Month: May 2022

In The Know – Charlotte

This Memorial Day Weekend, we race for something more. As part of #NASCARSalutes and the 600 Miles of Remembrance initiative during the Coca-Cola 600, each of our teams will honor a fallen soldier who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.  Below you’ll find everything you need to know about one of the most grueling races on the NASCAR circuit.

The Details

NASCAR Cup Series Overview

●  Event:  Coca-Cola 600 (Round 14 of 36)
●  Time/Date:  6 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 29
●  Location:  Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway
●  Layout:  1.5-mile oval
●  Laps/Miles:  400 laps/600 miles
●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 100 laps / Stage 2: 100 laps / Stage 3: 100 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
●  TV/Radio:  FOX / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

The BROADCAST

SHR FAST FACTS

Kevin Harvick:
As part of #NASCARSalutes and the 600 Miles of Remembrance initiative during the Coca-Cola 600, the No. 4 Mobil 1 team is honoring Lance Corporal Phillip G. West of the United States Marines Corps. West was based out of Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California, where he served in the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. The American Canyon, California-native served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and he was the first Napa County resident to die in the Iraq War, succumbing to injuries on Nov. 19, 2004 in Fallouja. West was deeply committed to his military service, often telling family and friends, “If we don’t do it, who’s going to do it?” West joined the Marine Corps delayed-entry program in August 2002 and after graduating from high school, he shipped off to boot camp in San Diego. He graduated from boot camp, then infantry school, and deployed to Iraq in June 2004. Once in Iraq, West achieved the rank of Lance Corporal.

Kevin Harvick is a two-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600. He took the trophy in 2011 and 2013. Harvick beat David Ragan by .703 of a second in 2011 and he beat Kasey Kahne by 1.490 seconds in 2013. Harvick led only two laps in 2011 and just 28 laps in 2013, but each of those tallies contained the only lap that mattered most – the last one.

Harvick has earned two poles at Charlotte. The first came in the 2016 Bank of America 500 (27.547 seconds at 196.029 mph) and the second came in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 (27.918 seconds at 193.424 mph).

This year’s Coca-Cola 600 will mark Harvick’s 40th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Charlotte. The Bakersfield, California-native has nine top-fives and 20 top-10s in a career dating back to the 2001 Coca-Cola 600, which was Harvick’s first points-paying race at Charlotte. In that 4-hour and 20-minute affair, Harvick finished second to Jeff Burton and ahead of third-place Tony Stewart, the car owner of the No. 4 Mobil 1 team at Stewart-Haas Racing.

Aric Almirola:
 The Memorial Day weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.)Motor Speedway is one of the most patriotic events in sports, honoring fallen soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. This weekend, Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), Smithfield Foods, and Aric Almirola will honor Pfc. Adam Lee Marion of the North Carolina Army National Guard, who was killed during an attack on his forward operating base in Baghdad, Iraq,in 2008, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The connection comes from spotter Joel Edmonds, who knew Marion at a young age and is a friend of Marion’s father.

Almirola and the Smithfield Ford team showed speed at 1.5-mile venues earlier this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he crossed the finish line sixth, two weeks ago at Kansas Speedway, where he qualified seventh and ran inside the top-10 until a mechanical issue put him two laps down, ultimately finishing 26th, and last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth where he qualified eighth for the NASCAR All-Star race and finished 12th.

Chase Briscoe:
The No. 14 team will honor the memory of U.S. Army Sgt. Larry Robert (Bobby) Bowman, a North Carolina native, as part of NASCAR’s annual “600 Miles of Remembrance.” Sgt. Bowman, of Granite Falls, died April 13, 2007, when his vehicle struck a roadside improvised explosive device during a mission in Baghdad. He was serving his second tour in Iraq with the 513th Transportation Company, 57th Transportation Battalion, 593rd Corps Support Group as a heavy vehicle driver delivering food, water, fuel and other mission critical supplies. He was scheduled to return home just three months later.

In four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts on the Charlotte oval, Briscoe has a best finish of sixth last May after starting second. While he’s still looking for his first win on the oval layout, he has visited Charlotte’s victory lane after scoring his first career Xfinity Series victory on the Roval in October 2018.

