Author: Kellye Arning

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams will switch things up this week as drivers will be making both left and right turns when they visit Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway for the first of two road-course events this season.

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Code 3 Associates Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), heads to Sonoma with 11 races under her belt at the track dating back to 2005. However, seven of those starts came in the IndyCar Series and unfortunately won’t offer much assistance to Patrick as she competes in Sunday’s Save Mart 350k NASCAR Cup Series event.

The IndyCar Series utilized two different Sonoma road-course layouts during the seven years Patrick competed there and neither is identical to the 1.99-mile, 10-turn configuration she will drive Sunday.

Patrick’s top NASCAR Cup Series result at the track is an 18th-place finish she scored in 2014. The following year, her hopes of earning another top-20 at the track were dashed when late-race contact forced Patrick off course and left her with a 24th-place finish.

Last year, Patrick started 11^th and took the checkered flag in the 19^th position after the team’s race strategy was hindered by ill-timed cautions.

When Patrick gets to Sonoma this weekend, her No. 10 Ford will carry the white and blue colors of Code 3 Associates. The organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to providing professional animal disaster response and resources to communities, as well as administering professional training to individuals and agencies involved in animal-related law enforcement and emergency response. Its mission is accomplished through hands-on animal rescue and care operations during disaster events in the United States and Canada, and through certified animal welfare training seminars, which include animal cruelty training for investigators.

As the team prepares for the weekend ahead, Patrick will be looking to have a smooth and clean race, remain on course and notch another solid run in the No. 10 Code 3 Associates Ford at Sonoma.

DANICA PATRICK, Driver of the No. 10 Code 3 Associates Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

There are only two road-course races on the NASCAR schedule, but they’re two of the most talked about and anticipated races of the year. Why is that?

“Road-course racing is something we don’t do a lot of and I think they are some fun races to watch because the cars don’t really handle very well. Our cars are like big buses trying to get around a racetrack and we’re sliding around, our brake zones are very long, tires go off and those are things that create passing opportunities.” 

Is it a breath of fresh air to turn right and left, or do you have to psyche yourself up a bit to compete on a road course?

“Yeah, I feel like I have to psyche myself up a little bit in my approach about being aggressive and hitting the curbs and the ‘it doesn’t have to be pretty, it just has to be fast’ kind of attitude. But it’s fun. I mean, as long you can come out of the box with that and kind of start that rhythm, it’s easier to maintain all weekend, then.” 

What are the keys to racing at Sonoma?

 “I think, at Sonoma, you have to get through the high-speed esses comfortably, which leads to a good high-speed balance. Power down is also important there because it’s easy for the rear tires to just spin all the time. The fast lap times come from the high-speed balance, so that is the key for me and the Code 3 Associates team.”

What is it about the road courses that you enjoy?

“I’m very used to racing on road courses. That’s how I grew up in go-karting. It’s what I did in Europe when I raced and it’s what IndyCar Racing really became before I left. There were three IndyCar road-course races when I started and, by the end, the majority of the races were on road courses – I think it was eight or nine races. So, I’m super familiar and super comfortable on road courses, but jumping into a stock car on a road course does feel a lot different than a lot of the other cars I’ve driven before on a road course. It still makes for great races because the braking zones are longer in stock cars, which allows more opportunities for passing.”

What is the hardest part about road racing?

“The hardest part of road racing is just putting a whole lap together. The hardest part of road racing is just nailing every corner and doing it consistently when it counts.”

Event:               American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen (Round 14 of 33)
Date:                 June 24, 2017
Location:          Iowa Speedway in Newton
Layout:             .875-mile oval

