Author: Jess Smith

In the Know – Daytona Speedweek

“In the Know”
Daytona Speedweek

The 64th running of the Daytona 500 will take place on Sunday, February 20 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.  To earn a spot in this year’s Daytona 500, drivers must first compete in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel – twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the 40-car field for the Daytona 500.

Tune in to the broadcast and prepare to be entertained! The Boss, Tony Stewart, will join  Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer in the booth for FOX, adding more reasons to tune in. Don’t miss a minute of the coverage.

The Details

NASCAR Cup Series Overview

Wednesday, Feb. 16:
Daytona 500 qualifying: Single-lap qualifying to determine pole for the Daytona 500
Time/TV/Radio: 8 p.m. ET on FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Thursday, Feb. 17:
Bluegreen Vacations Duel: Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Time/TV/Radio: 7 p.m. ET on FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Sunday, Feb. 20:
64th annual Daytona 500: First of 36 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races in 2022
Time/TV/Radio: 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

The Broadcast schedule

You won’t want to miss any of the action as we head to The World Center of Racing. From practice to the grand finale on Sunday,  there is plenty of action to catch.

SHR FAST FACTS

Kevin Harvick: The 2022 season marks Harvick’s 22nd year in the NASCAR Cup Series. Of his 754 career, points-paying starts, 41 of them have come on Daytona’s 2.5-mile oval. In addition to his 2017 Daytona 500 victory, Harvick won the 2010 Coke Zero 400. He has 11 top-fives and 16 top-10s on the Daytona oval. The 64th Daytona 500 will be his 42nd points-paying start on the Daytona oval.

Aric Almirola: Almirola scored his first career Cup Series win in the rain-shortened July 2014 race at Daytona, when he led 14 laps. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he started on the pole in his first outing in July 2007, and he captured a win there while piloting the No. 98 Biagi-Den Beste Ford Mustang in July 2016. Last year, he won his Duel qualifying race for the first time in his career. Almirola also has three Daytona starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with a best finish of 12th. This year’s Daytona 500 marks Almirola’s 21st points-paying Cup Series start at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

Chase Briscoe: Outside of the Cup Series, Briscoe has made six previous starts at Daytona – four in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and one apiece in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and in the ARCA Racing Series. He has started within the top-10 for five of those races, with his best being a third-place qualifying effort in the 2016 ARCA season-opener. His best finish is third, earned twice – August 2020 in the Xfinity Series and February 2017 in the Truck Series.

Cole Custer: The Daytona 500 marks Custer’s 76th’s career Cup Series start and his fifth on the Daytona oval. His 11th-place finish in last year’s Daytona 500 is his best result at the iconic track.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS

We’ll be heading to Daytona in style. Check out our fresh wraps for Daytona Speedweek.

Bring on 2022

No matter the challenges,  we as a race team never back down. And as we kick off the 2022 season, the expectations at SHR remain the same. We’re all in to win.

What Our Drivers are Saying:

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

What does it take to win the Daytona 500?
“The superspeedways, in general, are difficult to have everything line up to get a win out of the weekend. For the Daytona 500, it’s our biggest race of the year, but it’s also the one race a year that you have months to prepare for. Every team in the garage has their most prepared car that shows up at the Daytona 500. On top of that, you have the most aggression and enthusiasm to try to take risks and do things that you normally wouldn’t do to win races because the Daytona 500 only comes once a year, and it can make a year and it can also make a career out of winning that race. I think as you look at the Daytona 500, it’s just different than any other race and it becomes difficult to win because of all the risk-taking that you don’t see on a weekly basis.”

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

What would it mean to become a Daytona 500 champion in your last full-time season?
“Outside of winning the championship, if I had to pick one race to win, it would be, without a doubt, the Daytona 500. I’ve won every other race there is to win there. Being only two hours away from Tampa, Daytona is my home track, so it would be huge to have that opportunity to be a Daytona 500 champion. I’m already fulfilled in my career, but that would be the icing on the cake.”

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

Do you have a goal that you’d like to accomplish in your second season?
“The goal, and truly the expectation, is to run up front consistently. Be a guy that’s in the hunt for wins most weekends, not just four or five times. If we could get a win or two, make the playoffs and then make a run in the playoffs, that would be a successful second season. Daytona is a place where you want to win. No matter who you are or what kind of background you come from, you want to be able to say you’re a Daytona winner. It’s not my favorite type of racing, but it’s one that fans always make sure they are watching. It’s humbling to be able to compete in it but winning it and starting the season off with a step in the right direction toward fulfilling those goals would be a moment I’d never forget.”

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

Do you feel your solid effort at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum is a sign of things to come this year?
“For sure. I think it’s a mindset going into this year. We want to go into this year and hit hard and be able to figure out this car faster than any other team and try to figure out how to get us back to the front where we belong at Stewart-Haas Racing. It was a great way to start off the year, a great confidence-builder. It was kind of an oddball racetrack, but I think you can take a few things to other racetracks like Martinsville and the short tracks and things like that. Everybody went there trying as hard as they could, so it was good to have the pace that we had and have a solid run.”

