Category: Pre-Race Reports

In The Know – Sonoma

NASCAR CUP SERIES OVERVIEW:

●  Event:  Save Mart 350k (Round 16 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 11

●  Location:  Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway

●  Layout:  1.99-mile, 10-turn road course

●  Laps/Miles:  110 laps/218.9 miles (352.3 kilometers)

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 30 laps / Final Stage: 55 laps

●  TV/Radio:  FOX / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

SHR FAST FACTS:

Kevin Harvick:

Harvick has made a total of 56 NASCAR Cup Series starts on road courses. He has 21 starts at Sonoma, 21 at Watkins Glen, five at the Charlotte Roval, three at COTA, and two apiece at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Indianapolis and the road course at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. He has scored two road-course wins – Watkins Glen in 2006 and Sonoma in 2017 – along with 12 top-fives and 27 top-10s with 199 laps led.

Aric Almirola:

Almirola will be doing double duty for the second time this season at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, driving in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race and Sunday’s Cup Series Save Mart 350k. His first double-duty weekend was in March at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. In Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, Almirola will be in the No. 28 Ford Mustang for RSS Racing. It will be Almirola’s first Xfinity Series start at Sonoma, but it won’t be his first double-duty weekend at the Northern California road course. In 2018, Almirola nearly pulled off the victory in the ARCA Menards Series race there, leading 23 laps and finishing second. Almirola finished eighth in the Cup Series race that weekend.

Chase Briscoe:

Briscoe has two starts at the 1.99-mile, 10-turn Sonoma road course, with a best finish of 13th in last year’s event. In 13 Cup Series starts on road courses, Briscoe has four top-10 finishes and was just shy of earning his career first Cup Series victory on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2021.

Ryan Preece:

The No. 41 SHR Ford Mustang team has seen improvement and consistency in recent weekends, providing a heightened sense of motivation. Preece had a career weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April, earning his first Cup Series pole and leading a career-high 135 laps. In 15 points-paying events this season, Preece has four top-15 finishes, two of which came in the last three points-paying races May 14 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and May 29 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:

 

WHAT OUR DRIVERS ARE SAYING:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang:

Sonoma marks your last NASCAR Cup Series race in your home state of California. Does that resonate with you to where you want to soak up every moment from the race weekend, or do you go in there with a more a business-like mindset of winning and everything else comes in second?

“I think you can do both. I’ve learned this year that you can take advantage of the year and get away with thinking both ways. For me, Sonoma is one of the places that I’ve raced at for so long and really spent a lot of time up there in my West Coast days with the Southwest Tour car and all the different things that I’ve been fortunate to race there. We’ve won a few races there and I think going up there and seeing all of the California fans for the last time is obviously something you’ve got to stop and pay attention to. I’m looking forward to that. I know the track has a lot of exciting things planned that week, along with the West Coast Hall of Fame and everything happening there. It’ll be a big week to take it all in.”

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:

Why did you decide to do double duty at Sonoma this year?

“Of all the road courses that we run, it’s my favorite. I run the best there, so having the opportunity to run an Xfinity car there, something that is new for that series, I just thought that it would be a great opportunity and something for me to go and do, and I think it is slightly helpful just to get some more reps at the road courses because, with only 20 minutes of practice, you don’t get a lot of laps in the Cup car. So just being able to pick up little things here and there on the racetrack maybe helps a little bit. But the cars are so different nowadays with the brakes, the way the cars drive, the transmission, all those things, that a lot of it doesn’t really correlate at all.”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang:

The No. 14 team’s strategy has shifted over the last week. What is the biggest difference and how does it impact preparation for the rest of the regular season?

“At this point, it’s all about winning. We always show up to win, this just gives us an opportunity to change up our strategy to make it happen. It opens the door for us to pit off strategy or make some different calls when it comes to what we do on a stop. It doesn’t change preparation much. We might have some different options that we look at, but we always want to run up front so we don’t have to do too much differently when it comes to how we prepare.”

Ryan Preece Driver of the No. 41 Autodesk Ford Mustang: 

With your short-track background, what has been your mindset in preparing for Sunday’s race at Sonoma Raceway?

“Obviously, these road courses are all about track position. That’s going to be huge for our team this weekend. It’s tough to pass and pit strategy will come into play. We know what we’ve got to do, and I know what I’ve got to do as a driver. I’ve been working hard in the simulator and talking to other drivers to get some insight. There’s going to be a lot of beating and banging, so I need to manage that and be smart. The track is worn out and it takes a toll on the tires. I never got to drive the old racetrack and I always did in the video games when I was a little kid. So, I get to check that box off my bucket list. From a road-course standpoint, I certainly didn’t grow up doing it but it’s something I enjoy doing because I enjoy the challenge. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”

 

In The Know – St. Louis

NASCAR CUP SERIES OVERVIEW:

●  Event:  Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter (Round 15 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 4

●  Location:  Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois (near St. Louis)

●  Layout:  1.25-mile oval

●  Laps/Miles:  240 laps/300 miles

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 45 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps

●  TV/Radio:  FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

SHR FAST FACTS:

Kevin Harvick:

Harvick comes into St. Louis on the cusp of 16,000 laps led in his NASCAR Cup Series career. With his 19 laps led on Monday in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Harvick’s career tally is 15,999 laps led across 804 Cup Series starts. He is a single lap away from being one of just 11 drivers who have led 16,000 laps in their career. Harvick has led 11,584 laps since joining SHR in 2014 (72.4 percent).

Aric Almirola:

This weekend marks the second NASCAR Cup Series race at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis. Almirola returns to the 1.25-mile oval with confidence after the No. 10 team ran inside the top-five for the majority of the inaugural race last year and brought home a solid fifth-place finish. In addition to the single Cup Series start, his three NASCAR Truck Series starts there add to his confidence, as well. In the 2006 Truck Series race, Almirola started 22nd and finished 10th, he started 15thand earned a solid fourth-place finish in 2009, and in 2010 he started 16th before leading 16 laps and finishing eighth.

