Brad Keselowski

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Bristol

by Mike
Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Bristol

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report

Track:                Bristol Motor Speedway

Race:                 Food City Presents Supermarket Heroes 500

Date:                 May 31, 2020

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No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski

Start:  1st

Stage 1: 3rd 

Stage 2: 9th

Finish: 1st (32nd-career NASCAR Cup Series victory)

Status: Running 

Laps Completed: 500/500

Laps Led: 115

Point Standings (behind first): 4th (-55)

Notes: 

  • Brad Keselowski went from third to first with three laps to go to score his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2020 season Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway.  Keselowski was running behind leaders Joey Logano and Chase Elliott when the they made contact in Turn 3. The driver of the Discount Tire Ford grabbed the lead with three laps to go and never looked back, officially taking the checkered flag by .471 seconds over second-place Clint Bowyer.
  • Keselowski drew the pole position and led the first 62 laps in the event before scoring a third-place finish when Stage 1 ended on lap 125. The driver of the No. 2 Mustang was good at the top of the track but was struggling with turning in the center on the bottom. He pitted on lap 130 for four tires and restarted fourth when the race went green on lap 136.
  • He finished ninth when Stage 2 ended on lap 250. Keselowski said he needed a longer run and for the track to come to him. A mix of pit strategies among the leaders shuffled the driver of the Discount Tire Ford Mustang back to 16th when the third and final stage went green on lap 261.
  • By lap 327, Keselowski has worked his way into the top-10 but got zapped by a speeding penalty after a four-tire stop under caution on lap 330, moving him back to 16th position.
  • On lap 460, crew chief Jeremy Bullins made the pit call that put his driver in position to win the race. He called Keselowski to pit road for a change of left-side tires. Keselowski restarted 12th three laps later and, armed with fresher tires, began his march to the front.
  • He was up to fourth-place when the 17th and final caution set up the final restart of the race on lap 495. Lined up in the preferred outside lane, Keselowski was in perfect position to avoid trouble when Logano and Elliott made contact, giving him the lead with three laps to go.
  • The victory was Keselowski’s second of the 2020 season and his 32nd in 386 NASCAR Cup Series races. He won for the third time in 21 Cup starts at Bristol Motor Speedway and jumps up to fourth-place in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings.

 

Quotes: “We kind of got a Christmas present here in Bristol but we’ll take it.  We’re in position and able to strike when it counted with the Discount Tire Ford Mustang.  Joey and Chase got together there, and I don’t know what all caused it, but we were just in position to strike and here we are in victory lane. I wish I could celebrate with my team, but you know how everything is right now.  There’s so much going on in the world I’m just so thankful to get to be a race car driver and get to do this.”

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No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney

Start: 4th

Stage 1: 2nd

Stage 2: 40th

Finish: 40th

Status: Accident

Laps Completed: 199/500

Laps Led: 60

Point Standings (Behind First): 9th (-96)

  • A promising early start for Ryan Blaney ended up with an accident on lap 199 and a 40th-place finish in the Supermarket Heroes 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway. The driver of the Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang led 60 laps on the day.
  • Blaney started fourth and quickly worked his way to second behind teammate Brad Keselowski. A lap-20 competition caution would see the High Point, N.C. native remain on track. He would fall back to fifth on the restart before the caution would waive for second time on lap 62 for another competition caution. Solid pit service would get Blaney out fourth.
  • On the restart, Blaney would get back up to second behind Keselowski and would eventually pass him for the lead on lap 84. He would lead the next 21 circuits before being passed by Chase Elliott on lap 105. Blaney would hold on to second when Stage 1 ended on lap 125.
  • Strong pit service by the Menards crew got Blaney out with the lead as Stage 2 began. He would lead the next 39 laps before relinquishing the top spot to Keselowski on lap 170.
  • On lap 199, Blaney would get loose in turn 2 while racing for the lead and lose control of the Menards Ford. He would be hit by Ty Dillion, ending a promising a day. Blaney now sits eighth in the championship standings, 96 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Quote: “I was running up there for a little bit. I did not think I was that high and suddenly I hit a slick spot. I was way high and that is obviously not where I wanted to be, but I did not think I was that high getting in there. It might have just been trying to get too much and got in the marbles and spun out. I thought we were going be okay and then we got destroyed about six seconds later, so that’s just Bristol. I probably should not have been pushing that hard, but I was trying to get back to the lead. I thought we found some speed up there, just a mistake on my part. I hate it for Menards and Richmond and everybody on this No. 12 team. After having two strong weeks, you go and you wreck not even halfway, so that is just a bummer. We’ll go to Atlanta and see what we can do.”

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No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang – Joey Logano 

Start:  3rd

Stage 1: 5th

Stage 2: 4th

Finish: 21st

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 500/500

Laps Led: 2

Point Standings (Behind First): 2nd (-14)

     

Notes:

  • Joey Logano started third and lead the race with just three laps remaining, but was forced into the outside wall late, ending a stellar day and remarkable late race surge by the No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang by finishing 21st. Logano was credited with leading two laps on the afternoon after rebounding from a pit road speeding penalty late in the Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • After starting third, Logano raced inside the top-five throughout the opening stage. The team elected to remain on the track at the lap 20-caution flag. In the run to the end of the first stage, Logano reported the Autotrader Ford Mustang was good on entry and exit. The stage ending stop netted Logano two positions and lined him up in third for the Stage 2 start.
  • During the second stage, Logano reported he’d lost center turn in the Autotrader Mustang, and with a caution at lap 199. To complicate matters, Logano took right rear damage racing three-wide. Logano survived some inside lane restarts late in the second stage, ultimately bringing the Autotrader Ford Mustang home in the fourth position at the green-checkered.
  • Split strategies on the stage ending caution lined the Autotrader Ford Mustang up in the 13th position for the restart, the deepest Logano had been in the field all afternoon. On a lap 330 pit stop, quick work by the 22 crew sent Logano from eighth to third, however, the Autotrader Mustang was assessed a pit penalty for too fast entering, dropping Logano to the 17th position for the restart.
  • As caution with 68 laps remaining brought the teams back to pit road, Logano reported he needed to be freed up for the run to the finish as he’d been battling a tight condition. As the race continued to play out, Logano found himself inside the top-five and briefly claimed the lead with three laps to go before the No. 9 of Chase Elliott missed corner entry, collecting Logano and the No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang, ending a remarkable rebound.

