Month: June 2020

CHASE BRISCOE – 2020 NXS Indianapolis Race Advance

Event:  Indianapolis 150 at the Brickyard (Round 13 of 33)
Date:  July 4, 2020
Location:  Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Layout:  2.439-mile, 14-turn road course

 

Chase Briscoe Notes of Interest

 

•  Briscoe is an Indiana native, and the Hoosier returns to his home state fresh off a victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ last race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The 25-year-old racer from Mitchell, Indiana, scored his series-leading fourth win of the season last Sunday at Pocono, but it was far from easy. Briscoe incurred a pit-road speeding penalty on lap 37, squeezed through a multicar accident on lap 54, and suffered late-race spin from the lead on lap 70 after cutting a left-rear tire. The driver of the No. 98 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang overcame all of that to lead twice for 24 laps around the 2.5-mile triangle, including the final nine laps, the last two of which came in a green-white-checkered overtime finish. It was Briscoe’s sixth career Xfinity Series victory, and he crossed the stripe with a 1.015-second advantage over runner-up Ross Chastain to retake the championship point lead.

•  Briscoe now leads the championship standings by three points over second-place Noah Gragson. In 12 starts this year, Briscoe has four wins, six top-fives and nine top-10s.

•  The Indianapolis 150 at the Brickyard marks the first time the Xfinity Series will run the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The road course at Indianapolis has hosted INDYCAR, Formula One, sports cars and even MotoGP, but never NASCAR.

•  As such, everyone will be making their first career start on the Indianapolis road course. Many, however, have turned laps on the track’s 2.5-mile oval. Briscoe has two top-10 Xfinity Series finishes on Indy’s oval, with a best result of eighth last year.

•  Road courses hold special appeal for Briscoe, as it’s where he scored his first career Xfinity Series victory. It was Sept. 29, 2018 when in just his 14th career Xfinity Series start, Briscoe won the inaugural race at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. Briscoe tapped into his dirt-track experience to wheel the No. 98 Ford Mustang to a strong 1.478-second margin of victory. “It drove like a dirt track instead of a road course, and it felt like I was in a sprint car,” said Briscoe after the race. “I just tried to make sure the rear tires never spun. I had to give up a little time coming off the corner, but I’d make it back up down the straightaway, and that’s why I was always better at the end of the run.”

•  In six career road-course starts in the Xfinity Series, Briscoe has finished in the top-10 all but once. And in his lone NASCAR Gander Outdoors & RV Truck Series start on a road course – 2017 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park – Briscoe finished seventh in a Ford F-150.

•  Greg Zipadelli returns for his fourth race as the interim crew chief for Briscoe and the No. 98 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang. Subbing for regular crew chief Richard Boswell three races ago at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Zipadelli earned his first Xfinity Series victory when Briscoe crossed the stripe .072 of a second ahead of runner-up Brandon Jones. Zipadelli earned his second Xfinity Series win last Sunday with Briscoe at Pocono. Zipadelli won two NASCAR Cup Series championships with driver Tony Stewart and a total of 34 races, including two Brickyard 400s (2005 and 2007).

•  Briscoe grew up idolizing Stewart and Zipadelli and, now at the age of 25, he drives for Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) with Zipadelli as his crew chief. Briscoe is a third-generation racer, and his path to NASCAR began on the dirt tracks of Indiana in 2001 when he sat behind the wheel of a quarter midget for the first time. He won his first heat race and later that evening earned his first feature win. From there he advanced to mini sprints and at the age of 13, Briscoe won his first race in a 410 sprint car to break a record previously held by NASCAR Hall of Famer and four-time champion Jeff Gordon as the youngest driver to win in 410 sprint car race.

•  By 2013, Briscoe was ready to follow in Stewart’s footsteps and transition from dirt to pavement. After moving to North Carolina where Briscoe slept on couches while volunteering in race shops, he was given the opportunity to run two ARCA Racing Series events for Cunningham Motorsports, the first being at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis. Those two starts were all that were needed to showcase Briscoe’s talent as he joined Cunningham fulltime in 2016. He won six ARCA races on his way to winning both rookie of the year honors and the season championship, where his margin over second place was a whopping 535 points.

•  Briscoe has thrived in his transition to NASCAR, which was boosted by that ARCA title. He advanced to the NASCAR Truck Series in 2017, earning four poles and winning the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead. His 10 top-five and 14 top-10s allowed Briscoe to make the playoffs, finish sixth in points and score the series’ rookie of the year and most popular driver awards.

•  Briscoe parlayed a limited Xfinity Series schedule in 2018 where he drove for both SHR and Roush-Fenway Racing into a full-time drive in 2019 for SHR. And in his first full season of Xfinity Series competition, Briscoe scored a berth in the NASCAR Playoffs by earning his second career Xfinity Series win in July at Iowa Speedway in Newton. He also scored two poles and 13 top-five and 26 top-10 results to finish fifth in the championship standings, all of which earned Briscoe the rookie of the year title.

 

CHASE BRISCOE, Driver of the No. 98 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang:

 

Do you have any idea what to expect on the road course at Indianapolis?
“I’ve been practicing on the simulator since February for the Indy race. It means the world to me to win there, but with it being new, nobody knows what to expect, so we’re trying to be the best we can be. I go to the simulator every Wednesday and I’ve been running at least an hour-and-a-half to two hours at Indy, just trying to get prepared for the racetrack. I feel like I’ve got a pretty good idea of where to make speed in our HighPoint.com Ford Mustang. It’s hard to really say how much the simulator will correlate over to the real-life thing, but I feel like I have a really good idea of what to do and I’m not going to be lost for those first couple of laps. Coming from Indiana and for someone who was a diehard Tony Stewart fan growing up, to have Zippy on the box for a win at Indy would be one of the coolest things. We’ve definitely put a lot of significance on that race and, hopefully, we can get it done. There would be nothing cooler than kissing the bricks, but I want to climb the fence, like Tony did.”

