Category: Pre-Race Reports

The No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) with Aric Almirola behind the wheel heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the final race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season. Almirola and his three SHR teammates have all clinched spots in the 16-driver Cup Series playoff field that will vie for the championship over the final 10 weeks of the season, culminating Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.

This is the second time in Almirola’s Cup Series career that he has the chance to vie for the championship. The 34-year-old previously contended for the championship in 2014. This season also marks the first time crew chief John Klausmeier enters the playoffs in his role as the leader of a team. Currently, Klausmeier is the only first-year crew chief in the running for this year’s ultimate prize. Even though it’s the University of Maryland, Baltimore County graduate’s freshman year as a crew chief, he’s experienced when it comes to playoff pressure from his engineering tenure with SHR driver Kurt Busch.

SHR has enjoyed its most successful season as a four-car contingent in 2018. SHR so far is the only four-car team to have all of its entries qualified for the playoffs. “It’s hard, and to have an organization like this that can put all four cars into the playoffs, it speaks a lot about the teams and the drivers,” Almirola said. “But really, it tells you a lot about the people who show up at the shop every day. That’s where I feel like a large chunk of the success comes from because, without those people showing up at the shop 6 a.m. every day to build fast cars, we can’t do our job at the racetrack.”

Almirola heads to Indy with six Cup Series starts at the iconic speedway. He has a best finish of 13^th, which he earned last year at the 2.5-mile, rectangular track. The Ford driver also has one NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Indy, having piloted the No. 98 Ford Mustang to a 14^th-place finish in 2015 while driving for Biagi-DenBeste Racing.

The clock is ticking on the summer season, and the opportunity to submit your “Hero of the Grill” for the No. 10 Ford Fusion has now closed. Smithfield’s “Hero of the Grill” contest was launched earlier this year by Almirola and five-time world-champion barbecue pitmaster Tuffy Stone. Fans had the chance to nominate their favorite grill hero by visiting SmithfieldGetGrilling.com. One “Hero of the Grill” nominee will win $5,000. Plus, up to 10,000 nominees will have the chance to see their name featured on Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield Ford at Richmond (Va.) Raceway in September.

Fans can still enter for their chance to win Smithfield’s Smoke Machine Mustang designed by team co-owner Tony Stewart with the help of drifting champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. They helped create a one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang RTR Spec 3 that will be given away to one lucky fan. Fans can register for their chance to win the suped-up Mustang and a trip to November’s Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead by visiting SmithfieldRacing.com, or by texting SMOKE to 82257.

Indy marks the 23^rd points-paying event during which the Smithfield livery has adorned Almirola’s No. 10 Ford Fusion. Smithfield, a brand of Smithfield Foods, which is based approximately five hours northeast of SHR headquarters in Smithfield, Virginia, is in its seventh season with Almirola and its first 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.

In 25 Cup Series starts this year, Almirola has earned an average start of 18.0 and an average finish of 14.0, with one top-five finish and 10 top-10s. He’s also led 115 laps this season, already a career best. Almirola rounds out the four-driver SHR contingent at 12^th in the point standings. The season’s consistency on the track allowed Almirola to clinch his playoff spot after last weekend’s race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

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

You’ve clinched your spot in the playoff going into Indy. How does that feel? 

“It feels like a relief. Coming to SHR that was my goal. I obviously want to win races, too, but the main goal was to be competitive and be consistent and, if we had both of those things, we would be able to make the playoffs. That was our ultimate goal, to make the playoffs. Now, to be able to accomplish that and still have a race to go is good. It gives us an opportunity to go into Indy with a different mindset and different attitude. We can kind of be relaxed and have a little fun.”

This is Johnny Klausmeier’s first year as a crew chief and he’s in the playoffs. What does that say about the No. 10 team as whole, and is it a cool feeling to accomplish this goal, given your history?  

“I think Johnny has done a tremendous job getting his feet under him as a crew chief, and getting the team rallied around him and bringing fast cars to the track every weekend. I know a large part of that is obviously the SHR organization as a whole. Everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing has a done great job with all four teams. Right now, we are the only team in the garage that has all of its cars in the playoffs. That’s a big statement and I think that speaks volumes about the organization. For what Johnny and myself have been able to accomplish being new working together – Johnny in his first year as a crew chief – he’s adapted really quickly and he’s really good. And that’s what has me so excited about not only going into the playoffs together, but about our future working together. He’s young and new, and I’m young and our whole team is young, and we’re built to grow and I feel like we’ve had a lot of good results already. I don’t even feel like we’re close to our max potential. I think there’s so much room for us to grow and get better and, if we’ve already achieved these results so early, I think the potential is there to be great.”

How is your playoff approach different this time than when you first made it in 2014?

“It’s definitely different this time. Last time we were in the playoffs, I think we were 20^th in points and we won Daytona in July, which got us in. We weren’t a weekly threat, or a contender on a regular basis. So going into it was kind of like, ‘Well, the worst that we can do is finish last.’ We went in with really no pressure at all and to just have fun. We actually ran pretty well and we managed to raise the level of execution and speed in the cars. Making the playoffs brings out the best in everybody. This year I think is different because it seems like every single track we go to we can be a threat to win, we can be a threat to run in the top-five. I feel like, going into the playoffs, it really is about digging deep and getting the most out of everything, getting the most out of the cars, getting the most out of every practice and every lap on the track, every qualifying round, getting the most out of the guys on pit road and getting the most out of the racecar that I can. I think there is more pressure now going into the playoffs with this team than what I had in 2014 because we can go win races. We’ve shown we have the speed and capability to run up front. If I do my part and the team does its part, there should be no reason we can’t transfer through some of these rounds and potentially put ourselves in the position to race for the championship.”

All four SHR cars have secured playoff spots and there’s a good chance SHR will be the only four-car operation this season to have done that. What does that say about SHR?