 

Quote: “We just got wrecked there at the end. It’s a shame, we made good changes all day on our Autotrader Mustang, put ourselves in a position to win and then got wrecked with three to go. It’s unfortunate, we had a really good points day and had a shot at a third win on the season there at the end.”

Views: 463
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Suárez Scores Solid Top-20 at Bristol

by Mike
Suárez Scores Solid Top-20 at Bristol
It’s Good To Be Genuine Toyota Survives Eventful Race with 18th-Place Run
Date: May 31, 2020

Event: Supermarket Heroes 500

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)

Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (125 laps/125 laps/250 laps)

Start/Finish: 37th / 18th (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)

Point Standing: 31st with 91 points, 279 out of first

 

Race Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-125):

● Started 37th, finished 34th.

● Suárez got a good launch at the wave of the green flag, moved to 31st on the first lap and to 29th when the first caution appeared on lap seven for a single-car accident. He said the It’s Good To Be Genuine Toyota Camry was OK, that he was just getting used to the track.

● From the lap-12 restart to the first of two competition cautions on lap 20, Suárez dropped a position. After briefly debating whether to pit, crew chief Dave Winston opted to pit for just right-side tires and a slight air pressure adjustment. Suárez restarted 23rd when the race went back to green on lap 29.

● Midway to the lap-60 competition caution, Suárez reported his Toyota was getting loose on corner entry and exit and tight in the center. He fell back to 32nd by the time that caution appeared. He pitted for four tires, fuel, a return to the original right-side air pressures, and a track bar adjustment. A short time after getting back on track, Suárez was among seven drivers called for speeding on pit road and there was confusion coming to the restart about getting those seven cars to drop to the rear of the lead-lap competitors.

● Suárez restarted 32nd on lap 69 without the chance to drop to the rear, and was then instructed to serve a drive-through penalty. That dropped him off the lead lap and back to 35th place.

● The race remained green all the way to the lap-125 stage break and Suárez was not able to make any forward progress, saying his Toyota was still loose on entry and exit and tight in the center. He said the loose exit was manageable. He pitted on lap 136 for four tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment and rejoined in 34th place, two laps down.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 126-250):

● Started 34th, finished 24th.

● From the start of the stage until its first caution on lap 198, Suárez held his ground in 34th but lost another lap to go three down. He said he still needed help with front grip through the center of the corner, and his drive off the corner. He stayed on track to take the wave-around to two laps down.

● Suárez restarted 31st, two laps down, on lap 207 and held position until the caution flag flew again for another single-car incident on lap 211.

● The green flag flew again on lap 216, moments before another yellow for a stalled car on the frontstretch. Suárez pitted, this time, for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. He remained 32nd, two laps down, when the race went back to green on lap 221.

● The caution flag flew yet again on lap 229, this time for a multicar accident on the frontstretch. Suárez had emerged into position as the beneficiary of the Lucky Dog free pass, which moved him up to just one lap down, and still in the Lucky Dog position. The race was red-flagged to clean up the multicar accident on lap 230.

● When the race went green on lap 235 after an 11-minute, 35-second stoppage, Suárez was 25th and just one lap down, and just three laps later, the caution flag flew for a single-car accident that enabled him to cash in another free pass, this time onto the lead lap. He pitted for four tires, fuel and track bar adjustments and restarted 24th on lap 244. He held that position to the caution that ended the stage.

 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 251-500):

● Started 11th, finished 18th.

● Having stayed on track during the stage break, Suárez took the green flag on lap 261 just outside the top-10.

● The caution flag flew on lap 268, by which time Suárez had slid back to 22nd place. He stayed on track and restarted 20th on lap 277 and held that relative position in the early stages of that run.

● It turned out to be 56 consecutive laps of green, during which time Suárez dropped two positions back to 22nd and fell off the lead lap. He said his racecar was still loose on the extremities – in and out of the corners. He pitted for tires, fuel, air pressure and track bar adjustments. He restarted 21st on lap 234, the first car one lap down.

● The next caution flag flew on lap 354 with Suárez 23rd and one lap down. He pitted during the caution for tires, fuel and right-side air pressure adjustments, going back on the pressure adjustments made the previous stop as Suárez said the car took longer to come to him.

● He restarted 25th on lap 361, one lap down, after dropping to the back of the cars on his lap on the restart for speeding on pit road.

● Suárez made good forward progress in the opening laps of the run, working his way to 22nd. He lost a lap to go down two before the next caution flag flew on lap 433. He stayed out to take the wave-around back to one lap down, restarting 22nd on lap 439.

● Suárez worked his way back into Lucky Dog position by the time the caution flag flew on lap 457, moving him up to the lead lap. He pitted for tires, fuel, right-side air pressure adjustments, and the removal of tape from the brake duct intakes as Suárez reported he was struggling under braking. He restarted 22nd on lap 463.

● A multicar accident brought out the caution flag just one lap into the next run, on lap 464, and Suárez said he had to slide his Toyota sideways to avoid contact. He stayed on track through the caution and restarted 18th on lap 473.

● The 17th and final caution flag of the day flew on lap 489 with Suárez running 19th. Five laps remained when the race went back to green on lap 495, and Suárez held onto 18th place across the finish line.