You race for a team co-owned by Tony Stewart. As a fellow Hoosier, does that give you a certain sense of pride?

“I don’t know what it is about Indiana, but I feel like everybody from Indiana has a special pride about being from Indiana. I’m not sure if it’s like that for other states, but there is something about us Hoosiers where we want to see other Hoosiers do well. There’s just a lot of pride in being from Indiana and trying to win for Indiana and, obviously, it’s even bigger when we go to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There is something about a Hoosier at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. You can even hear the crowd. They just get behind a fellow Hoosier. It’s nice for me and Tony to be from the same state, and it’s not like we’re from polar opposite ends of the state. We’re 45 minutes away from each other, so we grew up in the same area, going to the same places, and racing at the same places, so there’s definitely a pride in that.”

As a Hoosier, do you have the same reverence for Indianapolis Motor Speedway as drivers like Stewart?
“In any form of motorsports, Indianapolis is such an icon, and being from Indiana, there’s something special about that place. It’s hallowed ground. It’s a privilege to get to go there. That was the one place where my dad was literally almost in tears just because I got to race there and he got to see his son run laps there. I had been going up there for six or seven years as a spectator, as a kid, and just dreaming of going around that place, and to be able to race there for Tony Stewart, my hero, is pretty special.”

What would it be like to win at Indianapolis, especially this time around with no fans in attendance because of COVID-19?
“I hate that there’s not going to be fans at Indianapolis just because when I go there, there are so many people that come from my hometown and from my area that don’t get to see me race anywhere else. Just feeling the support every time I go there is so special. Last year in driver intros when we were riding around in the trucks, I literally had tears in my eyes from just the amount of people that were standing up and cheering for me. It would be bittersweet to win because none of my family would be there, and none of the fans that don’t get to watch me anywhere else. I’m not going to turn away a win at Indy just because there are no fans, but it is tough to go there and not have fans.”

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2020 Indianapolis Race Advance

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Patriotic Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), heads to a crown jewel of races this weekend, Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in hopes of kissing the bricks for the first time in his career.

Almirola is on a string of four consecutive top-five finishes – earned at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he finished fifth, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, where he finished third, and Pocono (Pa.) Raceway last weekend, where he finished third and fifth, respectively, in the series’ first modern-era doubleheader weekend. It’s the first time in Almirola’s career that he has earned consecutive top-five finishes.

His four top-fives this season ties his season high earned in 2018, when he raced his way to the semifinal playoff round and finished fifth in the season standings.

The No. 10 Ford driver sits ninth in the playoff standings for his career best points position after 15 races. In his first two seasons at SHR in 2018 and 2019, Almirola was 11th in the standings after 15 races. It’s one of the best stretches of his career. The next comparable stretch was from October 2018 through March 2019, when he posted 11 top-10 finishes in 13 races, and his two finishes outside the top-10 were 11th at Martinsville and 32nd at Daytona.

This weekend, the 36-year-old native of Tampa, Florida, looks to continue the momentum with confidence at a track he feels he can continue his top-five streak. While Almirola has yet to earn a top-10 at Indianapolis, he sees this year as a completely blank slate.

“Indy is a place that is very similar to the tunnel turn at Pocono,” he said. “I felt like we were really good in that turn last weekend. As a driver, it always feels good to know you’re heading to a track that has a similar feel to the one you just earned a third- and fifth-place finish at. ‘Buga’ (crew chief Mike Bugarewicz) and all the guys back at the shop have been working their tails off to keep up with the new schedule and it’s really showing. We have showed up as a completely new team in the last four races. If we can continue to race as clean as we have been, with no hiccups or bad luck, we’re going to be serious contenders this year.”

Almirola has career totals of two wins, two poles, 22 top-five finishes, 68 top-10s and 627 laps led in 331 starts. In addition to his recent string of top-fives, he has seven top-10s and has led 90 laps after 15 races this season.

Almirola will run a special red, white, and blue patriotic paint scheme with Smithfield adorning the hood of his racecar at Indy. 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.

Almirola continues to provide fans with content from his documentary series Beyond the 10, where they 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.

While Almirola is on a mission to win one of NASCAR’s crown jewel races this weekend, he’s also looking to conquer a personal goal of five top-five finishes in a row and the most for him in a single season. He is also the only current Ford driver to be racing for five consecutive top-five finishes this weekend.

 

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

 

What was your first memory of Indianapolis Motor Speedway? 

“I was 12 or 13 racing go karts at the time. My family decided to travel to Indiana for Race Week. We went from track to track watching all these different races. As a kid, I was in heaven. It was so much fun. We capped it all off with the Indy 500. It was incredible to see the amount of people there were. Just being in that big of a crowd was crazy. I was used to going to local short tracks with a few thousand people. Never in my wildest dreams had I ever thought I would see a couple hundred thousand people in one place.”

What was your first NASCAR memory at Indy?

“My first memory of racing at Indy was cool. My first Cup races, I remember getting permission to ride my bike around the track and, when I did, I was in awe. To think as a young boy from Tampa, Florida, with big dreams, to here I am about to race in the Brickyard 400 – it was a memory I’ll never forget.”

Why is Indy such a crown jewel race, and how tough is it to get around the track?

