Category: Pre-Race Reports

Seconds after Clint Bowyer climbed from his No. 14 Ford Mustang June 2 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, he had a few words to summarize his fifth-place finish in the 400-mile Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

“That was all about track position,” said Bowyer, who has the same view more than a month later as the Cup Series returns to Pocono for Sunday’s 400-mile race.

“We weren’t happy with the finish in June because we were better than fifth – we had a really good Mustang that day,” Bowyer said. “It was really hard to pass, so it kind of came down to track position throughout. We lost a lot of stage points because of track position. I think you will see track position be just as important at Pocono again this weekend.”

Bonus points and track position will likely be key words repeated a lot this weekend at Pocono as the urgency builds in the Cup Series garage with the end of the 26-race regular season fast approaching.

With just five races remaining, Bowyer and a host of other drivers are on the cusp of securing or losing a berth in the 16-driver playoffs.

Bowyer arrives at Pocono 16th in the standings, but just 17 points ahead of 17th-place Jimmie Johnson and 72 points behind 10th-place Alex Bowman. He knows there is time to fall outside of playoff-clinching position, but also time to gain positions.

It all continues Sunday at Pocono, a track that has been kind to Bowyer over his career. He owns two top-five finishes and 10 top-10s in 26 career starts at the Pennsylvania 2.5-mile triangle. His Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) team has also done well there. SHR has two victories at Pocono – Tony Stewart in June 2009 and Kurt Busch in June 2016 – and has 22 top-fives and 32 top-10s in 62 starts.

“We need to put together a good run in each of the next five races,” said Bowyer, who arrives at Pocono after a 20th-place finish last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. He started 16th and finished fourth in Stage 1 and appeared destined for a top-10 finish but contact with another car late in Stage 2 damaged his car ruining his chances for a good finish.

“We have been fast this year but something has seemed to happen and we shoot ourselves in the foot or get some type of bad luck,” Bowyer said.

“We aren’t giving up and we know we can run up front. With no mistakes, we are a top team. This is getting to the money time in our season. That’s when the pay window’s open, the money’s on the line, it’s go time. Let’s see what we’re made of. Let’s line these things up and get after it.”

At Pocono this weekend, Bowyer will carry the colors of Toco Warranty, whose Toco All-Star Sweepstakes offers fans a chance to get to Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. One lucky winner and guest will attend the season finales of the World of Outlaws World Nov. 8 to 9 at The Dirt Track near Charlotte, North Carolina, as guests of Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) before jetting off to South Florida to see the NASCAR season finale Nov. 16 and 17 with Bowyer and SHR.

To register, fans simply need to go to www.TocoWarranty.com. A winner will be drawn by 5 p.m. EDT on Sept. 16.

Toco Warranty partnered with SHR and TSR earlier this year. The provider of pay-as-you-go vehicle repair coverage is a primary partner of Bowyer and the No. 14 team of SHR and the co-primary partner of Donny Schatz and TSR’s No. 15 Winged Sprint car. Toco Warranty is also an associate sponsor of Tony Stewart, who is competing in more than 90 Winged Sprint car races this year.

Consumers demand affordable monthly payments and Toco Warranty offers an easy online experience via its website, www.TocoWarranty.com.  It is where customers can purchase and review their vehicle service contract, manage online payments and access dedicated customer concierge services.

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Toco Warranty/Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What are your thoughts on Pocono Raceway?

“Pocono is a really tough track with three different turns. I want to make sure we qualify well so we can get a good starting position and pit stall. As we saw in June, passing is pretty tough there, so track position is everything. We had a good car there last time and I expect we will again. Where we are in points (16th), we need to score as many bonus points as we can.”

What would it mean to win at Pocono with Mike Bugarewicz as your crew chief?

“I know that’s a dream of Buga’s to win at Pocono with his friends and family in the stands so, yes, it would be cool to win for him. But winning anywhere right now would be a celebration. I don’t care if it’s at Pocono, Watkins Glen or Michigan. So, to answer your question, yes, a win for Buga on Sunday at Pocono would make him, me, the 14 crew, everyone at SHR, Toco Warranty, Ford and everyone in the grandstands happy. Let’s do it.”

MIKE BUGAREWICZ, Crew Chief of the No. 14 Toco Warranty/Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What does Pocono mean to you?

