DANIEL SUÁREZ – 2019 Charlotte II Race Report

Event:               Bank of America Roval 400 (Round 29 of 36)
Series:              Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2.28-mile, 17-turn road course)
Format:             109 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/25 laps/59 laps)
Start/Finish:      12th/34th  (Running, completed 108 of 109 laps)
Point Standing:  17th with 707 points

Race Winner:    Chase Elliott of Henrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Henrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-25):

  • Daniel Suárez started 13th and finished 10th, earning one bonus point.
  • Suárez powered through the start to grab the 12th position on the first lap.
  • On lap 12, he entered the top-10 for the first time.
  • Suárez fell back to 11th again on lap 14.
  • Under caution on lap 21, Suárez pitted his No. 41 Haas Automaton Ford Mustang for four tires and fuel.
  • Restarted 23rd on lap 22 and methodically picked up spots to finish the stage in 10th.
  • Suárez stayed out during the stage break to maintain track position.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 26-50):

  • Suárez started eighth and finished eighth to earn three bonus points.
  • Jumped up to sixth on lap-27 restart.
  • By lap 29, Suárez had passed two cars to secure the fourth position.
  • Suárez reported that his No. 41 Haas Automaton Ford Mustang was fine and got better during the middle of the run.
  • Under caution on lap 43, Suárez pitted for four tires and fuel. Restarted fifth.
  • The race remained green for the rest of the stage. While battling with the No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson, the No. 41 machine received right-rear damage, but Suárez persevered to finish eighth.
  • Suárez stayed out during the stage break to maintain track position.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 51-109):

  • Suárez started sixth and finished 34th.
  • On the lap-52 restart, Suárez held steady in sixth, but fell back to eighth by lap 55.
  • After staying out during the lap-63 caution, Suárez reported that his car was “coming in” at the end of the run.
  • The Haas Automation team made a scheduled, green-flag pit stop on lap 73 for four tires, fuel and repairs.
  • Pitted again during a caution on lap 95 for four tires and fuel. Restarted 33rd with 11 laps to go.
  • Suárez worked his way up to 23rd, but on final lap received contact from the No. 6 of Ryan Newman and finished 34th.

Notes:

  • Chase Elliott won the Bank of America Roval 400 to score his sixth career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at the Roval. His margin of victory over second-place Alex Bowman was 3.024 seconds.
  • There were 10 caution periods for a total of 23 laps.
  • Thirty-three of the 40 drivers in the Bank of America Roval 400 finished on the lead lap.

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

“Our No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang was fast. We just didn’t get the finish we were hoping for. We’ve still got time to get a win this season.” 

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Dover 400 on Sunday, Oct. 6 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. It starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

CLINT BOWYER – 2019 Charlotte II Race Report

Event:               Bank of America Roval 400 (Round 29 of 36)
Series:              Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2.28-mile, 17-turn road course)
Format:             109 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/25 laps/59 laps)
Start/Finish:      5th/4th (Running, completed 109 of 109 laps)
Point Standing:  12th with 3,000 points – advances to Round of 12 

Race Winner:    Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott with Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Ended at Lap 25):

  • Bowyer started fifth and finished third to earn eight bonus points.
  • The No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford tucked into fifth in the opening laps and held the position in the early going.
  • Bowyer told the crew he brushed the wall midway through the stage.
  • He moved from sixth to fourth when he stayed on the track during the race’s first caution on lap 21.
  • On the lap-24 restart Bowyer moved to third, where he finished as the stage ended under caution.
  • He told the crew he needed his Ford to turn better in the corners.

Stage 2 Recap (Ended at Lap 50):

  • Bowyer started 30th and finished third to earn eight bonus points.
  • The No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford pitted before the stage and drove from the back to the front of the field.
  • Bowyer had moved back into the top-10 by lap 36.
  • During a lap-43 caution, Bowyer stayed on the track and moved to second place.
  • Bowyer took the lead on lap 44 and held it for one lap.
  • Bowyer held on using the older tires to finish third.

Stage 3 Recap (Ended at Lap 109):

  • Bowyer started 21st and finished fourth.
  • The No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford endured some scary moments on the restart but had climbed to 13th by a lap-60 caution.
  • At this point in the race Bowyer had moved to 10th in the standings, securing a spot in the Round of 12.
  • Bowyer raced in 12th with 42 laps to go and in sixth with 36 laps remaining.
  • Bowyer climbed as high as second in the closing laps, but he avoided any risky moves in the final laps to finish fourth and preserve his points lead.
  • Bowyer’s fourth-place finish and 16 bonus points enabled him to finish 17 points above the playoff cutoff and advance to the Round of 12.

