Category: Post-Race Reports

Date: Sept. 16, 2018
Event: South Point 400 (Round 27 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 272 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/112 laps with overtime)
Start/Finish: 16^th/6^th (Running, completed 272 of 272 laps)
Point Standing: 9th with 2,034 points, 12 points ahead of top-12 cutoff

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Aric Almirola started 16th and finished Stage 1 in ninth to earn two bonus points.
● Almirola’s first pit stop of the race was on lap 37 for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help his car’s loose-handling condition.
● The Tampa native moved into the ninth position in the closing laps of the stage, where he ultimately finished.
● During the stage break, Almirola came down pit road for service to his Smithfield Ford Fusion.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Almirola started Stage 2 in ninth and concluded it in 16th.
● Shortly after the green flag dropped on Stage 2, the first caution of the race was displayed while Almirola was in the 12th position.
● The second caution came out on lap 111, and Almirola visited pit road from 17th for service to tighten up his No. 10 Ford. The Smithfield crew also worked on the right-rear quarter panel after he brushed the wall.
● Almirola restarted 21st on lap 116.
● By the end of the stage, Almirola was happier with the handling of his Smithfield Ford and had worked his way up to the 16th spot.
● During the Stage 2 break Almirola visited pit road for fuel and four tires.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-272):

● Almirola started the final stage in the 16th spot and ended it sixth.
● The caution was displayed once again on lap 183 while the 34-year-old was in the 12th position. He visited pit road for service and restarted 14th on lap 187.
● Just a couple of laps after the restart Almirola was in 12th, the spot he held until the next caution came out on lap 213.
● Almirola came down pit road for fuel and four tires, and he restarted in the eighth spot on lap 222.
● After several late-race cautions, including a red flag on lap 267 that sent the event into overtime, Almirola was able to advance to the sixth position.

Notes:

● This was Almirola’s 11th top-10 finish of 2018 and his second top-10 in 11 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas.
● Almirola finished ninth in Stage 1 to earn two bonus points.
● Brad Keselowski won the South Point 400 to score his 27th career Cup Series victory, his third of the season and third in a row, and his third at Las Vegas. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Larson was 1.276 seconds.
● There were 12 caution periods for a total of 59 laps.
● Eighteen of the 40 drivers in the South Point 400 finished on the lead lap.
● A 10-minute, 37-second red-flag period just before the end of the race set up a green-white-checkered finish that sent the race into overtime.

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

“I felt like our Ford was pretty good today. We got behind on qualifying, and that kind of set the tone. That was my fault. I was trying to get too much. I got in the fence and made another mistake today. We were able to come down on pit road and get all the damage fixed, and the car was back to being good again. I am proud of that effort. That was a really hard-fought sixth place. Man, one of these races we will have it go smooth and we will be a contender. I am really proud of that effort. That was a really hard-fought finish.”

Date: Sept. 16, 2018
Event: South Point 400 (Round 27 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format:  272 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/112 laps with overtime)
Start/Finish: 5th/39th (Running, completed 147 of 272 laps)
Point Standing: 4th with 2,060 points, 38 ahead of top-12 cutoff)

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Kevin Harvick started fifth and finished second, earning nine bonus points.
● Harvick raced the Mobil 1 Ford to the lead by lap 34.
● He surrendered the lead to come to pit road under green-flag conditions on lap 38 for four tires and fuel.
● The No. 4 Ford raced back to the lead on lap 50.
● Harvick dropped back to second when the No. 78 completed the pass for the lead.
● The Mobil 1 Ford came to pit road at the end of the stage for four tires, fuel and wedge and air pressure adjustments.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Harvick started fifth and finished 37th.
● He raced up to the fourth position by the lap-90 caution, and the team decided to stay out.
● The No. 4 Ford restarted fourth on lap 93 and raced up to the second position.
● Harvick brought the No. 4 Ford to pit road for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments on lap 112.
● The Mobil 1 Ford dropped back to the seventh position on the restart, and Harvick noted the car wouldn’t turn.
● Harvick raced back into the top-five by lap 137, but again he noted an issue with the tire.
● The No. 4 Ford cut a right-front tire on lap 147, resulting in heavy contact with the wall between turns one and two and ending Harvick’s day.

