Category: Post-Race Reports

• 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.

• 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):

• Aric Almirola started 33rd, finished 13th.
• Almirola raced his Smithfield Ford Mustang into the top-20 by lap 16.
• He pitted during the lap-30 competition caution for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments and gained one spot off pit road.
• After restarting 18th, he drove the No. 10 Ford as high as fifth place before a caution was called on lap 60. During the caution period he pitted for two tires and fuel to restart 11th.
• Almirola noted that the handling was much worse on just two fresh tires, and he was unable to drive through the field like he did with four tires.
• At the conclusion of the stage, he pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure and chassis adjustments.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

• Started 11th, finished 13th.
• Almirola pitted under green-flag conditions on lap 124 for four tires, fuel and adjustments.
• Toward the end of the stage, spotter Joel Edmonds told the team they were turning some of the fastest lap times on the track.
• The No. 10 pitted at the end of Stage 2 for four tires and fuel.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-271):

• Started 11th, finished 12th.
• Almirola pitted under green on lap 218, but the caution was called while he was on pit road. He restarted 10th when racing resumed.
• He raced the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang in and around the top-10 until another caution was called with four laps to go.
• Almirola pitted during the caution period for four tires and fuel. He came off pit road in 10th.
• He battled just outside the top-10 during the two-lap shootout before crossing the finish line.

Notes:

• This was Almirola’s fourth straight top-15 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.

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

“We had a fast Smithfield Ford Mustang to start the race. We drove from the back all the way up to the top-five but couldn’t seem to find that speed for the rest of the race. We’ll keep working hard to improve each weekend.”

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.

• 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):

• Kevin Harvick started first, finished first and collected 10 bonus points and one playoff point.
• On lap 10, Harvick was leading but said the No. 4 Busch Beer Ford Mustang was a bit loose.
• At the competition caution on lap 30, Harvick led by 3.92 seconds, but he said his car was quite loose. He pitted for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. Several cars took just two tires, and Harvick restarted 11th.
• After going from 11th to fourth in one lap on the restart, Harvick then retook the lead on lap 49.
• On lap 62, Harvick pitted for right-side tires and fuel. Several cars stayed out, so Harvick restarted 10th.
• By lap 72 Harvick had passed Chase Elliott for the lead.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

• Started second, finished second and collected nine bonus points.
• Harvick pitted on lap 84 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. He restarted second behind Kurt Busch, who took only two tires.
• On lap 123, while leading, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment.
• Harvick said his car was out of control in the back and shoving the front on lap 145, but he finished the stage in second place.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-271):

• Started first, finished 13th.
• On lap 163, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment.
• Harvick pitted on lap 178 while leading, thinking he had a flat tire. He took on two tires and fuel, and the crew cleaned a large piece of debris off the grille. He restarted 27th and the crew found no issues with the tire. It is believed that the debris caused the issue.
• With 50 laps to go, a caution came out and Harvick was 11th, one lap down, as cars were pitting. Harvick was not the Lucky Dog so did not get his lap back. He pitted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment.
• On lap 224, Harvick restarted 14th, one lap down.
• He pitted on lap 242 for four tires and fuel.
• Harvick pitted for the final time on lap 265 for two tires and fuel and restarted ninth. He finished the race in 13th.

Notes:

• Harvick won Stage 1 to earn 10 bonus points and one playoff point and finished second in Stage 2 to earn an additional nine bonus points.
• Harvick led five times for a race-high 104 laps to increase his laps-led total at Kansas to 855.
• 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.

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: Gander RV 400 (Round 11 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile, concrete oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (120 laps/120 laps/160 laps)
Start/Finish: 14th/11th (Running, completed 400 of 400 laps)
Point Standing: 12th (292 points, 168 out of first)

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-120):

● Daniel Suárez started Stage 1 from the 14th position and ended the stage 15th.
● Suárez was in the 14th spot when the competition caution came out on lap 40.
● After reporting the No. 41 Haas Automation Mustang was tight early in the run, Suárez came down pit road for fuel, four tires and adjustments. He restarted 17th on lap 45.
● The first caution came out on lap 105, and Suárez pitted for fuel, four tires and an air pressure adjustment to help his free-entry and tight-exit condition. He restarted from 15th on lap 110.
● The next caution came out on lap 116, and crew chief Billy Scott made the call for Suárez to stay out for the one-lap shootout to end the stage in 15th.
● Suárez began Stage 2 in 13th after not pitting during the stage break.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 121-240):