“There’s a simple, one-word description I have of Pocono, and it’s ‘home.’ I grew up about 20 minutes from the racetrack. I’ve raced up in the Northeast and attended many of the races at Pocono. I used to go to qualifying all the time there. Pocono means a lot to me. It would really mean a lot to me to have a win there at some point in my career. I haven’t been successful with that, yet, but I hope to change that shortly.”

Kevin Harvick has won three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, including the 2018 race. His other victories came in September 2006 and 2016.

Those three victories put him in a tie for second in all-time wins at the 1.058-mile oval.

If Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer / National Forest Foundation Ford Mustang for Stewart Haas Racing (SHR), is able to score his fourth New Hampshire victory in Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301, he would move into a tie with Jeff Burton for most wins all-time at the track known as the “Magic Mile.”

Is it possible to make a lot of passes before the checkered flag? Because that would be ideal.

Busch Beer is not only continuing its efforts to get people outside, it’s giving fans even more of a reason to root for Harvick’s No. 4 Busch Ford Mustang. That’s because Busch is giving away one “America the Beautiful” pass – an all access pass to National Parks and Forests across the country for one year – for each green-flag pass Harvick makes Sunday at New Hampshire.

In addition to the “Every Pass Unlocks a Pass” giveaway, Busch, as part of its ongoing partnership with the National Forest Foundation, will donate funds to the foundation to plant the equivalent of 80 trees in a National Forest – the amount an America the Beautiful pass costs in dollars –for each of those passes Harvick’s National Forest Foundation-inspired car makes during the race.

For a chance to win an “America the Beautiful” pass from Busch, fans can Tweet using the hashtag #BuschPass4Pass and #sweepstakes.

In addition to his three wins, Harvick has 11 top-five finishes, 19 top-10s, one pole and has led a total of 718 laps in his 35 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at New Hampshire. His average start at New Hampshire is 12.9, his average finish is 13.1 and he has completed 10,181 of 10,389 laps of competition – 98 percent.

He’s been good there in other NASCAR series, too.

Harvick has 12 career starts in the Xfinity Series at New Hampshire and has scored one win, nine top-fives and 11 top-10s and three poles. He scored his victory in June 2007 after starting on the pole. And, in six Truck Series starts at New Hampshire, Harvick has finished in the top-15 each time and has three top-three finishes.

His goal this week, though is to score a win – hopefully with a lot of green-flag passes, as well.

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer / National Forest Foundation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

What are your thoughts on Busch Beer and the National Forest Foundation working together?

“I’m excited to give back to my fans and to the National Forest Foundation, and there’s not a better way I could think of doing it. They told me every pass I make in the race gives another fan a free pass for an awesome getaway. I’m hoping to give away 300 of them.”

What makes the fans in Loudon so intense and so loyal?

“I’ve had a little bit different of an experience and I’ll go outside of Loudon a little bit. I was fortunate to go up and experience the Oxford 250 in Oxford, Maine, and that’s really where you see those grassroots fans. I went up there in 2007 and, to this day, I still see a lot of those competitors and people who come by and say hello at Loudon. It’s just fun to be able to have met those people. We were fortunate – looking back on it now, it was fortunate – but we might not have thought it was fortunate at the time, but to sit around in the rain for two days and talk to the folks, see where they were from and find out what they’re about was a pretty cool experience. It’s a great region for us in terms of fans and competitors, and really a big racing community.”

What does it take to be successful at Loudon?

“I’d say the most important thing at Loudon is track position, just because it’s hard to pass. You want to be up front and on the right strategy no matter what you do. If the caution flag falls in the wrong spot and you lose track position, it usually becomes a longer day than it could have been.”

Daniel Suárez and the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) head north to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon for a Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at the Granite State facility.

At Kentucky Speedway in Sparta last weekend, the Mexico native earned the pole position. It was the second of his Cup Series career with his first coming at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway last July. A speed of 184.590 mph earned him the prime starting position for last Saturday night’s 400-mile race at Kentucky. The pole award notched Suárez’s eighth top-10 starting spot in 2019.

Suárez led 52 laps at Kentucky but was forced to overcome an unscheduled green-flag pit stop for a flat tire, and a speeding penalty that eventually sent him three laps down. A fast No. 41 Ford, along with calls made by crew chief Billy Scott, enabled Suárez to get back to on the lead lap and finish eighth.

In his junior Cup Series season, Suárez has accumulated two top-five finishes and seven top-10s, along with a total of 105 laps led. The Mustang driver has an average start of 15.8 and an average finish of 15.3 this season.