 

Daniel Suárez, driver of the No. 96 It’s Good To Be Genuine Toyota Camry for Gaunt Brothers Racing:

“It was an eventful race. We had a lot of stuff going on. There was some miscommunication in the beginning and we had to do a pass-through, and a pass-through at Bristol is tough to come back from. We went two laps down and it was a struggle from there. But the team never gave up. We worked very hard and we were able to recover and fight back to get our first top-20 (of the season) for the team. The car had decent speed but, obviously, it’s never enough. We have to work hard to keep getting better and hopefully we’ll be stronger next weekend in Atlanta.”

 

Race Notes:

●  The result was the best for the No. 96 Toyota since Parker Kligerman’s 15th-place finish at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last October, and it was the best finish for the team in three outings at Bristol.

●  Brad Keselowski won the Supermarket Heroes 500 to score his 32nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Clint Bowyer was .471 of a second.

●  There were 17 caution periods for a total of 102 laps.

●  Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

●  Kevin Harvick remains the championship leader after Bristol with a 24-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

 

Next Up:

The next NASCAR Cup Series event for Suárez and the Gaunt Brothers Racing team is the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on Sunday, June 7 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Views: 403
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Clint Bowyer 2nd in Bristol

by Mike
Clint Bowyer 2nd in Bristol

Late Surge Propels No. 14 ‘Built Ford Proud’ Mustang

 

Date: May 31, 2020

Event: Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 (Round 9 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)

Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (125 laps/125 laps/250 laps)

Start/Finish: 23rd/2nd (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)

Point Standing: 12th with 232 points, 138 out of first

 

Race Winner:       Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Winner:  Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 2 Winner:  Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-125):

● Clint Bowyer started 23rd and finished 12th.

● The No. 14 “Built Ford Proud” Mustang held its position early in the race before stopping at the lap 20 competition caution.

● Bowyer moved from 29th to 19th before pitting during the second competition caution on lap 60.

● Bowyer began turning “crazy fast times” according to the crew driving from 17th to 12th before the end of the stage.

● During the stage break, Bowyer pitted for adjustments to help the car’s rotation in the turns.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 126-250):

● Bowyer started 10th and finished sixth to earn five bonus points.

● The No. 14 “Built Ford Proud” Mustang faded to 16th by lap 180 with Bowyer reporting the car was “really tight.”

● Bowyer pitted for major adjustments to fix the issue during a caution on lap 200.

● The changes helped as Bowyer clawed back to 10th by lap 230 when a nine-car accident stopped the race for 11 minutes.

● Bowyer restarted the race in 10th with just 15 laps left and moved to eighth before another caution slowed the field.

● Bowyer jumped from eighth to sixth in the seven-lap green flag run to end the stage.

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Final Stage Recap (Laps 251-500):

● Bowyer started 14th, finished second.

● The No. 14 “Built Ford Proud” Mustang moved to eighth by the caution on lap 360.

● Over the next 70 laps, tight handling issues plus cars with fresher tires shuffled Bowyer back to 15th.

● Bowyer pitted for adjustments and restarted the race in 14th with 61 laps remaining.

● Things got worse as Brad Keselowski and Ryan Newman made contact sending Newman into Bowyer causing significant left-side damage to the No. 14.

● Bowyer restarted the race in 13th with 37 laps remaining. Immediately after the restart Bowyer deftly avoided a seven-car accident in front of him.

● Bowyer restarted ninth with 30 laps to go and used fresh tires to drive to fifth before the next caution flew with 10 to go.

● The race restarted with just five laps remaining and it didn’t take long for the leaders Joey Logano and Chase Elliott to start beating and banging.

● Bowyer never lifted as the pair collided and slid into the wall to claim second place.

● There weren’t enough laps to chase down Keselowski for the victory.

 

Notes:

●  Bowyer earned his second top-five and third top-10 of the season, and his eighth top-five and 16th top-10 in 29 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol.

●  This is Bowyer’s fifth straight top-10 at Bristol and his seventh top-10 in the last nine races at Bristol.

●  Since joining SHR in 2017, Bowyer has only finished outside the top-10 once at Bristol.

●  Keselowski won the Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 to score his 32nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Bowyer was .471 of a second.

●  This was Ford’s series-best fifth win of the season and its 691st all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory.

●  This was Ford’s 38th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Bristol. The last Ford driver to win at Bristol was Kurt Busch in August 2018 while a member of SHR.

●  There were 17 caution periods for a total of 102 laps.

●  Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

●  Kevin Harvick remains the championship leader after Bristol with a 24-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

 

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 ‘Built Ford Proud’ Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Wow what a finish. That got wild. The boys hung in there and just kept digging. The old girl said “Built Ford Proud” when she probably should have said “Built Ford Tough” because she had all four corners knocked off it. We actually struggled pretty bad with our setup. I don’t know, it was floating the nose really bad up off the corner all day long. I could gain and make some ground up in the center of the corner in, and in the middle, but if I had to pass somebody and turn underneath of them I didn’t have the real estate. The outside was no man’s land for me. I couldn’t get my front end to turn at all.”

 

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Folds of Honor 500 on Sunday, June 7 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Views: 456
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Custer Finishes 35th at Bristol

by Mike
Custer Finishes 35th at Bristol

Accident Ends Rookie’s Day Prematurely

 

 

Date: May 31, 2020

Event: Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 (Round 9 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)

Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (125 laps/125 laps/250 laps)

Start/Finish: 22nd/35th (Accident, completed 228 of 500 laps)

Point Standing: 24th with 140 points, 230 out of first

Race Winner:      Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Winner:  Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsport (Chevrolet)

Stage 2 Winner:  Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsport (Chevrolet)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-125):             

● Cole Custer started 22nd and finished 26th.

