Cole Custer Finishes 13^th at Dover

Haas Automation Driver Battles In and Around Top-10

Date: May 5, 2018
Event: OneMain Financial 200 (Round 10 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile, concrete oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish: 36^th/13^th(Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Point Standing: 6^thwith 323 points

Race Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner:  Elliott Sadler of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner:  Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):

• Custer started 36^th, finished 11^th.
• Custer piloted the Haas AutomationFord inside the top-15 before a lap-30 caution.
• He battled inside the top-10 during the closing laps, but noted tight-handling conditions and fell to 11^thplace.
• Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments at the conclusion of Stage 1.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):

• Custer started 12^th, finished 17^th.
• Custer was caught in traffic during the restart and fought in and around the top-10 for the majority of the stage.
• During a lap-79 caution, Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments to restart 21^st.
• Custer preserved the tires of his Haas Automation Mustang and did not pit after Stage 2 concluded.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 91-200):

• Custer started fifth, finished 13^th.
• Custer sustained damage to his left-rear quarter panel on lap 101 after contact with another competitor, pushing him back to 14^th.
• He pitted during a lap-130 caution for four tires, fuel and adjustments to correct tight-handling conditions.
• Custer restarted 10^th and raced from the ninth position until he was caught in traffic and forced outside of the top-10.
• He drove his Haas Automation Ford to the 13^thposition before the race concluded.

Notes:                   

• This was Custer’s third NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Dover.
• Eight cautions slowed the race for 45laps.
• Only 23of the 40drivers finished on the lead lap.
• No NASCAR Cup Series drivers were entered in the OneMain Financial 200.
• Justin Allgaier won the OneMain 200 to score his sixth career Xfinity Series victory, his first of the season and first at Dover. His margin of victory over second-place Elliott Sadler was .306of a second.

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

“It was the most frustrating day ever. We had a pretty fast car. We had no track position all day and no restarts went our way. That’s just part of it. We’ll move on to the next one. I think we were really fast today and our Haas Automation team was on top of it. It’s just frustrating when you’re caught in bad situations so much.”

Event:               GEICO 500(Round 10 of 36)
Series:               Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile superspeedway)
Format:            188 laps, broken into three stages (55 laps/55 laps/78 laps)
Start/Finish:      2^nd/2^nd(Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)
Point Standing:  5^th(320 points, 127 out of first) 

Race Winner:    Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner:Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:Paul Menard of Wood Brothers Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-55): 

• Kurt Buschstarted 2^nd, finished 25^th.
• The No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford Fusion had a bit of radio communication issue prior to the race. The crew easily fixed the problem and Busch still started second.
• Busch was in second and pitted for fuel only on lap 13. Unfortunately, he was too fast on pit road and had to serve a pass through penalty. He was then running 38^th.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 56-110): 

• Started 21^stand finished eighth, earning three bonus points.
• Busch pitted on lap 58 for four tires, fuel and a wedge and tire pressure adjustment.
• On lap 67, Busch pitted for fuel only. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 111-188): 

• Started ninth and finished second.
• Busch pitted on lap 113 for four tires and fuel.
• Under caution and while leading, Busch pitted on lap 129 for four tires and fuel.
• Busch pitted for fuel only on lap 145.
• The No. 41 was second to Joey Logano on the final lap, but could not get by him and finished in the runner-up spot. 

Notes:

• Joey Logano won the GEICO 500 to score his 19th career Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his third at Talladega. His margin of victory over second-place Busch was .127 of a second.
•  Ford took six of the top-10 finishing positions.
• There were six caution periods for a total of 29 laps.
• Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the GEICO 500 finished on the lead lap
• This was Busch’s first top-five and fourth top-10 finish of 2018.
• Busch earned his eighth top-five and 19th top-10 in 35 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega.
• Busch finished eighth in Stage 2 to earn three bonus points.
• Busch led once for five laps to increase his laps-led total at Talladega to 158.

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

“We just needed the assistance from behind. The 17 (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) car was strong. All the Fords were great today. I was hoping he would get to us on the back straightaway so we could go on offense on the front to go win it but it just didn’t materialize. I wanted to stay with (Kevin) Harvick, my teammate, and navigate around the 22 (Joey Logano) but everyone behind kind of broke off and was racing too hard and nobody got that big head of steam to try to push through and break apart the 22’s lead. It was one of the best Fords I have ever had here and it was fun to race it and lead some laps and be right there but I just didn’t get the job done. The 22 out-foxed us and we didn’t get the push from behind to go on offense at the end but a top-five day so I can’t really complain. We had a great Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford Fusion.”