The Haas driver is currently 18th in the Cup Series standings, separated by 10 points from 14th-place teammate Clint Bowyer to round out the four-driver SHR contingent. The top 16 drivers after the 26 regular-season races will earn a spot in the Cup Series playoffs. If Suárez captures a playoff position, it will be the first of his Cup Series career. Last year, all four SHR entries secured at least one regular-season win and a playoff spot.

The 27-year-old Suárez is making his fourth Cup Series career start at New Hampshire, where he has two top-10 finishes, along with an average starting position of 16.0 and an average finishing position of 12.0.

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the “Magic Mile,” Suárez started third and finished fifth in 2015 and started fourth and finished fourth during his series championship season of 2016.

At Kentucky last weekend, Suárez wore special skeleton-printed gloves as part of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s “Driven to Give Gloves” initiative benefitting Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The race-worn gloves are now available for bid via nascarfoundation.org/dalejr.

SHR has four victories at New Hampshire – by team co-owner Tony Stewart and former SHR driver Ryan Newman in 2011, and Suárez’s current teammate Kevin Harvick in 2016 and 2018.

DANIEL SUÁREZ, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You seem to really gel with Billy and the guys on the crew. Why do you think that is?

“I think a lot of that credit goes to Billy. Billy built this team. All of these guys have been together for a while with Billy as the crew chief, and they were all together before I came here. I’m the new person to the group. We all like being around each other, even when we aren’t at the track. We like to hang out together and go and do different things outside of the racetrack.”

There seems to be a noticeable difference in your confidence this year. Why is that, or what’s different this year from previous years?

“I think it’s a combination of things. I feel really good about our communication and we are all very clear with each other. If I’m struggling, I know what my teammates have and they’re good about sharing information. As a whole at SHR, we are all very open with each other and I think that’s why you see us running near each other most of the time, but it makes me feel good knowing that all four of our cars and teams are on the same page.”

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang, returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 looking to better last year’s performance at the 1.058-mile oval in which he led a career-best 42 laps.

Last year’s race at Loudon was a thriller for Almirola. The Smithfield driver battled adversity from the beginning of the race when an issue with the right-front tire demoted him to 28th place in Stage 1 before he was able to battle his teammate Kevin Harvick for the lead in Stage 3. A caution period on lap 257 sent him to the pits for four tires and fuel. He restarted third and that’s where he finished the race.

“I was extremely disappointed,” Almirola said. “Even though we earned a top-five and our best finish of the year, we had the fastest car, hands down. I’m excited to go back to Loudon because the Smithfield No. 10 team and I have some unfinished business to take care of.”

The Smithfield Ford driver has two top-five finishes and three top-10s in 16 Cup Series starts at Loudon. In 19 Cup Series starts this year, Almirola has one pole, one top-five finish, 10 top-10s and has led 100 laps. In 299 career starts, Almirola has two wins, two poles, 16 top-five finishes, 59 top-10s and 457 laps led.

Almirola has qualified on the front row six times this season – one pole and five outside-front-row starts.

He has one NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Loudon, which he started and finished in the top-five. The Ford driver has also made five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts as the “Magic Mile” with two top-10 finishes.

Almirola is ranked 10th among Cup Series drivers in his last 10 starts at tracks less than 1.5 miles in length, with four top-10 finishes, three top-fives and 91 laps led.

This weekend’s event at Loudon marks the 18th points-paying event during which the Smithfield livery has adorned Almirola’s No. 10 Ford Mustang this year. Smithfield, a brand of Smithfield Foods, which is based approximately five hours northeast of SHR headquarters in Smithfield, Virginia, is in its eighth season with Almirola and its second with SHR. Founded in 1936, Smithfield is a leading provider of high-quality pork products, with a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts.

Also, fans can now get VIP, behind-the-scenes access in following “Aric ‘Beyond the 10’” by subscribing to his YouTube channel and following episodes on Facebook and Instagram TV. Episodes showcase never-before-seen footage of Almirola at the racetrack, on family trips, and “A Day in the Life” during the week, as well as all that goes into a NASCAR Cup Series driver’s season. Click here to subscribe on YouTube and watch the latest episode.

Almirola sits 10th in the championship standings heading to Loudon, 204 points out of first and six positions ahead of the cutoff for the playoffs.

While he looks for redemption this weekend, his drive to put the Smithfield Ford Mustang in victory lane will occur during his milestone 300th Cup Series start.

