Month: November 2020

Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish: 20th/7th (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
Point Standing: 15th with 2,211 points

Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

● Aric Almirola started 20th and finished 29th.
● Almirola was involved in an incident with teammate Clint Bowyer on lap 74, bringing out the caution.
● He restarted fourth and was contacted in the rear and lost several positions.
● Almirola pitted on lap 115 under caution to repair damage.
● He restarted 30th and raced at the tail of the field before the stage ended.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

● Almirola started fifth and finished 11th.
● Almirola ran in and around the top-five until a lap-187 caution.
● He pitted the Smithfield Ford for four tires, fuel and came off pit road in 12th.
● Almirola did not pit during a lap-212 caution and restarted seventh.
● He fell back to 11th on older tires and pitted at the end of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500):

● Almirola started ninth and finished seventh.
● Almirola ran in and around the top-10 at the beginning of the stage.
● The No. 10 Ford driver pitted on lap 353 for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments to come off pit road in eighth.
● Almirola pitted on lap 403 for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments to restart seventh.
● The No. 10 Smithfield driver pitted under caution on lap 441 for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments. He came off pit road 10th.
● Almirola’s balance improved as the race wore on and he gained multiple positions before the checkered flag waved.

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

“Good run for this Smithfield Ford team at Martinsville. We had a good car on the long run today. It feels good to have a decent run with one race left on the year. Hoping to have another solid run next weekend in Phoenix.”

Notes:

● Almirola earned his 18th top-10 of the season and his fifth top-10 in 24 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville.
● Almirola’s 18 top-10s surpassed his own mark for the most top-10s in a single season. He scored 17 top-10s in 2018. His six top-fives this year are also the most he has had in a single season.
● Chase Elliott won the Xfinity 500 to score his 10th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin of victory over second-place Ryan Blaney was 6.577 seconds.
● There were 12 caution periods for a total of 83 laps.
● Only 17 of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

Next Up: 

The NASCAR Cup Series season finale is Sunday, Nov. 8 at Phoenix Raceway. The championship race starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish: 6th/17th (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
Point Standing: (5th with 4,157 points, Eliminated from Round of 8)

Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

● Harvick started sixth and finished 14th.
● Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang, pitted on lap 62 for four tires, fuel and a chassis and tire pressure adjustment, saying the car was a bit too free.
● On lap 107, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Said car was not taking off well.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

● Harvick started 25th and finished 31st.
● Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang, said the car lacks rear grip and won’t turn. Pitted on lap 136 for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Crew also removed rubber from the right rear spring.
● On lap 180, Harvick made contact with the 42 car driven by Matt Kenseth and his left rear tire was cut down. He had to pit for left side tires and fuel and ended up 32nd and two laps down.
● A caution came out three laps later and Harvick was able to take the wave around so he was only one lap down and in 31st.
● He pitted on lap 219 for right side tires and fuel, but did not get his lap back due to Timmy Hill being in the lucky dog spot. He was 31st, one lap down.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500):

● Harvick started 30th and finished 17th.
● Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang, pitted on lap 265 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment.
● On lap 355, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. The car was not handling well and he was 24th, one lap down.
● On lap 406, Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel and the crew worked on the front bumper. When the caution came out, Harvick got his lap back and restarted 21st.
● Harvick pitted on lap 443 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. He was 16th.
● Harvick was one point out of the Championship 4 Round and made a desperation move to try and pass the car driven by Kyle Busch in the last corner. Busch’s car spun, but Harvick’s also spun into the SAFER Barrier on the inside retaining wall and he finished 17th.

Notes:

●  Chase Elliott won the Xfinity 500 to score his 10th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin of victory over second-place Ryan Blaney was 6.577 seconds.
●  There were 12 caution periods for a total of 83 laps.
●  Only 17 of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
●  This was only the sixth time this season Harvick has finished outside the top-15. His nine wins, 20 top-fives, 26 top-10s and 1,531 laps led are all series-bests in 2020.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Yeah, we just weren’t good and everybody on our Mobil 1 Ford just kept battling to make it better and gave ourselves a shot there at the end. I tried to drive into the door of the 18 (Kyle Busch) to get that last point to make it and spun him out.  I don’t usually drive like that, but you’re trying to make it to the Championship 4 and doing everything you can. Just came up short. Just not the night we needed.”                                                                                 

Championship 4 Drivers:

1.      Chase Elliott (5,000 points)
2.      Joey Logano (5,000 points)
3.      Denny Hamlin (5,000 points)
4.      Brad Keselowski (5,000 points)

Failed to Advance to Championship 4:

5.      Kevin Harvick (4,157 points) -8 points
6.      Alex Bowman (4,137 points) -28 points
7.      Martin Truex Jr. (4,113 points) -52 points
8.      Kurt Busch (4,079 points) -86 points