Of Special Interest: THE NEXT GEN

The NextGen car is an entirely new racecar, and if you’re keeping score at home, it’s the seventh version of the stock car NASCAR introduced in 1949. Each version has been an improvement from its predecessor, be it from a manufacturer standpoint with more aerodynamic bodies or from a NASCAR standpoint with better overall safety. Dimensions have varied over the years with drivers, teams and manufacturers politicking for various changes to spoilers, splitters, roof railings, ride-heights, etc., resulting in a multitude of templates that have shaped the on-track product. But the NextGen car is a massive leap forward, as never in NASCAR’s 73 prior years has this much time, energy and money been spent to bring a car from concept to reality. Say goodbye to such time-honored traditions as the H-pattern shifter, 750-horsepower engines, five-lug wheels and even centered door numbers. You can say “Hi” to them at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, but not at a NASCAR Cup Series track. Instead, say hello to a sequential shifter, 670-horsepower engines, a single center-lock wheel nut akin to Indy cars and sports cars, and car numbers just behind the front wheels. But that’s not all. Introduce yourself to carbon fiber-reinforced plastic body panels, a carbon-fiber floor that covers the entire underneath portion of the car, and a rear-end diffuser – all of which are in place to reduce dirty air. And it’s more than skin deep, as rack-and-pinion steering replaces the archaic recirculating ball, and an independent rear suspension is a drastic upgrade from the full floating axle first championed by 1950s-era Detroit iron. The bottom line is that the NextGen car is much more in line with what manufacturers sell and consumers want. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday has never been more accurate.

Check out some of SHR’s first with the Next Gen on YouTube:

SHR Post-Race Recap — The Busch Light Clash

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum

Date: Feb. 6, 2022
Event: Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum (non-points race)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (quarter-mile, asphalt oval)
Format: 150-lap Feature with a 23-car field set by Heats and Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ)
Event Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang
● Qualified sixth to start second in Heat No. 2.
● Finished fourth in Heat to advance to Feature, where he started 14th.
● Finished seventh in Feature, completing all 150 laps.

“It was one of the coolest events I’ve ever been a part of. To walk down those steps into the Coliseum and see the big names performing… it was a fun track to race around. Hats off to NASCAR. They deserve a great pat on the back for what they’ve done here. I’d love to come back.”

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang
● Qualified 23rd to start sixth in Heat No. 3.
● Finished sixth in Heat to start fourth in LCQ. (Only the top-four in each Heat advanced to Feature.)
● Finished second in LCQ to advance to Feature, where he started 19th.
● Finished 10th in Feature, completing all 150 laps.

“I thought it was a great event. I don’t think you could’ve asked for it to go any better, as far as the event goes. My car was just way too loose all weekend and couldn’t get going.”

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang
● Qualified 26th to start seventh in Heat No. 2.
● Finished second in Heat to advance to Feature, where he started sixth.
● Finished 22nd in Feature due to a mechanical issue, completing 53 of 150 laps.

“We had such a fast Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang and I think we had a shot at starting the season with a win. Yesterday during practice and today in the heat race it just handled so well. Once we got through those first 15 to 20 laps, it had plenty of grip and then that first caution was when it went downhill. There are always things to work out with new cars and it’s unfortunate that it happened when we were up front, but the great thing about this race is we get a chance to get on track and figure it all out before we get to Daytona. This is still a great way to start the season. We’ve proven that we can show up and be competitive, and I’m excited to get to the next one in a few weeks.”

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Farmer John Ford Mustang
● Qualified 21st to start sixth in Heat No. 1.
● Finished eighth in Heat to start seventh in LCQ.
● Finished ninth in LCQ due to an accident, completing four of 50 laps. (Only the top-three in LCQ advanced to Feature.)

“It was a bigger hit than I expected with as slow as we were going here. The 38 (Todd Gilliland) just destroyed us. We had a decent start and we were moving forward and the 38 just drove in there a mile and tore us up.”

Race Notes:
● Fourteen of the 23 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● This was the first-ever stock car race to be held inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Next Up:
The official start of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season begins with Daytona Speedweek Feb. 15-20 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Daytona 500 qualifying takes place at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 16 with live coverage on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Only the top-two positions will be locked into the 64th Daytona 500. The rest of the field will earn their respective starting positions in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel – twin 150-mile heat races that set the rest of the Daytona 500 field. The Duel gets underway at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17 with live coverage on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Daytona Speedweek then culminates with the Daytona 500 at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 20 with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

In the Know – The Busch Light Clash

“In the Know”
THE CLASH AT THE COLISEUM

The 2022 season kicks off in a new location, on a new track, with a new car. All four SHR Cup teams head to LA for the Busch Light Clash where we’ll battle on a purpose-built, quarter-mile, asphalt oval inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Tune in to the broadcast and prepare to be entertained! The Boss, Tony Stewart, will join  Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer in the booth for FOX on Sunday, February 6, adding more star power to the event in Los Angeles. Don’t miss a minute of the coverage.

The Details

NASCAR Cup Series Overview

● Event: Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 6
● Location:  Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
● Layout: Quarter-mile oval
● Format: 150-lap Feature with a 23-car field set by Heats and Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ)
● TV/Radio: FOX / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
● Note: Heats and LCQ are broadcast live from 3-5 p.m. EST. Feature airs live at 6 p.m. EST.

The FORMAT

In true L.A. fashion, almost any NASCAR Cup Series team can show up at the Coliseum, but not everyone is getting past the velvet ropes to participate in the 150-lap main event. Because the track at the L.A. Coliseum is only a quarter-mile in length – the shortest track the NASCAR Cup Series will compete on in 2022 – only 23 cars can compete in the feature. Getting to the main event is much more arduous than walking the red carpet and slipping the bouncer a $100 bill. Here’s how it will work:

  • After Saturday’s practice and the initial single-car qualifying session, drivers will be placed into heat races based on their best-posted qualifying speed. Every car entered into the Clash automatically advances to one of the heat races, giving them a chance to move on to the main event.
  • On Sunday, drivers compete in one of four 25-lap heat races with up to 10 cars in each race. The fields will be filled out in a manner consistent with their initial qualifying speed. Fastest will start on pole in the first heat race, second-fastest starts on pole in the second heat race, and so on (one, five, nine, etc., line up in Heat 1).
  • The top four finishers in each heat race will automatically advance to the main event, totaling 16 drivers with a ticket to Sunday’s feature. Drivers who do not advance from their qualifying race will be placed into one of two 50-lap Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) races. The top three from each LCQ advance to the Sunday feature.
  • The final spot in the 23-man main event is reserved for the driver who finished the highest in the 2021 points standings who does not transfer on finishing position in the heat races or LCQ.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS

We’ll be heading to LA in style. Check out our fresh wraps for The Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum.