● Throughout the first two cautions, Custer remained on the track in his HaasTooling.com Mustang even though he was tight to the center and off of the turns. He restarted 13th on lap 29.

● At the lap-62 competition caution, Custer pitted from 20th for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with his tight handling condition. He restarted 24th.

● During the Stage 1 break, the 22-year-old pitted from 26th for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with his tight-handling HaasTooling.com Mustang.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 126-250):

● Custer started 20th and finished 35th.

● The caution was thrown on lap 198 and the California native reported his car was improving and would like more of the previous adjustment. After visiting pit road, he restarted 21st on lap 207.

● Next caution was displayed on lap 211 with Custer in the 19th spot. He didn’t visit pit road and restarted 18th on lap 216.

● On lap 217, the caution was once again displayed with Custer in 17th.

● Custer restarted 17th on lap 221 after not pitting.

● On lap 228, Custer was collected in a multi-car accident, which ultimately ended his day and relegated him to a 35th-place finish.

 

Notes:

● Custer made his 12th career NASCAR Cup Series start and his first at Bristol.

● Brad Keselowski won the Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 to score his 32nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Bowyer was .471 of a second.

● This was Ford’s series-best fifth win of the season and its 691st all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory.

● This was Ford’s 38th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Bristol. The last Ford driver to win at Bristol was Kurt Busch in August 2018 while a member of SHR.

● There were 17 caution periods for a total of 102 laps.

● Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Harvick remains the championship leader after Bristol with a 24-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

 

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Well, that stinks. We were getting our car a lot better and then caught up in the wreck. Just so little time to react so you get caught up in them pretty easily here at Bristol. That’s just how it is here. I thought our HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang was getting a lot better. I felt like we could’ve run in the top-10. We were a lot better than where we were running. We were going forward, but our pit stall wasn’t helping us either. We were getting blocked in about every time and that hurt us too. We’ll move on to the next one, but man, I thought we were going to have a good day here.”

 

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Folds of Honor 500 on Sunday, June 7 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Views: 425
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Almirola Finishes 29th at Bristol

by Mike
Almirola Finishes 29th at Bristol

Smithfield Ford Driver Races as High as Second; Involved in Lap-464 Accident

 

Date: May 31, 2020

Event: Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 (Round 9 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)

Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (125 laps/125 laps/250 laps)

Start/Finish: 2nd/29th (Accident, completed 470 of 500 laps)

Point Standing: 11th (240 points, 130 out of first)

 

Race Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-125):

●  Aric Almirola started second and finished fourth, earning seven stage points.

●  The Smithfield Ford driver started on the bottom groove and fell to sixth before a caution on lap six.

●  Almirola drove to fourth before the competition caution.

●  He restarted fourth and drove the No. 10 Ford to second-place before the second competition caution.

●  Almirola pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments to restart third.

●  Starting on lap 110, Almirola tapped the No. 2 car’s bumper multiple times to ultimately make the pass. He noted tight-handling conditions during the run and held the No. 10 Ford inside the top-five.

●  He pitted at the end of the stage for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 126-250):

●  Almirola started sixth and finished 21st.

●  Almirola raced the No. 10 Ford to fourth by lap 177.

●  He was scored second after a caution on lap 199. He said his car was good on the long runs and tight on the restarts.

●  Almirola pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments to restart fifth.

●  After a red flag on lap 229, Almirola was scored eighth. On the restart, he said he may have a tire going down and pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments.

 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 251-500):

●  Almirola started 10th and finished 20th.

●  Almirola advanced the Smithfield Ford six positions on the restart before a caution on lap 269.

●  He raced to third before a caution on lap 329. He pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments to restart third.

●  After another caution on lap 355, Almirola reported a loose wheel and pitted for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments to restart 10th.

●  Almirola was contacted by the No. 2 car on the restart and dropped to 13th.

●  He rejoined the top-10 on lap 393.

●  Almirola pitted under caution on lap 433 from eighth-place for four tires, fuel and more chassis adjustments after noting loose-handling conditions. He came off pit road in seventh.

●  Another caution was called with 43 laps to go. Almirola opted not to pit with 19 laps on his tires.

●  During the restart, Almirola was involved in an accident and hit the outside wall. He was forced to pit to repair damage and returned to the track two laps down. He retired the No. 10 Smithfield Ford on lap 470 due to unrepairable damage.

 

Notes:

● Brad Keselowski won the Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 to score his 32nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Clint Bowyer was .471 of a second.

●  This was Ford’s series-best fifth win of the season and its 691st all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory.

●  This was Ford’s 38th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Bristol. The last Ford driver to win at Bristol was Kurt Busch in August 2018 while a member of SHR.

●  There were 17 caution periods for a total of 102 laps.

●  Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

●  Kevin Harvick remains the championship leader after Bristol with a 24-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

 

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Man. We had such a good car today. We would have had a shot at a top-three finish. That’s Bristol. I felt like I had a tire going down at one point, so we pitted and even came back to the top-10 from that pretty quickly. We had a loose-wheel later and had to pit under caution that put us 10th. We were definitely making our way back towards the front and had a promising finish if we didn’t get caught up there. It looked like the 19 got into me. The car just took off towards the wall and we were done. I hate it for this Smithfield Ford team. We’re flirting on the edge of some really good runs. The good news is we came to Bristol with a setup that can win, so we’ll have confidence coming back.”

 

Next Up: 

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Folds of Honor 500 on Sunday, June 7 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Views: 443
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Harvick Rallies to Finish 11th at Bristol

by Mike
Harvick Rallies to Finish 11th at Bristol
Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang Driver Remains First in NASCAR Cup Points
Date: May 31, 2020

Event: Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 (Round 9 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)

Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (125 laps/125 laps/250 laps)

Start/Finish: 8th/11th (Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)

Point Standing: 1st (370 points, 24 ahead of Joey Logano)

 

Race Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-125):

●  Kevin Harvick started eighth and finished sixth, earning five bonus points.

