Category: Post-Race Reports

Event: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Round 18 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Start/Finish: 11th/7th (Running, completed 127 of 127 laps in rain-shortened race)
Point standing: 10th with 512 points, 188 out of first
Note: Race stopped 33 laps short of its scheduled 160-lap distance due to rain.​

Race Winner: Justin Haley of Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-50):

● Aric Almirola started 11th, finished 33rd.
● The Smithfield Ford driver radioed on lap 17 that the balance of the car in the middle lane was loose into the turns and tight off.
● On lap 35, Almirola pitted for fuel and adjustments. As he entered his pit box, the No. 18 car pulled out and nearly made contact with him, forcing Almirola to pull into his stall at a difficult angle.
● At the conclusion of Stage 1, he pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments, but he was handed a speeding penalty on pit road.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 51-100):

● Started 29th, finished 25th.
● Almirola drove the No. 10 Smithfield Anytime Favorites Ford Mustang inside the top-10 by lap 64.
● On lap 83, the racecar sustained slight damage in a multicar accident. Crew chief Johnny Klausmeier radioed Almirola to bring the No. 10 car to the pits to assess and repair damage on the rear.
● Almirola pitted again on lap 104 to repair more damage at the rear of his No. 10 Ford Mustang.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 101-127):

● Started 28th, finished seventh.
● While Almirola was still pitted to repair damage, the field was coming to the green to start Stage 3. After making his lap around the track, he had not yet caught up to the rest of the field when the green flag waved.
● On lap 118, a multicar accident just behind Almirola saved him from being put a lap down.
● He pitted on lap 127 to finalize repairs on the Smithfield Ford, but the red flag was brought out due to inclement weather with Almirola scored seventh.
● Due to continued rain and lightning in the area, the race was called, giving Almirola his third top-10 at Daytona.

Notes:

●  Almirola earned his 10th top-10 of the season and his third top-10 in 16 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Daytona.
●  This is Almirola’s first top-10 at Daytona since he finished fourth in the 2017 Daytona 500.
●  Almirola’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory came in the 2014 Coke Zero 400.
● Justin Haley won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 to score his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory.
●  There were six caution periods for a total of 25 laps.
●  Only 18 of the 40 drivers in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 finished on the lead lap.
●  Joey Logano remains the championship leader after Daytona with an 18-point advantage over second-place Kyle Busch.

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

“It was a crazy day. I think every time you come down here to Daytona you hope that you’ve got a shot to win, and at certain points throughout the race I thought we would, and then at certain points throughout the race I thought we were in big trouble. To get out of here with a top-10 is a good day, and I think pointswise we stayed steady. I think we maybe moved up a spot to 10th in points and we built a little bit more of a gap back to 16th, so that’s important leaving here.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Kentucky 400 on Saturday, July 13 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Round 18 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Note: Race stopped 33 laps short of its scheduled 160-lap distance due to rain.
Start/Finish: 15th/40th (Accident, completed 83 of 160 laps)
Point Standing: 17th with 440 points, 260 out of first

Race Winner: Justin Haley of Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-50):

● Daniel Suárez started Stage 1 from the 15th position and ended the stage sixth to earn five stage points.
● Suárez maneuvered his Haas Automation Ford into the top-10 by lap 20.
● The 27-year-old reported his Mustang was tight and needed to be freed up to run on the bottom. Crew chief Billy Scott made the call for Suárez to make a green-flag pit stop for fuel and a wedge adjustment on lap 36 as he ran in the fourth position.
● Suárez completed the first stage in sixth and reported again that the No. 41 was tight.
● During the Stage 1 break Suárez pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 51-100):

● The No. 41 driver started Stage 2 in the seventh position and was running 13th when the caution came out on lap 58.
● Suárez brought his Haas Automation Mustang down pit road to top off with fuel and make a wedge adjustment. He restarted in the ninth position.
● During the next caution, the No. 41 machine stayed out on the track in the 17th position.
● Suárez was caught up in an accident on lap 83 that started while the field was running three-wide.
● Suárez brought the Haas Automation Ford down to pit road for tires and repairs. However, due to damage sustained from the accident, the No. 41 became the first car out of the race, finishing in the 40th position.

Notes:

● Justin Haley won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 to score his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory.
● There were six caution periods for a total of 25 laps.
● Only 18 of the 40 drivers in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 finished on the lead lap.
● Joey Logano remains the championship leader after Daytona with an 18-point advantage over second-place Kyle Busch.

Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“I don’t really know what happened, I just know a few cars wrecked ahead of me. I was trying to slow down and I bumped the 22 and someone bumped me from behind. We were starting to get it back straight and somebody spun me out. My car was actually fine. I thought we were going to continue, but unfortunately we had a part break, and it’s something we can’t fix.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Kentucky 400 on Saturday, July 13 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Round 18 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Note: Race stopped 33 laps short of its scheduled 160-lap distance due to rain.
Start/Finish: 16th/34th (Accident, completed 118 of 127 laps)
Point standing: 16th (431 points, 246 out of first)

Race Winner:     Justin Haley of Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-50):

●  Clint Bowyer started 16th and finished seventh to earn four bonus points.
●  Bowyer jumped from 15th to seventh in the opening two laps.
●  As other racers began sliding their cars on the hot track, Bowyer faded to the back but told the team, “We have a fast hot rod, and I’m just being careful. We have to get to the end to win this.”
●  A fuel-only stop on lap 36 under green allowed Bowyer to climb to seventh.
●  In the closing laps of the stage Bowyer battled at the front of the pack to maintain seventh.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 51-100):

●  Started fifth and finished fifth to earn six bonus points.
●  A two-tire stop on lap 60 vaulted him to second place, then he led laps 61 and 62.
●  Bowyer again faded to the back of the field to avoid trouble and took four tires during a caution on lap 75.
●  After dodging a multicar accident on lap 83, Bowyer used his new tires to drive to the lead on lap 97 before finishing fifth.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 101-160):

●  Started seventh and finished 34th.
●  Bowyer showed he was one of the fastest cars on the track and a threat for victory as he raced at the front of the field.
●  As rain approached Bowyer made a bid for the lead on lap 118. He dove to the inside of the track prompting leader Austin Dillon to move down with him, but Dillon’s car did not clear Bowyer’s. The two cars came together, spun and wrecked into the field.
●  Bowyer’s No. 14 was too damaged to continue however a few caution laps later rain and lightning prevented further green-flag racing.  \

Notes:

●  Justin Haley won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 to score his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory.
●  There were six caution periods for a total of 25 laps.
●  Only 18 of the 40 drivers in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 finished on the lead lap.
●  Joey Logano remains the championship leader after Daytona with an 18-point advantage over second-place Kyle Busch.

Clint Bowyer:

“When we got together and I pulled off of (Austin Dillon) to give him some room and then he just never quit coming down and wrecked us all. It’s just part of the racing. You want to blame him. If it would have been anybody else there, they would have probably done the same thing. We had a fast hot-rod, had a good run and was going for the lead and it’s just the nature of this kind of racing. It sucks. You want to be pissed off, frustrated and blame somebody, but at the end of the day it’s just part of racing.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Kentucky 400 on Saturday, July 13 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Round 18 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Start/Finish: 4th/29th (Running, completed 124 of 127 laps in rain-shortened race)
Point standing: 3rd with 625 points, 75 out of first

Race Winner: Justin Haley of Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-50):

● Kevin Harvick started fourth, finished fourth and earned seven bonus points.
● Early on, Harvick and the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang were in second place, right behind leader Joey Logano.
● On lap 36, while in second place behind Logano, Harvick pitted for fuel only.
● Harvick came out in first place and led until turn three on lap 50. Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Blaney got by at the end of the stage. Harvick wound up fourth.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 51-100):

● Started sixth, finished 31st.
● On lap 52, Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel.
● Harvick pitted on lap 59 for fuel only and came out in 12th.
● On lap 83, Harvick was involved in a six-car incident on the frontstretch. After several pit stops for repairs, the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford team was able to get back on track.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 101-160):

● Started 31st, finished 29th.
● Harvick was riding around in the back of the pack one lap down when he cut a tire, further damaging the No. 4 Ford.
● Harvick was able to continue until, on lap 127, the red flag was issued for weather and then the race was called short, with the No. 4 finishing in 29th.

Notes:

● Harvick finished fourth in Stage 1 to earn seven bonus points.
● Harvick led once for 12 laps to increase his laps-led total at Daytona to 256.
● Justin Haley won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 to score his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory.
● There were six caution periods for a total of 25 laps.
● Only 18 of the 40 drivers in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 finished on the lead lap.
● Joey Logano remains the championship leader after Daytona with an 18-point advantage over second-place Kyle Busch.

