Category: Post-Race Reports

Event:  Coca-Cola 600 (Round 13 of 36)
Series:  Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:  Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format:  400 laps, broken into four stages (100 laps/100 laps/100 laps/100 laps)
Start/Finish:  5th/10th (Running, completed 400 of 400 laps)
Point standings:  3rd (478 points, 41 out of first)

Race Winner:  Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner:  Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:  Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 3 Winner:  Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-100):

● Kevin Harvick started sixth and finished fifth, collecting six bonus points.
● Drove his No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang up to third by lap six and into second on lap 11 after passing Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Aric Almirola.
● Fell to second on lap 21 as Kyle Busch took the position. “Little too loose right now, down to the center of the corner, both ends,” said Harvick.
● Pitted under caution on lap 24 for four tires and fuel. Only adjustment was to right-rear tire pressure.
● Restarted in fourth on lap 28 and quickly moved to second where Harvick battled for the lead with Busch.
● Caution on lap 48 allowed Harvick to pit again for four tires and fuel. Quick pit work got Harvick off pit road in first place.
● Led laps 51-54 until Busch reassumed lead, but Harvick retook lead from laps 59-62 until Martin Truex Jr., grabbed the lead.
● Truex cut a tire on lap 74, bringing out the caution and putting Harvick back into the lead.
● Pitted under caution on lap 75 for four tires and fuel and a slight tire pressure adjustment. Seven cars stayed out.
● Lined up eighth for the lap-79 restart and drove back up to second when the caution came out again on lap 87.
● Harvick stayed out during this caution and grabbed the lead from Brad Keselowski on lap 91.
● Another caution on lap 93 halted the racing action, and when the race restarted on lap 96, Harvick was stuck on the outside.
● Harvick dropped to fifth in the final laps of the stage.
● Crew chief Rodney Childers kept the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang on the racetrack to conserve tires for later in the race.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 101-200):

● Harvick started fourth and finished sixth, collecting five bonus points.
● While he started the stage fourth, he was second after the first lap of green-flag racing.
● Harvick maintained second place through a caution on lap 126. “Too tight first third of corner and on exit,” he said.
● Pitted for four tires and fuel on lap 127. Lined up eighth for lap-132 restart.
● Vaulted to fourth by lap 133 and then took third from Busch on lap 137 before getting second from Ryan Blaney on lap 139.
● Just before a caution on lap 162, Harvick said his Mobil 1 Ford Mustang was “starting to push bad.”
● Pitted on lap 163 for four tires and fuel with a right-rear wedge adjustment.
● Was third for lap-167 restart, but dropped to eighth after getting caught in middle amongst a bunch of drivers jockeying for position.
● “Won’t turn!” said Harvick on the radio on lap 169. Dropped to ninth by lap 173.
● “Plowing tight!” said Harvick as he fell to 10th on lap 181.
● Took advantage of caution and pitted for four tires and fuel and reversed right-rear wedge adjustment from previous stop.
● The top-10 cars stayed out on the track during this caution period from laps 190-193, placing Harvick 17th for the restart.
● Harvick re-entered the top-10 on lap 198 and kept on rallying to finish the stage in sixth.
● Childers kept the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang on the racetrack to conserve tires for later in the race.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 201-300):

● Harvick started third and finished 19th
● “Plowing tight,” said Harvick on lap 214. “Chattering the tires up off the corner on both ends.”
● After being fifth at lap 220, Harvick was ninth five laps later.
● After falling to 14th, Harvick made a scheduled, green-flag pit stop on lap 251 for four tires, fuel and a left-rear wedge adjustment.
● Just as Harvick left his pit box, the caution flag waved, trapping Harvick a lap down in 30th position.
● Harvick took the “wave-around” by staying out during the caution, earning his lap back. He restarted 23rd on lap 258.
● Despite climbing back up to 18th by lap 277, Harvick said he was “sliding the front tires like crazy.”
● Fell one spot to 19th at the end of the stage.
● Childers called for massive changes to the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang at the conclusion of the stage. In addition to four tires and fuel, packers were removed from both front suspensions, eight rounds of left-rear wedge were taken out, and two rounds went into the track bar.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 301-400):

