denny hamlin | The MotorSportsNews.Net(work)

Bowyer Finishes 22nd in Darlington 500k

by MikeMay 21, 2020

Date: May 20, 2020

Event: Darlington 500k

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.366-mile oval)

Format: 228 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/65 laps/103 laps)

Note: Race called official 20 laps short of its scheduled 228-lap distance due to rain.

Start/Finish: 4th/22nd (Running, completed 208 of 208 laps)

Point Standing: 9th with 170 points, 88 out of first

Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Winner: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 2 Winner: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-60):

● Clint Bowyer started fourth and finished first to earn 10 bonus points and one playoff point.

● The No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil Delvac 1 Ford Mustang quickly showed it was one of the fastest on the track moving to second by the lap-25 competition caution.

● Bowyer grabbed the lead on the restart logging his 3,000th lap led in the Cup Series.

● Bowyer led the next 30 laps to capture his fourth stage victory of his career.

● Before the stage, Bowyer had led 17 laps in 15 races at Darlington.

● Bowyer reported his car was a little loose, but crew made minimal changes during the stage break.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 61-125):

● Started first, finished first to earn 10 bonus points and one playoff point.

● The No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil Delvac 1 Ford Mustang stayed at the front through two cautions.

● Bowyer pitted during the stage’s third caution and returned to the track in 10th on lap 85.

● The Kansas native wasted no time moving to third by lap 100.

● Bowyer was using his fresher tires to chase down SHR teammate Kevin Harvick for the lead on lap 109 when the seventh caution of the race came out. Fast pit work returned Bowyer to the lead for the lap 111 restart.

● The Ford driver stayed at the front to win the stage. It was the first time he’s ever won two stages in a race and the first time in 2020 a driver has won the first two stages of a race.

● During the stage break he told his crew: “this car is pretty fast.”

● Two cars stayed on the track on old tires hoping for rain forcing Bowyer to start the final stage in fourth.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 126-208):

● Started fourth, finished 22nd.

● Amid frenetic racing in the opening laps, the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil Delvac 1 Ford Mustang dropped to sixth.

● Bowyer climbed to fourth but handling issues for the first time in the race slowed his progress leaving him in third with 60 to go.

● The veteran driver made a routine green-flag stop with 53 laps remaining, but a caution a few laps later dropped Bowyer off the lead lap.

● Bowyer took the wave around to return to the lead lap and restarted sixth with 43 laps remaining.

● Bowyer moved to fourth after the restart despite telling the crew, “I hit the wall pretty good.”

● Bowyer cut a right rear tire after wall contact with 34 laps to go damaging the right side of the car and bringing out a caution.

● Bowyer restarted the race in 22nd with 30 laps remaining, but another car hit the No. 14 from behind as cars attempted to avoid a wreck at the front of the field.

● Heavy rain during the caution ended the race with 20 to go.

Notes:

● Bowyer led twice for a race-high 71 laps. Prior to tonight’s race, Bowyer had led only 17 laps at Darlington, 16 of which came in the 2007 Southern 500.

● This was the first NASCAR Cup Series race to be held on a Wednesday in 36 years. The last time: July 4, 1984 when Richard Petty scored his 200th career victory at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

● Denny Hamlin won the Darlington 500k to score his 39th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Darlington.

● There were 11 caution periods for a total of 54 laps.

● Only 23 of the 39 drivers in the Darlington 500k finished on the lead lap.

● Harvick remains the championship leader after Darlington with a 34-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil Delvac 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Very proud of the car the guys brought for me on a short turn around. Fast hot rod. Thing just took off behind two cars racing for lucky dog and smoked the wall and blew our night. The No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil Delvac 1 Ford was fast. We keep doing that our day will come.”

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Mobil 1 Racing: Kevin Harvick Darlington 500k Race Report

by MikeMay 21, 2020

Date: May 20, 2020

Event: Darlington 500k

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.336-mile oval)

Format: 228 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/65 laps/103 laps)

Start/Finish: 20th/3rd (Running, completed 208 of 208 laps)

Point Standing: (1st with 258 points, 34 points ahead of Joey Logano)

Note: Race called official 20 laps short of its scheduled 228-lap distance due to rain.

Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Winner: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 2 Winner: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-60):

● Kevin Harvick started 20th and finished 15th.

● During the competition caution, Harvick brought the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang to pit road for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment and raised the track bar one round.

● The changes did not work for Harvick as the car had no rear grip.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 61-125):

● Harvick started 14th and finished fifth, earning six bonus points.

● On lap 64, Harvick brought the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang to pit road for four tire, fuel a tire pressure and track bar adjustment. The crew went back on their adjustments.

● On lap 73, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment.

● Harvick got by leader Martin Truex Jr., for the lead on lap 98.

