Month: July 2021

SHR Post-Race Report: New Hampshire

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Foxwoods Resort Casino 301
Aric Almirola WINS!

Date: July 18, 2021
Event: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (Round 22 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (1.058-mile oval)
Format: 301 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/110 laps/116 laps)
Note: Race reduced eight laps short of its scheduled 301-lap distance due to darkness.

Race Winner: Aric Almirola of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

SHR Race Finish:
● Aric Almirola (Started 22nd, Finished 1st / Running, completed 293 of 293 laps)
● Kevin Harvick (Started 12th, Finished 6th / Running, completed 293 of 293 laps)
● Cole Custer (Started 21st, Finished 14th / Running, completed 293 of 293 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 19th, Finished 27th / Running, completed 291 of 293 laps)

SHR Points:
● Kevin Harvick (10th with 673 points, 201 out of first)
● Aric Almirola (23rd with 377 points, 497 out of first)
● Chase Briscoe (24th with 377 points, 497 out of first)
● Cole Custer (28th with 337 points, 537 out of first)

Victory Notes:
● Almirola’s victory in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 marked the 92nd overall win for SHR. It was the organization’s 66th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series victory, its first of the season and its sixth at New Hampshire.
● SHR won its first race at New Hampshire in July 2011 with former driver Ryan Newman. Its second win came with team co-owner Tony Stewart in September 2011. The other three wins came with Harvick in September 2016, July 2018 and July 2019.
● This was SHR’s milestone 30th NASCAR Cup Series victory with Ford. The team won its first race with Ford in the 2017 Daytona 500 with former SHR driver Kurt Busch.
● This was Ford’s 709th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its fifth this season.
● This was Ford’s 17th NASCAR Cup Series victory at New Hampshire. The manufacturer won its first race at New Hampshire on July 10, 1994 with Ricky Rudd.
● This was Ford’s fourth straight win at New Hampshire and SHR is responsible for three of them. (Harvick won in July 2018 and July 2019.)

Race Notes:
● Almirola’s margin over second-place Christopher Bell was .697 of a second.
● There were six caution periods for a total of 47 laps.
● Only 15 of the 37 drivers in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 finished on the lead lap.
● Denny Hamlin remains the championship leader after New Hampshire with a 13-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Next Up:
The NASCAR Cup Series goes on a two-week summer break as broadcast partner NBC covers the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. It returns to action on Aug. 8 with the Go Bowling at The Glen road-course race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. It starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-SHR-

Riley Herbst New Hampshire NXS Race Report

Herbst Finishes 10th at New Hampshire
Monster Energy Driver Rebounds from Early Spin for Sixth Top-10 of Season
Date: July 17, 2021
Event: Ambetter Get Vaccinated 200 (Round 19 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (1.058-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish: 12th / 10th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Point Standing: 13th (418 points, 379 out of first)

Race Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Overview:
Riley Herbst and the No. 98 Monster Energy team rebounded from an early spin to earn a 10th-place finish in Saturday’s Ambetter Get Vaccinated 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. Herbst started the 200-lap race 12th and moved up to 11th in the first lap. He held that position for the opening 20 laps until the competition caution. When the green flag waved again on lap 26, the Monster Energy Ford Mustang spun out of line after contact from the rear sent him into the car in front of him. The No. 98 team brought Herbst down pit road twice during that caution for four fresh tires, and then again to fix the damage on the front of his Mustang. He was able to stay on the lead lap and restarted 36th on lap 31 and was a man on a mission. Herbst was able to work his way up to 24th by the end of Stage 1. With some help from his Monster Energy pit crew, Herbst gained five spots on pit road and restarted 19th for the second stage. He continued his march forward and finished Stage 2 in 14th. One more trip down pit road for four tires, fuel, and an air-pressure adjustment gained Herbst another three spots to put him back where he was running before the lap-26 incident. In the final stage, Herbst struggled with the balance of his Ford Mustang as it started the run loose, but then grew tight before getting loose again as more laps were put on the tires. A lap-149 caution brought an opportunity for Herbst to fix the handling on his racecar and for the team to gain another four positions on pit road. Herbst restarted ninth with 45 laps to go. After briefly slipping out of the top-10 on the restart, Herbst climbed back to 10th by lap 170. He held that position until the end of the race to earn his sixth top-10 of the 2021 season.

Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“I feel like we should’ve run in the top-five, for sure. We had really, really good speed before the competition caution and then, obviously, we got wrecked on that restart. I guess I’m happy with the way we battled back, but it’s just frustrating. I feel like it’s our whole season – so fast and get wrecked, make a mistake, or something. We’ll take two weeks off and try to get one at The Glen.”

Notes:
● Christopher Bell won the Ambetter Get Vaccinated 200 to earn his 17th career victory, his first of the season and his third at New Hampshire. His margin over second-place Justin Allgaier was 6.241 seconds.
● There were five caution periods for a total of 28 laps.
● Seventeen of the 40 drivers in the Ambetter Get Vaccinated 200 finished on the lead lap.
● Austin Cindric remains the championship leader after New Hampshire with an 82-point advantage over second-place A.J. Allmendinger.

Next Up:
The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is on Saturday, Aug. 7, at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The race starts at 4 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by CNBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-SHR-

“In the Know” New Hampshire

“In the Know”
New Hampshire Motor Speedway

The Details

● Event: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (Round 22 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 18
● Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon
● Layout: 1.058-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 301 laps / 318.46 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 75 laps / Stage 2: 110 laps / Final Stage: 116 laps
● TV/Radio: NBCSN / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

What Our Drivers are Saying:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang

Phoenix Raceway is your best track, statistically, but New Hampshire isn’t far off from your results at Phoenix. Four career wins and eight top-fives in the last 10 races is proof of that. Are there similarities between Phoenix and New Hampshire?
“Flat tracks have always been really good for me in my career. When you look at SHR and the things we’ve been able to accomplish at Loudon and Phoenix, they’ve kind of followed that same trend. A lot of that goes back to that open test time we had at Milwaukee and Nashville. Those are the places where we would practice and practice and practice. Our guys have done a great job of having a good short-track, flat-track program, and Loudon is a place that has followed along with Phoenix and the success that we’ve had there and to be able to capitalize on that success and continue it at another track.”

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

Are you looking forward to getting to another track that fits the No. 10 team’s strengths this season?
“I have had New Hampshire circled on the calendar for a while now. It’s somewhere that I have had a lot of success at since joining SHR. We were even in position to win there my first year with the team. This package has been our strong suit this year, as we saw at Nashville, Richmond and Phoenix, which gives us even more confidence and excitement heading there this weekend.”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

It’s been almost two years since your last visit to New Hampshire. How do you feel about Sunday’s race?
“It honestly just feels like I haven’t really raced there before. I’ve only been to New Hampshire once in trucks and once in Xfinity. Neither went great and I just don’t have a lot of laps there. I’m interested to see how this weekend goes. I feel like a lot of the tracks this year that I haven’t enjoyed in the past, like Phoenix, I’ve seemed to like more in the Cup car. I think it’s probably because we have more horsepower, and you can slip and slide around a lot more and manage it. So, I’m excited to get to New Hampshire this week. I don’t really know what I need in the car since I don’t have a lot of track time there, but we’ve got 301 laps to figure it out.”

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

New Hampshire has treated you well over the years. A win in the Truck Series, a win in the K&N Series, a few top-10s in the Xfinity Series, and an eighth-place finish last year in your rookie Cup Series season. Is this a chance for the No. 41 team to build some momentum?
“I think so. Last year when we were heading into that race, I knew I’d have to take some time and figure out how the Cup car raced there. We came out with a top-10 and that’s definitely helpful as we prepare for this weekend. We have something we can go back and look at to find a good starting place for our setup and try to have a plan for what we know we’ll need to build on as the race goes on. You always hope you’ll come out of every race with good momentum, but this weekend is as good a place as any for us to really show the work that’s being put in.”

SHR Stats

Kevin Harvick is the only active driver to have four wins at New Hampshire – tying retired driver Jeff Burton for the most all-time. He follows that with 13 top-five finishes. In the 11 races at New Hampshire since joining SHR in 2014, Harvick has three wins and only three finishes outside the top-five. Outside of the Cup Series, Harvick has a win in the Xfinity Series, as well as nine top-fives and 11 top-tens.