● Harvick started 20th and finished 10th.
● Shortly after the race returned to green on lap 308, Harvick keyed his mic and said, “I can’t drive it this loose.”
● With another caution on lap 317 for a multicar crash on the backstretch, Childers brought Harvick back to the pits and reversed the track bar adjustment from the previous stop and also put two rounds of wedge back into the left rear.
● Lined up 10th for the lap-324 restart and was up to sixth the next time around the 1.5-mile oval.
● Keselowski took sixth from Harvick on lap 326, and then Denny Hamlin took seventh on lap 330, jettisoning Harvick to eighth.
● Ryan Newman dropped Harvick to ninth on lap 333 and then Busch got by on lap 345 to put Harvick 10th.
● Made scheduled, green-flag pit stop on lap 357 for four tires and fuel, and in a case of déjà vu, caution came out a lap later and put Harvick one lap down.
● Harvick took the “wave-around” by staying out during the caution, earning his lap back. He restarted 17th on lap 366.
● Harvick rallied to ninth before the race’s final caution flag waved on lap 390. He pitted for four tires and fuel on lap 392.
● In ninth for the lap-396 restart, Harvick momentarily dropped out of the top-10 before grabbing 10th on the final lap.

Notes:

● Harvick earned his ninth top-10 of the season and his 17th top-10 in 36 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Charlotte.
● Harvick has finished outside the top-10 at Charlotte just twice since joining SHR in 2014.
● Harvick led four times for 14 laps to increase his laps-led total at Charlotte to 542.
● Truex won the Coca Cola 600 to score his 22nd career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his third at Charlotte. His margin of victory over second-place Joey Logano was .330 of a second.
● There were 16 caution periods for a total of 80 laps.
● Only 17 of the 40 drivers in the Coca-Cola 600 finished on the lead lap.
● Logano and Busch leave Charlotte tied for the championship lead with a 41-point advantage over third-place Harvick.

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

“For us, we lost the handle on the car. We had some different shift codes in the tires that we had to run because that’s what we had. As soon as we put all those shift codes on, the car just went to absolute junk.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Pocono 400 on Sunday, June 2 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event: Coca-Cola 600 (Round 13 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into four stages (100 laps/100 laps/100 laps/100 laps)
Start/Finish: 2nd/11th (Running, completed 400 of 400 laps)
Point standings: 12th (360 points, 159 out of first)

Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing(Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner:  Brad Keselowski of Team Penske(Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:  Brad Keselowski of Team Penske(Ford)
Stage 3 Winner:  Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing(Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-100):

● Started second, finished 19th.
● Aric Almirola drove the Smithfield Ford Mustang inside the top-five at the beginning of the stage, but he said the car wouldn’t turn in the corner as well as he needed it to in turns three and four.
● On lap 50 during a caution, Almirola pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments, but he was handed a penalty for an uncontrolled tire on pit road. He drove back through the pits for chassis adjustments and restarted in the rear of the field.
● He noted that the No. 10 Ford was very loose in traffic and drove to 23rd before a lap-73 caution. He stayed out of the pits and restarted sixth.
● Due to strategy, crew chief Johnny Klausmeier did not call Almirola to the pits in order to save fresh tires for the end of the race, so the No. 10 Ford Mustang fell back with older tires.
● At the conclusion of the stage, he pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 101-200):