“Racing around Indy is interesting because, as a driver, it’s extremely cool racing around there knowing the history of the motor speedway. It has an aura about it like Augusta and Fenway Park. It’s a really special place for auto racing. To go there and race is really cool, but it is extremely difficult to race there. It gets single file and there is no banking, so we rely heavily on aerodynamics and downforce to handle when you don’t have good air pushing down on the car because of traffic. Indy is probably the most difficult track to drive your car in traffic.”

KEVIN HARVICK – 2020 Indianapolis Race Advance

California has always been a hotbed of talent in all forms of automobile racing. And two of the most legendary competitors from the Golden State are from Bakersfield: Kevin Harvick and Rick Mears.

Both are championship-winning drivers and are winners of the biggest races in their respective NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar Series arenas. And they have had so much success Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where they have a combined six wins and nine pole positons.

Harvick won the Brickyard 400 in 2003 and 2019 and now holds the record for most years between victories in any series at Indianapolis. He also is tied with Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon with three pole positions earned there as he won the pole in 2003, 2014 and 2019, and he earned his two victories from the No. 1 starting spot. Mears is one of only three drivers to win four Indianapolis 500s, doing so in 1979, 1984, 1988 and 1991. He holds the record for Indy 500 pole positons earned with six, having qualified No. 1 in 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1991.

Harvick and Mears are both drivers known for showing up when it matters the most – at the end of the race. Mears went a lap down early in the 1988 Indianapolis 500 and came back to win. And in 1991, he almost went a lap down and, at the end, passed Michael Andretti on the outside of turn one and stormed away for his fourth Indianapolis 500 victory.

“The Closer” is Harvick’s nickname because oftentimes, after the final pit stop, he will all of a sudden find himself battling for the win, as was the case last Saturday at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Thanks to great pit strategy by crew chief Rodney Childers, Harvick led the final 17 laps to score his first career Pocono victory. Of note, Mears, whose middle name is Ravon, unbeknownst to many, won three IndyCar races at Pocono in 1982, 1985 and 1987.

Harvick will be going for his third Brickyard 400 win this weekend as he will drive the No. 4 Busch Light Patriotic Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). In addition to his two wins and three poles, Harvick also has seven top-five finishes, 13 top-10s and has led a total of 321 laps in his 19 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Indianapolis. His average start is 12.1, his average finish is 8.9 and he has a lap-completion rate of 99.6 percent – 3,050 of the 3,062 laps available.

The combination of Harvick competing at Indianapolis in SHR equipment is impressive, as well. In his last six NASCAR Cup Series starts at Indianapolis, all of which have come with SHR, he has finished inside the top-10 in each, with the 2019 win, three top-fives and two Busch Poles.

Harvick and Mears have combined for 81 career wins in NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar Series competition with 18,041 laps led. But it’s the Indianapolis victories, the town of Bakersfield and five decades of success that form the mutual respect. And friendship.

 

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Patriotic Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

 

You grew up in Bakersfield and were a fan of Rick Mears. Can you talk about that?

“I think, for me growing up in Bakersfield, a Rick Mears fan and racing around Clint, his son, in go‑karts and seeing Rick and Roger (Mears, brother) and that whole Mears Gang at the racetrack, I mean, that was part of my childhood. And to see the success that he (Rick) had (at Indianapolis) and know the racing heritage that the Mears family has at this particular racetrack, and the history that they have is something for me that’s pretty special, just because of the fact that those are people I grew up around. They came from the same town that I come from in Bakersfield, and it’s just something you don’t really realize when you’re a young kid.”

You’re going to Indianapolis for a doubleheader with the IndyCar Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday and the Cup Series race on Sunday. Do you think even under these strange circumstances this race could still have a potential positive impact for the motorsports community?

“I think our races have had a positive impact on the motorsports community every week. Our industry has just done a great job, really been the leader in trying to help other sports figure out how they’re going to get back on track.I think when you look at the Indy doubleheader, you hear guys from both sides. We had Tony Kanaan on my radio show talking about this particular weekend, and IndyCar and NASCAR running together.We’re all racers. We want racing to be successful. I know it’s kind of had that stigma for a number of years there’s the IndyCar guys and there’s the NASCAR guys.One thing I learned over the winter doing iRacing, racers are racers. If you race on a computer, in IndyCar, everybody wants to see a good race and be part of a cool event. I think it’s going to be a cool event.With Roger Penske owning the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you’re going to see different things. I think this is the first step of many that will bring exciting shows to the racetrack”

 

RICK MEARS, 4-Time Indianapolis 500-Mile Race Winner: 

 

You and Harvick grew up in Bakersfield and you have both won at Indianapolis multiple times. Can you talk about that?

“It’s pretty cool. It doesn’t matter what car or whatever, it’s Indy. And I’ve followed (Harvick’s) career, especially because he’s from Bakersfield. I was living in and out of Bakersfield and I remember watching him run some short-track stuff out there and he was doing a good job then. I remember talking with him when he was old enough to drive and you could see a lot of the short-track styling and learning at work. The way he backs the corner up and the kind of stuff you have to do at places like the (Indianapolis Motor) Speedway.”

You never ran a NASCAR event, but did some IROC races. Did you ever think of crossing over to NASCAR racing?

“I had some opportunities early on. Back in the day, USAC had a stock-car program that was similar to NASCAR’s and I ran a couple of races for a couple of guys, just messing around. I think one was at Michigan and one was at Milwaukee. And then I ran a lot of the IROC Series. I loved the stock cars, they were a lot of fun. But there was only one way I was going to do it and that was to get totally out of IndyCar and get in with both feet and get with the right people and the right equipment. I would have really had to work at it, but there were some opportunities. I loved driving them, but I did like the Indy car better.”

