Category: Post-Race Reports

Event:               59^th Daytona 500 (Round 1 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format:             200 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/80 laps)
Start/Finish:      6th/32nd (Accident, completed 128 of 200 laps)
Point Standing: 23rd (18 points, 38 out of first)
 Race Winner:    Kurt Busch of Stewart-Haas Racing

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-60):

• Started sixth, finished 28th.
• Clint Bowyer ran as high as second, but a tight-handling car dropped him to midpack.
• Corey Lajoie locked his brakes entering pit road and narrowly missed Bowyer’s car before Lajoie slid across the infield grass and brought out a caution on lap 27.
• Bowyer wasn’t as fortunate when he and Trevor Bayne made contact on the track late in the first stage, causing right-rear damage. The No. 14 crew made extensive repairs to the right side during the caution.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 61-120):     

• Started 33rd, finished seventh.
• Bowyer raced in 28th early in the stage as the Mobil 1 crew assessed damaged sustained in Stage 1 contact.
• He pitted for fuel only on lap 103, when the caution flew for a multicar accident that brought out a red flag.
• The Mobil 1 driver restarted ninth after the red flag and stayed at the front of the field.

 Final Stage Recap (Laps 121-200):          

• Started 22nd, finished 32nd.
• Bowyer took four tires before the final stage commenced.
• The Mobil 1 driver had begun working his way to the front of the field when a 17-car accident on lap 127 triggered by Bayne and Jimmie Johnson collected the No. 14.
• Bowyer’s car came to rest in the grass, where he restarted his car and drove to pit lane. The crew determined the damage sustained was too great to continue.

 Notes:              

• Sunday marked Bowyer’s first race with Stewart-Haas Racing replacing three-time champion Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Ford.
• Stewart sat on Bowyer’s pit box and talked with him over the team radio throughout the race.

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

“Man I hate the way it ended. No way around it. We got caught up with someone else’s mess. Just really upset right now. We’ve had a good week down here, and we still have a lot of racing left in 2017, so I’m pumped about the year. We had a really fast Mobil 1 Ford today.”

 Next Up:                                

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Folds of Honor 500 on Sunday, March 5 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 2:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FOX.

Event:                     PowerShares QQQ 300 (Round 1 of 33)
Series:                    NASCAR XFINITY Series
Location:                Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format:                 120 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/30 laps/60 laps)
Start/Finish:          20th/37th  (Accident, completed 22 of 120 laps)
Point Standing:    30th (1 point, 46 out of first)
Race Winner:        Ryan Reed of Roush Fenway Racing (Ford Mustang)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-30):

• Started 20th, finished 37th.

Notes of Interest:             

• This is Custer’s first career NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
• Custer raced as high as 10th place before being involved in an accident during Stage 1 involving 20 cars.
• This was Custer’s third race at Daytona International Speedway.

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

“It looks like we got collected there. I saw the 42 get turned and I think we just tried to make our way through, but there was nowhere to go. It’s a shame because we had a really good Haas Automation Ford Mustang. I thought our guys did a great job. It drafted really well and we’ll look forward to Atlanta. I know we’ve got a lot of great people at Stewart-Haas and Ford, and I think we’ll have a lot of great runs this year.”

Daytona is a different animal than most every other track. Do you quickly forget about this race and move on to the rest of the season?

“Yeah, it’s Daytona. You’re gonna have this all the time, so we’ll go to the next one. That’s all you can look forward to, and I think we’re gonna be fast in Atlanta. We’ll see what we can do.”

What was the racing like?

“I wouldn’t say people were being too aggressive at first. It was definitely hectic, though. We got the third lane going a little bit, but right there at the end people were trying to make up spots for the segment and people might have gotten a little too aggressive.”

Next Up: 

The next event on the NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule is the Rinnai 250 on Saturday, March 4 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 1:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FS1.

