COLE CUSTER – 2019 NXS Richmond I Race Report

Date: April 12, 2019
Race Name: Richmond 250 (Race 8 of 33)
Venue: Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Race Winner: Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Results: Cole Custer: 1st  | Chase Briscoe: 8th
Point Standings:
– Cole Custer: 3rd with 333 points; trails points leader by 29 points
– Chase Briscoe: 8th with 255 points; trails points leader by 107 points

Cole Custer / Haas Automation Ford Mustang Recap:
– Custer started fourth and finished third in Stage 1 to pick up eight stage points.
– The No. 00 Ford started third and finished firdst in Stage 2 to pick up an additional seven stage points and one playoff point.
– Custer started first in the final stage where he would stay for most of the stage.
– Two caution flags were thrown with 40 laps remaining and 32 laps remaining.
– The No. 00 came to pit road for four tires and fuel during the stop and returned to the racetrack in first.
– Custer would fall back into second on the restart with 28 laps remaining before moving back into the lead with 25 laps remaining, where he would finish the race.

Next Up: MoneyLion 300 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, on April 27th at 1 p.m. EDT broadcast by Fox Sports 1.

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

“We didn’t have the fire off speed earlier in the day that we had hoped, but Shiplett and the guys worked hard on the car during our stops to get the car where it needed to be at the end. Track position was huge and our guys were able to get me out in the lead the last couple of restarts and that was huge. It feels good to come out of Richmond with our first short-track win and the Dash 4 Cash.”

Toco Warranty Joins Stewart-Haas Racing as a Primary Partner of Clint Bowyer and No. 14 Team

Vehicle Repair Coverage Provider to Debut Four-Race Primary Sponsorship April 26-28 at Talladega Superspeedway

Collaboration Extends to Grassroots Motorsports with Sponsorship of Tony Stewart Racing Drivers Donny Schatz and Stewart in Winged Sprint Cars

Toco Warranty Corp., a new generation of vehicle service contracts (VSC) with pay-as-you-go monthly plans, has partnered with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series by serving as a four-race primary sponsor of driver Clint Bowyer and the No. 14 team.

Augmenting this sponsorship is Toco Warranty’s association with Tony Stewart Racing (TSR), where it will be the co-primary sponsor of 10-time and reigning World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz and an associate sponsor of Stewart, who is slated to compete in more than 90 winged sprint car races this year.

“Toco Warranty is all about helping people take care of their cars quickly and efficiently, and nowhere is speed and efficiency more prominent than in racing,” said Nota Berger, CEO, Toco Warranty. “We’ve found great partners in Stewart-Haas Racing and Tony Stewart Racing and strong, relatable personalities in Clint Bowyer, Donny Schatz and Tony Stewart to increase recognition for our simple and affordable vehicle service contracts. They’ll help showcase our practical and straightforward plans which clearly outline what is and isn’t covered while requiring no major up-front investment or long-term contract.”

Toco Warranty will debut with SHR during the April 26-28 race weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Bowyer and the No. 14 will then carry Toco branding for the NASCAR All-Star Race May 17-18 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and again June 29-30 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois and Sept. 13-15 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Toco Warranty will be an associate sponsor at all other NASCAR races.

“If there’s anyone who knows the importance of a good car, it’s me,” said Bowyer, who joined SHR in 2017 and owns 10 NASCAR Cup Series victories. “Our cars are our jobs, so we understand the investment fans make in their cars to go to work and come to our races. We can’t afford downtime and neither can they. A vehicle service contract from Toco Warranty provides peace of mind and gets folks back on the road fast. We’re in a business built on speed and trust, and those are the same principles that have made Toco Warranty a great choice for anyone who owns a car.”

Consumers demand affordable monthly payments and Toco Warranty offers an easy online experience via its website, www.TocoWarranty.com. It is where customers can review their vehicle service contract, manage online payments and access dedicated customer concierge services.

Communicating this message to anyone who owns a used car or is in the market for a used car is a key component of Toco Warranty’s partnership with SHR and TSR. SHR has won two NASCAR Cup Series championships and one NASCAR Xfinity Series title while TSR has earned nine World of Outlaws championships. Becoming involved with two title-winning teams at the pinnacle of North American motorsports is why SHR and TSR align so well with Toco Warranty.