● On lap 109, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. Said rear grip was good, but the front end needed some work.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 126-228):

● Harvick started fifth and finished third.

● On lap 128, Harvick, pitted for four tires and fuel. Was the first car off pit road.

● While running third on lap 159, Harvick radioed that his car was “plowing tight.”

● With 56 laps to go, Harvick had fallen from third to eighth.

● On lap 175, Harvick brought the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang to pit road for four tires, fuel and two rounds up on the track bar. He was ninth when he pitted.

● Harvick pitted on lap 195 for four tires, fuel and one round up on the track bar. Was the first car off pit road.

● He restarted third, but fell to fourth and was running there when third-place Kyle Busch’s car made contact with second-place Chase Elliott. The No. 9 of Elliott made contact with the SAFER Barrier on the inside wall and then rain starting falling which ended the race with Harvick back in third place.

Notes:

● Denny Hamlin won the Darlington 500k to score his 39th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Darlington.

● There were 11 caution periods for a total of 54 laps.

● Only 23 of the 39 drivers in the Darlington 500k finished on the lead lap.

● Harvick remains the championship leader after Darlington with a 34-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

● Harvick earned his fourth top-five and sixth top-10 of the season, and his 10th top-five and 14th top-10 in 25 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington.

● Harvick is the only NASCAR Cup Series driver to have finished in the top-10 in all six races this season.

● This is Harvick’s third straight top-three. He finished second March 8 at Phoenix Raceway and won last Sunday at Darlington in The Real Heroes 400.

● This is Harvick’s fourth straight top-five and ninth straight top-10 at Darlington.

● Harvick has never finished outside the top-10 at Darlington since joining SHR in 2014, a streak that began with a win in the 2014 Southern 500.

● Harvick finished fifth in Stage 2 to earn six bonus points.

● Harvick led once for 10 laps to increase his laps-led total at Darlington to 750.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We had to start 20th and battled kind of an ill-balanced car tonight. The track conditions were just a lot different. We made some adjustments going into the race. Just couldn’t get the front of the car to turn. Every time we tried to adjust the back, it would just take the back out. We never could get the front of the car to turn. Had to use a lot more throttle tonight. The things I could do with the car Sunday, I couldn’t do tonight. They kept clawing and fighting. In the end we had a great pit stop on the last pit stop, were in position to have a chance to win the race there, and it rained. The whole night we wound up restarting on the bottom of the racetrack. We’d lose three or four spots every time we’d restart. Definitely didn’t get the good end of the draw on the restarts. In the end our Mobil 1 guys did a great job of just battling. Sometimes you have great nights, sometimes you have nights you have to battle. It was a good two days in Darlington for us.”

Next Up:

Kevin Harvick Socially Distances Himself From the Field in Darlington Return

by Chuck AbramsMay 20, 2020May 20, 2020

I suppose it isn’t a surprise that Kevin Harvick, The Closer, sealed the deal on Sunday with a dominating final stage push that left everyone else in the dust. Harvick led 150 laps overall, essentially doubling the 80 laps led by Brad Keselowski.

(more…)

KYLE BUSCH M&M’S Fudge Brownie Debut

by MikeMay 19, 2020

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (May 18, 2020) – Following a 10 week-hiatus, the NASCAR Cup Series completed a successful return Sunday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway as a national television audience on FOX witnessed one of the first major sporting events since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), his up-and-down race on Sunday was more successful than indicated by his final finishing position of 26th place. The day was filled with adversity from the very beginning, as Busch was forced to start at the rear of the field because of prerace inspection issues.

But one thing fans have witnessed over the last several years is the defending Cup Series champion and his team don’t back down from adversity, and Sunday was no different for Busch and the M&M’S team. Just 93 laps into Sunday’s 400-mile race, Busch made his way into the top-10 for the first time. But it was not smooth sailing from there as adversity struck again on lap 143, with Busch hitting the outside wall, causing damage to the right side of his M&M’S Toyota. However, a caution gave Busch and his team time to repair his car. Again, Busch worked his way back up through the field from 29th inside the top-10 by lap 247. Just as it looked like Busch would salvage at least a top-10 finish, he was forced to come to pit road under green with 29 laps remaining, resulting in a disappointing finish.

The good news for Busch is a rare second chance at the same track in less than a weeks time as the Cup Series returns to Darlington for the Toyota 500k on Wednesday night. Not only does Busch and his No. 18 get another shot at a Darlington win, they will be doing it with the colors of the new M&M’S Fudge Brownie product. The sharp, new look highlights the newest permanent addition to the M&M’S lineup. M&M’S Fudge Brownie are in stores now and feature the fresh-out-the-oven brownie taste without the hassle of baking.