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Kentucky 400 on Saturday, July 13 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Race Name: Firecracker 250 (Race 16 of 33)
Venue: Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Race Winner: Ross Chastain of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)
Results: Cole Custer: 27th | Chase Briscoe: 36th
Point Standings:
– Cole Custer: 3rd with 637 points; trails points leader by 81 points
– Chase Briscoe: 10th with 498 points; trails points leader by 220 points

Chase Briscoe / Ford Performance Ford Mustang Recap:

– Briscoe qualified 10th and made it up as high as fifth on the opening lap. Yellow flag flew on lap nine and the No. 98 was shuffled back to 12th.
– A caution with seven laps remaining in stage one allowed the team to pit for tires, fuel and track bar adjustments and stay out at the conclusion of the stage. He finished the stage in 12th.
– Briscoe started stage two in second and ran up front for a few laps before being shuffled back to 15th. He was caught up in a wreck on lap 46 and was unable to return to the race.
– The No. 98 Ford was credited with a 36th place finish.

Next Up: Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky on July 12th at 7:30 p.m. ET broadcast by NBCSN.

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 98 Ford Performance Ford Mustang:                       

“I felt like we had a really good car tonight – I was able to drive from the back to the front numerous times and just kept getting shuffled back. It’s unfortunate that our night got ended early, because I think we had a really good chance at bringing home a win. Wrecks like this are just part of superspeedway racing, so we’ll regroup and get back after it next week at Kentucky.”

Race Name: Firecracker 250 (Race 16 of 33)
Venue: Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Race Winner: Ross Chastain of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)
Results: Cole Custer: 27th | Chase Briscoe: 36th
Point Standings:
– Cole Custer: 3rd with 637 points; trails points leader by 81 points
– Chase Briscoe: 10th with 498 points; trails points leader by 220 points

Cole Custer / Jacob Companies Ford Mustang Recap:

– Custer qualified in the 15th position and stayed there for most of Stage 1. He would obtain damage from two separate incidents, putting him in the 19th finishing position for the stage.
– The team would not pit after Stage 1 and would restart in fifth position. He would race around the top-10 for most of Stage 2.
– The No. 00 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang would muscle his way to an eighth place finish in Stage 2, earning him three stage points.
– Custer started the final stage fifth but would drop to 18th as he would obtain damage from another wreck.
– After a yellow flag on lap 73, the No. 00 would pit to repair damage and to check the toe of the car. He would restart 20th when they went back green.
– A wreck ahead of Custer would end the teams day as the No. 00 had nowhere to go and would wind up within the wreck. He would finish in the 27th position.

Next Up: Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky on July 12th at 7:30 p.m. ET broadcast by NBCSN.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang:

“I don’t think I go into these races with the right mindset. I tell myself I am going to be aggressive and get to the front early to avoid all of the wrecks, but then I try to play it safe to last all the way to the end. I’m thankful that Stewart-Haas builds safe cars and that we were all able to walk away from the incident. We will turn our focus to Kentucky to try and grab our fifth win of the season.”

Event:               Camping World 400 (Round 17 of 36)
Series:              Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois (1.5-mile oval)
Format:             267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Point standing:  11^th with 482 points, 195 out of first

Race Winner:    Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80): 

• Aric Almirola started 15th, finished 12th.
• The Smithfield Ford driver had raced his way to 11^th when inclement weather postponed the race.
• Almirola pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments on lap 52 from 11th place under green-flag conditions.
• Crew chief Johnny Klausmeier told Almirola he was turning top-five lap times after his pit stop from 27th place.
• Multiple cars pitted under green, helping the Ford Mustang driver move to 11th before a lap-79 caution.
• At the conclusion of the stage, Almirola pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments to improve the car’s handling. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160): 

• Started 12th, finished 10th and earned one bonus point.
• Almirola raced the Smithfield Ford to the top-10 by lap 100.
• During a caution on lap 103, Almirola pitted and remained inside the top-10.
• At the end of the stage, Almirola pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments to gain four positions on pit road.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267): 

• Started sixth, finished 16th.
• Almirola battled for fifth on lap 169 and advanced to fourth place after a lap-172 caution.
• Almirola pitted on lap 218 under green-flag conditions for four fresh tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments.
• After falling back outside the top-10, the Smithfield Ford driver said the balance of his car was back to normal.
• He noted tight-handling conditions for the remainder of the race but held position just outside the top-15, finishing 16th.