“I think it speaks volumes about how great of an organization this place is. It’s a tall task to get into the playoffs on its own. I’m speaking from experience with being in the Cup Series seven years and this only being my second appearance. It’s challenging. It’s not easy, it’s challenging. When you look at the teams that miss the playoffs, you know it’s hard. You look at the No. 48 and they’re having an off year. We’re going into the last race of the regular season and they haven’t clinched, yet. It looks like they’ll probably be OK, but crazier stuff has happened. The ability of everyone at the shop to show up and put their best effort into the cars is amazing. It certainly makes our job difficult if we show up to the track searching for speed. All of the mechanics, engineers, and the aero department, the chassis and fab shops, the people at Roush Yates engines, put in an incredible amount of effort. There are so many people who put their heart and soul into building fast racecars. Then, Johnny and I get to go out and reap the benefits. It’s a team sport and I think SHR having all four cars in the playoffs certainly shows how we work as one big team.”

NASCAR came to Indianapolis 24 years ago for the inaugural Brickyard 400. It was an iconic event that a young Jeff Gordon won on a hot, early August Saturday.

Indianapolis and NASCAR have put on 24 races at the famous 2.5-mile track, but no race before this one has been as important. Sunday’s Brickyard 400 is the final race before the playoffs start for NASCAR, and only 16 drivers will be eligible to compete for the championship. So in addition to winning one of the biggest NASCAR races of the year, drivers also want to put themselves into the playoffs or gather as many points as possible before the playoffs start.

Wrestlemania III was conducted in the Pontiac Silverdome outside of Detroit in March of 1987 in front of a reported 93,173 people. The tagline for the event was Bigger, Better, Badder. While Hulk Hogan will not be body-slamming Andre the Giant on Sunday in Indianapolis, the description Bigger, Better, Badder could be used.

Bigger describes the 2.5-mile, rectangular oval, which is second only to the 2.66-mile oval of Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Indy is tied with Daytona and Pocono at 2.5 miles, and the speeds at Indy are fast entering turns one and three. Last year, Kyle Busch put his car on the pole at a speed of 187.301 mph.

Better describes the intense playoff atmosphere that will be at Indianapolis in 2018. Thankfully, Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing, has locked himself into the playoffs via his win on Aug. 18 at Bristol Motor Speedway. But Busch would love to score another win, especially at Indy, to improve his position in the playoffs. For those drivers hovering around 16^th, it will be a battle to get into the playoffs.

Badder describes Indianapolis in general. They’ve been racing cars there since 1909, and many of the great drivers in history have competed at the grand old racetrack. Busch is one of the few who has driven in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400.

In 2014 Busch stepped out from his stock-car norms and into the world of IndyCar, competing in the 98^th Indianapolis 500 for Andretti Autosport. The first-time IndyCar driver looked like a veteran on the historic track, starting 12^th and finishing sixth to claim rookie-of-the-year honors. To add another degree of difficulty to the day, Busch did what only three other drivers had done before – perform The Double by racing in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway that evening.

More than 10 years before doing The Double, Busch secured a championship at Indianapolis. It was 2003 and Busch was selected to compete in the 12-driver International Race of Champions (IROC) for the first time in his career. IROC ran for 30 years and pitted race-winning and championship-winning drivers from all different motorsport disciplines in the same racecars to determine a best-of-the-best victor in a four-race series that began in February at Daytona and culminated in August at Indianapolis. Busch finished second at Daytona and then won the series’ next race at Talladega. He went on to finish third in July at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, and arrived at Indianapolis locked in a title battle with eventual five-time IROC champion Mark Martin. Busch finished fourth in the IROC finale while Martin finished fifth, giving Busch an 11-point edge over Martin and the IROC championship.

Busch is looking for his first ever win at Indianapolis, and he hopes it will be Bigger, Better, Badder than any victory he has ever had.

KURT BUSCH, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What do you think about Indianapolis being the cutoff race for the NASCAR playoffs?

“I was a little bummed out that Indianapolis got moved into the playoff cutoff race. It’s such a marquee event that it can stand alone by itself, and it didn’t need any kind of extra push in my mind to be a cutoff race or any extra part of the tough part of our season. From here on out these are all big marquee races – these final 12. I was maybe hoping or wishing that Talladega was going to be the cutoff race. That way it wasn’t part of the playoffs, and maybe move Indianapolis into the playoffs, but lots of things can happen. We saw a crazy race a couple years back with so many restarts at the end and people staying out on old tires, people coming in on fresh tires, and Indy is a tough place to pass, but at the end everybody is in aggressive mode, moving people, shoving people out of the way, so you just don’t know how many yellows are going to be at the end or if it’s going to be a long green run. Indy is definitely a tough challenge to have as a cutoff race, but, again, it’s such a marquee event that you kind of want it to stand alone.”

You’ve had success at Indianapolis, but not in NASCAR. What makes the track so difficult?

“Indianapolis has been tough on me over the years. I don’t know what it is about it. The diamond-cut surface, the way that the asphalt is very fresh when we first get there and then how it glazes over and gets slick at the end – I’ve struggled with that over the years. Just got to pace ourselves and find the right combination on our Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford that will give us the grip once the track gets rubbered in.”

What makes Indy such an iconic venue? 

“Indy is Indy. It’s the coolest racetrack that we get to race on, other than Daytona. The history, the prestige, the value of Indianapolis – it is defined by the number of decades they have produced races there and the atmosphere. It’s very electric at Indianapolis. For me to actually get to run the Indy 500 in the month of May is a little different than when we race there in September because of the fact it is their backyard, it is their stage. Those Indiana natives love their track. What makes Indy special is the people.” 

You competed in the Indianapolis 500 once. Any chance you’ll do it again? 

“Possibly. I really enjoyed my time there. It was a great challenge personally, and just the overall experience of going 230 mph in an open cockpit car was fun. The fun meter was pegged. The achievement of finishing sixth overall was exciting. But then there’s that 1,100 miles. I didn’t quite finish the Coke 600 that night due to an engine failure. That’s what would draw me back in – to try to get all 1,100 miles in.” 