●  The No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang was fine early on. Harvick said he was “just saving my tires.”

●  Harvick pitted on lap 62 for four tires, fuel and a tires pressure and track bar adjustment. Came in 10th, and left seventh.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 126-250):

●  Kevin Harvick started sixth and finished third, earning eight bonus points.

●  The No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang pitted on lap 129 for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. He entered the pits in sixth place.

●  On lap 204, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. Harvick exited in fourth-place.

 

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 251-500):

● Kevin Harvick started 14th and finished 11th.

● The No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang pitted on lap 253 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. Said car was still too tight.

● On lap 330, Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel. Said the cars balance was good.

● With 67 laps left, Harvick’s car got into the car driven by Erik Jones and then got into the SAFER Barrier on the outside retianing wall while in fifth place. He pitted twice for repairs and restarted 21st with 61 laps remaining.

● On lap 459, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Crew also made more repairs and Harvick restarted 19th.

● After restarting 19th, Harvick managed to work his way up to 11th place.

 

Notes:

●  Brad Keselowski won the Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 to score his 32nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Clint Bowyer was .471 of a second.

●  This was Ford’s series-best fifth win of the season and its 691st all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory.

●  This was Ford’s 38th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Bristol. The last Ford driver to win at Bristol was Kurt Busch in August 2018 while a member of SHR.

●  There were 17 caution periods for a total of 102 laps.

●  Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

●  Harvick remains the championship leader after Bristol with a 24-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

●  Harvick finished sixth in Stage 1 to earn five bonus points and third in Stage 2 to earn eight more bonus points.

 

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Folds of Honor 500 on Sunday, June 7 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Views: 429
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Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Charlotte II

by Mike
Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Charlotte II

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report

Track:                Charlotte Motor Speedway

Race:                 Alsco Uniforms 500

Date:                 May 28, 2020

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No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski

Start: 20th

Stage 1: 25th

Stage 2: 27th

Finish: 7th

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 208/208

Laps Led: 0

Point Standings (behind first): 5th (-66)

Notes: 

  • Brad Keselowski overcame early right-front damage to the No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang resulting from a cut tire to score a “Keselowski-esque” seventh-place finish in Thursday night’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
  • By virtue of winning the Coca-Cola 600 last Sunday, Keselowski was rewarded with the 20th starting position following the series invert. While in the middle of the pack at the start of the race, the 2012 Cup Series champion made contact with another competitor that resulted in a cut tire and contact with the outside wall just before a red flag was displayed for inclement weather at lap 30.
  • After making repairs and restarting from his lowest-running position of 36th, Keselowski and crew chief Jeremy Bullins methodically worked their way through the field, eventually entering the top 10 by electing to stay out under a lap-74 caution period in Stage 2.
  • Unfortunately, the handling deteriorated during the second stage and Keselowski fell back through the field to the 27th position at stage end. He radioed to Bullins that more repairs were needed to the right side of his Discount Tire Ford.
  • With the repairs made prior to the start of the final stage, Keselowski was prepared to gash his way through the field. Few cars had better speed in the final stage, and thanks to a great pit stop by the No. 2 crew on a lap 44 caution, Keselowski made it back inside the top 10 by lap 150. He would remain there the rest of the way, eventually crossing the finish line in the seventh position for his sixth top-10 finish of the 2020 season. He remains fifth in the Championship point standings, 66 points behind the leader Kevin Harvick.

Quote: “Compared to Sunday’s race, the feeling I have after this one is like I played only half of a game instead of the full game. I also like this format a lot. We should have longer races on the weekend and shorter races – minus the weather delay – during the week. No practice and no qualifying, inverting the field from the week before provides some compelling storylines. I think NASCAR has struck gold with this format and I hope they keep it for years to come.”

____________________________________

No. 12 BODYARMOR Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney

Start: 18th

Stage 1: 2nd

Stage 2: 2nd

Finish: 3rd

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 208/208

Laps Led: 0

Point Standings (Behind First): 6th (-67)

  • Ryan Blaney capped off a strong night with a third-place finish in Thursday night’s 500k NASCAR Cup Series event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in No. 12 BODYARMOR Ford Mustang. This was the High Point, NC native’s second-consecutive third-place finish, including last Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600.
  • Blaney started 18th and within the first 20 laps of the race worked his way up to 11th. During a lap-20 competition caution, Blaney and crew chief Todd Gordon opted to stay out for track position. Following a short delay for inclement weather, Blaney would fall back to third but managed to work his way back to second before the conclusion of Stage 1.
  • From there, Blaney would be a constant fixture inside the top-five. After briefly falling back, Blaney would work his way around teammate Joey Logano for second position on lap 90 and hold on to second when Stage 2 came to a close. Under the stage break, Blaney pitted for four tires and a slight air pressure adjustment.
  • The No. 12 team would begin the final stage from the fifth position following another round of pit stops. Blaney made short work to the front and drove the BODARMOR Ford up to second by lap 140.
  • After restarting fourth, he would work his way to the runner-up position behind leader and eventual race winner, Chase Elliott. Try as he might, Blaney was not able to catch Elliott and lost the second spot on the final lap to come home in the third position.  Blaney is now sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 67 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Quote: “We got to second and the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) was really fast getting going and the No. 9 got by me. I kind of thought I was equal with him when we were both running the No. 4 down and I just got tight. I was a little bit free all night and we tightened it up just a touch for that last run, and it was the longest run we had, and we just kind of burned the right-front tire off of it and couldn’t stay with the No. 9 there late in the run, and then the 11 (Denny Hamlin) got by me. Overall, not a bad day for our BODYARMOR Ford Mustang. We had two solid races here at Charlotte. We just need to find a little bit more speed, but we are right there. I’m really proud of this team.”

