Date: Aug. 5, 2018
Event: Go Bowling at The Glen (Round 22 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (11 turn, 2.45-mile road course)
Format: 90 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/20 laps/50 laps)
Start/Finish: 7th/22nd (Running, completed 90 of 90 laps)
Point Standing: 12th (602 points, 332 out of first)

Race Winner:      Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner:  Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner:  Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-20):

● Aric Almirola started seventh and finished Stage 1 in the 32nd position.
● Three laps into the event, Almirola spun after contact with a competitor and received damage to the right-rear of the Go Bowling Ford.
● The spin brought the caution out, and Almirola visited pit road for repairs. He restarted 36th on lap five.
● The remainder of the stage ran under the green flag, and Almirola completed it in 32nd.
● Almirola pitted before the start of Stage 2 for more damage repairs, fuel and four tires.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 21-40):

● Almirola began Stage 2 in 32nd and completed it in 24th.
● The entire length of Stage 2 was run under the green flag, and Almirola worked his way forward in the damaged No. 10 Go Bowling Ford to gain six positions.
● Before the start of the final stage, Almirola pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with Ford’s loose-handling condition up through the esses.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 41-90):

● Almirola started the final stage in the 23rd position and ended it 22nd.
● Almirola pitted on lap 55 for fuel and four tires during the fourth caution of the race. Unfortunately, the No. 10 team received a penalty because a pit crew member was over the wall too soon.
● He restarted 27th on lap 58, and on lap 61 he was up to the 24th spot.
● The remainder of the race went caution free, and Almirola finished 22nd.

Notes:

● Chase Elliott won the Go Bowling at The Glen to score his first career Cup Series victory. His margin of victory over second-place Martin Truex Jr. was 7.560 seconds.
● There were four caution periods for a total of 11 laps.
● Twenty-four of the 37 drivers in the Go Bowling at The Glen finished on the lead lap.

Date: Aug. 5, 2018
Event: Go Bowling at The Glen (Round 22 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (2.45-mile road course)
Format: 90 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/20 laps/50 laps)
Start/Finish: 15th/10th (Running, completed 90 of 90 laps)
Point Standing: 2nd (864 points, 70 out of first)

Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-20):

● Kevin Harvick started 15th, finished 25th.
● After a caution on lap three, Harvick advanced to the 12th position.
● On lap 17, Harvick pitted the Busch Beer Ford Fusion under green-flag conditions for four tires and fuel.
● At the end of the stage, Harvick stayed out of the pits and advanced the Busch Beer Ford to the top-10.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 21-40):

● Started seventh, finished seventh, earning four bonus points.
● Harvick fell to the eighth position, where he piloted the Busch Beer Ford Fusion for the majority of Stage 2.
● He battled back into the seventh position and did not pit at the conclusion of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 41-90):

● Started seventh and finished 10th.
● During the opening laps of the final stage, Harvick was stuck in traffic and fell back to the 10th position.
● On lap 52, crew chief Rodney Childers radioed the Busch Beer Ford to the pits. Just as Harvick came within a car length from pit road, a caution was called, forcing him back on track.
● Harvick pitted under the caution period for four tires, fuel and adjustments to correct loose-handling conditions. He restarted in 10th place.
● Harvick battled to keep the Busch Beer Ford in and around the top-10 for the remainder of the race, finishing in 10th.

Notes:

● This was Harvick’s 18th top-10 finish of 2018 and his ninth top-10 in 18 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen.
● Harvick finished seventh in Stage 2 to earn an additional four bonus points.
● Chase Elliott won the Go Bowling at The Glen to score his first career Cup Series victory. His margin of victory over second-place Martin Truex Jr. was 7.560 seconds.
● There were four caution periods for a total of 11 laps.
● Twenty-four of the 37 drivers in the GoBowling at The Glen finished on the lead lap.