What Our Drivers are Saying:

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

What are your expectations for the Busch Light Clash?
“It’s going to be a lot of quick throttle, heavy brake, and the speeds are going to be so much slower compared to what we’re used to that you’re going to have to just wing that part of it.”

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

Are you excited about racing inside of the Coliseum?
“Having the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum is such a unique opportunity for our sport. All of the history this venue has is one thing, but it’s another to make history debuting the NextGen car at the same time. No one really knows what to anticipate during the race, but it’s definitely going to put on a show for the fans in attendance and those fans at home watching. The one really cool thing is that I’ll be able to tell my kids and grandkids that I raced inside the Coliseum. My son got really excited when I showed him pictures. He said ‘Dad that’s where the Cars movie was filmed,’ so that was funny.”

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

What was the biggest thing you learned during your rookie year in the Cup Series?
“The biggest thing I learned my rookie year was that it takes a lot of things in the Cup Series to have a good result. At the end of the day, every little detail matters, whether it’s getting off and on pit road under green, having a good pit stop, and every pit stop with no penalties, and good restarts. It literally takes every single thing to even be in the hunt at the end of the day. There are days where you can do everything perfect and you’re still not in the hunt, so just trying to capitalize on those days where you have a good car and good speed and not make mistakes. Last year, I made a lot of mistakes, whether it was penalties or just not maximizing pit road and things like that. So, I’m going to try improve on that this year and learn from those things and be able to capitalize when we do have a good car.”

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

What is it going to be like for a driver to be in that Coliseum environment, and how do your prepare for that?
“Nobody really knows what to expect with this being the first race with the new car and also a track we’ve never run before. Like I said, with how small the track is, there’s going to be a lot of beating and banging and it’s probably going to be the craziest race of the year. You get on a simulator to figure out little things – just getting prepared, getting the visuals right for the racetrack, getting a little bit of a feel for it. But really, it’s going to be a lot of adapting. You’re going to go out there for the first lap of practice and you’re going to try and soak it up and adapt as fast as you can.”

Of Special Interest: THE NEXT GEN

The NextGen car is an entirely new racecar, and if you’re keeping score at home, it’s the seventh version of the stock car NASCAR introduced in 1949. Each version has been an improvement from its predecessor, be it from a manufacturer standpoint with more aerodynamic bodies or from a NASCAR standpoint with better overall safety. Dimensions have varied over the years with drivers, teams and manufacturers politicking for various changes to spoilers, splitters, roof railings, ride-heights, etc., resulting in a multitude of templates that have shaped the on-track product. But the NextGen car is a massive leap forward, as never in NASCAR’s 73 prior years has this much time, energy and money been spent to bring a car from concept to reality. Say goodbye to such time-honored traditions as the H-pattern shifter, 750-horsepower engines, five-lug wheels and even centered door numbers. You can say “Hi” to them at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, but not at a NASCAR Cup Series track. Instead, say hello to a sequential shifter, 670-horsepower engines, a single center-lock wheel nut akin to Indy cars and sports cars, and car numbers just behind the front wheels. But that’s not all. Introduce yourself to carbon fiber-reinforced plastic body panels, a carbon-fiber floor that covers the entire underneath portion of the car, and a rear-end diffuser – all of which are in place to reduce dirty air. And it’s more than skin deep, as rack-and-pinion steering replaces the archaic recirculating ball, and an independent rear suspension is a drastic upgrade from the full floating axle first championed by 1950s-era Detroit iron. The bottom line is that the NextGen car is much more in line with what manufacturers sell and consumers want. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday has never been more accurate.

Check out some of SHR’s first with the Next Gen on YouTube:

Rheem Reunites with Harvick in 2022

America’s No. 1 Water Heating Brand To Serve as Primary Partner of No. 4 Ford Mustang for Three NASCAR Cup Series Races

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (Jan. 11, 2022) – As Kevin Harvick embarks on his 22nd year in the NASCAR Cup Series, a familiar brand rejoins the driver of the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in 2022.

Rheem, America’s No. 1 water heating brand and major air conditioning and heating manufacturer, is commemorating its 15th anniversary in racing, and as a part of the celebration, Rheem will partner with Harvick and the No. 4 team for three NASCAR Cup Series races. Harvick will drive the No. 4 Rheem Ford Mustang March 6 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, May 8 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and Sept. 11 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.

The pairing reunites Rheem with Harvick, a relationship that began in 2007 when Harvick won the Daytona 500 in dramatic fashion, beating NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin for the victory by .02 of a second in a frantic green- white-checkered finish. It led to Rheem serving as a primary partner for Harvick’s NASCAR Xfinity Series team, Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), in 2008.