Chase Briscoe:  

In his 2017 Truck Series outing at the track, Briscoe led twice for a race-high 88 of 160 laps and finished in the runner-up position. It was his fourth top-five in the first eight races that season. Briscoe went on to win the final race of the year at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and emerged with Rookie of the Year honors and the Most Popular Driver award.

Ryan Preece:

Through the first third of the Cup Series season, Preece has shown improvement and consistency at a variety of racetracks, bringing a heightened sense of motivation and anticipation for the No. 41 team. He had a career weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April, earning his first Cup Series pole and leading a career-high 135 laps. Since then, although the results haven’t shown it, Preece has started coming into his own.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:

WHAT OUR DRIVERS ARE SAYING:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang:

The first of your 47 career NASCAR Xfinity Series wins came at Gateway on July 29, 2000. You beat Jeff Purvis by 1.338 seconds. What do you remember about that win?

“The thing I remember the most was that week, Richard (Childress, team owner) brought me into his office and told me that we needed to stop crashing cars and that we needed to figure out how to finish races. I think it was the 12th or 13th race of the season and he was tired of tearing stuff up. And then we go out and win that week and I remember what a relief it was to finally get that first one out of the way. We built a team and had our good moments and bad moments – we missed a race at Rockingham (North Carolina). So we had gone through a lot of things at the beginning of that season and, to finally get that first win, it was really the momentum that finally kicked off all the things that happened after that. From that point forward, Gateway was always a great track for me and we’ve had a lot of success there.”

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang: 

You had a solid race at Gateway last year. Do you look forward to heading back there this weekend?

“I’ve had this race circled on the calendar all year. I love the way this track races and we had a car fast enough to win it last year. Our cars have continued to show consistent speed over the past few weekends, too. If last year was any indication, I think you’re going to see Stewart-Haas up front as we saw in Martinsville – hopefully dominating the race again, which is where we belong. We just have to have a clean day on pit road and I have to do my part.”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang: 

You’re headed to a track where you had a lot of speed last year, but a blown tire took away a chance at a strong finish. Can you get that finish you know you’re capable of this weekend?

“I think this is a weekend where we can put the pieces together to find that consistency through a race and get a good result. The shorter tracks are places where we can go in, lead a lot of laps and get a lot of stage points, and hopefully win the race. We’re kind of right on that cutline for the playoffs, so winning a race would make life way easier, and this weekend is a great opportunity for us to do that. Last year, we were able to sit on the pole and lead laps before the blown tire, so we know that we have a car and setup that’s capable, it’s just a matter of applying the differences to what this year brings.”

Ryan Preece Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang: 

You’ve never raced at Gateway. What are your thoughts on the track, and how are you preparing?

“I think Gateway is kind of its own beast, but I do think there are some similarities to other flat ovals that we visit. You know, New Hampshire and Phoenix are two that come to mind. Obviously, New Hampshire is home, so I’ve got a lot of experience there, and Phoenix is where I got my best finish of the season so far, so hopefully that translates to this weekend, too. Both ends of the track are so different at Gateway, but I’ve been taking notes and talking to Chad (Johnston, crew chief) and my teammates about it. We’ll be good to go, and hopefully we’ll unload fast and qualify up front so we can start the race up there and stay there. That’s our goal.”

In The Know – North Wilkesboro

 NASCAR CUP SERIES OVERVIEW:

●  Event:  NASCAR All-Star Race (non-points race)

●  Time/Date:  8 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 21

●  Location:  North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway

●  Layout:  .625-mile oval

●  Laps/Miles:  200 laps/125 miles

●  TV/Radio:  FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

SHR FAST FACTS:

Kevin Harvick: 

Harvick has always been an all-star. Since his 2001 NASCAR Cup Series debut, Harvick has been a part of every All-Star Race – the only active driver to do so. The driver of the No. 29 Busch Light Ford Mustang first earned entry into the All-Star Race by winning in just his third career Cup Series start on March 11, 2001 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sunday at North Wilkesboro Speedway marks the 39th anniversary of the All-Star Race and it will be Harvick’s 23rd straight appearance in the race – the most of any active driver.

Aric Almirola: 

Almirola grew up watching his racing heroes compete at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and dreamed of one-day taking laps himself on the iconic .625-mile oval. This weekend, his dream will come true. Not only is he looking forward to racing on the track’s original asphalt surface, but also for the chance to compete for $1 million and a trip to victory lane. While the season has been rocky for the 39-year-old veteran, the No. 10 team’s short-track program has shown significant speed. Almirola kicked off the year by winning his heat in the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and leading the field to green in the feature race. The Smithfield driver continued to show top-five speed on the mile oval at Phoenix Raceway and the .75-mile Richmond (Va.) Raceway oval, and had a car capable of winning at on the half-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway oval.

Chase Briscoe: 

Before taking to the .625-mile North Wilkesboro oval in the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, Briscoe will competed in Wednesday night’s CARS Late Model Stock Tour event in a Chad Bryant-owned entry. Briscoe and Bryant previously worked together during the racer’s stint in the ARCA Menards Series, when he captured six wins enroute to the 2016 championship.

Ryan Preece: 

While North Wilkesboro Speedway was essentially dormant since NASCAR last raced at the .625-mile oval in 1996, its revival featured a soft reopening last year with the Racetrack Revival Modified events Aug. 2-3, featuring the Bootleg Bash in which Preece participated. Preece finished fourth in both races.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:

WHAT OUR DRIVERS ARE SAYING:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 29 Busch Light Ford Mustang:

How special is it to be back behind the wheel of the No. 29 one final time?

“Everything that started in my Cup career started at RCR. It wasn’t supposed to start in the 29, but it wound up being my first in the 29 after Dale’s death. And to be able to put that car back out on the racetrack is something that we all thought would not ever happen again. But with Stewart-Haas Racing and Richard Childress Racing working together and making my crazy idea work out, and being able to see the first win paint scheme in the 29 and to have it on the racetrack at North Wilkesboro is something I think we’re all excited about. I know the fans are excited, but for us it’s an honor and a privilege to drive it one last time. It will be a fun night for all of us.”