Event:                           Can-Am Duel
Series:                           Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:                      Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format:                         Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Start/Finish:                  11th/3rd (Running, completed 60 of 60 laps) 
Duel No. 1 Winner:        Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Duel No. 2 Winner:        Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
 

Stewart-Haas Racing Finish:      

• Kevin Harvick (Started 4th, Finished 3rd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
• Clint Bowyer (Started 2nd, Finished 2nd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Kurt Busch (Started 11th, Finished 3rd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Danica Patrick (Started 12th, Finished 7th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)

Notes:              

• Stewart-Haas Racing scored three top-five and four top-10 finishes in the Can-Am Duels at Daytona.
• Busch and Harvick each scored eight regular-season points, Bowyer scored nine.
• Busch’s third-place finish was his sixth top-five finish in the Duel.
• Busch will start eighth in the Daytona 500.
• Busch sustained right-side damage which hurt the handling of his No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion, but was able to continue on to finish behind his SHR teammate Bowyer.
• Drivers earning even-numbered positions from Sunday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times.

Kurt Busch, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“I’m satisfied with it. We had a good run and it’s not on the wrecker. I just didn’t execute like I needed to. Me and (Clint) Bowyer were like two brothers walking down the hallway looking at each and going in different directions. We just didn’t have a clean exchange. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, we just didn’t have a good exchange. I wasn’t able to execute to get to his back bumper and get to Denny (Hamlin) at the end. We just need to work on our straightaway speed for Sunday. I think we’re good. We have a good car to go race and try to win the Daytona 500.”

Next Up:                                                                        
The 59th Daytona 500 gets underway at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 26, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

Event:                           Can-Am Duel (qualifying race for the Daytona 500)
Series:                           Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:                      Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format:                         Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Start/Finish:                  2nd/2nd (Running, completed 60 of 60 laps) 
Duel No. 1 Winner:        Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Duel No. 2 Winner:        Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
 

SHR Finish:

• Kevin Harvick (Started 4th, Finished 3rd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
• Clint Bowyer (Started 2nd, Finished 2nd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Kurt Busch (Started 11th, Finished 3rd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Danica Patrick (Started 12th, Finished 7th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)

Notes:                          

• Bowyer ran in second place for the first 24 laps before falling to sixth at the lap 25 competition caution.
• Bowyer dropped to 13th after an air gun malfunction during a pit stop. He rallied in the closing laps to finish second.
• Stewart-Haas Racing scored three top-five and four top-10 finishes in the Can-Am Duels at Daytona.
• Bowyer scored nine regular-season points, Harvick and Kurt Busch each scored eight.
• Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Sunday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“Damn, this is fun again. Man, what a rocket ship. Hats off to all these guys that put all this hard work into these cars for Ford. This is going to be a great year. This is fun. (Crew Chief) Mike (Bugarewicz) and all the guys on the 14 car, it is just – it has been a long time coming. It is fun to get out here on one of my favorite race tracks and run up front. I want to thank everybody. Tony (Stewart) and Gene Haas, Mobil 1, Haas Automation, Ford, Yates — how about that horse power man.”

Next Up:                                                                        
The 59th Daytona 500 gets underway at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 26, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

Event:                           Can-Am Duel
Series:                           Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:                      Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format:                         Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500
Start/Finish:                  12th/6th (Running, completed 60 of 60 laps)
Duel No. 1 Winner:        Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Duel No. 2 Winner:        Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
 

SHR Finish:     

• Kevin Harvick (Started 4th, Finished 3rd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
• Clint Bowyer (Started 2nd, Finished 2nd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Kurt Busch (Started 11th, Finished 3rd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Danica Patrick (Started 12th, Finished 6th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)

Notes:              

• Patrick started 12th and ran as high as sixth before the lap 25 competition caution in the second Can-Am Duel race.
• The No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford Fusion team pitted twice for four tires and fuel during the 60-lap race.
• Despite dropping to 15th with four laps to go, Patrick worked the top line to draft her way back toward the front of the field and was credited with a sixth-place finish.
• As a result of her finish in Thursday night’s race, Patrick will start 12th in the Daytona 500.
• Patrick’s sixth-place effort marked her best-ever finish in the Duel. Her previous best result in the race was a seventh-place finish last year.
• Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Sunday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times.

