Author: Kellye Arning

Clint Bowyer’s 2017 playoff chances come down to the final 400 laps of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup regular season Saturday night at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. If the first-year Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) driver is going to be part of the battle for the championship, he’ll need to win Saturday night in Virginia.

It’s a tall order.

“We know it isn’t going to be easy, but I’m never going to give up and nobody on this No. 14 team will give up until the checkered flag flies Saturday night,” said Bowyer. “Ever since we began the season, we’ve said we needed a win to get into the playoffs. That’s our mindset this weekend.”

While the odds might be against Bowyer, he has a few things in his favor. He loves the Richmond track and statistics show it is one of his best. The Emporia, Kansas native owns two victories, four top-five finishes and 12 top-10s in 24 starts at the .75-mile, D-shaped oval. He’s also won a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Richmond in 2007.

In April, Bowyer started eighth and raced sixth late in the race before a commitment-cone violation with 81 laps remaining left him with a 15th-place finish. He hopes to rekindle the short-track magic from his past and combine it with his current SHR Ford chassis and a powerful Roush-Yates engine.

“If I had to pick a track where I think we can get a victory, then it might be Richmond,” Bowyer said. “The old girl has been good to us in the past and it would be pretty cool if she could treat us well one more time.”

Bowyer’s No. 14 team at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has scored the 11th-most points of any team in 2017, even outscoring five of the 16 drivers currently in playoff positions. But winning takes precedence over points in determining the 16-driver playoff field and, with 13 different winners this season, only three drivers will likely transfer into the playoffs based on points if Saturday night’s winner at Richmond is not a first-time winner in 2017.

Bowyer says he believes his No. 14 team is better than several teams that have clinched playoff spots. But the all-important victory has remained elusive in 2017.

“We knew it was all about winning going in,” he said. “There are some guys in the playoffs we have outrun just about every race this season, but they managed to get a victory and we haven’t. That’s the way the system is. As I have said all along, we knew we had to win to get into the playoffs.”

Bowyer visits Richmond after early engine issues left him with a 40th-place finish at Darlington (S.C) Raceway last weekend. The finish kept him in 17^th place in the championship standings but 91 points behind 16^th place with no chance to make up the difference in a single race.

“Obviously, the way the playoffs look right now, we’re not out of this thing,” he said. “We’ve still got a good racetrack coming up for us. We’ll just go there and do the best we can and put all the cards on the table over there.”

No matter what happens Saturday night at Richmond, Bowyer has enjoyed a successful inaugural season at SHR replacing three-time champion Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Ford. Bowyer has posted three second-place finishes, two third-place finishes and 10 top-10s.

But, a first-place finish and the accompanying playoff berth Saturday night would make the season even better.

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

There has to be a sense of urgency for you this weekend at Richmond?

“You come to all these racetracks with an urgency to win, just like we did at the Daytona 500. Richmond is a good track for us. We’ll go there and do the best we can.”

What are your thoughts about the season so far?

“Obviously, we’ve gotten close a few times with some second places, but that’s the first loser. We’ve got to be able to seal the deal but, as I said from the beginning of the year, it’s all about winning our first race. We haven’t been able to do that. I’m focused more on that. I care more about that. Obviously, having a chance to win a championship and everything else but, for me, I need to win to be able to solidify myself as a contender, but we need to be leading laps. We need to be doing that the right way. I don’t want to back into it on a fuel-mileage deal or a lucky situation, a situational thing. I want to be able to have those announcers talking about me all day long and carry that through to the end of the night.”

Event:             Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200
Date:               Saturday, September 2, 2017
Location:        Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
Layout:           1.366-mile oval

Kevin Harvick Notes of Interest

• Hunt Brothers Pizza makes its fourth start with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) as a primary sponsor with driver Kevin Harvick.
• Hunt Brothers Pizza will pay tribute to its first year in NASCAR with a throwback paint scheme on the No. 41 Ford Mustang Harvick will drive during the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series race Saturday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The 2017 scheme was inspired by Hunt Brothers Pizza’s No. 70 car that debuted at the 2008 Talladega Superspeedway for what was then known as Haas CNC Racing, the precursor to SHR.
• In addition to the iconic green base, the No. 41 Ford Mustang will feature red and white ribbon accents mirroring the brand’s former “pizza shoppe” design that race fans recognize from convenience stores across the country.
• Hunt Brothers Pizza and Haas CNC Racing first teamed up for the 2008 season. In 2014, Hunt Brothers Pizza reunited with what had become SHR to serve as a sponsor in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. When SHR formed an XFINITY Series team for the 2017 season, Hunt Brothers Pizza became a primary sponsor with Harvick and the No. 41 team.
• The No. 41 Ford Mustang will also include a nod to Harvick’s early days in NASCAR with the Camping World Truck Series. A classic pepperoni pizza is displayed on the car, just as the saw blade sliced across the rear quarter panel of Harvick’s No. 98 Porter Cable Ford F-150 truck in 1999.
• Harvick is making his final of six scheduled XFINITY Series starts in the No. 41 Ford Mustang for SHR in 2017.
• He finished fourth at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, third at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth in April, second at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in May, fourth at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta in July, and sixth at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in early August.
• Harvick has one pole, two top-five finishes, eight top-10s and 135 laps led in 14 XFINITY starts at Darlington.
• Harvick won the pole at Darlington in August 2003 with a lap at 167.516 mph.
• His XFINITY Series career includes 46 wins, 182 top-five finishes, 255 top-10s, 25 poles and 9,444 laps led in 340 starts.
• Harvick will be joined Saturday by SHR teammate Cole Custer in the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang at Darlington.