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:

What are you looking forward to the most in your debut at the iconic North Wilkesboro Speedway?

“Just racing on that iconic racetrack. I think back to when I was a kid watching Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip when I was 6 or 7 years old and I was a fan of the sport. I’ve driven past it so many times on my way to Bristol and always dreamed of how cool it would be to race at North Wilkesboro, and now we get to do it.”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang:

Did you ever think that you’d have the opportunity to race at North Wilkesboro?

“No, and this has been something I’ve really been looking forward to. I’m still such a big fan of NASCAR and it’s been really cool to see a lot of the NASCAR 75 stuff, and now we’re going back to North Wilkesboro. That’s big for the sport. Guys like Dale (Earnhardt) Jr., have worked hard to get us back there and I’m excited to see the Truck Series and Cup cars out there, and to be a part of it. I know it’ll be an exciting race. The All-Star Race is one that a lot of guys want to win, already, and now it’s on a track that is so important to NASCAR’s history. It’s a good combination that should put on a good show.”

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang:

What’s going to be the biggest thing that drivers and teams have to focus on to succeed this weekend?

“Tires. The asphalt is so old and it’s really worn out, and that’s the kind of track I enjoy because you’ve got to be smart with your tires and manage them the right way. It’s going to be really fun for the drivers. Well, at least it’s going to be really fun for me. This track is right up my alley, honestly, and tire management is going to be huge. Every driver is going to have to be so smart when it comes to their tires and the strategy so that we can be in position at the end of the thing. If you watch races at North Wilkesboro from the past, they’re so exciting and that’s because of the decisions the drivers and teams have to make and the way the track races. I can’t wait.”

In The Know – Darlington

NASCAR CUP SERIES OVERVIEW:

●  Event:  Goodyear 400 (Round 13 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  3 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 14

●  Location:  Darlington (S.C.) Raceway

●  Layout:  1.366-mile oval

●  Laps/Miles:  293 laps/400.2 miles

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 108 laps

●  TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

SHR FAST FACTS:

Kevin Harvick: 

Darlington is known as “The Track Too Tough To Tame,” but Harvick has tamed the venerable 1.366-mile oval three times, the second-most of any active NASCAR Cup Series driver. The 47-year-old racer from Bakersfield, California, owns two Southern 500 victories (2014 and 2020) and one win in the track’s 400-mile race.

Aric Almirola: 

 Just like racing, Almirola’s love for baseball started young with the majority of his family playing baseball and softball. Fast forward to today and the 39-year-old Almirola is passing down the stick-and-ball sport to his 10-year-old son Alex, who is playing his third season of baseball. Most weeknights during baseball season, Almirola can be found on a field as an assistant coach. On Tuesday of last week (May 2), Almirola got to share the field with Alex and his racecar at the minor league Kannapolis (N.C.) Cannon Ballers’ stadium to unveil the No. 10 SHR Ford throwback scheme and to throw the ceremonial first pitch for that night’s game. In true Almirola fashion, father and son both threw strikes from the pitcher’s mound.

Chase Briscoe: 

Race fans often choose their favorite drivers based on a paint scheme, a number or a hometown. As a child growing up in an Indiana dirt-racing family, Chase Briscoe spent weekends watching his favorite Hoosier race on the dirt tracks against his father and in the NASCAR Cup Series. He went on to start his own racing career in dirt racing, following in the footsteps of his father and his hero, and is now in his third season driving the No. 14 Ford Mustang that was piloted to 16 wins and a Cup Series championship by Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart.

Ryan Preece: 

Through the first third of the season, Preece has shown improvement and consistency each weekend and has appeared to be coming into his own. He had a career weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April, earning his first Cup Series pole and leading a career-high 135 laps. Since then, although the results don’t show it, Preece has shown strength at various racetracks on the circuit.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:

WHAT OUR DRIVERS ARE SAYING:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 SUNNYD Ford Mustang:

Running that line up against the wall is not the line you typically run. The “Kevin Harvick Line” is along the bottom. Which line is most advantageous, and when?

“With this particular car, you’ve just got to be careful with how much you abuse the tires because it drives off the right-rear tire so much that you have to think about that a little bit differently. It didn’t seem like that was 100 percent the preferred way to do it through (turns) three and four the last time. You’ve just got to be as easy as possible on the right-rear tire.”

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:

Does this paint scheme mean even more now with your shared love of baseball with your son Alex? 

“Absolutely. Having that bond with Alex over a shared passion for baseball certainly does mean more. Alex loves baseball. We’ve dabbled in all these sports, and he’s done a little bit of go-kart racing, as well, but his passion for baseball is superior to everything else, and I love it as well. To see Alex light up going to watch a baseball game, or the fact that a 10-year-old boy can sit on the couch and watch a whole nine-inning baseball game that most adults can’t do, and to share that interest with him is really special. Then you know, for me, to have this opportunity to run a baseball-themed racecar and to have that common bond with him certainly means more.” 

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang:

What kind of emotion do you go through when you win on one of the most historic tracks on the NASCAR circuit?

“To win at a place like Darlington is a bit of rollercoaster, at least for me it was. It was already a big win for me, personally, with everything Marissa and I were going through. I don’t know that it really sunk in that it was Darlington and how big of a deal that was, or even the battle with Kyle (Busch). But looking back now, I think about how tough of a track Darlington really is and how cool it is to have a win at a place that is so iconic. I hope I get the opportunity to add a Darlington Cup win to my accomplishments, but I think any time you can say that you’ve raced and won at a place with so much history, it’s special.”

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang:

What does this opportunity to honor your dad over NASCAR Throwback Weekend with this paint scheme mean to you?