Notes:

● Harvick finished second in Stage 1 to earn nine bonus points.
● Harvick led twice for 14 laps to increase his laps-led total at Las Vegas to 452.
● Brad Keselowski won the South Point 400 to score his 27th career Cup Series victory, his third of the season and third in a row, and his third at Las Vegas. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Larson was 1.276 seconds.
● There were 12 caution periods for a total of 59 laps.
● Eighteen of the 40 drivers in the South Point 400 finished on the lead lap.
● A 10-minute, 37-second red-flag period just before the end of the race set up a green-white-checkered finish that sent the race into overtime.

Playoff Standings:

1.       Brad Keselowski (2,069 points) 1 win
2.       Martin Truex Jr. (2,087 points) +65 points
3.       Kyle Busch (2,085 points) +63 points
4.       Kevin Harvick (2,060 points) +38 points
5.       Joey Logano (2,056 points) +34 points
6.       Kurt Busch (2,046 points) +24 points
7.       Ryan Blaney (2,042 points) +20 points
8.       Kyle Larson (2,041 points) +19 points
9.       Aric Almirola (2,034 points) +12 points
10.    Austin Dillon (2,031 points) +9 points
11.    Clint Bowyer (2,029 points) +7 points
12.    Alex Bowman (2,028 points) +6 points
13.    Jimmie Johnson (2,022 points) -6 points
14.    Chase Elliott (2,019 points) -9 points
15.    Erik Jones (2,009 points) -19 points
16.    Denny Hamlin (2,008 points) -20 points

Date: September 15, 2018
Event: DC Solar 200 (Round 26 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish: 1st/3rd (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Playoff Point Standings: (4th with 2011 points, 28 points out of first – IN THE PLAYOFFS)

Race Winner: Ross Chastain of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Ross Chastain of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Ross Chastain of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):

● Custer started fifth, finished fourth and earned seven bonus points.
● The Code 3 Associates driver led the first three laps until falling to third before a lap-four restart.
● Custer raced in third place for the majority of the stage and said the car felt loose into Turn 3 and wouldn’t turn well in the center of the turns.
● He pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments to improve handling and gained one spot on pit road.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):

● Custer started third, finished second and earned nine bonus points.
● Custer raced the Code 3 Associates Ford in third place until a lap-64 caution.
● After experimenting with the low and high line, Custer found significantly more speed on the low line and advanced to second before the stage concluded.
● He pitted for four tires, fuel, chassis and air pressure adjustments when the stage ended.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 91-200):

● Custer started seventh, finished third.
● Before the final stage began, the No. 00 Ford team was handed a penalty for an uncontrolled tire, sending Custer to the rear of the field.
● Custer weaved his way through the field and entered the top-10 by lap 102.
● During a caution period on lap 124, Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and more adjustments. The Code 3 Associates pit crew’s quick stop advanced Custer to second place.
● Custer made the pass for the lead on lap 154, but tight-handling conditions sent him back to third.
● On lap 173, Custer came to the pits under green and the caution was called as he entered pit road. He pitted for two right-side tires in order to stay on the lead lap, then came back for two fresh left-side tires. He gained seven spots to restart in fourth place.
● After two more cautions were thrown, Custer restarted in fourth place and advanced to third before the race concluded.

Notes:               

● Custer earned his and Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste’s fifth pole award of the season.
● This marks Custer’s 21st top-10 of the season and second at Las Vegas.
● This marks Custer’s 11th top-five of the season and second at Las Vegas.
● Custer earned 16 bonus points in the DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas.
● Custer led once for a total of three laps.
● Eight cautions slowed the race for 40 laps.
● Only 16 of the 40 drivers finished on the lead lap.
● Ross Chastain won the DC Solar 300 to score his first career Xfinity Series Victory, first of the season and first at Las Vegas. His margin of victory over second-place Justin Allgaier was 1.629 seconds. 

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Code 3 Associates Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing With Biagi-DenBeste:  

“Our Code 3 Mustang was great. We had times today where we were the fastest car. We just couldn’t keep it there consistently. Strategy didn’t really fall our way when the caution came out. We had a pretty solid day and a car that could contend for the win. I’m looking forward to the playoffs. I think we can carry a lot of momentum into it and I think we will be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. I don’t think you can really ask for much more. We compete for wins almost every weekend, it is just a matter of having it all fall into place. We will just keep trying to do what we do.”