In 18 starts at New Hampshire, Aric Almirola has four top-10 finishes and two top-fives with 56 laps led. Chase Briscoe’s last race at New Hampshire was the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series event in which he started fifth and finished sixth. He also has one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at the 1.058-mile oval, which resulted in an 11th-place finish.

Sunday’s 301-lap race will be Custer’s 61st Cup Series start and his second on the flat, 1.058-mile oval. He started 14th and finished eighth there last August for his second top-10 in a row, his fourth in a five-race stretch that included a victory three weeks prior at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, and the fifth top-10 finish of his Rookie of the Year campaign.

Of Special Interest

Be sure to check out our merch hauler at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend! If you can’t attend in person, you can always shop anytime at store.stewarthaasracing.com

SHR Post-Race Report: Atlanta

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Atlanta 400

Date: July 11, 2021
Event: Atlanta 400 (Round 21 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval)
Format: 260 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/100 laps)

Race Winner: Kurt Busch of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Kurt Busch of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

SHR Race Finish:
● Kevin Harvick (Started 21st, Finished 11th / Running, completed 260 of 260 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 11th, Finished 15th / Running, completed 260 of 260 laps)
● Cole Custer (Started 23rd, Finished 17th / Running, completed 260 of 260 laps)
● Aric Almirola (Started 20th, Finished 23rd / Running, completed 258 of 260 laps)

SHR Points:
● Kevin Harvick (9th with 626 points, 210 out of first)
● Chase Briscoe (23rd with 367 points, 469 out of first)
● Aric Almirola (27th with 331 points, 505 out of first)
● Cole Custer (28th with 314 points, 522 out of first)

SHR Notes:
● Harvick has finished 11th or better in his last eight NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta.
● Harvick finished 10th in Stage 1 to earn one bonus point.
● Briscoe earned his fifth top-15 of the season and it came in his second career NASCAR Cup Series start at Atlanta.
● Briscoe was the highest finishing NASCAR Cup Series rookie for the 17th time this season.
● Custer’s 17th-place result bettered his previous best finish at Atlanta – 18th, earned in the series’ prior visit to the track in March.
● Almirola led once for eight laps, increasing his laps led total at Atlanta to 44.

Race Notes:
● Kurt Busch won the Atlanta 400 to score his 33rd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his series-leading fourth at Atlanta. His margin over second-place Kyle Busch was 1.237 seconds.
● There were four caution periods for a total of 21 laps.
● Only 18 of the 37 drivers in the Atlanta 400 finished on the lead lap.
● Denny Hamlin remains the championship leader after Atlanta with a 10-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Atlanta Quotes

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“It was just a rough day at Atlanta. The balance was off on our Smithfield Ford Mustang for most of the race. We were hoping the rain would work out in our favor there in the second stage, but ultimately, we had to come to pit road in the end. We’ll move on to New Hampshire.”

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 One Cure Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“I felt like our One Cure Ford Mustang was a little better than where we finished, but we worked on it all day, and it definitely was better toward the end. It wasn’t one of our best tracks, but we improved and came out better than we were, and I’m proud of the team for sticking with it. We may have some work to do at New Hampshire, but I’ll be ready for the road courses when we come back from the break in a few weeks.”

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 Code 3 Associates Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“Our Code 3 Associates Mustang was pretty solid on the long runs all day long. We just couldn’t fire off well on the restarts, and that loss of track position was just tough to make up, even with our long-run speed. Let’s go to the flat, mile oval at New Hampshire and see if we can get our best finish of the year.”

Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 on Sunday, July 18 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-SHR-

Riley Herbst Atlanta NXS Race Report

Riley Herbst Finishes 19th at Atlanta
Monster Energy Ford Driver Battles Loose-Handling Racecar

