Month: March 2019

KEVIN HARVICK – 2019 Phoenix I Race Advance

In the State of Indiana during the 1980s, Gary Roosevelt could not be topped in boys high school track and field. From 1981 to 1989, the school won every state title under legendary coach John Campbell.

Roosevelt has won a record 20 state track titles in Indiana, while the now-closed Gary Frobel is second with 14. Gary West Side has won six championships, while Gary Horace Mann won four and Gary Tolleston took the top spot once. Mann and Tolleston are also closed down.

But the Roosevelt track teams of the 1980s were unbeatable, and the trophy case shows their dominance.

The track portion of track of field awards points are based on how fast runners can get from point A to point B. It’s similar to NASCAR racing. And much like Roosevelt in the 1980s, Kevin Harvick is unbeatable at ISM Raceway near Phoenix.

He hasn’t won nine consecutive races, but he has dominated the mile oval in the desert. Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), has a series-high nine career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins at Phoenix to top a list that shows Jimmie Johnson next-best with “just” four career wins. Harvick has two Busch poles, 16 top-five finishes, 22 top-10s and has led a total of 1,595 laps in his 32 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix.

He has won seven of the last 13 NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix and is the only driver to win four in a row. He won the November 2013 race, swept the 2014 races and won in March 2015 before ending his streak with a runner-up finish in November 2015.

Only five drivers have won consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix and Harvick is the only driver to win consecutive races twice. Harvick also swept both races in 2006.

Harvick has scored a perfect 150.0 driver rating at Phoenix on three occasions. His first was in November 2006, when he started second, led 252 of 312 laps and reached victory lane. His second was during his November 2014 win, when he started third and led 264 of 312 laps. His third came during his March 2015 win, when he started first and led 224 of 312 laps.

In the 1980s, when other schools raced against the Gary Roosevelt High School Panthers, they knew that they would be freaky fast.

Just like the NASCAR competitors know that Harvick is also freaky fast.

 

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

 

What’s the most difficult thing about racing at Phoenix?

“The hardest thing about racing at Phoenix is if you get behind. It’s really easy to do there because you don’t have a lot of time to make pit stops and you have very few chances to adjust on your car to make it race better. The strategy is always tough because track position is so important. If you get behind making a four-tire call and the rest of the field takes two tires, it takes you a long time to get back to where you need to be. No matter what position you are in, it’s going to take away points or a chance to win if you get behind.”

When you go to Phoenix, are you trying to win or are you trying to survive?

“When we go to Phoenix, we are always going for the win. That’s been a great racetrack for me, personally, and since I’ve been at SHR, it’s become statistically one of our best racetracks as far as win counts go. It’s definitely a racetrack that we circle every year where we think we should have an opportunity to win.”

 

RODNEY CHILDERS, Crew Chief of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

 

Last week at Las Vegas was the first real test for the new rules packages. What are your thoughts on it?

“It’s definitely a different type of racing. I felt like overall we learned a lot throughout the weekend. When we unloaded, we weren’t very good and we made big gains on it for qualifying, and then during Saturday practice we weren’t that good but made big gains on it for the race. Everyone did a really good job with it. I think we’re just going to have to keep learning on it each week. I think the racing is going to be quite different at the different types of racetracks.”

You guys have been really good at Phoenix. What will it take to win?

“Just getting this package figured out and getting the car figured out. You’re going to have to get your car to turn better than anyone else’s and roll turns three and four really good. We’ve been good before and hopefully we can be good again.”

To the layman, what is the difference between the rules package that we saw at Las Vegas and what we are going to see at Phoenix?

“Phoenix is basically the same body, but you don’t have the drag ducts in the front. You’ll have brake ducts going to your front routers and front calipers. Then, of course, you have the 750-horsepower engine at Phoenix instead of the 550 horsepower that we had at Vegas. A little bit more downforce – the cars are built for downforce and a little bit more power.”

CLINT BOWYER – 2019 Phoenix I Race Advance

ISM Raceway near Phoenix occupies a special place in Clint Bowyer’s heart and history.