Notes:

  • Bowyer earned his seventh top-five and 14th top-10 of the season, and his second top-five in two career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Roval.
  • Bowyer’s fourth-place result was just shy of equaling his previous best finish at the Roval – third, earned last September.
  • This is Bowyer’s second straight top-10. He finished eighth in the series’ last race at Richmond.
  • Bowyer led once for two laps – his first laps led at the Roval.
  • Chase Elliott won the Bank of America Roval 400 to score his sixth career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at the Roval. His margin of victory over second-place Alex Bowman was 3.024 seconds.
  • There were 10 caution periods for a total of 23 laps.
  • Thirty-three of the 40 drivers in the Bank of America Roval 400 finished on the lead lap.

Playoff Standings (at the conclusion of the Round of 16):

  1. Kyle Busch (3,046 points)
  2. Martin Truex Jr. (3,041 points, -5)
  3. Denny Hamlin (3,030 points, -16)
  4. Joey Logano (3,029 points, -17)
  5. Kevin Harvick (3,028 points, -18)
  6. Brad Keselowski (3,024 points, -22)
  7. Chase Elliott (3,024 points, -22)
  8. Kyle Larson (3,006 points, -40)
  9. Alex Bowman (3,005 points, -41)
  10. Ryan Blaney (3,004 points, -42)
  11. William Byron (3,001 points, -45)
  12. Clint Bowyer (3,000 points, -46) 

Failed to Advance to Round of 12:

  1. Aric Almirola (2,081 points)
  2. Ryan Newman (2,070 points)
  3. Kurt Busch (2,056 points)
  4. Erik Jones (2,009 points)

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

“We did what we had to do. We knew what we had to do all weekend long. We knew we had to dig ourselves out of a hole we put ourselves in at Vegas. We had a good weekend last weekend in Richmond and had a great weekend this weekend. Coulda, woulda, shoulda – maybe a little bit more aggressive on those restarts, but, again, you could have got yourself wrecked too. When it got down there to the end and we got our stage points and got ourselves in contention and was where we needed to be, it was time to re-evaluate your situation and where you were running and just protect. We were in protection mode.”   

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Dover 400 on Sunday, Oct. 6 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. It is the fourth race of the 10-race playoffs and the first race in the Round of 12. It starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

KEVIN HARVICK – 2019 Charlotte II Race Report

Event:               Bank of America Roval 400 (Round 29 of 36)
Series:              Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway (17-turn, 2.28-mile road course)
Format:             109 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/25 laps/59 laps)
Start/Finish:      6th/3rd (Running, completed 109 of 109 laps)
Point standing:  5th with 3,028 points, 18 out of first – advances to Round of 12

Race Winner:    Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Ended at Lap 25):

  • Kevin Harvick started sixth and finished eighth to earn three bonus points.
  • The No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang pitted on lap 21 for four tires and fuel. He was in second, but 10 cars did not pit so he restarted 11th.
  • On the restart there was a multicar crash just behind Harvick, and as the stage ended under caution, he was eighth.

Stage 2 Recap (Ended at Lap 50):

  • Harvick started sixth and finished fifth to earn six bonus points.
  • The No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang advanced to second place on lap 40, 4.1 seconds behind leader Chase Elliott.
  • On lap 42, Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel. He restarted eighth.
  • Harvick worked his way up to fifth at the end of the stage and said his car “isn’t bad.”

Stage 3 Recap (Ended at Lap 109):

  • Harvick started fourth and finished third.
  • The No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang was running second on a lap-64 restart when leader Elliott missed turn one and brought out a yellow. Harvick was now the leader.
  • While leading, Harvick pitted on lap 75 for four tires and fuel.
  • There were four cautions – on laps 90, 94, 97 and 100 – while Harvick was leading. For the first three, Harvick was able to pull away from the pack.
  • Unfortunately, during the final restart on lap 103, Harvick was passed by eventual winner Elliott and runner-up Alex Bowman to finish third and advance to the Round of 12.