Playoff Standings:         

1.     Justin Allgaier (2,039 points)
2.     Christopher Bell (2032 points, -7)
3.     Elliott Sadler (2,011 points, -28)
4.     Cole Custer (2,011 points, -28)
5.     Tyler Redick (2010 points, -29)
6.     Ross Chastain (2010 points, -29)
7.     Daniel Hemric (2,010 points, -29)
8.     Brandon Jones (2,006 points, -33)
9.     Matt Tifft (2,003 points, -36)
10.   Ryan Truex (2,003 points, -36)
11.   Austin Cindric (2,001 points, -38)
12.   Ryan Reed (2,000 points, -39)

Date: Sept. 10, 2018
Event: Brickyard 400 (Round 26 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Start/Finish: 12th/23rd (Running, completed 159 of 160 laps)
Point Standing: 14th (2,001 points, 49 out of first)

Race Winner:     Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner:  Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:  Matt Kenseth of Roush Fenway Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-50):

● Aric Almirola started 12th and finished Stage 1 in seventh to earn four bonus points.
● Almirola pitted during both competition cautions, on laps 10 and 30, for service to his Smithfield Ford. He was eighth during the first caution and fourth during the second caution.
● The third caution of the race was displayed on lap 40, and Almirola once again visited pit road for service and slight adjustments to his Ford Fusion.
● During the stage break, the Tampa native pitted from the top-10 but was relegated to restart 16th for Stage 2 after several competitors did not pit.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 51-100):

● Almirola started Stage 2 in 16th and was 31st at the conclusion.
● Just a few laps into Stage 2, on lap 58, the fourth caution came out for a multicar accident while Almirola was in the 18th spot. He restarted 14th on lap 65.
● By lap 71, the Ford driver reached the top-five for the second time in the race and remained in fourth for the caution on lap 75 and the restart.
● Almirola remained in the top-five until lap 93. On lap 94 he reported that he would need to pit to make it to the Stage 2 break. He brought the Ford Fusion down pit road on lap 95 for fuel and two right-side tires.
● Unfortunately, Almirola sped on pit road in section three and was forced to serve a pass-through penalty just before the stage break. In the meantime, crew chief John Klausmeier confirmed the No. 10’s right-rear tire was punctured.
● During the stage break Almirola visited pit road for fuel, four tires and adjustments to improve his slightly loose-handling racecar.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 101-160):

● Almirola started the final stage in the 30th spot and ended it 23rd.
● During the first run of the final stage, Almirola put himself in the position to be the beneficiary of the free pass, but unfortunately a long green-flag run ensued and additional cars went one lap down.
● Even though Almirola was trapped one lap down for the remainder of the event, the Smithfield Ford had speed.

Notes:

● Almirola finished seventh in Stage 1 to earn four bonus points.
●Almirola qualified for the playoffs by virtue of his 13th-place finish in the regular-season standings.
● Almirola takes one bonus point into the playoffs via his stage win in July at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.
● This is Almirola’s second playoff appearance. His first came in 2014.
● Brad Keselowski won the Brickyard 400 to score his 26th career Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his first at Indianapolis. His margin of victory over second-place Erik Jones was .908 of a second.
● Keselowski’s triumph delivered the 102nd points-paying victory for Ford’s Fusion in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It was Ford’s 671st all-time win in the NASCAR Cup Series.
● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 39 laps.
● Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the Brickyard 400 finished on the lead lap.

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

“I feel good about going into the playoff. I feel like we’ve got fast racecars and we’ve got a chance to go up there and compete to win races and go far in the playoffs. Just thinking about today and another lost opportunity for us. We had a car capable of challenging to win and run up front, and we just keep having things pop up. Today, we had a flat right-rear tire running third getting ready to pass (Ryan) Blaney for second, so we keep having things go wrong, and it’s unfortunate. But one of these days our luck is going to change, and hopefully it starts this coming week at Las Vegas. And when our luck changes, we’re going to put our Smithfield Ford Fusion in victory lane. We’ve been too fast and had too good of a car lately these last couple of months to not put it all together.”