How hard is it to drive a stock car at Indianapolis?  

“You’re asking the wrong guy about driving a stock car at Indy. I’ve struggled. I finished fifth my first time there, and I’ve never been able to back that up. Then I go there for the first time in an Indy car and I finish sixth. I’m not really sure. The stock cars are tough in traffic. They always end up on the tight side. And you have to find that right restart lineup lane. Usually, the cars that win there, they’re the dominant type. They lead laps. They’re up front all day. I haven’t quite found that right combination yet, but another Brickyard 400 means another opportunity.”

Event:               Lilly Diabetes 250 (Round 25 of 33)
Date:                 Sept. 8, 2018
Location:          Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Layout:             2.5-mile rectangle

Cole Custer Notes of Interest

• In Custer’s three career starts at tracks where the high-downforce aero package was utilized, he has earned one pole, three top-five finishes and led 23 laps. He finished fifth Indianapolis Motor Speedway a year ago, fifth in June at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, and third in June at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.
• Custer’s average starting position of 6.5 and four pole awards leads all Xfinity Series regulars. He has earned 17 top-five starts and 22 top-10 starts in the 2018 Xfinity Series season.
• Custer’s 20 top-10 finishes is tied with Elliott Sadler for most among Xfinity Series regulars.
• Custer also has earned four poles, 10 top-five finishes, and has led 237 laps in the 2018 Xfinity Series season.
• Custer’s second-place finishes May 26 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Saturday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway are his best in 24 races this season.
• Custer is third in the Xfinity Series driver standings with 871 points, 17 behind series leader Justin Allgaier.
• Custer is competing for his ninth consecutive top-10 and third consecutive top-five this weekend.
• In his 2017 Xfinity Series start at Indianapolis – resulting in his first top-five utilizing the high-downforce aero package – Custer raced in and around the top-five throughout the race.
• Last weekend at Darlington, Custer raced in and around the top-five and battled for the lead before tying his season-best finish of second place.
• The Lilly Diabetes 250 is the last of three races this season that the Xfinity Series will run a high-downforce aero package. This package was debuted last season at Indianapolis.
• There are only two races left until the Xfinity Series playoffs begin Sept. 21 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The winner of the regular-season championship will earn an additional 15 playoff points – equivalent to winning three races.

Cole Custer, Driver Q&A

The team has earned a top-five in all three starts with the new high-downforce package. To what do you attribute this success?

“Our team has worked extremely hard day in and day out and adapted well to the high-downforce package. Just like our 2017 Xfinity Series debut, we started from scratch and could have won a championship. I think there’s no reason why we can’t compete for a win in Indy and close the points gap.”

How good does it feel heading to a track where you had success last year knowing that you’re trailing the championship leader by only 17 points?

“With the speed we’ve had at Indy and the high-downforce package, it gives us a lot of confidence in gaining some points for the regular-season championship. When you look at the stats, you can’t help but have full confidence in your team and yourself heading into the weekend.”

Your average starting position is 6.5, which leads all Xfinity Series regulars. Talk about how hard the team works to bring you a fast Haas Automation Ford Mustang every weekend.

“We’ve had fast cars all year and everyone’s worked extremely hard to get us there. I’m confident in saying that we have the best team out there. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing and things will go our way.” 

Jeff  Meendering, Crew Chief Q&A

The team has produced some of the Xfinity program’s best combined results with the high-downforce package. To what can you attribute that success?

“I think the attention to detail that every one of the guys working on the No. 00 Haas Automation team puts into our cars is what has created that success. We have a group that is willing to work hard to win. You don’t walk around and hear complaining because everyone knows that, in order to become champions, we have to outwork the other guys on the field. We get a new challenge and hit it hard and Cole has always done a great job adapting to new environments.”

You’re trailing the championship leader by 17 points. Do you focus on chipping away or going all out for the win regardless of the outcome?

“I will always try to put us in the best position to get a win over getting points. If a win doesn’t seem like it is in the cards for the weekend, then we pay closer attention to points during the race. We fully expect to have a car to compete for a win every weekend. We have almost all year.”

It’s good that Clint Bowyer knows and appreciates his racing history, because he’s going to live it this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series holds its regular-season finale Sunday.

Bowyer will drive the No. 14 Mobil 1/Rush Truck Centers Ford Fusion co-owned by Gene Haas and the Hoosier-state’s favorite son, Tony Stewart, in the 25th annual Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard. Bowyer knows wearing a Mobil 1 Racing suit while driving the three-time champion Stewart’s entry, which carries the No. 14 made famous by four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt at the Brickyard, is a lot to live up to and an honor.

“There’s just a lot of pride that goes into driving that Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), Mobil 1 and Rush each time we race,” Bowyer said. “But carrying the No. 14 at Indy ratchets it up a whole other level. Everyone knows what that number means there. I was watching some stuff on A.J. Foyt and I was like, ‘Man, what a bad ass.’ That guy was so cool out of that racecar, and then he got in that thing and drove it just like that grizzly bear he looked like out of the car.”

Bowyer said the Mobil 1 paint scheme fans will see on his Ford at Indy goes beyond a marketing effort. Mobil 1 plays an integral role in SHR’s success. Mobil 1’s lubricant technology helps to reduce frictional loss in his Ford engines to maximize fuel mileage, increase horsepower and turn more rpm, providing an advantage over his competitors. Mobil 1 also helps reduce friction in suspension components, providing maximum tire grip as well as helping to reduce steering compliance to give its teams an edge behind the wheel. Not only does Mobil 1 help improve the on-track efficiency of SHR, but the on-track testing helps lead to new lubricant technology developments such as Mobil 1 Annual Protection, which allows drivers to travel up to 20,000 miles, or one full year, between oil changes. In its 16^th consecutive season as the “Official Motor Oil of NASCAR,” Mobil 1 is used by more than 50 percent of teams throughout NASCAR’s top three series.

