Month: October 2019

DANIEL SUÁREZ – 2019 Texas II Race Advance

Daniel Suárez and the No. 41 Walmart Family Mobile Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) make the trek to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series AAA Texas 500.

Texas is special for Suárez for many reasons. Not only is it the track closest to his hometown of Monterrey, Mexico, but Walmart Family Mobile adorns the No. 41 Mustang for its first race as primary sponsor. Walmart Family Mobile offers wireless plans and devices that meet the needs of NASCAR fans across the country.

Additionally, this weekend is the fourth and final Daniel’s Amigos event of the season. Texas expects to host approximately 1,000 Daniel’s Amigos attendees at the track Sunday. Daniel’s Amigos is a fan-focused movement to engage and celebrate with the Latino community with support from Coca-Cola, NASCAR, International Speedway Corporation, Speedway Motorsports Incorporated and SHR.

And finally, November 1 and 2 is the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos or “Day of the Dead.” In honor of the holiday, Suárez had a special helmet design created to commemorate the weekend. The design was created by Agustin Chavez, a Dallas-based artist who originally hails from Suárez’s hometown of Nuevo Leon. Locally, Chavez in known for his mural designs. The helmet is modeled after the calavera, or sugar skull, which are traditionally decorated with icing to be colorful and fun.

Fans watching Sunday’s race on television will also have the opportunity to view Suárez’s perspective from inside the Walmart Family Mobile Mustang while he makes laps at Texas via his helmet camera courtesy of Coca-Cola.

On the track, Suárez earned his best finish of the season at Texas last spring with a third-place result. He started April’s race fourth, led nine laps, and earned 12 bonus points throughout the 334-lap event. In his five Cup Series starts, he’s earned one top-five finish and one top-10. He has an average starting position of 12.6 and an average finishing position of 18.6 at the 1.5-mile track.

The Mexico native has five starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Texas with one top-five finish and two top-10s, along with three laps led. In the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, he made three starts in 2015 and 2016 with top-five finishes in all three, including two runner-up results, along with six laps led.

In Suárez’s last 10 Cup Series starts at tracks 1.5-miles in length, he has accumulated one top-five finish and three top-10s with 109 laps led, with an average starting position of 12.8 and an average finish of 17.6.

SHR has three wins at the Fort Worth track, the most recent by Kevin Harvick in November 2018.

The Haas Automation driver is 18th in the standings with 764 points and has three top-fives and 10 top-10s this season, along with 141 laps led. He has an average start of 14.3 and an average finish of 16.9. He earned his second career Cup Series pole, first with the No. 41 team, in July at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta.

 

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

 

Texas is the final Daniel’s Amigos activation of the season. How do you feel about the success of the program?

“It has been incredible to see the Daniel’s Amigos program grow so much this year. It’s great to bring new people to the racetrack and make them fans. I’m extremely happy to be in the position to actually help move the needle for Latinos in NASCAR. Coca-Cola, NASCAR, ISC and SMI have all invested so much time and effort to really bring this program to life. I’ve heard that Texas might be the most attended one, yet, which will make it really special.”

How do you feel going into Texas?

“We’ve had our best finish this year at Texas, and I hope we can finish a couple of spots higher this time and end up in victory lane. It’s going to be a busy weekend with Walmart Family Mobile, Daniel’s Amigos and I’m also celebrating the Dia de los Muertos holiday, which is very special to my Mexican culture. We’ve had a rough couple of weeks on the track with accidents, but we have three more races to go and I think we can get solid finishes.”

CHASE BRISCOE – 2019 NXS Texas II Race Advance

Race Name: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (Race 31 of 33)
Venue: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas
Television: 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Point Standings: 
– Cole Custer: 2nd; trails points leader by 11 points; 38 points above cutoff line
– Chase Briscoe: 5th; trails points leader by 49 points; 2 points below cutoff line
Appearances: 
– Cole and Chase will be signing autographs at the SHR souvenir rig on Friday, November 1st from 4:45pm to 5:15pm.
– Both drivers will also be signing autographs at the FORD Display on Saturday, November 2nd from 3:30pm to 4:00pm in the Midway.

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.com, www.facebook.com/FordPerformance, Ford Performance on Instagram and @FordPerformance on Twitter.

In the spring race at Texas, you progressively got better throughout the weekend and charged from 15th to finish fourth in the 200 lapper. Where is your confidence level at returning to Texas for the second time this season?