● The No. 41 driver started Stage 2 in 13th and completed it in 13th.
● Suárez came down pit road on lap 183 for a scheduled green-flag stop for four tires, fuel and adjustments. After pit stops cycled through he was in the 15th position.
● Suárez worked his way back up to 13th, where he ended the stage.
● Before the start of the final stage, the 27-year-old pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with his tight-handling Mustang.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 241-400):

● Suárez began the final stage in 16th and concluded it in 11th.
● The first caution of the final stage came out on lap 264, and the Mexico native pitted from 15th for fuel, four tires and adjustments. He restarted 14th on lap 268.
● Suárez took over the 11th spot on lap 316 and eventually took over the lead on lap 326 after staying out while almost all other competitors pitted.
● On lap 346 Suárez made a scheduled green-flag stop for fuel and four tires and returned to the track in the 12th position.
● The remainder of the stage ran under green and Suárez ultimately finished 11th.

Notes:

● Suárez earned his seventh top-15 of the season and his fifth top-15 in five career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover.
● Suárez has finished in the top-11 in each of his five career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover.
● Martin Truex Jr. won the Gander RV 400 to score his 21st career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Dover. His margin of victory over second-place Alex Bowman was 9.501 seconds.
● There were six caution periods for a total of 31 laps.
● Only 11 of the 37 drivers in the Gander RV 400 finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Busch remains the championship leader after Dover with a five-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

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

“It was a tough day for us here at Dover. The cars were really fast at this track today. Last year they weren’t, but obviously it was a different rules package. I had very high expectations coming into this race because I’ve run so well here in the past, and Stewart-Haas Racing has, too. I just couldn’t get the Haas Automation Mustang to turn like I wanted it to. We probably had an eighth- to 12th-place car today and we finished 11th.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Digital Ally 400 on Saturday, May 11 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event:  Gander RV 400 (Round 11 of 36)
Series:  Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:  Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile, concrete oval)
Format:  400 laps, broken into three stages (120 laps/120 laps/160 laps)
Start/Finish:  7th/16th (Running, completed 399 of 400 laps)
Point standings:  11th (309 points, 151 out of first)

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-120):

● Aric Almirola started seventh, finished 14th.
● Almirola reported on lap 11 that his Smithfield Ford Mustang was handling “on the snug side” as he rode in the sixth position.
● At the lap-42 competition caution, Almirola said his No. 10 Ford Mustang was progressively getting tighter throughout the run. He pitted for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, and restarted 15th after a slow stop from the Smithfield crew.
● Halfway through the first stage on lap 60 and running in the 17th position, the Florida native radioed that the handling had not improved, and the Smithfield Ford would not turn on throttle.
● Under caution on lap 107, Almirola pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure and chassis adjustments for a very tight-handling Smithfield Ford Mustang. He restarted in the 17th position on lap 110.
● Almirola stayed on track during the third caution of the day on lap 117 and gained three positions on the lap-119 restart to move into 14th with one lap remaining in Stage 1.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 121-240):

● Started 12th, finished 12th.
● The Smithfield team elected not to pit at the stage break and moved up to 12th for the start of Stage 2.
● On lap 175, while running 12th, Almirola said the Smithfield Ford still wasn’t turning in the corners.
● Almirola came to pit road under green on lap 184 for four tires, fuel and adjustments to the Smithfield Mustang and returned to the track in the 20th position, as the leaders hadn’t yet pitted.
● With 40 laps remaining in Stage 2, and back in the 12th position after the rest of the field completed their pit stops, Almirola told the No. 10 crew that he was still too tight in the corner, primarily on exit.
● Running 12th on lap 225, Almirola said he was having a hard time passing while making his way through lapped traffic.
● Almirola told the No. 10 team that the Smithfield Ford Mustang “couldn’t complete the turn in dirty air.” He pitted at the stage break for four tires, fuel and a trackbar adjustment.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 241-400):

● Started 11th, finished 16th.
● The Smithfield team gained one position on pit road to restart 11th on lap 249.
● After falling back to the 13th position, Almirola pitted under the sixth caution of the day on lap 265 for four tires, fuel and additional adjustments after losing rear lateral early in the previous run. With most of the leaders staying on track, he restarted 11th on lap 269.
● After a lot of movement on the restart, Almirola dropped to the 15th position, but he was able to drive the Smithfield Mustang back up to 12th on lap 273.
● On lap 298, Almirola told the team the Smithfield Ford had lost more rear lateral, and he fell back to the 15th position.
● With the leaders beginning to make green-flag stops, Almirola stayed on track and advanced as high as third before bringing the Smithfield Ford to pit road on lap 337. The No. 10 team gave him four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment for the final 63 laps.
● As a result of staying out for an extended amount of time before pitting, Almirola returned to the track in the 20th position, two laps down.
● With 47 laps remaining in the race, Almirola moved up to the 17th position and was just one lap down to the leaders as the final cars made their green-flag pit stops.
● With the race going green to the end, Almirola was only able to advance his position by one spot to finish 16th.