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
 “It was nice to tell Edsel Ford that the Ford was really good. I told him I’ve had my best finishes in stock car racing in Fords. It’s been a good start. The car is in one piece. I feel like the car is more stable in traffic than it has been in years. I feel like the power is good. I feel like we have a really good shot on Sunday. So, the Aspen Dental Ford is in good shape and running well.”

Billy Scott, crew chief for Patrick and the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
 “The race went really well. The Aspen Dental Ford is in one piece, we got a decent start and we earned some points tonight. Everything was good on track. We’ve got a few minor tweaks to make for Sunday, but we should be in good shape.”

Next Up:
The 59th Daytona 500 gets underway at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

Event:                           Can-Am Duel (qualifying race for the Daytona 500)

Series:                           Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Location:                      Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)

Format:                         Twin 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500

Start/Finish:                  4th/3rd (Running, completed 60 of 60 laps) 

Duel No. 1 Winner:        Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Duel No. 2 Winner:        Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stewart-Haas Racing Finish:

• Kevin Harvick (Started 4th, Finished 3rd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 1)
• Clint Bowyer (Started 2nd, Finished 2nd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Kurt Busch (Started 11th, Finished 3rd / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)
• Danica Patrick (Started 12th, Finished 7th / Running, completed 60 of 60 laps in Duel No. 2)

Notes:                          

• Harvick will start fifth in the Daytona 500.
• Harvick ran as high as second and raced in the top-five the majority of the event.
• Harvick and Ford teammate Brad Keselowski worked together in the closing laps to attempt to catch race winner Chase Elliott.
• Harvick scored his seventh top-five finish in a Daytona qualifying race.
• Harvick received eight regular-season points for his third-place finish in the first Duel.
• Drivers earning odd-numbered positions from Sunday’s pole qualifying session were assigned to the first Duel race. Drivers earning even-numbered positions from pole qualifying competed in the second Duel race. The starting positions for each Duel race were based on qualifying times.

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

 “We got there, but we just didn’t clear the No. 24. Brad (Keselowski) and I were talking just about how our cars were handling. We had a very similar issue that we need to work on a little bit. We’ve got a couple things we need to work on before the 500, but, all in all, I’m pretty happy with no practice and still building our notebook on all these Fords. We’ve still got plenty of speed, so that’s a good thing.”

And you got some points tonight.

“Yeah, I forgot about that, so we got some points and that’s a good thing.”

It was close quarters racing in the end. Any concerns about that?

“That’s just how we race all the time. We want to race for the trophies and for wins and I think everybody knows there are points on the line tonight and you want to get your season started off well, so it went OK. We didn’t get to victory lane like we wanted to, but still OK.”

Next Up:

The 59th Daytona 500 gets underway at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

Event: Advance Auto Parts Clash (non-points race)

Series: Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series

Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)

Format: 75 laps, broken into two segments of 25 laps and 50 laps

Start/Finish: 12th/4th (Running, completed 75 of 75 laps)

Race Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

SHR Finish:     

●  Danica Patrick (Started 12th, Finished 4th / Running, completed 75 of 75 laps)

●  Kevin Harvick (Started 7th, Finished 5th / Running, completed 75 of 75 laps)

●  Kurt Busch (Started 10th, Finished 17th / Accident, completed 16 of 75 laps)

Notes:              

●  Patrick started 12th and raced as high as fifth in the opening 25-lap segment.

●  The No. 10 TaxAct Ford Fusion team pitted under caution at lap 19 for four tires and fuel and again for fuel only between segments.

●  Patrick took the green flag for the second segment in the 11th position.

●  She dropped back to 16th near the mid-point of the race, but rallied back to the top-10 with two laps to go.

●  Patrick successfully avoided a multicar accident involving the leaders on the final lap and scored a fourth-place finish.

●  The result marked Patrick’s first top-five in the Clash. Her previous best finish was a 10th-place effort in 2015.