Next Up: 

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the AAA 400 Drive for Autism May 6 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 beginning with a pre-race show at 1:30 p.m.

Event:               GEICO 500 (Round 10 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway(2.66-mile oval)
Format:             188laps, broken into three stages (55 laps/55 laps/78 laps)
Start/Finish:      40th/7th (Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)
Point Standing:11th (278 points, 169 out of first) 

Race Winner:    Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner:Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:Paul Menard of Wood Brothers Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-55):

• Aric Almirola started Stage 1 in the 40^thposition at Talladega Superspeedway and ended it in the 23rd spot.
• By lap four, Almirola had already gained 15 spots on the 40-car field.
• The Tampa native made his first stop of the day on lap 44 from the 13^thposition. He received fuel, two right-side tires and adjustments to the Smithfield Ford after reporting it was “a little loose in and a little tight off of turn four.”
• In an 11-lap sprint to the finish of Stage 1, Almirola ended up 23^rdin his Ford Fusion.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 56-110):

• Before the start of Stage 2, Almirola visited pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. He started the second stage in the 22nd position and ended the stage in 20^th.
• Early in the stage on lap 67 Almirola made a scheduled green-flag pit stop from 26^thalong with most of the field for fuel only.
• On lap 73 the second caution of the race came out, and Almirola once again visited pit road for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with his loose-handling condition.
• He restarted 15^thon lap 78 and continued to jockey for positions in the top-20, ultimately finishing Stage 2 in 20^th.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 111-188):

• During the caution period for the final stage break, Almirola visited pit road for fuel, four tires and adjustments, and restarted 17^thon lap 116.
• On lap 142 Almirola reached the seventh position and pitted for fuel only on lap 145.
• On lap 147 the 34-year-old reached the third position in the Smithfield Ford and reached the second spot on lap 154.
• Almirola survived two cautions later in the race, including an accident that took out seven racecars on lap 166. He restarted from the eighth position on lap 171 and ultimately ended up seventh.

Notes:

• This was Almirola’s fourth top-10 of 2018.
• Almirola earned his fifth top-10 in 17 career Cup Series starts at Talladega.
• Joey Logano won the GEICO 500 to score his 19^thcareer Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his third at Talladega. His margin of victory over second-place Kurt Busch was .127 of a second.
• Ford took six of the top-10 finishing positions.
• There were six caution periods for a total of 29 laps.
• Twenty-two of the 40 drivers in the GEICO 500 finished on the lead lap.

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

“It was an unusual Talladega. The cars are a big handful. They keep getting them lower and lower and lower, and we are going faster and faster and faster, but the cars just drive worse. It is a lot harder to run in a big pack three and four-wide all day long. You definitely saw it kind of file out with pit strategy and a lot of that stuff. The one thing that I do know is that the Fords were all really fast, and we had a great Smithfield Ford Fusion the whole weekend. We put ourselves behind in qualifying, but today was a nice way to battle back with a solid day for us. I thought we had a car capable of getting up there and racing for the win, but we got shuffled there on the restarts. Coming from the back to get a top-10 is a good day.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the AAA 400 Drive for Autism on Sunday, May 6 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 beginning with a prerace show at 12:30 p.m.

Event:               GEICO 500(Round 10 of 36)
Series:               Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval)
Format:            188 laps, broken into three stages (55 laps/55 laps/78 laps)
Start/Finish:      1^st/ 4^th(Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)
Point Standing:  3^rd(366 points, 81 out of first) 

Race Winner:    Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner:Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:Paul Menard of Wood Brothers Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-55): 

• Kevin Harvick started first and finished ninth, scoring two bonus points.
• The No. 4 Busch Flannel Ford surrendered the lead on lap 13 for a fuel-only stop and returned to the track in 29^th.
• Harvick advanced back up into the top-10 after the second group of cars came to pit road on lap 43.
• The No. 4 Ford came to pit road at the conclusion of the stage for multiple adjustments to correct a tight-off handling condition.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 56-110): 