Cole Custer:
As part of NASCAR’s annual “600 Miles of Remembrance” during the traditional Memorial Day weekend event, the name of U.S. Army Cpl. Joshua McKay Moore will be displayed on the windshield of Custer’s No. 41 Ford Mustang. Moore was born on Nov. 30, 1986, and passed on May 30, 2007, in Baghdad, Iraq. He was part of the Army’s, C Company, 1-18 infantry, 1st platoon, 2nd battalion, 1st ID, FOB Falcon. Moore was posthumously named a corporal for his efforts in the war. He and three others were killed when the Hummer they were in ran over an improvised explosive device during his second deployment to the region. He was 20 years of age. Friends, family and relatives say Moore was someone who “everyone liked and, if you were around Josh and did not know him, it wouldn’t take long for you to get to know him. He was the life of the party and someone who made everyone around him better and happier.”

In his five career NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances on the Charlotte oval, Custer has four top-10 finishes with a best of second in the May 2018 race, when he was runner-up to winner Brad Keselowski in a race that ended under caution.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS

Check out the paint schemes we’ll be racing in as we tackle 6oo miles this weekend.

What Our Drivers are Saying:

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

What does it mean to honor and remember a military member on your No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford this Memorial Day weekend?
“There isn’t any sport that honors the military any better than NASCAR. I know a lot of sports do a lot of things for our military, but when you roll into this particular weekend with the Coke 600 and you’re a part of the celebration and remembrance for all the things that have happened with our military, to see the support that NASCAR and everybody in our garage gives the military, especially on this particular weekend, is something that gives you goosebumps.”

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

What do you think about your paint scheme for this weekend?
“Man this has to be my favorite one as far as looks go. That red, white and blue striping is just beautiful. We have run this similar scheme before, but it looks even better with the number placement. I’m glad Smithfield kept this one going for us and the fans.” 

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

Teams tested the NextGen car at Charlotte during the offseason. Does it help to already have laps on the track?
“It’s definitely the one track I feel like the most people have the most laps at as far as with this car. But, every time we were testing at Charlotte, we were running different packages. I’ve never run the current package at Charlotte. This track is unique and sensitive. It does have some tire falloff. It’s really heat-sensitive, and one of the rougher racetracks we go to. But yeah, I don’t know, I don’t know what to expect for the 600.”

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 Chicken Cock Whiskey  Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Do you do anything different to prepare for a race as long as the Coca-Cola 600?
“The 600 is definitely the longest race I’ve ever run. I think the biggest thing is staying hydrated and making sure you’re loose before the race and not sore. Just try and relax, especially in the first part of the race. At halfway, you just need to try and settle in and get some laps done. The thing about it is you can’t really relax too much because you have to fight for the stage points, and fight for track position as much as you can. You have to stay hydrated. I guess there’s the need for a snack in there somewhere, too, but it’s definitely the longest, most grueling race that I’ve run.”

TONY’S DOUBLE DUTY

With the Indy 500 and Coca Cola 600 this weekend, take a look back at Tony Stewart’s 2001 Double Duty performance. The boss is the only driver to complete both races on the same day.

In The Know – NASCAR ALL-STAR 

Our racers will be driving for some cold, hard cash on Sunday night at the NASCAR All-Star Race — $1 million, to be exact. We’re breaking down everything you need to know about the race in Texas where stars come out and $1 million is on the line.

The Details

NASCAR Cup Series Overview

●  Event:  NASCAR All-Star Race (non-points race)
●  Time/Date:  8 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 22
●  Location:  Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth
●  Layout:  1.5-mile oval
●  Laps/Miles:  125 laps/187.5 miles
●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 25 laps / Stage 3: 25 laps / Final Stage: 50 laps
●  TV/Radio:  FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

The BROADCAST

Who will cash in this weekend? You can catch all the All-Star action on FS1 .

SHR FAST FACTS

Kevin Harvick:
Harvick has always been an all-star. Since his 2001 NASCAR Cup Series debut, Harvick has been a part of every NASCAR All-Star Race – the only active driver to do so. The driver of the No. 4 #BuschBacon Ford Mustang first earned entry into the All-Star Race by winning in just his third career Cup Series start on March 11, 2001 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth marks the 38th anniversary of the All-Star Race and it will be Harvick’s 22nd straight appearance in the race – the most of any active driver.