____________________________________

No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano 

Start:  8th

Stage 1: 1st – Second stage win of 2020

Stage 2: 3rd

Finish: 6th

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 208/208

Laps Led: 42

Point Standings (Behind First): 2nd (-14)

     

Notes:

  • Joey Logano started eighth and finished sixth in Thursday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was a strong effort for Logano, who led 42 laps on the night and won Stage 1, his second stage win of the season. Logano maintained position inside the top-10 throughout the race with considerable time spent in the top-five, ultimately battling a tight handling Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang in the closing laps and finishing sixth.
  • On the initial start of the race, Logano charged to fourth before the caution flag was displayed on the opening lap. When the race resumed, Logano reported the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang was slightly tight in the top-groove. With teams electing to pit at the competition caution, crew chief Paul Wolfe elected to leave Logano on the track to claim the lead. After a 75-minute stoppage due to rain, Logano maintained the lead as the race resumed and went on to win his second stage in the last two races.
  • Logano would lead the field to green to begin Stage 2, but fell to third before a lap-73 caution flag. Logano reported he was a little tight and only needed a small adjustment, but was lacking overall straightaway speed. Logano maintained the third position until the completion of Stage 2 while battling a vibration he described as a “five out of 10.”
  • At the beginning of the final stage, Logano settled into the fifth position before moving up to fourth when the No. 88 had to make an unscheduled stop. Logano remained too tight over the long run to the checkered flag, ultimately bringing the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang home in the sixth position.

 

Quote: “We had a good-to-okay day. We were able to get some track position early and win the stage. A couple of restarts really set me back some and then it was pretty tough to pass once we got running. The track wasn’t really wide enough to be able to make a lot of gains on the long run, unless another car was really falling off drastically.”

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FedEx Racing Express Facts – Charlotte Motor Speedway

by Mike
FedEx Racing Express Facts – Charlotte Motor Speedway

Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 Recap: Denny Hamlin’s shot at a Coca-Cola 600 victory was all but eliminated before the green flag even waved Sunday, when the #11 had to return to pit road during the pace laps after losing ballast weights. The blocks of tungsten, which are required for the car to meet minimum weight, fell out of the FedEx #SupportSmall Toyota as the car rolled off pit road at Charlotte Motor Speedway to begin the pace laps. NASCAR ordered Hamlin back to pit road so the team could replace the weight as the rest of the field took the green flag. Hamlin rejoined the field eight laps later. The team tried various pit strategies throughout the 600-mile race to regain ground but never returned to the lead lap. Hamlin was able to climb 11 positions, though, to finish the day in 29th as Brad Keselowski took the win.

 

Alsco Uniforms 500 Preview: The series returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Wednesday night for the Alsco Uniforms 500, the second of two races at the Concord, N.C., oval in NASCAR’s return-to-racing schedule. The Wednesday night race will only be about half the distance of Sunday’s race – just 500 kilometers or 312 miles. Hamlin will seek his first victory in his 29th start at the 1.5-mile track.

FedEx “#SupportSmall” Paint Scheme: The #11 FedEx Toyota will sport a special paint scheme for the Charlotte NASCAR race. The paint scheme pays tribute to small business owners, the real backbone of America, which is represented through the stars on the car. #SupportSmall is also included on the hood to highlight the support FedEx has and will continue to show small businesses during the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of that support, FedEx has announced a new grant for small businesses to help them get back to business from COVID-19 impacts, with $1 million available in grant money. Small businesses can head to fedex.com/supportsmallgrants to learn more. FedEx has also teamed up with BigCommerce to help get businesses online and products in customers’ hands, fast. Head to FedEx.com/bigcommerce to find out more.

Hamlin Statistics:

Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway

Races: 28

Wins:  0

Poles: 2

Top-5: 9

Top-10: 17

Laps Led: 377

Avg. Start: 10.9

Avg. Finish: 12.9

Hamlin Conversation – Alsco Uniforms 500:

You didn’t have a great result on Sunday; but, did the team gather information that could help Wednesday?

“For sure. Our FedEx #SupportSmall Toyota was actually pretty fast on Sunday. We tried various adjustments throughout the night and learned how the car reacts in traffic and in various lines around the track. So, we have a good baseline to start with for Wednesday.”

 

Is your strategy different with a shorter race?

“In some ways, yes. Obviously, you’ve got a shorter distance to accomplish what you need to. Tire and fuel mileage strategy will be different, and we’ll have shorter stages to work within. This one will be more of a sprint than a marathon.”

 

FedEx Office – Closest to Charlotte Motor Speedway: 7741 Gateway Lane NW, Suite 110, Concord, NC, (704) 979-1971

 

2020 FedEx Racing Team Results
DATEEVENTLOCATIONSTARTFINISHLAPSSTATUSLEDPTSTREND
Feb. 16Daytona 500Daytona211209/209Running791st▬
Feb. 23Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy LubeLas Vegas417267/267Running09th▼
Mar. 1Auto Club 400Fontana286200/200Running07th▲
Mar. 8Fan Shield 500Phoenix320316/316Running011th▼
May 17The Real Heroes 400Darlington105293/293Running06th▲
May 20Toyota 500Darlington161208/208Running124th▲
May 24Coca-Cola 600Charlotte1329398/405Running08th▼
Averages/Totals13.611.399.6% 91  
Views: 497
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DiBenedetto Finishes 17th in the Coca-Cola 600

by Mike
DiBenedetto Finishes 17th in the Coca-Cola 600

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/FVP team had an up-and-down day in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway before ending up 17th at the finish.

The day started on the down side as the Menards Mustang was super loose in the first qualifying session held since the Cup Series resumed racing following a 10-week halt due to the coronavirus. DiBenedetto lost control and bounced off the wall, forcing the team to pull out a back-up Mustang.