● Started eighth, finished 17th.
● Almirola held the Smithfield Ford Mustang inside the top-10 despite loose-handling conditions.
● During a caution on lap 127, he pitted for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments.
● Almirola said he could not pass in traffic during the restart and fell to 21st. He drove back to 14th place by lap 139.
● After a lap-161 caution, Almirola noted that the No. 10 Ford was still loose but drove better on the exit than before. He was scored  inside the top-10 when racing resumed.
● Another caution was called on lap 188, and Almirola pitted for four scuffed tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments.
● He maintained his Ford Mustang inside the top-20 and pitted at the end of the stage for four more tires, fuel and adjustments.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 201-300):

● Started 17th, finished 16th.
● Almirola made long-run gains in Stage 3 and raced just outside the top-10 before a lap-250 caution.
● He pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments to restart 11th.
● The No. 10 Smithfield Ford continued to battle loose-handling conditions for the entirety of the stage, resulting in Almirola falling outside of the top-15.
● He pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments to tighten the No. 10 Ford Mustang in preparation for the final stage.

Stage 4 Recap (Laps 301-400):

● Started 15th, finished 11th.
● Almirola nearly missed a wreck on lap 317 and decided to stay out of the pits.
● The No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang continued to have trouble on restarts, demoting Almirola to the 18th position.
● When the caution was called on lap 360, Almirola pitted for four fresh tires, fuel, and the team assessed mild damage he endured during the previous restart.
● During the final caution on lap 390, Almirola pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments.
● When racing resumed, Almirola overcame previous restart issues, briefly entered the top-10, and held the Smithfield Ford Mustang in the 11th position.

Notes:

● Almirola earned his ninth top-12 of the season and his fourth top-12 in 13 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Charlotte.
● Martin Truex Jr. won the Coca-Cola 600 to score his 22nd career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his third at Charlotte. His margin of victory over second-place Joey Logano was .330 of a second.
● There were 16 caution periods for a total of 80 laps.
● Only 17 of the 40 drivers in the Coca-Cola 600 finished on the lead lap.
● Logano and Kyle Busch leave Charlotte tied for the championship lead with a 41-point advantage over third-place Kevin Harvick.

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

“We just couldn’t get going on restarts. Our Smithfield Ford team worked so hard to keep us in position, but we just didn’t have it this weekend. We have some work to do, but now it’s time to focus on next weekend in Pocono.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Pocono 400 on Sunday, June 2 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Date: May 25, 2019
Race Name: Alsco 300 (Race 11 of 33)
Venue: Charlotte (NC.) Motor Speedway
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Race Winner: Tyler Reddick of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Results: Chase Briscoe: 19th | Cole Custer: 24th
Point Standings:
– Cole Custer: 3rd with 417 points; trails points leader by 103 points
– Chase Briscoe: 6th with 369 points; trails points leader by 151 points

Chase Briscoe / Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang Recap:

– Briscoe started eleventh and finished fourth in Stage 1 to earn seven stage points.
– The Nutri Chomps Ford started Stage 2 in fifth and finished second, earning Briscoe an additional nine stage points.
– The No. 98 Ford started first in the final stage after winning the race off pit road. He was shuffled back to fifth on the restart, but was able to advance back up to third.
– A caution on lap 142 allowed the team to pit for tires and fuel. He restarted third and advanced to second before another yellow with 43 laps to go.
– The No. 98 team elected to stay out for the ensuing restart and would drop to third. The caution flew once more with 30 to go and Briscoe pitted for tires and fuel.
– Briscoe restarted 12th and was racing his way towards the front when contact with another car caused him to hit the wall and flatten both right side tires. He would come down pit road for repairs and resume the race in the 19th position where he would ultimately finish.

Next Up: Pocono Green 250 at Pocono Raceway in Pocono, Pennsylvania, on June 1 at 1:00 p.m. EDT broadcast by Fox Sports 1.

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

“We had a really good day going today until we got run into the wall in the final stage. I’m really proud of everybody on this Nutri Chomps Ford team – I feel like this was the best car we have had all year long. Unfortunately, we don’t have the results to show for it, but we are showing that we can contend to win races week in and week out.”