“He sacrificed so much for me growing up – I know he has. He didn’t have the opportunities, but he gave me every opportunity to succeed as a racer. So, I feel like this is an opportunity to really say thank you and have his car on the racetrack. This experience right here is probably the coolest one that we’ve had yet. My dad comes to a lot of the races, he tries to be at all of them. It’s special that he’s at the track every weekend now, and it’s even more special that this weekend he gets the recognition he deserves.”

 

In The Know – Talladega

NASCAR CUP SERIES OVERVIEW:

●  Event:  GEICO 500 (Round 10 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 23

●  Location:  Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway

●  Layout:  2.66-mile oval

●  Laps/Miles:  188 laps/500 miles

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 68 laps

●  TV/Radio:  FOX / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

SHR FAST FACTS:

Kevin Harvick: 

Harvick has made 44 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega, collecting eight top-fives and 19 top-10s. Denny Hamlin leads the series with 10 top-fives at Talladega while Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are tied for the second-most top-fives with nine apiece. In the top-10 category, only Busch is ahead of Harvick with 22 top-10s.

Aric Almirola:

In 433 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 92 top-10s, three poles, and has led 1,007 laps.

Chase Briscoe:

Now the No. 14 team heads to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, the largest oval on the NASCAR circuit, with a special Mahindra Tractors scheme carrying the theme “You Old Goat,” en hommage to team co-owner Tony Stewart. Over the last two years, the three-time Cup Series champion has shared the spotlight with his driver in Mahindra’s national TV spots, and Briscoe typically has been on the receiving end of Stewart’s jokes. While Briscoe has been known to get in his jabs at the boss, he decided to take it a step further with a scheme designed to show “Smoke” who is really in charge.

 

Ryan Preece:

Preece hopes to ride the momentum from his Martinsville to the high banks of Talladega this weekend, where he has one top-five finish and two top-10s in six career Cup Series career starts with a best finish of third coming in his debut in 2019. In his lone NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Talladega, he started 26th and finished 15th for JD Motorsports in 2016. Last season, Preece made his first NASCAR Truck Series start at Talladega in the No. 17 David Gilliland Racing entry. He started 10th and finished fourth.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:

 

WHAT OUR DRIVERS ARE SAYING:

Kevin Harvick Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang:

Talladega marks your 800th career NASCAR Cup Series start, which puts you 10th all-time. When you first came into racing, did 100 starts even seem like a reality, never mind 800?

“Well, I didn’t even know if I’d get to one (laughs). When you think about 800 races and you try to put it into perspective, you really start adding the years up. It’s a really wide body of work, and I think that’s what I’m the most proud of. Through those 800 starts, it’s not like we started the year cashing checks and just riding around. We’ve been competitive, racing at the front of the pack, leading laps and having the chance to win races. For me, that’s the thing that I’m most proud of, and I think from your colleagues and people from other race teams, they see that body of work and being competitive across that long period of time. You hear it all the time, ‘I can’t believe they’ve been that competitive for that long.’ And to me, that’s the part I’m most proud of, being able to do this at a high level for such a long time. But wrapping your arms around 800 of them is, for me, quite an honor, just because of the fact that you’ve been able to adapt and adjust to so many things and stick around so long. But being competitive is still the thing that I enjoy the most. Getting to that number is great, but getting there and being competitive is better.”

Aric Almirola Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:

Do you enjoy speedway racing?

“I really enjoy speedway racing. I think, of all of the racing we do, there is a level of confidence that you have to have going into it. For me, I always go into those races with a lot of confidence because I’ve won there before. When you have success at places and you feel like you’re good at it, that confidence bleeds over to your success on the track. I feel like every time we go to Talladega or Daytona we have a really good shot at winning, and I know that at some point in the race we’re going to find ourselves up front and, at that point, you just have to execute.”

Chase Briscoe Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang:

Where did the idea for this paint scheme come from?

“We all know Tony has done some great things on track, and he was given a lot of opportunities to pick on me a little in all the Mahindra commercials we’ve done, so I really wanted the chance to get back at him a little. He’s a prankster and his brain is always working, always finding a way to make a joke about something, and I felt like this was the perfect way to give him a taste of his own medicine. And it’ll be nice that he gets to watch me drive around Talladega in his car with his face on the side of it.”

Ryan Preece Driver of the No. 41 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang:

What’s it like being a driver at a track like Talladega?

“Your adrenaline is high, your emotions are high and you’re going 200 mph. Meanwhile you’re two, three-wide getting pushed in the pack from behind, there’s just a lot going on. It’s hard to explain to people how many thoughts and things you’re trying to keep track of as a driver when you’re racing at Talladega. Talladega and superspeedway racing have typically been pretty good for me. So, going into this weekend, we need to be aggressive because stage points with the current points system means so much but at the same time, we just have to have a good day.”

In The Know – Martinsville

NASCAR Cup Series Overview

●  Event:  NOCO 400 (Round 9 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 16

●  Location:  Martinsville (Va.) Speedway

●  Layout:  .526-mile oval

●  Laps/Miles:  400 laps/210.4 miles

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 100 laps / Final Stage: 220 laps

●  TV/Radio:  FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

SHR FAST FACTS:

Kevin Harvick:

In his 23-year career as a NASCAR Cup Series driver, Harvick has proven to be incredibly consistent at Martinsville. The driver of the No. 4 Realtree/Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has made 43 Cup Series starts at the .526-mile oval and recorded 20 top-10s, the third-highest tally among active Cup Series drivers. Only Denny Hamlin (23 top-10s) and Kyle Busch (21 top-10s) have more.

Aric Almirola:

In 28 starts, Aric Almirola has earned seven top-10 finishes, one top-five and has led 75 laps on the .526-mile, paperclip-shaped Martinsville (Va.) Speedway oval. He qualified second at Martinsville at last year’s April race.