“Motorsports is about cars – those on the racetrack and those in the acres of parking lots available to fans that typically drive two hours to a race,” Berger said. “Cars are a necessity for one’s recreation and for their work, but an unexpected repair can negatively impact both. Toco Warranty protects customers from unexpected expenses, allowing them to work hard and play hard without sacrifice.”

“We’re obviously very pleased to welcome Toco Warranty to SHR and TSR,” said Stewart, the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion who formed TSR back in 2001 and co-owns SHR with industrialist Gene Haas. “Clint Bowyer and Donny Schatz are great racecar drivers with strong and compelling personalities who can deliver for Toco Warranty on and off the track.”

 

About Toco Warranty Corp.:

Founded in 2013 and based in Southern California, Toco Warranty’s mission is to offer drivers simple-to-use and financially smart vehicle repair coverage that can be purchased using a monthly payment plan. Backed by an A-rated insurance carrier, the company offers vehicle service contracts nationwide as well as mechanical breakdown insurance for California residents. Toco gets it done for drivers with cars five years and older through plans that cover parts for a car’s engine, transmission, drive axle, electrical, cooling system, AC, fuel system and more. Toco’s promise to put customers first is supported by convenient tools and benefits, from the MyToco customer portal and 24/7 roadside assistance to a dedicated concierge and the Ethos Council, which was designed to encourage transparency and ethical practices across the company. For more information about Toco Warranty, visit www.TocoWarranty.comand follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TocoWarranty, on Twitter @TocoWarrantyand on Instagram @TocoWarranty.

 

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time 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 Mustang for Kevin Harvick, the No. 10 Ford Mustang for Aric Almirola, the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Clint Bowyer and the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Daniel Suárez. 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 nearly 400 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.

DANIEL SUÁREZ – 2019 Richmond I Race Advance

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Richmond (Va.) Raceway this weekend for the ninth race of the season. Daniel Suárez will pilot the red-and-black No. 41 Haas Automation Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in this weekend’s event at the track located approximately two hours south of our nation’s capital, Washington D.C.

The Cup Series goes to its second consecutive short track this weekend at Richmond. Suárez survived last weekend’s event on the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway half-mile oval after overcoming three pit-road penalties, which put him one lap down. The 27-year-old battled his way back to the lead lap and earned an eighth-place finish after running as high as third. Bristol’s result has allowed Suárez to put together a trio of top-10 finishes this season.

“I’m kind of glad these mistakes are happening now because we know what we have to fix and clean up to get better,” Suárez said. “We definitely have good speed and were a top-five car and, when we weren’t very good, we were a top-10 car. So we have really good cars, we just need to clean up some of the details.”

At Richmond, the Mexico native has four career Cup Series starts with two top-10 finishes. Overall, Suárez has an average starting position of 22.8 there and an average finishing position of 11.5, and has completed 99.9 percent of all possible laps. While the track has completed a multi-million-dollar facility makeover, including a renovated infield, the .75-mile oval remains one of the most action-packed venues each season.

“I feel like Richmond is a good track for me and it’s good for Stewart-Haas Racing,” Suárez said. “They’re always good there, so I hope we go there to have some fun and have a shot at the win. Then we can enjoy the off weekend before we return for the next stretch of the season.”

Suárez is knocking on the door of his first Cup Series win. Curtis Turner in 1949 was the last driver to earn his first win while wheeling a car adorned with the No. 41. This weekend also offers an added sense of optimism in the SHR camp as, last year, an SHR driver won the race before each of the three off weekends. After this weekend’s action at Richmond, Suárez will head back home to his native country of Mexico to enjoy some time off before the Cup Series returns April 28 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

The solid finish at Bristol moved the Haas driver up to 12th in the point standings to round out the four-car SHR contingent. The top 16 drivers after the 26 regular-season races will earn a spot in the NASCAR playoffs.

Haas Automation, founded in 1983 by SHR co-owner Gene Haas, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers and rotary tables and indexers. All Haas products are constructed in the company’s 1.1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California, and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets. This weekend marks the sixth time Suárez has piloted the Haas Automation scheme.