“Kevin Harvick helped launch Rheem Racing and through KHI, Kevin played a prominent role in Rheem realizing value in the sport and progressively moving up to the NASCAR Cup Series,” said Ed Raniszeski, executive director, Rheem motorsports. “Kevin’s long history with Rheem and his great rapport with Rheem customers makes this a very welcome homecoming. NASCAR has been an increasingly valuable platform for Rheem and we hope this reunion serves as our way of thanking racing fans for supporting Rheem and all sponsors who showcase their brands and believe in the power and future of NASCAR.”

Rheem’s debut with KHI came on May 2, 2008 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway where Harvick finished second in the Lipton Tea 250. Harvick delivered Rheem its first victory as a primary sponsor on Feb. 27, 2010 when he won the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas. Rheem aligned as a primary partner with Harvick in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2011 and stayed with him through the 2013 season before Harvick joined SHR in 2014.

“It’s been 15 years since we first started working with Rheem and it’s great to be back with them,” Harvick said. “The NASCAR fan is their customer, and we’ve worked really hard to understand that relationship to ensure Rheem gets a good return on its investment. This year kind of throws it back to how it all began with Rheem being a primary sponsor on one of my racecars. I’m proud to carry their colors again in 2022.”

Harvick is the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion and he is also a two-time Xfinity Series champion (2001 and 2006). He has 119 points-paying victories across NASCAR’s top-three national touring series – Cup (58 wins), Xfinity (47 wins) and Camping World Truck (14 wins).

Harvick’s season kicks off with the non-points Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Feb. 5-6 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before the official start of the 2022 campaign with the 64th annual Daytona 500 Feb. 20 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

About Rheem:
Founded in 1925, Rheem® innovates new ways to deliver precise temperatures while saving energy, water and supporting a more sustainable future. Rheem is America’s No. 1 water heating brand with products available in more than 80 countries. Paloma Co., Ltd.® of Nagoya, Japan, acquired the iconic Rheem brand in 1988. Today the company’s portfolio of premium brands include Rheem®, Raypak®, Ruud®, Eemax®, Richmond®, Splendid®, Solahart® and EverHotTM as well as commercial refrigeration brands Russell®, Witt®, ColdZone® and Kramer®, which are part of the Heat Transfer Products Group (HTPG®) division and, most recently, Friedrich, an industry leader in high-end air conditioning solutions.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:
Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 90 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at StewartHaasRacing.com and on social at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Almirola To Retire at End of 2022 Season

Smithfield Foods To Continue as Anchor Partner for No. 10 Team

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (Jan. 10, 2022) – The 2022 season will be Aric Almirola’s 15th and final year as a NASCAR Cup Series driver. The 37-year-old racer will retire after the season finale Nov. 6 at Phoenix Raceway.

Longtime sponsor Smithfield Foods will continue as an anchor partner of Almirola and the No. 10 team of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), with 2022 marking the brand’s 11th year with Almirola and its fifth with SHR.

“I truly enjoy driving racecars and I’m excited to race my heart out in 2022 for Smithfield and Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang. “But to be the best in this business, you’ve got to be selfish, and for the last 37 years my life has always revolved around me and what I needed to do.

“I want to be present. I want to be the best husband and father, and that to me means more than being a racecar driver. So, it’s one more year where I’m all in on racing, where we’ll do whatever it takes to compete at the highest level. But when the season is over, I’ll be ready to wave goodbye. I’ve loved every minute of it, but it’s time for the next chapter of my life.”

Almirola made his NASCAR Cup Series debut on March 11, 2007 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, three days before his 23rd birthday. He teamed up with Smithfield in 2012 while at Richard Petty Motorsports for his first full year in Cup. The Smithfield/Almirola partnership is now one of the most tenured in NASCAR, and since the duo joined SHR in 2018, Almirola has represented Smithfield in the NASCAR Playoffs every year and scored two wins – Oct. 14, 2018 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and July 18, 2021 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure to have Aric as part of our Smithfield Family for more than a decade now,” said Shane Smith, president and CEO, Smithfield Foods. “In addition to being an incredibly talented racer and devoted family man, Aric embodies Smithfield’s values and has embraced our commitment to do good for our customers, employees and communities. He will always be family. We wish him all the best in his next chapter and look forward to another great year with him and Stewart-Haas Racing.”

Almirola’s decision to make the 2022 season his last was pragmatic. The Tampa, Florida-native is a husband and father of two, and as he and his wife, Janice, looked at life beyond racetracks on Sundays, Almirola determined that stepping back from racing would allow him to take new steps with his children as they pursue dreams of their own.

“Janice and I have spent many nights talking about it and the questions are the same as anyone else would have when you’re going to stop doing something. Can I afford it? The answer I kept coming up with is that I can’t afford not to. Will I regret it? I think I’ll regret it if I don’t,” Almirola said.

“At the end of this season, we’re going to have a 10-year-old in Alex and a nine-year-old in Abby, and I’m going to have a short window with them while they still think Dad is cool. I want to be there for them and to be a part of the things they’re interested in. Before we know it, they’re going to have car keys and they’re going to be running off with their friends, doing the same things I did when I was 16 or 17.”

Tony Stewart, co-owner of SHR with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas, first met Almirola in 2004 when they were teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing. Stewart was already a NASCAR Cup Series champion with the first of his three titles in hand (2002, 2005 and 2011) while Almirola was just beginning his NASCAR career after being selected as one of the first two drivers for Gibbs’ diversity program.

“I’ve watched Aric develop into a really good racecar driver and it was a proud moment when we were able to bring him to Stewart-Haas Racing,” Stewart said. “He’s really delivered for our race team and for Smithfield, always putting in maximum effort. I know he wants to go out on a high note and we’re going to give him all the resources to succeed.

