with the first two rounds consisting of three races apiece, followed by Sunday’s single-race round. Four drivers were eliminated after each of the first two rounds to ultimately establish four finalists at Homestead. Drivers automatically qualified for the next round with a win in the current round with the remaining spots determined by the point standings. At Homestead, the top-finishing driver among the four finalists – Custer, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Daniel Hemric – wins the championship.

 

Cole Custer, Driver Q&A

 

To what can you attribute your success at Homestead in 2017?

“We just hit on something really good. Our Xfinity Series team thrives at 1.5-mile tracks and we capped off our debut season with a solid win in Homestead. We also did everything right. From the pit crew to me not making any mistakes, we were perfect. We have to do our homework this week, though, and fully focus on everything we can get there. We obviously have a really good baseline to go off of.” 

How much pressure do you feel to bring home an Xfinity Series championship?

“I don’t know if you would say there is a lot of pressure going into the weekend, but we all know you don’t know how many opportunities you’ll get to win a championship, so we’re going to make sure we make the most of it and leave it all out on the track.”

Last year, bad luck at Kansas and Texas took you out of contention for a championship. You went on to win the race in Homestead but were not crowned champion. Would this be the icing on the cake to finally prove you deserve to hold the Championship title? 

“For our second year in the Xfinity Series, it would be huge to go out and win a championship. All our people have worked extremely hard to get us to where we are today, so now we need to take advantage of it. We have competed at a championship level all year and it’s time to back that up by actually doing it.”

What is a lap around Homestead like and why has it seemed to fit your driving style so well?  

“Homestead is a place with very little grip and there are countless different lines you can run. I think I’ve been able to drive some really good cars there in the past and I found the lines that I like to run to fit my driving style. It’s unique and a fun track to get around.”

 

Jeff Meendering, Crew Chief Q&A

 

What car are you bringing to Homestead and what car did the Haas Automation team bring there in 2017? 

“We are bringing Chassis No. 1114 – the same car we ran at Chicago and Vegas (this year). Last season, we ran Chassis No. 1059, which we retired after that race and added to the Cole Custer car collection.”

Do you expect to run as well as you did last year, or are there variables that will come into play? 

“We had high expectations last year after having a very productive test leading up to the race. There are a few different variables this year, one being a different tire, another being the new composite body. I feel like we have a really good idea on how to adjust for those items and have a lot of confidence going to Homestead.”

CLINT BOWYER – 2018 Homestead Race Advance

Clint Bowyer wishes he was part of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 this weekend in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He also realizes his No. 14 Ford team has made significant progress since he started at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in 2017.

“We’ve had a great year getting to where we were part of this playoff situation and being in contention to be able to run for a championship,” Bowyer said moments after Sunday’s race at ISM Raceway near Phoenix. “There’s a lot of pride with (crew chief) Mike (Bugarewicz) and all the guys on the 14 car. It’s been a lot of fun to go to battle each and every week all across the country with these guys. Stewart-Haas Racing – I can’t say enough about the job the men and women have done at Stewart-Haas, getting all four cars in the playoffs and then, obviously, winning and being in victory lane, and everything Ford, Roush-Yates Racing and everybody involved has done for us. I’m proud of our season,”

To appreciate where the No. 14 team is now, it’s essential to know where it’s been.

Bowyer replaced three-time champion Tony Stewart in the No. 14 at SHR in 2017. The year saw the Emporia, Kansas native post three second-place finishes on his way to a year-end tally of six top-fives and 13 top-10s. His average finish of 15.5 was 11th best among full-time drivers competing in 2017, and it left him just shy of a spot in the NASCAR playoffs.

Bowyer was most disappointed the team never made it to victory lane despite a few near misses, but that changed in 2018.

The Bugarewicz-led team dominated the March 26 race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, leading 215 of 400 laps. Video of Bowyer’s young family running down the front stretch to join him in victory lane celebrating the end of a 190-race winless streak top the season’s highlight reel. Moments later, Bowyer went into the grandstands to celebrate with the Martinsville fans who stayed until the Monday raced that was postponed by rain Sunday.