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond, Suárez has six starts with one top-five finish and three top-10s. He’s amassed an average starting position of 8.3 and an average finishing position of 11.7. Additionally, Suárez has four Richmond starts from 2011 to 2014 in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East with a best finish of 20th in 2011.

Ford has captured three victories in the first eight races this season. The new Cup Series Mustang also has four pole awards, two of those by Suárez’s SHR teammates Aric Almirola and Kevin Harvick. SHR has one win as an organization at Richmond with former SHR driver Kurt Busch capturing the victory in April 2015.

 

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

 

SHR is a special culture and you’ve gained a lot of confidence. Why?

“I just feel like I have great people behind me. Everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Performance and everyone on the No. 41 team. We all get along so well and we have the same goals. We have a lot of confidence in each other and I feel like our communication and chemistry is still very young, but we are starting to show what we can do in the near future. I feel like we are making a lot of progress. At the beginning of the year we set goals and I feel like we are getting to those goals quicker than expected, but we can’t sit back and relax. We have to keep pushing forward and working together.”

It seems like the chemistry between you and Billy Scott has really come together quickly? Why do you think that is?

“Something I like about Billy is that he’s really straightforward. What he thinks, he says, and I’m the same way. We can laugh and have a good time, but we are able to be very clear with each other. He’s also a racer and he’s very hands-on. His kids race and he’s very hands-on with them. We like a lot of the same things. I like to build cars and work on them, and he likes to do the same stuff. We have similar personalities and he’s very aggressive. I have a feeling that we will have a good, long relationship together.”

If there is one driver at SHR who is your brother from another mother, who would it be?

“I would say it’s Clint (Bowyer) because he’s always funny. You never know what is going to come out of his mouth. He has a personality and I don’t think I’m quite to his level with my personality because he takes it to another level, but I feel like I’m closer to Clint. I have lot of things similar to Clint. He’s a great guy and we make fun of each other a lot.”

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2019 Richmond I Race Advance

Aric Almirola heads to Richmond (Va.) Raceway this weekend, where he earned one of his four top-five finishes last year. The confidence at the track where Almirola has had success before is key this weekend as he comes off one of the unluckiest races of his career.

Last weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Almirola brought a fast Ford Mustang, starting the race in sixth. While running on the outside of William Byron’s No. 24 machine in turn two on lap two of the race, Almirola was pushed into the wall when Byron got loose and slid into Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield Get Grilling America Ford. The right-front corner of Almirola’s Mustang hit the wall first, and the impact bent the lower control arm beyond repair. With Almirola unable to steer his racecar, his race was over. The DNF (Did Not Finish) ended a six-race streak of top-10 finishes.

Seeing his string of top-10 finishes come to an abrupt end, Almirola dropped from fifth to ninth in the championship.

Luckily for Almirola, Richmond is one of his favorite tracks on the circuit, one where he is most confident.

“Richmond is one of my favorite racetracks that we go to,” he said. “It’s the epitome of short-track racing and it’s a little bit faster and bigger than the short track we all grew up racing on, but it’s such a cool racetrack and the asphalt is worn out, the tires don’t make a lot of grip, you can spin the tires at the flag stand, so you’re just constantly looking for grip and trying to get your car to turn but, at the same time, having enough forward bite to drive up off the corners without spinning the rear tires. It’s so fun, so challenging and very typical of short-track racing. I’m looking forward to getting back to another short track where we can redeem our bad luck from last weekend.”

In 14 starts at the Richmond oval, Almirola has captured two top-five finishes and four top-10s. He has an average Richmond finish of 15.5, and earned his best finish of fourth in September 2015. He has six Richmond starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with one top-10 finish, 10 laps led and an average finish of 16.2.

While last weekend didn’t go the No. 10 team’s way, Almirola has already surpassed his previous best over a season’s first eight races by earning one pole, one top-five finish, six top-10s and has led 72 laps.

Ford Mustang drivers make up half of the top-10 in the point standings, including Almirola. Ford has also earned 32 all-time series wins at Richmond.