Date: Sept. 10, 2018
Event: Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis (Round 26 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Start/Finish: 2nd/4th (Running, completed 160 of 160 laps)
Point Standing: 2nd (2,050 points, tied for most Playoff points – In the Playoffs)

Race Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Matt Kenseth of Roush Fenway Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-50):

● Kevin Harvick started second and finished 11th.
● The Jimmy John’s 9-Grain Wheat Sub driver came to pit road under green-flag conditions on lap 10 for four tires and fuel, but the team received a penalty for an uncontrolled tire.
● The No. 4 Ford returned to pit road under caution on lap 12 for fuel and restarted 34th as a result of the penalty.
● Harvick raced back up to the 20th position before returning to pit road for four tires and fuel on lap 33, but a pit-gun malfunction resulted in a loose wheel. The team returned to pit road under caution to tighten the wheel.
● The No. 4 team restarted 24th on lap 34 and raced up to the top-15 by the following caution on lap 40.
● Harvick came to pit road for four tires and fuel and gave the team a chance to clean debris off the grill on lap 42.
● The Jimmy John’s Ford restarted 20th on lap 45 and raced up to 11th by the end of the stage.
● The team chose to stay out to gain track position at the conclusion of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 51-100):

● Started third and finished 21st.
● Harvick raced up to the second position on the restart to start the stage.
● The Jimmy John’s Ford driver stayed out under caution on lap 58 and kept the second position.
● The team stayed out during the following caution on lap 66 to take the lead.
● Harvick remained in the lead until pitting under green-flag conditions on lap 91.
● He raced up to 21st by the end of the second stage.
● The team chose to stay out to gain track position at the conclusion of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 101-160):

● Started fourth and finished fourth.
● The No. 4 Ford dropped to sixth at the start of the stage and was racing in that position on lap 129 when Harvick came to pit road under green-flag conditions for four tires and fuel. He rejoined the field in 14th.
● Harvick stayed out under caution on lap 145 to advance from sixth to the fourth position as several cars opted to pit.
● The Jimmy John’s driver restarted fourth on lap 147, but he reported a potential issue with his front-right tire and dropped to seventh.
● Harvick stayed out during the final caution in the seventh position and raced up to fourth before the checkered-flag.

Notes:

● Harvick qualified for the playoffs by virtue of his seven victories in 2018.  He won at Atlanta Motor Speedway, ISM Raceway near Phoenix, Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Kansas Motor Speedway in Kansas City, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The No. 4 team’s race win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March does not count toward its playoff qualification due to a post-race penalty.
● Harvick takes 50 points into the playoffs thanks to his six points-paying victories, 10 stage wins and a second-place finish in the regular-season standings. His stage wins came at Atlanta; Texas Motor Speedway; two at Dover in May; Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in June; Michigan in June; Chicagoland Speedway; Pocono in August; and two at Michigan in August.
● This is Harvick’s ninth consecutive playoff appearance and his 12th overall. He won the championship in 2014.
● This was Harvick’s series-best 19th top-five and 22nd top-10 finish of 2018.
● Harvick earned his sixth top-five and 12th top-10 finish in 18 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Indianapolis.
● Harvick led once for 22 laps to increase his laps-led total at Indianapolis to 203.
● Brad Keselowski won the Brickyard 400 to score his 26th career Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his first at Indianapolis. His margin of victory over second-place Erik Jones was .908 of a second.
● Keselowski’s triumph delivered the 102nd points-paying victory for Ford’s Fusion in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It was Ford’s 671st all-time win in the NASCAR Cup Series.
● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 39 laps.
● Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the Brickyard 400 finished on the lead lap.

Playoff Standings:

1.       Kevin Harvick (2,050 points)
2.       Kyle Busch (2,050 points)
3.       Martin Truex Jr. (2,035 points, -15)
4.       Brad Keselowski (2,019 points, -31)
5.       Clint Bowyer (2,015 points, -35)
6.       Kurt Busch (2,014 points, -36)
7.       Joey Logano (2,014 points, -36)
8.       Chase Elliott (2,008 points, -42)
9.       Ryan Blaney (2007 points, -43)
10.    Erik Jones (2,005 points, -45)
11.    Austin Dillon (2,005 points, -45)
12.    Kyle Larson (2,005 points, -45)
13.    Denny Hamlin (2,003 points, -47)
14.    Aric Almirola (2,001 points, -49)
15.    Jimmie Johnson (2,000 points, -50)
16.    Alex Bowman (2,000 points, -50)

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

The day almost started disastrous, but you recovered and led some laps.