Date: Aug. 4, 2018
Event: Zippo 200 at The Glen (Round 20 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (2.45-mile road course)
Format: 82 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/20 laps/42 laps)
Start/Finish: 9th/5th (Running, completed 82 of 82 laps)

Race Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: AJ Allmendinger of GMS Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-20):

● Aric Almirola started ninth and finished 21st.
● The first caution of the race was displayed on lap five and the Tampa, Florida, native reported that his No. 98 Ford Mustang was loose. Crew chief Richard Boswell made the call for Almirola to stay out on the track.
● Almirola pitted just before the conclusion of the stage for fuel, four tires and adjustments to improve the No. 98 Go Bowling Mustang’s handling.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 21-40):           

● The Ford driver began Stage 2 from the third spot and ended it in 18th.
● When the third caution of the race came out on lap 28, NASCAR mandated wet conditions due to a passing rain shower and Almirola came down pit road to change from slick tires to rain tires.
● During the pit-road service NASCAR determined Almirola had too many crewmembers in contact with the pit service area and the Go Bowling driver had to restart at the tail end of the field on lap 32.
● On lap 37, Almirola pitted under caution from 19th to receive four slick tires and had to restart 25th after a pit-road violation for driving through too many pit stalls.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 41-82): 

● Almirola started the final stage in the eighth.
● On lap 52 Almirola pitted for fuel only to allow him to stay out on the track until the end of the race.
● Once pit stops cycled through, Almirola was in the fifth position.
● He eventually made it up to the fourth position, but ultimately finished in the fifth spot.

Notes:                   

● This marks Almirola’s second NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International and 102nd career Xfinity start.
● Almirola qualified and scored his best Xfinity Series finish at The Glen.
●Seven cautions slowed the race for 20 laps.
●Only 23 of the 40 drivers finished on the lead lap.
●Joey Logano won the Zippo 200 at The Glen to score his 30th career Xfinity Series victory, second of the season and third at Watkins Glen. His margin of victory over second-place AJ Allmendinger was 3.362 seconds.

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 98 Go Bowling Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste:               

“It was a solid day for us for our Go Bowling Ford Mustang. We had to go to the back and to the front a couple of times, but we had a solid car. We didn’t have anything for the leaders. The 12 and 22 were lights-out and we were racing for third or fourth, but all in all it was a good day. We just didn’t have what we needed to go up there and compete for the win, but it was fun. I had a lot of fun and I feel like I learned a lot to get ready for the race tomorrow.”

Date:  August 4, 2018
Event: Zippo 200 (Round 20 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (2.45-mile road course)
Format: 82 laps, broken into three stages 20 laps/20 laps/42 laps)
Start/Finish: 12th/6th (Running, completed 82 of 82 laps)
Point Standing: 2nd with 715 points

Race Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: AJ Allmendinger of GMS Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-20):

● Custer started 12th, finished 23rd.
● Custer powered the Haas Automation Ford into the top-10 on lap 11.
● He pitted under green-flag conditions on lap 17 for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments.
● Custer noted tight-handling conditions throughout Stage 1 and opted not to pit at the conclusion of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 21-40):

● Custer started fifth, finished 17th.
● Custer fell to 10th place until a caution was brought out on lap 27. He advanced to eighth-place.
● On lap 30, inclement weather forced the field to the pits for Goodyear Eagle rain tires. During the caution, an issue placing the windshield wiper demoted the Haas Automation Ford to 14th place.
● The Haas Automation driver pitted on lap 36 under caution and switched back to slick tires along with a refill on fuel. He restarted in 18th place and conservatively ran inside the top-20 due to wet track conditions.
● He did not pit at the end of Stage 2.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 41-82):

● Custer started seventh, finished sixth.
● Custer climbed to the third position by lap 50.
● He pitted under green-flag conditions on lap 52 for fuel and exited pit road in the ninth spot.
● After a final caution on lap 71, Custer battled in the seventh position and advanced to sixth before the race concluded.

Notes:               

● This marks Custer’s 15th top-10 of the season and first at Watkins Glen.
● Seven cautions slowed the race for 20 laps.
● Only 23 of the 40 drivers finished on the lead lap.
● Joey Logano won the Zippo 200 to score his 30th career Xfinity Series victory, second of the season and third at Watkins Glen. His margin of victory over second-place AJ Allmendinger was 3.362 seconds.

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

“It wasn’t a good day, but we ended up good. I probably wasn’t doing my best and the car wasn’t the best from not practicing. It was just kind of a mess and with it raining and everything it was an eventful day. We found track position and ended up earning a solid finish.”