Date: May 25, 2019
Race Name: Alsco 300 (Race 11 of 33)
Venue: Charlotte (NC.) Motor Speedway
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Race Winner: Tyler Reddick of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Results: Chase Briscoe: 19th | Cole Custer: 24th
Point Standings:
– Cole Custer: 3rd with 417 points; trails points leader by 103 points
– Chase Briscoe: 6th with 369 points; trails points leader by 151 points

Cole Custer / Thompson Pipe Group Ford Mustang Recap:

– Custer started second and led 17 laps before falling to second where he would finish Stage 1.
– The No. 00 Ford started 20th after pitting to fix damage to the nose of the car after hitting debris. Custer would jump to seventh to end Stage 2.
– Custer would the third and final stage from 18th after fixing damage under the caution. He would gain 7 spots before a yellow on lap 100.
– The No. 00 Thompson Pipe Ford Mustang restarted 11th and would gain eight spots to the third position before another caution on lap 142.
– Three more cautions would fly and Custer would gain the lead on lap 173 before the final caution on lap 181.
– The No. 00 did not pit and would restart first. Custer dropped to sixth and would drive to fourth before he would experience a cut tire and dropped to 24th to end the race.

Next Up: Pocono Green 250 at Pocono Raceway in Pocono, Pennsylvania, on June 1 at 1:00 p.m. EDT broadcast by Fox Sports 1.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Thompson Pipe Group Ford Mustang:

“I got such a good restart before this final start because I got a good launch but that didn’t happen this time around and we spun the tires and fell back. I’m pretty frustrated with myself, I think we had a really good Thompson Pipe Group Mustang and I made too many mistakes there at the end. The team did a great job at fixing the car after hitting debris in the first stage, just frustrating that it ended the way it did.”

Event: Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race (non-points event)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 85 laps, broken into four stages (30 laps/20 laps/20 laps/15 laps)
Start/Finish: 1st/12th (Running, completed 88 of 88 laps)
Note: Race extended three laps past its scheduled 85-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish in Stage 1.

Race Winner:      Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner:  Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner:  Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 3 Winner:  Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-30):

● Clint Bowyer started first and finished third.
● Bowyer dropped to fourth on the start and told the team his No. 14 Toco Warranty Ford Mustang was loose.
● Bowyer held his position through the first caution on lap 27.
● A quick pit stop by the No. 14 crew returned him to the track in third.
● On the restart he battled for the lead on the final lap before finishing third.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 31-50):

● Bowyer started third and finished 14th.
● Bowyer and Ryan Blaney made contact on the opening lap and Bowyer dropped through the field.
● Bowyer pitted twice to make repairs and cure the handling ills that kept him in the back.
● He told the crew his car was very loose in the closing laps of the stage.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 51-70):

● Bowyer started first and finished 16th.
● Took only two scuffed tires before the start of the stage, saving his four new tires for the final stage.
● Bowyer led two laps before the cars with newer tires shuffled him to the back of the pack.

Stage 4 Recap (Laps 71-88):

● Bowyer started 16th and finished 12th.
● Bowyer took four tires, but returned to pit lane before the start of the final stage to secure a lug nut.
● Bowyer could only climb to 12th before the end of the race.
● After the checkered flag, Ryan Newman hit Bowyer’s car, sending it nose-first into the outside wall.
● Bowyer exited his car on pit lane and immediately went to Newman’s car to show his displeasure.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Toco Warranty Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“I don’t know what the hell his beef was. I thought he was a lap down. Our day was over. We lost track position there, got sideways, crossed up and basically buying time there to see if something was gonna happen at the end. They got four-wide off of four. Hell, I thought he was a lap down. I checked up and he ran into my left-rear and that’s the last I saw of him. Then after the race he comes and runs into my back and turns me all around and I pull up next to him and he dumps me into four. Where I come from you get poked in the nose for that, and that’s what he got.”