“Honestly, my confidence level is super high right now. We have had one of the fastest cars, if not the fastest, the last three races. We keep knocking on the door of another win, but things just haven’t been falling our way when it comes down to it. I expect to have a great car once again at Texas and I think we’ll be able to put together a better weekend than we had in the spring for sure.”

COLE CUSTER – 2019 NXS Texas II Race Advance

Race Name: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (Race 31 of 33)
Venue: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas
Television: 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Point Standings: 
– Cole Custer: 2nd; trails points leader by 11 points; 38 points above cutoff line
– Chase Briscoe: 5th; trails points leader by 49 points; 2 points below cutoff line
Appearances: 
– Cole and Chase will be signing autographs at the SHR souvenir rig on Friday, November 1st from 4:45pm to 5:15pm.
– Both drivers will also be signing autographs at the FORD Display on Saturday, November 2nd from 3:30pm to 4:00pm in the Midway.


Headquartered in Southern California, Thompson Pipe Group is a manufacturer of reinforced concrete pipe and box, and FLOWTITE® and other pipe solutions for storm water, water transmission, sewage, and industrial applications. Thompson has offices in California, Louisiana and Texas, and is one of few American-owned companies with the ability to manufacture and supply water/wastewater piping in the United States and Canada.

You won this race last year to lock yourself into the Championship round and have only finished outside of the top-5 one time. What is it about this track that suits your style?

“Texas is a unique track now that both ends are completely different from each other. Your setup might work in one turn but be off in the next, so you try to get it as close to even as you can and then go from there. Track position plays a role here with the dirty air, but you are still able to make moves as the race progresses as long as you have the setup right with the car. We have hit on that in the past and will hopefully have that come back around for this race since we didn’t have any luck here in the Spring.”

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2019 Texas II Race Advance

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), is set to compete for a win at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth this weekend.

Almirola had an unusual start to the spring Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race there earlier this year when a stomach bug kept him up the night before. On race-day morning, he battled weakness and consumed a substantial amount of fluids. When the green flag waved, he was ready to go. The No. 10 Ford advanced to the top-four in the final stage and even led three laps before finishing seventh to earn his sixth consecutive top-10 of the season.

“I didn’t sleep at all that night with a stomach bug,” Almirola said. “I was worn out. We don’t get to call in sick. That’s the challenging part of our job, occasionally. The flu or a cold or a stomach bug pops up and you’ve got to fight through it. We had a good car and we still got out of there with a top-10, which was our sixth in a row at the time. I was just happy to come home with a good finish after all of that.”

In 17 career Cup Series starts at Texas, the 35-year-old Almirola has three top-10 finishes and has led three laps. His three starts at Texas with SHR have resulted in two top-10 finishes.

In addition to his Cup Series experience at Texas, Almirola has four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, all top-20 finishes, and five laps led. He’s also made nine NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series starts at Texas with two top-10s and 14 laps led.

After 33 races this season, Almirola has one pole, two top-five finishes, 11 top-10s and has led 118 laps. That adds to a career total of two wins, two poles, 17 top-five finishes, 60 top-10s and 475 laps led in 313 starts.

Last weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Almirola started on the front row and piloted the Smithfield Ford in and around the top-five until an incident on lap 360 ended his day.

“I really wanted that clock,” he said, referring to the traditional Martinsville grandfather clock trophy. “That was the first time in a while we had a legitimate shot to win it. I don’t know if we could have competed with the No. 78 (Martin Truex), but the guys brought me a rocket. At least we know we can bring a good car to Martinsville, which will definitely come into play next year if we can race to the final round of the playoffs.”

Texas is the 30th event during which the 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, is in its eighth season with Almirola and its 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.

Fans can get VIP, behind-the-scenes access in following “Aric ‘Beyond the 10’” by subscribing to his YouTube channel. Episodes showcase never-before-seen footage of Almirola at the racetrack, on family trips, and “A Day in the Life” during the week, as well as all that goes into a NASCAR Cup Series driver’s season. Tune in this weekend for full access to Almirola’s playoff media day, NASCAR Burnout Boulevard and the Vegas race weekend. Click here to subscribe on YouTube and watch the latest episode.

As the season comes to a close, Almirola sits 14th in the standings with 2,159 points, two behind 13th-place Kurt Busch.