Event:               Gander Mountain 400 (Round 21 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format:             160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Start/Finish:      34^th/25^th(Running, completed 164 of 164 laps)
Point Standing:11^th(587 points, 304 out of first)

Race Winner:   Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) in overtime
Stage 1 Winner:Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner:Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-50):

• Aric Almirola started 34^thand finished Stage 1 in the 11^thposition.
• The Tampa native made a scheduled green-flag pit stop from the 16^thposition on lap 23 for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with the No. 10 Ford Fusion’s front turn.
• After scheduled green-flag pit stops cycled through, and with improved handling, Almirola worked his way up to just one spot shy of the top-10.
• He pitted at the conclusion of the stage for four tires, fuel and adjustments. With varying pit strategies Almirola came down pit road 11^thand went out in the 15^th spot.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 51-100):

• Almirolastarted Stage 2 in 15^thand completed it in 23^rd.
• Shortly after the restart Almirola reported the Smithfield Ford Fusion was struggling in traffic, but he continued to work his way forward during the run.
• On lap 76 Almirola came down pit road from the 12^thrunning position for fuel, four tires and adjustments.
• The first caution of the race came out on lap 83 while Almirola was in the 18^thspot. Crew chief Johnny Klausmeier made the call for Almirola to stay out.
• He restarted 10^thon lap 86 and made a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 96 for fuel, four tires and adjustments. Visiting pit road just before the stage ended allowed Almirola to stay out during the break and gain track position.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 101-164):

• Almirola started the final stage in the sixth position and ended it 25^th.
• On lap 121 Almirola made a pit stop under caution for fuel, four tires and adjustments while running in the ninth spot. When exiting his pit stall, Almirola made contact with teammate Kevin Harvick, resulting in Almirola having to come back down pit road for repairs.
• Fortunately, the next caution came out after just a brief green-flag period, and Almirola’s team was able to work on the car again.
• Almirola started from the 29^thspot on lap 132 and did his best to gain track position with a damaged Smithfield Ford Fusion.
• The red flag was displayed for just over 10 minutes after an incident on lap 155. Almirola once again took the opportunity to come down pit road for service.
• Just before the race reached its scheduled distance, Almirola spun on the track, bringing out the final caution and sending the event into overtime.
• The Ford driver ultimately finished 25^th in his damaged No. 10 machine.

Notes:

• Kyle Busch won the Gander Outdoors 400 in overtime to score his 49^thcareer Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his sixth of the season and his second at Pocono. His margin of victory over second-place Daniel Suarez was 1.788 seconds.
• There were seven caution periods for a total of 29 laps.
• Twenty-eight of the 40 drivers in the Gander Outdoors 400 finished on the lead lap.

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, Aug. 5 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The race starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC. Prerace coverage begins at 1 p.m. on NBCSN.

Event:               Gander Outdoors 400 (Round 21 of 36)
Series:               Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Pocono (Pa.) Raceway(2.5-mile triangle)
Format:            160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Note:                Race extended four laps past its scheduled 160-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish
Start/Finish:      31^st/11^th (Running, completed 164 of 164 laps)
Point Standing:5^th(677 points, 214 out of first)

Race Winner:    Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) in overtime
Stage 1 Winner:Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner:Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Ended at Lap 50):

• Clint Bowyer started Stage 1 in the 31^stposition at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, and completed it in sixth to earn five bonus points.
• On lap 22 Bowyer made a scheduled green-flag pit stop from the 13^thspot, getting fuel and four tires for his Haas Automation VF-1 Ford Fusion.
• After pit stops cycled through, Bowyer was in the ninth position. He reported on lap 35 that his racecar was still loose in traffic and was getting on splitter from center off.
• In the closing laps of the stage, Bowyer maneuvered into the sixth position.

Stage 2 Recap (Ended at Lap 100):

• Bowyer started 11^thand finished third in Stage 2 to earn eight bonus points.
• Before the start of Stage 2, Bowyer came down pit road for four tires, fuel and minor adjustments. He began the second stage in the 11^thposition.
• Bowyer relinquished the seventh spot on lap 77 to make a green-flag stop for fuel and tires.
• When a caution came out on lap 83, he elected to stay out, reporting the rear grip on his Haas Automation VF-1 Ford Fusion was getting better. He advanced two spots on the restart to move up to sixth and patiently worked his way inside the top-five during the next eight laps.

