NASCAR XFINITY Series Overview

Event:             NASCAR XFINITY Series 250 at Atlanta
Date:               Saturday, March. 04, 2017
Location:        Atlanta Motor Speedway
Layout:           1.54-mile oval (Quad-oval)

Kevin Harvick Notes of Interest

• The No. 41 Textron Off Road Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) makes its XFINITY Series debut at Atlanta.
• Harvick is scheduled to make five XFINITY Series starts in the No. 41 Ford Mustang for SHR in 2017.
• He is making his 16th career NASCAR XFINITY Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• Harvick has four XFINITY Series wins at Atlanta, including three consecutive wins from 2013 – 2015.
• He also has nine top-five finishes and 11 top-10s in 15 XFINITY Series starts at Atlanta.
• His XFINITY Series history includes 46 wins, 178 top-five finishes, 250 top-10s, 25 poles and 9,322 laps led in 335 starts.
• Harvick will share the field with SHR teammate Cole Custer in the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang at Atlanta.

Kevin Harvick, Driver No. 41 Textron Off Road Ford Mustang

“It’s a great weekend for us to feature the new Textron Off Road name for the XFINITY Series debut of the No. 41 Ford Mustang. Just for the fact that I’ve had a partnership with Textron for a long time and have used their off-road vehicles for many years. I was able to test the new Stampede vehicle a few months back. It was a lot of fun to drive and tough enough to take virtually anywhere. Hopefully we can take them on a ride this weekend in Atlanta and celebrate their new name in victory lane.”

Richard Boswell, Crew Chief No. 41 Textron Off Road Ford Mustang

How did your opportunity to join Stewart-Haas Racing materialize?

“I worked with Kevin (Harvick) over at JR Motorsports for about two years as an engineer on the XFINITY side. When Stewart-Haas Racing was looking for a crew chief for the next XFINITY Series deal, Matt Goslant reached out to me. He knew that I had worked with Kevin in the past. I thought it’d be a good opportunity for me to try. I’d been looking for an opportunity to move up to the crew chief role and this was too good to pass up.”

What made working on the No. 41 Textron Ford Mustang team at Stewart-Haas Racing’s appealing to you?

“The opportunity to work with Kevin Harvick was big especially since we’d worked together in the past, but this was a chance to take a step up into a higher level role. This is a part-time deal and I’m used to full-time racing, so that’s taking a little bit of getting used to. Being at the racetrack every week helps you learn a lot, but working with one of the best drivers in the garage helps you learn a lot too. That was really the biggest reason is it was a chance to work with Kevin and Stewart-Haas Racing.”

This team is starting from scratch. What has been the biggest adjustment so far?

“The biggest adjustment so far is really just trying to manage all the different areas that a crew chief has to touch. I’m trying to be as hands on in every area so that I can help the guys that are working on the car and still know what we’re bringing to the racetrack when we unload. Managing all of that has been a bit of an adjustment.”

Is this a new Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang?

“It’s a brand new car. It’s the first Ford Mustang that we’ve built from top to bottom in-house at Stewart-Haas Racing for the XFINITY Series.”

For the first time in his 17-year Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career, Kurt Busch is undefeated. Having won Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, his first in the “Great American Race,” Busch is boasting a perfect 1-0 record.

To be fair, there is still a lot of racing to go – 35 points-paying events to be exact – but that hasn’t stopped the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champ from enjoying the fact that, for now, he is in a league of his own.

As the Daytona 500 champion, Busch has spent the last two days in a whirlwind of celebratory activities that included a breakfast ceremony Monday morning with members of the media and having his winning No. 41 Ford enshrined for display at Daytona. He followed that up with a trip to New York for a series of interviews and television show appearances, with more to come as the week continues.

In the midst of all of the fanfare that goes with winning the Daytona 500, the Las Vegas native has started turning his attention to the next event on the 2017 Cup Series schedule, which just so happens to be at a track where he has enjoyed unabashed success – Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Driving the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), Busch aims to improve his season record to 2-0 by winning Sunday’s Folds of Honor 500 Cup Series race. And given his career statistics at the 1.54-mile Atlanta oval, there is plenty of reason to enter the race weekend with high expectations.