Rush Truck Centers has its own history at SHR. It’s been the primary partner on the No. 14 team since Bowyer arrived at SHR in 2017 and has been with the organization since 2010. The Texas-based company has used Bowyer and the team to appeal to NASCAR fans as one way to recruit the technicians it needs to operate the largest network of commercial truck and bus dealerships in the country, with locations in 22 states. According to Rush Truck Centers, the trucking industry is expected to need 200,000 diesel technicians over the next 10 years to keep up with maintenance demands.

Bowyer said he’ll take any advantage he can get this weekend because Indy is a difficult track for the stock-car crowd, whose cars lack the downforce of their open-wheel counterparts in the IndyCar Series. The rectangular oval track includes two 5/8-mile straightaways and four nearly identical quarter-mile turns connected by short, eighth-mile straightaways. The turns are banked about nine degrees – far flatter than the 30-plus-degree banking at tracks like Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and others that are part of the NASCAR schedule.

“Indy is just so unique,” said Bowyer, who has posted two top-five and three-top 10 finishes in 13 starts at Indianapolis. “You’re going so fast. The corners are so flat. You’ve got to have that baby flat to the floor, all the way around. It’s just a hard, hard track to get around.”

He said the key to racing success there is managing risk behind the steering wheel.

“The challenge is trying to be patient,” Bowyer said. “You just have to be patient. You push it to the edge there. You come off of them corners and you’re like, ‘There’s no way. I’m gonna hit the wall. Whoo.’ By the way, I gotta do that 400 more miles.”

He hopes Indy will erase the bad memories from last weekend’s race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Driving a paint scheme similar to Ned Jarrett’s 1965 race-winning Ford, Bowyer climbed to fifth before dropping to 27th a lap behind the leaders when he had to make an extra stop midway through the race. Bowyer climbed back to 12^th, but a hard crash with 58 laps remaining left him with a 36th-place finish.

Bowyer would like to add a third victory to his 2018 resume at Indianapolis. He also wants to add to the 10 playoff points he already owns. His 10 points are the fourth-most behind “Big Three” drivers Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. Playoff points are crucial for drivers with dreams of making it to the season finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway because they are added to each driver’s tally after the point totals are reset at the end of the first three rounds of the playoffs. Drivers earn five playoff points for a victory and one point for a stage win. Additional points are earned based on the regular-season points finish after Indianapolis. The regular-season champion earns 15 points, second place earns 10, third earns eight, fourth earns seven – continuing in descending increments to one point for 10^th place.

Bowyer enters the Indianapolis race eighth in regular-season standings, trailing fourth-place teammate Kurt Busch by 58 points and leading ninth-place driver Ryan Blaney by 22 points.

That’s a lot of incentive for Bowyer at Indy, and he has history on his side.

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Rush Truck Centers Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What are your thoughts on Indianapolis?

“I love going to Indianapolis. The history and tradition behind it is very special. It’s a huge opportunity, and a privilege, to be able to race on it. I understand the significance of Indianapolis. I enjoy not only the city but also the racetrack. Knowing Tony’s thoughts about Indianapolis only makes it more important we do well this weekend.” 

What makes winning at Indianapolis so special?

“Oh, I think it’s the racetrack, man. It’s the history behind it. It’s a hard race. It’s a hard place to get around, as a driver. But it all comes down to the history, the people who have won that race and won at that racetrack before you. That’s why you want to win there so badly.”

What is Mobil 1’s relationship with Stewart-Haas Racing?

“Mobil 1 is an integral part of Stewart-Haas Racing and the success we have on the racetrack. They do so much to add value beyond just their name being on the racecars. It’s truly a partnership, and everyone at SHR is grateful to have them as part of our team. They put a ton of time and resources into doing their part to make the cars go fast on the track.”

At Darlington (S.C.) Raceway this weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams will sport various throwback paint schemes. In keeping with the tradition of the past several years at the track “Too Tough to Tame,” Aric Almirola will pilot the No. 10 Helping Hungry Homes Ford Fusion for his throwback paint scheme.

The significance of the No. 10’s livery for this weekend’s event at Darlington is the celebration of Helping Hungry Homes’ 10^th anniversary. Helping Hungry Homes is Smithfield Foods’ initiative founded in 2008 to focus on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. Helping Hungry Homes provides nutritious, high-quality protein to food banks, school nutrition programs, disaster relief and community outreach efforts.

In addition to Almirola piloting the Helping Hungry Homes Ford, he will also represent the initiative at noon Friday at the Harvest Hope Food Bank in nearby Florence, South Carolina to make a protein donation. Friday’s donation is the fourth contribution Almirola has participated in this season. The event is open to the media.

In Almirola’s last 10 starts at tracks shorter than 1.5-miles in length, he has one top-five finish and four top-10s. He’s completed 98.2 percent of the laps raced on those tracks and led 44 in all – 42 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The other two laps led came at the most recent Cup Series event two weekends ago at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Almirola was working on another excellent finish at Bristol but was unable to complete all of the laps due to a mechanical issue after running in the top-five.

Almirola looks to improve on his best Cup Series Darlington finish of 11^th this weekend. His best qualifying effort at the “Lady in Black” is third, which he earned in April 2014. The Tampa native also has two starts there in the Xfinity Series and one in the Camping World Truck Series.

The clock is ticking on the summer season, as well as the chance for fans to have their grilling hero’s name on Almirola’s No. 10 Ford Fusion. Fans have the opportunity to continue celebrating the grilling season by entering Smithfield’s “Hero of the Grill” contest that Almirola and five-time world-champion barbecue pitmaster Tuffy Stone helped launch earlier this year. Fans are encouraged to nominate their favorite grill hero by visiting SmithfieldGetGrilling.com. One “Hero of the Grill” nominee will win $5,000. Plus, the first 10,000 nominees will have the chance to see their name featured on Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield Ford at Richmond (Va.) Raceway in September.