Harvick is a two-time winner of the All-Star Race. He won the specialty non-points race for the first time in 2007 by leading the final 20 laps and crossing the stripe .141 of a second ahead of second-place Jimmie Johnson. Harvick scored his second All-Star win in 2019 when he led twice for 36 laps, including the last 11, to take the victory by .325 of a second over Daniel Suárez. Both victories came at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Aric Almirola:
In four NASCAR All-Star Race starts, Almirola has only finished outside of the top-10 once. In seven All-Star Open or Sprint Showdown exhibition races, he has one win, which came last year at Texas, and has only finished outside of the top-10 once.

In 21 NASCAR Cup Series starts on the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval, Almirola has one top-five, five top-10s, and has led 101 laps.

Chase Briscoe:
Briscoe earned his berth in the $1 million-to-win All-Star Race by virtue of his win March 13 at Phoenix Raceway. The win also earned the 27-year-old driver a spot in the 16-driver playoff field. While Briscoe hopes to add a few more victories and further secure his playoff standing, he can be sure of one thing – that he’ll have hometown backing with MVP sponsoring four races during the playoff run – No. 14 on Sept. 11 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas Speedway, Sept. 17 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Oct. 2 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, and Oct. 23 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Cole Custer:
Custer has three points-paying Cup Series outings at the 1.5-mile Texas oval. His best finish there was 14th in November 2020 after an accident ended his day prematurely in the July race. He finished 19th there last November.

Custer was victorious at Texas in the November 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series race, one of his six outings there in that series. He has three other top-five finishes and an eighth-place result in his most recent Xfinity Series visit to Texas in November 2019.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS

Everything is bigger in Texas, including our paint schemes. Check out the wraps we’re takin’ with us to the All-Star Race.

What Our Drivers are Saying:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 #BuschBacon Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

This is your 22nd season in the NASCAR Cup Series and you’ll be making your 22nd straight appearance in the All-Star Race. You’re the only active driver who has been in the All-Star Race every single year of their NASCAR career. We’d call that a testament to your consistency. What would you call it?
“I was fortunate to win the first year and qualify for the All-Star Race and, after that, we were able to win the All-Star Race a couple of times, so we make sure we stay in it every year. Obviously, winning a championship doesn’t hurt with your qualification for that, either. For me, I think as you look at the All-Star Race, it’s fun to be a part of. It’s unique and it’s different and all those things combined, so it’s always been an interesting race.”

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

What do you think about this weekend’s #BuschBacon promotion?
“Any time we get a chance to give our fans something to root for and something to win is always a cool opportunity. To have partners like Smithfield and Busch who invest in our fan base really helps the entire sport and gives our fans something to engage with during the races. I’m pretty familiar with giving away bacon for life so, hopefully, this collaboration brings us some good luck.”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Is there any relief to not have to race your way into the All-Star Race through the Open this year?
“A little. Mostly, I just don’t have to worry about racing my way in while keeping the car in one piece for a second race. But it’s cool to get to know I’m already locked in. The All-Star Race is one of those races you want to have a chance to compete in when you get to the Cup Series but, if you don’t go into it knowing you’ve already got your spot, you know it’s going to be a pretty big task to earn your spot. Everyone wants to be part of it.”

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

You’re attempting to make the NASCAR All-Star Race field for the third year in a row. What was your experience like in your first two outings?
“It’s unbelievable to be a part of the All-Star Race and it’s something that you can never take for granted because you never know if you’re going to be in it every single year. So we’re going to go all out to make it for the third year in a row. The chance to go for a million dollars and the possibilities of winning that and how that would change your life is definitely huge. To have that chance is unreal, so we’re not going to hold anything back.”

#BUSCHBACON

Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola have teamed up to deliver a lifetime supply of Busch Beer and Smithfield Bacon to the luckiest fan in the history of sponsor promotions. All fans need to do is tune into FS1’s broadcast of the All-Star Race beginning at 8 p.m. EDT on Sunday and follow @BuschBeer. Then, during the fourth lap and the 10th lap of every stage of the All-Star Race, tweet #BuschBacon for a chance to win the most coveted prize mankind has ever known – Busch Beer and Smithfield Bacon for life. Throughout the All-Star Race, Harvick’s No. 4 #BuschBacon Ford Mustang and Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield #BuschBacon Ford Mustang will drive home the point that crispy Smithfield Bacon is best paired with a crisp Busch Light.

