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.

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:             334laps, broken into three stages (85 laps/85 laps/164 laps)
Start/Finish:      12th/32nd (Accident, completed 178 of 334 laps)
Point Standing:12th (177 points, 139 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):

• Aric Almirola started Stage 1 in the 12^thposition at Texas Motor Speedway and ended it in the 11^thspot.
• After an early caution in the stage, Almirola and the four-car Stewart Haas Racing contingent ran in the top-10 until lap 30.
• On lap 44, Almirola made a scheduled green-flag pit stop from the 11^thposition for fuel, four tires and wedge. After pit stops cycled through, he continued to run in the top-11.
• Almirola reported he was loose in traffic on lap 75 and ultimately finished the first stage in 11^th.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170):

• Before the start of Stage 2, Almirola visited pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments, and started the second stage in the 11^thposition. The 34-year-old completed the stage in the 10^thspot.
• In Stage 2, the Tampa, Florida, native reported he needed more front turn. Crew chief Johnny Klausmeier continued to make adjustments to help the No. 10 Ford Fusion’s handling.
• The third caution of the race came out on lap 127, and Almirola visited pit road for more adjustments before completing the stage in the 10^thposition and earning one bonus point.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 171-334):

• During the caution period for the final stage break, Almirola radioed to the Smithfield crew that his car was better but that he still needed more front turn.
• After a fast pit stop to help with the No. 10 Ford’s handling, Almirola started to the final stage in the eighth position before his day ended prematurely due to a seven-car accident on lap 178.

Notes:

• Almirola had finished among the top-14 in all previous races this season.
• Until the accident on lap 178, Almirola maintained a top-15 running position all day.
• Almirola finished 10^thin Stage 2 to earn a single bonus point.
• 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 .300 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.

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

“We come to these repaves and we are going really fast and all fighting for the bottom lane, because the second lane isn’t as good and the third lane is really not as good. We got down to turn three, and I was trying to be smart and be patient because we still have a long way to go in the race. I backed out of it to let the No. 18 have the second lane, and the No. 11 just got loose under me. I hate it. Our Smithfield Ford Fusion was really good today. We were going to run top-10 for sure, and we were making the car better and better each pit stop, and I thought we could have continued to work on it and maybe make it a top-five car. If you make it a top-five car, anything can happen at the end of these races, and that’s what I’m most disappointed about. We definitely had a car capable of a really good result today and unfortunately have nothing to show for it.”

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 TV, PRN and SiriusXM Radio.

Event:               O’Reilly Auto Parts 500(Round 7 of 36)
Series:               Monster EnergyNASCAR 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:      1^st/7^th(Running, completed 334 of 334 laps)
Point Standing:  8^th(224 points, 92 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): 

• Kurt Busch started first, finished third and scored eight bonus points.
• The No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford pitted on lap 44 for four tires and fuel as Busch ran in fifth. He said the car was a bit loose.
• Busch said on lap 78 that he was a little tight in turns one and two and then a little loose in turns three and four.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170): 

• Started third, finished second and scored nine bonus points.
• Pitted on lap 86 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment.
• When Busch pitted on lap 129 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment, he came in third and left in first. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 171-334):

• Busch started third finished seventh.
• The No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford pitted on lap 163 for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.
• Busch pitted on lap 233 for four tires and fuel.
• On lap 290, while running sixth, Busch pitted for four tires and fuel.
• When a caution for Ryan Newman’s accident on lap 305 came out, because Busch had pitted and the cycle was not yet complete, he was one lap down, despite being in eighth. He took the wave-around to get his lap back, but other teams had fresher tires, so he was only able to get up to seventh. 

Notes:

• This was Busch’s third top-10 of 2018.
• Busch scored his 18^thtop-10 in 31 career Cup Series starts at Texas.
• Busch finished third in Stage 1 to earn eight bonus points and second in Stage 2 to earn an additional nine bonus points.
• Busch led three times for 40 laps to bring his laps-led total at Texas to 335.
• 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 .300 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. 

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

“I’m really proud of these guys and the effort that we made today. We had really good speed. We didn’t have the whole package. We’d lose the front on restarts or lose the rear. We’re just trying to find that happy medium. We should have pitted with 12 laps on our tires, because the restart after that was treacherous for us, and we lost all of our track position. So we got bottled up into seventh, and that’s where we finished.”

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 TV, PRN and SiriusXM Radio.