Kevin Harvick, Driver No. 41 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang

Hunt Brothers Pizza is running a paint scheme that throws it back to its roots in racing and also gives a nod to your history. What does running the Hunt Brothers Pizza throwback scheme like that mean to you?

“As Hunt Brothers Pizza celebrates its 10th season in NASCAR, I am honored to have been a part of its journey as it has supported me in the Truck, XFINITY and NASCAR Cup Series. But I am completely floored by the company’s creative way of implement an element of my beginnings in NASCAR for this memorable weekend. This is our eighth season together and Hunt Brothers Pizza has been a great sponsor over the years. I’m looking forward to a strong race in its throwback car.”

What makes Darlington Raceway so unique in terms of the racing?

“Darlington is a track with a lot of history and is one that you circle on your calendar each year. This track has a lot of character and it is easy to make mistakes, so we just focus on ourselves, race the track and try to avoid making any of those mistakes.”

What is it about Darlington that makes it special for you as a competitor?

“For me, personally, I look forward to coming to Darlington every year just for the fact that it means so much to our sport and has such a huge history in what we have accomplished as a sport altogether. To be able to come back and race and be able to experience things that they have experienced through the years on a racetrack that has been repaved, but its original shape is still the same. To me that is something that is pretty neat. I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

Event:               Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 (Round 24 of 33)
Date:                 Sep. 2, 2017
Location:          Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
Layout:             1.366-mile oval

Cole Custer Notes of Interest

• • The Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 will mark Cole Custer’s 29^th career NASCAR XFINITY Series start and his first ever start at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. 
  • Darlington Raceway will mark Custer’s sixth track of the season where he will race for the first time. At the previous five – Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin and Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth – he has earned two top-five finishes and three top-10s. 
  • This weekend, Darlington will host the third annual NASCAR “Throwback Weekend.” In conjunction with teams, the track is showcasing iconic paint schemes, personalities and moments from the mid-to-late 1980s.
  • Custer and Stewart-Haas Racing are recognizing two-time XFINITY Series champion Sam Ard and emulating his 1983 and 1984 championship-winning racecar via a throwback paint scheme on the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang.
  • Custer’s best finish in the 23 XFINITY Series races run this season is fourth, earned June 3 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. It was his 13^th top-10 and fifth top-five and it equaled his career-best finish.
  • Custer’s best qualifying effort in the 23 XFINITY Series races run this season is third, earned twice – April 22 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and June 10 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Custer has 13 top-10 starts and three top-five starts this season.
  • Custer has earned four top-five finishes, 11 top-10s and has led 29 laps so far in the 2017 XFINITY Series season.
  • Custer is third in the XFINITY Series Rookie of the Year standings, 57 points behind leader William Byron and five points behind second-place Daniel Hemric.
  • Custer has earned six Rookie of the Race awards this season. Rookie of the Race awards are given to the highest-finishing XFINITY Series rookie at each race.
  • Custer is sixth in the XFINITY Series driver standings, 276 points behind series leader Elliott Sadler.

Cole Custer, Driver Q&A

How special is it to honor Sam Ard in the official throwback weekend of NASCAR at Darlington Raceway?

“The double-zero number has been part of my entire NASCAR career and, over the years, I’ve gotten to know its history and met some of the people who worked with Sam and saw him race. The more I learn about Sam and all that he accomplished, the more impressive it becomes. I feel like I’m driving his car and I want to make him and his family proud. Guys like Sam Ard helped shape the sport into what it is today. Without him, I don’t know if the opportunity to drive racecars for a living would exist. I’m grateful for it and I’d like him and his family to know it. I would like to emulate his actions on and off the track. Usually, the guys who dominate the series aren’t the most liked drivers. Sam Ard was a rare case where fans actually cheered for a driver who won so much. He was respected on the track and all through the garage.”

What are your expectations coming to Darlington Raceway for the first time? 