Stage 3 Recap (Ended at Lap 164):

• Bowyer started 10^thand finished 11^th.
• Prior to starting the final stage, Bowyer pitted for four tires and fuel but no adjustments.
• He returned to pit road following a caution on lap 121. After the stop he was penalized for speeding on pit road and was forced to restart at the tail of the field.
• Bowyer climbed back to 15^thon lap 135 and continued his charge back to the front as he had in Stage 1. He restarted 10^thwith three laps remaining and then again during the final restart in overtime, ultimately finishing 11^th.

Notes:

• This was Bowyer’s 11^thtop-11 finish in 26 career Pocono Raceway starts.
• Bowyer finished sixth in Stage 1 to earn five bonus points and third in Stage 2 to earn an additional eight bonus points.
• Kyle Busch won the Gander Outdoors 400 in overtime to score his 49^thcareer Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his sixth of the season and his second at Pocono. His margin of victory over second-place Daniel Suarez was 1.788 seconds.
• There were seven caution periods for a total of 29 laps.
• Twenty-eight of the 40 drivers in the Gander Outdoors 400 finished on the lead lap.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Haas Automation VF-1Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We lost some points today. It could have been a lot worse. There was some positive in that we were able to come from the back and get points in the first stage and then finish third in Stage 2. We set ourselves up for a shot at a top-five finish in that final stage. The Haas Automation VF-1 Ford Fusion was pretty consistent all day, and we were hoping to just keep getting it better. We did, but a penalty on pit road put us to the back again, and we had to fight our way back. We probably didn’t need those last two restarts, but we’ll take what we got today and head on down the road to Watkins Glen next week.” 

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, Aug. 5 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The race starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC. Prerace coverage begins at 1 p.m. on NBCSN.

Event:               Gander Outdoors 400 (Round 21 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format:             160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Note:                Race extended four laps past its scheduled 160-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish

Start/Finish:      29th/4th (Running, completed 164 of 164 laps)
Point Standing:  2^nd(843points, 48out of first) 
Race Winner:    Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) in overtime
Stage 1 Winner:Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner:Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-50): 

• Kevin Harvick started 29th after his first-place qualifying time was disallowed in post-qualifying inspection. He finished second in the stage to earn nine bonus points.
• The Mobil 1 driver raced up to the eighth position by lap 20.
• Harvick was the first car to come to pit road on lap 21 under green-flag conditions for four tires and fuel.
• He rejoined the field in 32^ndand raced up to the second position by the end of the stage.
• The No. 4 Ford came to pit road for four tires, fuel and a small adjustment at the end of the stage. Two cars came to pit road before the end of the stage, and another took two tires, forcing Harvick to restart sixth.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 51-100): 

• Started sixth and finished first, earning 10 bonus points and a playoff point.
• Harvick raced to the lead on lap 65.
• The Mobil 1 Ford surrendered the lead to come to pit road for four tires and fuel under green on lap 77.
• The No. 4 Ford raced back up to the sixth position before a caution on lap 82 and opted to stay out under the caution.
• Harvick restarted as the leader on lap 87 as the top-five came to pit road for service under the caution.
• He was able to maintain the lead for the remainder of the stage.
• The Mobil 1 team pitted at the completion of Stage 2 for four tires, fuel and tape, although several teams had opted to pit prior to Stage 2 ending. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 101-160): 

• Started ninth and finished fourth.
• The Bakersfield, California, native briefly fell back to the 13th spot at the start of the final stage.
• Harvick re-entered the top-10 by lap 112, and by lap 120 the Mobil 1 driver was in fifth.
• During the lap-122 caution period, Harvick noted a tight-handling condition to start, and the Mobil 1 crew went to work to service Harvick’s Ford with tires, fuel and tape. Unfortunately, upon exiting pit road, Harvick and the No. 10 made contact, forcing crew chief Rodney Childers to call Harvick back to pit road for repairs.
• Luckily, immediately following the lap-122 caution there was another yellow flag displayed, which allowed Harvick to catch the field.
• Harvick restarted on lap 132 in 27^th, by lap 135 he was inside the top-20, and by the time the caution was displayed again on lap 154 the Mobil 1 driver was in eighth.
• The Mobil 1 team opted to stay out during the lap-154 red flag and ultimately finished the race fourth. 