“That being said, we also want him to enjoy this season. Aric is a great husband and father, and this year will bring a lot

of cool moments that he’ll be able to share with his family. He’s earned this opportunity to go out on his terms.”

Almirola’s best seasons have come with SHR. He finished a career-high fifth in points in 2018 and scored a career-best 18 top-10 finishes in 2020.

“It means a lot to be able to walk away on my own terms. It’s been a great ride. I have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination and I honestly have no regrets,” Almirola said.

“Do I wish I would’ve won more races? Sure, and there’s still an opportunity this year. Do I wish I would’ve won a championship? Sure, and I’ve got a lot of drive to make that happen this year. I’m a competitive person. I want to win and I want to be a champion, but at the end of the day, I know that those things mean way less than being there for my family.

“I made it to the highest level of American motorsports as a professional racecar driver. It’s been amazing, with a lot of ups and downs and everything in between. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But I’m ready to go back to being a fan.”

Almirola’s final season kicks off with the non-points Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Feb. 5-6 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before the official start of the 2022 campaign with the 64th annual Daytona 500 Feb. 20 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

About Smithfield Foods, Inc.:
Headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia, since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Our 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing “Good food. Responsibly.®” and have made Smithfield one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield®, Eckrich® and Nathan’s Famous®, among many others. For more information, visit www.SmithfieldFoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:
Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 90 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at StewartHaasRacing.com and on social at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.

-SHR-

Stewart-Haas Racing Hires Ryan Preece as Reserve Driver

New Englander To Perform Simulator Work While Running Mix of NASCAR Races

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (Jan. 6, 2022) – Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has hired Ryan Preece as its reserve driver for the 2022 NASCAR season.

The 31-year-old racer from Berlin, Connecticut, will perform simulator work while running a mix of races across each of NASCAR’s top-three touring series – Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck. Preece will be a Ford Performance driver in each series, and he will be the default driver if any of SHR’s fulltime drivers are unable to compete due to COVID-19 or any other unforeseen circumstance.

“Ryan is a versatile wheelman with a racer’s mentality who fits extremely well within our culture at Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition, SHR. “Between the amount of testing and development work we’re doing with the NextGen car this year, his added insights and time in the simulator will make us better by allowing us to learn faster.

“Plus, we’re still dealing with COVID. As much as we all want it to be over, it’s not. We needed a more robust plan in the event COVID sidelines one of our drivers. We have that now with Ryan.”

Preece will run a total of 12 races – two in Cup, three in Xfinity and seven in Truck. His Cup and Xfinity Series races will be in coordination with SHR and its technical alliance partners. His Truck Series starts will come with David Gilliland Racing.

“This is a unique setup, but I feel like it provides me with the best opportunity to win races and contribute to a championship-caliber team while expanding my racing experience,” said Preece, who spent the last three seasons (2019- 2021) competing fulltime in Cup. “I’m a racer, and Stewart-Haas Racing is a team built by racers. They measure success by wins. Whether I’m in the simulator, in one of their cars, or in a Ford Mustang or Ford F-150 for another team, I’m here to help SHR and Ford win.”

Preece’s two Cup Series races will be May 1 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway and May 29 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. His three Xfinity Series races will be April 2 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, May 28 at Charlotte and June 25 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. His seven Truck Series races will be March 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, March 19 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, May 6 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, May 20 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, June 24 at Nashville, July 23 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and Sept. 9 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.

Preece made two Truck Series starts last year, winning in his series debut June 18 at Nashville. He is a two-time Xfinity Series victor, winning in July 2017 at Iowa Speedway in Newton and April 2018 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Preece is especially known for his exploits on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. He won the series championship in 2013 and has amassed 25 victories, three of which came last year – July 17 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, Aug. 6 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway, and Sept. 10 at Richmond.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:
Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 90 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at StewartHaasRacing.com and on social at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.

-SHR-

Stewart-Haas Racing Bolsters Competition Leadership with Key Promotion and New Addition

Mike Bugarewicz Promoted to Performance Director;
Drew Blickensderfer Named Crew Chief for Aric Almirola and No. 10 Team

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (Jan. 4, 2022) – Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has bolstered its competition leadership by promoting Mike “Buga” Bugarewicz to the newly formed role of performance director and by adding Drew Blickensderfer to its crew chief lineup.

Bugarewicz is an eight-year SHR veteran who has spent the past six seasons as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief, most recently with driver Aric Almirola and the No. 10 team. Bugarewicz has won with every driver he has been paired with, including SHR co-owner Tony Stewart. His promotion to performance director merges Bugarewicz’s hands-on experience as a crew chief with his engineering mindset, as the 39-year-old from Lehighton, Pennsylvania, holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State University.

“With the NextGen car being brand new, there will be continuous development on it every time it turns a wheel. Going into it, we knew we needed to shore up our resources and really bolster our competitive approach. Buga is the right guy to tackle all the newness that’s coming at us pretty fast,” said Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition, SHR. “He’s an engineer and he’s also a racer. He will be that glue between simulation, at-track reality, engineering and our race teams, and his laser-like focus in this new role of performance director will be a huge asset to our team.”

With Bugarewicz’s promotion, Blickensderfer takes over as crew chief for Almirola and the No. 10 team. Blickensderfer is a NASCAR veteran who already has a history with Almirola. He served as his crew chief while together at Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) for the last few races of 2016 and then all of 2017 before Almirola departed RPM for SHR in 2018. Blickensderfer comes to SHR from Front Row Motorsports where the 45-year-old from Decatur, Illinois, won the 2021 Daytona 500 with driver Michael McDowell. It was Blickensderfer’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory as a crew chief. He previously guided David Ragan to a win and Matt Kenseth to two victories.