A three-time Atlanta winner, Busch has long lauded the track referred to as “Hotlanta” as his favorite. The term “hot,” however, is not something likely to be tossed around much this time of year, and that suits the 38-year-old Busch just fine, having scored two of his three Atlanta wins during the month of March – in 2009 and 2010. In addition to that pair of wins, Busch also won there in October 2002, a feat he accomplished behind the wheel of a Ford, the manufacturing partner of SHR.

While the wins are what everyone remembers, Busch’s overall record at Atlanta is certainly noteworthy, featuring six top-five finishes and 11 top-10s in 25 starts. Complementing Busch’s results at Atlanta is the fact that he’s led at least one lap in 12 different races for a total of 749 laps led, has failed to finish a race on only three occasions, and has completed all but 629 laps run in his 25 starts for a lap-completion rate of 92.2 percent.

Perhaps more telling is Busch’s most recent work at Atlanta. In his last seven starts there, Busch has not finished worse than 13th. During that stretch, Busch has recorded one pole, having started from the top spot in the 2016 edition of the Folds of Honor 500, and scored one win, four top-five finishes and five top-10s.

Busch would like nothing more than to score another win in the 2017 edition of the Folds of Honor 500 to record his fourth NASCAR Cup Series win at Atlanta and extend his season record to a perfect 2-0.

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

Has it sunk in yet that you are a Daytona 500 champion?

“I’ll tell you it’s been surreal. To win a Daytona 500 is hard to put into words. It’s beyond belief, really. As a kid, you watch this race on TV and you live the experiences with each of the drivers who win the race or lose the race. After 16 years of having it go 16 different ways, when you win it one time, it erases all of those memories and you now have this permanent memory of being able to drive into victory lane with a winning car, and a winning car that is put together by a great group of guys, a talented group of guys, and a committed group of guys. This year, it’s even that much more special because we switched over to Ford in the offseason and that brought a lot of change to Stewart-Haas Racing. That change brought everybody together with a different comradery that we hadn’t had before. We’re a strong unit together at SHR, but to switch over to Ford and put in all that extra time with the chassis dyno, the wind tunnel, the massaging of this area of the car, or to build this new component. I felt, coming to Speedweeks this year, I had the most puzzle pieces in place and I just kept believing, and here we are as a team as Daytona 500 champions. It’s a great feeling.”

Turning your attention to Atlanta, you won the pole and finished fourth at Atlanta last year. With the new 2017 rule package, what do you think we’ll see there this weekend?

“I expect it will be loose and that we’ll see a lot of slipping and sliding. With the way that the new segments are going to blend in, you don’t want to use up your tires too early in the race because you want to save a set, maybe even two sets, for the final 20 laps. You never know when yellow flags are going to come out and that changes the game. If you don’t have tires ready, then you’re going to be in a defensive position instead of offensive.”

What is the key to being successful at Atlanta?

“The key is not to wear out one tire more than the others. You need all four to wear evenly. You need a nice, balanced racecar to where it’s not stressed on corner entry or corner exit. If you have too much wheel input in one spot, it’s going to chew up those tires.”

Is there anything that you’ve found to be particularly difficult about Atlanta?

“It seems like turns three and four, if you find the bottom and hook the apron perfectly, there are two-tenths (of a second) that you can carry magically all the way through that corner. So if you can hook that apron and hit it just right, then your lap time will really look good. If you miss it, then you’re struggling and trying to find it the next lap. The problem is that the tires wear out so fast and now you’ve got to try and change your strategy each time.”

Last year, when retiring three-time champion Tony Stewart was asked about Clint Bowyer, his 2017 replacement in the No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Fusion, Stewart offered an interesting description of Bowyer’s personality:

“Bowyer is like taking a thousand rubber balls and throwing them off the top of a building, then watching them bounce,” Stewart said with a laugh after playing a key role in recruiting Bowyer to the Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) team he and Gene Haas formed in 2009 and has since won 37 races, a Daytona 500 and two championships.