Chase Briscoe:

Briscoe’s best finishes this season have come on tracks 1 mile or less in length. He finished seventh on the mile oval at Phoenix Raceway on March 12 and 12th two weeks ago on the .75-mile oval at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. Though his most recent finish was on the Bristol half-mile oval, its concrete surface was covered for the lone dirt race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

Ryan Preece:

Preece has tasted success at Martinsville in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and hopes that translates to his No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang this weekend. In his six Modified Tour starts at Martinsville, the 2013 series champion has one win in 2008 to go with two top-fives and 423 laps led, with an average start of 7.8 and an average finish of 13.5. He started on the pole and led a race-high 110 of 200 laps en route to a 12th-place finish in the April 2021 race.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:

 

WHAT OUR DRIVERS ARE SAYING:

Kevin Harvick Driver of the No. 4 Realtree/Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang:

Even with a new rules package and the subsequent uncertainty of how the racing will be when you return to Martinsville this weekend, the track has always made drivers feel a bit apprehensive because of its tight confines and close racing. How do you handle racing at Martinsville?

“It’s just a challenging racetrack. Martinsville can eat you up pretty quickly with somebody else’s mistake, or you can get behind pretty quickly. You just have to be able to be aggressive without getting your stuff torn up. If something’s not right, it’ll put you behind in a hurry.”

Aric Almirola Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:

How do you expect the aero package to affect the racing at Martinsville?

“I don’t know. Martinsville will be hard because the speeds are down. When speeds go down, the downforce is less of a factor, anyway. The 150 mile-per-hour entry speeds at Phoenix versus Martinsville at 120 miles per hour is a big difference in the way the cars drive in traffic. I don’t know that Martinsville will be a huge difference from the old package, but we’ll see.” 

Chase Briscoe Driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.Com Ford Mustang:

The trend of doing well on the short tracks for you and the team has continued this year. Do you feel good about what you’ve learned heading into Martinsville?

“I’m really excited about Martinsville. We definitely have a better grasp of what we need on short tracks than we had before the NextGen and we’ve done really well the last two years. We gambled a little in the fall Martinsville race trying to get into the championship race, but we had a really good car and that’s what allowed us to come out with the finish that we did.”

Ryan Preece Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.Com Ford Mustang:

We’re heading back to another short track, what is the strategy going to be for you and your team?

“We’re putting a huge emphasis on qualifying this weekend. We are going to be focused on practice and seeing where our car stacks up. Hopefully, we’re fast right out the gate and, from there, we’ve got to be strong in qualifying so we can start up front. At a track like Martinsville, we’ve seen it at the other similar tracks this season, you don’t want to start in the back. It’s so hard to pass and move up front when you start in the back at Martinsville. So, we just want to qualify up front and stay there for the race. It’s a long race, so maintaining that track position and staying out of trouble will be really important. I like Martinsville and I have experience there; it goes back to my short-track background and I’m excited to get out there and be in the mix fighting for a grandfather clock.”

In The Know – Richmond

NASCAR Cup Series Overview:

●  Event:  Richmond 400 (Round 7 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 2

●  Location:  Richmond (Va.) Raceway

●  Layout:  .75-mile oval

●  Laps/Miles:  400 laps/300 miles

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 70 laps / Stage 2: 160 laps / Final Stage: 170 laps

●  TV/Radio:  FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

 

SHR Fast FACTS:

Kevin Harvick:

Harvick’s win last August at Richmond gave him 29 top-10s at the .75-mile oval, the most among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers. Next best is Kyle Busch with 27 top-10s. Who is the all-time leader in top-10s at Richmond? None other than “The King,” seven-time Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty. He earned 41 top-10s at Richmond in 63 career starts.

Aric Almirola:

In 21 starts, Aric Almirola has earned eight top-10 finishes and two top-fives on the .75-mile Richmond (Va.) Raceway oval. In his last six qualifying attempts there, he has started outside the top-10 just twice with a best start of sixth in the September 2018 race. Almirola’s best finish of fifth came in September 2018, his first year driving for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). He finished eighth in his most recent Richmond start last August.

Chase Briscoe:

Since his 2022 win at Phoenix, Briscoe has finished no worse than 15th in nine of 11 points-paying starts on tracks 1 mile or shorter. The exceptions are his 22nd-place result in last year’s race on the dirt at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, when he led 59 laps but spun on the final lap while attempting a pass for the win, and the 23rd-place finish at Richmond last August. In 2021, Briscoe’s best finish on the shorter tracks on the NASCAR schedule was a 13th-place result earned in the fall at Bristol.

Ryan Preece:

Ryan Preece heads to Richmond Raceway this weekend for the sixth time of his NASCAR Cup Series career. He has a best finish of 20th (twice, 2019 and 2020) and a best start of 16th. Preece has also made four career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Richmond. Last season, he ran for BJ McLeod Motorsports in the No. 5 Ford, started sixth and finished 16th, his best Xfinity finish at the track. He also made one ARCA Menards Series East start in 2015 in the No. 41 for Doug Fuller. Preece started last of 35 cars and raced his way to a 14th-place finish

 

 

Our weekly wraps:

 

What Our Drivers are saying:

Kevin Harvick Driver of the No. 4 Gearwrench Ford Mustang:

When you won at Richmond last August, it was your second straight victory after winning the weekend before at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. How satisfying were those back-to-back wins?

“I think the most gratifying part of it all was the fact that we all worked through it together. Last year, this car was so drastically different from what we had before, and it forced you to look at things a lot differently than what you did before. For myself and Rodney (Childers, crew chief), we’ve been around this for a long time, and having to forget all of the stuff that you’ve done – you’re going to the same racetracks, but it’s a different thought process. It’s a different process of how you get to that answer than what it used to be. You had to be open-minded.”

Aric Almirola Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:

What are your thoughts on heading to Richmond this weekend? 

“Finally we’re going to a place that I love to go to. These next six weeks are some of my favorite racetracks on the entire circuit. I’ve run really well over the years at Richmond. It’s a really special place for me to run. It’s the first Busch (NASCAR Xfinity Series) race I ran with Joe Gibbs Racing a long time ago. It’s only about 45 minutes away from Smithfield’s headquarters, so it’s a backyard race for them, and so we take a lot of pride in flying the Smithfield colors and running up front at Richmond. Hopefully, we can have a great weekend and start to turn our season around and get everything back on track.” 