And his 2018 victory lane celebrations weren’t over.

On June 10, a Bugarewicz pit strategy to take two tires, then some incredible wheel-to-wheel driving by Bowyer with SHR teammate Kevin Harvick led the No. 14 to prevail by a few feel before rain brought the race to an end. Those laps on only two fresh tires, trying to hold off the hard-charging Harvick with rain clouds closing in, might have been the best of Bowyer’s career. His 10 career victories tied him at 59th on the all-time win list with Sterling Marlin and Donnie Allison.

Bowyer’s NASCAR playoffs turned out to be quite a rocky but successful run. An accident in the playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway left him with a 23rd-place finish and doubt as to whether he would advance to the next round. But a 10th-place finish at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, combined with a third-place finish on the “roval” at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, allowed him to squeak into the Round of 12.

Hopes for a good start to the Round of 12 vanished with an extra pit stop, combined with a mechanical issue that led to an accident at Dover (Del.) International Speedway and a 35th-place finish. Again, Bowyer rebounded at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway with a second-place finish. A 13th-place finish at Kansas Speedway near Kansas City paved the way to the Round of 8.

Bowyer’s plans for a good start to the Round of 8 races and a repeat victory at Martinsville fell by the wayside with an ill-handling car and a late-race spin that netted a 21st-place finish. The second Round of 8 race was worse when first-lap contact with Denny Hamlin at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth forced him to the pits for a green-flag pit stop and a 26th-place finish. Knowing the No. 14 had to win at Phoenix, Bowyer raced from 16th to seventh before a cut tire led to an accident that ended his championship hopes.

Sunday won’t be merely an “exhibition race” for Bowyer. He’s 12th in points and would like to climb into the top-10 with a good run at Homestead and reward Rush Truck Centers and Haas Automation, the two partners whose decals have adorned the No. 14 most often in 2108 and again this weekend in the season finale.

And, as Bowyer points out, “A win Sunday will make for a fun off season.”

 

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

 

Describe your 2018 playoff run? 

“Obviously, the playoffs haven’t really gone as smoothly as we wanted them to, haven’t gone as smoothly as our season has pretty much gone. At the end of the day, we’ve been a fifth- or sixth-place car all year long. We’ve been a fifth- or sixth-place team against the best of the best. We had some mishaps in the playoffs and things like that. Sometimes when you go for it, things go your way and sometimes they don’t, and a drastic measure one way or the other kind of changes the picture, points-wise, quite a bit. When you’re in the final eight, you go for broke and put all the cards on the table. A mishap at Texas really set us behind as far as the grand picture of the points were concerned, but it’s not really the situation you’re in, anyway. We were in a do-or-die situation and we went for it and came up short,” 

Describe your 2018 season? 

“At the end of the day, I’m proud of our year and proud of the work that we’ve put into this year. It’s been a great year for Ford. It’s been a great year for Stewart-Haas Racing. It’s been a great year for the 14 car getting back in victory lane for all of us. It was a long time coming for (crew chief) Mike (Bugarewicz) and all the guys on the 14 team. To get back to their winning ways and, certainly for me as a driver who hadn’t been in victory lane in a while, it was gratifying to get in victory lane a couple of times this year and knock on the door a few other times.”

What will Homestead be like for drivers not in the Championship 4?

“For those of us not in the Championship 4, Homestead is like the last day of school, but it’s still very important. Whenever you race, you want to win, whether it’s the season-ending Cup race or racing your brothers on dirt bikes in the backyard. Homestead is no different. There’s going to be a lot on the line with those guys racing for a championship, but the rest of us are going to race for a trophy, as well.” 

Would a win this weekend be overshadowed by the championship?

“It’s tough to win these races, so anyone who takes the checkered flag Sunday is going to be more than happy. But, think of the momentum it builds. You spend the entire offseason knowing you are the most current winner. You’ll still be happy when you get to Daytona in February.”