That meant he had to start the 600-mile marathon from the rear of the pack.

The drop of the green flag was the start of an upswing for DiBenedetto and the Menards/FVP team. He made up 16 positions before the caution flag flew at Lap 20.

By Lap 30 he was up to 15th place and was running there on Lap 49 when the race was halted for 68 minutes due to rain.

Back on the track, DiBenedetto continued to struggle with a loose handling condition and dropped to 20th place, so when the caution flag flew just after Lap 100 for the end of Stage One, he headed to pit road for a series of adjustments to the No. 21 Mustang.

He returned to the track and passed several cars, but at the end of Stage Two was running 23rd, one lap down.

Throughout most of the third 100-lap Stage, DiBenedetto ran in the free-pass position and finally was able to rejoin the lead lap when the caution flag flew at Lap 277 for a spin by Matt Kenseth.

Back on the move forward, he finished the third 100-lap Stage in 15th place.

A call to take just two tires on the pit stop at the end of the Stage propelled DiBenedetto into the lead, and he led Laps 304-306 under the caution flag and restarted as the leader.

He led three more laps once the green flag flew again before the drivers who took four tires overtook him.

DiBenedetto ran mostly in the top 10 over the final 100 laps. He was in 11th place when the caution flag flew with two of the scheduled 400 laps remaining for a blown tire by William Byron.

That sent the race into overtime.

DiBenedetto stayed on the track while other pitted for fresh tires, so he restarted seventh for the green-white-checkered-flag run to the finish.

But the final two laps didn’t work out in his favor, and he wound up 18th at the finish. He picked up one spot when the car of apparent runner-up Jimmie Johnson was disqualified for failing a post-race inspection.

Eddie Wood said he was proud of his team’s efforts throughout the day on Sunday.

“They never gave up,” he said. “We went from having to go to a back-up car to losing a lap to leading the race.

“We were able to honor Major Lucas Gruenther as part of the 600 Miles of Remembrance, and the sport as a whole did a nice job of honoring all the servicemembers who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

“And we congratulate Brad Keselowski, Jeremy Bullins and Team Penske on their well-deserved victory.”

DiBenedetto and the No. 21 team, now 11th in the Cup standings, return to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Wednesday night for a 500-kilometer (312-mile) race that will be broadcast on FOX Sports One.
###

Menards

A family owned company started in 1958, Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, WI.  Menards has more than 300 retail stores located throughout the Midwest in the states of IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI and WY.  Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader.  It’s famous slogan “Save Big Money at Menards” is widely known and easy to remember.  For more information, visit Menards.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.

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Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Coca Cola 600

by Mike
Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Coca Cola 600

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report

Track:                Charlotte Motor Speedway

Race:                 Coca-Cola 600

Date:                 May 24, 2020

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No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski

Start:  9th

Stage 1: 15th

Stage 2: 12th

Stage 3: 8th

Finish: 1st

Status:  Running

Laps Completed: 405/405

Laps Led: 21

Point Standings (behind first): 5th (-56)

Notes: 

  • Brad Keselowski held off Jimmie Johnson in a NASCAR overtime finish to win the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Keselowski scored his first career victory in NASCAR’s longest race. The win was his first of the 2020 season and the his second in his career at Charlotte. It represented his 31st victory in NASCAR Cup Series competition and his 30th triumph in NASCAR’s premier series for Team Penske. With the win, he jumps up to fifth-place in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings.
  • Keselowski qualified ninth for the race but unapproved adjustments to the Miller Lite Ford Mustang forced the former Cup Series champ to start at the rear of the 40-car field. He had moved up to 16th position when rain forced the cars to pit lane on lap 50 for a delay of just over an hour. When the event resumed, Keselowski has his hands full with the handling on the No. 2 Mustang, but he persevered and finished 16th when Stage 1 concluded on lap 100.
  • Stage 2 was much of the same for the No. 2 Miller Lite team. Keselowski ran inside the top 15 for most of the segment but worked his way up to 12th position when the stage ended on lap 200. He pitted for four tires during the caution on lap 204, and quick work by the No. 2 Crew moved Keselowski up to 10th position when the race went back to green on lap 208.
  • Keselowski ran inside the top-10 for nearly all of Stage 3. He took the lead for the first time during a cycle of green flag stops on lap 256. He held the top spot for seven laps before pitting under green on 263 for four tires and adjustments. Keselowski was 11th when the fifth caution slowed the pace of the field on lap 276 and he was running eighth when the stage ended on lap 300. The Miller Lite Mustang made a four-tire stop during the stage caution and restarted seventh when the final segment began on lap 307.
  • Adjustments by crew chief Jeremy Bullins and the No. 2 crew for the changing track conditions paid off in the final segment. Keselowski was up to fourth when the seventh caution flag was displayed on lap 349. Excellent work by the Miller Lite team moved Keselowski up to second place for the race restart on lap 353. He passed Jimmie Johnson for the lead one lap later, holding the top spot until Chase Elliott moved by Keselowski on lap 363.
  • Elliott appeared to be in command of the race until the final caution flag flew with two laps to go, setting up a NASCAR overtime finish. Elliott chose to pit on lap 401, while Keselowski stayed on the race track and reclaimed the lead. Keselowski cleared Jimmie Johnson to maintain the lead off Turn 2 moments after the race went green on lap 403 and he never looked back. The Team Penske driver scored his first Coca-Cola 600 victory by .293 seconds ahead of Johnson, who was later penalized after his car failed post-race tech inspection.

Quotes: “I’m so happy for my team. I wish my wife and my daughters were here. It’s the Coke 600 and this leaves only one major left for me, the Daytona 500, so we’re checking them off.  I’m really happy for Miller Lite and Ford and everybody who just works their butt off at Team Penske.  We might not have been the fastest car today, but, wow, did we grind this one out.  The pit crew at the end – during the yellow right before the last one – had a blazing stop to get us up front and put us in position.  All these things just came together and I’m tickled to death.  It’s a little overwhelming to be honest.”