Chase Briscoe Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang:

It’s been a slow start to the season. Is there anything that you can pinpoint as the major thing you and the team need to figure out?

“It’s hard to say. We’ve had races where we’ve just been off, some where we’ve got a car that is good, but we get too far behind to start and can’t make up ground. Then, we’ve just had some races where we get caught up in someone else’s problem. It’s frustrating, but it’s nothing we haven’t dealt with before. There are always ups and downs in this sport and, in the end, it comes down to who is able to keep pushing forward to find a way to be better. I know we’ve got the team that can do that, so we’ll keep working hard and hopefully it turns around for us soon.”

Ryan Preece Driver of the No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang:

With your short track background, are you looking forward to this weekend’s race?

“I am really looking forward to Richmond this weekend, we’ve got this one circled for sure. I feel like after Phoenix, Richmond has turned into something that I’m really looking forward to. Phoenix was a good race for our team and we got our best finish of the season. We learned a lot that weekend after practice and qualifying. We didn’t show what we had in practice and qualifying but when it came time for the race, we really showed what we had. We were fast and our car was strong. My team and I were able to take notes from that race and I think we’ll be able to capitalize on what we learned there and the success we had and really put it all together at Richmond.”

SHR Most Likely to

Which driver is most likely to embarrass themselves publicly? Who is most likely to become a meme? Our NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, Riley Herbst, and Cole Custer answer these questions and more in Episode 1 of Stewart-Haas Racing’s “Most Likely To”. Our bosses, Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, don’t go unscathed either

Formula One Vs NASCAR with Jenson Button

Before he takes the track for his first career NASCAR Cup Series start, Jenson Button discusses the differences between driving a Formula One car and a NASCAR Cup Series car. From feeling to mechanics, the duo discusses all of the intricacies of the two top-level race cars.

In the Know – Phoenix

NASCAR Cup Series Overview:

●  Event:  United Rentals Work United 500k (Round 4 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 12

●  Location:  Phoenix Raceway

●  Layout:  1-mile oval

●  Laps/Miles:  312 laps/312 miles (502 kilometers)

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 125 laps / Final Stage: 127 laps

●  TV/Radio:  FOX / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

SHR FAST FACTS:

Kevin Harvick:

Who owns Phoenix Raceway? NASCAR or Kevin Harvick? NASCAR owns the facility, at least on paper, but Harvick owns the track. The driver of the No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has won a record nine Cup Series races at the desert mile. No other active Cup Series driver has won more than three races at Phoenix. Former fulltime Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson is the closest to Harvick with four wins at the track.

Aric Almirola:

Phoenix is the track where Aric Almirola has arguably been most consistent in recent years. In his last 11 starts there, he has earned six top-10 finishes – two of those being top-fours. He’s also led 33 laps at the mile oval. Almirola qualified fifth and finished 12th in last year’s March race there.

Chase Briscoe:

A year ago this weekend, on March 13, 2022, Briscoe captured his first career Cup Series win. He started sixth on the desert mile oval, led three times for 101 laps, and drove away from Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain and nine-time Phoenix winner and SHR teammate Kevin Harvick during a green-white-checkered shootout to score the first win for the No. 14 team since Clint Bowyer’s 2018 win at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. When he returned for last November’s season finale, the 28-year-old from Mitchell, Indiana, started third and finished fourth after leading 11 laps.

Ryan Preece:

Ryan Preece heads to Phoenix Raceway Sunday for the eighth time in his NASCAR Cup Series career. He made his first start at the track in 2015 and has a best finish of 18th in the March 2020 race. Preece has made three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix and tallied a best finish of fifth in 2018 for Joe Gibbs Racing.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:

Check out this week’s paint schemes for the battle in the desert

 

What Our Drivers are saying:

Kevin Harvick Driver of the No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang

With all of your success at Phoenix, is it safe to say it’s your favorite racetrack?

“Results-wise, I would say yes. Phoenix has always been a good racetrack for me. Growing up on the West Coast, that was really the facility that you wanted to win at the most because we always had our biggest Southwest Tour races there. And in the Winston West Series, they actually had provisionals that would get you into the Cup Series race at that particular time, so you had a lot of Winston West guys who would go over and try to participate in the Cup race. I’ve been able to race in front of fans that I started racing in front of in 1994. I’ve been there through reconfigurations and grandstands moved around and start-finish lines moved, but Phoenix has always been a successful spot for us. And I’m fortunate for that because as a kid I dreamed of going there and winning Late Model races, and then you’re coming back and winning Cup races. So it’s fun to be able to live out a lot of those childhood dreams, and I also remember that while I’ve been successful at Phoenix, it really didn’t start that way. I crashed a lot of cars and Trucks there leading up to finally being successful at that particular racetrack. I think I wrecked in ’94 and ’95, in ’96 we didn’t race, ’97 we did OK, ’98 was OK, and we always just kind of did OK with everything that we had.”

Aric Almirola Driver of the No. 10 Go Bowling Ford Mustang

Phoenix is such an important track to get right because it hosts the season finale and crowns a champion at the end of the year. How do you as a team enter this weekend?

“Well, we always want to bring fast racecars and get what we can out of a weekend, but Phoenix is a track where you’re really paying attention to how your car is responding and what you could bring back in the fall. For us, we’re trying to have another consistent weekend and stay out of trouble. We had a rough start in California, getting caught up in an accident with nowhere to go, and you can’t put yourself in a hole early. When we came here last March, we had a really good car. We had an issue on pit road that put us at the back of the field and we still came back to finish 12th. We definitely had a top-five car last March. This weekend in Phoenix is crucial to get the No. 10 team back on track.” 

Chase Briscoe Driver of the No.14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang

Do you think the changes made to the short track rules package will make for better racing at Phoenix this weekend?

