March 2020 - Page 2 of 3 - The Official Stewart-Haas Racing Website

KEVIN HARVICK – 2020 Phoenix I Race Report

Event:               FanShield 500k
Series:              NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Phoenix Raceway (1.022-mile oval)
Format:             312 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/115 laps/122 laps)
Start/Finish:      2^nd/2^nd (Running, completed 316 of 316 laps)
Point Standing: 1^st (164 points)
Note:                Race extended four laps past its scheduled 312-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-75):

Kevin Harvick started second and finished first, earning 10 bonus point and a playoff point.
The No. 4 Jimmy John’s Freaky Fast Rewards Ford Mustang was a bit loose early on.
Harvick was second when he pitted under caution on lap 60 for four tires and fuel.
The No. 4 car left pit road in first place and led the last 15 laps of Stage 1.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 76-190):

Harvick started first and finished second, earning nine bonus points.
On lap 134 the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Freaky Fast Rewards Ford Mustang pitted from the lead for four tires and fuel. He came out of the pits in sixth place.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 191-316):

Harvick started second and finished second.
The No. 4 Jimmy John’s Freaky Fast Rewards Ford Mustang pitted on lap 194 for four tires and fuel and a chassis adjustment, then came out in fifth place.
On lap 216, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. He had to restart sixth, as several cars took only two tires.
Harvick passed Joey Logano for the lead on lap 251.
The No. 4 Jimmy John’s Freaky Fast Rewards Ford Mustang pitted on lap 255 for four tires and fuel and remained in first place.
His final pit stop was on lap 268 for four tires and fuel, but he remained in the top-10.
There were four late-race cautions, which put Harvick in position to battle Logano for the win, but the No. 4 car fell just .276 of a second behind and had to settle for second place.

Notes:

Harvick’s second-place result was his best thus far in 2020. His previous best was fifth in the season-opening Daytona 500.
This is Harvick’s fourth straight top-10. He finished ninth in the series’ last race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
Harvick earned his second top-five and fourth top-10 of the season, and his 18^th top-five and 24^th top-10 in 35 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix.
Harvick’s 18 top-fives and 24 top-10s are the most among active drivers at Phoenix.
This was Harvick’s 12^th top-two at Phoenix. Nine of those top-twos are victories, the most among active drivers at Phoenix.
This is Harvick’s second straight top-five and his 14^th straight top-10 at Phoenix. He finished fifth in the series’ most recent visit to the track last November.
Harvick has never finished outside the top-10 at Phoenix since joining SHR in 2014. He has scored five wins during this time.
Harvick led four times for 67 laps to increase his laps-led total at Phoenix to 1,662, the most among active drivers.
Logano won the FanShield 500k to score his milestone 25^th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his second at Phoenix. His margin of victory over second-place Harvick was .276 of a second.
This was Ford’s 17^th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Phoenix.
There were 12 caution periods for a total of 73 laps.
Twenty-seven of the 38 drivers in the FanShield 500k finished on the lead lap.
Harvick leaves Phoenix as the championship leader with a one-point advantage over second-place Logano.

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

“He (Logano) just had control of the race. After we pitted there, I got stuck behind a couple of cars there, lost five or six spots. He got by and got control of the race. He got to restart where he wanted to. Our Jimmy John’s Ford was better, especially when we could put it in front of his. We just didn’t get the control of the race back there, and he was able to get by us on that restart where I got hung up.”