Notes:

  • Harvick earned his 11th top-five and 20th top-10 of the season, and his first top-five and second top-10 in two career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Charlotte Roval.
  • Harvick’s third-place result bettered his previous best finish at the Roval – ninth, earned last September.
  • This is Harvick’s fifth consecutive top-10. He finished seventh in the series’ last race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.
  • Harvick led twice for 34 laps – his first laps led at the Roval.
  • Elliott won the Bank of America Roval 400 to score his sixth career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at the Roval. His margin of victory over second-place Bowman was 3.024 seconds.
  • There were 10 caution periods for a total of 23 laps.
  • Thirty-three of the 40 drivers in the Bank of America Roval 400 finished on the lead lap.

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

“Honestly, it was a great day for us. Without all of those cautions at the end, or one or two less, I think our Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang probably still wins the race, but I could see that 9 (Elliott) creeping in my mirror and I knew how good his car was from practice yesterday. Once he got to us, he just rolled right around the outside of us. I thought if I could just get through turn one and beat the 19 (Martin Truex Jr.), I’d be in decent shape, but the 9 was just so good, even after he crashed.”

Playoff Standings (at the conclusion of the Round of 16):

  1. Kyle Busch (3,046 points)
  2. Martin Truex Jr. (3,041 points, -5)
  3. Denny Hamlin (3,030 points, -16)
  4. Joey Logano (3,029 points, -17)
  5. Kevin Harvick (3,028 points, -18)
  6. Brad Keselowski (3,024 points, -22)
  7. Chase Elliott (3,024 points, -22)
  8. Kyle Larson (3,006 points, -40)
  9. Alex Bowman (3,005 points, -41)
  10. Ryan Blaney (3,004 points, -42)
  11. William Byron (3,001 points, -45)
  12. Clint Bowyer (3,000 points, -46) 

Failed to Advance to Round of 12:

  1. Aric Almirola (2,081 points)
  2. Ryan Newman (2,070 points)
  3. Kurt Busch (2,056 points)
  4. Erik Jones (2,009 points)

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Dover 400 on Sunday, Oct. 6 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. It is the fourth race of the 10-race playoffs and the first race in the Round of 12. It starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2019 Charlotte II Race Report

Event:               Bank of America Roval 400 (Round 29 of 36)
Series:              Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2.28-mile, 17-turn road course)
Format:             109 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/25 laps/69 laps)
Start/Finish:      16th/14th (Running, completed 109 of 109 laps)
Point Standing:  13th with 2,081 points

Race Winner:    Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-25): 

  • Aric Almirola started 16th and finished seventh to earn four bonus points.
  • The Smithfield Ford driver made his way to 13th by lap three.
  • Almirola noted his handling was tight in the turns and needed help with drive off of the turns on lap 19.
  • He decided to stay out of the pits under caution on lap 20.
  • Almirola restarted seventh and remained there through the end of the stage, which finished under caution.
  • At the end of the stage, he pitted for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 26-50): 

  • Almirola started 25th and finished 11th.
  • He raced the No. 10 Ford Mustang to 14th place by lap 39.
  • Under caution on lap 41, Almirola said the balance improved. He pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments and returned to the track in 12th.
  • He rejoined the top-10 on lap 45 but fell a spot before the stage ended. He stayed out of the pits at the conclusion of ths stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 51-109): 

  • Almirola started ninth and finished 14th.
  • The No. 10 Smithfield Ford was scored seventh by lap 65.
  • Crew chief Johnny Klausmeier called Almirola to the pits on lap 76 for four tires and fuel.
  • After pit stops cycled through he was scored in seventh place, seven points ahead of the cutoff line for the Round of 12.
  • During a lap-89 caution, the team stayed on track, projecting that the No. 10’s lap times were good enough to keep it up front.
  • After the restart, Almirola got loose and lost multiple positions.
  • Almirola pitted under caution on lap 95 for fuel and four fresh tires to improve grip.
  • On lap 99, he was 11 points behind the cutoff and needed to gain 12 positions.
  • He battled the No. 6 car for position on the final laps and was able to made the pass. Unfortunately, the No. 88 car advanced to second place and left Almirola five points behind the cutoff for advancing to the Round of 12.

Notes:

  • Almirola earned his 19th top-15 of the season and his first top-15 in two career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Roval.
  • Almirola’s 14th-place result bettered his previous best finish at the Roval, which was 19th, earned last September.
  • This is Almirola’s fifth straight top-20. He finished 16th in the series’ last race at Richmond.
  • Chase Elliott won the Bank of America Roval 400 to score his sixth career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at the Roval. His margin of victory over second-place Alex Bowman was 3.024 seconds.
  • There were 10 caution periods for a total of 23 laps.
  • Thirty-three of the 40 drivers in the Bank of America Roval 400 finished on the lead lap.