“We’re just hoping Sam’s success rubs off on us a little bit this weekend. Hopefully there’s still some luck left in that 00 paint scheme. We tested a pretty good car there so I’m optimistic about the weekend and we’re going to do all we can to keep it up front. It was funny, though. The first day of testing I didn’t hit the wall. The second day I hit the wall just about an inch on my rear-quarter panel. Then I hit a foot, and then the whole quarter panel. I hit it about three times, but never too bad. That’s why they call it a test, though.”

What were your initial thoughts on Darlington when you tested, and what have you learned that you will bring back here in the Sport Clips VFW 200?  

“My first impression of Darlington was that it was just a real racetrack. Darlington is a place where you really have to drive it and you really have to be up on the wheel and pay respect to every single lap out there. It’s a really cool place to run and its’s challenging. I wish we had more tracks like Darlington.”

What are your thoughts on the throwback-themed race weekend at Darlington?

“I think the throwback weekend is something that NASCAR and Darlington need to keep doing. It’s really good for the sport right now. It takes us back to our roots and reminds us of where this sport came from. Being able to honor people like Sam Ard, who helped pioneer the sport, is humbling.”

Jeff Meendering, Crew Chief Q&A

What are your thoughts on the No. 00 throwback paint scheme and do you think you will have the same success as Sam did? 

“I am really excited we chose to run this paint scheme. It is an honor to support such an iconic era of racing where Sam Ard dominated the XFINITY Series and helped pioneer the sport. We should have a lot of people cheering for us in Sam’s home state. We had a good test at Darlington in May so, hopefully, we can make his family and all of his fans proud.”

He’s got the Daytona 500 and he’s got the 600-mile race at Charlotte. Now he just needs Indianapolis and Darlington.

And Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford Fusion, is ready for another milestone win in Sunday night’s Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

Only four drivers have won the four crown jewels and they are legends of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick are the only guys to see the checkered flag first at the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500.

Busch has had some success at Darlington, nearly winning the spring race in 2003. In one of the most memorable finishes in NASCAR history, Busch came up .002 of a second shy of victory at the track “Too Tough to Tame” when he was nosed out by Ricky Craven in one of the closest finishes in Cup Series competition since NASCAR instituted electronic timing in 1993.

Busch also finished third in 2010 and he won the pole position in September 2001 and April 2013. And if Busch is to be successful, he’ll have to battle the odd shape of Darlington’s racing oval.

Darlington is an egg-shaped oval, 1.366 miles in length – the odd shape because the western portion of the oval needed a tighter radius on the turns as founder Harold Brasington promised Sherman Ramsey, who owned a farm next to the property, that he wouldn’t disturb his minnow pond when he built the track in 1949.

The odd shape also means that, to find the fast way around the track, drivers run against the outside walls in each turn, sometimes brushing up against the wall and thus earning what has affectionately become known as a “Darlington Stripe” on the right side of the car. And the black marks left on the walls by the tires rubbing up against them all race weekend have led to the track’s other nickname – “The Lady in Black.”

Busch is hoping he can get a little stripe on his car, on the road to victory, to get another of the four crown jewels of NASCAR.

KURT BUSCH, Driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What would a win mean at Darlington?

“I’ve been close and it would mean the world to me because, when I first went there, I had no idea how difficult that track was going to be. And how narrow it is and how different both ends of the track are. Over the years, I quickly gained an appreciation for the nostalgia and the setting of Darlington, South Carolina and what it means for our sport. With all that mixed in together, I’d love to win that race. It’s a tough track because it changes dramatically with rubber and you have to have tire management there. You have to balance a lot of things over 500 miles.”

Are these 500 miles at Darlington the most difficult in all of NASCAR?

“Yeah, it’s flat out the most difficult. I think 500 miles at Darlington is tougher than 600 miles at Charlotte because you are up on the wheel all day and you’re right on the edge and, when you slip over that edge, you get that Darlington stripe and usually you get a fender rub and then you’re working out of a hole. Attrition usually wipes out a few guys and you don’t want to be one of those, and so you’re just right on that edge all night long.”

What makes Darlington unique? 

“Darlington demands so much attention and respect. It’s similar to a Bristol like that. It’s hard to get the setup perfect because both ends of the racetrack are so different.”

What do you think of the retro feel of Darlington?

“It’s really a fun weekend. It feels like a field trip experience when you’re a kid. It’s like when you go out with your friends and you all get dressed up together. The first year, it was about the cars. The second year, it seemed like the crew guys took over and they had all their outfits. There are diecasts that are made just for that race. Chip Wile (former president of Darlington) hit a grand slam with throwback weekend and I think all of us look forward to that. And I think the fans do, as well. It definitely helps bridge the past to the present and overall just creates a fun weekend.”

Do you remember your first race at Darlington? Your first stripe?  

“My first race and first stripe – that place chewed me up and spit me out. I think I wrecked 20 times, kept bouncing off wall. I wore out the tires but kept going. I probably finished 40^th my first time there. It really was an eye-opener on how tough NASCAR was going to be.”