●  Field was comprised of 2016 pole winners, former Clash winners, former Daytona 500 pole winners and 2016 playoff participants.

Danica Patrick, Driver of the No. 10 TaxAct Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Talk about today’s race. “I will say that I got a little lucky, but there’s a lot of that in speedway racing. It was a nice way to start things off in the TaxAct Ford today. These Fords seem pretty fast. Roush Yates (Engines) does a great job. I got dropped back in the very back for a little bit, but once they started shuffling around, I got a big run. I felt fast, but it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time and having the right help behind you, too. It got harder and harder toward the end of the race with fewer cars out there, but we were in the right place at the right time.”

With today’s race being run during the day instead of last night, do you feel like you’re a step ahead for next week’s Daytona 500? “I would agree with that. The way that the cars are handling in the heat of the day is good practice for the 500, more so than it would have been if we would have run at night by all means.”

Billy Scott, Crew Chief for Patrick and the No. 10 TaxAct Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

How would you assess today’s race? “It was a good start to Speedweeks. We had good pit stops and Danica and her spotter Brandon (Benesch) got to work well together and get ahead on communication for Thursday, which matters a lot now because there are points available in the Duel races. It was also a good way to start things off with a lot of new team members on the No. 10 TaxAct Ford team and the new relationships with Ford and Roush Yates Engines.”

Next Up:

Daytona 500 pole qualifying, where Patrick, Harvick, Busch and Clint Bowyer will be among 42 drivers going for the pole for the 59th annual Daytona 500. Qualifying is set to get underway at 3:10 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 19, with live coverage provided by FOX. The Can-Am Duel – twin 150-mile races which will set the rest of the Daytona 500 field – take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23 with live coverage on FS1. Speedweeks at Daytona then culminates with the Daytona 500 at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

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Event: Advance Auto Parts Clash (non-points race)

Series: Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series

Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)

Format: 75 laps, broken into two segments of 25 laps and 50 laps

Start/Finish: 7th/5th (Running, completed 75 of 75 laps)

Race Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

SHR Finish:        

• Danica Patrick (Started 12th, Finished 4th / Running, completed 75 of 75 laps)
• Kevin Harvick (Started 7th, Finished 5th / Running, completed 75 of 75 laps)
• Kurt Busch (Started 10th, Finished 17th / Accident, completed 16 of 75 laps)

Notes:                   

• Harvick started seventh and raced as high as second in the opening 25-lap segment.
• The No. 4 Busch Beer Ford Fusion dropped to the rear after a four-tire stop to close out the first segment.
• Harvick overcame a loose-handling condition throughout the event.
• The No. 4 Busch Beer team pitted for four-tires and fuel with 10 laps remaining in the race.
• Harvick skillfully avoided a multicar accident involving the leaders on the final lap to record a fifth-place finish.
• This was Harvick’s seventh top-five finish in the Clash. Harvick won the Clash in 2009, 2010 and 2013.
• Field was comprised of 2016 pole winners, former Clash winners, former Daytona 500 pole winners and 2016 playoff participants.

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

What did you learn today? “The confidence is high just because of how fast our Ford is today. I think once we got the balance and have an idea now of where the balance needs to be, we can get the handling right. Speed is not an issue.”

You decided to take four tires at the end of the race. How did that work out for you? “It went really well. For us, we were very fortunate that the race wound up in the day – a lot like the 500 is going to be – just because we didn’t really know what we needed and where our balance was going to be. We were really loose to start the first 25 laps and were able to get that fixed. Speed is not an issue.  Circumstances just needed to work out a little bit differently, but all in all, I’m excited for the week.”

Next Up:

Daytona 500 pole qualifying, where Harvick, Patrick, Busch and Clint Bowyer will be among 42 drivers going for the pole for the 59th annual Daytona 500. Qualifying is set to get underway at 3:10 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 19, with live coverage provided by FOX. The Can-Am Duel – twin 150-mile races which will set the rest of the Daytona 500 field – take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23 with live coverage on FS1. Speedweeks at Daytona then culminates with the Daytona 500 at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

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