“Disaster is a good word.  It was not a smooth day by any means from start to finish, but our Jimmy John’s Ford was fast and that was the highlight of the day.”

You and Kyle Busch are at the top. What is the strategy for the final 10 races?

“Win.”

You have a big points cushion to start the playoffs, but will you set a tone of winning races and not concentrate on that advantage with your guys?

“They know that.  We just take it one week at a time.  That’s really the only way that you can approach this is to try and get the most that you can next week, regroup, and then see what you have and go for it the next week.”

Do you like where you’re sitting right now and how you’re setup for the playoffs?

“I don’t think it’s a bad spot.  I think we did a good job in the first 26 and now you’ve just got to do it again in 10 more.”

Date: Sept. 10, 2018
Event: Brickyard 400 (Round 26 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Start/Finish: 8th/5th (Running, completed 160 of 160)
Point Standing: 5th with 2,015 points, 35 points out of first – IN THE PLAYOFFS

Race Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner:  Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:  Matt Kenseth of Roush Fenway Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Ended at Lap 50):

● Bowyer started eighth and finished first to earn 10 bonus points.
● Moved to from eighth to fifth in the first five laps
● Pitted under green on lap 9 for tires and fuel.
● Stayed on the track during the lap 10 competition caution and moved to second.
● Remained in second throughout the stage until he passed teammate Kurt Busch at lap 45.
● Bowyer won his first stage of the year and second of career.
● Bowyer’s last stage victory came at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in July, 2017.

Stage 2 Recap (Ended at Lap 100):

● Bowyer started 14th and finished 15th.
● Moved to eighth by lap 58.
● Moved from seventh to third on lap 69 when he stayed on the track while others pitted.
● Took over the lead when Kevin Harvick pitted with 11 laps remaining in the stage.
● Gave up the lead with two laps left in the stage to pit for fuel and tires.

Stage 3 Recap (Ended at Lap 160):

● Bowyer started second and finished fifth.
● Led the first laps of the final stage before Denny Hamlin regained the lead with 17 laps remaining.
● Bowyer closed in on Hamlin in the closing laps but could not make the pass.
● The race restarted with three laps remaining and Bowyer could not hold off the cars with newer tires.

Notes:

● This was Bowyer’s seventh top-five and 12th top-10 finish of 2018.
● Bowyer earned his third top-five and fourth top-10 in 13 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Indianapolis.
● Bowyer finished first in Stage 1 to earn 10 bonus points and one playoff point.
● Bowyer led three times for 37 laps to increase his laps-led total at Indianapolis to 43.
● Bowyer qualified for the playoffs by earning two victories in 2018, two stage wins, and finishing seventh in the points giving him 15 bonus points for the playoffs.
● This is Bowyer’s seventh playoff appearance and first since 2015.
● Brad Keselowski won the Brickyard 400 to score his 26th career Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his first at Indianapolis. His margin of victory over second-place Erik Jones was .908 of a second.
● Keselowski’s triumph delivered the 102nd points-paying victory for Ford’s Fusion in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It was Ford’s 671st all-time win in the NASCAR Cup Series.
● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 39 laps.
● Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the Brickyard 400 finished on the lead lap.

Playoff Standings:

1.       Kevin Harvick (2,050 points)
2.       Kyle Busch (2,050 points)
3.       Martin Truex Jr. (2,035 points, -15)
4.       Brad Keselowski (2,019 points, -31)
5.       Clint Bowyer (2,015 points, -35)
6.       Kurt Busch (2,014 points, -36)
7.       Joey Logano (2,014 points, -36)
8.       Chase Elliott (2,008 points, -42)
9.       Ryan Blaney (2007 points, -43)
10.     Erik Jones (2,005 points, -45)
11.     Austin Dillon (2,005 points, -45)
12.     Kyle Larson (2,005 points, -45)
13.     Denny Hamlin (2,003 points, -47)
14.     Aric Almirola (2,001 points, -49)
15.     Jimmie Johnson (2,000 points, -50)
16.     Alex Bowman (2,000 points, -50)

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Rush Truck Centers Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Do you take any solace from running so well today?