“I think any time you can have less downforce, it’s going to bring the cars closer together and create a better race. The tires wear out and you start slipping and sliding around. It just makes it more competitive. There’s good and bad to that. It means as a team we have to be on it if we want to have a chance at a win but, if you can hit your setup right and keep track position, then it just adds that much more excitement. I don’t know that we can take much from last year because of the changes that have been made, so we’ll have to see what happens when we get on track for practice.”

Ryan Preece Driver of the No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang
What are you looking forward to most about racing at Phoenix this weekend?
“It’s not necessarily a short track but it’s your cross between an intermediate and short track. I feel like we’ve been consistently gaining on it and speed hasn’t necessarily been a problem. I’m looking forward to getting some practice in at Phoenix and seeing where we stack up. We’re all working as a team to continue unloading fast racecars. We just have to put it all together now. I think Phoenix matches my driving style a little more, so we’ll see.”

 

Mobil 1 Brings Motorsport Legend Jenson Button to NASCAR

Formula One World Champion Jenson Button announced earlier this week that he will be racing in three NASCAR Cup Series races this season. Hear from Button himself on why he decided to take on the challenge of stock car racing.

Kevin Harivck on Phoenix

With the most success of any driver at Phoenix Raceway, Kevin Harvick has earned the moniker of “cactus king”. The Closer dives in on what’s made him one of the favorites to win on every trip to Arizona.

In The Know – Fontana

NASCAR Cup Series Overview
● Event: Pala Casino 400
● Time/Date:  3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Feb 26
● Location:   Auto Club Speedway
● Layout:   2.0 mile oval
● Laps/Miles:   200 laps, 500 miles
● Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 65 laps / Stage 2: 65 laps / Final Stage: 70 laps
● TV/Radio:   FOX/MR

SHR FAST FACTS:

Kevin Harvick:

Harvick will make some history of his own Sunday at Auto Club Speedway. When he takes the green flag for the Pala Casino 400, Harvick will make his 750th consecutive NASCAR Cup Series start, becoming just the third driver in series history to reach the milestone, joining Jeff Gordon (797 consecutive starts) and Ricky Rudd (788 consecutive starts). The last time Harvick was not in a Cup Series race was April 2, 2002 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, a span of 7,623 days between race dates.

Aric Almirola:

In 14 cup series starts at Fontana, Aric Almirola has three top-10 finishes and seven laps led, all coming since he joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018. He finished sixth in his most recent start. Almirola will race for his fourth consecutive top-10 finish at Fontana this weekend.

Chase Briscoe:

Briscoe will strap into the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil Delvac Ford Mustang this weekend for his second Cup Series race at the 2-mile oval in Fontana. His two Fontana starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series resulted in a best finish of fifth in 2019. In 2020, Briscoe started third and led five times for 16 laps before a spin on lap 126 relegated the team to a 19th-place finish.

Ryan Preece:

Sunday’s Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, will be Preece’s third Cup Series start at the 2-mile oval. His first came in 2019, when he started 26th and finished 23rd. He second was in 2020, when he started 20th and finished 30th. He has three NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances at Fontana with a best finish of eighth in 2019.

Our Weekly Wraps:

 

What Our Drivers are saying:

Kevin Harvick  Driver of the No. 4 Gearwrench Ford Mustang:

When you race at Fontana, is there a heightened desire to win because it is your home track?

“It’s in my home state, and every year you go there, you want to win the race because you’ve got a lot of family and a lot of friends there, along with a lot of race fans who have come there to watch you race. On the Cup side, I’ve only gotten to do that one time. It was against another California native in Jimmie Johnson, and it was a really cool finish. I got to push him all the way down the back straightaway and then pass him coming to the checkered flag. Cup has not been as successful as I’d like it to be in the win column.”

Aric Almirola Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:

You ran well at Fontana last year in the Next Gen car’s debut. How much more helpful will those notes be heading back there this weekend?

“I personally do best when I’m prepared. I thrive when I can study and outwork the guys I’m competing against. I can’t just wing it when it comes to performing. Last year, we relied heavily on guessing and hoping the setup was right. This year I get the opportunity to take notes not only from myself but from Ford and Stewart-Haas Racing as a whole. We saw at the Clash that we could turn a bad car in first practice into a heat-winning car that started us on the pole because we have notes and learned from last year. At Daytona, we qualified fourth and won our Duel race and had a fast car, so yeah, notes are really important, and knowing we came from the rear of the field last year to sixth (at Fontana) gives us a big boost of confidence.”

Chase Briscoe Driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Center/Mobil Delvac Ford Mustang:

The plan is for Fontana to be reconfigured into a half-mile track following this weekend’s race. How do you feel about it possibly being the last race on the 2-mile layout?

“I think it’s going to be bittersweet for all the drivers because it’s just so fun from a driver’s standpoint. It’s so slick and worn out. It’s rough and you just bounce around. You can run wherever on the racetrack, especially with the Next Gen car. I thought that it was just a really good racetrack for these cars so I’m bummed we didn’t get more time to race it as is. It’s one of my favorite tracks to go to just because I feel like that’s one of the tracks where a driver can make quite a bit of a difference, so I’ll be sad to see it go. But, if it becomes a short track, that may not be so bad. We don’t have a short track out West, so that would give us some variety during the West Coast swing.”

Ryan Preece Driver of the No. 41 Haas Tooling Ford Mustang:

You’re heading to a track with a completely different configuration than what you experienced in the first two races of the season. What are your expectations for this weekend’s race at Fontana?

“Yeah, we’ve gone to two completely different racetracks so far and we’ve had speed at both of them, so I know this weekend is completely different and more of a baseline track that most teams are looking at to see the speed. I feel confident going into it that we’re going to unload fast. Hopefully, we consistently have speed all weekend and start continuing to lay the foundation that we have with our team.”

HARVICK FONTANA HELMET

Hear from the closer on his special edition Spears tribute helmet that he will  wear this weekend at Fontana.