Date: July 10, 2021
Event: Credit Karma Money 250 (Round 18 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval)
Format: 163 laps, broken into three stages (40 laps/40 laps/83 laps)
Start/Finish: 10th / 19th (Running, completed 164 of 164 laps)
Point Standing: 13th (391 points, 357 out of first)
Note: Race extended one lap past its scheduled 163-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Race Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Overview:
Herbst and the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford team endured a day of frustrations as they finished 19th in Saturday’s Credit Karma Money 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Las Vegas native rolled off 10th when the green flag waved on the 1.54-mile oval in Hampton, Georgia. A loose-handling racecar caused Herbst’s Ford Mustang to fall back in the field during the first stage. After restarting 12th on lap 25, Herbst reported that he might have had a throttle issue. The team opted to keep the Monster Energy driver out until the Stage 1 break, when a longer pit stop for four tires, fuel, a wedge adjustment, and to check the engine put him one lap down. When the second stage went green, Herbst used the car’s adjustments to his advantage and quickly raced his way into the Lucky Dog position just before a lap-50 caution enabled him to get back on the lead lap. By the time the race got back underway on lap 56, the 22-year-old driver wasted no time in his march through the field after restarting 35th. He broke into the top-20 by lap 76 and ended the second stage in that position. With a little help from his Monster Energy pit crew, Herbst was able to gain eight spots on pit road during the break to restart the final stage 12th. When the race went green on lap 87, Herbst was fighting for a spot in the top-12 while his racecar developed a loose condition as the stage progressed. When the caution flag waved on lap 146, the team called its driver to pit road for fuel, four scuffed tires, and a slight wedge adjustment. Unfortunately, a speeding penalty sent Herbst to the end of the longest line. A flurry of late-race cautions hindered the team’s forward progress, and it ultimately had to settle for its 11th top-20 finish of the season.

Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“That definitely wasn’t the day we were hoping for in Atlanta. Our Monster Energy Ford Mustang was loose for most of the race, and I just needed help with the balance. That caution with 17 laps to go hit us at the wrong time, and then we just made a mistake. I wish I could’ve gotten a better finish for my team. We’ll move on to New Hampshire.”

Notes:
● Kyle Busch won the Credit Karma Money 250 to earn his 102nd career victory, his fifth of the season and his third at Atlanta. His margin over second-place Jeb Burton was .550 of a second.
● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 43 laps.
● Thirty of the 40 drivers in the Credit Karma Money 250 finished on the lead lap.
● Austin Cindric remains the championship leader after Atlanta with a 74-point advantage over second-place A.J. Allmendinger.

Next Up:
The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is the Ambetter Get Vaccinated 200 on Saturday, July 17 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-SHR-

“In the Know” Atlanta

“In the Know”
Atlanta Motor Speedway

As we approach the second Atlanta race of the season, this will mark the first time the NASCAR Cup Series has held two races at the facility since 2010. Atlanta is known for its’ abrasive surface that forces the drivers and teams to really focus on tire management. It’s last repave was in 1997, but just this week, Atlanta Motor Speedway announced a complete refiguration to include increasing the current 24-degree banking to 28-degrees, and an overall decrease in width from 55 feet to 40 feet. The new widths will be 52 feet on the front stretch, 42 feet on the back stretch and 40 feet in the turns. Construction will be begin after the July 11 race, with the new track making its’ debut in conjunction with NASCAR’s Next Gen car in 2022.

The Details

● Event: Atlanta 400 (Round 21 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 11
● Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway
● Layout: 1.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 260 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stages 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 80 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: NBCSN / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

What Our Drivers are Saying:

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

We saw improvement in the 1.5-mile program when you won the All-Star Open at Texas. Do you think that will translate to Atlanta?
“We did find some solid speed at Texas and it was great to see improvement there after the year we have had. I hope a few things transfer over to Atlanta, but it’s such a worn-out track that you’re mostly managing tire fall-off. We had a lot of bad luck at the beginning of the season at tracks like Homestead and Vegas, so we didn’t get a chance to build a lot of notes there. I think we’re back on the right track and head to Atlanta with the most confidence we’ve had all year.”

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Summer Road Trip Ford Mustang

Your track record at Atlanta is incredibly strong. Performing well at Atlanta means managing your tires and taking care of your racecar. How do you do that when you’re still trying to outrun 39 other drivers?
“Atlanta has one of the most unique track surfaces. There are things about Atlanta that you manipulate your car with, and a lot of that has to do with rhythm. There are a lot of bumps, and a lot of things that go with the bumps are the brake pedal and the gas pedal, and all of those things combine to make a good lap at Atlanta. It’s just a fun racetrack to drive and we’ve been fortunate to have success really every year that we’ve gone there since I’ve been at Stewart-Haas Racing. It’s just a good racetrack for us. I feel like we should’ve won every race that we’ve raced at Atlanta, but we haven’t one way or another, but we’ve been fortunate to win a couple.”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 One Cure Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

For the first time this season, you get to return to a track that you’ve already raced at in the Cup Series. What does that do for your confidence?
“I’m pretty excited. We weren’t exactly our best earlier this year at Atlanta. That was probably one of our worst tracks this year. But it’ll be nice to go and know the feel I need the car to have and to know what to expect when I go into turn one on lap one of the race. Having decent track position to start will also help, so I’m definitely looking forward to having another shot at it. It’s another one of my favorite tracks and I think we’ll be able to have a chance to come out with a good finish.”