Fans can also enter for their chance to win Smithfield’s Smoke Machine Mustang designed by team co-owner Tony Stewart with the help of drifting champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. They helped create a one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang RTR Spec 3 that will be given away to one lucky fan. Fans can register for their chance to win the suped-up Mustang and a trip to November’s Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead by visiting SmithfieldRacing.com, or by texting SMOKE to 82257.

Darlington marks the 22^nd points-paying event during which the Smithfield livery has adorned Almirola’s No. 10 Ford Fusion. Smithfield, a brand of Smithfield Foods, which is based approximately five hours northeast of SHR headquarters in Smithfield, Virginia, is in its seventh season with Almirola and its first 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.

In 24 Cup Series starts this year, Almirola has earned an average start of 18.3 and an average finish of 14.0, with one top-five finish and 10 top-10s. He’s also led 115 laps this season, already a career best. Almirola rounds out the four-driver SHR contingent at 12^th in the point standings.

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

What is your favorite part of the weekend at Darlington?

“I like the fact that it is a laid-back feeling. When you think about racing back in the ’70s and ’80s, it wasn’t so corporate. It wasn’t so clean cut, it wasn’t what it kind of is today. It was more laid back and, kind of, ‘boys have at it,’ like they say, so I kind of like that. Doing it once a year is fun. I just go into it with the attitude where it is a very relaxed environment and fun, and it allows you to kind of goof around and enjoy the moment.”

Not only is Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes on your car this weekend, but you’re involved in the program. Talk a little bit about that.

“We can affect and touch the lives of so many people with Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes program. We go across the country and into communities where we race and make donations. Last year, I got to go to my hometown of Tampa, Florida, to give back. It’s nice to engage in the communities and help people out. Some of them were once my neighbors and that is something I’m very proud of.”

What would it mean to win at Darlington?

“The Southern 500 is one of NASCAR’s crown jewels. It is such a physically demanding track, it’s such a demanding track on the car, on the crew, on everybody. When you win at Darlington, you’ve done something. Darlington is just a really tough racetrack. It’s called ‘Too Tough to Tame’ and the ‘Lady in Black’ for a reason. It such a challenging place. To go there and have success, to walk away with a Southern 500 trophy is a bucket list kind of race that you want to win.”

What does Darlington mean to you?

“Darlington is an incredible weekend. It’s Labor Day weekend and what they’ve done over the last several years with the throwback weekend and everyone who participates and gets involved, it’s so much fun. To honor the past and the present is just a really fun weekend. It a special place and it has been on the NASCAR circuit for so long. All of the nostalgia really takes you back to the roots of NASCAR and it’s one of the places you really want to win at.”

Event:               Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 (Round 24 of 33)
Date:                 Sept. 1, 2018
Location:          Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
Layout:             1.366-mile oval

Cole Custer Notes of Interest

• Darlington (S.C.) Raceway is hosting its fourth annual NASCAR “Throwback Weekend.” In conjunction with teams, the track this year is showcasing iconic paint schemes, personalities and moments in history.
• Custer will participate in the official throwback weekend of NASCAR by honoring A.J. Foyt and his iconic No. 00 1965 Ford Galaxie that he ran at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. For the full release visit: http://bit.ly/2A8PpOw
• In his 2017 Xfinity Series start at Darlington, Custer ran as high as second and raced in around the top-10 for the majority of the race.
• Custer has earned four poles, nine top-five finishes, 19 top-10s, and has led 237 laps in the 2018 Xfinity Series season.
• Custer’s second-place finish May 26 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway is his best in 23 races this season.
• Custer’s four pole awards this season leads all Xfinity Series regulars.
• Custer’s 19 top-10 finishes is tied with Elliott Sadler for most among Xfinity Series regulars.
• Custer is fourth in the Xfinity Series driver standings with 833 points, 13 behind series leader Christopher Bell.
• Custer has earned 16 top-five starts and 21 top-10 starts in the 2018 Xfinity Series season.
• Custer is competing for his eighth consecutive top-10 and third consecutive top-five this weekend.
• Last weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Custer ran as high as second and piloted the Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) to his third consecutive road-course top-10. His efforts were enough to close the championship points gap to Bell by six points.
• There are only three races left until the Xfinity Series playoffs begin Sept. 21 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The winner of the regular-season points championship will earn an additional 15 playoff points – equivalent to winning three races.

Cole Custer, Driver Q&A

What does it mean to honor A.J. Foyt’s iconic No. 00 Vel’s Ford Galaxie this weekend?

“A.J. Foyt is one of the toughest guys in the history of racing. I’ve always been inspired by his career because he never gave up, no matter the circumstances. That wreck he had at Riverside was vicious, but he bounced back and just kept on winning. A.J. and this paint scheme remind me that, no matter how hard things get on the racetrack or in life, you never stop fighting. His will and determination set the bar. It’s an honor to run this throwback scheme at Darlington in tribute to everything that A.J. stands for.”

What are your thoughts on racing at Darlington and what are your expectations heading back? 

“My first impression of Darlington was that it was just a real racetrack. Darlington is a place where you really have to drive it and you really have to be up on the wheel and pay respect to every single lap out there. It’s a really cool place to run and it’s challenging. I wish we had more tracks like Darlington. We had a good run in our first start there last year. It’s always good coming back to a track after you actually have notes and you know what to expect heading into the weekend. I’ll lean on Kevin (Harvick) a good bit because he runs well there and he’s obviously pretty good everywhere.”

Jeff  Meendering, Crew Chief Q&A

What are the challenges of a crew chief heading into a track like Darlington?

“Darlington is unique in so many ways. We unloaded well last year, but the biggest challenge there is communicating with the driver on how the car is doing. At Darlington, you put so much into the driver’s hands because they’re on the edge of their seat every lap. It’s not a track that you can just ride around on with a good setup. You have to constantly work with the car and the driver to succeed throughout the race. I’m really looking forward to seeing the A.J. Foyt tribute scheme out there.”

With two of the most historic tracks  up next on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series calendar, then a 10-race playoff to determine the 2018 champion, No. 14 Carolina Ford Dealers Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) driver Clint Bowyer says the needle on the sport’s intensity meter is about to be pegged.