#BUSCHBACON PIT CREW BATTLE

The No. 4  and No. 10 pit crews are embracing #BuschBacon this week with some friendly competition. In the battle of bacon vs beer, who wins? Watch and find out.

WELCOME MAGICAL VACATION PLANNER

We’re excited to welcome Magical Vacation Planner (MVP), an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, as a partner of Chase Briscoe and the No. 14 team.
MVP was founded by Jamie Ane Eubanks alongside her husband JJ, a former professional basketball player, as a storefront travel agency in 2006. Today, it is a company that provides one of the best vacation planning services in the industry. It operates through three branches: MVP Parks, MVP Cruising and MVP Getaways. The company provides its exclusive and personalized, stress-free planning service at no additional expense to its clients, making the extensive array of Disney options and add-ons easy to understand and navigate. MVP actively seeks savings for its clients, monitoring early-morning releases of discounted room or vacation packages while also scouring existing reservations for price drops to where they can modify an existing reservation at the newfound lower price. MVP will also plan a family’s itinerary, expertly navigating Disney’s Genie + and Lighting Lane systems to maximize resort and park times by avoiding long lines while also securing those premium Disney dining experiences that include coveted character meetings.

The FORMAT

This year’s All-Star Race at Texas will be 125 laps and broken into four stages with the starting lineup being determined by a four-round qualifying format featuring head-to-head elimination rounds that highlight the speed and efficiency of each team’s pit crew. Here’s how qualifying will work:

• Opening round is the traditional single-car, one-lap format in reverse order of the current 2022 owner points.
• Fastest eight qualifiers transfer to a three-round, head-to-head elimination bracket.
• Elimination bracket will feature two cars staged in adjacent pit stalls near the end of pit road.
• At the sound of an alert, each pit crew will perform a four-tire stop and, at the drop of the jack, drivers will exit their respective pit stalls and return to the track, with no pit road speed limit.
• First car back to the start/finish line advances to the next round.
• Final pairing competes for the pole.

Once the starting field is set, the 38th edition of the All-Star Race will consist of four stages, with the first three stages 25 laps in length and the fourth and final stage being a 50-lap shootout for the $1 million prize.

• Stage 1 (25 laps): Stage 1 winner will start on the pole in the final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stages 2 and 3.
• Stage 2 (25 laps): Stage 2 winner starts second in final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stage 3.
• Special Stage Break (Pit Stop Competition): Each team must pit and perform a four-tire stop.The team with the shortest time on pit road (pit in/pit out) wins the pit crew award, and the driver will start fourth in the final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stage 3.
• Stage 3 (25 laps): Stage 3 winner starts third in final stage.
• Stage 4 (50 laps): Stage 1 winner starts first, Stage 2 winner starts second, Stage 3 winner starts third, and pit stop competition winner starts fourth. If a caution for an on-track incident or debris happens between laps 15-25 of the final stage, standard race procedures will be in effect. If there is no caution during that time, NASCAR will call a competition caution. Winner of Stage 4 earns $1 million.

In The Know – KANSAS 

We’re bringing the sweet heat to Kansas Speedway, NASCAR’s Home in the Heartland. Get up to speed on everything you need to know for the race this weekend from broadcast info to driver soundbites.

The Details

NASCAR Cup Series Overview

● Event: AdventHealth 400 (Round 13 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 15
● Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City
● Layout: 1.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 267 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 85 laps / Final Stage: 102 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

The BROADCAST

Ready to watch some racing this weekend? You can catch all the action from Kansas on FS1.

SHR FAST FACTS

Kevin Harvick:
Harvick has competed at the track for every one of its Cup Series races – one of only three drivers to do so (Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman being the others) – and has amassed quite the history in his 32 career starts. Three wins, five second-place finishes, 11 top-threes, 12 top-fives, 19 top-10s and 949 laps led make Harvick one of the most successful drivers in Kansas’ relatively young history. His average start is 13.1, his average finish is 8.9 and he has a lap completion rate of 98.7 percent.