 

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

 

What is the most difficult thing to get right or figure out at Texas Motor Speedway?

“I think the most difficult thing at Texas is that it’s repaved and they changed the banking in turns one and two, and it’s just the speed you carry through the banked corner of turns three and four, and then you have to get slowed down for the flat turns one and two. That has made it very challenging. Then, the exit of turn two is very flat, so you’re carrying some speed there and the car just doesn’t have a lot of grip because there isn’t any banking.”

Why is it important to run well at Texas? 

“Well it’s important to run well everywhere, but Texas is a big one because it comes early in the season and late. You have the chance to lock into the playoffs early and, when you come back in the playoffs, you’re confident that you have a good shot to advance to the championship race. It’s a good feeling when you get that kind of confidence.”

KEVIN HARVICK – 2019 Texas II Race Advance

A win in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth would lock Kevin Harvick in among the final four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff competitors and the championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway two weeks hence.

Sounds daunting, but Harvick has won the last two fall races at Texas to lock himself into the previous two championship races.

To borrow a term from Don Cherry and Ron MacLean from the legendary show Hockey Night in Canada, Harvick is looking for the hat trick at Texas. In 2017, Harvick started third and led 38 laps en route to victory, and then came back in 2018 and dominated by leading 177 laps en route to taking the checkered flag first.

Those were Harvick’s first two career wins at Texas to go with his 10 top-threes, 21 top-10s, and he’s led a total of 495 laps in his 33 career Cup Series starts there.

His average Texas start is 16.2, his average finish is 10.7 and he has a lap-completion rate of 97.0 percent – 10,682 of the 11,008 laps available. Harvick has finished in the top-10 in 10 consecutive races at Texas. Six of those have been in the top-three, with the two wins.

Harvick’s car will have a bit of a different look at Texas as he’ll be driving the No. 4 Busch Beer Ducks Unlimited Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).

The partnership between Busch and Ducks Unlimited builds on Anheuser-Busch’s longstanding commitment to creating a cleaner and more sustainable world for future generations. The company works closely with partners like Ducks Unlimited to ensure their commitments and programs drive meaningful change for the environment and contribute to a shared objective of a better world.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 14 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, the organization works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

For every lap Harvick leads Sunday at Texas, Busch is going to donate $1,000 to Ducks Unlimited, up to $25,000.

The No. 4 team always supports Busch Beer and companies like Ducks Unlimited – and are hoping to put them in victory lane – and advance to the championship race in Homestead.

 

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer Ducks Unlimited Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

 

Is it more difficult to win a championship now with this format?

“I think it’s just hard to get there. It’s not really the same. It’s definitely different, whether it’s harder or easier you could probably debate that. If you look at the old-style points, it’s a pretty good points battle if you did it how it was 15 years ago, but it’s just hard to get to Homestead and put it all together through the nine weeks leading up to that. That’s the most difficult part.”

Did you learn anything about restarts at Kansas that will help at Texas?

“We’ve learned a lot about restarts all year. Restarts are the name of the game to get yourself in a position with the way you have to race. Every week, every restart is important as you go to any racetrack.”

How has the dynamic of restarts changed?

“I’m classically trained over the last 20-some years in NASCAR racing, so my days of short-track classically trained are over. You try to be as aggressive as you can and the restarts are different than they used to be, just because you have to be so aggressive on them.”

The playoffs are made for clutch moments. What does it mean to be clutch and what moment do you think defines that?

“Clutch moments – there’s nothing like them. It’s one thing to dominate a race all day and win – that’s great. But, making a last-lap pass, an end-of-the-race pass or winning on a day when you’re not supposed to, there is just no better feeling than getting out of the car and looking at those guys. Having the rest of the field asking how was he able to win today. Those are the types of moments that I love to be a part of. We’ve been fortunate to experience a lot of those. That’s the adrenaline rush that comes with what we do. There is no better feeling than those particular moments.”

CLINT BOWYER – 2019 Texas II Race Advance

Improving one position is Clint Bowyer’s goal Sunday when the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, where Bowyer piloted his Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) Ford Mustang to a second-place finish on March 31 – the most recent Cup Series race on the ultra-fast, 1.5-mile oval.

After enjoying one of their most successful races by sweeping four of the top eight places, Bowyer and his SHR teammates return to Texas this weekend armed with Mobil 1 technology and a lot of positive thinking.