“The pay window is starting to open and it’s time to get going,” said Bowyer, who’ll race in the 69^th running of the Southern 500 Sunday night at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway followed by the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sept. 2. “This sport has two pretty big races the next two weekends and then it’s playoff time and we decide a champion. It’s the time of year when you show everything you have. This is what we’ve worked for. The intensity will pick up on the track and in the pits. This is the best time of the season.”

With so much on the line, who better to have on Bowyer’s side Sunday night than 50-time Cup Series winner and 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Ned Jarrett, who has a special affinity and skill at the South Carolina oval. Jarrett won the September 1965 Southern 500 by 14 laps – the largest victory margin in NASCAR history.

Bowyer’s No. 14 Ford Fusion will mimic the design Jarrett ran on his race-winning 1965 Ford Galaxie by sporting a royal blue paint scheme with period-specific graphics. The scheme is in keeping with “The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR,” during which the industry honors the sport’s history. Last year, nearly all the NASCAR Cup Series teams competed with throwback paint schemes in the Southern 500.

“If you want to be the best, you might as well go and join the best and Ned’s race down there that day is the best in the sport’s history,” Bowyer said. “I’m glad Ned will be with us this weekend. Maybe some of his success will rub off on us. Darlington has become such a cool weekend with our look back at the history of the sport.”

In the 1965 race, Jarrett drove his No. 11 Richmond Ford Motor Company Galaxie to the dominating Southern 500 victory. It marked the 49th of Jarrett’s 50 career wins and it helped secure his second and final series championship, bookending the title he won in 1961. Jarrett ran 21 races in 1966 before transitioning to a broadcasting career.

“I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to the Southern 500 and seeing everyone this weekend,” said the 85-year-old Jarrett, who will be in Darlington on Sunday. “I don’t think in this day and age you’ll see anyone win by 14 laps, but I think if you ask Clint and any of the other drivers, they’ll tell you they don’t care about the margin of victory. They just want the victory.”

Jarrett is NASCAR’s version of the NFL’s John Madden appealing to multiple generations of fans. Some fans know Madden as the Super Bowl-winning coach, others as a television commentator, while younger fans know Madden from popular video games.

NASCAR fans first met Jarrett as a champion driver. The next generation watched as he made the transition to the broadcast booth that included tenures at MRN Radio and on television with CBS, ESPN and TNN. Jarrett was the first widely known television analyst to work for different broadcast networks at the same time. He spent 22 years at CBS and 19 with ESPN while co-hosting the weekly, one-hour Inside NASCAR program on TNN.

A third generation of fans knows Jarrett as the patriarch of one of NASCAR’s first families. He and his wife Martha have two sons – Glenn and Dale – who are both former NASCAR drivers and daughter Patti J. Makar. Ned and Dale became the second father-son combination to win NASCAR Cup Series championships when Dale earned the 1999 title. Glenn followed his father’s career into racing and broadcasting and, after retiring as a driver in 2008, Dale joined Ned and Glenn as a broadcaster. Patti also worked in racing and married Jimmy Makar, who worked with Dale for three years at Joe Gibbs Racing and was the 2000 championship-winning crew chief for Bobby Labonte. Dale’s son Jason scored several ARCA victories and made numerous starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Bowyer hopes the Jarrett paint scheme is once again productive in Darlington. The Emporia, Kansas native is a 10-time NASCAR Cup Series winner and is in his second year driving SHR’s No. 14 Ford Fusion. Victories earlier this year at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway earned Bowyer a berth in the NASCAR playoffs that begins Sept. 9 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

Bowyer arrives at Darlington after enjoying the final off weekend of the 2018 season by taking his family of four on a vacation to the beach. He led 120 laps before finishing sixth at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway Aug. 18, the most recent Cup Series race.

In addition to winning at the historic tracks in the coming weeks, Bowyer’s goal at Darlington and Indianapolis is to add to the 10 playoff points he already owns. His 10 points are the fourth-most behind “Big Three” drivers Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. Playoff points are crucial for drivers with dreams of making it to the season finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway because they are added to each driver’s tally after the point totals are reset at the end of the first three rounds of the playoffs.

Drivers earn five playoff points for a victory and one point for a stage win. Additional points are earned based on the regular-season points finish after Indianapolis. The regular-season champion earns 15 points, second place earns 10, eight for third and seven for fourth, continuing in descending increments to one point for 10^th place.

Bowyer enters the Darlington race fifth in regular-season standings, trailing fourth-place teammate Kurt Busch by 20 points and leading sixth-place driver Joey Logano by eight points.

“We have a lot to race for these next two races,” Bowyer said. “Not only are winning at Darlington and Indy dreams of most drivers, but good runs at both places earn you those points that are really important if you want to advance in the playoffs.”

With historic tracks, the regular-season points race, playoff points and an upcoming playoff battle, it’s easy to see why there could be a broken needle on the sport’s intensity meter before all is said and done.

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Carolina Ford Dealers Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What are your thoughts on Darlington?

“I just love the old-school feel. The racetrack lends that feel. You know, you can’t get on that racetrack and not feel old school. They repaved it and it’s already worn out. You run right up against the wall, it’s unique, you’ve got to be able to attack the track, but be patient enough and respectful enough to not ruin your day and destroy your car. It’s just very, very old school as you go back through there.”

Do you ever wish you could race back in the day?

“I would have loved to compete in the 1970s and ’80s. You were able to go to the shop and work your ass off and reap the benefits after you dusted the competition that weekend by having something that they didn’t, or because you outfoxed them.”

Why is this time of year important in NASCAR?

“First, everyone who has ever raced in NASCAR has wanted to win in Darlington. Taking that trophy home will be one of the best feelings in the world. Second, in the big picture, it’s close to money time. This is when the pay window opens and we put everything we’ve learned in 2018 on the line. All the hours put in by the folks at the race shop, at the track and all of our supporters, this is what our whole year has focused on. And then, in just a couple of weeks, 16 teams will have 10 races to win a championship.”