Notes:

● Martin Truex Jr. won the Gander RV 400 to score his 21st career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Dover. His margin of victory over second-place Alex Bowman was 9.501 seconds.
● There were six caution periods for a total of 31 laps.
● Only 11 of the 37 drivers in the Gander RV 400 finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Busch remains the championship leader after Dover with a five-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

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

“We struggled today, to say the least. This is probably one of the most track position-dependent tracks we go to, and we started off the race running fifth and the next thing you know we’re running 13th. We just never could recover from that. It wasn’t easy to make passes even when we were in the postion to do so, and it turned into a long day for us. But our Smithfield team is strong, and we’ve got another chance next week at Kansas to show everyone what we’ve got.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Digital Ally 400 on Saturday, May 11 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event: Gander RV 400 (Round 11 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile, concrete oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (120 laps/120 laps/160 laps)
Start/Finish: 6th/4th (Running, completed 400 of 400 laps)
Point standings: 3rd (397 points, 63 out of first)

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-120):

● Kevin Harvick started sixth, finished fifth and earned six bonus points.
● No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang pitted on lap 43 for four tires and fuel. Harvick said the car was a bit tight.
● On lap 107, Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel. He came out in sixth place after Joey Logano and William Byron only took two tires.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 121-240):

● Started fourth, finished third and earned eight bonus points.
● On lap 138, while in third place, Harvick said he might have a loose wheel.
● While fourth, Harvick pitted on lap 182 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment and tape on the grille.
● Harvick battled with Martin Truex Jr. and Alex Bowman for the lead late in the stage, but he finished third.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 241-400):

● Started fourth, finished fourth.
● No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang pitted on lap 244 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Harvick said his car was still tight.
● At the 300-lap mark, Harvick was one second behind leader Turex, but he said his car was “loose everywhere.”
● On lap 320, while running second, Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel.
● Harvick ended up finishing fourth.

Notes:

● Harvick earned his fifth top-five of 2019 and his seventh top-five in 37 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover.
● This is Harvick’s third consecutive top-10 finish at Dover.
● Harvick finished fifth in Stage 1 to earn six bonus points and third in Stage 2 to earn an additional eight bonus points.
● Harvick led once for one lap to increase his laps-led total at Dover to 1,443.
● Martin Truex Jr. won the Gander RV 400 to score his 21st career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Dover. His margin of victory over second-place Alex Bowman was 9.501 seconds.
● There were six caution periods for a total of 31 laps.
● Only 11 of the 37 drivers in the Gander RV 400 finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Busch remains the championship leader after Dover with a five-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang:

“As you look at the cars behind each other, especially there at the end, there was hardly anybody who could pass anybody. You lose so much downforce behind each other every week that, from a driver’s standpoint, it becomes frustration. It’s difficult to maneuver your car to make up positions, because they become so aero-bad behind each other. Our guys on our Jimmy John’s Ford did a good job today, we just got super tight the last run stuck behind the 42 (Kyle Larson). We just couldn’t go anywhere.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Digital Ally 400 on Saturday, May 11 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Event: Gander RV 400(Round 11 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile, concrete oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (120 laps/120 laps/260 laps
Start/Finish: 10th/9th (Running, completed 400 of 400 laps)
Point standings: 10th (319 points, 141 out of first)

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-120):

● Started 10th, finished 10th. Earned one bonus point.
● Bowyer grabbed ninth right at the start and held that spot through the first caution on lap 42
● Despite running ninth, Bowyer said his No. 14 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang was “too tight up off (the corner).”
● Pitted under caution on lap 42 for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Picked up two spots on pit road to restart in seventh.
● Climbed to sixth place by lap 63 but said his car was “chattering” badly.
● Caution on lap 107 allowed Bowyer to pit for four tires, fuel and a right-rear wedge adjustment.
● Slotted in 12th for lap-110 restart and rallied to grab 10th just before the end of the stage.
● Stayed out at the conclusion of the stage to maintain track position.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 121-240):