“Can you imagine if we were to win in Texas?” asked Bowyer, who celebrated with fans in the grandstands after winning at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in March 2018. “We would make Texas the wildest victory lane you have ever seen. Throw in Mobil 1 and Rush Truck Centers folks and (track president) Eddie (Gossage) and all his people at Texas Motor Speedway, I guarantee it would be one of the best victory lane celebrations NASCAR fans have seen this season.”

Bowyer has plenty of incentive at Texas. It would mark his 11th career Cup Series victory and first at Texas, as well as his first of 2019. A two-time winner in 2018, Bowyer owns seven top-five finishes this season but has fallen short of a personal and team goal of visiting victory lane. He’s also battling to remain in the top-10 in the season standings after finishing 34th at Martinsville last Sunday, when a cut tire and broken track bar ended his race early. That left him to 11th in points, 36 markers out of 10th place in the standings. Bowyer has ended the season in the top-10 five times in his Cup Series career.

“Finishing in the top-10 is important to us,” he said. “We have worked really hard this year and the guys on our No. 14 crew, as well as everyone at SHR, Ford and Roush-Yates Engines, have put a lot of time and effort into getting us faster. I’m confident we’ll be in the top-10. We just have to close out these last three races.”

Bowyer should be one of the favorites at Texas. He owns four top-five finishes in his career at the Speedway Motorsports-owned facility.

In March, he started 25th and led laps 80 through 82. He gave up the lead with four laps left in the first stage to finish 15th. He started third in the second stage but fell back to 10th battling with a loose racecar before finishing 11th. He started the final stage 12th and climbed to fifth by lap 200 and second by lap 224. Bowyer couldn’t catch eventual winner Denny Hamlin in the closing laps and finished just 2.743 seconds back. Bowyer’s second-place result equaled his previous best finish at Texas – second in April 2011.

“Our car wasn’t lightning fast all day long but, as they started slip-sliding around and struggling, we’d kind of prevail on those long runs,” said Bowyer, whose good friend Blake Shelton watched the race from his pits. “I expect you’ll see a similar type of race this weekend.”

The March 31 race in Texas saw SHR place all four of its Ford Mustangs in the top eight. As an organization, it marked one of SHR’s most impressive performances as Daniel Suarez finished third, Aric Almirola seventh and Kevin Harvick eighth to go with Bowyer’s runner-up finish.

One of the many factors that played into success that afternoon was Mobil 1 lubricants in all SHR Ford Mustangs. Bowyer will not only have Mobil 1 inside his No. 14 Mustang but on its hood this weekend in Texas as his car carries the decals of Mobil 1 and Rush Truck Centers.

More than 40 years ago, Mobil 1 motor oil entered the marketplace, making it the first globally available, full-synthetic automotive motor oil. Though it was originally released to safely enhance fuel efficiency, later formulations of Mobil 1 motor oil offered outstanding wear protection over the widest range of temperatures.

Now, more than four decades later, Mobil 1 remains the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand. It has pushed forward the boundaries of automotive lubricant technology, evolving and improving to keep engines running like new, mile after mile, since 1974. From its vital role in the world of motorsports to its many scientific breakthroughs, Mobil 1 motor oil has a rich story with plenty of twists and turns.

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. It also provides primary sponsorships on the Mustangs of Bowyer and Harvick at SHR during various Cup Series races throughout the year. The Mobil 1 brand also serves as an associate sponsor for all four SHR drivers at all other races. Since 2011, ExxonMobil has been providing lubricant technology support to the SHR team, which helped drivers Tony Stewart and Harvick earn series championships for SHR in 2011 and 2014.

Bowyer, Harvick, Almirola and Suarez hope to once again demonstrate the Mobil 1 and SHR advantage at Texas this weekend, like they did in March. If he does, the first to greet him in victory lane would be Rusty Rush and friends from the San Antonio-based Rush Truck Centers, whose decals will also be on the No. 14 at Texas.

Rush Truck Centers has been the primary partner on the No. 14 team since Bowyer arrived in 2017 and has been with the SHR organization since 2010. The San Antonio-based company with more than 120 locations and 7,000 employees has used Bowyer and the team to appeal to NASCAR fans as one way to recruit the technicians it needs to operate the largest network of commercial truck and bus dealerships in the country, with locations in 22 states.

“I always like going to Texas,” Bowyer said. “It is a lot of fun. Hardest thing there is balancing a little fun and your job. Everything is more fun in Texas.”