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Folds of Honor 500 on Sunday, March 15, at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

COLE CUSTER – 2020 Phoenix I Race Report

Event:               FanShield 500k
Series:              NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Phoenix Raceway (1.022-mile oval)
Format:             312 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/115 laps/122 laps)
Start/Finish:      16^th/9^th (Running, completed 316 of 316 laps)
Point Standing: 22^th with 73 points, 91 out of first
Note:                Race extended four laps past its scheduled 312-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-75):

Cole Custer started 16^th and ended the stage 12^th.
On lap 10, as he ran 15^th, Custer reported his Haas Automation Mustang was tight.
During the first caution on lap 59, the California native reported his Mustang remained tight. He pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments, then restarted 16^th.
After a brief green flag, the caution was displayed again on lap 65. The 22-year-old stayed out on the track in the 12^th position, where he ended the stage.
He pitted during the Stage 1 break for fuel, four tires and more adjustments to help with his Ford’s handling and returned to the track 20^th after varying pit strategies.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 76-190):

Custer started 20^th in Stage 2 and completed it in 10^th to earn one stage point.
On lap 92 Custer, running 18th, reported once again that his Mustang was too tight.
The Haas Automation driver was back in the top-15 on lap 126.
Under caution on lap 132, Custer pitted from 14^th for fuel and four tires, then restarted 15th. Crew chief Mike Shiplett relayed to Custer that his Mustang was really good on the long run.
The No. 41 driver reached the top-10 on lap 158.
Custer came down pit road during the Stage 2 break for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help his Mustang turn in the center better.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 191-316):

Custer began the final stage from 13^th and ended the race ninth.
Under caution on lap 215 the Ford driver pitted from 17^th for fuel and four tires. He restarted 16^th.
With 60 laps to go and under another caution, Custer pitted from 15^th and restarted 18^th.
With 47 laps to go, the caution was once again displayed. Shiplett made the call for Custer to stay out and restart sixth.
With another quick caution on lap 277, Custer pitted from 13^th for four fresh tires and an adjustment.
He restarted 17^th with 30 laps to go, and the caution came back out just after the green flag with Custer in the 14^th spot.
The rookie driver was in the 12^th spot on lap 291.
On the lap-304 caution, Custer was in the 13^th spot and didn’t pit, which allowed him to restart ninth.
On the green-white-checkered attempt, the SHR driver was in the 10^th position and ultimately finished ninth.

Notes:

Custer’s ninth-place finish was his best in seven career NASCAR Cup Series starts.
This was Custer’s first top-10 of the season, and it came in his first career NASCAR Cup Series start at Phoenix.
This is Custer’s third straight top-20. He finished 18^th in the series’ last race at Auto Club Speedway.
Custer was the highest-finishing NASCAR Cup Series rookie in the FanShield 500k.
Joey Logano won the FanShield 500k to score his milestone 25^th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his second at Phoenix. His margin of victory over second-place Kevin Harvick was .276 of a second.
This was Ford’s 17^th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Phoenix.
There were 12 caution periods for a total of 73 laps.
Twenty-seven of the 38 drivers in the FanShield 500k finished on the lead lap.
Harvick leaves Phoenix as the championship leader with a one-point advantage over second-place Logano.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“This was a huge finish for us. It is a huge boost to have a really solid day and a fast Mustang. We overcame obstacles all weekend, and hopefully we can continue to carry that all through the year. I think we get better every single race, so it is just a matter of continuing that.”

Next Up:

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2020 Phoenix I Race Report

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-75):

● Aric Almirola started sixth and finished eighth, earning three bonus points.
● The No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang joined the top-five on lap 10.
● Almirola said his Smithfield Ford was tight to the middle of the turns.
● On lap 66, he pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments under caution.
● He restarted seventh and ran inside the top-10 before the end of the stage.
● Almirola pitted for four tires and fuel. He came off pit road 13th and was the second car on four tires.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 75-190):

● Almirola started 13th and finished sixth, earning five bonus points.
● Almirola was caught in the middle on the restart and lost several positions.
● The No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and chassis adjustments during a caution on lap 133.
● On the restart, Almirola powered the No. 10 Smithfield Ford to the low line and passed five cars to run ninth.
● He consistently gained positions and passed teammate Clint Bowyer for sixth on lap 159.
● Almirola pitted at the end of the stage for four tires, fuel and adjustments and came off pit road in seventh.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 191-316):