Notes:

● Bowyer started on the pole for the All-Star Race for the first time in his career. Saturday night’s race marked his 10th All-Star Race.
● Bowyer led twice for two laps to increase his laps-led total in the All-Star Race to 13.
● Kyle Larson won the All-Star Race with a .322-of-a-second margin of victory over runner-up Kevin Harvick.
● The All-Star Race featured 10 lead changes among seven different drivers. Nineteen drivers comprised the field.

Next Up:

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to points-paying racing on Sunday, May 26 with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. The longest race on the Cup Series schedule gets underway at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event:  Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race (non-points event)
Series:  Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:  Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format:  85 laps, broken into four stages (30 laps/20 laps/20 laps/15 laps)
Start/Finish:  3rd/2nd (Running, completed 88 of 88 laps)

Note:  Race extended three laps past its scheduled 85-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish in Stage 1.

Race Winner:  Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner:  Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner:  Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 3 Winner:  Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-30):

● Kevin Harvick started third and finished second.
● Harvick drove his No. 4 Busch Beer #MillennialCar into the lead at the start and led the first 19 laps.
● Kyle Busch took the lead on lap 20, and Harvick held steady in second through the end of the stage.
● Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel at the end of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 31-50):

● Started second and finished first.
● After a restart on lap 39, Harvick retook the lead and held the position through the end of the stage.
● Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel at the end of the stage, but the stop was slow and it dropped Harvick to seventh.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 51-70):

● Started seventh and finished sixth.
● Harvick keyed the mic on lap 56 to say, “I’ve got a loose wheel!”
● Under caution on lap 58, Harvick came to pit road to have all of his wheels tightened. This dropped him to 15th for the lap-63 restart.
● Harvick drove his way to sixth by the end of the stage.
● Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel at the end of the stage while a handful of others took only two tires.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 71-88):

● Started 10th and finished second.
● Harvick wheeled the Busch Beer #MillennialCar up to eighth by the lap-76 caution.
● Once the race went back to green, Harvick picked up another four spots.
● In fourth place prior to the green-white-checkered finish, Harvick rallied to second before the checkered flag waved.

Notes:

● Harvick has made an appearance in every single Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race in his 19-year career, the most of any driver eligible for this year’s All-Star Race.
● Harvick led twice for a race-high 33 laps to increase his laps-led total in the All-Star Race to 157.
● Kyle Larson won the All-Star Race with a .322-of-a-second margin of victory over Harvick.
● The All-Star Race featured 10 lead changes among seven different drivers. Nineteen drivers comprised the field.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer #MillennialCar Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Once they get single-file, as soon as they drive in your lane they pushed up the groove, so you’ve got to go where they aren’t and he (Kyle Larson) was fast enough to run the bottom, and that’s where I needed to run to really make time. Everybody was wide-open, so once the restart thinned out, everybody just kind of goes where they go.”

Next Up:

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to points-paying racing on Sunday, May 26 with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. The longest race on the Cup Series schedule gets underway at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event:  Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race (non-points event)
Series:  Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series
Location:  Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format:  85 laps, broken into four stages (30 laps/20 laps/20 laps/15 laps)
Start/Finish:  13th/6th (Running, completed 88 of 88 laps)

Note I: Race extended three laps past its scheduled 85-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish in Stage 1.

Note II: The Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race was comprised of drivers who won a points-paying race in 2018 or 2019, full-time drivers who have previously won the All-Star Race, full-time drivers who have won a NASCAR Cup Series championship and drivers who advanced from the Monster Energy Open.