Could Harvick have crossed over into IndyCar racing?

“He’d have done very well. He’s a racer. He would do very well because he’s a racer. He’s got a very good feel. The big thing for me, the difference between the stock cars and the Indy cars, is that the cars talk to you. You get in a different car and you take it out and you listen to it and do what it wants. The way I always explain it is, the stock cars yell at you, the Indy car whispers to you. It would just take time and laps in an Indy car, but he could do that because he’s a driver. He wouldn’t have any trouble. It’s just getting the laps and the experience.”

You and Harvick are similar in that you know the race is won at the end, not at the beginning. Can you talk about how you and Harvick are similar in that regard?

“To me, it was common sense, and I don’t like pain (laughs). You don’t take the risk until it’s time. You do what’s necessary when it’s necessary. But when do you and when do you not? It’s amazing how many guys don’t understand that. I only needed to lead one lap – and I didn’t even need to lead all of it. There’s only one way to win and that’s to finish. I’ve watched (Kevin) over the years, and he runs smart. That’s what I always called running smart. Plus, you don’t want to show your hand all the time. You keep a little in reserve until after the last stop so no one can make any changes and you say, ‘OK guys, he’s what we’ve got.’ If they think they’ve got you covered, they won’t take as many risks on that last stop.”

CLINT BOWYER – 2020 Indianapolis Race Advance

It’s good that Clint Bowyer knows and appreciates his racing history, because he’s going to live it this Fourth of July weekend at the 111-year-old Indianapolis Motor Speedway when the NASCAR Cup Series holds its annual Brickyard 400.

Bowyer will drive the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang co-owned by Gene Haas and the Hoosier-state’s favorite son, Tony Stewart, in the 27th annual Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400. Bowyer knows driving the three-time champion Stewart’s entry, which carries the No. 14 made famous at the Brickyard by four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt, is an honor and a lot to live up to.

While racing at Indy is no longer new for NASCAR, for the first time since 1969, the Cup Series has moved from its traditional July 4 weekend 400-mile race from Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway to Indianapolis.

“There’s just a lot of pride that goes into all those things,” said Bowyer, the 41-year old Emporia, Kansas native. “Driving that Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), and you know what Tony Stewart means at this track and to everyone at Indy. Carrying the No. 14 ratchets it up a whole other level. A.J. Foyt is a badass who is as cool outside the racecar as he was driving it. Two legendary drivers and a legendary car number. The fact we are doing this on the Fourth of July weekend makes it even better.”

Bowyer knows a win Sunday afternoon would top the list of his career accomplishments in the Cup Series. Only 15 drivers have their likeness on the Brickyard 400 trophy permanently housed in the track’s infield museum. History isn’t just limited to the competition on the track. Bowyer’s paint scheme Sunday will feature Rush Truck Centers and Cummins.

Rush Truck Centers has been the primary partner for the No. 14 team since Bowyer arrived at SHR in 2017 and has been with the organization since 2010. With Bowyer’s background working in his dad’s towing service in Emporia, Kansas, Bowyer understands the importance of keeping trucks up and running. That is why Rush is proud to partner with Bowyer and support the trucks that haul the racecars, as well as customers across the country with its total service management package, RushCare Complete. This all-inclusive solution provides dedicated concierge service, vehicle telematics, mobile service, express routine maintenance, real-time service updates and a comprehensive source for all-makes parts.

Cummins makes its second appearance of the 2020 season with Bowyer. The Indiana-based company from Stewart’s hometown of Columbus is no stranger to victory lane with its racing lineage dating back to the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911, when company founder Clessie Cummins was on the pit crew of the race-winning Marmon Wasp of driver Ray Harroun. Since its founding in 1919, the company now employs approximately 61,600 people and serves customers in about 190 countries and territories through a network of some 8,000 wholly owned and independent dealer and distributor locations.

While Cummins is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions, it is best known for its diesel truck engines.

“Rush Truck Centers is one of the biggest reasons we race and, through the years at SHR, we haven’t gotten to victory lane with them, yet,” Bowyer said. “So, when we do it’s going to be epic. Cummins has been to victory lane so many times and probably has more history at Indianapolis than just about anyone.”

Bowyer said Indy is a difficult track for the stock-car crowd, whose cars lack the downforce of their open-wheel counterparts in the IndyCar Series. The rectangular oval track includes two 5/8-mile straightaways and four nearly identical quarter-mile turns connected by short, eighth-mile straightaways. The turns are banked about nine degrees – far flatter than the 30-plus-degree banking at tracks like Daytona, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and others that are part of the NASCAR schedule.

“Indy is just so unique,” said Bowyer, who has posted back-to-back fifth-place finishes at Indy the last two years and four-top 10 finishes in 14 starts. “You’re going so fast. The corners are so flat. You’ve got to have that baby flat to the floor, all the way around. It’s just a hard, hard track to get around.”

He said the key to racing success there is managing risk behind the steering wheel.

“The challenge is trying to be patient,” Bowyer said. “You just have to be patient. You push it to the edge there. You come off of them corners and you’re like, ‘There’s no way. I’m gonna hit the wall. Whoo.’ By the way, I gotta do that 400 more miles.”

Sunday’s race marks the 12th Cup Series race since returning from a 10-week hiatus due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic May 17. As it did at the previous 11 races, NASCAR series and team personnel in the infield will continue to operate under a comprehensive health and safety plan at Indianapolis that permits no fans, limited crew, strict social distancing, and mandated personal protective equipment and health screenings for all.