● Almirola started seventh and finished eighth.
● He raced the No. 10 Ford into the top-five on the restart.
● The No. 10 pitted on lap 215 for four tires and fuel and left pit road 10th after multiple drivers took two tires and gained position.
● Almirola made the pass for seventh on lap 233 and passed for sixth on lap 240.
● The caution was called on lap 252 with Almirola in sixth. He pitted under the caution period for four tires and fuel and restarted sixth.
● During a caution on lap 304, Almirola opted not to pit and restarted in eighth.
● He gained a spot before another caution was called a lap later.
● Almirola restarted in seventh for the final time and held the No. 10 Smithfield Ford inside the top-10 before crossing the finish line.

Notes:

● Almirola earned his second top-10 of the season and his sixth top-10 in 19 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix.
● This is Almirola’s second straight top-10. He finished eighth in the series’ last race at Auto Club Speedway.
● Since joining SHR in 2018, Almirola has only finished outside the top-10 once at Phoenix.
● Joey Logano won the FanShield 500k to score his milestone 25th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his second at Phoenix. His margin of victory over second-place Kevin Harvick was .276 of a second.
● This was Ford’s 17th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Phoenix.
● There were 12 caution periods for a total of 73 laps.
● Twenty-seven of the 38 drivers in the FanShield 500k finished on the lead lap.
● Harvick leaves Phoenix as the championship leader with a one-point advantage over second-place Logano.

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

“That was a decent day for us. We scored stage points in both stages and ran competitively. I thought after practice we were a fourth- to eighth-place car, and quite honestly that is about where we ran all day. The pit crew did a good job there the second half of the race keeping us in the game. I am proud of that. We just continue to build. We just keep knocking off these top-10s in a row after last weekend and this weekend. Then you slowly progress to trying to run in the top-five, and that is where you find yourself in position to win races. We need to continue to build on this. I am really proud of Buga (crew chief Mike Bugarewicz) and all the guys on this Smithfield team. They have been bringing some nice Ford Mustangs for me to drive the last couple of weeks.”

Next Up:

CHASE BRISCOE – 2020 NXS Phoenix I Race Report

Event: LS Tractor 200 (Round 4 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Phoenix Raceway (1.022-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish: 9th/6th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Point Standing: 2nd (173 points, 3 behind leader)

Race Winner: Brandon Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Noah Gragson of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Key Moment:

Chase Briscoe featured regularly among the top-five in Saturday’s LS Tractor 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway. The driver of the No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing started ninth but finished third in both stages of the 200-lap race around the 1.022-mile oval. Briscoe was again running third in the final stage until a caution on lap 129 jumbled the running order. Numerous drivers took the opportunity to pit while others, including Briscoe, opted for track position and stayed out on the racetrack. But when the race restarted on lap 133, those who stayed out were no match for the drivers who pitted and fitted their racecars with fresh tires. Briscoe fell to ninth until the race’s penultimate caution on lap 138 allowed the 25-year-old racer from Mitchell, Indiana, to pit for four tires and fuel. In the final 57 laps, Briscoe worked his way from 22nd and almost back into the top-five, as he was unable to claim fifth in a spirited last-lap battle with Justin Haley. Briscoe ended up sixth, tying his best Xfinity Series finish at Bristol and picking up his third top-10 of the season.

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“I think we were definitely better than a sixth-place racecar. We just had a miscommunication when the whole field pitted. My crew chief told me to do what the 7 (Justin Allgaier) and the 9 (Noah Gragson) do, but the 9 pitted and the 7 stayed out, so I stayed out. Then we were at a disadvantage tire-wise. I restarted last and was able to drive to sixth. Overall, it was a good learning weekend for when we come back in November.”