Almirola will adorn a special Get Grilling America Smithfield paint scheme this weekend at Richmond. With summer in full swing, fans have the opportunity to celebrate the grilling season by entering Smithfield’s “Hero of the Grill” contest that Almirola and five-time world-champion barbecue pitmaster Tuffy Stone helped launch last year. Fans are encouraged to nominate their favorite grill hero by visiting SmithfieldGetGrilling.com. One “Hero of the Grill” nominee will win $5,000. You can pick up your Smithfield Extra Tender Pork Ribs at Walmart this grilling season.

While fans nominate their “Hero of the Grill,” Almirola and the No. 10 Ford team will battle it out this Sunday to try and become the hero of the track by grilling up their first win at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.

 

ARIC ALMIROLA, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Get Grilling America Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

 

What kind of challenge does a short track like Richmond bring? 

“I would say Richmond is one of the most challenging racetracks we go to for managing your tires throughout the run. The first 10, 15 or 20 laps of the run can make you feel like Superman roaring through the field, but you will pay a major penalty for that by lap 40. It makes it fun because, when we show up to Richmond, it really is about managing tire fall-off and making sure your car stays consistent throughout the run as the tires fall off.”

What’s it like to race at Richmond?

“Richmond is an awesome track to race at. It’s Saturday-night racing at its finest. Beating and banging, and the track has very little grip and the tires wear out, so it’s a really fun racetrack. You can see the sparks flying, and having the glow of the brake rotors and everything lit up is neat. It’s also pretty close to Smithfield, Virginia, so it’s a hometown race for Smithfield. It’s just a lot of fun to go there and race.”

Is it difficult to adjust from the larger tracks you race on to all of a sudden being at a smaller track like Richmond? 

“No, I think that’s what makes racecar drivers special, especially the ones who are at the top of what they do, like us. We’re able to adapt so fast. Whether we go from a big track like Michigan International Speedway, or to a place like Martinsville Speedway, we all get really good at adapting to whatever racetrack we go to.”

CHASE BRISCOE – 2019 NXS Richmond I Race Advance

Date: April 12, 2019
Race Name: Richmond 250 (Race 8 of 33)
Venue: Richmond (Va.) Raceway
Television: 7:00 p.m. EDT on FOX Sports 1
Point Standings: 
– Cole Custer: 3rd; trails points leader by 46 points
– Chase Briscoe: 8th; trails points leader by 101 points

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Three straight top-five finishes and another chance at $100,000 this weekend. How do you feel heading into Richmond?

“We have had really good momentum and hopefully we can continue to build that this weekend at Richmond. I feel like you’re going to have to win the race to get the bonus, so we will try to do that and see if we can have another good run.”

COLE CUSTER – 2019 NXS Richmond I Race Advance

Date: April 12, 2019
Race Name: Richmond 250 (Race 8 of 33)
Venue: Richmond (Va.) Raceway
Television: 7:00 p.m. EDT on FOX Sports 1
Point Standings: 
– Cole Custer: 3rd; trails points leader by 46 points
– Chase Briscoe: 8th; trails points leader by 101 points

Haas Automation, Inc., is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. Founded by Gene Haas in 1983, Haas Automation manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers and rotary tables and indexers. All Haas products are built in the company’s 1,100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California, and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets that provides the industry’s best sales, service and support while offering unparalleled cost-to-performance value.

You’re a part of the Dash 4 Cash this weekend. Do you race this track any different than you normally would or do you just go into it as another race?

“For the most part you’re going to go into the race with the same mindset of giving it 100%. I think the difference is at the end of the race when $100,000 is on the line, you might have to get a little more aggressive with the cars in front of you.”

KEVIN HARVICK – 2019 Richmond I Race Advance

Kevin Harvick has not won a race in the first eight events of the 2019 season. It’s happened only once since he joined Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in 2014.

In 2017, when SHR switched to the Ford Fusion, it took Harvick a bit of time to adjust and won his first race in the 16th race of the season at Sonoma Raceway. For 2019, SHR switched the Ford Mustang and NASCAR introduced a new rules package for the season.

Harvick has six consecutive top-10 finishes between Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia and Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. And he had the fastest car at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway last week, but had to start from the rear of the field and had a loose wheel early in the race, which forced him to pit. He was four laps down and in 31st place and no one though he had any chance of rebounded.

His car was so quick that he actually finished on the lead lap and finished 13th. An amazing comeback from what could have been a horrible day.