“Drew has been in the sport a long time and knows how to get the best out of the people around him, and that’s really what the job of crew chief has become,” Zipadelli said. “We have the same parts and pieces, but what we do with those parts and pieces will make the difference. Drew has worked with a lot of drivers and managed a lot of people. He already has a rapport with Aric, and that will make the learning curve in a season full of learning a little less steep.”

The rest of SHR’s crew chief lineup remains intact across both its NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series teams.

Rodney Childers, crew chief for the No. 4 team, will begin his ninth year atop the pit box for driver Kevin Harvick. The Harvick/Childers duo is the longest-tenured active driver-crew chief pairing in the NASCAR Cup Series garage, a partnership that has netted 35 points-paying wins and the 2014 championship.

John Klausmeier remains the crew chief for the No. 14 team and driver Chase Briscoe. Klausmeier helped Briscoe secure the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series rookie-of-the-year title. The 2022 season will mark Klausmeier’s fifth season as a crew chief.

Similarly, Mike Shiplett remains the crew chief for the No. 41 team and driver Cole Custer. The 2022 season will be the fourth straight year Custer and Shiplett have been paired together. The duo first joined in the Xfinity Series in 2019 where Shiplett oversaw a seven-win season and a runner-up finish in the championship standings. Custer and Shiplett moved to Cup as one in 2020, with Custer handily securing the rookie-of-the-year award via his win at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta.

Richard Boswell has been the main steward of SHR’s Xfinity Series program since its inception in 2017 and he will continue in that capacity in 2022. He will again serve as crew chief for driver Riley Herbst and the No. 98 team. Boswell has been the crew chief for nine of SHR’s 21 Xfinity Series wins.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:
Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 90 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at StewartHaasRacing.com and on social at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Mahindra Partners with Stewart-Haas Racing

‘Official Tractor of Tough’ To Serve as an Anchor Sponsor for NASCAR Cup Series Driver Chase Briscoe and No. 14 Team

Mahindra Also Joins Briscoe for 36th Annual Chili Bowl Nationals

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (Dec. 10, 2021) – Mahindra Ag North America has joined Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) as an anchor sponsor for its No. 14 NASCAR Cup Series team and driver Chase Briscoe beginning with the 2022 season.

The multiyear partnership with the championship-winning NASCAR team co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and industrialist Gene Haas will feature Mahindra Tractors, a brand of Mahindra Ag North America, on Briscoe’s No. 14 Ford Mustang for the majority of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. The red-and-black No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang will debut in the non-points Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Feb. 5-6 in Los Angeles before returning to action for the traditional start of the season with the 64th running of the Daytona 500 Feb. 20 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

Houston-based Mahindra Ag North America is part of Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector, the No. 1 selling farm tractor company in the world, based on volumes across all company brands. Mahindra offers a range of tractor models from 20-125 horsepower, implements and the ROXOR side-by-side. Mahindra farm equipment is engineered to be easy to operate by first-time tractor or side-by-side owners and heavy duty to tackle the tough jobs of rural living, farming and ranching. Steel-framed Mahindra Tractors and side-by-sides are ideal for customers who demand performance, reliability and comfort at a great value. Mahindra dealers are independent, family-owned businesses located throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“NASCAR, Stewart-Haas Racing and Mahindra’s shared values form a strong platform for us to connect with existing and potential customers. Our partnership with SHR provides an opportunity to tell our story to the wide audience of NASCAR fans who enjoy the outdoors and working their land,” said Viren Popli, President and CEO, Mahindra Ag North America and Mahindra Automotive North America.

“Chase Briscoe and Tony Stewart are relatable men of great character who have worked hard to get where they are today. Like our dealers, they have a tough work ethic and the drive to be successful. We are proud to have them representing the brand. In fact, Tony is already a Mahindra owner and has been putting his 5145 tractor to good use on his ranch in Indiana,” Popli added.

Briscoe just completed his first year in the NASCAR Cup Series and the 26-year-old from Mitchell, Indiana, handily won the rookie-of-the-year title driving the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang for SHR.

“The NASCAR Cup Series is the toughest racing I’ve ever been a part of. It’s so competitive,” Briscoe said. “I learned so much this year and I really can’t wait to apply it all next season.

“I’m incredibly honored to represent Mahindra Tractors and all of its dealers. We both want to continue to grow and perform – me on the racetrack and Mahindra in the marketplace. It’s a true partnership that’s valuable to both of us.”

Prior to being promoted to the NASCAR Cup Series, Briscoe competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he won a series-high nine races in 2020

“Chase has earned his spot in the Cup Series,” said Stewart, a fellow Hoosier from Columbus, Indiana, who lives on a 414-acre spread. “He was relentless. Anytime he was challenged, he never backed down, and that’s the way you have to be at this level.

“Chase is just a really hard worker. He’s earned everything that’s come his way and then made the most of each opportunity. That’s what has always impressed me about him, and I think that’s what impressed Mahindra Tractors. They’re a really good fit. This is a very rewarding partnership and I’m proud to be a Mahindra customer.”

Briscoe is a third-generation racer whose career began on dirt tracks in and around Indiana. Stewart raced with Briscoe’s dad, Kevin, in USAC sprint cars and in non-wing cars, and he watched Chase come up through the open-wheel ranks of sprint cars and midgets on his way to NASCAR, just as Stewart did in the mid-1990s on his way to INDYCAR and then NASCAR.