ARIC ALMIROLA, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What do you like about going to New Hampshire Motor Speedway?

“It kind of takes you back to Saturday-night, short-track racing. It’s a mile track but it races like a short track. You go there and see the Modified division there and it makes you feel like when you were a kid and racing Late Models. It’s a fun track to race at and I’ve had some success there and I’ve run well there in the past.”

This is the time of year every Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver’s thoughts and dreams turn to Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the season’s 36-race schedule culminates Nov. 17 in a four-driver, winner-take-all race for the series championship.

“Winning a championship is the reason we are in this sport,” said No. 14 Toco Warranty/Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) driver Clint Bowyer. “It’s why everyone puts in these long hours during a long season. Winning a championship is what we dreamed about ever since we started racing. It was a great feeling to win the Xfinity title in 2008 and I can’t imagine the feeling of satisfaction you would get by winning a Cup title.”

To make those dreams come true, Bowyer’s first step is qualifying for the 16-driver, 10-race NASCAR Cup Series playoffs that begin Sept. 15 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With just seven races remaining in the regular season, Bowyer is on the edge as the 14th-place driver in the playoff standings. There’s time to gain or lose valuable positions as he sits only 10 points ahead of the 17th-place driver but only 61 points behind the 10th-place driver.

Once he’s in the playoffs, Bowyer will need to advance through three, three-race rounds that whittle the field from 16 drivers to four. It’s a tall task, but the No. 14 team has shown speed in 2019, posting five top-five finishes. Only six drivers have more top-fives than Bowyer.

This weekend, the Cup Series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, where Bowyer has enjoyed a great deal of success on the “Magic Mile.” He won the New Hampshire fall races in 2007 and 2010 and has posted four top-five finishes and nine top-10s in 25 starts. One of his two career poles came at New Hampshire on Sept. 16, 2007.

He arrives at New Hampshire after finishing sixth at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta Saturday night. Bowyer started seventh and was forced to take the wave-around early in the race to return to the lead lap. But he rallied thanks to good driving and great race strategy, finishing fifth in Stage 2. He led the first 40 laps of the final stage before finishing sixth.

Bowyer knows success in Loudon this weekend is key to securing one of the playoff positions.

“We dug ourselves a hole in June and we are trying to climb out of it,” he said. “We aren’t a 16th-place team. I know we are better than that. I believe we’ll be in the playoffs, but we want to be on a roll when they start. We want that momentum going in. A win this weekend in Loudon makes this summer a lot more fun.”

At Loudon this weekend, Bowyer will carry the colors of Toco Warranty, whose Toco All-Star Sweepstakes offers fans a chance to get to Homestead. One lucky winner and guest will attend the season finales of the World of Outlaws World Finals Nov. 8 to 9 at The Dirt Track near Charlotte, North Carolina, as guests of Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) before jetting off to South Florida to see the NASCAR season finale Nov. 16 and 17 in Homestead with Bowyer and SHR.

To register, fans simply need to go to www.TocoWarranty.com. A winner will be drawn by 5 p.m. EDT on Sept. 16.

Toco Warranty partnered with SHR and TSR earlier this year. The provider of pay-as-you-go vehicle repair coverage is a primary partner of Bowyer and the No. 14 team of SHR and the co-primary partner of Donny Schatz and TSR’s No. 15 Winged Sprint car. Toco Warranty is also an associate sponsor of Tony Stewart, who is competing in more than 90 Winged Sprint car races this year.

“We’re all sweating getting to Homestead, but Toco Warranty is making it super easy for a fan to join us,” Bowyer said. “Homestead is a great race and you’ll watch the championship battle. Plus, it’s hard to beat South Florida in November.”

Consumers demand affordable monthly payments and Toco Warranty offers an easy online experience via its website, www.TocoWarranty.com. It is where customers can purchase and review their vehicle service contract, manage online payments and access dedicated customer concierge services.

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Toco Warranty/Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What are your thoughts about New Hampshire Motor Speedway?

“I love New Hampshire. That place just fits my driving style. We don’t get up to that part of the country a lot, so it’s good to see the race fans there. They have so many tracks and they love their racing, from Modified to Late Models to our stuff. The support races they put on at New Hampshire are some of the best of the year. Man, do they like to party there.”

What is the most important thing to get right at New Hampshire?