Harvick will win and he hopes its this week at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. And has always he’ll have the support of Mobil 1 technology.

Mobil 1 isn’t just the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand, it also provides the entire SHR organization with leading lubricant technology, ensuring that all SHR Mustangs have a competitive edge over the competition on the track. In its 17th consecutive season as the “Official Motor Oil of NASCAR,” Mobil 1 is used by more than 50 percent of teams throughout NASCAR’s top three series.

Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for SHR, has had much success at Richmond. Harvick has three wins, three poles, 14 top-five finishes, 23 top-10s and has led a total of 1,109 laps in his 36 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Richmond. His average start is 13.7, his average finish is 10.1 and he has a lap-completion rate of 99.2 percent, completing 14,304 of the 14,422 laps available.

But he’s hoping that he score victory number four at Richmond this week.

 

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

 

Why has Richmond caused so many run-ins over the years, or conflicts between drivers?

“I don’t really know. For us, it’s really the same as any other race. You want to go there and prepare the best you can. Being a short track, it’s just one of those places where sometimes you have to move somebody out of the way and sometimes that doesn’t go over well. Any time you have short-track racing, there are going to be things that happen.”

Do you have a favorite win at Richmond?

“I remember the ones I lost more than the ones I won. The first one, where Ricky Rudd and I were racing in 2001, was pretty cool. But, as you look back at the last one we won in 2013 as part of a green-white-checkered finish, I think we came from seventh to win, so I didn’t really expect to win that one. The other two were probably fairly strong nights for us.”

Do you consider yourself a short-track specialist?

“I think we’ve had success on short tracks in the past. It’s really just a matter putting a weekend together. It’s really no different than any other racetrack. This business is hard to be successful at and sometimes you go through years where short tracks are good and some years not so good. Some years, longer tracks are good and some are not so good. It’s really just about putting together a whole weekend. It all starts with practice on Friday and trying to qualify well. I enjoy the short tracks because we don’t get to go to quite as many as I think we’d all like.”

Is it better to race with your emotions in check?

“I think, emotionally, you can get yourself in trouble. Especially for me, to have those emotions under control opens the door for less noise. I can deal with the noise, but I don’t like the noise and disruption that comes with that noise for my team because they have to start answering questions and looking at things on the Internet to take their focus off of what is most important. It’s most important for them to focus on the details of the car.”

 

RODNEY CHILDERS, Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

 

Why are synthetic engine oils superior to conventional engine oils?

“Synthetic oil can run hotter than conventional oil which helps all of our parts, especially in the engine. Mobil 1 gives us the best fluids and oils and that is a huge advantage. Every car in the NASCAR field is looking for any advantage they can get and certainly Mobil 1 gives us a huge advantage throughout the year. It’s great to have them as a partner.”

CLINT BOWYER – 2019 Richmond I Race Advance

If only Clint Bowyer had met H.G. Wells.

Wells, the science fiction author who wrote the 1895 novella The Time Machine, is credited with the concept of time travel using a machine that’s spawned loads of movies and television shows.

Bowyer said he wishes he had a time machine for racing purposes so he could race in different decades against the NASCAR heroes of each era.

“The coolest thing for me would be to invent a time machine where you could go back, click into the ’60s, and be in the car racing, with Ralph Earnhardt and Ned Jarrett and those guys,” said Bowyer.

“Then all of a sudden we’d fire that machine up and move in to the ’70s and bang fenders with David Pearson, Richard Petty and all those guys  Then I’d move into the ’80s go up against Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt and just live in that. Why stop there, we’d have to go to the 90s. Gosh, the ’90s look so much fun. I think I would stop after that. From then I’ve pretty much lived it so we wouldn’t need a time machine.”

Bowyer won’t need the time machine to go back in time when he races his No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The Virginia track is a glimpse into the future of all race facilities. A $30 million redevelopment project included a redesign of the entire infield with driver Q&A’s, music, food and everything fans asked for in a race experience. The Richmond infield is its own village with access to the Cup cars and teams.

The .75-mile oval also retains its historic short track flare. It staged its first Cup Series race in 1953 when Lee Petty took the checkered flag. There have been 125 Cup races at Richmond and Bowyer is proud he’s won two of those races.