• Started 24^thand finished fourth, earning seven bonus points.
• Harvick brought the Busch Flannel Ford to pit road for fuel only on lap 67.
• Harvick raced into the top-10 by lap 70 after the fuel-only stop and narrowly avoided a multicar incident on lap 72.
• The Busch Flannel Ford restarted eighth on lap 78 and dropped as far back as 20^thbefore rallying late in the stage.
• Harvick brought the Busch Flannel Ford in at the end of the stage for tires, fuel and adjustments. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 111-188): 

• Started fourthand finished fourth.
• Harvick got shuffled back to the 20^thposition early in the final stage but returned to the top-three by the caution on lap 129.
• The team brought the No. 4 Ford to pit road under caution on lap 130 for four tires and fuel.
• Harvick restarted ninth on lap 133 as the first car on four fresh tires after the stop.
• Crew chief Rodney Childers called the No. 4 to pit road under green on lap 145 for fuel only, and Harvick returned to the track in 18^th.
• By the caution on lap 154, Harvick had raced the Busch Flannel Ford back up to the third position and chose to stay out on track.
• Harvick was racing in the second position when a 14-car accident occurred behind him on lap 166.
• The No. 4 Ford restarted second on lap 171 and raced single file until the white-flag lap, when he was shuffled to fourth. 

Notes:

• Harvick scored his seventh top-five and eighth top-10 finish of 2018.
• It was his seventh top-five and 15^thtop-10 finish in 35 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega.
• Harvick finished ninth in Stage 1 to earn two bonus points and fourth in Stage 2 to earn an additional seven bonus points.
• Harvick started from the pole and led the first 12 laps to increase his laps-led total at Talladega to 214.
• Joey Logano won the GEICO 500 to score his 19th career Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his third at Talladega. His margin of victory over second-place Kurt Busch was .127 of a second.
• Ford took six of the top-10 finishing positions.
• There were six caution periods for a total of 29 laps.
• Twenty-two of the 40 drivers in the GEICO 500 finished on the lead lap. 

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

“We had a really good Busch Ford. We got the handling a lot better there after the first run of the race when it was pushing really bad and loose in the corners and through the tri-oval. They did a good job adjusting the car. The 41 pulled out sooner than I thought he would there, and we wound up getting hung out. All in all, it was a really good day. I am happy to finish the race. It is a good day for the guys. We can tweak on one finally rather than having to rebuild one.” 

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the AAA 400 Drive for Autism on Sunday, May 6 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 beginning with a prerace show at 1:30 p.m.

Event:               GEICO 500 (Round 10 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:           Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval)
Format:             188 laps, broken into three stages (55 laps/55 laps/78 laps)
Start/Finish:      8^th/31^st(Accident, completed 165 of 188 laps)
Point Standing:4^thwith 335 points, 112 out of first

Race Winner:    Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner:Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:Paul Menard of Wood Brothers Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-55):

• Clint Bowyer started eighth and finished 30th.
• Bowyer and many drivers reported their cars were difficult to turn.
• Pitted under green on lap 15 to top off fuel, then returned to the pits the next lap with a cut right-rear tire.
• Regained one of the two lost laps on lap 47.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 56-110):

• Bowyer started 32nd and finished 27th.
• Pitted under green to top off fuel on lap 67.
• Bowyer fell one spot short of earning the free pass and returning to the lead lap at stage’s end. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 111-188):

• Bowyer started 27th and finished 31^st.
• Moved into the free-pass position as soon as the stage started. A much-needed caution flew on lap 127, returning Bowyer to the lead lap running in 27th.
• Bowyer made a scheduled green-flag stop for fuel only with 43 laps to go.
• Restarted the race in ninth with 30 laps remaining.
• A multicar crash with 22 laps remaining collected the No. 14.
• Bowyer was not hurt, but the car was too badly damaged to continue. 

Notes:

• Bowyer was collected in a multicar accident on lap 166 while running 12^th.
• Bowyer came into Talladega riding a four-race streak of top-10 finishes. His 31^st-place result in the GEICO 500 was his first this season outside of the top-20.
• Joey Logano won the GEICO 500 to score his 19^thcareer Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his third at Talladega. His margin of victory over second-place Kurt Busch was .127 of a second.
• Ford took six of the top-10 finishing positions.
• There were six caution periods for a total of 29 laps.
• Twenty-two of the 40 drivers in the GEICO 500 finished on the lead lap.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Haas Automation Demo Days Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

“I don’t know if he got loose or was trying to get in a hole, but the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) wasn’t clear and wrecked a bunch of us. That was just kind of par for our day. It started when we locked the right-rear wheel up somehow coming to the pits and flat spotted that and had to come back in. We finally got two laps back, I got one lap back and then finally got on the lead lap, and then we wrecked. Par for the course.” 