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 Code 3 Associates Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

You had a pretty good track record at Atlanta when you were full-time in the Xfinity Series. What do you like about the track?
“It has definitely been a pretty good track to me in the past. I think all of the worn-out racetracks have been good for me and are so fun to race. Being able to manage tire fall-off, and slipping and sliding around, and being able to do a lot of different things with the car. I’m looking forward to going back again. We’ve continued to learn a lot about the 550 horsepower package since we’ve started, so I think we can definitely capable of going there and having a strong run. Hopefully this is the week we can put it all together and have a strong run, compete for a top-10 and have a good finish. I think we’ve put a lot of work into it. We’ll see what happens this weekend.”

SHR Stats

This will mark Almirola’s 12th NASCAR Cup Series start at the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway oval. Almirola has two top-10 finishes, four top-15s in his previous 11 Atlanta starts, and he qualified on the pole and led 36 laps in 2019. He also has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts there with a best finish of eighth, and three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts with a best finish of third.

Kevin Harvick has finished among the top-10 in 14 of his last 17 starts at Atlanta, a run that began with a seventh-place drive in March 2008. Harvick has three NASCAR Cup Series wins at Atlanta. His first at the track was the first of his career, and it came a little over 20 years ago on March 11, 2001. He has a series leading nine top-fives, the most top-10s, and has led a series-high 1,348 laps at Atlanta.

Chase Briscoe has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Atlanta with a best finish of ninth in 2020. The native of Mitchell, Indiana, also made a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at the track in 2017, starting fourth and finishing 25th.

Sunday’s 400-mile race will be Cole Custer’s milestone 60th Cup Series start and his third at Atlanta. In his first Cup Series start there in June 2020, Custer posted a 19th-place finish. In three Atlanta starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Custer’s best was his most recent, when he qualified his No. 00 SHR Ford on the pole and finished second by .191 of a second to Christopher Bell in the February 2019 race. Custer finished 10th in his Atlanta Xfinity Series debut in 2017.

Of Special Interest

Be sure to check out our merch hauler at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend! If you can’t attend in person, you can shop anytime at store.stewarthaasracing.com

SHR Post-Race Report: Road America

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Jockey Made in America 250
Date: July 4, 2021
Event: Inaugural Jockey Made in America 250 (Round 20 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (4.048-mile, 14-turn road course)
Format: 62 laps, broken into three stages (14 laps/15 laps/33 laps)

Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Tyler Reddick of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

SHR Race Finish:
● Chase Briscoe (Started 35th, Finished 6th / Running, completed 62 of 62)
● Aric Almirola (Started 19th, Finished 14th / Running, completed 62 of 62 laps)
● Cole Custer (Started 15th, Finished 17th / Running, completed 62 of 62 laps)
● Kevin Harvick (Started 25th, Finished 27th / Running, completed 62 of 62 laps)

SHR Points:
● Kevin Harvick (9th with 599 points, 199 out of first)
● Chase Briscoe (23rd with 345 points, 453 out of first)
● Aric Almirola (27th with 317 points, 481 out of first)
● Cole Custer (28th with 294 points, 504 out of first)

SHR Notes:
● Briscoe earned his second top-10 of the season and equaled his best NASCAR Cup Series finish. The first time he finished sixth was on May 23 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.
● Briscoe was the highest finishing NASCAR Cup Series rookie for the 16th time this season.
● Almirola led a lap.
● Harvick finished seventh in Stage 2 to earn four bonus points.