“It’s the middle of the corner. If you want to win, you have to roll the middle of the corner and that’s so tricky. About the time you get that thing rolling really well, you are too loose in or too loose off. There’s no perfect balance there and you have to be able to find a happy medium. You have to roll the middle without getting out of the gas on exit.”

Race Name: ROXOR 200 (Race 18 of 33)
Venue: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire
Television: 4:00 p.m. EDT on NBCSN
Point Standings: 
– Cole Custer: 3rd; trails points leader by 75 points
– Chase Briscoe: 8th; trails points leader by 233 points

• This will mark Briscoe’s first Xfinity Series start at NHMS. He has one previous start in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series where he finished 11th.
• Spotter Tim Fedewa has 12 starts at NHMS in the Xfinity Series with one win, two top-fives, three top-10’s and has 118 laps led.
• This will mark Richard Boswell’s first start atop the pit box at NHMS.
• Click here for Briscoe’s career stats.
• Click here for Briscoe’s stats at New Hampshire.
• Click here for photos of Chase.

Ford’s racing program is part of the Ford Performance organization based in Dearborn, Mich. It is responsible for major racing operations globally, including NASCAR, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, FIA World Endurance Championship, FIA World Rally Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars, Formula Drift, and NHRA Funny Car and sportsman drag racing. In addition, the organization also oversees the development of Ford’s racing engines, as well as the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts. For more information regarding Ford racing’s activities, please visit www.fordperformance.com, Ford Performance on Facebook, Ford Performance on Instagram and @FordPerformance on Twitter.

Spotter Tim Fedewa has raced at NHMS numerous times in the Xfinity Series. Will you be leaning on him at all during the weekend to help you get dialed in?

“Timmy is super helpful each and every week as my set of eyes up in the sky and this week will be no different. He does a really good job at guiding me where I need to be on the racetrack and telling me where I am losing or gaining time. I am looking forward to my first Xfinity Series race at New Hampshire and hopefully we can take our top-five from Kentucky and build on it.”

Race Name: ROXOR 200 (Race 18 of 33)
Venue: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire
Television: 4:00 p.m. EDT on NBCSN
Point Standings: 
– Cole Custer: 3rd; trails points leader by 75 points
– Chase Briscoe: 8th; trails points leader by 233 points

• This is Custer’s third Xfinity Series start at NHMS where he has finished ninth in consecutive years. He won the 2014 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at Loudon.
• Custer has five wins, 10 top-fives and 11 top-10’s while leading 782 laps throughout the 2019 season.
• Mike Shiplett has six starts at “The Magic Mile” with two top-fives and four top-10’s.
• Click here for Custer’s career stats.
• Click here for Custer’s stats at New Hampshire.
• Click here for photos of Cole.

Haas Automation, Inc., is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. Founded by Gene Haas in 1983, Haas Automation manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers and rotary tables and indexers. All Haas products are built in the company’s 1,100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California, and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets that provides the industry’s best sales, service and support while offering unparalleled cost-to-performance value.

You have two ninth-place finishes at NHMS. What do you need to do this weekend to improve upon those finishes?

“New Hampshire is a technical track and I feel like it hasn’t been one of my favorite tracks lately. I was able to win my first Truck Series race there in 2014, but since then it hasn’t been too great. They have been putting the traction compound down recently, so we just need to be able to get our car good through that, which we were able to do in Kentucky, so hopefully it transfers over to this weekend and we can be a contender for the win.”

Kevin Harvick has won just about everywhere he’s raced.

He’s scored 106 total NASCAR victories (45 in the Cup Series, 47 in the Xfinity Series and 14 in the Truck Series) and only three other drivers in NASCAR history have passed 100 wins in its top three series: Richard Petty, David Pearson and Kyle Busch.

Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), won the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2014, as well as the 2001 and 2006 NASCAR Xfinity titles. He’s one of only four drivers to win the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500.

However he has not won at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, nor at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, site of Saturday night’s Kentucky 400. But he’s come close at Kentucky, having finished in the top-10 in six consecutive races races there, including his first top-five when he came home fifth in 2018.

Harvick has scored two Xfinity Series wins at the 1.5 mile oval, the first coming in 2001 and followed up 13 years later in 2014.

While he’s looking for his first Cup Series win at Kentucky, so is sponsor, Hunt Brothers Pizza.

Hunt Brothers Pizza has sponsored Harvick in NASCAR for 10 years and, last year, he took the company to victory lane by winning the Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

He has also won two NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races with Hunt Brothers as a sponsor at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth in 2011 and at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway earlier that season.

