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Kevin Harvick Alsco Uniforms 500k Race Report from Charlotte
nascar
Buescher Comes Home 22nd at Charlotte
CONCORD, N.C. (May 28, 2020) – After earning a valuable stage point by finishing 10th in the first stage of racing Thursday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chris Buescher and the No. 17 Fastenal team battled a tight handling car to a 22nd -place finish in the second race at the 1.5-mile track this week.
The team got off to a fast start, rolling off the grid 11th and holding position through the first caution of the race on lap one. At lap 29, another caution flag flew for lightning in the area and the team came down pit road for a 75-minute red flag delay. When the caution flag was displayed again, the No. 17 team elected to stay out to maintain track position. By Lap 39, Buescher was scored 10th and held on to that position through the green-white-checkered flag for stage one, earning the stage point.
The No. 17 crew had an outstanding pit stop, gaining three positions on pit road resulting in Buescher’s seventh-place restart for stage two. At lap 72, Buescher was running 11th as a caution flag waved; the team pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustment to loosen up the Fastenal Ford taking it back on track in 19th. A competitor car stalled in front of Buescher at the restart, causing the team to lose several positions, and he ultimately finished stage two, 21st with reports of a tight Ford.
Buescher took the green flag for the final stage of racing in 21st. The No. 17 team worked all stage to loosen up the No. 17 Ford, but ran out of time. During the only caution of the stage, the team pitted for a track bar adjustment, four tires and fuel. After restarting 19th, Buescher held onto his track position as long as possible, before ultimately taken the checkered flag 22nd.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway, Sunday May 31 for a 500-lap event, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90).
Newman Finishes 17th Thursday at Charlotte
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 28, 2020) – Track position proved to be the key to the race, as Ryan Newman drove his No. 6 Roush Performance Ford to a 17th -place finish in Thursday night’s 208-lap race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Originally scheduled to be run on Wednesday, Newman started 27th based off his finish in Sunday’s Coke 600. The 310-mile event was again affected by weather just after the green flag dropped, causing an hour-plus lightning and rain delay.
With a competition caution at lap 20, Newman was 24th and reporting the balance was nearly dialed in aboard his Roush Performance machine. The red flag was displayed a few laps later at lap 30, in what resulted in a delay of 75 minutes.
Once track-drying efforts were complete, Newman fired off 20th for the restart at lap 24, the same position he would end the stage in by lap 55. Following service on pit road, he restarted 19th for stage two.
Newman received a tire rub on the left rear on the ensuing restart that would last for several laps, before the yellow came back out at lap 73. With the top-15 cars staying out under the yellow, Newman fired off 24th at lap 78, and powered his way to 16th by lap 84, before going on to finish the stage in 23rd.
After starting the final stage in 15th, the handling unfortunately went away aboard Newman’s machine as the race ran caution-free and he crossed the line 17th.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway for 500 laps at ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile.’ Race coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Partnership with Novant Health Takes Flight with Zipline
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (May 27, 2020) – Working in extreme conditions where the clock is always ticking, Stewart-Haas Racing is well-versed in delivering under the most intense circumstances. The championship-winning NASCAR team has put its experience to good use during the COVID-19 pandemic, partnering with Novant Health to deliver 20 million face masks and produce 120 ICU webcam carts.
Today, its partnership takes flight. Literally.
Novant Health has launched an emergency drone logistics operation for hospital pandemic response through a partnership with Zipline, the world’s only national-scale, on-demand drone logistics service, which will provide drone flight services. Stewart-Haas Racing is providing 25,000-square-feet of property adjacent to its Kannapolis campus for Zipline to deliver medical supplies via its fleet of drones to Novant Health’s integrated system of physician practices, hospitals and outpatient centers.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Novant Health a Part 107 waiver to begin operation, which is being initiated as part of the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program (IPP).
The operation provides contactless distribution of personal protective equipment and critical medical supplies to frontline healthcare workers in the Charlotte, North Carolina, metro area. The operation helps position Novant Health, which operates 15 hospitals and nearly 700 locations in the southeastern United States, to adapt quickly to the evolving pandemic and could lead to such innovative uses as testing, drug trials and vaccine distribution in the future.
The groundbreaking operation will provide ongoing drone logistics flights in Class-D controlled airspace, where all air traffic is actively managed by the FAA under a Part 107 waiver issued to a major U.S. healthcare system. True to its roots, North Carolina is once again “First in Flight.”