“When it comes to the 14 car, I obviously have a passion for having dirt drivers behind the wheel,” Stewart said. “It’s special, but also practical. With the lower horsepower package they have in the Cup Series, you have to run these cars a lot freer, and I think that suits a driver with a dirt background.”

Briscoe will return to his dirt-track roots Jan. 10-15 during the 36th annual Chili Bowl Nationals at the Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Raceway inside the SageNet Center. Mahindra Tractors will be the primary sponsor of Briscoe’s No. 5 midget.

“Dirt-track racing makes me a better Cup Series driver,” said Briscoe, who will make his eighth Chili Bowl appearance in 2022. “It forces you to adapt. You have to run different lines to get the most out of your car and you have to do it quickly.

“When I won my first Xfinity Series race on the Roval at Charlotte, I drove it like a dirt track. I made sure to not spin the rear tires to where I was good at the end of a run. Running the Chili Bowl is fun, but it also keeps you sharp. It’ll be a great way to kick off our first season with Mahindra Tractors.”

Briscoe’s first time behind the wheel of a racecar came in 2001. Driving a quarter midget, he won his first heat race and then won the feature event later that evening. Briscoe moved on to mini sprints and when he was 13, stepped into a 410 sprint car where, in his first race, finished 10th in a 40-car field. In a rookie season that saw 37 starts, Briscoe racked up eight top-five and 17 top-10 finishes, including a win in the last race of the season where he broke NASCAR Hall of Famer and four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon’s record as the youngest person to win a 410 sprint car race.

Briscoe continued to race 410 sprint cars in the Midwest and people began to take notice. Soon, the switch from sprint cars to stock cars was on. Cunningham Motorsports hired Briscoe in 2016 to pilot its No. 77 Ford for a full-time drive in ARCA. Briscoe responded by winning six races and the championship by a whopping 535 points.

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

Briscoe parlayed a limited Xfinity Series schedule in 2018 where he drove for both SHR and Roush-Fenway Racing into a full-time drive in 2019 for SHR where he won the rookie-of-the-year title. His stout, nine-win season in 2020 earned Briscoe a well-deserved promotion to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021.

About Mahindra Ag North America:
Mahindra Ag North America (MAgNA) is part of Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector, the No. 1 selling farm tractor company in the world, based on volumes and the only tractor manufacturer in the world to win the industry’s top two quality awards – the Deming Application Prize and the Japan Quality Medal, care of Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers. Mahindra serves the agricultural and rural lifestyle customers in the United States and Canada by partnering with a network of independently owned dealerships. Houston, Texas, based, MAgNA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and began selling tractors in the USA in 1994. To learn more about Mahindra Ag North America, please visit us online at MahindraUSA.com and on social at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:
Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 90 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at StewartHaasRacing.com and on social at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.

-SHR-

 

SHR Post-Race Recap – Phoenix Season Finale

STEWART-HAAS RACING
NASCAR Cup Series Season Finale at Phoenix

Date: Nov. 7, 2021
Event: Season Finale 500 (Round 36 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Phoenix Raceway (1-mile oval)
Format: 312 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/115 laps/122 laps)

Champion: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Race Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

SHR Race Finish:
● Aric Almirola (Started 18th, Finished 6th / Running, completed 312 of 312 laps)
● Kevin Harvick (Started 9th, Finished 8th / Running, completed 312 of 312 laps)
● Cole Custer (Started 7th, Finished 13th / Running, completed 312 of 312 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 22nd, Finished 35th / Accident, completed 153 of 312 laps)

SHR Points:
● Kevin Harvick (5th with 2,361 points)
● Aric Almirola (15th with 2,215 points)
● Chase Briscoe (23rd with 655 points)
● Cole Custer (26th with 575 points)

SHR Notes:
● Almirola earned his fifth top-10 of the season and his seventh top-10 in 22 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix.
● This was Almirola’s second straight top-10. He finished sixth in the series’ prior race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
● This was Almirola’s fourth straight top-15 at Phoenix.
● Harvick earned his 24th top-10 of the season and his 27th top-10 in 38 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix.
● Harvick’s 24 top-10s in 2021 is the third highest total among NASCAR Cup Series drivers. Only Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin earned more top-10s this season, with Larson securing 26 top-10s and Hamlin getting 25 top-10s.
● Harvick’s 27 top-10s at Phoenix are the most among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers.
● This was Harvick’s 17th straight top-10 at Phoenix. The last time he finished outside the top-10 was March 3, 2013 when he finished 13th.
● Harvick finished second in Stage 1 to earn nine bonus points and sixth in Stage 2 to earn five more bonus points.
● Harvick led one lap, increasing his laps led total at Phoenix to a series-leading 1,663.
● Harvick has now led 11,356 laps since joining SHR in 2014. He has led 15,781 laps in his entire NASCAR Cup Series career.
● Custer earned his eighth top-15 of the season and his second top-15 in four career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix.
● Custer finished seventh in Stage 1 to earn four bonus points.
● When the checkered flag dropped on the Season Finale 500, Briscoe was officially named the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year. Briscoe was the highest-finishing rookie 29 times this season.
● Briscoe is one of only three drivers to win the rookie-of-the-year title in all three of NASCAR’s top national touring series – Camping World Truck (2017), Xfinity (2019) and Cup (2021). He joins William Byron and Erik Jones.

Race Notes:
● Kyle Larson won the Season Finale 500 to score his 16th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his series-high 10th of the season and his first at Phoenix. His margin over second-place Martin Truex Jr., was .398 of a second.
● Larson earned his first NASCAR Cup Series championship by virtue of his win. He is the 35th different driver to win the series title.
● There were nine caution periods for a total of 51 laps.
● Only 24 of the 39 drivers in the Season Finale 500 finished on the lead lap.