Cole Custer Notes of Interest

• The American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen will mark Cole Custer’s 19^th career NASCAR XFINITY Series start and his first XFINITY Series start at Iowa Speedway in Newton. 
• While the American Ethanol E15 250 will be Custer’s first XFINITY Series start at Iowa, it will be his eighth overall start at the .875-mile oval. Custer has three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts and four NASCAR K&N Pro Series starts at Iowa.
• Custer scored his first career Pro Series East victory Aug. 2, 2013 at Iowa from the pole. At 15 years, 6 months and 10 days, he became the youngest winner in Pro Series history. In addition to breaking Dylan Kwasniewski’s record for youngest race winner by nearly six months, Custer also became the first driver to lead every lap (150) in the combination East/West race.
• Custer’s best Truck Series finish at Iowa is second, earned in 2016. Custer finished .431 of a second behind race-winner William Byron, who he’s now competing with for XFINITY Series Rookie of the Year honors.
• Custer has earned a win, a pole, four top-fives, six top-10s and has led 237 laps in his seven career starts at Iowa. He was only one position away in the 2014 Pro Series East race from earning a top-10 in all seven finishes.
• Custer is striving to earn his fifth consecutive top-10 in the American Ethanol E15 250. He comes into Iowa fresh off a 10^th-place finish last Saturday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.
• Custer’s best finish in the 13 XFINITY Series races run this season is fourth, earned in the 11^th event June 3 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. It was his eighth top-10 and third top-five and it equaled his career-best finish in 18 career XFINITY Series starts.
• Custer is third in the XFINITY Series Rookie of the Year standings, 20 points behind leader Byron and one point behind second-place Daniel Hemric.
• Custer is tied with Byron for the most Rookie of the Race awards with five this season. Rookie of the Race awards are given to the highest-finishing XFINITY Series rookie at each race.
• Custer is eighth in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driver standings, 151 points behind series leader Elliot Sadler.
• Custer’s best qualifying effort in the 13 XFINITY Series races run this season is third, earned in the seventh race of the season April 22 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Custer has eight top-10 starts and three top-five starts this season.
• Since 2015 across 18 XFINITY Series starts, 42 Camping World Truck Series starts, 29 K&N Pro Series starts and five ARCA Series starts, Custer has earned three wins, two poles, six top-fives, 13 top-10s and has led 689 laps at tracks currently on the NASCAR circuit that are less than a mile in length.

Cole Custer, Driver Q&A

What was it like to get your first win and pole at Iowa Speedway while leading all 150 laps to become the youngest winner in Pro Series history?

“It was definitely a day I’ll remember. I can’t explain how amazing it felt. Iowa is a special place for our Haas Automation race team. I feel like that win gave me a lot of confidence because it was my first in the K&N Series and I always look forward to coming back. I just love the track. The fans are awesome and it was always one of my favorite tracks growing up. I can’t believe I got to go there and go to victory lane.”

 Why do you seem to run so well at Iowa? 

“I honestly don’t know. I guess it’s just a place that’s natural for me and I’ve always had fast cars there. I grew up running local short tracks, so I was able to familiarize myself with them more than others.” 

Your team has gained a lot of momentum over the past few races. How do you feel heading to Iowa? 

“We’ve been on a pretty good roll for a few weeks now, and hopefully we can keep our consistency going. I feel like we’ve learned a lot since our last short-track race, so I think we’ll have a strong Haas Automation Ford Mustang. I’m confident heading into Iowa knowing that our Stewart-Haas Racing team can put together fast cars each week.” 

Jeff Meendering, Crew Chief Q&A

What are your thoughts on racing at Iowa?

“I’ve personally never been to Iowa, but I am looking forward to going there knowing the success Cole has had at that track. I feel like our short-track program is getting better after having a good run going at Phoenix and being fast in practice at Richmond before making a bad adjustment for the race. With the Cup guys being in Sonoma, this is a good opportunity for us to contend for a win.”

Is there a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver less likely to feel at home Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway’s road course than Clint Bowyer?

Or a better one?

The former body shop repairman grew up amid the wheat fields of Emporia, Kansas with the closest major road course at Heartland Park in Topeka, about 60 miles from Emporia. As he honed is driving skills, Bowyer was more focused on motorcycles and dirt ovals than twisty road courses.

The NASCAR Cup Series travels to the California road course set in the scenic Wine Country this weekend, and it’s Bowyer who tops the list of the most points scored on the 10-turn, 1.99-mile track in the last 10 years. Those impressive numbers include a 40th-place finish last year after a lap-five electrical fire.

“Not in a million years would I have imagined this success,” Bowyer said. “After the first couple stabs at it, I was relatively good out there. I struggled a lot at Watkins Glen but always was able to find pretty good speed and get settled in and get comfortable at Sonoma. It has been good to me, it’s a fun racetrack. It’s a short track of road-course racing and it just kind of fits my driving style.”

Bowyer’s best moment at Sonoma came in June 2012, when he held off now Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart, who co-owns Bowyer’s No. 14 Ford. Bowyer dominated the race by leading 70 of the 112 laps. Defending race-winner Busch was all over the bumper of Bowyer’s car late and got a final shot in a two-lap overtime sprint to the finish. Bowyer raced side-by-side with Busch at the green flag, then cleared Busch and pulled away for the win. Bowyer had to walk to victory lane to celebrate with his crew after his car ran out of gas during the cool-down lap. Stewart passed Busch on the final lap to claim second.