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

“I’m disappointed. It didn’t work out the way that I wanted it to, but I’m still really blessed and fortunate to have this opportunity.  So many people put a lot behind me. Everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing, Smithfield, Ford Motor Company, Go Bowling, Valley Tech, Mobil 1, Roush Yates and 3D Systems. It stings, but the sun is going to come up tomorrow. I’ll still be Aric Almirola and I’ll still be a husband and a father. They’re not gonna take my birthday away so, as disappointing as it is, it’s not the end of the world. We’ll move on to Dover next week and continue to fight and battle. It’s still really achievable to go and finish fifth in the points. We did that last year and we can go have some good runs, but most importantly we just need to continue to build for next year. Off the top of my head I can’t help but think about 2017. The 22 car missed the playoffs and then comes back the very next year and wins the championship. We can’t let this define us. Last year, it seemed like everything kind of came relatively easy for a new race team and me being new to the organization to go on the run that we had last year and finish fifth in the points. We’ll continue to build and sometimes you go through adversity and it makes you better and stronger.”

Next Up: 

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Dover 400 on Sunday, Oct. 6 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. It is the fourth race of the 10-race playoffs and the first race in the Round of 12. It starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

CHASE BRISCOE – 2019 NXS Charlotte Roval Race Report

Race Name: Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (Race 28 of 33)
Venue: The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Stages: 20 laps / 20 laps / 27 laps (67 Total Laps)
Race Winner:  AJ Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)
Results: Cole Custer: 8th | Chase Briscoe: 9th
Point Standings:
– Cole Custer: 2nd with 2,133 points; Clinched a position to the Round of 8
– Chase Briscoe: 6th with 2,097 points; with a 35 point advantage over the final transfer position to the Round of 8

Chase Briscoe / Ford Performance Ford Mustang Recap:

– Briscoe earned his first career Xfinity Series pole and led all 20 laps to win the first stage. The stage win earned him 10 stage points and a playoff point.
– The No. 98 Ford Performance team started eighth in Stage 2 and finished second to earn nine more stage points.
– Briscoe brought the No. 98 Ford to pit road for four tires and fuel to prepare for the final stage.
– The No. 98 Ford started the final stage in seventh position. A caution on the restart bumped Briscoe up to the fourth position.
– Briscoe quickly moved into third position and was battling for second with nine to go when he got spun out. 

– Caution flag waved once again on lap 61 with the No. 98 back up to 10th. He would gain one additional position over the last three laps to finish ninth.

Next Up: Use Your Melon Drive Sober 200 at Dover International Speedway on October 5th at 3:00 p.m. ET broadcast by NBCSN.

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

“I felt like we had the car to beat all day long. We were able to consistently come back through the field. We had to go for points obviously because of our situation, but we were always able to battle back. There at the end I felt like I could have ran down AJ and I was doing everything I could to win the race and knew the pass on Bell was crucial. I don’t really know what happened there, but I feel like I gave him plenty of room. It’s disappointing to end the day in ninth with a first-place worthy car, but I appreciate my guys giving me a great car all weekend long.”

COLE CUSTER – 2019 NXS Charlotte Roval Race Report

Race Name: Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (Race 28 of 33)
Venue: The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Stages: 20 laps / 20 laps / 27 laps (67 Total Laps)
Race Winner:  AJ Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)
Results: Cole Custer: 8th | Chase Briscoe: 9th
Point Standings:
– Cole Custer: 2nd with 2,133 points; Clinched a position to the Round of 8
– Chase Briscoe: 6th with 2,097 points; with a 35 point advantage over the final transfer position to the Round of 8

Cole Custer / Autodesk Ford Mustang Recap:

– Custer started fourth and ran third most of Stage 1. Custer would pit with three laps remaining in Stage 1 and would finish the stage in 10th.
– The No. 00 Autodesk Fusion 360 team started first in Stage 2 and finished first to add 10 points and on eplayoff point..
– Custer brought the No. 00 Ford to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, but would get blocked in and would end up losing eight spots on pit road, forcing him to restart 13th in the final stage.
– The No. 00 Autodesk Ford was spun on lap 44 causing damage to the left rear quarter. The team would pit twice to fix the damage. He would restart in 30th.
– Custer would battle his way to the top-20 before another yellow would fly on lap 48. The team would pit again and would restart 28th.