Race Winner:  Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner:  Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner:  Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 3 Winner:  Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-30):

● Started 13th, finished 19th.
● Almirola reported on lap one that the Smithfield Mustang was too loose all around.
● On lap 10 and running in the 17th position, Almirola said he was “still loose but was on the splitter some” as he began to work his way back through the field.
● Almirola reached the top-15 just before the first caution of the race on lap 28.
● He pitted on lap 29 for four tires, fuel and adjustments and exited the pits in the 11th position for the lap-31 restart.
● As the field was approaching the end of Stage 1, Almirola said he had a loose wheel that felt as though it was about to fall off. He was able to stay on track.
● At the stage break, Almirola pitted for fuel and to tighten the loose left rear wheel.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 31-50):

● Started 19th, finished 12th.
● After an early caution in Stage 2 on lap 37, Almirola began to work his way back toward the front and claimed the 11th position on lap 44.
● With four laps remaining in Stage 2, Almirola radioed that the Smithfield Ford wouldn’t turn and he had lost rear lateral.
● At the end of Stage 2, Almirola pitted on lap 53 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to help the Smithfield Mustang turn in the corner.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 51-70):

● Started 12th, finished 17th.
● The Smithfield team maintained position after the pit stop to restart 12th.
● During the fourth caution on 58, Almirola stayed on track but told the team he was having a hard time gaining momentum on restart.
● After going back green on lap 62, the No. 10 was caught in a three-wide battle for the 10th position and sustained left-side damage, causing Almirola to lose the handling in the Smithfield machine.
● Almirola fell back to 17th but was again able to continue until the end of Stage 3 to pit under caution.
● On lap 73, Almirola brought the Smithfield Ford to pit road under caution for four tires and repairs. He returned to the track in the 17th position, but the team received a penalty for too many crew members over the wall, which pushed them back to 19th for the restart.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 71-85):

● Started 19th, finished sixth.
● There were three cautions to start the final stage of the 2019 All-Star Race, preventing Almirola from gaining much ground from the 19th position.
● When the race returned to green for the final 12 laps, Almirola quickly advanced into the top-10 and gained at least one position each lap.
● On lap 82, Almirola took over the sixth position and tracked down Joey Logano for fifth. He briefly moved into the top-five but settled back into sixth after a charge from the No. 22.
● Almirola held the sixth position until the completion of the race to earn his best career finish in the All-Star Race.

Notes:

● Almirola’s sixth-place result bettered his previous best finish in the All-Star Race – 14th in 2015.
● Kyle Larson won the All-Star Race with a .322-of-a-second margin of victory over runner-up Kevin Harvick.
● The All-Star Race featured 10 lead changes among seven different drivers. Nineteen drivers comprised the field.

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

“You have to be super aggressive in this race if you want to be up front competing for the money at the end of it. You can’t really pass after it gets strung out so, you’ve got two or three laps to be as aggressive as you possibly can be. If you check out of the throttle for the slightest little bit, they go by you three- and four-wide. It’s all about momentum and being in the right lane on the restarts. Everything is situational if a guy in front of you wiggles and checks up, and you check up to keep from running over him. You lose four, five, six spots in one straightaway. It’s aggravating, but that’s the way it is when you don’t have a lot of horsepower, it becomes all about momentum.”

Next Up:

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to points-paying racing on Sunday, May 26 with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. The longest race on the Cup Series schedule gets underway at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event: Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Open (non-points event)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 50 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/20 laps/10 laps)
Start/Finish: 4th/12th (Running, completed 62 of 62 laps)

Note: Race extended 12 laps past its scheduled 50-lap distance due to green-white-checkered finishes in Stages 1 and 2.
Race Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Bubba Wallace of Richard Petty Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-27):