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series season finale is Sunday, Nov. 8 at Phoenix Raceway. The championship race starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish: 15th/13th (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
Point Standing: 16th with 2,193 points

Race Winner:      Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner:  Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner:  Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):             

● Cole Custer started 15th and finished 24th.
● On lap 26, Custer reported his Mustang needed help on the long run while running 16th.
● During the lap-60 competition caution, Custer pitted from 18th for service and restarted 12th in the HaasTooling.com Mustang.
● Throughout the lap-73 and lap-103 cautions, Custer stayed on the racing surface and restarted from fourth on lap 110.
● The caution was displayed again on lap 114 with Custer in the 10th spot after fresher tires prevailed on competitor’s cars. He pitted and restarted 23rd with 10 laps remaining in the stage.
● Custer didn’t pit during the stage break in order to keep track position and manage tires.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

● Custer started third and finished 14th.
● While in the fifth position under caution on lap 146, Custer reported his Mustang was loose in and tight center. He didn’t pit and was in the eighth position on lap 170.
● On lap 185, under caution, Custer relayed his Mustang was okay. He pitted from 11th and restarted eighth.
● Custer remained in the top-10 when the caution was displayed on lap 215 and he pitted for service. After varying pit strategies, Custer restarted 21st.
● On lap 240, the California native was in the 13th spot and finished the stage in 14th.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500):

● Custer started 12th, finished 13th.
● Custer remained in the top-15 during the green-flag run until the caution was displayed on lap 351. Custer reported his Mustang was tight in the center.
● Under caution on lap 400 Custer reported his center remained tight while in the 16th spot. He restarted 15th.
● Another caution was displayed on lap 441 and Custer pitted from 15th for four tires and to add tape to the grille. He restarted 15th.
● In the closing laps, Custer worked his way up to the 13th position and took the checkered flag.

Notes:

● Custer was the highest finishing NASCAR Cup Series rookie.
● Custer earned his 14th top-15 of the season and his first top-15 in his second career NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville.
● This was Custer’s fourth straight top-15. He finished ninth on Oct. 11 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval, 14th on Oct. 18 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City and 14th in the series’ previous race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
● Chase Elliott won the Xfinity 500 to score his 10th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin of victory over second-place Ryan Blaney was 6.577 seconds.
● There were 12 caution periods for a total of 83 laps.
● Only 17 of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

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

“We were night and day better from the last time we were here at Martinsville. It was definitely a huge improvement and gives us something to build on for the next time we come back here. The guys kept adjusting on the HaasTooling.com Mustang all day.”

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series season finale is Sunday, Nov. 8 at Phoenix Raceway. The championship race starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish: 16th/8th (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
Point Standing:12th with 2,228 points

Race Winner:      Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner:  Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner:  Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

● Clint Bowyer started 16th and finished 13th.
● The No. 14 Clint Bowyer Tribute Ford Mustang climbed to 13th by the lap-60 competition caution.
● Bowyer spun on lap 73 after contact with Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Aric Almirola.
● The No. 14 pitted twice during the caution and restarted 29th.
● Bowyer continued to show speed and raced in fifth on lap 108 after staying on the track during a caution.
● Bowyer made contact with the wall in the closing laps of the stage before finishing 13th.
● The No. 14 crew spent extra time making repairs during the stage break.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

● Bowyer started 31st and finished 12th.
● The No. 14 Clint Bowyer Tribute Ford Mustang slowly worked his way back to the top breaking into the top 10 on lap 200.
● Bowyer made a late pit stop in the stage and drove back to 12th.
● During the stage break, Bowyer pitted for four tires and handling adjustments to help his car on the longer runs.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500):

● Bowyer started 12th and finished eighth.
● The No. 14 Clint Bowyer Tribute Ford Mustang raced around the top-10 for most of the stage.
● Bowyer restarted the race in sixth with 97 laps remaining. He was also on his final set of new tires.
● Bowyer claimed fifth with 87 laps to go with reminders on the radio to be gentle with his tires.
● Bowyer moved to fourth with 80 laps to go and held fifth when the caution came out with 60 to go.
● The No. 14 pitted during the caution and resumed the race in ninth with 51 to go.
● Bowyer held his position in the final laps on the older tires and finished eighth.

Notes:

● Bowyer earned his 12th top-10 of the season and his 17th top-10 in 30 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville.
● This was Bowyer’s second straight top-20 at Martinsville. He finished 17th in the series’ previous visit to the track in June.
● Chase Elliott won the Xfinity 500 to score his 10th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin of victory over second-place Ryan Blaney was 6.577 seconds.
● There were 12 caution periods for a total of 83 laps. Only 17 of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

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

“Early on we had about a 20-lap car today. You had to pass everyone in the first 20 laps or you weren’t going to pass them. We worked hard and got it rolling there at the end. It’s always fun to race here. This is one of the tracks I’m going to miss.”

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series season finale is Sunday, Nov. 8 at Phoenix Raceway. The championship race starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.