While racing without fans is disappointing to Bowyer, he knows the race results are just as important. He arrives at Indianapolis 13th in points after finishing seventh and eighth in last weekend’s doubleheader at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

Only 11 more races remain in what is expected to be NASCAR’s 26-race regular season. A win will vault Bowyer into the NASCAR playoffs that begin in September and secure a spot in the NASCAR All-Star Race July 15 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Without a win between now and July 15, Bowyer will race in the NASCAR All-Star Open with hopes a good run will transfer him to the All-Star Race.

As a backup plan, he is relying on the online fan vote that will send the most popular remaining driver from the Open to the All-Star Race. Fans can cast their ballots daily for Bowyer at NASCAR.com/fanvote, or by clicking here.

Bowyer knows there’s a lot on the line Sunday at Indianapolis. He also knows he has history on his side.

 

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

Spending the Fourth of July Weekend in Indianapolis – how special is that?

“When I think of the Fourth of July in NASCAR, I think of Daytona. I think, ‘Oh my God,’ you walk out of your bus headed to the grid and you can’t even put your sunglasses on because they are so fogged up. You are sweating so much you wonder, ‘Why the hell did I just take a shower?’ It is stupid hot outside. I have a waterfall running off of me just walking to the car, and that’s before you even think about climbing into that oven.

What makes winning at Indianapolis so special?

“Oh, I think it’s the racetrack, man. It’s the history behind it. It’s a hard race. It’s a hard place to get around, as a driver. But it all comes down to the history, the people who have won that race and won at that racetrack before you. That’s why you want to win there so badly.”

CHASE BRISCOE – 2020 NXS Pocono Race Report

Event:  Pocono Green 225 (Round 12 of 33)
Series:  NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location:  Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format:  91 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/20 laps/50 laps)
Start/Finish:  3rd/1st (Running, completed 91 of 91 laps)
Point Standing:  1st (499 points, three ahead of second place)
Note:  Race extended one lap past its scheduled 90-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Race Winner:  Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner:  Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:  Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Overview:

Chase Briscoe climbed mountains Sunday at Pocono Raceway to win the Pocono Green 225 NASCAR Xfinity Series race. Despite incurring a pit-road speeding penalty on lap 37, squeezing through a multicar accident on lap 54, and suffering late-race spin from the lead on lap 70 after cutting a left-rear tire, nothing could deny Briscoe his fourth Xfinity Series win of the season and the sixth of his career. The driver of the No. 98 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang overcame all of that to lead twice for 24 laps around the 2.5-mile triangle, including the final nine laps, to score the victory and retake the championship point lead. Briscoe held off Ross Chastain in a green-white-checkered finish, pulling out a margin of victory of 1.015 seconds when the checkered flag dropped. The triumph was extra sweet, as Pocono serves as the home track for primary sponsor HighPoint. The leading IT infrastructure and solutions company is based just 90 minutes east of Pocono in Sparta, New Jersey. The company was founded in 1996 and serves markets in the tri-state region and southeastern United States, with a presence in Charlotte, North Carolina, and overseas in London.

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

“We were really not that good at the beginning. We struggled and didn’t have the speed I really anticipated us to have here, and then Zippy (Greg Zipadelli, crew chief) and the guys just kept working on our HighPoint.com Ford Mustang and kept getting it better and better. No practice made it really tough and we did a really good job of getting our car to run well, at least to where I could drive it well at the end. When you’re side-by-side with a guy getting into turns one and two, you’re on pins and needles seeing who is going to lift first. I knew Ross (Chastain) was going to probably be the last guy to lift and, typically, I’m one of those guys too. I knew it was going to be tough, but it’s really cool to race those guys and do it clean. It’s just really great to get HighPoint.com here in victory lane. This is their home track. This is just another testament to (Richard) Boswell and all the guys that aren’t here at the racetrack right now. They’re the guys preparing the car back at the shop. Zippy is coming in and calling the race and doing a really good job, but Boswell is still the key aspect of this team and he’s done a really good job of getting the cars driving good and getting us up front.”

Notes:               

● Briscoe earned his fourth win of the season and his sixth win in 62 career Xfinity Series starts. It is his first Xfinity Series win at Pocono. His previous best finish was third in last year’s race.
● Briscoe finished sixth in Stage 1 to earn five bonus points.
● Briscoe is the championship leader after Pocono with a three-point advantage over second-place Noah Gragson.
● This was Briscoe’s second victory at Pocono. The Mitchell, Indiana-native won the ARCA Series race at Pocono on July 29, 2016 to cap a string of four straight victories. Briscoe led all but nine of the race’s 60 laps in a dominating performance that was emblematic of his season. Briscoe drove to two more victories that year to take the ARCA championship by an impressive 535 points.
● This was crew chief’s Greg Zipadelli’s second career Xfinity Series win and his third victory at Pocono. Before Zipadelli won at Pocono in the NASCAR Cup Series with Tony Stewart in June 2003, he won at Pocono in 1985 with Brett Bodine. Zipadelli was 18 years old and the crew chief for his family-owned Sherwood Racing Team, which fielded a car for Bodine on the NASCAR Modified Tour. The event was the Sunoco Race of Champions, which was one of the more prestigious races on the Modified Tour schedule, and it was run on a .75-mile oval within Pocono’s 2.5-mile triangular layout.
● There were nine caution periods for a total of 39 laps.
● Twenty-one of the 36 drivers in the Pocono Green 225 finished on the lead lap.