“Absolutely. You’ve got to use good runs like that for a confidence-booster for the Playoffs. It was a good run for us. Man, it’s a game of luck. There wasn’t really any strategy. You can’t strategize for cautions that you don’t know are gonna exist. I felt like we were definitely faster than (Hamlin), but when he beat us out of the pits there, that position nobody passed anybody for the lead and unless they were a huge advantage on tires, and then all of a sudden the cautions come out and hand the (Keselowski) the win. That’s what’s frustrating, but that’s the nature of the beast here.”

Date: Sept. 10, 2018
Event: Brickyard 400 (Round 26 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Start/Finish: 4th / 6th (Running, completed 160 of 160 laps)
Point Standing: 6th with 2,014 points, 36 out of first – IN THE PLAYOFFS

Race Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Matt Kenseth of Roush-Fenway Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-50):

● Kurt Busch started fourth, finished second and collected nine bonus points.
● Grabbed third place right at the start and held the position until the first competition caution on lap 12.
● “Little loose in, tight off,” Busch said on lap seven around the 2.5-mile oval.
● Busch took advantage of this caution and brought his Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford to the pits for four tires, fuel and a left-rear wedge adjustment.
● Restarted in seventh place on lap 15 and climbed to fourth before pitting prior to second competition caution on lap 30.
● Busch pitted for four tires, but no fuel, on lap 30. He leapfrogged all those who were waiting until the caution came out to pit and took the lead.
● Busch led laps 33-44 and opened up a 1.5-second lead on his Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Clint Bowyer before caution came out for an incident in turn one.
● Bowyer made his way past Busch on the lap-46 restart, but Busch held steady in second through the end of the stage.
● Pitted for four tires and fuel at the end of the stage, but it was a slow stop, and Busch left pit road in 25th.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 51-100):

● Started 25th, finished fifth and collected six bonus points.
● Had driven to 21st before a caution came out on lap 59 for an accident in turn three.
● Pitted for four tires and fuel on lap 60 and came off pit road in 27th for the lap-66 restart.
● Caution came out for an accident off turn two on lap 67, and Busch had to take evasive action to miss the wreck. This brought him up to 17th.
● As others pitted Busch gained even more spots, climbing to 12th for the lap-71 restart.
● Mired in traffic, Busch could make little headway, but he rose to fifth by the end of the stage as others ahead of him pitted.
● Pitted for four tires and fuel with a left-rear wedge adjustment at the end of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 101-160):

● Started 13th, finished sixth.
● “We’re just loose in when someone gets close behind me,” Busch said on lap 110 while running 14th.
● Busch cracked the top-10 on lap 124 with a pass of Erik Jones, and as others ahead of him began to pit, Busch continued to rise.
● By lap 127 Busch was in third place, and by lap 128 he was up to second. On lap 129, he retook the lead.
● Busch relinquished the lead on lap 136 and pitted for four tires and fuel.
● The No. 41 Ford restarted ninth on lap 157. Busch got a great restart and was sixth by the backstretch. That is where he finished.

Notes:

● Busch qualified for the playoffs by virtue of his win in August at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
● Busch takes seven bonus points into the playoffs thanks to his Bristol victory and two stage wins.
● Joining Busch in the playoffs are his SHR teammates Kevin Harvick, Bowyer and Aric Almirola. SHR is the only four-car team to place all of its drivers in the playoffs.
● This was Busch’s 17th top-10 finish of 2018.
● Busch earned his sixth top-10 in 18 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Indianapolis.
● Busch led twice for 19 laps to increase his laps-led total at Indianapolis to 22.
● Brad Keselowski won the Brickyard 400 to score his 26th career Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his first at Indianapolis. His margin of victory over second-place Erik Jones was .904 of a second.
● Keselowski’s triumph delivered the 102nd points-paying victory for Ford’s Fusion in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It was Ford’s 671st all-time win in the NASCAR Cup Series.
● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 39 laps.
● Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the Brickyard 400 finished on the lead lap.