Stewart’s sharp wit and Bowyer’s frenetic personality should make for some lively moments over the next several years at SHR and in the garage. But beneath the humor, each holds the other in high esteem. Bowyer says everyone who’s followed the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series knows Tony Stewart the driver, but there aren’t as many who are familiar with Stewart’s role and importance as a leader at SHR.

“He’s a really good owner,” said Bowyer, who is driving for his fourth NASCAR Cup Series team since 2006. “That was the side of Tony that I didn’t know. He obviously is a lot of fun to be around as a racecar driver and as Tony Stewart – as ‘Smoke.’ But as an owner, I’ve really watched him over the offseason, in particular the Christmas party.

“I went over to the company Christmas party and I look over and Santa Claus is there, and then I got to looking a little closer and it’s Tony. Tony is Santa Claus, which, by the way, he fit perfectly into the outfit. I mean, it was like it was tailored to him, but nonetheless, it was jolly old St. Nick, Tony Stewart, who really took the time and walked all around and embraced his employees and thanked his employees and made them feel like they’re family.

Bowyer said Stewart’s treatment of employees, including himself, will pay dividends on the racetrack. Bowyer said Stewart has mentally helped him return to the front of the field. SHR drivers Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Danica Patrick likely have similar tales.

“Tony’s given me a great deal of confidence of putting me in that racecar, as has Gene Haas,” Bowyer said. “People have asked me, ‘How do you have the confidence to get back to where you need to be?’ And that’s it. That’s all the confidence you need. You have a three-time champion of this sport and a big-time owner in motorsports who had the confidence in you to put you in the thing, so that gave me all the confidence I needed to be behind the wheel.”

That confidence showed at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway last week, when Bowyer qualified fourth, then finished second in his qualifying race. A midrace accident ruined Bowyer’s bid for a good finish and left him with a 32nd-place finish, but the No. 14 crew took confidence in the good Daytona performances.

Stewart’s was a frequent voice on Bowyer’s radio during the race.

This weekend, Bowyer and the No. 14 team led by crew chief Mike Bugarewicz travel to the high-speed Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second race of the Cup Series season. Bowyer is still looking for his first top-five at Atlanta, but that isn’t indicative of his performance history at the 1.5-mile oval. He led 52 laps at Atlanta during the March 2008 race before finishing sixth. The most heartbreaking moment there came in September 2013, when he led 48 of the first 192 laps before engine failure.

In total, Bowyer has led 115 laps at Atlanta but only has four sixth-place finishes to show for the effort. With the new combination of SHR, Ford and a strong No. 14 team, Bowyer is a good bet to better those marks Sunday.

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

How familiar are you with your SHR teammates?

“I’ve worked with Kevin (Harvick) for many years. I’m looking forward to Kurt (Busch). Kurt is the one who I’ve never really known a lot about. Always raced against him, but never worked with him in any way, shape or form. Danica, I’m closer to her than probably some of the others, so I’m just looking forward to it. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be a neat atmosphere and something that, 10 years into this thing, one of the best opportunities ever is at your doorstep and fixing to happen. It’s pretty cool.”

MIKE BUGAREWICZ, Crew chief of the No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

How has Clint Bowyer been so far?

“This whole team is really excited. You can see a new life with us. We’re excited with the new partnership with Ford and especially having Clint on board. You can see it in his face throughout Daytona. Like he said, ‘I feel rich again.’ He’s always a crack-up and going to bring a lot of liveliness to the group just being around him. He’s going to be entertaining, to say the least, this year.”

What is your strategy for the 2017 season?

“The first thing you have to do is show you are strong and can be competitive. We are going to race for top-10s every week and that’s how we’re going to start. A win might come our way and that would be great; that’s what we want to do, we are out to win. The first thing as a team to proceed toward winning a championship is start running in the top-10, then you start being consistent and you run in the top five. Once you are in the top-five, you look for those opportunities to win, whether its segments or end of the race. That’s the methodical approach we are taking into the 2017 season.”