Especially if he can finish one spot better.

 

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

 

What are your goals in racing?

“I want to win races. I want to a championship. It’s always been that way. Once you win a race at this level, the next goal is a championship. It’s as simple as that. You start off every year to win your first race, and then as many as you can, and compete for a championship. We’ve been a part of years where I’ve been part of that conversation and I’ve had years where I haven’t and, for me, over the years it’s hard to pinpoint without pointing fingers or anything else other than just looking at yourself in the mirror. I mean, sometimes there were reasons and sometimes there weren’t and I should have performed better. I’m with a manufacturer that’s dedicated to that goal (winning races and championships). I’m with an organization that’s dedicated to that goal and certainly a race team, so that’s the goal. I love this sport. It’s fun. I love you guys. Everybody works their butt off to bring in the show. Call us whatever, but that’s our job and to come in and set up shop, put on a show and tear it down and go to the next one and I like that life.”

Can you be more aggressive with drivers still in the playoffs since they have more to lose?

“Whether I was in it or out of it or anything in between, you’re full force. You’re coming here to win the race no different than anybody. It doesn’t matter if we were racing, that’s the unique thing about the predicament we have with our playoff system. It’s not like the NFL, where you go home and it’s just two teams putting on a show. There are 40 of us still out there putting on a show and, that being said, I’m at one of my best racetracks. Whether I’m in the playoffs or out of the playoffs or anything in between, I feel like I have a shot at winning at this place.”

Does Mobil 1 provide you and SHR an advantage?

“I know you hear drivers talk about the importance of corporate partners all the time and that’s true, but at SHR, they are a key to our success on the track. Mobil 1 is such a source of technology under the hood and it’s a real advantage for us. Our success illustrates the technological advantages Mobil 1 is giving us on the track every single week.”

How important is San Antonio’s Rush Truck Centers to you?

“Rush is one of my strongest supporters. Rusty (Rush) and his folks have been wonderful to me. They have become some of my closest friends in the world. We want to get the word out that Rush, as well as the entire trucking industry, needs technicians. Rush Truck Centers is a leader in the trucking industry and the largest commercial dealership network in North America. They want to train these folks and give them good jobs. I’ve been around a lot of them in the last few years and it’s a hell of a career.”

Stewart Making Stock Car Return at COTA

Three-Time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Will Drive No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Mustang in Demonstration Run at Circuit of the Americas in Conjunction with Haas F1 Team

It’s the Beginning of a Texas-Sized Weekend for Stewart in Lone Star State as He Splits Time Between Austin and Fort Worth, Stock Cars and Winged Sprint Cars

For the first time since Nov. 20, 2016 when the checkered flag waved on the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Tony Stewart will be back in a stock car.

On Thursday, Oct. 31 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, Stewart will strap back into his No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Mustang from Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) to make a demonstration run on the 3.426-mile, 20-turn track in advance of the United States Grand Prix. But unlike any other time he drove in the NASCAR Cup Series in a career spanning 18 years that included three championships, 49 points-paying victories and more than 12,800 laps led, Stewart’s Ford Mustang will be outfitted with a passenger seat as he will show Haas F1 Team drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen how to wheel a 3,200-pound racecar around America’s only purpose-built Formula One track.

“It’s kind of hard to believe that it’s been three years since I last drove a stock car, but seeing some of these road-course races – especially the Roval at Charlotte – have piqued my interest a bit, so this is a good way to sort of satisfy that hunger,” said Stewart, whose racing exploits earned him membership into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2020, where he will be officially inducted on Jan. 31. “I’ve never been to COTA. All I know about it is what I’ve seen on TV and on my iRacing simulator. I kind of like that. Even after two decades in NASCAR, there’s still new stuff to experience. I haven’t driven that racetrack and Kevin and Romain haven’t ever driven a stock car. We’ll figure it out together.”

While Stewart retired as a NASCAR driver following the 2016 season finale at Homestead, he did not retire from racing. The 48-year-old from Columbus, Indiana, has returned to his first passion – sprint car racing. Stewart has won 16 sprint car races in various series since 2017, including 10 this year in a schedule that has Stewart in a sprint car for nearly 100 races.

“People sometimes say, ‘We miss seeing you behind the wheel,” and I’m like, ‘Well, you’re going to the wrong places now’,” Stewart said. “I’m racing 100 times a year. You’ve just got to come watch me in a different car.”