Event:               O’Reilly Auto Parts 500(Round 7 of 36)
Series:               Monster EnergyNASCAR 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:      2^nd/2^nd(Running, completed 334 of 334 laps)
Point Standing:  4^th(257 points, 59 out of first) 

Race Winner:    Kyle Buschof Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner:Kevin Harvickof Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:Kyle Buschof Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-85):

• Kevin Harvick started second and finished first, scoring 10 bonus points and a playoff point.
• The No. 4 Busch Light Ford took the lead on the first lap.
• Harvick held the lead until coming to pit road for a green-flag pit stop on lap 44.
• The No. 4 Busch Light Ford reclaimed the lead on lap 56 and held it for the remainder of the stage.
• Harvick came to pit road for four tires and fuel at the end of the stage, but he came off pit road in the second position.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170): 

• Started second, finished 15th.
• Harvick passed Kyle Busch for the lead on lap 118.
• The No. 4 Ford came to pit road under caution for four tires and fuel, but a lug nut got lodged in the jack and slowed the stop.
• Harvick restarted ninth and immediately reported a loose wheel, which caused the team to make an unscheduled pit stop under green.
• The No. 4 Ford fell to the 22^ndposition, one lap down to the leaders, following the unscheduled stop.
• Harvick battled back to finish 15^thby the end of the stage but fell one spot short of the free-pass position.
• The Busch Light Ford came to pit road for four tires and fuel at the conclusion of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 171-334): 

• Started 14th and finished second.
• The Busch Light Ford restarted 14^th, but a quick caution at the start of the final stage allowed Harvick to advance to 12^th.
• The No. 4 car returned to the lead lap on lap 235 after a caution flag flew before his scheduled pit stop.
• Harvick came to pit road under the caution from the second position for four tires and fuel on lap 237.
• The No. 4 came to pit road for fresh tires and fuel under caution on lap 252.
• Harvick restarted 10^thon lap 255 and raced into the top-five by lap 270.
• The Busch Light Ford restarted second with 25 laps remaining and battled for the win in the closing laps. 

Notes:

• This was Harvick’s fifth top-five finish of 2018.
• Harvick earned his ninth top-five and 19^thtop-10 in 31 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Texas.
• Harvick won Stage 1 to earn 10 bonus points and one playoff point. Harvick led three times during the race for 87 laps and has now led 318 laps at Texas.
• 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. 

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

“We did overcome a lot. That was unfortunate. We had a pathetic day on pit road, two days on pit road because of pit guns. When you have a pit gun problem like we have multiple times and been able to overcome it and then today we couldn’t overcome it. Time after time you can’t get the lug nuts tight because the pit guns don’t work.” 

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 TV, PRN and SiriusXM Radio.

Harvick Finishes 19^th at Texas

Hunt Brothers Pizza Driver’s Strong Effort Derailed By Loose Wheels

Date: April 7, 2018
Event: My Bariatric Solutions 300 at Texas (Round 6 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish: 40th/19th (Running, completed 198 of 200 laps)

Race Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brandon Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):

• Started 40th, finished eighth.
• The No. 98 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang started at the rear of the field due to an issue in pre-qualifying inspection.
• Harvick raced the Hunt Brother Pizza Ford into the top-10 on lap 35.
• Harvick brought the Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford to pit road for four tires, fuel and a minor chassis adjustment at the conclusion of the stage. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):       

• Started 14th, finished 19th.
• Harvick and the Hunt Brothers Pizza team joined the top-five for the first time on lap 68.
• The No. 98 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford came to pit road under caution while racing in the fourth position on lap 84 for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, but came out in 20^th after several cars opted to stay out and the No. 98 team had an issue on pit road.
• The team gained one position in the final one-lap dash to the end of the stage. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 91-200):

• Started ninth, finished 19th.
• Harvick fell bac k to the 15^th position on the restart, but battled his way into the top-10 by lap 125.
• He raced his way back up to the eighth position before pitting under green on lap 138 for four tires and fuel. The stop dropped the No. 98 to 23^rd and one lap down to the leaders.
• Harvick raced his way into the top-10 on lap 148, back to the lead lap by lap 150 and up to the sixth position by lap 152.
• The team made an unscheduled pit stop under green from the sixth position to address a loose wheel and returned to the track in the 19th position, two laps down to the leaders.

Notes:              

• Ryan Blaney won the My Bariatric Solutions 300 at Texas by 2.327 seconds over runner-up Christopher Bell.
• Only 10 of the 40 cars entered into the race finished on the lead lap.
• The race featured eight cautions for a total of 42 laps.
• Harvick’s SHR teammate Cole Custer finished fourth and qualified for the Dash 4 Cash at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
• This was Harvick’s second NASCAR Xfinity Series start of the year for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste.
• Harvick’s next appearance in the No. 98 Ford Mustang is schedule for Michigan International Speedway on June 9.
• Chase Briscoe makes his Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste debut in the No. 98 Ford next week at Bristol.

 Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 98 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste: 

“We had a fast Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang all day. We drove from the back of the field up to third at one point and we should’ve put ourselves in position to compete for the win at the end. Unfortunately, we suffered a couple loose wheels that took us out of contention and caused us to fall two laps down. That’s hard to recover from, but I’m proud of the guys for brining another fast car to the racetrack.”