Notes:

● Briscoe equaled his previous best finish at Phoenix (sixth), as he finished sixth in last year’s iK9 Service Dog 200.
● Briscoe earned his 33rd top-10 in 54 career Xfinity Series starts and his third top-10 in three Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix.
● Briscoe finished third in both Stage 1 and Stage 2 to earn a total of 16 bonus points.
● Brandon Jones won the LS Tractor 200 to score his second career Xfinity Series win, his first of the season and his first at Phoenix. His margin of victory over second-place Harrison Burton was 3.556 seconds.
● There were seven caution periods for a total of 45 laps.
● Only 17 of the 36 drivers finished on the lead lap.
● Burton leaves Phoenix as the championship leader with a three-point advantage over second-place Briscoe.

Next Up:

The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is the EchoPark 250 on Saturday, March 14 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 4 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

COLE CUSTER – 2020 Phoenix I Race Advance

Cole Custer and the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) head to Phoenix Raceway for Sunday’s FanShield 500k. Sunday’s main event marks the third and final race on the NASCAR Cup Series 2020 West Coast Swing with the previous two races being Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

This weekend’s race is of special significance because, when the Cup Series returns to the Arizona venue in November, it will be for the season finale. This is the first year Phoenix will have hosted Championship Weekend. Everything learned this weekend will become crucial for having a successful final race of the season.

SHR has fared well at the mile oval at Phoenix. Its six wins there are more than SHR has garnered at any other track. Custer’s teammate Kevin Harvick has five of those Phoenix wins while driving under the SHR banner. The young Custer leans on his veteran teammate Harvick for advice as he ventures through his Cup career. “I talk with Kevin every week prior to practice to try and get an idea of the things I need to look for around the track, things he’s found, and what he’s fought in the past,” Custer said. “He’s been a huge help, and Clint and Aric have been helpful, too.”

The 22-year-old Custer started 18^th last weekend at his home track in Fontana. He battled a tight-handling Mustang before finishing 18^th at the 2-mile oval.

Custer has six starts at Phoenix in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with an average starting position of 3.8 and an average finishing position of 8.3. In total, the Ford driver has two top-fives, which includes a runner-up finish last November, and five top-10s, along with six laps led in six starts. Additionally, Custer has three starts in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series at Phoenix with a best finish of fourth earned in November 2014.

“The biggest transition from the Xfinity Series to the Cup Series for me has been the feel of the cars,” Custer said. “We don’t a get a lot of time to practice, anymore. We get about two hours of practice during the weekend and that’s pretty much it. There isn’t any testing, anymore, so it’s just me trying to get acclimated the best that I can.”

En route to his career in NASCAR’s premiere series, the SHR driver made three starts at Phoenix in the NASCAR K&N West Series for Bill McAnally Racing, which resulted in two pole awards and one win during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Custer won the February 2014 race with a .376-of-a-second margin of victory.

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 Oxnard manufacturing facility and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets.

Even though Custer had a trio of starts in the Cup Series in 2018, 2020 officially marks his Rookie of the Year campaign in NASCAR’s most prestigious series. He’s competing with notables Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick. The three have battled against each other in the Xfinity Series and are making the full-time transition to the Cup Series together. Custer was the second-highest-finishing rookie at Fontana last weekend with his 18^th-place result.

In the Cup Series at Phoenix, Ford currently has 16 victories. The season is off to a strong start for the Blue Oval with Ford holding the top two spots in all three of NASCAR’s top series.

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Why do you walk pit road before the race?

“I walk it so I don’t miss the pit box. There are so many boxes and it’s sometimes hard to see where your sign is. I do it to give me reference points and get acclimated.

What will you do when you win your first race?

“I don’t know what I will do. It would be huge, I’m not going to lie. It would mean the world to me win but, right now, I have to take it one step at a time.”

Who were some of your favorite drivers growing up?

“They aren’t huge names, but I always liked Jason Leffler and Johnny Sauter growing up. I got to race against Johnny when I was in the Truck Series, which was pretty cool. Those guys are both hard racers.”

What are your favorite types of tracks to race on?

“I like all of the bigger, worn-out tracks. Tracks like Homestead-Miami and Chicago are pretty good to me.”