 

COLE CUSTER RACING ROOTS

Returning to his home track of Auto Club Speedway, Cole Custer takes a look back on his racing roots and how he got to the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

In The Know – Daytona

NASCAR Cup Series Overview
● Event:  Daytona 500 (Round 1 of 36)
● Time/Date:  2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Feb 19
● Location:   Daytona International Speedway
● Layout:   2.5 mile oval
● Laps/Miles:   200 laps, 500 miles
● Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 65 laps / Stage 2: 65 laps / Final Stage: 70 laps
● TV/Radio:   FOX/MRN

SHR FAST FACTS:

Kevin Harvick:
 The 2023 season marks Harvick’s 23rd year in the NASCAR Cup Series. Of his 790 career, points-paying starts, 43 of them have come on Daytona’s 2.5-mile oval. In addition to his 2007 Daytona 500 victory, Harvick won the 2010 Coke Zero 400. He has 11 top-fives and 16 top-10s on the Daytona oval. The 65th Daytona 500 will be his 44th points-paying start on the Daytona oval

Aric Almirola:
 Almirola scored his first career Cup Series win in the rain-shortened July 2014 race at Daytona, when he led 14 laps. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he started on the pole in his first outing in July 2007, and he captured a win there while piloting the No. 98 Biagi-Den Beste Ford Mustang in July 2016. In 2021, he won his Duel qualifying race for the first time in his career. Almirola also has three Daytona starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with a best finish of 12th. This year’s Daytona 500 marks Almirola’s 23rd points-paying Cup Series start at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

Chase Briscoe:
 Sunday’s 65th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway marks Chase Briscoe’s third start in the prestigious NASCAR Cup Series event. In last year’s race, Briscoe drove his No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) to a third-place finish, his best at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. His Daytona 500 debut in 2021 resulted in a 19th-place finish.

Ryan Preece:
 Perseverance has paid off for Preece. The 32-year-old racer from Berlin, Connecticut, was promoted by SHR to his role as fulltime driver of the No. 41 Mustang in the Cup Series after serving as a reserve driver with the organization in 2022. He spent last season performing simulator work while running a mix of races across each of NASCAR’s top three national touring series – two in the Cup Series, three in the Xfinity Series, and 10 in the Truck Series. His season was punctuated by a Truck Series win from the pole on June 24 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, his second straight win at the 1.333-mile oval east of Music City.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:

Check out the schemes we’re bringing to the Great American Race

What Our Drivers are saying:

Kevin Harvick Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang:

What does it take to win the Daytona 500?

“The superspeedways, in general, are difficult to have everything line up to get a win out of the weekend. For the Daytona 500, it’s our biggest race of the year, but it’s also the one race a year that you have months to prepare for. Every team in the garage has their most prepared car that shows up at the Daytona 500. On top of that, you have the most aggression and enthusiasm to try to take risks and do things that you normally wouldn’t do to win races because the Daytona 500 only comes once a year, and it can make a year and it can also make a career out of winning that race. I think as you look at the Daytona 500, it’s just different than any other race and it becomes difficult to win because of all the risk-taking that you don’t see on a weekly basis.”

Aric Almirola Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:

Why is the Daytona 500 such an iconic and much-anticipated race for you?

“First off, Daytona is always exciting for me. It’s my home racetrack, having grown up just two hours away in Tampa. I have a lot of childhood memories from going there with my family. To top it off, I’ve won there both in Xfinity and Cup cars. I just have a tremendous amount of fond memories of spectating at Daytona, even all the way back to my beginning days. I would go back and go-kart in Daytona. It’s always exciting because it brings back all those great memories. Not to mention, it’s the world center of racing. It’s the greatest place on earth to go race at. It’s the biggest race of the year, the one everyone wants to win. Your name is forever etched in history. There’s just no other race like it. It’s such a special race because of the prestige and the paycheck at the end. It’s the highest-paying race. Anybody who is alive and breathing knows of the Daytona 500. Even if you’re not a huge race fan or even a NASCAR fan, you know of the Daytona 500. There’s just so much history around this race that being a Daytona 500 champion is a really big deal.”

Chase Briscoe Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang:

You’ve had two very different Daytona 500 experiences. Does this race set the tone for how you approach the season?

“Not necessarily. The Daytona 500 is such a unique race. You never know how the race will play out. No one is really thinking about points, you’re so focused on being in the right position at the right time, so the intensity of the race is a little more than what we see at some other places. Everybody is just trying to get to the end and you see a lot of different strategies. You definitely want to start the season off on a strong note, but at the same time it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have a great run at Daytona. I’ve been on both sides of it. One where we didn’t finish great and then last year finishing up front. It’s definitely a lot nicer when you can have that good points finish to start the year off and kind of build that momentum early. So we’ll see what we can do.”

Ryan Preece Driver of the No. 41 Haas Tooling Ford Mustang:


Some might consider this a comeback year for you now that you’re back to fulltime racing in the Cup Series. What does this moment feel like after all the hard work you’ve put in
“I mean, it’s a dream come true and it’s honestly the perfect matchup. Getting this opportunity at Stewart-Haas Racing is exactly the opportunity I need to succeed. I know what I can do in a racecar and there’s nobody who’s harder on me than I am on myself. I’m going to make the best of every opportunity I get and that’s what I’ve always done. I feel like being in the position I am now with this organization and this team – it can’t get any better. I’m ready to go out there and win races. That is always my goal, every single weekend. Having Chad Johnston as my crew chief this season, too, is just another motivator. We’ve worked together before and we’re very similar. I think we work really well together. We have the same goals for this 41 team. It is a great feeling to be back fulltime in Cup. Sometimes I don’t think I let myself enjoy those moments. They are special and I’m very thankful. I’m just ready to get out there and race.”

2023 Season Expectations

Hear from all six Stewart Haas Racing drivers as they prepare for the 2023 season

Harvick on Daytona

On Sunday Kevin Harvick will make his 44th career start on the high-banked oval of Daytona International Speedway. Hear from the closer himself on what the track has meant to him and his favorite memories of the famed super speedway.