The 39-year-old Emporia, Kansas native made his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut on the mile oval in the Arizona desert on April 23, 2005, driving for Bill McAnally and Richard Childress. He started 25th and finished 22nd, one lap behind race-winner Kurt Busch.

Busch, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick are the only drivers who were in the field for Bowyer’s debut in 2005 who will race at Phoenix again in Sunday’s TicketGuardian 500k.

“There aren’t many guys left who were there when I started,” said Bowyer, who has gone on to post 10 victories in 472 Cup Series starts. “That’s a big turnover. Obviously, our sport has undergone a lot of change over the last 15 or so years.”

One of the biggest changes besides the driver lineup since Bowyer started in the Cup Series is the amount of technology available to fans and competitors alike.

Racecar drivers now rely on digital readouts instead of analog gauges on their dashboard. Crews can send huge amounts of digital information to and from the track. Fans at home have as much information as a crew chief on the pit box while fans in the stands can follow timing and scoring and browse the Web at tracks like Phoenix that offer free Wi-Fi throughout the facility.

Fans and drivers alike are able to Tweet, Instagram, Snap and Skype every moment at racetracks across the country.

“Technology is a way of life, now,” said Bowyer, who notes the ease with which his 4-year-old son Cash took up technology. “He can navigate an iPad better than me. Everyone wants technology no matter where you are or how old you are these days.”

It’s fitting that, this weekend in Arizona, Bowyer will drive the No. 14 ITsavvy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. (SHR) ITsavvy (pronounced I-T-savvy)is a second-year primary sponsor in the Cup Series. The Addison, Illinois-based company is one of the fastest-growing resources for integrated IT products and technology solutions in the United States. ITsavvy has catapulted from a Midwest start-up to a national leader in IT products and solutions very rapidly.

Founded in 2004 by Mike Theriault and Chris Kurpeikis, ITsavvy has been consistently recognized as one of the fastest-growing businesses of its type. ITsavvy is a single-source, end-to-end IT partner. The company combines a comprehensive, value-added reseller business of more than 1 million computer, hardware and software products with an industry-leading advanced solutions group. ITsavvy has access to $8 billion in daily inventory in 46 distribution centers around the country with the ability to ship in-stock items the same day they are ordered.

ITsavvy will also serve as the primary sponsor on Bowyer’s No. 14 Ford at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in October.

“The ITsavvy car is probably the easiest car to spot on the track,” said Bowyer, who owns victories at Phoenix in an Xfinity Series race in 2007 and the Gander Mountain Truck Series in 2010. “It’s been fun bringing them into our racing world and we are learning a lot about their world. They help us at the shop and at the track with our IT challenges. Their success is our success.”

Bowyer hopes more race fans will know the ITsavvy name after Sunday’s 500-kilometer race at Phoenix. It’s the fourth event of the 2019 season. Bowyer enters 13th in the points a week after finishing 14th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Phoenix marks the second of a three-race West-Coast trip for the Cup Series.

While so much of the sport and the world is different since Bowyer’s Cup Series debut in 2005, one thing remains the same.

“I don’t care if I raced in 1919 or 2019,” he said. “If you are a racer, that desire to win is always there. I want to win this Sunday in Phoenix as much as – heck, if not more than – I did that first race in Phoenix.”

 

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

 

What challenges does Phoenix pose?

“There are a couple of tough things about Phoenix. Finding your stall in pit road is tricky, especially if you are pitted down around the corner. Second is figuring out the restarts now that we start in the dogleg. You have to figure out how to give room to the guy in front of you so you don’t get on the brakes and get hit from behind or screw up and let that guy make it three-wide and you lose a lot of spots. Finally, that sun is tough in Phoenix. You can miss the bottom (groove) the first lap or two because of the sun.”

What are your thoughts on technology in NASCAR and ITsavvy’s role with SHR?

“Stewart Haas Racing (SHR) is a four-car team and we have tons of extremely talented folks, but I’m going to tell you the number-one guy we can’t do without on a race weekend or, especially at a test, is our IT guy. If he’s sick, we’re all sick and that racecar is going to be sick. It’s unbelievable how much we lean on that side of things, on the technology side. If you walk through our race shop and throughout the garage, you’ll see how our racecars and our entire industry rely on technology. From engine diagnostics to fuel-mileage calculations, our business is dependent on technology solutions. The senior-level introductions our sport can make will lead to new business opportunities for ITsavvy. Every company needs what ITsavvy provides, and we’re excited to facilitate those introductions.”