Race Notes:
● Chase Elliott won the inaugural Jockey Made in America 250 to score his 13th career NASCAR Cup Series victory and his second of the season. His margin over second-place Christopher Bell was 5.705 seconds.
● There were four caution periods for a total of nine laps.
● Thirty-four of the 40 drivers in the Jockey Made in America 250 finished on the lead lap.
● Denny Hamlin remains the championship leader after Road America with a three-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Road America Quotes

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield/Pit Boss Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“I’ll take a 14th-place finish at a newer road course. Our Smithfield/Pit Boss Ford just needed more rear grip and speed to race with the top guys. We’re continuing to build on our road course program. All of the fans who came out on Fourth of July weekend was awesome to see. On to Atlanta.”

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School/HighPoint.com Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“I thought we were good enough to run fourth there at the end, but my engine shut off. I was tucked right up to the 11 car and about to make a move on him, and the engine just shut off. I don’t know if it got really hot when I was super close to him and spiked the temps or what. I feel like if it wasn’t for that, we probably would have run fourth. Then I lost a ton of track position and had to deal with the 42. Overall, it was a fun day. This place is a lot of fun when you are slipping and sliding around like that. I wish we could have been top-five, but to leave here with sixth is a good day and it was really cool to be the best Ford today. We definitely faced a lot of adversity with not getting a qualifying lap in, and then the penalty at the beginning. I felt like we had a really good car on the long run. I am proud of that. It was a good day overall and we needed that. We will go on to the next one and see if we can get better.”

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“It was a rough day at Road America, but it was awesome to be back for the holiday weekend. We had a solid car. We just struggled with a loose-handling racecar and didn’t have the short run speed we needed. I’m pretty excited to get to Atlanta and slip and slide around.”

Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Atlanta 400 on Sunday, July 11 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage on NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-SHR-

Riley Herbst Road America NXS Race Report

Herbst Finishes Seventh at Road America
Monster Energy Driver Secures Fifth Top-10 of Season
Date: July 3, 2021
Event: Henry 180 (Round 17 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (4.048-mile, 14-turn road course)
Format: 45 laps, broken into three stages (10 laps/10 laps/25 laps)
Start/Finish: 34th / 7th (Running, completed 45 of 45 laps)
Point Standing: 14th (373 points, 348 out of first)

Race Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: A.J. Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: A.J. Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)

Overview:
Despite a rough start to the race weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Riley Herbst and the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) persevered for a seventh-place finish in Saturday’s Henry 180. The No. 98 team was forced to start at the rear after switching to a backup car following a spin in Friday’s practice session. In an effort to save tires for the race, the team opted to only make one run during qualifying since it would have to start at the rear, regardless. When the green flag waved for today’s race, Herbst spared no time in his march forward. By lap five, the Las Vegas Native had broken into the top-20. When the caution flag waved with only four laps to go in Stage 1, the No. 98 Monster Energy crew kept its driver out on track to try and earn valuable stage points. The strategy paid off as Herbst finished the stage 10th. Herbst restarted the second stage 19th after making a pit stop for four tires and fuel. The 22-year-old driver once again made his way forward to end up 10th in the second stage. When the final stage got underway on lap 22, Herbst restarted eighth and broke into the top-five just one lap later. He continued to stay near the front until the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang was called to the pits under a lap-27 caution, in keeping with the team’s strategy. With one set of tires and plenty of racing to go, the team made the call on lap 35 to bring Herbst down pit road one final time for four fresh tires and to fill up on fuel. The Monster Energy driver’s seventh-place finish is his fifth top-10 of the season.

Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Yeah, we were definitely better than yesterday. It was cool coming from the back. I definitely feel like we had a top-five car, it just took a little too long getting through traffic there at the end and finishing seventh. We’ll take it, with a couple stage points, finishing in seventh place. All in all, it was a good day.”

Notes:
● Herbst finished 10th in Stage 1 to earn one bonus point, and 10th in Stage 2 to earn an additional one bonus point.
● Kyle Busch won the Henry 180 to earn his 101st career victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Road America. His margin over second-place Daniel Hemric was 3.522 seconds.
● There were seven caution periods for a total of 11 laps.
● Twenty-seven of the 36 drivers in the Henry 180 finished on the lead lap.
● Austin Cindric remains the championship leader after Road America with an 89-point advantage over second-place A.J. Allmendinger.

Next Up:
The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is the Credit Karma Money 250 on Saturday, July 10 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-SHR-

“In the Know” Road America

“In the Know”
Road America

The NASCAR Cup Series JOCKEY Made in America 250 presented by Kwik Trip at Road America will air on NBC (Sunday, July 4, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern – 1:30 p.m. Central). The NASCAR Xfinity Series Henry 180 will air on NBC (Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern – 1:30 p.m. Central).