“Richmond is such an important part of our sport,” said Bowyer. “It’s a new modern facility but it’s still good old Saturday night short track racing at Richmond. You feel like those guys in the 50s, 60s and 70s did when you race here. She’s been good to me over the years and I hope she’ll be good to me again this weekend.”

Bowyer has raced well over his career on the Virginia track. In addition to the two victories he owns four top-five and 14 top-10s in 26 starts. He arrives at Richmond on a roll after a seventh-place finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway where he led 24 laps and looked to be a contender for the victory before a late race accident dropped him to midpack. He rallied for his third consecutive and 200th top-10 finish in his career. Bowyer is now 11th in points.

Bowyer hopes to move into the top-10 in the standings before the Cup Series takes a weekend off after the Richmond race then resumes its schedule on April 21 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Like most drivers and crew members, Bowyer will spend the rare off weekend with family even though that might not be in his nature.

“I am never a stay-at-home kind of guy,” Bowyer said laughing. “Like, my wife, you know, she, she enlightens me to that fact, all the time, that, ‘You realize we haven’t been home more than four days this whole offseason, you, you understand that, that this is not normal?’ It’s normal for me.”

Races before the off-weekends seemed like prime motivation for SHR’s Fords in 2018. There were only three off weekends on the calendar, and Bowyer won at Martinsville and Michigan the final races before the first two off weekends. His then SHR teammate Kurt Busch won at Bristol in August, the race before the final off weekend of the season.

Bowyer wouldn’t mind a repeat visit to victory lane at Richmond this weekend. That’s a trip back in time he’ll always enjoy.

 

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

 

What are your plans for the off weekend?

“You know, the off weekends are special. Having kids and a family, now, it just makes it even more special. We are lucky in that we get to travel around the country with your family and your kids, and to be able to go to all the different venues that we go to, all the different fun cities. We go to some pretty cool places and meet a lot of really neat people. But this off weekend I think we are just going to have fun at home.”

Does your family enjoy interacting with the fans?

“Who would’ve ever thought that, that your son, you know, will be walking down pit road with you somewhere, and some grown man is, like, “Hey, Cash.” I’m like what, what is going on, here? And, and then he looks over, he gives the dude a high-five, and you’re, like, “My god.” You know, I couldn’t imagine me growing up that way and being, you know, four years old and, and walking through all this chaos that we know as life right now, and, and looking over and giving some stranger a high-five. It just, that’s not – that wasn’t normal for me. And, you know, his crazy life is.”

CLINT BOWYER – 2019 Bristol I Race Report

Event: Food City 500 (Round 8 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (125 laps/125 laps/250 laps)
Start/Finish:  8th/7th (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
Point Standing: 11th (234 points, 127 out of first)

Race Winner:      Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner:  Ty Dillon of Germain Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner:  Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-125):

Clint Bowyer started seventh and finished second.
Bowyer jumped to fifth in the opening laps before the race’s first caution on lap six. He moved to second on lap 10.
● Bowyer led laps 39 and 40 when leader Chase Elliott spun. A caution brought the field to pit lane and he restarted second.
● Despite a tight-handling car, Bowyer took over the lead with just seven laps remaining in the stage, leading laps 118 to 123.
● A caution saw all but Bowyer and two others visit pit lane.
● Bowyer restarted first for the final two laps, but Ty Dillon edged him by a few feet for the stage victory.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 126-250):

Bowyer started 15th and finished eighth.
● Bowyer started back in the field because he elected to pit during the stage break and not in the final laps of Stage 1 like most of the field.
● Bowyer turned some of the quickest laps on track and climbed back into the top-five by lap 213.
● Bowyer appeared ready to climb even higher, but he was blocked on a restart by another car and reported his car wouldn’t turn.
● Bowyer held on to finish eighth.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 251 -500):

Bowyer started seventh and finished seventh.
● Bowyer climbed to fourth by lap 275, third by lap 285 and second by lap 355, then took the lead on lap 375.
● After a round of pit stops Bowyer found himself in third closing in on the leaders.
● Bowyer’s bid for victory ended when he and Joey Logano made contact as they battled for second with about 60 laps remaining.
● The cut tire sent the No. 14 into the wall then to pit road for repairs.
● Bowyer remained on the lead lap but dropped to 15th and struggled because of the damage.
● He held his position until a caution with 15 to go saw the No. 14 stay on the track while the leaders pitted.
● Bowyer restarted in sixth and climbed to fourth before the cars with fresher tires dropped him to seventh in the final laps.