– The caution would wave on lap 61 with Custer running 8th. He would restart 8th and ultimately end the race there.
– Custer has clinched a spot in the Round of 8 on points.

Next Up: Use Your Melon Drive Sober 200 at Dover International Speedway on October 5th at 3:00 p.m. ET broadcast by NBCSN.

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

“We really had nothing go our way it felt like this entire race. We started off and the car was too tight to be able to really do much, but we had great long run speed. We got boxed in on one of our stops and that forced us to restart in the middle of the field. We took the green and got spun out and received some damage from that and just had to battle hard to get the Autodesk Fusion 360 Mustang back into the top-10, so I can’t thank my guys enough for sticking with it and putting me back up there.”

COLE CUSTER – 2019 NXS Charlotte Roval Race Advance

Race Name: Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (Race 28 of 33)
Venue: The ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina
Television: 3:30 p.m. EDT on NBCSN
Point Standings: 
– Cole Custer: 2nd; trails points leader by 22 points
– Chase Briscoe: 7th; trails points leader by 65 points

Fusion 360 solves the bottlenecks that traditional CAD, CAM, Data Management, and Simulation solutions have created, by eliminating the timely, error-prone, disconnected development process that you encounter everyday.
About Autodesk: Autodesk makes software for people who make things. If you’ve ever driven a high-performance car, admired a towering skyscraper, used a smartphone, or watched a great film, chances are you’ve experienced what millions of Autodesk customers are doing with our software.

You’re coming up to the Roval, which has a slight configuration change on the backstretch. What will be most difficult coming into the weekend?

“The Roval is one of the most difficult places we race at because there is no place similar to this on our schedule. We came in last year and saw a bunch of wrecks during practice and only a few during the race, but with the new backstretch layout and how much we have to slow down now, I think you’ll see a lot of guys either trying to be conservative or going for it with very little in between. It’s going to be a place where we will try to have another great points day, but if there’s a chance for us to grab a win towards the end, then you might see us go for it.”

CHASE BRISCOE – 2019 NXS Charlotte Roval Race Advance

Race Name: Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (Race 28 of 33)
Venue: The ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina
Television: 3:30 p.m. EDT on NBCSN
Point Standings: 
– Cole Custer: 2nd; trails points leader by 22 points
– Chase Briscoe: 7th; trails points leader by 65 points

Ford’s racing program is part of the Ford Performance organization based in Dearborn, Mich. It is responsible for major racing operations globally, including NASCAR, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, FIA World Endurance Championship, FIA World Rally Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars, Formula Drift, and NHRA Funny Car and sportsman drag racing. In addition, the organization also oversees the development of Ford’s racing engines, as well as the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts. For more information regarding Ford racing’s activities, please visit www.fordperformance.comwww.facebook.com/FordPerformance, Ford Performance on Instagram and @FordPerformance on Twitter.

Your first Xfinity Series win came at the ROVAL in 2018. What will it take to repeat in 2019?

“We weren’t running for points in 2018, so we were able to use a different strategy than everyone else by short-pitting. That lined us up perfectly for the middle portion of the race and ultimately the end. (Crew Chief) Richard Boswell had a great strategy and we were able to stick to it. The new configuration of the backstretch is going to throw people off at the beginning of the weekend, because we are used to the fast portion where we would throw the car around but now you have to really slow the car down, which can cause wheel-hopping if you aren’t careful. I think if we can get through that and have a clean race, we will be contending for the win and a repeat performance from last year.”

DANIEL SUÁREZ – 2019 Charlotte Roval Race Advance

Daniel Suárez and the No. 41 Haas Automation Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) make the shortest commute of the season over to Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway this weekend. The home track for SHR is located approximately 10 miles from its shop in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Suárez will pilot the traditional red-and-black Haas paint scheme for Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400.

With eight races remaining in the 2019 Cup Series season, the “roval” is the third and final road-course event on the schedule. This weekend marks only the second time the road-course layout has been run at Charlotte for the Cup Series. Last year’s inaugural event provided exciting racing to the final lap. Not only is the layout relatively new to the Cup Series drivers, it’s also a playoff cutoff race, making every position even more valuable to the 16 playoff-contending drivers.

Last year on the roval, Suárez started 17th and finished 21st and on the lead lap. His 87 green-flag passes were the most among all drivers. This weekend marks his first time tackling the road course behind the wheel of an SHR entry. The Mexico native is still looking for his first Cup Series win.