“This new part of our relationship with Stewart-Haas Racing has – quite literally – taken our logistics operations to new heights,” said Mark Welch, senior vice president of supply chain, Novant Health. “Once again, SHR stepped up when we had a need in response to this pandemic by providing us the critical space to create our distribution center. This operation is taking Novant Health logistics to the next level and we could not do it without the assistance of Stewart-Haas Racing.”
The operation uses battery-powered drones with autonomous navigation systems which launch from a distribution center near Stewart-Haas Racing. Novant Health is able to move its products efficiently from this hub to its frontline medical teams powered by Zipline’s long-range, fixed-wing drones. Since 2016, Zipline has used its fleet of drones to deliver 110,000 vaccines, units of blood and critical medications internationally.
“As soon as we heard about the initiative Novant Health had with Zipline, our only question was, ‘How can we help?’,” said Mike Verlander, vice president of sales and marketing, Stewart-Haas Racing. “Finding a tract of land that could be used for the distribution center was paramount, and Gene Haas, the co-owner of our race team, had the perfect spot right behind our race shop. He cut through all the red tape and dirt was quickly moved. We helped with logistical coordination during the build and have seen firsthand the work of the Zipline crew and the efficiency of the distribution center and the technology it houses. It’s all very impressive.”
In the span of a few minutes, a lightweight drone takes off from Novant Health’s distribution center, with the package placed inside a parachute in the belly of the Zipline drone. When the drone reaches its destination, it simply drops the parachute and the healthcare worker collects it. The drone then returns to the distribution center to get outfitted for its next flight.
“Zipline has been hard at work helping other countries respond to the pandemic,” said Keller Rinaudo, CEO, Zipline. “And we’re proud to partner with Novant Health, a true leader in healthcare innovation, to begin helping in the United States as well. We’re likely in for a long-term fight against COVID-19. Using contactless drone logistics will be an important tool in that effort. The work underway here in North Carolina will provide the rest of the country with a blueprint for how to build the most resilient and responsive healthcare system possible.”
Over the next two years, the partnership plans to expand beyond emergency operations in the Charlotte area to regular commercial operations, subject to approval under FAA Part 135 rules, to serve health facilities and, ultimately, patients’ homes across the state. Novant Health and Zipline’s partnership seeks to create a next-generation model for health system logistics leveraging contactless drone deliveries. To accomplish this, Zipline works hand-in-hand with national civil aviation authorities.
Safety is Zipline’s top priority at every stage of operation. Zipline drones are designed to automatically detect issues inflight and safely return to base for repair. Each drone is equipped with redundant flight computers, motors, communications systems, and flight control surfaces, as well as redundant navigation and power systems. In the event of emergencies like severe weather or unplanned flight operation issues, each drone is equipped with a parachute that allows it to make an immediate landing by slowly descending to the ground.
Zipline drones weigh approximately 40 pounds with payload, have a top speed of 80 mph, can service a 50-mile radius, and can carry packages close to four pounds, even in high winds and rain.
About Stewart-Haas Racing:
Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 70 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/
Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Charlotte II
Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Charlotte II
The NASCAR Cup Series hits the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway for its second event in four days with a shorter, 310.6-mile event under the lights. After Chris Buescher’s top-10 finish in Sunday’s Coke 600, Jack Roush has 80 top-10 runs at the oval at CMS all-time, the fourth-most of any track on the circuit for the NASCAR Hall of Fame owner.
Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-Mile)
Alsco Uniforms 500
Wednesday, May 27, 2020 | 8 p.m. ET
FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
- Ryan Newman, No. 6 Roush Performance Ford Mustang
- Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
NASCAR Returns to Action
- NASCAR continues its return to racing Wednesday with the fourth Cup Series event in a 10-day span as Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts its second consecutive race – this time a condensed, 310.6-mile shootout.
- From Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 to Wednesday, cars will turn nearly 1000 miles this week alone as the series is slated for its eighth points race overall of 2020, and fourth in the return of the sport. Following Wednesday’s race, the NCS will then hit five different tracks from May 31 – June 21 in the remainder of the announced scheduled to date.
- Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.
Wednesday Recap, Sunday Preview
- Ryan Newman appeared poised for a strong run in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, having powered his Roman Ford inside the top-10, before a faulty battery dropped the team off the pace just over halfway through the race.
- Newman recorded a 10th-place finish in stage one, but with only four cautions over the final 150 laps, he was unable to gain all his laps back to settle for a 28th-place finish.