Road America’s key attraction is that there is no assigned seating, and fans are free to roam about the property to find their favorite viewing location. You’ll enjoy acres of green grass, tons of trees, rolling hills, and elevated vantage points that offer fans totally unique perspectives to watch the action.

The 4-mile, 14 turn road course hasn’t run a Cup Series race since the 1950s. The NASCAR Xfinity Series has been here previously, which has provided a little experience for some of the drivers, but for many, this will be the first appearance at Road America. The track is virtually the same today as it was when it was first laid out in 1955. Sweeping around rolling hills and plunging through ravines makes it one of the most challenging circuits in the world.

The Details

● Event: Jockey Made in America 250 (Round 20 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 4
● Location: Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
● Layout: 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course
● Race 1 Laps/Miles: (62 laps/250 miles)
● Race 1 Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 14 laps / Stage 2: 15 laps / Final Stage: 33 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

What Our Drivers are Saying:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang

Are you at a disadvantage at Road America because so many of the younger drivers who have come up through the NASCAR Xfinity Series have raced at Road America and have a good bit of experience there?
“I would say so. I would say that their experience and those visuals are definitely on their side. I think as you hear people talk about racing there and the things that happen at that particular racetrack, everybody enjoys driving the racetrack and racing on that track. It was another track we decided to run the Xfinity car, be a part of the event the day before, and try to use that real-life experience to get us up to speed for Sunday.”

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield/Pit Boss Grills Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Do you feel confident going to another road course for the first time?
“Our finishes don’t show it, but we have actually improved our road-course program. I feel more confident behind the wheel and I think the package we run has worked in our favor this year. We had a good day at the Daytona road course earlier in the year. I couldn’t see at COTA with all of the rain, and we were in position for a top-10 at Sonoma before we had to avoid an accident at the end of the race that forced us off the track. We just need to put a full race together, minimize mistakes, and have a good day on pit road.”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School/HighPoint.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You’ve said that Road America is one of your favorite places to visit. What makes it so special?
“I have always loved visiting Road America. It’s always one of the best crowds for the Xfinity Series and I’m sure we’ll see the same for Cup. It’s just a beautiful part of the country. I think I’ve discovered some hidden areas, but the place is so big, it seems like I find something new every time. I’ve been able to do all the trails and disc golf. I’ve done a lot of things at Road America and got to see parts of the racetrack where, if you just show up as a driver on race weekend and don’t explore, you would never even know were there.”

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

You’re returning to Road America, where you’ve enjoyed three solid runs in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, but this time in a Cup Series car. Your thoughts?
“I’m really excited for Road America. It’s a really prestigious road course in our country and I think it’s a place where, if you have any bad tendencies, it’s going to show up at Road America. You have so many different corners, there are so many hard corners, it just brings out some of the best road-course racing.”

SHR Stats

While it’s his and the rest of the field’s first Cup Series appearance at Road America, Cole Custer has three NASCAR Xfinity Series races and one ARCA Menards Series outing there, all resulting in top-11 finishes. In two starts at Road America in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Chase Briscoe posted finishes of seventh in 2019 and third last year in the No. 98 SHR Ford. He also raced in the last year’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Road America, co-driving with James Pesek in a Ford Mustang GT4 prepared by PF Racing.

Aric Almirola has 25 road-course starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, although this will be his first visit to Road America. He has two top-10 finishes at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway with a best of eighth, four top-20s at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International with a best finish of 12th, three top-20s on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval with a best finish of 14th, and a top-12 finish in the Feb. 9 Busch Clash on the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road course – his best road-course finish of the year.

Kevin Harvick has made a total of 45 NASCAR Cup Series starts on road courses, but like Almirola, he has never made a start at Road America. He has 20 starts at Sonoma, 19 at Watkins Glen, three at the Charlotte Roval, two on the Daytona road course and one at COTA. He has scored two wins – Watkins Glen in 2006 and Sonoma in 2017 – along with 10 top-fives and 23 top-10s with 195 laps led.

Of Special Interest

Be sure to check out our merch hauler at Road America! If you can’t attend in person, you can always shop online at store.stewarthaasracing.com