Bowyer replaced Stewart in the No. 14 Ford in 2017 and is already off to a good start, posting two top-five finishes and five top-10s. The team is 12th in points as it heads to Sonoma, where Bowyer owns a victory, six top-five finishes and eight top-10s and has led 82 laps. He visits Sonoma for the first time driving an SHR Ford powered by Roush-Yates Engines under the guidance of crew chief Mike Bugarewicz, whose race call in this event last year, combined with Stewart’s driving, gave the three-time champion his final NASCAR victory.

Bowyer hopes he can also drive the No. 14 to victory lane at Sonoma.

“They’ve brought me hot rods all years so I expect to have one this weekend, as well,” Bowyer said. “It takes a heck of a lot to win a race these days, but I know we’ll have just as good of a shot as anyone else if all goes like we expect. They did it last year with Tony and I’d love to go to victory lane this weekend.”

For Bowyer, the trip to Northern California means an all-around good weekend.

“It’s a fun weekend for everyone in the garage area,” he said. “It’s almost like vacation, it really is for everybody — the wives, the girlfriends – they all go on wine tours, we get done with practice and have our hands full with a complete mess on our hands. Nonetheless, everybody is having a lot of fun.”

Bowyer’s No. 14 Ford will carry a special Cars 3 paint scheme this weekend to promote the popular movie that opened this month. In the movie, blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen teams up with tech-savvy trainer Cruz Ramirez to get back into pole position.

Hopefully Bowyer’s movie will end as well in Sonoma.

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Ford Fusion featuring Cars 3 for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What helped you improve your road-course racing?

“I think a big part of it is engineering. They came into this sport — our engineers were able to get our cars underneath us way better than we could before. Those ringers would go test time and time again all over the place, all sorts of different racetracks, in preparation for these one or two races. And, when we’d get there, our focus is on those mile-and-a-half tracks that make up the biggest part of the season. That’s a big difference. When we get here and we’re on the same playing field as they are, I feel like I’m proud to say the Cup regulars are holding their own.”

Event:               Irish Hills 250 (Round 13 of 33)
Date:                 June 17, 2017
Location:          Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn
Layout:             2-mile oval

Cole Custer Notes of Interest

• The Irish Hills 250 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn will mark Cole Custer’s 18^th career NASCAR XFINITY Series start and his first XFINITY Series start at Michigan.
• Custer doesn’t have an XFINITY Series start at Michigan but he does have a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at the 2-mile oval. Custer started 18^th in the Truck Series race last August and drove his way toward the front of the 31-truck field to lead twice for a total of 18 laps. But an accident less than 20 laps short of the finish ended Custer’s strong run. He finished 22^nd.
• Custer is striving to be the highest-finishing XFINITY Series regular and winner of the Rookie of the Race award for the fourth race in a row in the Irish Hills 250. He comes into Michigan fresh off a seventh-place finish last Saturday at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. It was his seventh top-10 finish in 17 career XFINITY Series starts. 
• Custer’s best finish in the 12 XFINITY Series races run this season is fourth, earned in the 11^th event June 3 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. It was his fifth top-10 and second top-five of the season.
• Custer is third in the XFINITY Series Rookie of the Year standings, 11 points behind leader William Byron and three points behind second-place Daniel Hemric.
• Custer has earned the most Rookie of the Race awards (five) this season. Rookie of the Race awards are given to the highest-finishing XFINITY Series rookie at each respective track.
• Custer is ninth in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driver standings, 129 points behind series leader Justin Allgaier.
• Custer’s best qualifying effort in the 12 XFINITY Series races run this season is third, earned in the seventh race of the season April 22 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and the 12^th race of the season June 10 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Custer has eight top-10 starts and three top-five starts this season.

Cole Custer, Driver Q&A

What is it like getting around a track like Michigan?

“Michigan is just pretty much fast. It’s one of the fastest tracks we go to all year and you’re racing on some fairly new pavement, so you’re pretty much trying to find clean air and searching for ways to keep your speed up. It’s just a big momentum race.”

Do you feel like you’ve shaken the bad luck and are on a steady path to consistent runs?  

“Well, we have a 20-week stretch here. Whenever you have days like Dover and Pocono, when things are going our way between setup and handling and we still pull out a great finish, that’s what you kind of want to see. Hopefully, we can keep having these consistent runs and stay away from the bad luck in this long stretch.”

Are you a fan of two-mile tracks?  

“We ran well at Fontana this season, but it’s a bit different because California is so worn out compared to Michigan. I think if we unload a Haas Automation Ford Mustang as well as we did at Fontana and stay out of trouble, we’ll be in good shape.”

Jeff Meendering, Crew Chief Q&A

What are your thoughts on racing at Michigan? 