Other than the finish with Ricky Craven at Darlington, do you have any other memorable moments that stand out? 

“The biggest moment at Darlington I ever had was finishing second to Ricky Craven in 2003 – everyone knows that race. It’s one of the best finishes in NASCAR history. But, probably the next-biggest moment would be during my championship run in 2004. I had an ill-handling car and still managed to finish sixth with it due to good pit stops. That was a perfect moment because it was our championship to lose, with where we finished that day in 2004. That was back when Darlington used to be in the playoffs.”

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), is helping to turn back the clock this weekend at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, site of Sunday night’s Southern 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. In true Southern 500 fashion – and celebrating the race’s theme of turning back the clock to the1985 through 1989 era – Harvick’s No. 4 Busch Beer Ford will feature a bold look inspired by Busch Beer’s iconic “Head for the Mountains” advertisements from the late 1980s.

Old-school race fans will recognize the paint scheme on Harvick’s car that is inspired by the No. 11 car piloted by Cale Yarborough during the 1979 season, but with a distinct twist: the rearing black stallion that was a mainstay in Busch advertising in the 1980s is prominently featured on the hood.

Yarborough drove the iconic Busch Beer paint scheme in one of the most significant races in NASCAR history – the 1979 Daytona 500. With most of the eastern part of the United States covered in snow thanks to massive winter storms, millions tuned in to watch the race, which was the first 500-mile NASCAR race televised in its entirety.

The 1979 Daytona 500 featured intense racing and an incredible finish that resulted in a brawl following the checkered flag. On the final lap, race leaders Yarborough and Donnie Allison collided on the backstretch. Neither driver was able to finish the race, opening the door for Richard Petty, who trailed by nearly a half lap at the time of the incident, to win his sixth Daytona 500.

As Petty made his way to victory lane, a fight broke out between Yarborough, Allison and his brother Bobby Allison inside of turn three where the cars came to rest in the infield following the on-track collision. The live television broadcast caught both the finish and the fight and NASCAR gained national publicity.

Yarborough drove the No. 11 Busch Beer car for the entire 1979 and 1980 seasons. He went on to score 10 wins, 38 top-five finishes, 44 top-10s, 15 poles and led 4,130 laps over the 62-race span.

Darlington is the perfect setting to celebrate Busch Beer’s deep racing roots, which date back nearly 40 years. Highlights of Busch’s storied racing heritage include sponsoring the Busch Pole Award in 1978, presented to Cup Series pole winners each week. Busch introduced the Busch Clash in 1979, held each year at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway the week prior to the Daytona 500. And it was title sponsor of NASCAR’s stepping-stone division – currently known as the Xfinity Series – from 1984 through 2007. Busch Beer also held the “Official Beer of NASCAR” status from 1988 through 1997.

While Harvick will drive a No. 4 Ford honoring the history of his sponsor Busch Beer, he is looking to score his second Cup Series win at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval.

In 2014, Harvick won the 65^th running of the iconic Southern 500 – one of the crown jewels on the 36-race Cup Series schedule – in dominating fashion. He started from the pole and led 238 of 374 laps en route to beating runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the finish line by .558 of a second.

The win at Darlington was the second of Harvick’s five Cup Series wins during his championship season.

With only two races remaining before the start of the 10-race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, Harvick would like to add his second win of the season at Darlington Sunday night. He scored his first of the year at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June.

The win at Sonoma allowed Harvick to clinch his spot in the playoff field for the 11th time in his career. He only needs to attempt to qualify for the remaining two regular-season races to make his playoff status official.

While Harvick and the No. 4 team are locked into the playoff field by points and wins, gaining playoff points via stage wins and race wins is now their top priority through the next two races, starting this weekend at Darlington.

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer Ford Fusion:

Your thoughts about heading back to Darlington for this special race weekend?

“Darlington has kind of found its niche with all the throwback schemes and all the things that they do with the snack bars, tickets and all the cars. It’s great to see all the teams participate – and for me it’s something that bring backs a lot of memories as to when Fred Wagenhals was around selling diecasts and creating programs and things like we used to do in the past. It’s great when you see a program come together like that.”

What’s it like to have a past driver associated with your throwback weekend?

“We had a little experience with that last year with Cale Yarborough. We had him at the racetrack, driving around in the pace car and seeing some of the old-school guys who work on my racecar be as excited as they were, guys who don’t ever really get excited about anything. To see how excited some of those guys were when Cale came, we took a picture with the whole team at the car and, to have the whole paint scheme and everything to go with it, was really great. We do a lot of things with those guys now at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. To see those guys now at the racetrack signing autographs for the fans adds just a little bit to that event. To me, last year it was really neat to have Cale there, have him around and talk to him. It’s something that means a lot because they’re a big part of the reason we’re here today.”