It was in a sprint car where Stewart last served as a driving coach to Haas F1 Team when he showed Magnussen how to handle a 1,350-pound sprint car with 750 horsepower.

“I found my feet in that sprint car last October pretty quickly thanks to his advice, and also thanks to him jumping in the car and showing how it’s done before I got in,” said Magnussen prior to last year’s United States Grand Prix when he stopped by Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, North Carolina, for his dirt-track tutorial. “I had a great time with Tony. He’s a great driving instructor and he knows his way around these things. His experience and knowledge when it comes to stock cars is probably just as impressive.”

When it comes to driving a racecar with a roof and fenders, both Magnussen and Grosjean have limited experience. Grosjean drove a Ford GT1 in the 2010 FIA GT1 championship while Magnussen drove a GT2 car once and tested a DTM car, but he knows there’s a stark difference between those cars and a stock car.

“A DTM car is very aerodynamic,” Magnussen said. “They have a lot of downforce. A stock car hardly has any downforce. So, I don’t have any idea how it’ll be. I’ve never driven a NASCAR before. I’m pretty certain it’s going to be very different to the other car I drive around COTA. It’s going to be a very interesting experience. A NASCAR is such an iconic racecar. I’ve always been eager to try one. Of course, it’s usually in its element on an oval, but they do race on road courses, as well. It’ll be interesting to have a go and have a bit of fun.”

Despite his lack of stock-car experience, Grosjean is well aware of how different a stock car will feel, particularly when it comes to slowing it down.

“I think we just need to slam the brakes a bit earlier than we do with a Formula One car,” Grosjean said. “We’ll see how the engine responds to throttle application. I can’t wait. The sound of it’s going to be great. I think it’s going to be a good experience. I think having Tony Stewart helping us and giving us advice is going to be bloody amazing.”

When Stewart’s work at COTA is completed, he’ll jet over to Fort Worth, Texas, where by day he’ll be a NASCAR team owner and at night a sprint car driver.

Stewart co-owns SHR with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas, hence the connection to Haas F1 Team. SHR’s four NASCAR Cup Series drivers – Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer and Daniel Suárez – are all competing in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. SHR also fields two NASCAR Xfinity Series teams for drivers Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe, who will race on Saturday at Texas in the undercard O’Reilly Auto Parts 300.

But before any of those cars turn a wheel on the 1.5-mile oval, Stewart will turn left to go right on the .4-mile Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. Stewart will climb behind the wheel of the same kind of sprint car Netflix viewers saw in Episode 9 of last year’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive series where Stewart showed Magnussen the fundamentals of dirt-track racing.

“It’s the best of both worlds for me,” said Stewart, who will compete Thursday and Friday night in the Texas Sprint Car Nationals. “I get to be with our NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series teams during the day, but each night I get to go over to the Dirt Track. It’s fun for our crew guys too. They’re racers who have dirt-track blood in their veins. They come over and watch the race. It just makes for a perfect weekend.”

It’s part of an intense four days in the Lone Star State beginning with Stewart’s stock car return at COTA on Thursday and includes an induction into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame on Saturday.

“It does mean a lot to me,” said Stewart about this most recent accolade. “It’s nothing you think about as a driver. It’s not your aspiration while you’re driving to be in the Hall of Fame. When you’re a driver, all you want to do is win big races and win championships, and to still have that opportunity and still be able to race and compete at the same time as we’re joining the Hall of Fame is pretty cool.”

Stewart’s Texas schedule is as follows:

Thursday, Oct. 31:

  • NASCAR demonstration laps at COTA (12-1 p.m. CDT)
  • Texas Sprint Car Nationals at Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track (begins at 7 p.m. CDT)

Friday, Nov. 1:

  • Texas Sprint Car Nationals at Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track (begins at 7 p.m. CDT)

Saturday, Nov. 2:

  • Induction into Texas Motor Speedway Hall of Fame at Texas Motor Speedway (begins at 11:30 a.m. CDT)
  • Oversight of two-car NASCAR Xfinity Series team in O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (race starts at 7:30 p.m. CDT)

Sunday, Nov. 3:

  • Oversight of four-car NASCAR Cup Series team in AAA Texas 500 (race starts at 2 p.m. CST)

 

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 Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization fields four entries in the 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. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