In addition to competing in Wednesday’s Cup Series Toyota 500k, Busch is also scheduled to compete in Tuesday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington. Like he did on his Cup Series car Sunday, Busch will again sport the M&M’S Thank You Heroes scheme on his No. 54 Toyota Supra. The race is Busch’s second of five Xfinity Series starts scheduled for 2020, with Tuesday’s Darlington race replacing the Chicagoland Speedway stop on the tour that was previously scheduled for June.

So, while “The Lady in Black” didn’t treat Busch well the first time around in 2020, he and the M&M’S Fudge Brownie team get another shot at the track “Too Tough to Tame” on Wednesday night. The No. 18 team will no doubt regroup and have a shot at victory lane with some new colors on board.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

What are you able to take to Wednesday night’s Cup Series race from Sunday’s race at Darlington?

“Going back and trying to figure out what we need to do to get better. We’ve got problems unloading off the hauler and being good. It takes a lot of work between Adam (Stevens, crew chief) and myself and the engineers to get the car tuned in and dialed into the racetracks. We fought the same thing last year at Indy. We ran terrible last year at Indy with no practice, and it’s a race we had won twice in a row in previous years. It’s something we definitely have to work on, but I have the confidence we can do that. We have M&M’S Fudge Brownie on the car this week for the first time. It would be great to have a good run and showcase them since we get another shot at Darlington here in a few days.”

Out of necessity, you’ll be running some midweek races for the first time ever. What are your thoughts on midweek races?

“To me, a race is a race. Whether I’m in a Cup car, Xfinity, Truck, or a Super Late Model, I’m not sure racing on a Wednesday is going to be all that different for me. Over the years with everything that I’ve raced, I’ve raced during the week all the time, so that part shouldn’t be a problem. As far as going forward, whatever NASCAR decides in the future on when they’ll have races, I’ll be there. It’s really whatever they think is best for the future of the sport and something our fans will like. If they tell me the races are on any day of the week, I’ll be there to race. Doesn’t make much difference to me what day of the week it is.”

What did you think of the safety procedures in place throughout the day on Sunday?

“It seemed to go really smoothly and really easy. Just being able to walk around the track from your bus to the car and just be there to do a job and a duty and less chaos kind of going around, the day seemed to make it a bit easier. Other than that, you kind of miss just being with or around your guys.”

What do drivers mean when they say you have to “race the track” at Darlington?

“It’s tough to pass there, for sure. It’s so difficult. So you run your laps until you get to a pit stop and try to get your guys to have a good stop for you so you can jump a couple of guys. Pit stops become really important there, as is track position and trying to stay up front.”

What makes Darlington a track that is too tough to tame?

“It’s a very narrow and challenging racetrack, especially for the speeds that we carry around there, now. We’re looking forward to getting another shot at Darlington with our M&M’S Fudge Brownie Camry on Wednesday night. You’ve really got to be able to get as close as you can to the wall in order to carry your momentum through the corners because you’ve got to make the straightaways as long as you can. The track is very narrow on entries and exits, so you’re always trying to round the place as much as you can. It’s very one-groovish. You can’t really run side-by-side there. Any time you get alongside somebody, you basically have to let them go. It’s a very big give-and-take type of track. It’s really aero-sensitive now, to where it used to be more about mechanical grip and getting your car to handle well and handle over the bumps well and keep the tires on it. Now you’re restricted off the car in front of you and are trying to find some air, basically.”

M&M’S Fudge Brownie Racing

Race 6 of 36 – Toyota 500k – Darlington

Car No.: 18 – M&M’S Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry

Teammates: Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Toyota Camry; Martin Truex Jr. – No. 19 Toyota Camry; Erik Jones – No. 20 Toyota Camry.

At-Track PR Contact: Bill Janitz, True Speed Communication (704-875-3388 ext. 803 or Bill.Janitz@TrueSpeedCommunication.com).

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Kyle Busch

Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Adam Stevens

Hometown: Portsmouth, Ohio

Car Chief: Nate Bellows

Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

Spotter: Tony Hirschman

Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania

Over-The-Wall Crew Members:

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Front Tire Changer: Cam Waugh

Hometown: Johnstown, Colorado

Jackman: T.J. Ford

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Joe Crossen

Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Jeff Cordero

Hometown: Salem, Connecticut

Notes of Interest:

The Toyota 500k will mark Kyle Busch’s 540th career NASCAR Cup Series start and his 17th NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

Busch has career totals of 56 wins, 32 poles, 202 top-five finishes, 298 top-10s and 17,446 laps led in 539 career Cup Series races. His most recent Cup Series win came in November at Homestead-Miami Speedway, resulting in his second Cup Series championship. Busch’s most recent pole, the 32nd of his career, came in November at Phoenix Raceway.

Busch has one win, four top-five finishes and 10 top-10s and has led a total of 716 laps in 16 Cup Series starts at Darlington. Busch’s average Darlington finish is 12.0.