Phoenix Quotes

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“We had a really, really good long-run HighPoint.com Mustang, but our short-run speed, we were just trying to hang on. We were three-wide one time off of turn four and the 18 got into me a little and gave it a little bit of a tire rub. I think he was getting frustrated because I was just trying to hold those guys up as long as I could, because I knew if I made it 15 laps I would be OK. He got into me into (turn) three. I feel like, at the same time, my left-rear tire cut. I don’t know if that was from the damage earlier and then when he got into me the second time it finally cut it or what. At that point, I was along for the ride. It is super unfortunate. We had a top-10 car, and if we could have had some long runs maybe even a top-five car. We went all year long and never crashed a car, so to end it on the last one like that is unfortunate. You always want a good run at the end of the season to build momentum into the off-season. You just want to have good runs every week. I hate it that it ended this way, but I am looking forward to the future and everything that entails.

“It’s definitely cool to end the season as Rookie of the Year and to have that in all three series. I definitely had higher expectations coming into this year, but it was a weird year. As a company, we struggled way more than we thought we would. You base your expectations off of last year, and we just weren’t quite there from a performance standpoint, so you alter those expectations a little bit. The 14 team was competitive in a couple of races and battling for a few wins and top-fives. I think we have proved that whenever we get the car driving right and have the speed, we are fully capable of running up front with those guys. I wouldn’t say the season was a thumbs up or a thumbs down, maybe somewhere in the middle. There is still a lot that I have to learn to do better. The Cup Series guys are so good. You have to be on it 100 percent and clean up a lot of little things. I feel like going into the Next Gen car it will be nice to have a year under my belt and know all the little things to work on during the off-season to try to apply to next year.”

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“What a season. What a day. We worked so hard to finish off the season strong, and we ran where this 10 team was capable of running all year. It was such a rollercoaster of a year. We had some really high highs and really low lows. We capped off the season with two sixth-place finishes when we’re running in the midst of the championship-contending playoff drivers, and I can’t be prouder of that after the year we’ve had.”

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“We started off strong today and finished in the top-10 in the first stage but then started to really struggle with the balance on our racecar in the second stage. That caution during green-flag pit stops in the final stage put us back, but we were able to recover for a top-15. Thankful for the support this season from all of our sponsors, Ford Performance and SHR. We learned a lot this season and will continue to build in 2022.”

Next Up:
The 2022 season begins with the non-points Busch Clash on Feb. 6 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before kicking off its 36-race slate of points-paying events with the 64th Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. FS1 will broadcast the Busch Clash at the Coliseum and FOX will broadcast the Daytona 500. Each event will be live and can also be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-SHR-

Riley Herbst Phoenix NXS Race Report

Herbst Scores Strong Fourth at Phoenix
Driver of No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Rallies
from Seventh to Fourth in Green-White-Checkered Finish

Date: Nov. 6, 2021
Event: NASCAR Xfinity Series Season Finale (Round 33 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Phoenix Raceway (1-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish: 5th / 4th (Running, completed 204 of 204 laps)
Point Standing: 11th with 2,157 points
Note: Race extended four laps past its scheduled 200-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Champion: Daniel Hemric of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Race Winner: Daniel Hemric of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Daniel Hemric of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Overview:
Riley Herbst seized the opportunity of a green-white checkered finish and powered his way from seventh to finish fourth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series season finale Saturday night at Phoenix Raceway. The driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing was a top-10 mainstay during the 204-lap race, which went four laps past its scheduled 200-lap distance due to the green-white-checkered. Herbst proved resilient, for after starting fifth, he dealt with power-steering issues and a racecar that was too loose at the start of a run and too tight at the end of a run. Nonetheless, Herbst finished ninth in the first stage and 10th in the second stage. A bevy of cautions in the final laps placed Herbst seventh for the green-white-checkered finish. When the green flag dropped, Herbst darted through the traffic ahead of him to pick up his fifth top-five of the season and his second straight fourth-place finish at Phoenix. The result was also Herbst’s second consecutive top-10 as he finished 10th in the series’ prior race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Herbst ended the year 11th in the championship standings, bettering his point standing from 2020 when he finished 12th as an Xfinity Series rookie.

Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“I think we had a little bit going on with the motor and the power steering, so the short runs we were loose and it was really hard to drive because I couldn’t counter-steer to the right, just because the power steering was going in and out. I was begging for long runs because once we got spread out and I could start just being easier on the front tires and then, ultimately, be easier on the steering. Thank you to Monster Energy, Ford Performance and Stewart-Haas Racing. It’s a good way to close out this year after kind of a really bumpy year to be honest with you. Hopefully, we can go into 2022 pretty strong.”

Notes:
● Herbst finished the season with five top-fives and 13 top-10s. He has a total of nine top-fives and 34 top-10s in 76 career Xfinity Series starts.
● Herbst finished ninth in Stage 1 to earn two bonus points and 10th in Stage 2 to earn one more bonus point.
● Daniel Hemric won the NASCAR Xfinity Series season finale to score his first career Xfinity Series victory. His margin over second-place Austin Cindric was .030 of a second.
● Hemric earned the Xfinity Series championship by virtue of his win.
● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 61 laps.
● Twenty-nine of the 36 drivers in the NASCAR Xfinity Series season finale finished on the lead lap.

Next Up:
The 2022 season kicks off with the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Live coverage will be provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-SHR-