Next Up: 

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the AAA 400 Drive for Autism on Sunday, May 6 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 beginning with a prerace show at 12:30 p.m.

Cole Custer Finishes Solid Ninth at Talladega

No. 00 Haas Automation Driver Is Now Fifth in Points

Date:                 April 28, 2018
Event:               Sparks Energy 300 (Round 9 of 33)
Series:               NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location:          Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval)
Format:             113 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/25 laps/63 laps)
Start/Finish:      12^th/9^th (Running, completed 115 of 115 laps)
Point Standing:  9^th (299 points, 57 out of first) 

Race Winner:    Spencer Gallagher of GMS Racing (Chevrolet) in overtime
Stage 1 Winner: Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Elliott Sadler of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-25):

• Custer started 12^th and finished seventh and picked up four bonus points.
• Said No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang was handling well. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 26-50):

• Custer started seventh and finished seventh.
• On lap 28 under caution, Custer pitted for right side tires and fuel. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 51-113):

• Custer started second and finished ninth.
• On lap 53, Custer pitted for left side tires and fuel.
• Fuel only pit stop on lap 75.
• Custer moved his way up to second on the last lap in turn three, but then was shuffled out the draft and finished ninth.

Notes:              

• This marks Custer’s seventh top-10 finish of the 2018 season.
• Custer earned four extra regular season points in Stage 1 and four points in Stage 2.
• Five cautions slowed the race for 29 laps with only 19 of the 40 drivers finishing on the lead lap.
• Spencer Gallagher led only one lap, but it was the final lap and he won the Sparks Energy 300 to score his first career Xfinity Series victory. His margin of victory over second-place Brandon Jones was .152 seconds.

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

“We were pretty solid all day. Our guys worked really hard in the Haas-Automation Mustang and got us pretty good speed. We are getting our speedway program better and better. Right there at the end I made a good block off of turn two but wish I would have done something different in three and four to get the lead. It is what it is. It is nice to get the experience. I have never even been able to race for a win at a speedway yet so it is nice to get that experience and hopefully I can use it next time.”

Chase Briscoe 16^th at Talladega

Rookie Driver Performs Well in First Xfinity Race at Talladega

Date: April 28, 2018
Event: Sparks Energy 300 (Round 9 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval)
Format: 113 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/25 laps/63 laps)
Start/Finish: 16th/16th (Running, completed 115 of 115 laps)

Race Winner: Spencer Gallagher of GMS Racing (Chevrolet) in overtime.
Stage 1 Winner: Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Elliott Sadler of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-25):

● Briscoe started 16th and finished 25th
● Ran midpack most of the stage and the field split into two single-file groups.
● Told crew his car was “scary” loose as he navigated the Talladega high banks.
● Stage ran without caution as Briscoe experimented with moves he might employ later in the race.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 26-50):

● Briscoe started 20th and finished 19th.
● Ran just ahead of several cars involved in a multi-car wreck on lap 32.
● Moved as high as 15th during the stage.
● Briscoe dropped back to 22nd field after crew told him to do whatever he needed to do to make sure he kept the car intact to battle for the victory at race’s end.
● Briscoe said the car’s handling was “way better” in that stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 51-113):

● Briscoe started 14th and finished 16th
● A two-tire stop on lap 53 after Stage 2 break bumped Briscoe up to 14th for the start of the final stage.
● Moved into the top-10 in the opening laps of the final stage.
● Briscoe made a scheduled, green flag pit stop with 37 laps remaining. Most of the field took two tires, but Briscoe was forced into taking four after flat-spotting his old tires on the stop.
● Briscoe lost a lap to the leaders he could not regain until a caution that sent the race to overtime.
After returning to the lead lap, Briscoe started overtime in 11th and finished 16th.

Notes: 

● Saturday’s race marked Briscoe’s fifth career NASCAR Xfinity Series start and second at Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (SHR). He’ll run three more races with SHR in 2018.
● Five cautions slowed the race for 29 laps with only 19 of the 40 drivers finishing on the lead lap.
● Spencer Gallagher led only one lap, but it was the final lap andhe won the Sparks Energy 300 to score his first career Xfinity Series victory. His margin of victory over second-place Brandon Jones was .152 seconds.

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 98 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing With Biagi-DenBeste:    

“There at the beginning, we were riding around in the back waiting for the big one to happen. The big one never really happened which is a good thing. I just screwed up coming to pit lane (flat spotting tires) and I hate it for my guys. But we learned a lot today and we’ll be ready for Charlotte in a few weeks.”

Event:               Richmond 400 (Round 9 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format:             400 laps, broken into three stages (100 laps/100 laps/200 laps)
Note:                Race ended in overtime, going two laps past its scheduled 400-lap distance
Start/Finish:      16^th/9^th(Running, completed 402 of 402 laps in overtime)
Point Standing:3^rdwith 329 points, 86 points out of first

Race Winner:    Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner:Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-100):

• Clint Bowyer started 16^thand finished fifth.
• Bowyer started slowly, but the No. 14 began moving up as the stage ran without caution.
• Over the final 40 laps, Bowyer’s was the fastest car on the track. He moved to eighth by lap 75.
• Passed two more cars in the closing laps to claim fifth at the stage end.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 101-200):

• Bowyer started fifth and finished second.
• Moved to fourth on lap 131 and to third 10 laps later.
• Took over the lead on lap 169. Led 23 laps in a stage that also ran without caution.
• Held the lead until the final laps of the stage when a loose-handling condition kept him from fending off Joey Logano. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 201-400):

• Bowyer started third and finished ninth.
• Moved to second on lap 235 while turning the fastest lap times on the track.
• Took over the lead for a second time in the race on lap 252.
• Made a scheduled pit stop on lap 273 for tires and fuel.
• Several cautions in the final laps led to frenetic racing that damaged Bowyer’s Ford and left him with a ninth-place finish.

Notes:

• Bowyer finished fifth in Stage 1 to earn six bonus points and second in Stage 2 to earn an additional nine bonus points.
• This was Bowyer’s sixth top-10 this season and his fourth straight. It’s his 13^thtop-10 in 25 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Richmond.
• Bowyer led three times for 45 laps Saturday night and has now led 260 laps in 2018.
• Kyle Busch won the Richmond 400 to score his 46^thcareer Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his fifth at Richmond. His margin of victory over second-place Chase Elliott was .511 of a second.
• There were six caution periods for a total of 46 laps, and there were 16 lead changes among seven drivers.
• Twenty-three of the 39 drivers in the Richmond 400 finished on the lead lap. 

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

“We had a really good car; it’s just frustrating there at the end. All hell breaks loose. We lost a couple of spots on pit road, and that gets you back and then you get on the outside and get stuck behind somebody that spun their tires and you knock the front fender in on the 24 because he spun his tires. The next thing you know you’re tenth, thinking, ‘Boy, how did this night go to ruin so fast?’ Then it’s just beating and banging and everybody dive-bombing on the bottom. It’s a shame that a good, positive night ends up being like that, but that’s racing at this place. If we could have maintained that top-two or -three, I think we could have stayed up there.” 

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Geico 500 on Sunday, April 29 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with a prerace show at 1:30 p.m.

Event:               Richmond 400(Round 9 of 36)
Series:               Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format:            400 laps, broken into three stages (100 laps/100 laps/200 laps)
Start/Finish:      10^th/ 5^th(Running, completed 402 of 402 laps)
Point Standing:  4^th(324 points, 91 out of first) 

Race Winner:    Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner:Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-100): 

• Kevin Harvick started 10^thand finished 10^th, scoring one bonus point.
• The No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford started off fast, with Harvick rising to fifth after 45 laps.
• As the sun began to set and the track cooled, the Mobil 1 Ford became loose and Harvick lost positions.
• Harvick was able to stay among the top-10 through the end of Stage 1.
• Harvick came to pit road for four tires and fuel at the end of the stage. However, a penalty for improper removal of pit equipment forced him back into the pits on the following lap. The team made the most of the second pit stop, making wedge adjustments to the left-rear and right-rear corners of the car.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 101-200): 

• Started 19^thand finished 10^th, earning one bonus point.
• Harvick methodically worked his way back into the top-10 by lap 175, first by climbing to 14^thafter 150 laps and 12^thafter 165 laps.
• Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel at the end of the stage, with a right-rear wedge adjustment. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 201-402): 

• Started 10^thand finished fifth.
• Shortly after the stage started, Harvick keyed his mic and said only “Sideways!” After briefly dropping to 11^th, he regained 10^thon lap 223.
• By lap 243, Harvick had the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford up to sixth, knocking on the door of the top-five.
• Harvick passed Joey Logano, winner of the first two stages, for fifth on lap 247.
• By lap 260, Harvick was fourth, and seven laps later, he was third.
• Harvick made a scheduled, green flag pit stop for four tires and fuel with a left-rear wedge adjustment on lap 274. He came into the pits third and rejoined the race in third.
• On lap 311, Harvick passed his SHR teammate, Clint Bowyer, for second.
• Harvick took the lead from Martin Truex Jr. on lap 324 and held it for his next eight tours around the .75-mile oval.
• Harvick made a second, scheduled, green flag pit stop on lap 332 for four tires and fuel. With 50 laps to go, he was third.
• Four caution periods in those final 50 laps conspired against Harvick. Despite having fresh tires, traction and track position were tough to find.
• The final restart sent the race into overtime via a green-white-checkered finish. After restarting in fourth place, Harvick brought his Mobil 1 Ford home in fifth. 

Notes:

• This was Harvick’s sixth top-five finish of 2018 and his 13^thtop-five in 35 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Richmond.
• Harvick’s eight laps led increased his laps-led total at Richmond to 1,069.
• Kyle Busch won the Richmond 400 to score his 46^thcareer NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fifth at Richmond and his third of the season, which was also his third straight. His margin of victory over second-place Chase Elliott was .511of a second.
• There were six caution periods for a total of 46 laps.
• Only 23 of the 39 drivers in the Richmond 400 finished on the lead lap.

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

“We were terrible on the restarts compared to three or four of those guys. I was spinning the tires getting going on the restarts. All of the night taken into consideration, we were way better than we have been in the past, and that is an important race for us to figure out where we need to be with all of the things that didn’t go right tonight. We want to be ready for when we come back here for the playoff race.” 

Next Up: 

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Geico 500 April 29 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with a pre-race show at 1:30 p.m.

Event:               Richmond 400(Round 9 of 36)
Series:               Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format:            400 laps, broken into three stages (100 laps/100 laps/200 laps)
Start/Finish:      6^th/11^th(Running, completed 402 of 402 laps)
Point Standing:  9^th(282 points, 133 out of first) 

Race Winner:    Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner:Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-100):

• Kurt Busch started sixth and finished third, scoring eight bonus points.
• The No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion was a bit loose early on, but Busch worked his way up to third.
• Busch passed Martin Truex Jr. for second on lap 60.
• Teammate Aric Almirola passed him for second with eight laps left in the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 101-200): 

• Busch started second and finished fourth, scoring seven bonus points.
• The No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion pitted on lap 105 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment.
• Busch took the lead at the start of Stage 2.
• On lap 169, teammate Clint Bowyer passed Busch for the lead.
• Busch said his car was good after 15 laps, then worse after 60 laps. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 201-400): 

• Started secondand finished 11^th.
• The No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion pitted on lap 205 for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.
• Busch took the lead at the start of the final stage.
• On lap 251, Bowyer again passed Busch for the lead.
• During a pit stop on lap 273, as the car of Daniel Suarez was leaving the pit box behind Busch’s car, Suarez’s car hit the air hose, ripping the air gun out of the hand of Busch’s rear-tire changer. That slowed the stop, and Busch fell from fifth to ninth.
• Busch pitted on laps 329, 370 and 391 for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. The track bar in the car broke at the 300-lap mark, which hurt the car’s performance in the last laps of the race. 

Notes:

• Busch finished third in Stage 1 to earn eight bonus points and fourth in Stage 2 to earn an additional seven bonus points.
• He led twice for 98 laps to increase his lap-led total at Richmond to 904. He also surpassed 9,000 total laps led in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, becoming the 21^stdriver to lead more than 9,000 laps.
• Kyle Busch won the Richmond 400 to score his 46^thcareer Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his fifth at Richmond. His margin of victory over second-place Chase Elliott was .511of a second.
• There were six caution periods for a total of 46 laps.
• Twenty-three of the 39 drivers in the Richmond finished on the lead lap.

Next Up: 

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the GEICO 500 on Sunday, April 29 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX TV, MRN and SiriusXM Radio.