Notes:

• This was Harvick’s 16^thtop-five finish of 2018 and his 12^thtop-five and 17^thtop-10 in 36 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono.
• Harvick finished second in Stage 1 to earn nine bonus points and won Stage 2 to earn an additional 10 bonus points and one playoff point.
• Harvick led twice for 30 laps to increase his laps-led total at Pocono to 187.
• Harvick has 10 stage wins and 33 playoff points accumulated thus far in the 2018 season.
• Kyle Busch won the Gander Outdoors 400 in overtime to score his 49^thcareer Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his sixth of the season and his second at Pocono. His margin of victory over second-place Daniel Suarez was 1.788 seconds.
• There were seven caution periods for a total of 29 laps.
• Twenty-eight of the 40 drivers in the Gander Outdoors 400 finished on the lead lap.

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

“It was eventful. I think we went to the back twice and made our way back to the front each time. We made a good race out of it, but it is hard to swallow on a day like that when our Mobil 1 Ford was the class of the field. You never know what is going to happen on these days. It is hard to put them together, and you win some and lose some.” 

Next Up: 

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, Aug. 5 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The race starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC. Prerace coverage begins at 1 p.m. on NBCSN.

Event:               Gander Outdoors 400 (Round 21 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format:             160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Start/Finish:      7^th/9^th(Running, completed 164 of 164 laps)
Point Standing:  6^th(677points, 214out of first) 

Race Winner:    Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) in overtime
Stage 1 Winner:Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner:Kevin Harvick or Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-50): 

• Kurt Buschstarted seventh and finished eighth, earning three bonus points.
• The Haas Automation driver said the car was loose in and tight off on lap 14. He was running seventh.
• Busch pitted on lap 34 for four tires and fuel. He was leading when he pitted and came out 12^th.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 51-100): 

• Started third and finished 12^th.
• On lap 54 Busch pitted and took right-side tires and fuel.
• The No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Fusion pitted on lap 67 for four tires and fuel.
• Busch pitted on lap 84 for four scuffed tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. He said the car was just too tight.
• The car returned to pit road on lap 86, as there was an issue on the previous stop with the front air gun. The team used a different air gun to make sure the lugnuts were tight, and Busch restarted 24^th. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 101-160): 

• Started 24^thand finished ninth.
• Busch pitted for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.
• On lap 112 a left-front tire was cut, which forced Busch to pit road for four tires and fuel. He came out in 31^stplace, one lap down.
• Busch pitted on lap 128 for four tires, fuel and some minor damage repair. He restarted in 30^th.
• Busch worked is way up into the top-10 by lap 155 and finished ninth. 

Notes:

• Busch finished eighth in Stage 1 to earn three bonus points.
• Busch led once for 11 laps to increase his laps-led total at Pocono to 549.
• This was Busch’s 12^thtop-10 of 2018 and his 20^thtop-10 in 35 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono.
• Kyle Busch won the Gander Outdoors 400 in overtime to score his 49^thcareer Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his sixth of the season and his second at Pocono. His margin of victory over second-place Daniel Suarez was 1.788 seconds.
• There were seven caution periods for a total of 29 laps.
• Twenty-eight of the 40 drivers in the Gander Outdoors 400 finished on the lead lap.

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

“We have nothing much to show for the effort, but we do have a lot to show for it at the same time by going through all that adversity. I didn’t think we would get a top-10 out of today with the damage on the splitter. The left-front tire was weird. It blew out halfway down the front straightaway, and I was able to keep it off the wall and keep most of the damage to a minimum. The guys were able to fix me up, and we just kind of battled through and took advantage of other people’s mistakes. Thanks to Haas Automation, Monster Energy and Ford.” 

Next Up: 

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, Aug. 5 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The race starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC. Pre-race coverage begins at 1 p.m. on NBCSN.