Event: My Bariatric Solutions 300 (Round 6 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish: 10^th/4^th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Point Standing: 6^th with 181 points

Race Winner:    Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brandon Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):

• Cole Custer started 10^th, finished seventh. Earned four bonus points.
• Custer piloted the Thompson Pipe Group Ford inside the top-10 for the majority of the stage.
• He noted tight-handling conditions throughout the stage.
• Custer pitted at the conclusion of the stage for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. He gained five positions on pit road.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):

• Custer started second, finished 14^th.
• Custer maintained his car inside the top-four until he was caught behind a loose-handling car on a lap-74 restart.
• During a lap-84 caution, Custer pitted for four tires and fuel along with the majority of the cars in the top-10. He restarted 17^th.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 91-200):

• Custer started fourth, finished fourth.
• He continued to run inside the top-five, but noted tight-handling conditions during the first half of the stage.
• Crew chief Jeff Meendering radioed Custer to the pits on lap 142 for four tires and fuel. He was in the third position.
• After green-flag pit stops cycled through, Custer was scored in fourth place.
• Custer battled the Thompson Pipe Group Ford Mustang in the top-five for the remainder of the race and qualified for the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus at Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend.

Notes:              

• This marks Custer’s third top-five at Texas, first top-five of the season and fourth straight top-10 of the season.
• This was Custer’s third straight top-five at Texas.
• This was Custer’s best Xfinity Series finish at Texas.
• Custer earned four bonus points in the My Bariatric Solutions 300.
• Only 10 of the 40 cars entered into the race finished on the lead lap.
• The race featured eight cautions for a total of 42 laps.
• Ryan Blaney won the My Bariatric Solutions 300 to score his seventh career Xfinity Series victory, first of the season and first at Texas. His margin of victory over second-place Christopher Bell was 2.327 seconds.

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

“I was happy with our day. We were definitely a top-three car today. Our Thompson Pipe Group Mustang just ran solid all day. It is pretty amazing to be able to compete in the Dash 4 Cash prize at Bristol and it’s a really awesome thing that Xfinity does for the series. You get to race hard and race for a lot of money. We are going to get after it. We have been good there in the past and I’m looking forward to going there and try to win $100,000 for our team. That would be pretty awesome.”

Next Up:          

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 on Saturday, April 14 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 1 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FS1.

Event:               Martinsville 500 (Round 6 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format:             500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish:      11^th/11^th (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
Point Standing: 10^th (177 points, 80 behind leader Kyle Busch)

Race Winner:    Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130): 

• Kurt Busch started 11^th and finished eighth to collect three bonus points.
• The No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion was loose early on.
• On lap 52, Busch pitted for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

• Started sixth, finished seventh to collect four bonus points.
• Said car lacked “forward bite.”

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500): 

• Started eighth and finished 11^th.
• Busch pitted on lap 265 for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.
• After a quick caution, Busch pitted on lap 130 for four tires and fuel, running in 11^th.
• Still trying to find a little rear grip as the race came to a close, Busch managed to secure a solid 11^th-place finish while teammate Bowyer crossed the finish line first to score the win for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). 

Notes:

• This was Busch’s fourth top-15 of 2018.
• Busch finished eighth in Stage 1 to collect three bonus points and seventh in Stage 2 to earn four additional bonus points.
• Bowyer’s victory in the Martinsville 500 marked the 47^th overall win for SHR. It was the organization’s 43^rd points-paying Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win and its fourth at Martinsville.
• This was SHR’s seventh Cup Series victory with Ford. The team won its first race with Ford when Busch captured the 2017 Daytona 500.
• It was SHR’s fourth victory in the first six races of 2018, as Harvick scored back-to-back-to-back wins at the second, third and fourth events of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and ISM Raceway near Phoenix.
• This was the second time in five races that all four SHR cars finished in the top-14.
• There were four caution periods for a total of 33 laps.
• Fourteen of the 38 drivers in the Martinsville 500 finished on the lead lap.
• Bowyer’s margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was 1.146 seconds. 

Next Up: 

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 on Sunday, April 8 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1.