What are your thoughts on Darlington? 

“I like the uniqueness of the track. I’ve struggled to have good finishes there but we’ve always raced well. We just can’t seem to seal the deal at the end. Something always goes haywire in the end but, sooner or later, we are going to overcome that and have a good weekend.”

Do you remember your first Darlington experience?

“My first Cup race at Darlington was 2007 and I won the pole. Truth be told, it scared the daylights out of me.”

Event:             Sport Clips Haircuts Help A Hero VFW 200
Date:               Sept. 1, 2018
Location:        Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
Layout:           1.366-mile oval

Kevin Harvick Notes of Interest

• Hunt Brothers Pizza makes its fourth start of 2018 as a primary sponsor with driver Kevin Harvick in the No. 98 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (SHR) during Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
• Hunt Brothers Pizza will pay tribute to the 20^th anniversary of Harvick’s 1998 NASCAR West Series Championship with a throwback paint scheme on the No. 98 Ford Mustang. The 2018 scheme was inspired by the No. 75 Spears Manufacturing car that Harvick raced to five wins, 11 top-five finishes, 12 top-10s and five poles in 1998 en route to his first NASCAR championship.
• Hunt Brothers Pizza and Haas CNC Racing first teamed up for the 2008 season. In 2014, Hunt Brothers Pizza reunited with what had become SHR to serve as a sponsor in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. When SHR formed an XFINITY Series team for the 2017 season, Hunt Brothers Pizza became a primary sponsor with Harvick and the No. 41 team – which is now the No. 98.
• Harvick is making his final of five scheduled XFINITY Series starts in the No. 98 Ford Mustang for SHR in 2018.
• He won at Atlanta Motor Speedway in his first start of the season in the No. 98, finished 19^th at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, eighth at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn and second at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet.
• Harvick has one pole, three top-five finishes, nine top-10s and 189 laps led in 15 XFINITY Series starts at Darlington.
• Harvick won the pole at Darlington in August 2003 with a lap at 167.516 mph.
• His XFINITY Series career includes 47 wins, 185 top-five finishes, 259 top-10s, 25 poles and 9,688 laps led in 345 starts.
• Harvick will be joined Saturday by SHR teammate Cole Custer in the No. 00 Ford Mustang.

Kevin Harvick, Driver No. 98 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang

The Hunt Brothers Pizza paint scheme gives a nod to your beginnings in NASCAR, inspired by your 1998 NASCAR West Series championship. What does running the Hunt Brothers Pizza throwback scheme like that mean to you?

“The throwback scheme Hunt Brothers Pizza is doing for us is pretty awesome – the 1998 throwback to the Spears championship car. That was probably one of the most fun years I’ve ever had in racing. We traveled up and down the road in a 1977 Winnebago and a 24-foot trailer because that’s what Wayne (Spears) told us that we had to use when we didn’t have the truck and trailer that were at the Truck races, so we had more fun in that motorhome than we probably did any other time that I’ve ever raced stock cars. We had one car. We had a group of guys who just loved to race and we raced all but one race, I believe, that year with the Truck series and wound up winning the West Series championship that we weren’t even supposed to run. So it was a fun year, and to have Hunt Brother’s kind of throw it back to that year for me is a lot of fun and definitely had some input on that one.”

What makes Darlington Raceway so unique in terms of the racing?

“Darlington is a track with a lot of history and is one that you circle on your calendar each year. This track has a lot of character and it is easy to make mistakes, so we just focus on ourselves, race the track and try to avoid making any of those mistakes.”

What is it about Darlington that makes it special for you as a competitor?

“For me, personally, I look forward to coming to Darlington every year just for the fact that it means so much to our sport and has such a huge history in what we have accomplished as a sport altogether. To be able to come back and race and be able to experience things they have experienced through the years on a racetrack that has been repaved, but its original shape is still the same – to me, it’s something that is pretty neat. I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), is helping Busch Beer celebrate its deep history in NASCAR by featuring a car inspired by Busch’s racetrack-specific collectable can series dating back to 1996 during Sunday night’s Southern 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

The Busch Beer collectable can series from 1996 featured the layout of NASCAR tracks throughout the series along with facts about the configuration of each racetrack. Darlington was one of the featured tracks in the series of collectable cans.

Busch Beer’s rich history in NASCAR dates back nearly 40 years to the sponsorship of Cale Yarborough’s No. 11 car during the 1979 season, starting with one of the most significant races in NASCAR history – that year’s Daytona 500.

Darlington is the perfect setting to celebrate Busch Beer’s deep racing roots. Highlights of Busch’s storied racing heritage include sponsoring the Busch Pole Award in 1978, presented to Cup Series pole winners each week. Busch introduced the Busch Clash in 1979, held each year at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway the week prior to the Daytona 500. And it was title sponsor of NASCAR’s steppingstone division – currently known as the Xfinity Series – from 1984 through 2007. Busch Beer also held the “Official Beer of NASCAR” status from 1988 through 1997.

Busch Beer reclaimed its “Official Beer of NASCAR” status and sponsorship of the Busch Pole Award at the beginning of the 2018 season.

While Harvick will drive a No. 4 Ford honoring the history of his sponsor Busch Beer, he is looking to score his second Cup Series win at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval.

In 2014, Harvick won the 65th running of the iconic Southern 500 – one of the crown jewels on the 36-race Cup Series schedule – in dominating fashion. He started from the pole and led 238 of 374 laps en route to beating runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr., to the finish line by .558 of a second.

The win at Darlington was the second of Harvick’s five Cup Series wins during his championship season.

With only two races remaining before the start of the 10-race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, Harvick would like to add to his series-best seven points-paying wins of the season at Darlington Sunday night. In addition to adding to his win total, Harvick is trying to close the gap on points-leader Kyle Busch, who holds a 43-point advantage through 24 of 26 regular-season races.