● Started eighth, finished ninth. Earned two bonus points.
● Bowyer grabbed seventh on the restart.
● On lap140, Bowyer keyed his mic to say, “Tight on the throttle. Car won’t rotate.” Nevertheless, he remained a solid seventh.
● By lap 177, Bowyer had dropped to ninth. “I’m plowing!” he said.
● Under green on lap 182, Bowyer brought the No. 14 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang to the pits for a scheduled, four-tires-and-fuel stop.
● After pit stops cycled through, Bowyer returned to ninth and stayed there through the end of the stage.
● Pitted for four tires and fuel with track bar and tire pressure adjustments at the conclusion of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 241-400):

● Started ninth, finished ninth.
● Dropped to 10th on lap-249 restart. “Plowing!” is all Bowyer needed to say on lap 253.
● Caution on lap 266 sent some drivers to pit road. Bowyer stayed out and reclaimed ninth.
● Fell to 12th on lap-269 restart, but climbed back to 10th on the following lap.
● Passed 11-time Dover race winner Jimmie Johnson on lap 312 to retake ninth.
● Made scheduled, green-flag pit stop on lap 321 for four tires and fuel. Maintained ninth place after pit stops cycled through.
● Grabbed eighth place from William Byron with less than 50 laps to, but Byron earned the spot back on lap 377.
● Maintained ninth place for the final 23 laps.

Notes:

●  Bowyer earned his sixth top-10 of the season and his 15th top-10 in 27 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover.
●  This is Bowyer’s third top-10 at Dover since joining SHR in 2017.
●  Martin Truex Jr. won the Gander RV 400 to score his 21st career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Dover. His margin of victory over second-place Alex Bowman was a commanding 9.501 seconds.
●  There were six caution periods for a total of 31 laps.
●  Only 11 of the 37 drivers in the Gander RV 400 finished on the lead lap.
●  Kyle Busch remains the championship leader after Dover with a five-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

Clint Bowyer, Driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang:

“It was kind of a frustrating day. We were OK. I think anyone who got in the top-five was going to stay there. We lost track position on the first pit stop and never really regained any of it. It was just really tough to pass today.”

Date: May 4, 2019
Race Name: Allied Steel Buildings 200 (Race 10 of 33)
Venue: Dover (Del.) International Speedway
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Race Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Results:  Chase Briscoe: 5th
Point Standings:
– Chase Briscoe: 6th with 335 points; trails points leader by 127 points

Chase Briscoe / Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang Recap:
– Briscoe started seventh and finished seventh in Stage 1 to earn four stage points.
– The Nutri Chomps Ford started Stage 2 in eighth and finished seventh, earning Briscoe an additional four stage points.
– The No. 98 Ford started ninth in the final stage after pitting for four tires and fuel. He was shuffled back to 13th on the restart, but was able to advance back up to 11th.
– A caution with 47 laps to go allowed the team to pit for fresh tires and restart in 10th. The No. 98 raced up to the sixth position before another caution flew with 28 laps to go.
– Briscoe gained three positions on the restart and was running third when another caution came out with 19 laps remaining.
– The No. 98 ford would ultimately come home in the fifth position.
– Briscoe scored his eighth consecutive top-10 of the 2019 season. 

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 98 Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang:                                                    
“It seems like every race we have one really bad run before we are able to tune on it and get better. We were just really lucky and fortunate to have some good restarts there at the end to get “

Date: May 4, 2019
Race Name: Allied Steel Buildings 200 (Race 10 of 33)
Venue: Dover (Del.) International Speedway
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Race Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Results: Cole Custer: 4th
Point Standings:
– Cole Custer: 3rd with 391 points; trails points leader by 71 points

Cole Custer / Haas Automation Ford Mustang Recap:
– Custer started first, led every lap of Stage 1 and picked up 10 stage points plus one playoff point by winning the stage.
– The No. 00 Ford started first and led every lap of Stage 2 en route to the stage win. He would pick up 10 more stage points and one playoff point.
– Custer started first in the final stage before a yellow would come out with 47 laps remaining.
– The No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang would pit and restart second.
– Custer fell back to third before another yellow with less than 30 laps remaining.
– The No. 00 did not pit and would restart third. Custer dropped to sixth before driving back to a fourth place finish.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang:
“We had a really good car all day and we showed it by leading 155 laps. Track position is key here and we lost that with less than 50 laps remaining and restarting on the bottom is the worst here. Once we got stuck down there, it’s almost impossible to pass here so we couldn’t really do much after that.”