Playoff Standings:

1.       Kevin Harvick (2,050 points)
2.       Kyle Busch (2,050 points)
3.       Martin Truex Jr. (2,035 points, -15)
4.       Brad Keselowski (2,019 points, -31)
5.       Clint Bowyer (2,015 points, -35)
6.       Kurt Busch (2,014 points, -36)
7.       Joey Logano (2,014 points, -36)
8.       Chase Elliott (2,008 points, -42)
9.       Ryan Blaney (2007 points, -43)
10.    Erik Jones (2,005 points, -45)
11.    Austin Dillon (2,005 points, -45)
12.    Kyle Larson (2,005 points, -45)
13.    Denny Hamlin (2,003 points, -47)
14.    Aric Almirola (2,001 points, -49)
15.    Jimmie Johnson (2,000 points, -50)
16.    Alex Bowman (2,000 points, -50)

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We have to stick with our strengths and that is consistency. We’ve qualified well all year. We’ve had good pit strategy and we just have to make sure we don’t make any mistakes that hurt us and we lose a lot of track position. Today, we had one bad pit stop and it’s like, ‘You know what, the car is fast.’  We just have to take our time getting back up there, instead of trying to blitz through there. Sometimes when you do that you get caught up in some wrecks, so, right now, it’s the Playoffs and we’ll just work our way through and advance through the rounds. I want to thank Haas Automation, Monster Energy and Ford.”

Date: Sept. 10, 2018
Event: Lilly Diabetes 250 (Round 25 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile rectangle)
Format: 100 laps, broken into three stages 30 laps/30 laps/40 laps)
Start/Finish: 5th/29th (Accident, completed 71 of 100 laps)
Point Standing: 2nd with 894 points (49 points out of first)

Race Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: John Hunter Nemechek of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-30):

● Cole Custer started fifth, finished third and earned eight bonus points.
● When the green flag waved Custer was inside the top-five, but he got caught outside of the pack and fell to eighth place.
● He pitted under green-flag conditions on lap eight for two tires, fuel and chassis adjustments.
● While he was exiting pit road, the caution was brought out. Custer was ahead of the leader when the caution came out, therefore staying on the lead lap.
● During the caution period, most of the field decided to pit in front of Custer, promoting the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang to second place.
● Custer ran in third place until a multicar accident erupted just one car length behind him. He opted not to pit during the caution period.
● He restarted the one-lap shootout on the front row and raced the No. 7 car for the lead until a four-wide finish put Custer in third.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 31-60):

● Custer started 12th, finished fourth and earned seven bonus points.
● The Haas Automation Ford driver raced inside the top-10 for the majority of Stage 2.
● On lap 50 Custer radioed there was a vibration in his right-front tire, but crew chief Jeff Meendering said multiple cars were having similar issues.
● Several cars pitted under green while Custer stayed out, advancing the No. 00 Ford Mustang to fourth place.
● When the stage concluded, Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 61-100):

● Custer started seventh, finished 29th.
● Custer battled just outside the top-five until he attempted to make a block and was clipped on the left-rear quarter panel, sending him into the wall and ending his day.

Notes:               

● The Lilly Diabetes 250 was originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 8 and was postponed to Monday due to inclement weather.
● NASCAR Xfinity Series practice and qualifying was also cancelled due to inclement weather. The field was set by owner points.
● Custer earned 15 bonus points at Indianapolis.
● Seven cautions slowed the race for 31 laps.
● Justin Allgaier won the Lilly Diabetes 250 to score his 10th career Xfinity Series victory, fifth of the season and first at Indianapolis. His margin of victory over second-place Tyler Reddick was .092 of a second.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste:

“It’s hectic out there – especially restarts. You’re trying to make blocks and get runs and trying to be as aggressive as you can, and things just happen. I thought our Haas Automation Mustang was pretty fast, we just couldn’t get many people to work with us. It seemed like we just got hung out to dry a lot, but I just made a mistake there trying to make a block. We’ll go to Vegas and try to win one.”

Event:               69^th annual Bojangles’ Southern 500 (Round 25 of 36)
Series:               Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.366-mile oval)
Format:            367 laps, broken into three stages (100 laps/100 laps/167 laps)
Start/Finish:      17^th/36^th (Accident, completed 309 of 367 laps)
Point Standing:8^th (777 points, 261 out of first)

Race Winner:    Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Ended at Lap 100):

• Bowyer started 17th and finished 11th.
• Climbed to 12th by lap 43, but he told the crew his car wouldn’t turn in the corners.
• Crew made several changes that improved the handling during latter laps of the stage.
• Bowyer charged toward the front of the field but ran out of laps, finishing 11th.
• Pitted during the stage break for more adjustments, and pit crew returned him to the race in ninth.