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2019 Phoenix I Race Advance

Aric Almirola and the No. 10 Smithfield Ford team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) enter the season’s first race on a mile oval Sunday at ISM Raceway near Phoenix fresh off of their second consecutive top-10 finish – a seventh-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Consistency is everything in NASCAR’s top-tier series and consistency is what earned Almirola a spot in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

Just three races into this season, Almirola is already ahead of last year’s pace, sitting 10th in the driver standings just 41 points behind leader Joey Logano. This ties his best point standing after three races since 2013, when he finished 13th, 15th and 16th in the first three events.

The 34-year-old Tampa native has not only been consistent this season but, statistically speaking at Phoenix, it would be safe to forecast another strong run for the No. 10 Ford team this weekend. In Almirola’s last three Cup Series starts at the desert oval, he has earned three consecutive top-10 finishes and one top-five  – the latter earned in his previous start there last November, when he finished fourth.

“We still have a lot to learn as a team with this new rules package, but we certainly managed to build a fourth- to eighth-place car at Atlanta and Vegas,” Almirola said. “We still need a bit more to compete for wins every weekend and I’m thankful for the guys and girls at Stewart-Haas who have worked so hard during the offseason to make sure we start strong, and we have.”

Almirola has certainly excelled in his seven NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix, having captured the pole in November 2011 to go with 74 laps led and a pair of top-10 finishes. Earlier in his career, Almirola made three starts in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series at the “Diamond in the Desert.” Two of those three starts resulted in top-five finishes, and he led a total of 52 laps.

This marks the first time in Almirola’s eight full-time seasons in the Cup Series that he will race for his third consecutive top-10 at the fourth race of the season. His SHR teammate Kevin Harvick has also started the season consistently with back-to-back top-five finishes and matches Almirola’s one pole award, which Harvick earned last weekend at Las Vegas.

Phoenix marks the fourth consecutive weekend the black, gold and white Smithfield livery will adorn Almirola’s No. 10 Ford Mustang. Smithfield, a brand of Smithfield Foods, which is based approximately five hours northeast of SHR headquarters in Smithfield, Virginia, enters its eighth season with Almirola and second 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.

Of Almirola’s 51 top-10s earned in 283 career Cup Series starts, 17 have been earned at tracks a mile in length or shorter. He has an average finish of 15.5 at Phoenix and is ranked 10th among all drivers in the last 10 races run at tracks a mile or shorter.

“Phoenix is just a fast short track,” Almirola said. “Ever since the repave, it races like a mile-and-a-half, which is different from a Richmond-, Martinsville- or Bristol-type of short track. It’s a fun race and I always look forward to heading out West to Phoenix.”

The Smithfield Ford driver looks to build on his short-track success this weekend by earning his third-top 10, first top-five or, the ultimate prize, a win in the desert.

 

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

 

This is the first short-track race since the new rules package. What can we expect?

“I think for Phoenix it’s going to be very similar to the short-track racing we’ve seen in the past. Short-track racing is really what NASCAR was built on. We’ve migrated to these mile-and-a-half racetracks and, over time, they’ve put on great races. But short-track racing is the heart and soul of NASCAR and I don’t think our new rule package is going to change that. We’re still going to see beating and banging and tempers flaring. This is your very typical short-track race. I think there’s going to be tight, side-by-side racing and the bump-and-run is going to come into play where we’re moving ourselves into position. It’s going to be the same, old, exciting short-track racing that we’ve always seen.”

What’s the most important thing to be successful at Phoenix? 

“You have to have everything at Phoenix. You have to have downforce, grip in your car and good brakes. You have to make sure your car turns well across the center of turns one and two, which is a sharp, banked corner. And then you have turns three and four, which are really fast and sweeping and flat. You’ve got to have a car that’s versatile and is a good compromise for both corners.”