Hunt Brothers Pizza is sponsoring Harvick in three NASCAR Cup Series races in 2019 and Kentucky is the second. The company also sponsored him in the non-points NASCAR All-Star Race in 2014 and 2015, which were conducted at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Harvick finished second in both races.

With more than 7,800 locations in 28 states, Hunt Brothers Pizza is the nation’s largest brand of made-to-order pizza in the convenience store industry. Hunt Brothers Pizza offers original and thin crust pizzas available as a grab-and-go Hunk, perfect for today’s on-the-go lifestyle, or as a customizable whole pizza that is an exceptional value with “All Toppings No Extra Charge.” Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Hunt Brothers Pizza is family owned and operated with more than 25 years of experience serving great pizza to convenience store shoppers through its store partners.

Harvick, Hunt Brothers Pizza and the rest of the No. 4 team are hoping they can “cook up” a victory this week.

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Racing Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

You’ve scored six straight top-10s at Kentucky but are still looking for that first win. What makes Kentucky so challenging?

“We’ve actually run really well there the last couple of years and led a lot of laps. I’m not sure it is any one thing that makes Kentucky challenging, to be honest, just for the fact that they’ve recently repaved it and it really is a unique track where it is hard to get everything just right.”

What challenges does the heat in Kentucky present this time of year?

“Kentucky is always a hot race and we’ve had some weather there over the last few years but, to be honest, it’s the same for everyone. It really just comes down to preparation for the driver and the team. As a driver, I have to take care of myself to make sure I’m ready. The team has to focus on the doing the best it can to make it as bearable in the car as possible. It also makes it tough on the handling of the car, especially on a new racing surface. It’s going to be very slick and hard to get the setup just right, but I’m confident in my team and the preparation they put into this race.”

Daniel Suárez and the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) venture to the Bluegrass State for Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kentucky 400 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. It’s the seventh 1.5-mile facility the Cup Series will have raced on this season.

The pressure is on after a wild race last weekend at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. That event, originally scheduled for Saturday night, was postponed until Sunday due to weather. After a multi-vehicle accident on lap 83, Suárez’s day ended prematurely with irreversible damage caused to his Haas Automation Mustang. The last-place result set Suárez back in his hunt for the championship.

The Mexico native has two Cup Series starts at Kentucky with a best finish of 15th. He’s earned a best starting spot of ninth there in NASCAR’s premier series, an average starting position of 10.0, an average finishing position of 16.5, and he’s completed 99.8 percent of all possible laps.

The 27-year-old has four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the 1.5-mile oval. Suárez excelled at Kentucky in that series, in which he won the 2016 championship. He accumulated three Xfinity Series top-five finishes and three top-10s at Kentucky, which includes a runner-up result in September 2016. He also earned one pole award in September 2015 with a speed of 179.856 mph. The pole award was Suárez’s third during his first full-time Xfinity Series season. In the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series at Kentucky, Suárez has two starts and he earned a pole award in July 2016 and has led 77 laps.

In Suárez’s last 10 Cup Series starts at tracks 1.5-miles in length, he’s recorded one top-five, three top-10s and led 22 laps. The Ford driver has an average start of 16.3 and an average finish of 17.6 at intermediate tracks.

This weekend at Kentucky, Suárez will wear special skeleton printed gloves as part of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s “Driven to Give Gloves” initiative benefitting Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. After this weekend’s race, the gloves will be auctioned off vianascarfoundation.org/dalejr.

The Haas driver is currently 17th in the Cup Series standings, two spots behind teammate Clint Bowyer, to round out the four-driver SHR contingent. The top 16 drivers after the 26 regular-season races will earn a spot in the Cup Series playoffs. If Suárez captures a playoff position, it will be the first of his Cup Series career. Last year, all four SHR entries secured at least one regular-season win and a playoff spot.

SHR is looking for its first win in the organization’s history at Kentucky, the only venue on the Cup Series circuit where it remains winless since its inception in 2009. Ford has two all-time series wins at Kentucky.

DANIEL SUÁREZ, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

How did you get your start in racing?