KEVIN HARVICK – 2020 Phoenix I Race Advance

The FanShield 500 will take place Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. It’s only the fourth race of the year and every driver wants to win to secure his spot in the NASCAR playoffs, which begin in September.

But let’s be honest, every driver sees this Phoenix race as preparation for the Nov. 8 championship race which, for the first time ever, will have the final four drivers competing for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series title on the mile oval in the Arizona desert.

And no driver has been more successful at Phoenix than Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Freaky Fast Rewards Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).

He has a series-high nine career Cup Series wins at Phoenix, including five with SHR, topping a list that shows Jimmie Johnson next-best with four, Kyle Busch with three, and Davey Allison, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin with two each.

Harvick has won seven of the last 15 Cup Series races at Phoenix. He is the only driver to win four in a row as he won the November 2013 race, swept the 2014 races and won in March 2015 before ending his streak with a runner-up finish in November 2015. Johnson is the only other driver with a three-race streak at Phoenix, when he won the November 2007 race and swept the 2008 races.

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

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

Harvick has finished outside the top-10 only once since March 2013 and has only three finishes of 11th or worse since April 2010.

And in 2020, his season has started out strong as he has qualified and finished in the top-10 in all three races thus far. He is third in the driver points, just 12 behind leader Ryan Blaney.

Harvick is hoping to get his 10th victory at Phoenix, clinch his playoff spot and, most importantly, be good at the mile oval as he goes for the biggest prize in all of NASCAR in eight months.

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

The NASCAR Cup Series season finale is now Phoenix. What are your thoughts on holding that event at that venue?

“Well, I think Phoenix will do a great job. I think that’s a championship city. They’ve held national championships, they’ve held Super Bowls, they’ve held the World Series. You name it, that city has hosted it. And really, moving that championship race around is the right thing to do, in my opinion. To me, it’s more about the event than it is the race. It’s more about exposing new fans, new sponsors and just exposing new people to it and teaching them about our sport and exposing them to our sport because of the fact that we’re holding the championship race. And sometimes that’s what it takes to get people who’ve never seen a NASCAR race to the racetrack just because it’s an intriguing event that you attached a championship to. And in the end, hopefully the race is good. But I don’t really think that should matter. I think it should be all about the anticipation and hype and the build-up to the race and the things that happen in that city that will carry over for that particular market for years to come.”

How would you rate yourself at the new Phoenix? Your history there is exceptional, but it crosses over two different versions of the track. How do you feel you are with where that track is right now?

“I felt like last year, with that particular rules package, we definitely weren’t as good as we had been in the past. I think with the 2018 package, I think we were in the game. It’s been a great racetrack for us as we’ve gone through the years and a place that we go to expect a win. And I don’t see that any different, no matter what the rules package is, the expectations from our side are the same and that’s to go there and have a chance to win. And we didn’t do that last year, but the expectations didn’t change.”

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

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

Stewart Back at the Brickyard

NASCAR Hall of Famer To Compete in NASCAR Xfinity Series Race July 4 at Indianapolis

Tony Stewart will compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race July 4 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a Ford Mustang from Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).

The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee will headline the inaugural Xfinity Series event on Indianapolis’ 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course, with the 62-lap race serving as Stewart’s 28^th overall start at the Brickyard but his first in the Xfinity Series. Stewart has competed in 18 Brickyard 400s, five Indianapolis 500s and four IROC Series races. Stewart is a two-time Brickyard 400 winner (2005 and 2007) and a member of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame.

“Everyone knows what Indy means to me, so I can’t think of a better place to race on Fourth of July weekend,” said Stewart, who grew up 45 minutes from Indianapolis in the towns of Columbus and Rushville, Indiana. “It’s going to be cool making history by turning left and right in a stock car at the Brickyard, and the racing will be full of action and contact. Any time you can drive any racecar at the speedway is special, and you know I’m going for the win. The date is already circled on my calendar.”