CLINT BOWYER – 2019 Las Vegas I Race Report

Event: Las Vegas 400(Round 3 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway(1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 17th/14th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point Standing:   13th with 83 points, 50 out of first

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Started 17th and finished 16th.
● Dropped to 25th in opening laps to avoid three- and four-wide racing.
● Crew made changes to tighten the car during a lap-40 pit stop.
● Climbed to 16th by lap 65, but Bowyer reported he couldn’t pass.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Started 18th and finished 15th.
● Crew made major changes before the stage to trim out the No. 14 and give Bowyer more speed.
● Bowyer reported the changes improved the car, and he climbed to 13th.
● The tightness returned later in the stage, dropping Bowyer to 18th, but handling changes propelled him to 15th in the closing laps.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):

● Started 15th and finished 14th.
● Bowyer climbed to 12th in the opening laps of the last stage and moved to 10th by lap 190.
● Pitted under green with 52 laps remaining for tires and fuel as well as handling adjustments.
● Bowyer reported his car remained tight in the final laps of the race before finishing 14th.

Notes:                   

●  Bowyer earned his second top-15 finish of the season seventh top-15 in 15 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas.
●  Joey Logano won the Las Vegas 400 to score his 22nd career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Las Vegas. His margin of victory over second-place Brad Keselowski was .236 of a second.
●  There were two caution periods for a total of 12 laps.
●  Only 18 of the 38 drivers in the Las Vegas 400 finished on the lead lap.
●  Logano leaves Las Vegas as the championship leader with a six-point advantage over second-place Denny Hamlin.

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

“That was a tough afternoon for us. We made a lot of changes throughout the weekend, but we fought tight most of the race. We trimmed our car out and got it a bit better, but it was tough to pass today, real tough. We have a lot of work to do, but Phoenix next week will be better.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the TicketGuardian 500k on Sunday, March 10 at ISM Raceway near Phoenix. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 3 p.m.

KEVIN HARVICK – 2019 Las Vegas I Race Report

Event: Las Vegas 400 (Round 3 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 1st/4th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point Standing: 2nd (131 points, 2 out of first)

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Started first, finished first and collected 10 bonus points and a playoff point.
● Led early on, but Harvick said his No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang was a bit loose.
● On lap 45, Harvick had a four-second lead but pitted for four tires and fuel.
● Harvick beat Kyle Busch by 4.5 seconds to win Stage 1.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Started third, finished second and collected nine bonus points.
● Harvick pitted on lap 83 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. He had a bit of trouble getting out of the pit box and restarted third.
● On lap 125, Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 161-267):

● Started third, finished fourth.
● Harvick pitted under caution on lap 163 for four tires and fuel.
● On lap 215, while in second place, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment.
● Late in the race Harvick’s car was just too tight, but he finished a solid fourth.

Notes:

●  Harvick earned his second top-five finish of the season and his sixth top-five in 20 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas.
●  Harvick won Stage 1 to earn 10 bonus points and one playoff point and finished second in Stage 2 to earn an additional nine bonus points.
●  Harvick led three times for a race-high 88 laps to increase his laps-led total at Las Vegas to 540.
●  Joey Logano won the Las Vegas 400 to score his 22nd career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Las Vegas. His margin of victory over second-place Brad Keselowski was .236 of a second.
●  There were two caution periods for a total of 12 laps.
●  Only 18 of the 38 drivers in the Las Vegas 400 finished on the lead lap.

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

“Qualifying paid off for us, and early in the race we were able to lead a lot of laps. As the race went on, we just kept getting tighter and tighter. That’s two weeks in a row that our car has fallen off a little bit, and we’ve have a tough time adjusting to that. We definitely have to do some work, but they’ve done a great job on our Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang. The last two weeks we’ve been in right field at the start of practice, and they just keep scrambling and taking big swings at it to get us close. Hopefully, we can get that figured out and get a little closer at the start of practice and get into a rhythm.”

 

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the TicketGuardian 500k on Sunday, March 10 at ISM Raceway near Phoenix. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 3 p.m.