Next Up:           

The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is the Indianapolis 150 at the Brickyard July 4 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

KEVIN HARVICK – 2020 Pocono II Race Report

Event: Pocono 350 (Round 15 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format: 140 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/55 laps/55 laps)
Start/Finish: 20th/2nd (Running, completed 140 of 140 laps)
Point Standing: 1st with 581 points, 52 ahead of second place

Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Kurt Busch of Chip Gannasi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-30):

●  Kevin Harvick started 20th and finished fourth, earning seven bonus points.
●  The No. 4 Busch Beer Head for the Mountains Ford Mustang was in the top-10 by lap 15 and in the top-five by lap 20.
●  Harvick said his car was loose.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 31-85):

●  Kevin Harvick started 18th and finished sixth, earning five bonus points.
●  The No. 4 Busch Beer Head for the Mountains Ford Mustang pitted on lap 34 while in fourth place for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment.
●  By lap 38, Harvick was back in the top-10.
●  Harvick was in second place for much of the second stage, but on lap 78 Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a air pressure adjustment.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 86-140):

●  Kevin Harvick started third and finished second.
●  The No. 4 Busch Beer Head for the Mountains Ford Mustang took the lead with 45 laps to go as leader Brad Keselowski pitted.
●  On lap 105, Harvick pitted for right-side tires and fuel. He was in the first position.
●  After pit stops cycled out, Harvick was in second-place behind Denny Hamlin and could not catch him before the checkered flag flew.

Notes:

●  Hamlin won the Pocono 350 to score his 41st career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his series-leading fourth of the season and his record-tying sixth at Pocono. His margin of victory over second-place Harvick was 3.068 seconds.
●  There were eight caution periods for a total of 31 laps.
●  Only 17 of the 40 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
●  Harvick remains the championship leader after Pocono with a 52-point advantage over second-place Ryan Blaney.
●  Harvick earned his eighth top-five and 12th top-10 of the season, and his 14th top-five and 20th top-10 in 40 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono.
●  This was Harvick’s second straight top-two and his third consecutive top-10. He finished 10th June 22 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and won yesterday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono.
●  Harvick has finished among the top-10 in 12 of the 15 races held this year. He has only one finish outside the top-15.
●  Harvick’s 20 top-10s at Pocono are tied with Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson for the most among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers.
●  Harvick’s 14 top-fives at Pocono are tied with Busch for the second most among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers.
●  Harvick’s second-place result marked the fifth time he has finished second at Pocono.
●  Harvick led twice for 11 laps to increase his laps-led total at Pocono to 277.
●  Harvick has now led 10,180 laps since joining SHR in 2014. He has led 14,606 laps in his entire NASCAR Cup Series career.

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer Head for the Mountains Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“I think for us our Head for the Mountains Busch Beer Ford was actually better than yesterday. We had a really good car. He (Denny Hamlin) just did the opposite of what we did. We didn’t want to get caught with a caution and then wind up losing a little bit too much time in lap traffic with all the cars that hadn’t pitted and he was out there running clean laps and waited until right to the very end and wound up in front of us. I’m proud of everybody on our team. Yesterday that won us the race and today finished second.”

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 on Sunday, July 5 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race starts at 4 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

ARIC ALMIROLA – 2020 Pocono II Race Report

Event: Pocono 350 (Round 15 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format: 140 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/55 laps/55 laps)
Start/Finish: 18th/5th(Running, completed 140 of 140 laps)
Point Standing: 9th (431 points, 150 out of first)

Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Kurt Busch of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-30):

●  Aric Almirola started 18th and finished 31st.
●  After a caution on lap 16, Almirola restarted 16th. When the green flag waved, he was stuck behind Joey Logano, who made contact with the grass, ultimately dropping him to 25th.
●  Crew chief Mike Bugarewicz radioed Almirola to the pits on lap 27 for two tires and fuel.
●  Almirola did not pit at the end of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 31-85):

●  Almirola started 12th and finished second to earn nine bonus points.
●  Almirola raced the No. 10 Ford to the top-10 on lap 36.
●  He pitted under caution on lap 47 for four tires, fuel and adjustments to restart in the rear.
●  Almirola was scored 12th before a caution on lap 76.
●  After a caution on lap 77, Almirola stayed out of the pits and took the lead on the restart.
●  He led four laps before another caution on lap 81.
●  Almirola lost the lead on the one-lap shootout and finished second.
●  He pitted at the end of the stage for four tires and fuel.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 86-140):

●  Almirola started 24th and finished fifth.
●  The No. 10 Smithfield Ford driver was scored second on lap 114 after making several passes and multiple cars in front of him pitting.
●  He pitted on lap 119 for fuel only.
●  When green-flag pit stops cycled through he was scored fifth and held off the No. 21 car to earn his fourth-straight top-five finish of the season.

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

“Another top-five. Man I’m so proud of ‘Buga’ and all the guys on this No. 10 team. Four top-fives in a row. What a weekend we had here in Pocono. Got a lot of stage points. We finished third yesterday and fifth today. We’re riding a wave of momentum and I’m just so happy and thankful for all of our partners like Smithfield, Ford, Mobil 1, Go Bowling, Roush Yates and everyone back at Stewart-Haas Racing. I know these guys have been working so many hours trying to keep up with the pace of all these races. We’ll go to Indy, a place that is very similar to the tunnel turn at Pocono, and felt like we were really good there this weekend. I’m excited about Indy.”