At the conclusion of regular-season-ending Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the points leader collects 15 playoff points while the driver who finishes second collects 10. That five-point differential between first and second in the regular-season championship could play a vital role in whether a driver makes the winner-take-all Championship 4 playoff finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Harvick has clinched his spot in the playoff field for the 12th time by way of his career-best seven wins. He only needs to attempt to qualify for the remaining two regular-season races to make his playoff status official.

While Harvick and the No. 4 team are locked into the playoff field by points and wins, gaining playoff points via stage wins and race wins is now their top priority through the next two races, starting this weekend at Darlington.

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer Ford Fusion:

Your thoughts about heading back to Darlington for this special race weekend?

“Darlington has kind of found its niche with all the throwback schemes and all the things that they do with the snack bars, tickets and all the cars. It’s great to see all the teams participate – and for me it’s something that bring backs a lot of memories as to when (Founder of Action Performance) Fred Wagenhals was around selling diecasts and creating programs and things like we used to do in the past. It’s great when you see a program come together like that.”

What’s it like to have so many drivers from the past at the track for throwback weekend at Darlington?

“We had a car inspired by Cale Yarborough’s a couple of years ago. We had him at the racetrack, driving around in the pace car and seeing some of the old-school guys who work on my racecar be as excited as they were, guys who don’t ever really get excited about anything. To see how excited some of those guys were when Cale came, we took a picture with the whole team at the car and, to have the whole paint scheme and everything to go with it, was really great. We do a lot of things with those guys now at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. To see those guys now at the racetrack signing autographs for the fans adds just a little bit to that event. To me, having Cale there was really neat, to have him around and talk to him. It’s something that means a lot because they’re a big part of the reason we’re here today.”

He’s got the Daytona 500 and he’s got the 600-mile race at Charlotte. Now he just needs Darlington and Indianapolis. And Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), is ready to try and win another crown jewel event at Sunday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

Busch is coming off a win Aug. 18 in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race that solidified his spot in the 16-driver playoffs. It was the 30^th victory of his career and he now has earned six trips to victory lane at Bristol.

But before the playoffs begin, Busch would love to make a little history at two of the greatest tracks in the world.

Only four drivers have won the four crown jewels and they are legends of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick are the only drivers to see the checkered flag first at the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500.

Busch has had some success at Darlington, including nearly winning the spring race in 2003. In one of the most memorable finishes in NASCAR history, Busch came up .002 of a second shy of victory at the track “Too Tough to Tame” when he was nosed out by Ricky Craven in one of the closest finishes in Cup Series competition since NASCAR instituted electronic timing in 1993.

His No. 41 Haas Automation Ford this weekend will sport a paint scheme that looks very much like the No. 97 Ford Taurus he raced 15 years ago.

Busch added a third-place finish at Darlington in 2010, and he won the pole position in September 2001 and April 2013. If Busch is to be successful this weekend, he’ll have to battle the odd shape of Darlington’s racing oval.

Darlington is egg-shaped, 1.366 miles in length – the odd shape because its western half needed a tighter radius in the turns as founder Harold Brasington promised Sherman Ramsey, who owned a farm next to the property, that he wouldn’t disturb his minnow pond when he built the track in 1949.

The odd shape also means that, to find the fast way around the track, drivers run against the outside walls in each turn, sometimes brushing up against the wall and thus earning what has affectionately become known as a “Darlington Stripe” on the right side of the car. And the black marks left on the walls by the tires rubbing up against them all race weekend have led to the track’s other nickname, “The Lady in Black.”

Busch is hoping he can get a little stripe on his car on the road to victory, and to get another of the four crown jewels of NASCAR.

KURT BUSCH, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What would a win at Darlington mean?

“I’ve been close and it would mean the world to me because, when I first went there, I had no idea how difficult that track was going to be. And how narrow it is and how different both ends of the track are. Over the years, I quickly gained an appreciation for the nostalgia and the setting of Darlington, South Carolina and what it means for our sport. With all that mixed in together, I’d love to win that race. It’s a tough track because it changes dramatically with rubber and you have to have tire management there. You have to balance a lot of things over 500 miles.” 

Are these 500 miles at Darlington the most difficult in all of NASCAR?

“Yeah, it’s flat out the most difficult. I think 500 miles at Darlington is tougher than 600 miles at Charlotte because you are up on the wheel all race long and you’re right on the edge and, when you slip over that edge, you get that Darlington stripe and usually you get a fender rub and then you’re working out of a hole. Attrition usually wipes out a few guys and you don’t want to be one of those, and so you’re just right on that edge all night long.”

What makes Darlington unique? 

“Darlington demands so much attention and respect. It’s similar to a Bristol like that. It’s hard to get the setup perfect because both ends of the racetrack are so different.”

What do you think of the retro feel of Darlington?

“It’s really a fun weekend. It feels like a field trip experience when you’re a kid. It’s like when you go out with your friends and you all get dressed up together. The first year, it was about the cars. The second year, it seemed like the crew guys took over and they had all their outfits. There are diecasts that are made just for that race. Chip Wile (former president of Darlington) hit a grand slam with throwback weekend and I think all of us look forward to that. And I think the fans do, as well. It definitely helps bridge the past to the present and overall just creates a fun weekend.”

Do you remember your first race at Darlington? Your first stripe?

“My first race and first stripe – that place chewed me up and spit me out. I think I wrecked 20 times, kept bouncing off wall. I wore out the tires but kept going. I probably finished 40^th my first time there. It really was an eye-opener on how tough NASCAR was going to be.”

Other than the finish with Ricky Craven at Darlington, do you have any other memorable moments that stand out? 

“The biggest moment at Darlington I ever had was finishing second to Ricky Craven in 2003 – everyone knows that race. It’s one of the best finishes in NASCAR history. But, probably the next-biggest moment would be during my championship run in 2004. I had an ill-handling car and still managed to finish sixth with it due to good pit stops. That was a perfect moment because it was our championship to lose, with where we finished that day in 2004. That was back when Darlington used to be in the playoffs.”