Harvick’s recent history at Kansas amplifies his overall record at the 1.5-mile oval. Harvick has five straight top-10 finishes in his last five NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas. In his last four Kansas races, he has four consecutive top-fives. And in his last three Kansas races, Harvick has finished among the top-three, a run that includes two second-place finishes (May 2021 and October 2020).

Harvick scored his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Kansas in the 2013 Hollywood Casino 400 with a massive 1.140-second margin over runner-up Kurt Busch. Harvick scored his next Kansas win in the 2016 Hollywood Casino 400 with another impressive performance, crossing the stripe 1.183 seconds ahead of next best Carl Edwards. Harvick’s most recent Kansas victory came in May 2018 when he beat Martin Truex, Jr., by .390 of a second.

No one has led more laps at Kansas than Harvick. His 949 laps led around the 1.5-mile oval are 146 more laps than Truex, his nearest pursuer in this category.

Aric Almirola:
In 20 NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has seven top-10 finishes and has led 69 laps.

Almirola arrives at Kansas 12th in the driver standings with 311 points, 142 out of first.

Chase Briscoe:
Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) is 13th in the driver championship point standings, 166 points out of first. With just 12 races complete, he currently holds a spot in the 16-driver playoff field by way of his March 13 win at Phoenix Raceway.

Briscoe racked up a pair of top-20 finishes in last year’s Cup Series races at Kansas with a best finish of 19th in the October event. Before he arrived in the Cup Series, Briscoe scored several strong runs at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway in NASCAR’s Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series. Among his four Xfinity Series starts there, he has a pair of top-three finishes, including a win in opening race of the Round of 8 in the 2020 playoffs. He also placed fifth in his lone NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Kansas.

Kansas is also the site of the last of Briscoe’s six ARCA Menards Series victories in 2016, which propelled him to the series championship. He totaled 14 top-fives and 18 top-10s in 20 ARCA races that year. In the October 2016 Kansas 150, Briscoe started from the pole and led twice for a race-high 67 laps to secure the victory by 1.464 seconds over Austin Cindric.

Cole Custer:
Sunday’s 400-mile race will be Custer’s 88th Cup Series start and his fifth at Kansas. His Kansas debut resulted in a seventh-place finish in July 2020 en route to earning that year’s Rookie of the Year honors, best of his previous four Kansas outings. It was his fourth top-10 through his first 19 Cup Series starts.

Custer has four Kansas appearances in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition, the most recent three in the No. 00 SHR Ford and the first in the No. 5 entry for JR Motorsports, with a best finish of 11th in the 2019 event after leading a race-high 85 laps.

In his lone NASCAR Camping World Truck Series outing at Kansas, the 24-year-old from Ladera Ranch, California, qualified fourth and finished seventh in the No. 00 JR Motorsports entry in the May 2016 race.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS

We’re truckin’ along to Kansas in our Ford Mustangs, and you’ll definitely want to check out our fresh wraps for the week.

What Our Drivers are Saying:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light #ForTheFarmers Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Your history at Kansas is impressive. Three wins, five second-place finishes, 11 top-threes, 12 top-fives, 19 top-10s and 949 laps led across 32 career NASCAR Cup Series starts. What makes you so good there?
“I think Kansas has been a great racetrack and, really from a driver’s standpoint, a fun racetrack because of the fact that it’s worn in so well. You can race at the top of the racetrack, which is the preferred groove as the tires wear out. It’s faster at the bottom of the racetrack on new tires. But as a driver, having options is something that is a lot of fun. With Atlanta having been repaved along with some of the other racetracks, Kansas has become one of the more unique racetracks because of the fact the asphalt and the shape of the racetrack is so driver-friendly, as far as where you can drive on the racetrack. You can literally drive from the wall to the apron all the way around the racetrack. So, it’s a fun racetrack. It’s been good to us and, hopefully, we can continue that trend on Sunday in our Busch Light #ForTheFarmers Ford Mustang.”