- Buescher picked up three spots during a hectic final two-lap shootout to bring his Fifth Third Ford home 10th in the Coke 600. He and the 17 team overcame an early pit road penalty to record their second top-10 of 2020.
Invert Determines Starting Lineup for Wednesday
The NASCAR Cup Series held a qualifying session for Sunday’s Coke 600 – the first and only scheduled qualifying thus far in NASCAR’s return – as Newman qualified 18th with Buescher 19th. The top-20 invert is back for Wednesday’s race, with Buescher rolling off 11th after a 10th-place run. Newman will fire off 28th after his finish on Sunday.
Golden Sombrero
Roush Fenway won a record four-consecutive Coca-Cola 600’s from 1999-2002 with drivers Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin. During that span, Roush Fenway led 427 laps, including 201 of 400 laps in the 1999 event.
2006 Dominance in the Coca-Cola 600
Roush Fenway had its best overall outing in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2006, when its five entries averaged a 5.4 finish. Roush Fenway Fords finished third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth while leading 52 laps in the event. In 2002, Roush Fenway posted a one-two finish in the event with Martin and Kenseth battling feverishly for the win and combining to lead 67 laps in the race (with Martin taking the win).
Tale of the Tape
Roush Fenway has started 212 NCS races at Charlotte, recording eight total wins with 46 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. RFR Fords have an average finish of 16.3 with 2627 laps led all-time.
Roush Fenway Charlotte Wins
1992-2 Martin Cup
1995-2 Martin Cup
1998-2 Martin Cup
1999-1 Burton Cup
2000-1 Kenseth Cup
2001-1 Burton Cup
2002-1 Martin Cup
2011-2 Kenseth Cup
1993-2 Martin NXS
1995-2 Martin NXS
1996-1 Martin NXS
1996-2 Martin NXS
1998-1 Martin NXS
1999-1 Martin NXS
2000-1 Burton NXS
2001-2 Biffle NXS
2002-2 Burton NXS
2006-1 Edwards NXS
2011-1 Kenseth NXS
2011-2 Edwards NXS
2011-2 Edwards NXS
2015-1 Buescher NXS
Ryan Newman | Charlotte II Advance
NASCAR Returns to Action
- NASCAR continues its return to racing Wednesday with the fourth Cup Series event in a 10-day span as Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts its second consecutive race – this time a condensed, 310.6-mile shootout.
- From Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 to Wednesday, cars will turn nearly 1000 miles this week alone as the series is slated for its eighth points race overall of 2020, and fourth in the return of the sport. Following Wednesday’s race, the NCS will then hit five different tracks from May 31 – June 21 in the remainder of the announced scheduled so far.
- Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.
Sunday Recap, Wednesday Preview
- Newman fought battery issues inside his Roman Ford in Sunday’s long Coca-Cola 600, putting him off the lead lap for the second half of the event. Despite the issues, Newman had fought his way inside the top-10 early on with one stage point after the first segment.
- Wednesday’s starting lineup will once again be set by an invert of the top-20 cars, with cars 21-40 starting in their respective finish positions from Sunday, meaning Newman will be gridded 27th.
Newman Historically at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Sunday marks Newman’s 38th start at the oval of Charlotte Motor Speedway. He has an overall average finish of 18.4.
- Newman has turned in 15 career top-10 finishes at CMS including seven from 2013-17.
- Newman has an impressive nine poles at CMS dating back to 2001, by the far the most of any active driver at the 1.5-mile track and tied for second-most of any driver in NASCAR history. Only David Pearson has more with 14, while Newman and Jeff Gordon are tied for second. He swept the pole awards in 2003 and 2007, and also secured the top spot in 2001, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2010.
- Newman has five Xfinity Series starts at CMS with one win (2005) and finished top-10 in each race. He also made one start in the truck series there in 2009 finishing fourth in a Kevin Harvick-owned truck.
Scott Graves at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Graves will call his ninth NCS race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Wednesday. In eight prior starts he has an average finish of 17.1 with one top-10 (sixth – 2017).
- He also has sixth starts in the NXS atop the pit box, earning four top-10s and one top five. He finished third with Suarez in 2016, and also earned three top-10s with Chris Buescher in 2014 and 2015.
QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on the Wednesday’s race:
“We’re looking to rebound Wednesday night after an unfortunate turn of events on Sunday. The battery bug bit us throughout the Coke 600, which isn’t a race you want that to happen at. Despite that, we drove our way into the top-10 early on there and were feeling good about the balance. We’ll regroup and get after it again on Wednesday in a much shorter race.”