________________________________________________

 

No. 12 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney

Start: 26th

Stage 1: 12th

Stage 2: 9th

Stage 3:  3rd

Finish: 3rd

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 405/405

Laps Led: 0

Point Standings (Behind First): 7th (-79)

  • Ryan Blaney capped off a strong night with a third-place finish in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, driving the No. 12 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang. This was the High Point, NC native’s best finish in eight prior starts at the 1.5-mile oval as well as his first top-10 finish since the Daytona 500 in February.
  • Blaney started 26th and within the first 10 laps of the event, he worked his way into the top-20. After being blocked in on his first pit stop on lap 23, Blaney was running 26th before a rain delay halted the event for just over an hour. Once racing resumed the DEX Imaging Ford marched forward scoring a 12th-place finish in Stage 1.
  • Blaney began Stage 2 from the 11th position. He eventually worked his way into the top-10 by lap 150. Blaney reported improvements in the car from Stage 1 but he needed a little more front turn. He brought the DEX Imaging Ford Mustang to pit road on lap 154 for routine service and an air pressure adjustment. Blaney maintained the ninth position when the stage came to its conclusion on lap 200.
  • After beginning Stage 3 in the eighth position, Blaney pitted for routine service and a wedge adjustment on lap 25. He drove in fifth position for most of the stage before stopping under caution on lap 277 for right-side tires. The move allowed him to bring home a third-place finish in Stage 2 and valuable stage points in the process.
  • Following a tough pit stop, Blaney restarted the final stage of NASCAR’s longest race from the 10th position. With the balance on the No. 12 Mustang going to the free side, Blaney raced his way to seventh by lap 360 and sixth by lap 390. A caution on lap 399 saw crew chief Todd Gordon keep Blaney on track for a green/white/checkered flag finish. He restarted fourth and make his way up to third before he was passed by Chase Elliott, racing with fresh tires, on the last lap as Blaney crossed the finish line in fourth place.
  • Blaney is now seventh in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 79 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Quote: “We started towards the back and gained a lot of spots in the beginning, but we got boxed in on the first stop and lost all those spots we gained. I thought we were in a good spot on the restart with 45 or 48 to go and somebody got loose on the bottom into three and we had to go all the way up to the wall to miss him in the middle of three and four. We lost a lot of spots right there and that really hurt us. That lost us all the track position we gained towards the end. We restarted sixth or maybe even eighth on the top and I thought we were going to roll, but that dropped us back to maybe 12th and we had to fight back from there. I thought our DEX Imaging Ford was competitive, probably not the best car out there, but a top-five car all night. It was a good call to stay out there at the end. We restarted fourth and gave us a chance. We would have come home with a decent day, but we passed a lot of cars and definitely had a long night working on it.”

________________________________________________

No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano 

Start:  7th

Stage 1: 5th

Stage 2: 7th

Stage 3: 1st

Finish: 13th

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 400/400

Laps Led: 26

Point Standings (Behind First): 2nd (-23)

     

Notes:

  • Joey Logano started seventh Sunday night, won the third stage and ran inside the top-10 for the majority of the event before a late-race speeding penalty derailed the strong run. The pit-lane speed violation relegated the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang to a 13th-place finish.
  • After starting seventh, Logano settled in for the opening 20 laps of the 600-mile race as he reported the Shell-Pennzoil Ford was a little tight handling and then went into a four-wheel slide. At the competition of the caution period, the No. 22 team elected to not make any changes to the air pressure and chassis, but they did add tape to the nose as the track was expected to take a swing to the tight side. Rain then brought a halt to the race for an extended period of time at lap 50.
  • At the end of the first stage, Logano reported his Ford Mustang was running just a touch free, but he didn’t want the team to make adjustments as he felt the car was really close to being balanced over the run to lap 100.  The Shell-Pennzoil Ford remained free for the majority of the second stage, as Logano ultimately finished in the seventh position. Under the stage caution, crew chief Paul Wolfe called for a significant air pressure adjustment, looking to get the No. 22 Mustang ahead of the changing track conditions.
  • Midway through the third stage, Logano reported the Shell-Pennzoil Ford was a little free in clean air while being almost neutral in traffic. At lap 257, Wolfe elected to make a slight wedge adjustment to the car to prepare for the final stage. At lap 277, the team decided to remain on the track and cycle to the lead as many of the leaders pitted to take two tires for the 20-lap run to the end of the third stage. The gamble paid off as Logano cruised to the Stage 3 victory.
  • After winning the third stage, Logano restarted second as the No. 21 Ford gained position while electing to take two tires on its stop. On the restart, Logano avoided disaster when the Shell-Pennzoil Ford jumped sideways, and he was forced to rally back from the eighth position. Unfortunately, the No. 22 Ford Mustang took a swing to the loose side, with Logano dropping to the 10th position as the car ran as free as it had been all night long by lap 340.
  • A pit stop at lap 350 saw the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford penalized for speeding on pit road, which dropped Logano to the tail of the field for the final 48-lap shootout. Logano settled into 17th-place, battling an extremely tight-handling Ford Mustang. A late caution flag set up an overtime finish with the No. 22 Ford team choosing to pit for four tires and a major air pressure adjustment. Logano restarted the race 18th and rallied for a 13th-place finish in the two-lap shootout.

 

Quote: “The Shell-Pennzoil Ford was as fast as anybody when we had track position tonight. We fought loose at times and then got really tight at the end of the race. We pitted before the overtime finish and we were able to battle forward and finish 13th. We scored a fair amount of stage points and got the playoff point for the Stage 3 win, and those are really important once you get to the playoffs.”

 

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