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

How would you assess the speed of your cars right now?
“The results have not shown it recently, but we have had top-10 runs every weekend. We got caught two laps down on pit road in Dover with at least an eighth-place car and, last weekend at Darlington, we had a top-10 car, but pit strategy is always tough there. The speed is there, the team is there, the pit crew has been on it. We continue to show speed no matter what the track configuration is, so I think we’re where we want to be. We just need to capitalize on those good days and stay out of trouble.”

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

The last few races haven’t gone as planned, so is this Sunday’s race at Kansas a chance for the No. 14 team to turn things around?
“I’m excited to get to Kansas. I think we’ve shown a lot of improvement on the mile-and-a-halves this year and we’ve definitely and speed. If we can put everything together and get a good starting spot I think we should be able to turn things around. The last few weeks haven’t been the best but we’ve got a good group of guys who don’t give up and I know we’re capable of more, we just need everything to go right to put ourselves in position for another win.”

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

You’re coming off a potentially strong finish that came to an abrupt end when you got caught up in a late-race accident at Darlington last Sunday. Do you feel there is momentum as you head to Kansas this weekend?
“Yeah, right when we had things turning around, we got caught up in the wreck on the backstretch. We’ve had a lot of things not go our way this year, but all you can do is move on to the next one, and that one is a pretty racey track at Kansas. Hopefully we can build on the positives from Darlington. Kansas is actually a tough racetrack. You have to move around and work the different lanes. You have to have the speed, as well, obviously. Track position is going to be huge and how you work the strategy is important. It’s a track where you have to put everything together. You have to make sure you can work the lanes good, and work them from the bottom to the top of the track.”

2022 SEASON UPDATE: FROM THE BOSS

At SHR, we’re focused on relentless progress. Hear from the boss Tony Stewart on our 2022 season so far and what he’s seeing from the team and the Next Gen car.

In The Know – DARLINGTON 

We’re ready to throw it back this weekend in Darlington. The track, affectionately known as “Too Tough To Tame” because of its tricky egg-shaped configuration and thin racing groove, has hosted 121 NASCAR Cup Series races. As we gear up for the weekend, the question begs: who will tame the Lady In Black?

The Details

NASCAR Cup Series Overview

●  Event:  Goodyear 400 (Round 12 of 36)
●  Time/Date:  3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 8
●  Location:  Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
●  Layout:  1.366-mile oval
●  Laps/Miles:  293 laps/400.2 miles
●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 108 laps
●  TV/Radio:  FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

The BROADCAST

Ready for all the tough action? You can watch all the racing from Darlington on FS1.

SHR FAST FACTS

Kevin Harvick:
Darlington is known as “The Track Too Tough To Tame” but Harvick has tamed the venerable 1.366-mile oval three times. The 46-year-old racer from Bakersfield, California, owns two Southern 500 victories (2014 and 2020) and one win in the track’s 400-mile race. In fact, Harvick enters Darlington with an impressive record – he hasn’t finished outside the top-10 since 2012. How long ago was that? “Gangnam Style” and its music video by South Korean singer Psy went viral in 2012, four years before the social media app TikTok became reality.

Harvick’s win on May 17, 2020, at Darlington was his milestone 50th career NASCAR Cup Series victory. Harvick led 159 of the race’s 293 laps to secure his 11th straight season as a Cup Series winner. His career win total now stands at 58, which puts him 10th on the all-time Cup Series win list.

Among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers, Harvick leads the following categories at Darlington:

●  Most starts: 28 (tied with Kurt Busch)
●  Most top-fives: 12 (next best is Denny Hamlin with 11)
●  Most top-10s: 17 (next best is Hamlin with 15)
●  Most laps led: 812 (next best is Hamlin with 744)
●  Most laps completed: 9,370 (next best is Kurt Busch with 9,311)

Aric Almirola:
Almirola was the only NASCAR Cup Series driver to finish in the top-10 in this year’s opening three races. He finished fifth in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, sixth at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and sixth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Almirola’s top-10 streak ended with a 12th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway despite running inside the top-10 throughout the race.

This weekend at Darlington marks Almirola’s 400th career Cup Series start.