DANIEL SUÁREZ – 2019 Martinsville II Race Report

Event:               First Data 500
Series:              Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format:             500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish:      9th/31st (Running, completed 488 of 500 laps)
Point Standing:  18th with 764 points

Race Winner:    Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

  • Daniel Suárez started ninth and finished 10th, earning one bonus point.
  • The No. 41 driver jumped up to sixth in the opening laps of the First Data 500.
  • Under the lap-28 caution, the No. 41 Haas Automation team pitted for four tires, fuel and slight adjustments. Suárez reported that he was good but a little free.
  • After a quick pit stop from his team, the 28-year-old Suárez restarted third on lap 34.
  • Near the end of the stage, Suárez battled with playoff drivers for a top-10 stage finish and came in 10th.
  • During the stage break, the team pitted for four tires and fuel only.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

  • Suárez started ninth and finished 11th.
  • The Mexico native held steady in 10th for the opening laps of the stage.
  • The No. 41 Haas Automation team pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments under the lap-176 caution after Suárez reported that he was free in the corners.
  • During the lap-253 caution, he reported that his racecar was tight. The team pits for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.
  • After running solidly in the top-10 for most of the stage, Suárez fell back during the closing laps and finished 11th.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500):

  • Suárez started 10th and finished 31st.
  • After starting 10th, the No. 41 driver fell back to 12th in the opening laps.
  • During the lap-345 caution, Suárez reported that his racecar was tight. The team pitted for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.
  • On lap 376, the No. 41 Haas Automation driver hit the outside wall and had to pit to repair the damage. The team was able to get the Ford Mustang back out on track and meet the minimum speed. Suárez was seven laps down in 33rd.
  • After several more cautions, Suárez was able to gain back a few positions and finished 31st.

Notes:

  • Martin Truex Jr. won the First Data 500 to score his 26th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his series-leading seventh of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin of victory over second-place William Byron was .373 of a second.
  • There were 11 caution periods for a total of 69 laps.
  • Only 19 of the 38 drivers in the First Data 500 finished on the lead lap.
  • Ford took five of the top-10 finishing positions in the First Data 500. 

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

“We had a good car in the first stage, and we ran solidly in the top-10. The car got tight in the second stage. Not the day we were hoping for, but we still have three races to go.” 

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the AAA Texas 500 on Sunday, Nov. 3 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. It is the eighth race of the 10-race playoffs and the second race in the Round of 8. It starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

KEVIN HARVICK – 2019 Martinsville II Race Report

Event:  First Data 500 (Round 33 of 36)
Series:  Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:  Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format:  500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish:  22nd/7th (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
Point Standing:  5th with 4,058 points, 14 below top-four cutoff

Race Winner:  Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner:  Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner:  Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

● Kevin Harvick started 22nd and finished 12th.
● Harvick said on lap 28 that his No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang was a little loose everywhere.
● Pitted for four tires and fuel while under caution on lap 30. No other changes were made.
● Was 12th for lap-34 restart.
● At end of stage, Harvick commented: “Loose in if I drive in too hard. Not enough drive on exit.”
● Crew chief Rodney Childers called for four tires, fuel and a right-rear wedge adjustment during the pit stop at the end of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

● Harvick started 11th and finished 16th.
● The driver of the No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang keyed his mic on lap 178 and yelled, “Sideways.” Dropped to 15th.
● Pitted on lap 180 while under caution for four tires and fuel. Reversed right-rear wedge adjustment from previous stop and lowered track bar.
● Was 14th for lap-184 restart.
● Harvick said on lap 238 while running 17th: “Loose when I let off the brake. No grip on throttle.”
● Caution on lap 253 allowed Harvick to pit on the following lap, where wholesale changes were made to the Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang, including pulling a spring rubber out of the right rear, raising the track bar and adding two rounds of left-rear wedge, along with four fresh tires and fuel.
● Was 17th for lap-257 restart, but picked up a position to finish the stage in 16th.
● Stayed out at the conclusion of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500):

● Harvick started 15th and finished seventh.
● Keyed mic on lap 325 and said: “OK on entry now. Just too tight in the middle.” Climbed to 12th.
● Pitted on lap 349 while under cation for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment.
● Was 10th for lap-352 restart, his first time among the top-10.
● Escaped multicar accident off turn four on lap 363 that allowed Harvick to rise to seventh.
● Was seventh for lap-372 restart, a position Harvick held through the remainder of the race, despite four more restarts.