Event:               Martinsville 500 (Round 6 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format:             500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish:      10th/14th (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
Point Standing: 11th (171 points, 86 out of first) 

Race Winner:    Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

• Aric Almirola started Stage 1 in the 10^th position at the paperclip-shaped track and ended it in the 19th spot.
• The Mobil 1 driver was the fastest car on track by lap 30.
• Almirola’s car made contact with the No. 4 of Kevin Harvick on pit road following the lap-52 stop, causing slight damage to the right front of the No. 10.
• Johnny Klausmeier, the Mobil 1 crew chief, called Almirola back down pit road following the contact to repair the right front.
• Almirola was able to race back into the top-20 by lap 100.
• The Tampa, Florida, native requested “more drive off” as the first stage came to a close, though he was running top-10 lap times.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

• The 33-year-old Almirola began Stage 2 from the 19^th spot and ended the stage 13^th.
• Before the start of Stage 2, the Mobil 1 crew serviced Almirola’s Ford with four tires, fuel and adjustments.
• Almirola raced his Mobil 1 Ford Fusion back into the top-15 by lap 224.
• On lap 255 Almirola raced around the reigning NASCAR champion, Martin Truex Jr., to take over the 13^th spot. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500):

• Almirola entered the final stage in the 14th position and completed it in 14th.
• The Mobil 1 team battled a loose-handling condition through most of the stage.
• Almirola persevered and raced back into the top-10 by lap 329 to put all four Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) cars into the top-10 once again.
• The Mobil 1 driver had raced into ninth prior to the lap-384 caution, where he opted for a full-service stop with chassis adjustments.
• Unfortunately, Almirola was penalized for speeding in Zones 5 and 6 on pit road during the lap-384 caution and had to restart in 14^th.
• Almirola once again worked his way into the top-15 and ultimately finished 14^th – his sixth top-15 finish in six races.

Notes:

• NASCAR postponed Sunday’s Cup Series race at Martinsville to Monday due to snow.
• The last time snow postponed a NASCAR Cup Series race was in 1993 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• Monday marked Almirola’s 250^th Cup Series start.
• Almirola has yet to finish outside of the top-15 this year.
• There were four caution periods for a total of 33 laps.
• Fourteen of the 38 drivers in the Martinsville 500 finished on the lead lap.
• Bowyer won the Martinsville 500 to score his ninth career Cup Series victory, his first with SHR and his first at Martinsville. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was 1.146 seconds.
• Bowyer’s victory in the Martinsville 500 marked the 47^th overall win for SHR. It was the organization’s 43^rd points-paying Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win and its fourth at Martinsville.
• This was SHR’s seventh Cup Series victory with Ford. The team won its first race with Ford when Kurt Busch captured the 2017 Daytona 500.

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“I worked all day to get my track position back after the first mistake, and then I made another. But our Mobil 1 Ford Fusion was fast, and while we needed to roll the corner a bit better all day, we still had a solid run. All of our finishes at Stewart-Haas have been solid this year, really showing that Mobil 1 oil technology performs on the track and Mobil 1 Annual Protection can do the same for our fans at home.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 on April 8 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1.

Event:               Martinsville 500 (Round 6 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format:             500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish:      8^th/5^th (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
Point Standing: 7^th (212 points, 45 out of first)

Race Winner:    Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

• Kevin Harvick started eighth, finished sixth and scored five bonus points.
• The No. 4 Ford came to pit road for four tires, fuel, wedge and air pressure adjustments under the competition caution on lap 52.
• Harvick’s car and the No. 10 of Aric Amirola made contact following the lap-52 pit stop, causing cosmetic damage to the right front fender of the No. 4.
• The No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford restarted sixth on lap 56 and maintained the position through the end of the stage.
• Harvick came to pit road for four tires, fuel, wedge and minor repairs to his car’s right-front fender at the end of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260): 

• Started eighth, finished sixth and scored an additional five bonus points.
• The second stage ran caution-free, and Harvick raced from eighth up to sixth by the end of the stage.
• The Jimmy John’s Ford came to pit road for four tires, fuel and a small adjustment at the conclusion of the stage. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500): 

• Started fifth and finished fifth.
• Harvick raced his way from fifth up to the fourth position by the caution on lap 385.
• The No. 4 came to pit road under caution on lap 387 for four tires, fuel and adjustments and came out in the fifth position.
• Harvick raced his way through traffic for the final 109 laps without incident and finished fifth.

 Notes:

• This was Harvick’s fourth top-five of 2018.
• This was his fifth top-five and 16^th top-10 finish in 34 career Cup Series starts at Martinsville.
• Harvick finished sixth in Stage 1 to earn five bonus points and sixth in Stage 2 to earn an additional five bonus points.
• Bowyer’s victory in the Martinsville 500 marked the 47th overall win for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). It was the organization’s 43rd points-paying Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win and its fourth at Martinsville.
• There were four caution periods for a total of 33 laps.
• Fourteen of the 38 drivers in the Martinsville 500 finished on the lead lap.
• Bowyer’s margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was 1.146 seconds. 

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

“I didn’t mess it up today. We had a good car and saw how fast the SHR cars can be with the right driver in them here. This hasn’t been one of my better spots, but everything today went reasonably well, and we were able to get (SHR teammate) Clint (Bowyer) to Victory Lane – and it was a good day for our Jimmy John’s/Busch Ford.” 

Next Up: 

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 on April 8 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1.