● Daniel Suárez started Stage 1 from the fourth position and ended it fourth.
● Suárez was sixth during the lap-16 caution and pitted for four tires and adjustments to help his loose-handling ARRIS Mustang.
● He restarted 11th after varying pit strategies and worked his up to fourth for the stage finish, which went seven laps past its scheduled distance.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 28-52):
● The No. 41 driver started Stage 2 in the first position and completed it third.
● Suárez began Stage 2 from the lead position after not visiting pit road during the stage break.
● The 27-year-old was in the second position when the caution came for an accident that set up an overtime finish. After a lengthy cleanup Suárez had two laps to fight for a victory in Stage 2 and earn his spot in the All-Star Race.
● After leading the second-to-last lap, Suárez battled with a competitor coming to the start-finish line on the final lap but went spinning through the runoff area after contact.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 53-62):
● Suárez began the final stage in 16th and concluded it in 12th.
● The Mexico native came down pit road for repairs in an effort to earn a win in the final 10-lap stage. Unfortunately, the No. 41 machine’s damage proved too much, and the ARRIS driver finished 12th.

Notes:
●  Suárez led one lap in Stage 2.
● The Monster Energy Open was the undercard event to the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race, where non-qualified drivers attempted to race their way into the All-Star Race by winning any one of the race’s three stages or by winning the fan vote.
Next Up:

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to points-paying racing on Sunday, May 26 with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. The longest race on the Cup Series schedule gets underway at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

• Date: May 11, 2019
• Event: Digital Ally 400 (Round 12 of 36)
• Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
• Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
• Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
• Note: Race extended four laps past its scheduled 267-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
• Point Standing: 9th (357 points, 121 out of first)

• Race Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford) in overtime
• Stage 1 Winner:  Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
• Stage 2 Winner:  Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

• Daniel Suárez started Stage 1 from the 34th position and ended the stage 29th.
• Suárez was in the 27th spot when the competition caution came out on lap 30.
• The Haas Automation driver reported his Mustang was tight on exit and free on entry. Suárez came down pit road for fuel, two right-side tires and adjustments. He restarted 12th on lap 35.The second caution came out on lap 59 while Suárez was 17th.
• He stayed out and restarted in the eighth position on lap 65.
• In a 14-lap shootout to the stage end, the Ford driver dropped back to 29th with an ill-handling Mustang.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

• The No. 41 driver started Stage 2 in 24th and completed it in 25th.
• Suárez began Stage 2 in 24th after pitting for fuel, four tires and adjustments.
• Suárez came down pit road on lap 143 for a scheduled green-flag stop for four tires, fuel and adjustments and returned to the track in the 27th position.
• The 27-year-old worked his way back up to 25th, where he ended the stage.
• Suárez stayed out during the Stage 2 break and took the wave-around to start the final stage on the lead lap.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-271):

• Suárez began the final stage in 24th and concluded it in 14th.
• The Mexican native made his only scheduled green-flag pit stop of the stage on lap 208 from 21st for fuel, four tires and adjustments. He returned to the track 24th.
• The caution came out on lap 217 with Suárez in the 20th spot while green-flag stops were still cycling through. He took the wave-around to gain one of his two laps back.
• After the restart, the Haas Automation driver worked his way forward and came down pit road under caution on lap 242 for four tires and adjustments. He restarted 22nd.
• The final caution came out with a just a few laps to go, and Suárez was the beneficiary of the free pass. Suárez pitted for four tires and adjustments and returned to the track in the 14th spot, where he ultimately finished.

Notes:

• Suárez earned his eighth top-15 of the season and his second top-15 in five career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas.
• Brad Keselowski won the Digital Ally 400 to score his 30th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his second at Kansas. His margin of victory over second-place Alex Bowman was .205 of a second.
• There were seven caution periods for a total of 41 laps.
• Only 14 of the 40 drivers in the Digital Ally 400 finished on the lead lap.
• Joey Logano leaves Kansas as the new championship leader with a nine-point advantage over second-place Kyle Busch.

Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Demo Day Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing: “We’re leaving Kansas with a 14^th-place finish. We were able to make something out of our day with the Haas Automation Mustang. We battled a few different things and one of those was a hole in the nose of the car, but Billy and the guys kept after it and we came back from two laps down to finish on the lead lap.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the nonpoints Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race on Saturday, May 18 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 8 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio beginning at 6 p.m. with the undercard Monster Energy Open.