The road course at Indianapolis has hosted INDYCAR, Formula One, sports cars and even MotoGP, but never NASCAR. And while Stewart is no stranger to Indianapolis, be it in open-wheel Indy cars or full-bodied stock cars, he has never driven the road course in any type of racecar. But Stewart has proven to be prolific when turning left and right. He has eight road-course wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, including his 49^th and final career victory in 2016 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. Stewart is second to only Jeff Gordon for the most road-course wins in the NASCAR Cup Series with a tally that includes Sonoma in 2001, 2005 and 2016 and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009.

Outside of the NASCAR Cup Series, Stewart has a road-course win in IROC and a near win in the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona. Stewart won Round III of IROC XXX on the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road course en route to the 2006 series championship. He also competed in the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona five times, with a best finish of third in 2005 with co-drivers Jan Lammers and Andy Wallace. Stewart nearly won the 2004 Rolex 24 At Daytona, where with co-drivers Wallace and Dale Earnhardt Jr., they led 355 of the 526 laps available and had a commanding five-lap advantage before mechanical problems less than 20 minutes short of the finish ended their shot at victory and placed them a disappointing fourth.

Stewart’s most recent road-course outing came in a demonstration run last October at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. He took an SHR-prepared Ford Mustang specially outfitted with a passenger seat around the 3.426-mile, 20-turn layout and showed 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 was a lot of fun for me to get in one of our Ford Mustangs and do that exhibition run at COTA,” Stewart said. “It kind of got my juices flowing to get back in a car again, and what better place to come back than Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

The Indiana 150 will mark Stewart’s 95^th career Xfinity Series start and his first since the 2013 season opener at Daytona, where Stewart collected his 11^th Xfinity Series victory. It will also mark Stewart’s first NASCAR start since the 2016 NASCAR Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“People sometimes say, ‘We miss seeing you behind the wheel,” and I’m like, ‘Well, you’ve just got to go to different places now’,” said Stewart, who has collected 23 wins in an assortment of sprint car races since retiring as a full-time NASCAR driver at the end of the 2016 season. “I’m racing 100 times a year in a sprint car, but seeing some of these road-course races – especially the Roval at Charlotte – piqued my interest a bit, and running the stock car at COTA, it kind of fed my hunger. All of it has led me back to the place I’ve always called home – Indy.”

Details regarding Stewart’s car number, crew and primary partner will be announced closer to the race.

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2020 Phoenix I Race Advance

Aric Almirola and the No. 10 Smithfield Ford team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) enter the season’s first race on a mile oval Sunday at Phoenix Raceway fresh off and eighth-place finish last Sunday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

Over the offseason, crew chief Mike Bugarewicz moved from SHR’s No. 14 team with Clint Bowyer to the No. 10 team with Almirola. After three 2020 starts, the team is confident heading to Phoenix after running as high as fourth at Fontana and putting together a respectable top-10 finish in its Ford Mustang.

“I thought we had a top-five car in Fontana and we just kept giving away all of our track position,” Almirola said. “We have to do better, but we are building and we got a top-10 and we will take that and move on. I think we have a lot of potential. I think Buga (Bugarewicz) and all the guys did a great job with our Smithfield Ford Mustang and I felt like we had a top-10 car going into the race and we proved that.”

Statistically speaking at Phoenix, it would be safe to forecast another strong run for the No. 10 Ford team this weekend. In three of Almirola’s last four Cup Series starts at the desert oval, he has earned two top-five finishes and another top-10.

Of Almirola’s 62 top-10s earned in 319 career Cup Series starts, 19 have been at tracks a mile in length or shorter. In 18 career starts at Phoenix, Almirola has totaled two top-four finishes, four top-10s and has led 26 laps. He has an average finish of 12.7 there and is ranked ninth among all drivers in the last 10 races.

“We still have a lot to learn as a team, but we’re on the right track,” Almirola said. “We still need a bit more to compete for wins every weekend and I’m thankful for the guys and girls at Stewart-Haas who have worked so hard during the offseason to make sure we start strong, and we have.”