Notes:

●  Bowyer earned his fourth top-10 of the season and his 14th top-10 in 27 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol.
●  This was Bowyer’s third straight top-10 and his third consecutive top-10 at Bristol. He has finished in the top-10 all but once at Bristol since joining SHR in 2017.
●  This was Bowyer’s 200th career top-10 in 477 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts.
●  Bowyer finished second in Stage 1 to earn nine bonus points and eighth in Stage 2 to earn an additional two bonus points.
●  Bowyer led five times for 24 laps to increase his laps-led total at Bristol to 281.
●  Kyle Busch won the Food City 500 to score his 54th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his series-leading third of the season and his eighth at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Kurt Busch was .722 of a second.
●  There were 11 caution periods for a total of 77 laps.
●  Only 16 of the 37 drivers in the Food City 500 finished on the lead lap.
●  Kyle Busch leaves Bristol as the championship leader with a 27-point advantage over second-place Denny Hamlin.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Mustang:

“We had a good car, it’s just horribly disappointing. You get that close. Long runs were my strong suit. I couldn’t take off all day long. Some of those things made sense. We were down a little bit on air and it took a little bit of time for them to come in. The problem is when you balance around that and you just pump the air-pressure up, then it doesn’t work either and you don’t handle there. It’s just disappointing.

“(Logano) and I just barely touched and it must have cut the valve stem out of it or something and hit it just right. Maybe his fender caught it or something. That’s about typical luck for here. You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. We put ourselves in position. Our Stewart-Haas Ford was good, our Haas Automation Mustang, I wanted to get that thing in victory lane. It’s such a good-looking car. I think it’s racy looking. I appreciate Gene Haas and the opportunity, I just didn’t get it done.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Richmond 400 on Saturday, April 13 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX.

KEVIN HARVICK – 2019 Bristol I Race Report

Event: Food City 500(Round 8 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway(.533-mile oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (125 laps/125 laps/250 laps)
Start/Finish: 13th/13th (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
Point Standing: 4th (301 points, 60 out of first)

Race Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Ty Dillon of Germain Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-125):

Kevin Harvick started 13th and finished 31st.
● The No. 4 car had to go to the back of the field before the start and then serve a pit road pass-through penalty for failing prerace inspection three times.
● Harvick was in 32nd, one lap down, when the caution came out on lap 39. Harvick wanted to do the wave-around, but the lead-lap cars did not all come to pit road, so Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment.
On lap 60, Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel after saying he had a loose wheel. When he exited pit road he was 35th, four laps down.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 126-250):

Harvick started 29th and finished 22nd.
● No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang was 23rd and three laps down on lap 214. Harvick said the car was tight, but his lap times were good.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 251-500):

Started 21st and finished 13th.
● No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang pitted on lap 256 for four tires, fuel and a chassis and tire pressure adjustment. Harvick said his car was still tight.
● On lap 370 Harvick got by the leader and was one lap down. Unfortunately, he made slight contact with the wall, brought out a caution and went back down two laps.
Harvick pitted on lap 379 for four tires, fuel and repairs to the damage from the wall contact. He restarted 21st, two laps down.
● On lap 435, Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel. He was 20th, one lap down.
On lap 480, a caution came out and Harvick received the Lucky Dog to rejoin the lead lap. He pitted for four tires and fuel and restarted 17th.
● Under green for the final 14 laps, Harvick was able to gain four spots to finish 13th.

Notes:

● Kyle Busch won the Food City 500 to score his 54th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his series-leading third of the season and his eighth at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Kurt Busch was .722 of a second.
● There were 11 caution periods for a total of 77 laps.
● Only 16 of the 37 drivers in the Food City 500 finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Busch leaves Bristol as the championship leader with a 27-point advantage over second-place Denny Hamlin.

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Richmond 400 on Saturday, April 13 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX.