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.

Event:               Richmond 400 (Round 9 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Richmond (Va.) Raceway(.75-mile oval)
Format:             400laps, broken into three stages (100 laps/100 laps/200 laps)
Start/Finish:      25^th/17^th(Running, completed 402 of 402 laps)
Point Standing:11^th(248 points, 167 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):

• Aric Almirola started 25^thand finished second to earn nine bonus points.
• Almirola climbed 24 positions in the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion in Stage 1.
• Crew chief Johnny Klausmier told the team that the Smithfield Ford was the quickest car on the track by two-tenths of a second.
• The No. 10 pitted at the conclusion of the stage for four tires and fuel.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 101-200):

• Started sixth and finished third to earn eight bonus points.
• Almirola fell to sixth place after the pit stop in Stage 1 but regained the top-five by lap 138, joining teammates Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer.
• During the closing laps of Stage 2, Almirola made a clean pass on Busch for the third position and finished behind Bowyer.
• He noted loose-handling conditions on entry, tight to the middle and loose to the exit of the turns.
• The Smithfield Ford Fusion took four fresh tires, fuel and chassis adjustments at the end of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 201-400):

• Started fourth and finished 17^th.
• Almirola continued to battle handing issues but held the Smithfield Ford inside the top-10.
• On lap 328 he pitted under green-flag conditions for four tires and fuel. He was scored in the ninth position when green-flag pit stops cycled through.
• After a lap-370 caution Almirola restarted in the ninth position, but he was caught in four-wide traffic and fell outside of the top-10.
• During the final restart with three laps to go, Almirola battled to keep his Smithfield Ford in and around the top-15 but did not have enough laps to climb back through the field.

Notes:

• Almirola earned a total of 17 bonus points.
• There were six caution periods for a total of 46 laps.
• Twenty-three of the 39 drivers in the Richmond 400 finished on the lead lap.
• 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 Elliot was .511 of a second.

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

“We fought hard all day up front and had a great car, but just couldn’t get the Smithfield Ford where we wanted it toward the end of the race. It’s tough when you have such a great car and worked so hard to finish where we did.”

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.

Cole Custer Finishes Sixth at Richmond

Code 3 Associates Driver Scores Second Straight Pole; Earns Sixth Straight Top-10

Date: April 20, 2018
Event: Richmond 250 (Round 8 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format: 250 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/75 laps/100 laps)
Start/Finish: 1^st/6^th(Running, completed 250 of 250 laps)
Point Standing: 6^thwith 263 points

Race Winner:    Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Elliott Sadler of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-75):

• Custer started first, finished third and earned eight bonus points.
• Custer held the Code 3 Associates Ford in the lead for the first 43 laps of Stage 1.
• After a lap-64 caution, Custer restarted fourth and moved up to third before the stage ended.
• He pitted for four tires and fuel at the conclusion of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 76-150):

• Custer started eighth, finished fifth and earned six bonus points.
• Five cars pitted before the conclusion of Stage 1, putting Custer in the eighth position.
• Custer was caught in traffic on the restart and noted loose-handling conditions when he got back to the gas.
• Custer took four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments at the conclusion of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 151-250):

• Custer started eighth, finished sixth.
• During the pit stop at the end of Stage 2, the No. 00 team received a penalty for an uncontrolled tire and forced Custer to the rear of the field.
• Following a lap-164 caution, Custer powered his way back into the top-10 in less than 10 laps.
• Custer continued to wheel the Code 3 Associates Ford through the field and fought his way up to sixth when the race concluded.

Notes:              

• Custer earned his and Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste’s second straight pole.
• This marks Custer’s second Xfinity Series top-10 at Richmond and sixth straight top-10 of the season.
• Custer earned14 bonus points in the Richmond 250.
• Custer led once for a total of 43 laps.
• Five cautions slowed the race for 49 laps.
• Only 15 of the 40 drivers finished on the lead lap.
• No NASCAR Cup Series drivers were entered in the Richmond 250.
• Christopher Bell won the Richmond 250 to score his second career Xfinity Series victory, first of the season and first at Richmond. His margin of victory over second-place Noah Gragson was .423 seconds.

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

“We had such a fast car. At the start of the race we were really good and then the middle stage we were a little bit off, and then we made the Code 3 Associates Ford pretty good there at the end, but we got that penalty, which I guess was a little bit of a close call. We’ll look at it but it’s just frustrating because I think we had a really good car, but it is what it is. I’ve got to thank everybody at Code 3 and hopefully come back better next time.”

Event:               Food City 500 (Round 8 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Format:             500laps, broken into three stages (125 laps/125 laps/250 laps)
Start/Finish:      19th/6th (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
Point Standing:11th (211 points, 154 out of first) 

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-125):

• Aric Almirola started Stage 1 in the 19^thposition at Bristol Motor Speedway and ended it in the eighth spot to earn three bonus points.
• On lap four, the Tampa native slowed up to avoid an accident in front of him and received damage to his rear bumper. After assessing the No. 10 Ford Fusion, crew chief Johnny Klausmeier decided Almirola didn’t need to pit for repairs.
• The red flag was displayed on lap 47 for precipitation. After about a half-hour delay, Almirola climbed back in the Smithfield Ford and restarted in the 22^ndposition.
• The fourth caution of the race came out on lap 61, and the 34-year-old reported that his Fusion took off well on sticker tires. He restarted 16^thand maintained a top-20 position.
• After not visiting pit road when several other competitors did during the lap-119 caution period, Almirola restarted third on lap 124. In a sprint to finish Stage 1, he ended up in the eighth position.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 126-250):

• Before the start of Stage 2, Almirola visited pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. He started the second stage in the 20^thposition, and ended the stage in 18^th.
• On lap 204, while Almirola was in the 17^thposition, the race was halted due to inclement weather and postponed until Monday afternoon.
• After the race resumed under caution just before 2 p.m. EDT, Almirola visited pit road on lap 212, just before the race went back to green. He restarted 15^thon lap 217.
• In the green-flag run to the end of the stage, Almirola ran as high as 13^thbut finished the stage in 18^th.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 251-500):

• During the caution period for the final stage break, Almirola visited pit road for fuel, four tires and adjustments He restarted 13^thafter a great pit stop by the Smithfield crew.
• By lap 276, Almirola was running in the 12^thposition and was able to maintain a top-15 position as the laps wound down.
• When the 12^thcaution of the race came out on lap 390 for weather, Almirola didn’t pit and restarted in 10^th. Unfortunately, he slipped back to the 15^thposition.
• On lap 433 he worked his way back up to 13^thin the Smithfield Ford and continued to soldier on from there in the closing laps. Just before sleet began to fall at the .533-mile track, Almirola took the checkered flag in sixth.

Notes:

• Almirola was the highest-finishing Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion driver.
• Almirola’s sixth-place finish was his best this season, and it was his third top-10 of 2018. It was also his third top-10 in 18 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol.
• Kyle Busch won the Food City 500 to score his 45^thcareer Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his seventh at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Larson was .628 of a second.
• There were 13 caution periods for a total of 114 laps.
• Only 12 of the 39 drivers in the Food City 500 finished on the lead lap.
• The first 204 laps of the Food City 500 were run on Sunday before rain halted the race and postponed it to Monday, when the final 296 laps were completed.

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

“We worked on the Smithfield Ford all day, and we weren’t very good yesterday (Sunday) at all. Finally, when the track moved to the top our car got a lot better, so we kind of were prepared for that and our car was kind of set up to run the top. I was just miserable trying to run the bottom. My car was really, really bad on the bottom, and we finally got it to where it was going pretty good up top and the caution would come out. I feel like if the race would have been a normal race and we would have run a lot of green-flag laps up top, we would have been pretty good. It’s a good day. I’m a little disappointed with sixth, but at the same time, I’m happy and pleased that we rebounded after a bad day in Texas. To come out of here sixth is a great day, and I feel like we could have got more if it would have stayed green. I wish we would have run like 300 more laps (laughing).”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Richmond 400 on April 21 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The race starts at 6:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX TV, MRN and SiriusXM Radio.

Event:               Food City 500 (Round 8 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Format:             500 laps, broken into three stages (125 laps/125 laps/250 laps)
Race Winner:    Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Winner:Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Start/Finish:      14^th/8^th(Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
Point Standing:4^thwith 286 points, 79 out of first

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-125):

• Clint Bowyer started 14^thand finished third.
• Avoided an accident on lap six that damaged several cars.
• Reported his car was very loose in the opening laps, then faded to 18th when he was trapped in the outside groove.
• Moved to third when he stayed on the track during a caution while much of the field pitted. He held his position during the one-lap green-flag run to the stage end.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 126-250):

• Started 23rd and finished 13th.
• Bowyer’s team made major handling adjustments during the stage break, and the No. 14 started at back of the field.
• Rain postponed action after lap 204 on Sunday, and racing resumed Monday afternoon.
• Loose-handling condition remained, and the crew made more chassis changes. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 251-500):

• Started ninth and finished eighth.
• Bowyer reported his car was tight for the first time. He had climbed to seventh by lap 325.
• Bowyer ran 96 laps on a set of tires as the race ran green, allowing cars that took tires to drop him to 10th.
• Restarted ninth after the final caution with 22 laps remaining.
• Moved to eighth in the final laps.

Notes:

• Bowyer’s eighth-place finish was his fifth top-10 of 2018 and his 12^thtop-10 in 25 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol.
• Bowyer finished third in Stage 1 to earn eight bonus points.
• Bowyerhas finished in the top-11 in six of the season’s eight races.
• Kyle Busch won the Food City 500 to score his 45^thcareer Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. It was his second win of the season and his second straight, and it was his series-leading seventh win at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Larson was .628 of a second.
• There were 13 caution periods for a total of 114 laps. Only 12 of the 39 drivers in the Food City 500 finished on the lead lap.
• The first 204 laps of the Food City 500 were run on Sunday before rain halted the race and postponed it to Monday, where the final 296 laps were completed.

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

“It was a long weekend. We weren’t very good all weekend long and just kept working on it. We were smart with the race. Early on there was a lot of trouble yesterday and even more today. It was just a weird weekend. I mean, the weather just capped off everything else that was going on. It seemed like the VHT, for whatever reason, a little bit different this time than it’s been in the past. Our tires seemed like they were a little bit different than what we’ve had, for whatever reason. It was a weird weekend, so I’m glad with a top-10.” 

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Richmond 400 on April 21 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The race starts at 6:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with a prerace show at 6 p.m.

Event:               Food City 500(Round 8 of 36)
Series:               Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Format:            500 laps, broken into three stages (125 laps/125 laps/250 laps)
Start/Finish:      39^th/7^th(Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
Point Standing:  3^rd(290 points, 75 out of first)

Race Winner:    Kyle Buschof Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner:Brad Keselowskiof Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:Brad Keselowskiof Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-125): 

• Kevin Harvick started 39^thand finished 12^th.
• The No. 4 Busch Ford started at the rear of the field after a wreck in practice on Friday forced the team to a backup car.
• Harvick had raced his way into the top-15 by lap 46, when the race was stopped for 25 minutes for rain.
• The No. 4 Ford continued toward the front of the field and reached the 12^thposition by the final caution of the stage on lap 120.
• The team came to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments on lap 121 before the end of the stage.
• Harvick raced his way from the 16^thposition up to 12th in the final one-lap shootout to the end of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 126-250): 

• Started fifth, finished eighth, scoring three bonus points.
• Harvick and the team opted to stay out at the end of Stage 1 and moved up to the fifth position for the start of Stage 2.
• The No. 4 Ford was racing in the ninth position on lap 204 when the race was postponed until Monday due to inclement weather.
• Harvick came to pit road under caution shortly after the race resumed on lap 212 for four tires and fuel.
• The No. 4 Busch Beer Ford restarted 10^thon lap 217 and raced up to the eighth position by the end of the stage.
• The Busch Ford came to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment at the conclusion of Stage 2. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 251-500):

• Started eighth and finished seventh.
• The Busch Ford suffered from loose handling early in the stage and dropped one lap down on lap 320.
• The No. 4 car returned to the lead lap when Harvick was awarded the free pass under caution on lap 324.
• Harvick raced up to the eighth position when he came to pit road under caution on lap 360.
• The No. 4 team made two trips to pit road under caution to fix a loose wheel and restarted 15^thon lap 365.
• Harvick took fresh tires again under caution on lap 391 and utilized the high lane to drive up to fifth by the final caution on lap 473.
• The Busch Ford restarted eighth with 23 laps remaining and gained one position to finish seventh. 

Notes:

• Harvick’s seventh-place finish was his sixth top-10 of 2018 and his 18^thtop-10 in 35 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol.
• Harvick finished eighth in Stage 2 to earn three bonus points.
• Kyle Busch won the Food City 500 to score his 45^thcareer Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. It was his second win of the season and his second straight, and it was his series-leading seventh win at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Larson was .628 of a second.
• There were 13 caution periods for a total of 114laps.
• Only 12 of the 39 drivers in the Food City 500 finished on the lead lap.
• The first 204 laps of the Food City 500 were run on Sunday before rain halted the race and postponed it to Monday, where the final 296 laps were completed. 

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

“We weren’t that good pretty much the whole time. Today we were worse, especially early on, when we were just really loose. We stayed in there and fought all day. We had another bad pit stop there at the end and wound up seventh. All in all, considering all the circumstances, it was a pretty good weekend.” 

Next Up: 

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Richmond 400 on April 21 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The race starts at 6:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX TV, MRN and SiriusXM Radio.

Event:               Food City 500 (Round 8 of 36)
Series:               Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Format:            500 laps, broken into three stages (125 laps/125 laps/250 laps)
Start/Finish:      2^nd/22^nd(Running, completed 496 of 500 laps)
Point Standing:  10^th(241 points, 124 out of first) 

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-125): 

• Kurt Busch started second, finished ninth and scored two bonus points.
• Before the green flag waved on Sunday, the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford dropped to the rear because the team was forced to a backup car during practice.
• On lap 47, inclement weather postponed the race for 25 minutes.
• During the restart, Busch battled his way through traffic to run as high as sixth.
• Busch took four tires, fuel and adjustments during a final caution and maintained his ninth-place position on the one-lap shootout.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 126-250): 

• Busch started fourth, finished 25^th.
• Busch held theNo. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford in the second position before a lap-156 caution. He pitted for four tires and fuel to restart seventh.
• On lap 190 Busch reported a loose wheel, forcing him to the pits. The crew added four fresh tires and fuel, which put the No. 41 Ford three laps down.
• The third red flag of the day was raised on lap 204 due to inclement weather, ultimately postponing the race until Monday.
• Busch started from the 26^thposition when racing resumed and gained one spot before Stage 2 ended. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 251-500): 

• Busch started 24^th, finished 22^nd.
• The No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments during a lap-325 caution.
• Busch gained two more positions before the race concluded. 

Notes:

• Busch finished ninth in Stage 1 to earn two bonus points.
• There were 13 caution periods for a total of 114 laps.
• Only 12 of the 39 drivers in the Food City 500 finished on the lead lap.
• Kyle Busch won the Food City 500 to score his 45^thcareer Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his seventh at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Larson was .628 of a second.

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Richmond 400 on Saturday, April 21 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The race starts at 6:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with a prerace show at 6 p.m.

Chase Briscoe 23rd at Bristol

Endures Early Accident, Leads 10 Laps In SHR Xfinity Debut

Date: April 14, 2018
Event: Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 (Round 7 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Format: 300 laps, broken into three stages (85 laps/85 laps/130 laps)
Start/Finish: 22nd/23rd (Running, completed 295 of 300 laps)

Race Winner: Ryan Preece of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Preece of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-85):

• Chase Briscoe started 22nd and finished 21st.
• No. 98 suffered significant left front and right-side damage in an accident on lap six.
• Briscoe pitted twice under caution to make repairs dropping to 39th.
• He drove to 18th before the lap-45 competition caution.
• Briscoe drove several laps with a dash panel blocking most of his view through the windshield. He later told the crew, “That was full on Ricky Bobby” referring to the NASCAR movie “Talladega Nights.”

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170):

• Briscoe started 24th, finished 10th.
• No. 98 crew continued to make repairs during the break between Stages 1 and 2.
• Briscoe dodged several accidents and climbed to 15th by lap 105.
• Moved into 10th on the final lap of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 171-300):

• Briscoe started first and finished 23rd.
• Did not pit during the stage break and started the final stage in first.
• Led 10 laps – the first Xfinity Series laps led of his career.
• Spun after contact with Daniel Hemric on lap 185. Pitted for repairs and dropped to 21st.
• Damage was too great to maintain previous speed and lost laps to the leader on lap 217 and 238.● A cut tire on lap 258 dropped him five laps behind the leader.

Notes:                   

• Saturday’s race marked Briscoe’s third career NASCAR Xfinity Series start and first at Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (SHR). He’ll run four more races with SHR in 2018.
• Briscoe earned a stage point by finishing 10th in the second stage.
• Twelve cautions slowed the race for 93 laps with only 12 of the 40 drivers finishing on the lead lap.
• Ryan Preece won the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 to score his second career Xfinity Series victory. It was his first in 2018 and first at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Justin Allgaier was .856 seconds.

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

“We got that damage on whatever lap it was and after that we were just biding our time and trying to make the best of the day. I felt like we honestly weren’t bad. I’m really proud of all the guys. They kept fighting all day long. They could have easily given up, but they continued to fight, so, overall I’m happy.”

Next Up:               

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Richmond 250 on Friday, April 20 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The No. 98’s next race is the Sparks Energy 300 on Saturday April 28 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway with Briscoe behind the wheel.