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

Almirola has career totals of two wins, two poles, 18 top-five finishes, 62 top-10s and 543 laps led in 319 starts. His last win came in October 2018 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Smithfield Foods, Inc., who will sponsor Almirola’s car this weekend and at the majority of races this season, is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Its 40,000 U.S. employees are dedicated to producing “Good food. Responsibly®” and have made it one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies. It has pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including many industry firsts, such as an ambitious commitment to cut carbon impact by 25 percent by 2025. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Almirola continues to provide fans with content from his documentary series Beyond the 10, where fans can get VIP, behind-the-scenes access 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. Click here to subscribe on YouTube and watch the latest episode.

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

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

What makes Phoenix so unique?

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

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

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

CHASE BRISCOE – 2020 Phoenix I Race Advance

Event:               LS Tractor 200 (Round 4 of 33)
Location:          Phoenix Raceway
Layout:             1-mile oval

Chase Briscoe Notes of Interest

The LS Tractor 200 at Phoenix Raceway is the fourth event on the 33-race NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule. It will mark Briscoe’s 54^th career Xfinity Series start and his third at Phoenix.
Briscoe comes into Phoenix second in the championship standings, just 10 points behind series leader Harrison Burton despite a 19^th-place finish in last Saturday’s Production Alliance Group 300 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. In that race, Briscoe led three times for 16 laps and earned 16 stage points before a late-race spin while running second took him out of contention. The points earned in Fontana combined with those from Briscoe’s win Feb. 23 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and his fifth-place finish in the season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway have kept the 25-year-old racer from Mitchell, Indiana, near the top of the standings.
Briscoe has two Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix, both coming in 2019 and each resulting in top-10 finishes. His best Xfinity Series result at the 1-mile track was a sixth-place drive last March. And in the series’ most recent visit to the track in November, Briscoe started third and led 14 laps before finishing eighth.
Briscoe also has a NASCAR Truck Series start at Phoenix. In November 2017, Briscoe started eighth and finished fourth in his Ford F-150, securing his 13^th career top-10. The result served as a prelude to Briscoe’s talent, as he won his first career Truck Series race the very next week in the Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Prior to his only Truck Series start at Phoenix, Briscoe ran a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at the track in November 2013.
Ford Performance Racing School returns to Briscoe’s No. 98 Ford Mustang as the primary sponsor for Phoenix. The last outing for the white-and-blue Mustang came two weeks ago at Las Vegas where Briscoe led five times for a race-high 89 laps en route to his first win of the season and the third of his career. Ford Performance Racing School is the only school to wear the Ford oval, and Ford is the only full-line vehicle manufacturer to offer product-focused experiential driving programs exclusively to the owners of its complete line of performance vehicles, from cars to trucks to SUVs.

The No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang carries a lineage to Carroll Shelby, an automotive jack-of-all-trades who raced and built performance cars. Shelby won the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans as a driver and founded Shelby American in 1962. There, he took British AC roadsters and fitted them with Ford engines, creating the Shelby Cobra. That relationship with Ford led Shelby to develop the Ford GT40 and win Le Mans in back-to-back seasons as a constructor (1966 and 1967). Ford asked Shelby to take its new Mustang racing in 1965, and he promptly made it a champion. Today, the Shelby name is synonymous with the Ford Mustang, and Shelby’s iconic No. 98 – which he originally raced and then used during his time as a racing constructor – adorns Briscoe’s No. 98 Ford Mustang. In fact, the grille of the No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang features the iconic Shelby Cobra badge.

Chase Briscoe, Driver Q&A

Phoenix is an important stop on the road to the Xfinity Series championship, as the season finale will take place at the track in November. With a win and a playoff berth already in your possession, how do you use this March visit to Phoenix to prepare for the championship race in November?