Chase Briscoe:
Briscoe, with just 47 Cup Series starts under his belt, has already demonstrated just how tough he can be on track, but one of the more iconic moments of his career took place at Darlington in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. On May 21, 2020, in a Thursday-night Xfinity Series race at The Track Too Tough To Tame, Briscoe captured the attention of the sports world as he bested Kyle Busch in the first NASCAR event after a 10-week hiatus due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NASCAR season was set to resume with the Xfinity Series race at Darlington on Tuesday, May 19, but a full day of rain forced the event to be postponed to Thursday. During the delay on Tuesday, Briscoe learned that his wife had suffered a miscarriage, and when the driver from Mitchell, Indiana, returned to the track with a heavy heart on Thursday, he was overwhelmed by the support of the industry and fans. He started 11th for the 200-lap race around the 1.366-mile oval and ran among the top-10 through the first 90 laps. A quick pit stop on lap 91 for four tires and fuel allowed Briscoe to restart in second place on lap 96. He promptly took the lead, and another lightning-fast stop on lap 134 put Briscoe in the lead for a lap-138 restart. This set up a battle between Briscoe and Busch, the winningest driver in Xfinity Series history with 96 career victories. Briscoe would not be denied, crossing the finish line first in a fender-scraping, tire-rubbing duel where the margin of victory was just .086 of a second. The win’s significance was amplified when Briscoe climbed from the car and dropped to his knees in prayer before giving a tear-filled interview.

Cole Custer:
Sunday’s 400-mile race will be Custer’s 87th Cup Series start and his sixth on the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval. The 2020 Cup Series Rookie of the Year’s 11th-place finish in last September’s Southern 500 was the best of his previous five Darlington outings.

The native of Ladera Ranch, California, was credited with the victory in his most recent NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington in 2019 after finishing second the previous year and ninth in 2017, all behind the wheel of the No. 00 SHR Ford. In the 2019 race, he crossed the finish line .602 of a second behind the apparent race-winner Denny Hamlin. But Hamlin’s racecar was disqualified after a ride-height violation was discovered in postrace inspection, giving Custer his eighth of 10 career Xfinity series victories. In the September 2018 Xfinity Series race at Darlington, Custer was runner-up to Brad Keselowski by .738 of a second.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS

Check out our classic wraps for the throwback weekend in Darlington.

STEP INTO OUR TIME MACHINE

Kevin Harvick’s Throwback With Rheem

As Kevin Harvick chases a fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in Sunday’s Goodyear 400, Rheem will promote its Chasing a Cure campaign to support cancer research by adding a touch of pink to Harvick’s No. 4 Rheem Ford Mustang. On the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR, the pink-and-black design Harvick will sport at Darlington is a throwback to the liveries Harvick ran in October 2011 and October 2012 when Rheem first launched its Chasing a Cure campaign. In the 2022 edition, the primary beneficiary is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, with the No. 4 Rheem/Chasing a Cure Ford Mustang serving as a call to action for fans to support pediatric cancer research by visiting StJude.org/Donate. Meanwhile, Rheem’s Heart of Comfort program will donate $25,000 to St. Jude.

Aric Almirola’s Throwback With Smithfield / Haas Automation

Every kid had a hero growing up. In Aric Almirola’s case, it was his grandfather Sam Rodriguez, who was a three-time Tampa Bay Area Racing Association (TBARA) Dirt Sprint Car champion. As a result, Almirola traces his racing success to Rodriguez and became passionate about motorsports while sitting in the grandstands and watching his hero cross the finish line first, then running across the track to get his picture taken with him in victory lane. Almirola says his grandfather instilled a hard work ethic in him at a young age that ultimately propelled him into NASCAR’s top series. In Almirola’s final fulltime NASCAR Cup Series season, he will bring it all full circle at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway this weekend with a special throwback paint scheme honoring the iconic Dirt Sprint Car of his hero “Slammin’ Sammy.” And how better to bring it all full circle than to recreate the images of Almirola and Rodriguez in victory lane with that same paint scheme Sunday at Darlington – this time letting Rodriguez hold the flag.