Notes:

• Almirola earned his 14^th top-20 of the season and his fourth top-20 in eight career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Chicagoland.
• Almirola finished 10^th in Stage 2 to earn a bonus point.
• Alex Bowman won the Camping World 400 to score his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Larson was .546 of a second.
• There were five caution periods for a total of 25 laps.
• Only 17 of the 38 drivers in the Camping World 400 finished on the lead lap.
• Joey Logano remains the championship leader after Chicagoland with an 18-point advantage over second-place Kyle Busch.

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:

“When we started the race I felt like we had a good car to contend with. We found some of that speed again in the final stage and raced toward the front but couldn’t hold it together at the end. We learned a lot and at least we held on to our points position. I’m looking forward to Daytona.”

Next Up:                                                                       

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, July 6 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event: Camping World 400 (Round 17 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 28th/24th (Running, completed 265 of 267 laps)
Point Standing: 15th (434 points, 243 out of first)

Race Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Daniel Suárez started the stage in 28th and ended it 19th.
● After starting 28th, Suárez worked his way up to 19th by lap 10 just before the race was red flagged due to weather.
● Once the red flag was lifted and drivers returned to their cars, Suárez pitted on lap 14 for four tires and fuel. He restarted 19th on lap 16.
● Suárez entered the top-10 on lap 50 and continued to gain track position before taking over the lead on lap 75 as the field began green-flag pit stops.
● Suárez pitted on lap 76 for fuel only and returned to the track in 16th.
● The Mexico native reported he had a tire issue on lap 78, but a caution came out on lap 79 allowing him to stay on track before pitting for four tires and fuel under yellow.
● The Ruckus driver completed Stage 1 in the 19th spot.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● The No. 41 driver started Stage 2 in 19th and completed it in 27th.
● The third caution of the race occurred on lap 104 with Suárez running in 15th. He told the team his Ruckus Mustang was too free after the first 15 laps in the run, and he pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments under the caution.
● Suárez restarted 17th on lap 108 and jumped to the 12th position on the first lap back under green.
● On lap 120 after falling back to 15th, Suárez said the handling of his Ford had not improved.
● Suárez pitted under green on lap 137 for four tires and fuel after contact with the No. 11 caused a flat right-rear tire. He returned to the track in 30th, two laps down.
● Suárez ended Stage 2 in 27th, two laps down.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):

● The Ruckus driver began the final stage in 25th and concluded it in 24th.
● Suárez did not pit before the start of the final stage and took the wave-around to get a lap back. He lined up 25th for the lap-166 restart, one lap down.
● Under caution on lap 174, the Ruckus driver pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments to help tighten up his Ford Mustang.
● Suárez restarted 25th and moved up to 23rd before the final round of green-flag stops began on lap 218.
● The driver of the No. 41 pitted for his final scheduled stop under green on lap 226 for four tires and fuel. He rejoined the field in 25th, two laps down after being lapped while on pit road.
● Suárez returned to the track in the 25th position and was able to finish the race in 24th.

Notes:

● Suárez led one lap, the first of his career at Chicagoland.
● Alex Bowman won the Camping World 400 to score his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Larson was .546 of a second.
● There were five caution periods for a total of 25 laps.
● Only 17 of the 38 drivers in the Camping World 400 finished on the lead lap.
● Joey Logano remains the championship leader after Chicagoland with an 18-point advantage over second-place Kyle Busch.

Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 41 Ruckus Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Our Ruckus Ford was too free all day, and we had a hard time making the right adjustments to get the handling to where we needed it. It was hard to get any laps back with the green-flag pit stops, but the No. 41 guys worked hard all day, and we’ll keep learning and getting better.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, July 6 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event: Camping World 400 (Round 17 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 2nd/14th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point standing: 4th (610 points, 67 out of first)