Notes:

● Harvick earned his 23rd top-10 of the season and his 19th top-10 in 37 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville.
● This is Harvick’s fifth consecutive top-10 at Martinsville. He finished sixth in the series’ last visit to the track in March.
● This is Harvick’s second straight top-10 and his eighth top-10 in the last nine races. He finished ninth in the series’ previous race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.
● Since joining SHR in 2014, Harvick has only one finish outside the top-20 at Martinsville. He has scored eight top-10s in 12 Martinsville races with the No. 4 team.
● Martin Truex Jr., won the First Data 500 to score his 26th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his series-leading seventh of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin of victory over second-place William Byron was .373 of a second.
● There were 11 caution periods for a total of 69 laps.
● Only 19 of the 38 drivers in the First Data 500 finished on the lead lap.
● Ford took five of the top-10 finishing positions in the First Data 500.

Playoff Standing (with two races to go before Championship 4):

1.  Martin Truex Jr. (4,102 points) 1 win
2.  Denny Hamlin (4,082 points, +24)
3.  Kyle Busch (4,075 points, +17)
4.  Joey Logano (4,072 points, +14)
5.  Kevin Harvick (4,058 points, -14)
6.  Ryan Blaney (4,057 points, -15)
7.  Kyle Larson (4,048 points, -24)
8.  Chase Elliott (4,028 points, -44)

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We got our car a lot better in the second half. We made some major adjustments when we got to the end of the second stage and made our car a lot better. We got a decent finish to minimize the damage.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the AAA Texas 500 on Sunday, Nov. 3 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. It is the eighth race of the 10-race playoffs and the second race in the Round of 8. It starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2019 Martinsvill II Race Report

Event:               First Data 500
Series:              Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format:             500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish:      4th/37th (Accident, completed 363 of 500 laps)
Point Standing:  14th with 2,159 points 

Race Winner:    Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

  • Aric Almirola started fourth and finished seventh to earn four bonus points.
  • Almirola advanced to the outside front row due to the No. 9 car dropping to the rear at the start of the race.
  • The No. 10 driver pitted the Smithfield Ford Mustang on lap 32 for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments.
  • He restarted in seventh and quickly climbed back to sixth.
  • Almirola reported at lap 80 that he was loose into the turns and didn’t have the turn he needed in the middle.
  • He battled his teammate Daniel Suarez to advance and hold seventh place before the end of the stage.
  • Almirola pitted for four tires, fuel and chassis and air pressure adjustments at the conclusion of Stage 1.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260): 

  • Almirola started 10th and finished fifth to earn six bonus points.
  • Almirola pitted under caution on lap 177 for four tires, fuel and adjustments. He reported better balance from the No. 10 Ford.
  • On lap 217 Almirola advanced to seventh, but he struggled with rear grip.
  • He climbed back to sixth on lap 248.
  • The No. 10 Smithfield Ford team pitted on lap 254 and gained a spot on pit road to restart fifth.
  • He raced the No. 22 car for fourth and made slight contact with the wall before finishing fifth in Stage 2.
  • Almirola did not pit at the end of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500): 

  • Almirola started fourth and finished 37th.
  • The caution was called on lap 348 with Almirola in sixth.
  • He pitted under caution for four tires, fuel and adjustments to correct loose-handling conditions and returned to the track in sixth.
  • Almirola was caught on the outside during the restart and fell to eighth.
  • On lap 360 Almirola and the No. 18 car made contact, forcing Almirola to spin and sustain front-end damage from the No. 48 car.
  • The Smithfield Ford team attempted to fix the damage until making the call to end the day.

Notes:

  • Martin Truex Jr. won the First Data 500 to score his 26th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his seventh of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin of victory over second-place William Byron was .373 of a second.
  • There were 11 caution periods for a total of 69 laps.
  • Only 19 of the 38 drivers in the First Data 500 finished on the lead lap.
  • Ford took five of the top-10 finishing positions in the First Data 500.

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

“I had a really good Smithfield Ford Mustang and felt like we were maybe one adjustment away from being maybe a second- or third-place car. I’m proud of my guys and proud of the effort. We’ve got three more weeks to bring a win home.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the AAA Texas 500 on Sunday, Nov. 3 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. It is the eighth race of the 10-race playoffs and the second race in the Round of 8. It starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.