Event:               PowerShares QQQ 300 (Round 1 of 33)
Date:                 Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017
Location:          Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
Layout:             2.5-mile oval (restrictor-plate track)

Cole Custer Notes of Interest

• The PowerShares QQQ 300 will mark Cole Custer’s sixth career NASCAR XFINITY Series start, his first career XFINITY Series start at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and his first career XFINITY Series start in a restrictor-plate race.
• Custer’s five previous XFINITY Series starts came in 2016. His best result was a fourth-place finish May 28 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. 
• Custer has two overall starts at Daytona between the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Racing Series. Both came in February 2016 during Speedweeks, with Custer finishing 24^th in the Truck Series race and 10^th in the ARCA race. 
• Custer won the pole for the 2016 ARCA season opener at Daytona, becoming the youngest pole winner in Daytona history among the ARCA, Truck, XFINITY and Cup series.
• Custer has competed in three restrictor-plate races – twice in the Camping World Truck Series (once at Daytona and once at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway) and once in ARCA (Daytona). All of them came in 2016. His best Truck Series finish was 24^th at Daytona and his best ARCA finish was 10^th.
• Custer is competing for rookie-of-the-year honors in the XFINITY Series.

Cole Custer, Driver Q&A

What does racing at Daytona mean to you?

“Daytona is definitely one of the most historic tracks we go to, so it means a lot just to get to race there. Getting a win there also puts you with some legendary names in the sport. Growing up, I always looked forward to Daytona because the pack racing was so cool and it was the first race of the year. It’s always a surreal feeling to race at Daytona because you can’t believe you’re doing what you dreamed of as a kid.”

 You’ve competed at Daytona twice in your career, but never in the XFINITY Series. How do you feel those past experiences will prepare you for the PowerShares QQQ 300? 

“I feel the Truck and ARCA Series helped prepare me to get used to racing in the pack and working with the air. It kind of gave me an idea of where I need to be in the pack and how to stay out of trouble. There are definitely a lot of different things about the XFINITY Series that I will have to learn, though. There are a lot of guys out there with a lot of experience in plate racing, but I’m looking forward to getting in my new Haas Automation Ford Mustang and competing for a top position.”

 You’re only 19 years old, but you’ve been a rookie many times already in a career that has advanced you to the XFINITY Series. Even with all the newness of the XFINITY Series, does having been a rookie in USAC, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and the Camping World Truck Series, and then establishing yourself in those series, give you the confidence you need to compete at this level?

“The XFINITY Series will definitely be a new challenge with a lot of tough competitors, but I’m confident in Stewart-Haas and Ford to give the team a great season. I think we have a great shot at a successful season and I’m looking forward to it.”

 What are your expectations for Daytona and your rookie XFINITY Series season?

“I think we have as good of a shot as anyone to win at Daytona. We’re building some great Haas Automation Ford Mustangs and have great support from Ford and Stewart-Haas. Stewart-Haas is one of the best teams in NASCAR right now, so I’m confident in our abilities. I think we’ll have a really good shot at Daytona and I’m really looking forward to it. Right now, Daytona is all about staying out of trouble and getting a solid finish. A win would be great, but a solid finish and staying out of trouble would be great, too. For the season, I would like to aim for some solid finishes to start, then make our way to the playoffs and go from there.”

Jeff Meendering, Crew Chief Q&A

 You’ve worked with a lot of veteran drivers, including championship-winning drivers Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte and Matt Kenseth. What’s it like to work with a rookie driver?“It’s really nice. It’s a new perspective and neat to see someone who is really excited about it, wants to be a part of it and puts most of his time and effort working to make it better. He goes to the wind tunnel and works all day in the shop. It’s different seeing that side of things. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

What have you learned about Custer and what are your expectations for Daytona and the season?“We just want to keep improving. We want to start by consistently being a top-15 team, then a top-10 team, then a top-five team and, by the end of the season, be contenders for a championship. We’ve done one test with Cole now and I’ve really enjoyed working with him. He gives great feedback and, when you ask him questions, he has great answers. He does a great job at steering you in the direction to make the car handle better. I think we’re going to work very well together.”