Chase Briscoe’s Throwback With Smithfield / Haas Automation

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), is set to honor his childhood hero and SHR co-owner Tony Stewart at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway during the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR. The now-familiar look of the Official Tractor of Tough will be replaced with a red-and-yellow design that mirrors Stewart’s 2001 Indianapolis 500 entry that kicked off what’s safe to call the most grueling day of his career and the achievement of a lifetime – the 2001 Indianapolis 500 / Coca-Cola 600 double. On May 27, 2001, Stewart started seventh, led 13 laps and finished sixth in the Indy 500 before flying to Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for that night’s 600-mile Cup Series race, where he started 12th and finished third. Stewart became the first driver to complete all 1,100 combined laps of the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Cole Custer’s Throwback With HaasTooling.com

Cole Custer will be paying tribute to his favorite driver as a youngster when he takes to the track for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400, the featured event of this year’s Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Custer’s No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) this weekend will mimic the red-and-black paint scheme of the No. 0 NetZero-sponsored racecar for Haas CNC Racing that was driven by the late Jason Leffler in 10 Cup Series races in 2003, including the Southern 500 at Darlington in September of that year. Leffler went on to score the team’s first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in the April 2004 race at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

What Our Drivers are Saying:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Rheem/Chasing a Cure Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You have three wins at Darlington and a series-best 812 laps led in 28 career starts. How satisfying it to have that kind of success at a track that’s so notoriously difficult its nickname is “The Track Too Tough To Tame”?
“It’s been a lot of fun to have been able to win there a few times now. Darlington is one of those historic racetracks that everybody loves going to because of the fact that it’s forever tied to the guys that used to race there with the same shape of the racetrack. It may be a different surface, but it’s the same racetrack that they raced on in the 1950s. It’s a unique place to go race and a place that has so much history in our sport.”

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

Tell us about Sam’s paint scheme.
“So my grandfather was very particular about his paint scheme. He loved red because red is fast. He was very particular about his racecars always looking immaculate. Every single weekend when they showed up to the track, they looked brand new. Everything was polished perfectly. Every dent and ding from rocks or racing would get touched up. He was just very particular. He would hire an artist to hand-paint the number on the car and the sponsor lettering so it would be perfect. It was all painted by hand. I remember, vividly, the car sitting on jackstands and the car coming over at 6 o’clock at night, after hours, and spending several hours laying out the design. It would take him a couple of nights to hand-paint it all – on the engine cover and on the wing and tail tank. That attributed to a lot of the reasons he was so successful. It was because that attention to detail that got passed on to me, as well. He never had the attitude like ‘that’s good enough.’ Everything can always be improved. If you’re going to do something, do it the right way. My grandfather used to tell me all the time when I was young that ‘the lazy man works twice as hard.’ I didn’t fully understand until I got older, but it’s so true. If you’re going to do it, do it the first time and do it right.”

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

Your car pays tribute to your boss Tony Stewart’s Indy 500 / Coke 600 double in 2001, and you’re now in a position where you’ve run the Coca-Cola 600, one leg of that feat. Knowing how physically demanding that race is, are you able to put into perspective just how tough of a driver you have to be to compete in both races and complete every lap of each on the same day?
“Yeah, I couldn’t imagine just the physical side and also the mental side of running both races. Indy cars are, from what I’ve been told, physically demanding. On the mental side of that, I can’t imagine what you go through. A 600-mile race is definitely a long one. Mentally, it’s tough to kind of stay in the game for 600 miles, and physically it’s hot and wears you down. To run 1,100 miles in one day is tough, and then you add in all the stress that comes with the Indy 500 and the stress of traveling to make it back to the (Coca-Cola) 600. I couldn’t imagine doing both, and there aren’t many who have done both, but to do it at the caliber and the level Tony did it was impressive.”

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

Your paint scheme this weekend is one that is very special to you, personally. Talk about what it means to race it.
“For me, I’m pretty pumped up about this one. I’ve been around the garage since I was a little kid and this was the paint scheme I kind of grew up around. Jason drove it several times and he was always a big hero of mine. I’ve always had the (initials) JL on the back of my helmets ever since I’ve had them painted. Obviously, he was always my hero and I always try to honor him as much as I can, whenever I can. Now, seeing his paint scheme in the shop with my name on it was actually surreal because I remember when I was a little kid and just loving to see this car, and now I get to drive it. It’s a pretty surreal feeling, for sure.