“Phoenix this year has more significance than it’s had in the past with it now holding the championship race. Truthfully, I feel like it’s probably my worst track on the schedule. The first race is definitely one that we’re going to need to go out there and learn as much as we can. Fortunately, Kyle Busch is running that race, so I’m going to put my Ford Performance Racing School Mustang behind him in every practice session and just try to learn. I feel like I don’t really understand how to get around there properly, and Kyle’s one of the best ones out there. I’m just going to try to learn from him, if I can. Hopefully, we can hit on something, because it is such an important race now with the championship being decided there at the end of the year.”

At Phoenix, you take the green flag almost in the middle of the tri-oval, which results in some very entertaining restarts. Why are restarts at Phoenix so much more dramatic than at other tracks on the Xfinity Series schedule?

“Restarts at Phoenix are definitely different than any other restart we have all year. It’s probably the only racetrack where you might hear “six-wide” getting into turn one, so the restarts are definitely intense there. You have a lot of options when you head down into turn one because you can run down on the flat by the inside wall, and when they added the traction compound last year, you could run right up by the fence. Phoenix is a place where you can win the race or lose the race on restarts, because once we get going, it’s hard to pass. Restarts are key, and if we can get up front and stay out of trouble on the restarts, we should have a good shot at picking up another win for Ford Performance Racing School.”

CHASE BRISCOE – 2020 NXS Phoenix I Race Advance

Event: LS Tractor 200 (Round 4 of 33)
Date: March 7, 2020
Location: Phoenix Raceway
Layout: 1-mile oval

Chase Briscoe Notes of Interest

● The LS Tractor 200 at Phoenix Raceway is the fourth event on the 33-race NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule. It will mark Briscoe’s 54th career Xfinity Series start and his third at Phoenix.

● Briscoe comes into Phoenix second in the championship standings, just 10 points behind series leader Harrison Burton despite a 19th-place finish in last Saturday’s Production Alliance Group 300 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. In that race, Briscoe led three times for 16 laps and earned 16 stage points before a late-race spin while running second took him out of contention. The points earned in Fontana combined with those from Briscoe’s win Feb. 23 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and his fifth-place finish in the season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway have kept the 25-year-old racer from Mitchell, Indiana, near the top of the standings.

● Briscoe has two Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix, both coming in 2019 and each resulting in top-10 finishes. His best Xfinity Series result at the 1-mile track was a sixth-place drive last March. And in the series’ most recent visit to the track in November, Briscoe started third and led 14 laps before finishing eighth.

● Briscoe also has a NASCAR Truck Series start at Phoenix. In November 2017, Briscoe started eighth and finished fourth in his Ford F-150, securing his 13th career top-10. The result served as a prelude to Briscoe’s talent, as he won his first career Truck Series race the very next week in the Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

● Prior to his only Truck Series start at Phoenix, Briscoe ran a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at the track in November 2013.

● Ford Performance Racing School returns to Briscoe’s No. 98 Ford Mustang as the primary sponsor for Phoenix. The last outing for the white-and-blue Mustang came two weeks ago at Las Vegas where Briscoe led five times for a race-high 89 laps en route to his first win of the season and the third of his career. Ford Performance Racing School is the only school to wear the Ford oval, and Ford is the only full-line vehicle manufacturer to offer product-focused experiential driving programs exclusively to the owners of its complete line of performance vehicles, from cars to trucks to SUVs.

● The No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang carries a lineage to Carroll Shelby, an automotive jack-of-all-trades who raced and built performance cars. Shelby won the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans as a driver and founded Shelby American in 1962. There, he took British AC roadsters and fitted them with Ford engines, creating the Shelby Cobra. That relationship with Ford led Shelby to develop the Ford GT40 and win Le Mans in back-to-back seasons as a constructor (1966 and 1967). Ford asked Shelby to take its new Mustang racing in 1965, and he promptly made it a champion. Today, the Shelby name is synonymous with the Ford Mustang, and Shelby’s iconic No. 98 – which he originally raced and then used during his time as a racing constructor – adorns Briscoe’s No. 98 Ford Mustang. In fact, the grille of the No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang features the iconic Shelby Cobra badge.