DANIEL SUÁREZ – 2019 Las Vegas I Race Report

Event: Las Vegas 400 (Round 3 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 22nd/17th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point Standing: 17th (63 points, 70 out of first)

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Daniel Suárez started Stage 1 from the 20th position and ended the stage ninth to earn two stage points.
● Suárez worked his way up to 13th on lap 20 before taking over the lead for 12 laps while green-flag pit stops cycled through.
● The Mexico native relinquished the lead on lap 61 for a green-flag stop and received two right-side tires, fuel and adjustments to help with his tight-handling condition.
● Suárez made a pit stop during the Stage 1 break for fuel and four tires and began Stage 2 in the 10th position.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● The No. 41 driver started Stage 2 in 10th and completed it in 14th.
● On lap 125, he made a scheduled green-flag pit stop from 11th for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with his front grip.
● The event stayed green until the end of the stage, and the Haas Automation driver completed it in 14th.
● He pitted during the stage break for fuel and four tires and began the final stage in 17th.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-276):

● The Mexico native began the final stage in 17th and concluded it in 17th.
● On lap 222, Suárez once again made a scheduled green-flag pit stop for fuel, four tires and adjustments from the 13th position.
● After pit stops cycled through he was in the 19th position and worked his way up to 17th, where he ultimately ended the event.

Notes:

● Suárez finished ninth in Stage 1 to earn two bonus points.
● Suárez led once for 12 laps – his first laps led at Las Vegas.
● Joey Logano won the Las Vegas 400 to score his 22nd career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Las Vegas. His margin of victory over second-place Brad Keselowski was .236 of a second.
● There were two caution periods for a total of 12 laps.
● Only 18 of the 38 drivers in the Las Vegas 400 finished on the lead lap.
● Logano leaves Las Vegas as the championship leader with a six-point advantage over second-place Denny Hamlin.

Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We had a good Haas Automation Ford Mustang on the long runs, but we didn’t have the short-run speed today. I felt like we had a top-10 car, but once we lost a little track position it was hard to get back up there. Overall though, from Friday’s practice to Saturday’s practice we made improvements on the car, so our communication is good and the guys are able to adjust on the car to help me. We’ll move on to Phoenix next week, which is one of my best tracks.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the TicketGuardian 500k on Sunday, March 10 at ISM Raceway near Phoenix. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 3 p.m.

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2019 Las Vegas I Race Report

Event: Las Vegas 400 (Round 3 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 25th/7th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point standings: 10th with 92 points, 41 out of first

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Aric Almirola started 25th, finished 11th.
● The No. 10 Smithfield Ford driver raced to the top-20 by lap 20 and noted tight handling conditions.
● Almirola pitted on lap 47 for four tires, fuel and adjustments under green-flag conditions.
● He battled to the 11th position by lap 63, where he finished the first stage.
● Almirola pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments at the end of Stage 1.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Started 12th and finished seventh to collect four bonus points.
● Almirola advanced the Smithfield Ford Mustang to fifth place after the restart.
● He fell back to ninth and pitted on lap 124 for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments.
● Almirola was scored in the eighth position when green-flag pit stops cycled through and raced to seventh place before the stage concluded.
● He brought the No. 10 Ford to the pits at the end of Stage 2 for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 161-267):

● Started ninth and finished seventh.
● Almirola jolted the Smithfield Ford to fourth place by lap 173 – his highest running position of the day.
● He ran in and around the top-five and pitted under green on lap 215 for four tires, fuel and adjustments.
● The Smithfield Ford driver was scored seventh after green-flag pit stops cycled through and battled for the sixth and seventh spot for the remainder of the race.

Notes:

● Almirola earned his second top-10 finish of the season and his third top-10 in 12 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas.
● Almirola’s seventh-place result was one short of his previous best finish at Las Vegas – sixth in last September’s South Point 400.
● Almirola finished seventh in Stage 2 to earn four bonus points.
● Joey Logano won the Las Vegas 400 to score his 22nd career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Las Vegas. His margin of victory over second-place Brad Keselowski was .236 of a second.
● There were two caution periods for a total of 12 laps.
● Only 18 of the 38 drivers in the Las Vegas 400 finished on the lead lap.
● Logano leaves Las Vegas as the championship leader with a six-point advantage over second-place Denny Hamlin.