Race Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Kevin Harvick started second, finished seventh and earned four bonus points.
● No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang started second and was second when rain hit the racetrack and delayed the race for more than three hours.
● Harvick pitted on lap 14 for four tires and fuel. He restarted eighth but was up to first by lap 20.
● On lap 73 Harvick headed to pit road. He radioed to the team that he had a cut tire, so the team changed four tires, added fuel and made a tire pressure adjustment. There was no damage to Harvick’s car.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Started first, finished first and earned 10 bonus points and one playoff point.
● No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang was still sliding all over the place per Harvick on lap 98 while he was leading.
● On lap 99 William Byron passed Harvick for the lead.
● Harvick pitted on lap 105 under caution and took four tires and fuel along with a tire pressure adjustment.
● On the restart Harvick was second, but he took the lead in turn two on lap 110.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):

● Started first, finished 14th.
● No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang pitted on lap 163 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment.
● On lap 172 Harvick got into the SAFER Barrier on the outside retaining wall in turns one and two while running third.
● Harvick went to pit road on lap 173 for repairs. He took for four tires and fuel then restarted 21st, still on the lead lap.
● On lap 187, Harvick said the car was “just plowing.” He was in 16th place.
● Harvick pitted on lap 224 for four tires and fuel. He was in the lead, but due to other cars’ pit strategies he exited in 18th.
● He had worked his way up to 14th when the checkered flag flew.

Notes:

● Harvick earned his 14th top-15 of the season and his 13th top-15 in 19 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Chicagoland.
● Harvick finished seventh in Stage 1 to earn four bonus points and won Stage 2 to earn an additional 10 bonus points and one playoff point.
● Harvick led five times for 132 laps to increase his laps-led total at Chicagoland to 602.
● Alex Bowman won the Camping World 400 to score his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Larson was .546 of a second.
● There were five caution periods for a total of 25 laps.
● Only 17 of the 38 drivers in the Camping World 400 finished on the lead lap.
● Joey Logano remains the championship leader after Chicagoland with an 18-point advantage over second-place Kyle Busch.

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, July 6 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event:  Camping World 400 (Round 17 of 36)
Series:  Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:  Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois (1.5-mile oval)
Format:  267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish:  6th/37th (Brakes, completed 172 of 267 laps)
Point standing:  16th (431 points, 246 out of first)

Race Winner:  Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner:  Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner:  Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Started sixth, finished 31st.
● Ran 10 laps before enduring a red-flag period for severe weather that lasted three hours, 18 minutes and 26 seconds.
● Under caution before the race returned to green, Bowyer pitted for four tires and fuel.
● Bowyer restarted in 12th on lap 17 but fell to 22nd after getting caught up in three- and four-wide racing that shuffled him backward.
● “Sliding around back here struggling for speed,” said Bowyer on lap 35.
● Bowyer climbed to 12th by lap 60 as those in front of him began to pit.
● Bowyer brought his No. 14 Toco Warranty Ford Mustang into the pits on lap 77 for a quick, fuel-only stop.
● A lap later Bowyer keyed his mic and said, “I’ve got a tire coming apart!” He then spun off turn three on lap 80.
● When the right-rear tire came apart, it ripped away the lower portion of the quarterpanel.
● Bowyer made three separate trips to pit road following the stage to make repairs.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Started 32nd, finished 35th.
● Began the stage two laps down as a result of the flat tire and subsequent repairs.
● Bowyer suffered another flat right-rear tire on lap 94. This sent him to the pits under green-flag conditions.
● Returned to the track on lap 100, six laps down to the leaders.
● A caution on lap 104 allowed Bowyer to bring his No. 14 Toco Warranty Ford Mustang back to the pits for more repairs.
● Rubber buildup in the remnants of the right-rear wheelwell caught fire on lap 159, sending Bowyer back to the pits.
● More work was done on the quarterpanel and all the rubber buildup was removed, allowing Bowyer to continue, albeit 11 laps down.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):

● Started 35th, finished 37th.
● “I think it’s fixing to blow up,” said Bowyer on lap 179. Prior to that message, he asked if smoke could be seen from his car.
● On lap 189, Bowyer keyed his mic and said, “I don’t have any brakes.”
● Crew chief Mike Bugarewicz brought Bowyer to the garage. The series of issues stemming from the flat tires proved terminal.

Notes:

● Alex Bowman won the Camping World 400 to score his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Larson was .546 of a second.
● There were five caution periods for a total of 25 laps.
● Only 17 of the 38 drivers in the Camping World 400 finished on the lead lap.
● Joey Logano remains the championship leader after Chicagoland and holds an 18-point advantage over second-place Kyle Busch.

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, July 6 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.