“It’s a long story, but I started racing when I was 11, and it was kind of by mistake. I would work with my dad in his restoration shop and one of his customers had a son who was into racing. One weekend, they invited me to go with them to the go-kart track. And then they started inviting me more and eventually offered to let me drive the go-kart. I remember being so excited to get the chance to drive the go-kart and not just watch anymore. The guy thought I was really good, so he went and talked to my dad about it, and of course my dad wasn’t sure because it’s expensive. At the beginning, I was just racing for fun. I had no idea that you could actually race professionally and for a living. I remember my dad telling me when I was a little bit older that I didn’t have any responsibilities and should try doing it professionally. Eventually, that led to my move to the United States.”

You’re the only Hispanic in the Cup Series right now. How has your experience been with making new NASCAR fans?

“Things have changed so much in the last 10 to 15 years in NASCAR. I’ve been living here in the United States for almost eight years now and things have changed so much just while I’ve lived here. I have had so many experiences where Hispanic people, Mexicans here in the United States, Latinos, they come to me and tell me that they didn’t know anything about NASCAR but they saw me in an interview one day and now they’re a huge fan. That’s very cool to me. I’m very proud to be the guy who represents Hispanics and I try to do my best every single weekend. I’m glad I can give them someone to root for and bring their attention to NASCAR.”

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Valley Tech Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), will attempt to beat another personal record he set in 2018 when he earned his first top-10 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta after five starts at the 1.5-mile oval, site of Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kentucky 400.

“Last year was an incredible year for Stewart-Haas as a team and a great year for me, personally,” Almirola said. “We brought a lot of speed to the track each weekend and contended for top-fives, top-10s and even wins all year, which was new for me. We started this season strong at intermediate tracks and we’re all just trying to get back to where we were. I’m looking forward to improving our 1.5-mile program this weekend at Kentucky.”

Almirola has scored three top-10 finishes and two top-15s at 1.5-mile tracks so far this season. In addition his eighth-place finish in last year’s Cup Series race at Kentucky, he earned a sixth-place finish there in the June 2011 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

For the second consecutive weekend, the Cup Series has a main event under the Saturday-night lights, which are not only overwhelming fan favorites who enjoy seeing racecars leave a trail of sparks as they navigate the track, but a challenge for teams in dealing with constant handling changes on the racecars as temperatures cool as the night wears on. In Sunday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Almirola drove the No. 10 Ford to a seventh-place finish after severe weather ended the race prematurely on lap 127 of a scheduled 160 laps. His seventh-place finish advanced him one position in the championship standings.

Valley Tech joins SHR for the second of two races this season in hopes of riding Almirola’s No. 10 Ford Mustang to victory lane this weekend. Valley Tech Learning partners with companies, educational institutions, and municipalities to provide always-on, on-demand interactive instruction for the most in-demand technical skills for today’s marketplace. Through a unique, highly accessible platform designed to more effectively upskill current employees and future workforce members, Valley Tech enables communities to become more competitive and serve all who aspire to learn and succeed in today’s knowledge economy.

Almirola has always valued the importance of an education, even as he worked his way toward the pinnacle of North American motorsports. While he rose through the racing ranks from the World Karting Association to open-wheel Modifieds to Late Model stock cars, he attended the University of Central Florida, where he pursued a degree in mechanical engineering. But after two years in college, Almirola earned an opportunity with Joe Gibbs Racing that ultimately led him to the NASCAR Cup Series.

“My parents and grandparents instilled in me the value of an education,” he said. “In order to go racing, I had to perform in school, and that included college. I continue to use what I learned in high school and at UCF to this day. Racing is a detail industry where knowledge is power. I can’t thank all of my teachers and professors enough. Between them and my family, they gave me the tools to succeed.”

Fans can now get VIP, behind-the-scenes access in following “Aric ‘Beyond the 10’” by subscribing to his YouTube channel and following episodes on Facebook. Episodes showcase never-before-seen footage of Almirola at the racetrack, on family trips, and “A Day in the Life” during the week, as well as all that goes into a NASCAR Cup Series driver’s season. Click here to subscribe on YouTube and watch the latest episode.

The 35-year-old Ford driver has earned one pole award, one top-five, 10 top-10s and has led 100 laps through 18 races this season. His qualifying efforts have also been strong with five front-row starts and eight top-five starts this season.

ARIC ALMIROLA, Driver of the No. 10 Valley Tech Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

How much different is a night race versus a day race?

“You know to plan for it. You know your car isn’t going to be perfect. If it’s perfect when you start the race, you better be prepared to make major changes as the sun goes down. The track is going to change so much. It’s important for me to provide constructive feedback on how the car is handling so that the crew can make the right adjustments. So much can change from day to night, it’s important to have patience.”