Cole Custer Finishes eighth at Bristol

Haas Automation Driver Earns Fifth Straight Top-10

Date: April 14, 2018
Event: Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 (Round 7 of 33)
Series:  NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Format: 300 laps, broken into three stages (85 laps/85 laps/130 laps)
Start/Finish: 1st/8th (Running, completed 300 of 300 laps)
Point Standing: 6th with 218 points

 Race Winner: Ryan Preece of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Preece of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-85):

• Cole Custer started first, finished third. He earned eight bonus points.
• Custer piloted the Haas Automation Ford inside the top-three for the duration of the stage.
• He noted tight-handling conditions through the center and off of the turns.
• At the conclusion of the stage, Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170):

• Custer started sixth, finished 13th.
• Custer dropped to 22nd before the start of the stage because of a pit lane speeding penalty during the stage break.
• Custer powered his way back to the sixth position before an accident on lap-141 that brought out the red flag.
• When the green flag waved, Custer appeared to secure a third-place finish until contact with Elliot Sadler dropped him to 13th.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 171-300):

• Custer started 12^th, finished eighth.
• Battled inside the top-five before reporting tight-handling conditions around lap 245.
• On lap 278, Custer made contact with the outside wall forcing the No. 00 Ford one lap down.
• After the final caution, crew chief Jeff Meendering made the call to stay out of the pits to allow Custer to regain the lead lap and finish inside the top-10.

Notes:              

• Custer earned his and Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste’s first Xfinity Series career pole.
• Custer was the third of four Dash 4 Cash drivers to cross the finish line.
• This was Custer’s third Xfinity Series race at Bristol.
• Twelve cautions slowed the race for 93 laps.
• This marks Custer’s second top-10 at Bristol and fifth top-10 of the season.
• Only 12 of the 40 drivers finished on the lead lap.
• Ryan Preece won the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 to score his second career Xfinity Series victory, first of the season and first at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Justin Allgaier was .856 seconds.

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

“We were pretty fast at the start and I made a mistake speeding on pit road that put us behind. We worked hard and I thought we had a better shot at it, but we’ll move on to Richmond. The Haas Automation Ford ran well enough to give us our fifth straight top-10, so we’ll keep the momentum going.”

Event:               O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 (Round 7 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (1.5-mile oval)
Format:             334 laps, broken into three stages (85 laps/85 laps/164 laps)
Start/Finish:      3^rd/9^th(Running, completed 334 of 334 laps)
Point Standing:6^thwith 249 points, 67 out of first

Race Winner:    Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner:Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-85):

• Started third and finished sixth.
• Reported the No. 14 was fast but very loose in traffic.
• Bowyer said he nearly spun two or three times and couldn’t race around other cars.
• Crew made several air and chassis adjustments during pit stops to cure the handling issues.
• Bowyer never fell out of the top-10 and finished sixth.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170):

• Started ninth and finished fifth.
• As the stage wore on, the No. 14’s handling improved.
• “Man, she’s fast,” reported Bowyer during the closing laps of the stage.
• Several cars experienced tire issues, but Bowyer’s car had no such issues.
• Bowyer was closing on the leaders as the final laps wound down in the stage. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 171-334):

• Started fifth and finished ninth.
• Bowyer avoided a seven-car melee that took out some top contenders following the restart to begin the final stage.
• Bowyer restarted fourth with about 80 to go, but he was pushed into the high groove by another car and dropped to 11^thplace.
• He slowly regained some of the lost positions, but an untimely caution with 30 laps remaining left him a lap down and forced him to use a wave-around to return to lead lap.
• Restarted the race in 10^thwith 23 laps remaining and finished ninth. 

Notes:

• This was Bowyer’s fourth top-10 of 2018.
• This was Bowyer’s 11^thtop-10 in 25 career Cup Series starts at Texas.
• Bowyer finished sixth in Stage 1 to earn five bonus points and fifth in Stage 2 to earn an additional six bonus points.
• Kyle Busch won the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 to score his 44^thcareer Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his third at Texas. His margin of victory over second-place Harvick was .3 of a second.
• There were eight caution periods for a total of 48 laps.
• Only 10 of the 37 drivers in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 finished on the lead lap.

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

“Man, we had a fast hot rod today. At the beginning we were great by ourselves, but we just couldn’t get near other cars because we were so loose in traffic. The guys worked on it and got me pretty good. We got blocked and pushed high on a restart and lost a lot of positions and just didn’t have enough time to make it up. It was tough out there today. There weren’t very many people making up any ground after a few laps.” 

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Food City 500 on April 15 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. 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.