Event: Digital Ally 400 (Round 12 of 36)

Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)

Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)

Note: Race extended four laps past its scheduled 267-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Point Standing: 9th (357 points, 121 out of first)

Race Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford) in overtime

Stage 1 Winner:  Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 2 Winner:  Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Clint Bowyer started third, finished eighth and earned three bonus points.

● Bowyer held his second-place starting spot but dropped to fourth before the competition caution at lap 30.

● Bowyer took only two tires and restarted the race in second.

● Bowyer jumped to the lead on the restart and held it laps 37 through 48.

● He reported his car was loose and struggled in the outside groove.

● Bowyer pitted for four tires on lap 63 and drove up to eighth by the time of the stage’s conclusion.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Started fifth, finished eighth and earned three bonus points.

● Bowyer raced at the front of the field in the opening laps of the stage but faded back, battling handling issues.

● He pitted on lap 123 for tires and fuel.

● Bowyer and the crew worked throughout the stage to improve the handling and finished eighth.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-271):

● Started ninth, finished fifth.

● Bowyer continued to struggle with handling and dropped to 12th in the running order.

● Bowyer said that late in green-flag runs the handling improved, but needed to be better.

● Crew continued to make major adjustments to improve the handling.

● Bowyer was ready to make his final green-flag stop of the race on lap 217 when a debris caution came out. He stayed on the track and moved to sixth.

● Crew took the opportunity of being only one of seven cars on the lead lap and made major handling changes during the pit stop. Bowyer restarted the race in sixth with 43 laps remaining.

● Those changes worked, helping Bowyer stay at the front of the field until contact with Kyle Busch dropped him to eighth.

● It appeared that would be where Bowyer would finish, but a caution with four laps remaining set up an overtime finish.

● Bowyer elected to pit for right-side tires and restarted the overtime in eighth.

● He jumped out on the restart and looked like he would battle for the victory, but Bowyer had to avoid an accident when Erik Jones blocked him as the field raced the final two laps.

● Bowyer crossed the finish line in fifth.

Notes:

● Bowyer earned his fourth top-five and seventh top-10 of the season.

● This was the Emporia, Kan. native’s third top-five and seventh top-10 in 22 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas.

● This was Bowyer’s second straight top-10. He finished ninth last week at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

● Bowyer finished eighth in Stage 1 to earn three bonus points and eighth in Stage 2 to earn three more bonus points.

● Bowyer led once for 12 laps to increase his laps-led total at Kansas to 63.

● Brad Keselowski won the Digital Ally 400 to score his 30th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his second at Kansas. His margin of victory over second-place Alex Bowman was .205 of a second.

● There were seven caution periods for a total of 41 laps.

● Only 14 of the 40 drivers in the Digital Ally 400 finished on the lead lap.

● Joey Logano leaves Kansas as the new championship leader with a nine-point advantage over second-place Kyle Busch.

Clint Bowyer, Driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Haas Automation Mobil 1 Ford Mustang:

“Tonight wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be. We struggled with handling, especially as soon as the night fell and it got dark outside we were not handling at all. It was tight and it was loose and on top of the race track. With two stops to go we came in and raised the back of the car up and we got better in traffic and were able to race. Then all hell broke loose on the restart and things like that. It was tires, no tires, two tires. Everyone was on different strategies, people were a lap down that should have been up front. It was hard to even figure out who you were racing. We should have finished second. I had a huge run on both those guys but that kid (Jones), I guess he was willing to wreck himself to hold the position. It is frustrating. It is always disappointing when you come here and don’t get a win. A top-five was a solid night for us. We did a good job of fighting for that finish because it probably wasn’t exactly where we deserved to run the way we ran all night.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the nonpoints Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race on Saturday, May 18 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 8 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio beginning at 6 p.m. with the undercard Monster Energy Open.