“I always enjoy going to Michigan because it’s kind of where I grew up as a kid. It’s a big, wide track and there are a lot of speedway elements to it where they draft a lot. You’re able to pass and, when you’re setting up the car, you have to keep the speed in mind and keep as much drag out of the car as possible. We had a good run going in California, so we’re confident in the car we have going into the weekend.”

As Kurt Busch heads to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400, he happily wears a blue Ford oval for his 33^rd career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at the ultrafast two-mile oval.

Fifteen of Busch’s 29 career NASCAR Cup Series wins have come with Ford, and after 11 years away from the brand (2006-2016), Busch came back in a big way in 2017 by wheeling his No. 41 Ford Fusion into victory lane in the season-opening Daytona 500.

In keeping with the oval theme, it was a full-circle win for Busch. He brought Ford its last NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2004, and the Daytona 500 victory automatically earned him and his Monster Energy/Haas Automation team one of the 16 playoff spots available for this year’s championship drive.

Busch has never been one to rest on past success, and the taste of victory has only made him hungry for more. With 13 races having passed since feasting at Daytona, Busch is ready for another hearty meal, and no place is better than the backyard of the United States’ Big Three auto manufacturers – Michigan International Speedway.

For Dearborn-based Ford Motor Company, the 70-mile drive from the Detroit area into the lush green of the state’s Irish Hills region only whets the appetite for what 400 miles on Sunday can bring.

Ford has won nearly half the NASCAR Cup Series races run at the track since it opened in 1969. Of the 95 NASCAR Cup Series races contested at Michigan, Ford and its Mercury brand have won 47 of them (35 wins by Ford and 12 by Mercury). Busch is credited with one of those triumphs – June 2003 when he snatched the lead from Jeff Gordon with 24 laps to go to claim his seventh career Cup Series win.

Busch has scored two more Michigan wins since – August 2007 and June 2015 – to tie Matt Kenseth for the most wins at Michigan among active Cup Series drivers. Those victories are augmented by two poles (June 2010 and June 2011), five top-threes, 11 top-10s and a total of 448 laps led, which is second only to Jimmie Johnson’s tally of 687 laps led.

Now back with the blue oval, Busch is intent on getting a second championship and Ford’s first since the one Busch delivered for the marque in 2004. After 14 races, Busch is tracing a similar path in 2017 as he did in 2004. He has a win and two top-fives, just like he did in 2004, and his seven top-10s are actually one better than the amount he had in 2004.

Busch comes into the 15^th race of 2017 fresh off a strong fourth-place drive at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. It was his fourth top-10 finish in the last six races. Now he’s eyeing a fourth win at Michigan with a Monster Energy/Haas Automation team that thinks outside the box and inside the oval.

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

You’re back with Ford where you won your first 14 NASCAR Cup Series races. But in this go-round, there’s a One Ford mentality instead of a team-by-team philosophy. How is it working out?

“Right away at Daytona everybody from Ford was there, and there was a big meeting with all the Ford teams about how we need to all work together at the restrictor-plate tracks. Then as we moved forward to the mile-and-a-halves and the short tracks, there are little things that we’ve been doing at SHR versus what Penske has been doing or Roush or RPM (Richard Petty Motorsports), and so we want to try to share the information but, at the same time, you’ve got to keep the technology in-house. So, Ford has a nice balance of what they’ve asked us to do and how we’re all sharing information moving forward. Really, it’s a unique situation with having Doug Yates as our engine builder. He’s really smart. He’s on top of everything. So whether it’s the oiling system, the water cooling system, different gear ratios and things, we’ve been working closely together on those.”

What’s been the key to your success at Michigan?  

“The biggest thing about Michigan is respecting the speed. It’s a very fast racetrack.”

What does it take to be fast at Michigan?

“Michigan is a tough place because of the way the cars have that grip level on fresh tires versus old tires. What I mean by that is, when you put on fresh tires, your tires are cold and they don’t grab the asphalt as well. A lot of guys try to stay out at Michigan with the hot tires on and they get better restarts. Restarts at Michigan are already pretty wild with how wide the track is and how many lanes there are for options. It comes down to just trying to put yourself in the best position with the best-percentage chance of whether it’s fresh tires, or it’s staying out, or it’s making spots up on restarts.”

What do you feel like is the toughest part of Michigan?

“The toughest part is turn three. It seems like the cars do this weird, four-wheel, light drift getting down in there. If your car is dialed in, and I’ve won there three times, it feels like turn three is the easiest corner. Turn three to me is the challenge each time I go there.”