Kevin Harvick Alsco Uniforms 500k Advance and Team Report
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Harvick & Bowyer to Sport Dual Paint Schemes #ForTheFarmers At Atlanta Race
NEW YORK, MAY 26, 2020: Busch, the beer brewed for America’s heartland and a long-time supporter of agricultural communities, announced today that it will provide funds for the nonprofit Farm Rescue to expand its operations into Kansas. Farm Rescue will begin harvest assistance operations in Kansas immediately, with Busch marking this milestone with the release of limited-edition Corn Cans across the country*. Busch is raising further awareness to the cause with NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick and Kansas-native Clint Bowyer at the June 7 NASCAR Cup Series race in Atlanta. Kansas is the first new state to be added to Farm Rescue’s support network since 2017 and will be the seventh state supported overall.
The expansion into Kansas will allow Farm Rescue to provide free harvest assistance to farm families throughout the state experiencing a major illness, injury or natural disaster. Since its inception in 2005, Farm Rescue has helped nearly 700 family farms sustain operations in times of crisis. These efforts are made possible through a network of volunteers from across the United States. Busch has been a partner of Farm Rescue since early 2019 and played an instrumental role in facilitating Farm Rescue’s entry to Kansas with a mix of financial support, public affairs assistance, and more.
“Farm Rescue is an incredible organization that has not only helped, but saved, hundreds of family farms throughout the Midwest,” said Daniel Blake, VP of Value Brands at Anheuser-Busch “What originally started off as a small partnership has grown into something really special, and as unexpected injuries, illnesses and natural disasters continue to strike, we’re honored to take our partnership with Farm Rescue to the next level so they can keep providing critical assistance to more family farms across the country.”
Busch recently teased the news of this partnership with the release of their special-edition Busch Light Corn Cans, a remixed edition of the classic Busch Light can and packaging. Consumers nationwide can support Farm Rescue with every purchase of the new limited-edition Busch Light corn packs in select states**. For each pack purchased in these states between May 18 and July 5, 2020 $1 will be donated by Busch, up to $100,000 to benefit Farm Rescue’s ongoing efforts.
“We are very grateful for the unwavering support Busch has provided toward our mission of helping America’s farmers,” said Bill Gross, President of Farm Rescue. “Thanks to their generosity, we are mobilizing equipment and volunteers throughout Kansas to help farm families in times of crisis.”
Busch will raise additional awareness for Farm Rescue and farmers across America at the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race in Atlanta on June 7, with Busch-sponsored driver Kevin Harvick teaming up with Kansas-native Clint Bowyer to race in the same corn-themed paint scheme. Throughout the race fans will have the chance to win a suite of farm-related prizes, and can check out @BuschBeer on Twitter ahead of June 7 to find out more information.
Fans can head to ForTheFarmers.org to learn more, and stay informed as race day approaches. Fans can also check out the Busch social accounts (@BuschBeer) to shop exclusive Busch/Farm Rescue merchandise including apparel and corn hole games.
Wood Bros. Racing: Wednesday Night Racing at Charlotte
After the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Richmond team are ready for a fresh start back at Charlotte in Wednesday night’s 500-kilometer race.
“I feel good going into Wednesday,” DiBenedetto said. “We’re starting fourth, and racing the primary car, so that’s good.”
The line-up for Wednesday’s race was set by inverting the finish of the Coca-Cola 600, where DiBenedetto finished 17th. The top 20 finishing positions from Sunday were inverted, and the remainder of the field will start Wednesday’s race from where they finished the 600.
On Sunday at Charlotte, DiBenedetto bounced off the wall in qualifying and had to race a back-up Ford Mustang in the 600. “It was a messy race,” he said. “The car was way looser than expected in qualifying. We took the back-up and had to work on it a lot, but we fought from really struggling to an easy top-10 car.”
He said he expects Wednesday to go much smoother for him and the Menards/Richmond team. “The car has plenty of speed, so I feel much better about the race,” he said.
DiBenedetto said racing again after just two off days, and running four races in 11 days, has caused him to modify his weekly routine.
“I’m backing off my training a good bit,” he said, explaining that he’s giving his body time to recover between races. “Racing puts a lot of strain on you, but I’m still working out three or four days a week.”
There will be no practice or qualifying for the 312-mile Alsco 500k, and the green flag is set to fly just after 8 p.m. on Wednesday with TV coverage on Fox Sport One.