Stage 2 Recap (Ended at Lap 200):

• Bowyer started ninth and finished 12th.
• Raced in seventh on lap 128 when a caution brought the field to pit road.
• Bowyer moved from seventh to fifth during the stop, but he reported a vibration when the race resumed.
• The vibration forced Bowyer to pit lane for new right-side tires and dropped him to 27^th, a lap down to the leaders.
• The remainder of the stage ran caution free, allowing Bowyer to use his fresher tires to climb to 12th and pass leader Kyle Larson on lap 195 to return to the lead lap.

Stage 3 Recap (Ended at Lap 367):

• Bowyer started 12th and finished 36th.
• Bowyer returned to the top-10 on lap 215.
• Bowyer ran in 12th on lap 309 when he struck the slow-moving car of Ryan Newman, ending the No. 14’s race.

Notes:

• Brad Keselowski won the Bojangles’ Southern 500 to score his 25^thcareer Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Darlington. His margin of victory over second-place Joey Logano was 1.224 seconds.
• Keselowski delivered the 101^stpoints-paying victory for Ford’s Fusion in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It was Ford’s 670^thall-time win in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• There were six caution periods for a total of 35 laps.
• Only 16 of the 40 drivers in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 finished on the lead lap.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Carolina Ford Dealers Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

“I hit the 31 really hard. I don’t know. I guess he was pitting or something, and it’s a product of this place, I guess. There are lapped cars that are 50 laps down all over the damn place. That’s pretty frustrating. We had a heck of a comeback tonight. What an honor to have Ned Jarrett spend the day with us and Ford folks. I don’t do this very often, but I asked Ned to sign my hat. If you are going to have a legend like him around I have to ask for an autograph.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the 25^thrunning of the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, Sept. 9 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN beginning at 1:30 p.m. It is the last race of the regular season before the NASCAR Playoffs begin Sept. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Event:               Bojangles’ Southern 500 (Round 25 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Darlington (S.C.) Raceway(1.366-mile oval)
Format:             367 laps, broken into three stages (100 laps/100 laps/167 laps)
Start/Finish:      12^th/14^th(Running, completed 367 of 367 laps)
Point Standing:12^th(681 points, 357 out of first) 

Race Winner:   Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner:Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner:Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-100):

• Aric Almirola started 12th and finished Stage 1 in 17^th.
• Almirola made a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 48 for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with his tight-handling Ford.
• The balance of the stage ran under green, and Almirola finished 17^th, one lap down in the Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes Ford.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 101-200):

• Almirola started Stage 2 in 23^rdand was 18^that the conclusion.
• During the first caution of the race, Almirola visited pit road from 17th on lap 129 for service to help with the No. 10 machine’s handling after reporting he needed more front turn.
• He restarted 23^rd and worked his way up to 18^thbut remained one lap down in the Smithfield Ford to end the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 201-367):

• Almirola started the final stage in the 17^thspot and ended it 14^th.
• The Tampa native made a scheduled green-flag stop for service on lap 287 while running 15^th, two laps down.
• The fourth caution of the race came out on lap 312. Almirola had brushed the wall while running the upper groove, so as he visited pit road for fuel, four tires and adjustments, the pit crew pulled the right-side fenders out.
• When the fifth caution was displayed on lap 328, Almirola stayed out on the track and took the wave-around to gain one of his two laps back, restarting in 13^th.
• The sixth caution came out shortly thereafter on lap 345, and Almirola once again stayed out on the track. He took the wave-around from the 13^thposition to get back on the lead lap.
• The remainder of the race was under green, and Almirola finished the event in 14^th. He also secured his spot in the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs.

Notes:

• Almirola earned his second top-15 in seven career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington.
• Brad Keselowski won the Bojangles’ Southern 500 to score his 25^thcareer Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Darlington. His margin of victory over second-place Joey Logano was 1.224 seconds.
• Keselowski delivered the 101^stpoints-paying victory for Ford’s Fusion in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It was Ford’s 670^thall-time win in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• There were six caution periods for a total of 35 laps.
• Only 16 of the 40 drivers in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 finished on the lead lap.

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the 25^thrunning of the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, Sept. 9 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN beginning at 1:30 p.m. It is the last race of the regular season before the NASCAR Playoffs begin Sept. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.