Notes:

●  Almirola earned his fourth top-five and seventh top-10 of the season, and his second top-five and fourth top-10 in 17 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono.
●  This was Almirola’s fourth straight top-five. He finished fifth June 14 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, third June 22 at Talladega and third in yesterday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono.
●  This was Almirola’s fourth straight top-12 at Pocono. He finished 12th in the series’ visit to the track last July – his only result outside the top-10 in his last four races at Pocono.
●  Since joining SHR in 2018, Almirola has finished outside the top-12 just once at Pocono.
●  Almirola finished second in Stage 2 to earn nine bonus points.
●  Almirola led once for four laps to increase his laps-led total at Pocono to 67.
● Denny Hamlin won the Pocono 350 to score his 41st career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his series-leading fourth of the season and his record-tying sixth at Pocono. His margin of victory over second-place Kevin Harvick was 3.068 seconds.
●  There were eight caution periods for a total of 31 laps.
●  Only 17 of the 40 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
●  Harvick remains the championship leader after Pocono with a 52-point advantage over second-place Ryan Blaney.

Next Up: 

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 on Sunday, July 5 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race starts at 4 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

COLE CUSTER – 2020 Pocono II Race Report

Event: Pocono 350 (Round 15 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format: 140 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/55 laps/55 laps)
Start/Finish: 5th/17th (Running, completed 140 of 140 laps)
Point Standing: 26th with 241 points, 340 out of first

Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Kurt Busch of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-30):             

● Cole Custer started fifth and finished 10th to earn one bonus point.
● Four laps into the race, Custer was running third in the HaasTooling.com Mustang when the race was halted due to rain.
● Once the event resumed, Custer battled in the top-10 with a loose-handling Mustang.
● The rookie driver ended the stage in 10th and visited pit road for fuel and four tires.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 31-86):

● Custer started in 20th and finished 15th.
● On the lap-39 caution, Custer reported that his Mustang was handling a little bit better. He didn’t pit and restarted 12th.
● Under caution once again on lap 46, Custer pitted from 11th for fuel and adjustments to help with his loose condition. Restarted 26th.
● On lap 57, the 22-year-old reported his Mustang was starting to get tight while running 18th.
● By lap 70, Custer was back in the top-15. He pitted under caution from 14th on lap 76 for fuel, four tires and adjustments. Restarted 18th.
● During the stage break, the HaasTooling.com driver stayed on the track.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 87-140):

● Custer started 11th, finished 17th.
● “It’s starting to come to me,” Custer radioed on lap 111 from eighth about his Ford Mustang.
● The rookie driver made a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 115 while running eighth for right-side tires and fuel. Rejoined the field in 25th.
● As the race continued green, Custer kept advancing his position on the track.
● Custer finished the race 17th in the HaasTooling.com Mustang.

Notes:

● Custer was the highest finishing NASCAR Cup Series rookie.
● Denny Hamlin won the Pocono 350 to score his 41st career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his series-leading fourth of the season and his record-tying sixth at Pocono. His margin of victory over second-place Kevin Harvick was 3.068 seconds.
● There were eight caution periods for a total of 31 laps.
● Only 17 of the 40 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Harvick remains the championship leader after Pocono with a 52-point advantage over second-place Ryan Blaney.

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

“Thank you so much, guys. We got the car a lot better today. We definitely made gains and got the car better during the race. Well go get them next week.”

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 on Sunday, July 5 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race starts at 4 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

CLINT BOWYER – 2020 Pocono II Race Report

Event: Pocono 350 (Round 15 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format: 140 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/55 laps/55 laps)
Start/Finish: 14th/8th (Running, completed 140 of 140 laps)
Point Standing: 13th with 387 points, 194 out of first

Race Winner:      Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner:  Kurt Busch of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner:  Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-30):

● Clint Bowyer started 14th and finished 31st.
● Rain stopped the action on lap three for about 50 minutes.
● When racing resumed Bowyer ran in 15th-place and told his crew his car was loose.
●.With no chance to earn bonus points, the No. 14 Mobil 1 Ford pitted for four tires and fuel with just three laps left in the stage.
● Bowyer stayed on track during the stage break and moved from 31st to 15th when several leaders pitted.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 31-86):

● Bowyer started 15th and finished 12th.
● Bowyer continued to struggle with a loose Mobil 1 Ford Mustang, dropping to 19th in the stage’s opening laps.
● He avoided a spinning Christopher Bell on lap 39 and Chris Buescher on lap 44 in separate incidents.
● Bowyer remained on the track during both cautions and moved to ninth with 17 laps left in the stage.
● Kyle Busch’s crash with 10 laps left in the stage brought out the caution. Bowyer pitted for tires, fuel and more adjustments.
● Bowyer restarted the race in 14th with six laps left in the stage.
● He stayed on the track during the stage break and moved up to eighth..

Final Stage Recap (Laps 87-140):

● Bowyer started eighth and finished eighth.
● Bowyer climbed to fourth before pitting under green for right-side tires with 34 laps remaining.
● The No. 14 fell to 24th after the stop but turned his fastest lap of the race with 27 to go.
● Bowyer was 17th with 25 laps remaining and 10th with 12 to go.
● He and Alex Bowman battled fender-to-fender coming to the checkered flag with Bowyer claiming eighth.

Notes:

● Bowyer earned his fifth top-10 of the season and his 13th top-10 in 30 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono.
● Bowyer has finished on the lead lap in 25 consecutive Cup races at Pocono. The last time he failed to finish on the lead lap was June 8, 2008.
● This was Bowyer’s fifth straight top-11 at Pocono. He finished 11th in the series’ visit to the track last July – his only result outside the top-10 in his last four races at Pocono.
● Since joining SHR in 2017, Bowyer has not finished outside the top-20 at Pocono.
● Bowyer finished seventh in Saturday’s 325-mile race at Pocono.
● Denny Hamlin won the Pocono 350 to score his 41st career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his series-leading fourth of the season and his record-tying sixth at Pocono. His margin of victory over second-place Kevin Harvick was 3.068 seconds.
● There were eight caution periods for a total of 31 laps.
● Only 17 of the 40 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Harvick remains the championship leader after Pocono with a 52-point advantage over second-place Ryan Blaney.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“That was a tough race. We were just so loose today. By ourselves we were good and could turn in a good lap, but in traffic we struggled.”