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

“We have a lot of learning to do, but overall a good day for a Smithfield Ford team. We saw a lot of similarities from Atlanta where we’re good on the short runs and fall off on the long runs. Everyone at Stewart-Haas is working hard to make our cars as competitive as can be, and we’ll get there. Right now, I think we’re a fourth- to eighth-place car, and we have some work to do if we want to win.”

Next Up: 

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the TicketGuardian 500k on Sunday, March 10 at ISM Raceway near Phoenix. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 3 p.m.

CHASE BRISCOE – 2019 NXS Las Vegas I Race Report

Date: March 2, 2019
Race Name: Boyd Gaming 300 (Race 3 of 33)
Venue: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Results: Chase Briscoe: 8th | Cole Custer: 9th
Point Standings:
– Cole Custer: 2nd; trails points leader by 18 points
– Chase Briscoe: 13th; trails points leader by 58 points

Chase Briscoe / Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang Recap:

– Briscoe started 28th and worked his way up to 17th before an early caution on lap three. He gained six additional spots over the course of Stage 1 and finished in the 11th place.
– The Nutri Chomps team started Stage 2 in 13th and finished 10th to earn one stage point.
– Briscoe and the No. 98 team started 11th in the final stage after a four tire pit stop at the conclusion of Stage 2.
– The No. 98 Ford lost a lap to the leaders, but took a wave around to regain his lap during a late-race caution with 12 laps remaining.
– Briscoe would pit for four tires and fuel during the caution and restart 10th.
– A caution during overtime would bring Briscoe up to seventh. He fell back to ninth, but gained one spot before the checkered flag to score his first top-10 finish of 2019.

Race Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Next Up: NASCAR Xfinity Series 200 at 4 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 9 from ISM Raceway broadcast by Fox Sports 1.

 Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 98 Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang:                                                    

“Overall to come out of here with a top-10 finish after how bad we struggled earlier in the week is something to look up to. We will go to ISM Raceway next week and see what we can do. The wind really picked up with about 40 laps to go and could really feel it down the backstretch into turn three and out of four. I’ve never really felt a difference with the wind in these Xfinity cars, but today it was certainly something that caught our eye.”

COLE CUSTER – 2019 NXS Las Vegas I Race Report

Date: March 2, 2019
Race Name: Boyd Gaming 300 (Race 3 of 33)
Venue: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Results: Chase Briscoe: 8th | Cole Custer: 9th
Point Standings:
– Cole Custer: 2nd; trails points leader by 18 points
– Chase Briscoe: 13th; trails points leader by 58 points

Cole Custer / Haas Automation Ford Mustang Recap:

– Qualifying was canceled due to inclement weather. The starting lineup was set based on 2018 Owner’s Points.
– As a result of winning the 2018 Owner’s Points, Custer started on the pole of the Boyd Gaming 300.
– He finished first in Stage 1 to earn 10 stage points and one playoff point. Custer lost three spots on pit road following the stage end.
– The No. 00 team started fourth and finished fourth in Stage 2 to earn seven additional stage points.
– The Haas Automation Ford Mustang started fourth in the final stage after a four-tire pit stop.
– Custer fell back to seventh early in Stage 3 and would gain two spots before pitting for four-tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment running fifth with 51 laps to go.
– Custer would restart fifth after a caution with eight laps remaining in the race.
– A caution with two laps remaining forced Custer to restart in fifth. Custer experienced problems when shifting into third gear, but was able to score a ninth-place finish.
– Custer scored his second consecutive top-10 finish of 2019 and his third straight at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Race Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Next Up: NASCAR Xfinity Series 200 at 4 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 9 from ISM Raceway broadcast by Fox Sports 1.

 Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang:

“We won the first stage and led just about every lap during that run, but we lost track position on pit road and restarts. I thought we had a really good long run car, but it’s hard to make up all that time we lost at the beginning of the run. At the end of the race it felt like we ran out of gas on the restart and gave up a ton of time and we also picked up some damage. We had a pretty decent car but couldn’t get the entire run to work. We will go to ISM Raceway next weekend where we will focus on making everything go our way and hopefully end up in victory lane.”