The Haas Automation driver goes into the Charlotte event after a 10th-place finish last weekend at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. He qualified 14th and the No. 41 team continually worked on the handling of the Ford Mustang to improve its performance.

In his young Cup Series career, Suárez has seven road-course starts with two top-five finishes, and he’s completed 100 percent of all 689 possible laps. He’s led 14 laps and has an average starting and finishing position of 13.3.

Overall at Charlotte, Suárez has four starts on the traditional oval course in addition to last fall’s start on the roval. His best result at Charlotte is sixth, which he earned on the oval in October 2017.

Ford swept last year’s roval weekend with wins in both the Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. So far this season, Ford has visited victory lane eight times.

The Haas Automation driver is currently 17th in the point standings through 28 races with three top-fives and 10 top-10s this season, along with 134 laps led. He has an average start of 14.6 and an average finish of 14.8. He earned his second career Cup Series pole, first with the No. 41 team, in July at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta.

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.

 

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

 

You have a lot of experience go-kart racing. How does that translate to the road-course racing you do now?

“Well, I grew up racing go karts all of the time. I know I’m really good in road-course go karts, but stock car road-course racing is so different because the cars are so heavy. The basics are the same, but the way you have to take care of the brakes, take care of the tires and things like that is a totally different game. It’s very hard to make these cars change directions so quickly because they are so heavy. Most of the time, road-course racing is pretty good to me, so we’ll see how it goes this weekend.”

How do you feel about racing in the rain?

“In go karts, I love racing in the rain, but again, in go karts, rain is totally different from trying to race these heavy cars. I don’t have a problem with the rain, but with these cars, it’s just so different. We’ll see a lot of cars in the grass if it rains.”

KEVIN HARVICK – 2019 Charlotte Roval Race Advance

This week, four drivers will be eliminated from the NASCAR playoffs as the first round is coming to an end and only 12 drivers will be moving onto the next round. So, pressure is high.

Except for Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., and Kyle Busch, who have already clinched their spots in the Round of 12. So this week’s race on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway “roval” should be fairly easy.

But, let’s be honest, nothing is easy in the NASCAR playoffs. While there is little to gain, the bottom line is Harvick likes to win. That’s the whole point of being in NASCAR racing.

While there is little to gain at Charlotte, a win would put Harvick in elite company. He is looking for his 49th win in NASCAR’s top series, which would put him past 2013 Hall of Famer Herb Thomas and into a tie with his boss Tony Stewart for 14th on the all-time list.

A win at Charlotte would also give him a victory at every “road course” in NASCAR as he’s already scored victories at both true road courses on the schedule – Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International and Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. Busch and Truex are the only other active drivers who have won at The Glen and Sonoma.

The Charlotte roval is a “road course” built within the oval portion for Charlotte Motor Speedway. Think Daytona International Speedway for the IMSA sportscars or Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indy cars. Charlotte has only had one race on the roval, but Harvick also has failed to win on the ovals at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta and Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

So he could check off another racetrack from his list this weekend.

Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), has three wins, 10 top-five finishes and 19 top-10s in 2019. And he’s had two consecutive top-10 finishes to the starts the playoffs.

He’s been freaky fast again in 2019.

And he hopes to be in victory lane Sunday afternoon at Charlotte

 

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

 

Are you worry-free going into the roval weekend?

“It’ll be a nice week at home. I think it allows everybody to really go, and the biggest thing is you want to go try and learn what you need to do to run fast there, so this week we’ll go to the simulator and try to transfer that to the racetrack and see how practice goes and then we’ll see how the weekend goes. You definitely still want to go there and get a race win or something that will go forward with you and also learn something for the future.”

Do you use the Ford simulator much for the road courses?

“We do. For me, it is just because I’m a big kind of visual person. So that repetition for me is good, just to get a visual and have that memory of curbs and direction of the track and all the things you remember from last time spurred in your memory bank as you use those simulators. So we’ve actually started to use it more this year than we have in the past.”

Does it give you a good base setup or more just feel and sightlines?

“For me, it’s more feel and sightlines. I don’t know that it’s 100 percent setup stuff, unless you’re doing postrace stuff and then it’s more making sure that grip levels and lap times and those types of things are right and things that you wanted to work on that you saw from other cars and other ideas that you had from that particular weekend at the racetrack. I’d never done any of the simulator stuff until I got to Ford, but we’ve got two of them now. We can race each other, too.”