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 on Sunday, July 5 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race starts at 4 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

KEVIN HARVICK – 2020 Pocono I Race Report

Event: Pocono Organics 325 (Round 14 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format: 130 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/52 laps/53 laps)
Start/Finish: 9th/1st (Running, completed 130 of 130 laps)
Point Standing: 1st with 534 points, 29 ahead of second place

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-25):

●  Kevin Harvick started ninth and finished 34th.
●  The No. 4 Busch Beer Head for the Mountains Ford Mustang was a bit too loose early on.
●  Harvick pitted under caution on lap 14 for right side tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. Was in 15th place.
●  On lap 23, Harvick pitted for fuel only.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 25-77):

●  Kevin Harvick started 15th and finished seventh, earning four bonus points.
●  The No. 4 Busch Beer Head for the Mountains Ford Mustang was fourth when the caution came out on lap 66. He pitted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. He restarted 12th.
●  At the end of the stage, Harvick commented that his car was much better.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 78-130):

●  Kevin Harvick started sixth and finished first.
●  The No. 4 Busch Beer Head for the Mountains Ford Mustang on the restart moved from sixth to second on lap 82.
●  On lap 94, Harvick pitted for right side tires and fuel. He was second.
●  He led the final 17 after pit stops had cycled through, and despite a late challenge from Denny Hamlin who closed within a second, he scored his first ever win at Pocono.

Notes:

●  This was Harvick’s 52nd career NASCAR Cup Series win. He is 12th on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series win list, two victories behind NASCAR Hall of Famer Lee Petty.
●  This was Harvick’s 29th NASCAR Cup Series victory since joining SHR in 2014.
●  With today’s victory, Harvick has won at all but two tracks on the current NASCAR Cup Series schedule – Kentucky Speedway in Sparta and the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval.
●  Harvick earned his third victory of the season and his first victory in 39 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono.
●  Harvick’s margin of victory over second-place Denny Hamlin was .761 of a second.
●  This was Harvick’s second straight top-10. He finished 10th in the series’ last race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
●  Harvick has finished among the top-10 in 11 of the 14 races held this year. He has only one finish outside the top-15.
● Since joining SHR in 2014, Harvick has finished inside the top-four at Pocono eight times – including a five-race stretch from July 2016 to July 2018.
●  In the past 21 races at Pocono, Harvick has finished in the top-10 14 times.
●  Harvick finished seventh in Stage 2 to earn four bonus points.
●  Harvick led once for 17 laps to increase his laps-led total at Pocono to 266.
●  Harvick has now led 10,169 laps since joining SHR in 2014. He has led 14,595 laps in his entire NASCAR Cup Series career.
●  This was Ford’s series-leading eighth NASCAR Cup Series win of the season and its 694th all-time Cup Series victory.
●  This was Ford’s 24th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono and first since Ryan Blaney won in June 2017.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer Head for the Mountains Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“I just have to thank everyone on this Busch Beer Head for the Mountains Ford Mustang. We weren’t where we needed to be to start the race and lost a bunch of track position but we came back and made some great strategy calls to get in clean air and get out front and make some good laps. It is great to finally check Pocono off the list. Everybody at Stewart-Haas racing has done such a great job with all our cars over the last several years. I guess it takes special paint schemes to get to victory lane. I want to say hi to my family. I know Keelan (son) raced all day and Delana (wife) and Piper (daughter) and everybody at home. I am really proud of everybody and I am just glad it didn’t rain all day. I’ve got to thank everybody from Mobil 1, Hunt Brothers Pizza, Jimmy Johns, Fields, everybody from Haas that puts this car on the racetrack. I wish I could explain to everybody how hard the guys and gals are working in the shop right now with this schedule and everybody broke up. We appreciate all you guys. Thank you to all the fans. I wish you were here. This isn’t near as exciting. I feel like I am my seven year old. I have all this pent up energy and am going to just share with anybody.”

On lap 95, you came down pit road with a quick two-tire pit shop. When do you know when it has worked out?

“I knew when we came out of the pits and they told me how big of a lead we had. I saw the 11 (Denny Hamlin) come out of the pits and he was in second. I knew that the tire gap was going to be a little less. He caught us a little in traffic but I knew I could be pretty patient with the gap we had. As I started to see everything cycle out and see with the track position we had with the fresher tires you could kind of start to put it together in your mind as we started to run through the last stage and cars started to have to pit. Just a great call by Rodney Childers and all the guys up on the pit box for having the right strategy and getting us to victory lane.”

Was it still managing that distance or lap traffic or what closed the gap?

“I just caught a couple of lap cars in the wrong spots going in the corner and messed up my entry and lost some of my momentum down the straightaway and you lose a second there and then you do that two laps in a row and there goes the lead. It definitely got closer than it needed to.”

What do you do for tomorrow?

“I think we can make our car quite a bit better. We kind of crutched it today to get the problems that we had. I think there are a lot of problems we can fix on it and make it better. Hopefully we can do that. Sometimes it goes the opposite way and you think you can make it better and it slows down. We will find out when they drop the green flag tomorrow.”

Next Up:

The second event of the NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader at Pocono is the Pocono 350 on Sunday, June 28. The race starts at 4 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.