Cole Custer Finishes Ninth at Iowa

Haas Automation Driver Earns 15^th Top-10 of Season

Date:                 July 28, 2018
Event:               U.S. Cellular 250 (Round 19 of 33)
Series:               NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location:          Iowa Speedway in Newton (.875-mile oval)
Format:             250 laps, broken into three stages 60 laps/60 laps/130 laps)
Start/Finish:      2^nd/9^th (Running, completed 257 of 257 laps)
Point Standing: 3^rd with 684 points

Race Winner:    Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) in overtime
Stage 1 Winner: Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-60):

• Custer started second, finished first and earned 10 bonus points.
• After a lap-19 caution, Custer took the lead.
• He held the Haas Automation Ford in the lead until the stage concluded.
• He pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments at the end of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 61-120):

• Custer started first, finished second and earned nine bonus points.
• Custer lost the lead in the opening laps, but made the pass to the front of the field on lap 82.
• He held the lead until the closing laps of Stage 2 and just missed his second stage win of the race.
• He pitted at the end of the stage for four fresh tires, fuel and chassis adjustments.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 121-257):

• Custer started first, finished ninth.
• Custer piloted the Haas Automation Ford in the lead until lap 154.
• After pitting under green on lap 198, Custer made contact with the No. 55 car but steered his car back to second place.
• Custer pitted during a lap-240 caution for four fresh tires and fuel. He fell back to 11^th place.
• During a final restart after a red-flag caution, Custer held the Haas Automation Ford inside the top-10.

Notes:              

• This marks Custer’s 15^th top-10 of the season and third at Iowa.
• Custer earned 19 bonus points in the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa.
• Custer led three times for a total of 104 laps.
• Six cautions slowed the race for 41 laps.
• Only 12 of the 40 drivers finished on the lead lap.
• Christopher Bell won the U.S. Cellular 250 to score his fifth career Xfinity Series victory, fourth of the season and first at Iowa. His margin of victory over second-place Justin Allgaier was 1.398 of a second.

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

“Stewart-Haas Racing gave us a car to compete today and I just couldn’t get it done at the end. Thanks to everyone at Ford and Haas Automation for giving us a fast car again. We lead a ton of laps, but didn’t come home with the win.”

Event: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (Round 20 of 36)
Series:  Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon(1.058-mile oval)
Format: 301 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/75 laps/151 laps)
Start/Finish: 15^th/35^th (Accident, completed 255 of 301 laps)
Point Standing: 6^th (638 points, 206 out of first)

Race Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Ended at Lap 75):

● Bowyer started 15th and finished eighth to earn three bonus points.
● Initially reported his car was good but just stuck in traffic.
● Climbed through the field, moving into 10th by lap 26.
● Pitted for four tires and fuel during the lap-35 competition caution and returned to the track in 22nd.
● Raced back to 10th by lap 42 and finished the stage in eighth.

Stage 2 Recap (Ended at Lap 150):

● Bowyer started seventh and finished seventh to earn four bonus points.
● Crew made adjustments during the stage break, but Bowyer reported handling difficulties on the flat oval.
● Bowyer held his position but couldn’t gain any spots. He said the rear grip of his car wasn’t good enough to run the high groove.
● Crew said Bowyer was about third quickest each lap as the stage drew to a close.

Stage 3 Recap (Ended at Lap 301):

● Bowyer started seventh and finished 35th.
● Held his position in the early going of the stage, running about 12 seconds behind the leader with 80 laps remaining.
● Reported he had a left-side issue that caused the car to bounce and bottom out on the track.
● During a routine stop on lap 223, Bowyer was black-flagged for pitting outside the box and forced to serve a one-lap penalty.
● Bowyer returned to the track in 25th two laps behind the leader.
● A few laps later Bowyer hit the wall, ending his race and bringing out the caution flag.
● Crew later determined the left-rear shock mount broke on the No. 14.

Notes:

●  Kevin Harvick’s victory in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 marked the 52nd overall win for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). It was the organization’s 47th points-paying Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win and its fourth at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.
●  This was SHR’s 11th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory with Ford. The team won its first race with Ford when Kurt Busch captured the 2017 Daytona 500.
●  Harvick’s margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was 1.877 seconds.
●  There were seven caution periods for a total of 31 laps.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Haas Automation VF-1 Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“I was trying to nurse it around. Something in the left-rear was broke, and Brett (Griffin, spotter) told me, ‘We’re having trouble, let’s just get off the track,’ and I was kind of thinking the same thing. Literally, as he was saying that and I’m thinking it, something broke on the right side, and away it went. That sucks. I hate it for (SHR teammate) Aric (Almirola who was leading the race at the time).”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Gander Outdoors 400 on Sunday, July 29 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The race starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN beginning at 2 p.m.