2019 Darlington:When NASCAR’s top series raced at Darlington in September, Busch led once for a race-high 118 laps. Busch’s lead was late in the race, but he lost it to JGR teammate and eventual race-winner Erik Jones during a round of yellow-flag pit stops on lap 277. He restarted third on lap 281, and later moved himself up to second behind Jones. However, with less than five laps to go, Busch scraped the wall trying to catch Jones and he dropped to third when the checkered flag fell.

56 Career Cup Series Wins: With his Cup Series win at Homestead in November, the 56th points-paying win of his career, Busch passed NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace for sole possession of ninth place on the all-time win list in NASCAR’s top series. Next up for Busch on the list is eighth-place Dale Earnhardt, who had 76 wins during his Hall of Fame career. With his 40th Cup Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in August 2017, Busch became the fourth-youngest driver to reach 40 Cup Series wins at 32 years, 109 days, behind only Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon and Herb Thomas.

All-Time JGR Wins Leader: With his Brickyard 400 win in July 2016, Busch passed Tony Stewart for most all-time Cup Series wins for JGR. Busch now has 52 wins for JGR to Stewart’s 33 following his most recent win at Homestead last year.

209 and Counting: Busch enters Wednesday night’s race at Darlington with 209 career wins among NASCAR’s top three divisions – Cup (56), Xfinity (96) and Truck (57) – following his Truck Series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway back in February.

Erik Jones / No. 20 STANLEY Toyota Camry Preview Toyota 500(k) at Darlington Raceway

by MikeMay 19, 2020

No. 20 STANLEY Toyota Camry News and Notes:

JONES AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Erik Jones will make his fifth start in the Cup Series at Darlington Raceway when NASCAR races under the lights Wednesday night. NASCAR returned to action at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17, after a two month hiatus, where Jones scored an eighth-place finish. Jones captured his first Southern 500 victory on September 1, 2019 and in his other two starts at the track, he recorded a fifth-place and an eighth-place finish. In addition to his Cup Series starts, Jones has two starts at the South Carolina track in the Xfinity Series where he earned a sixth-place and fourth-place finish.
JGR AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 92 total starts at Darlington Raceway in Cup Series competition. In those starts, the team has earned seven wins, 25 top-five finishes, 55 top-10 finishes and two pole starting positions. The team has led 1,595 laps, completed 30,906 of 31,637 attempted laps (97.7%) and earned an average start of 14.3 and an average finish of 11.7. Denny Hamlin leads the team with two wins followed by Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Jones with one win each.
THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 20 CAMRY: This weekend STANLEY will be on the No. 20 Toyota Camry for the first time this season as one of four Stanley Black and Decker brands represented on the car during the 2020 season. STANLEY was scheduled for their first race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway before NASCAR halted the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
HONORING THE REAL HEROES: Continuing The Real Heroes campaign, Jones will carry Jennifer LaRue Bussanich on the No. 20 Camry for the Toyota 500(k). Bussanich works at Atrium Health Pineville in the Medical ICU and is a part of the COVID-19 Critical Care Unit. She has been a registered nurse for 14 years.
STARTING LINEUP: For the Toyota 500(k) at Darlington Raceway, Jones will start the race from the 13th position. The top 20 finishers from The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17, 2020, were inverted to set the top 20 starting positions for the Toyota 500(k). By virtue of his eighth-place finish, Jones earned the 13th starting position.
POINTS UPDATE: With his eighth-place finish in The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway, Jones gained four positions in the point standings to secure the 17th position.
DARLINGTON –THE REAL HEROES 400 RECAP: For the first race back following a two-month hiatus, Jones and the No. 20 team started The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway from the 20th position. Making moves throughout the day, Jones was able to run the majority of the race in the top 15 and as high as fifth before a loose wheel late in the race slowed him down. Jones crossed the finish line in the eighth position.
RACE INFO: The Toyota 500(k) at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Wednesday, May 20, 2020. Coverage will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio.

Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Darlington Raceway:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
4	1	2	4	0	79	13.0	5.5

Jones 2020 Season NASCAR Cup Series Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
5	0	0	2	0	0	18.0	17.4

Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
116	2	24	51	2	582	13.4	16.0

From the Driver’s Seat:

Erik Jones: “I’m looking forward to getting back to Darlington on Wednesday. On Sunday we continued to get the car better each stop. We continued to get our Camry faster and the last run of the race was the best the car was all day. We had the car how we needed it. We just had the loose wheel issue. I think that gives us at least a good baseline to start Wednesday night’s race. The race ended around 7:15-7:20, so a little bit closer to dark and a little bit closer to what we will be racing on Wednesday at the start of the race. Hopefully, we can start at that point and be close and make a few adjustments from there and be up in the top five most of the race and contend for the win.”

About STANLEY:

STANLEY has set the precedent for quality tools and engineered solutions for professionals around the globe for more than 175 years. With a legacy of reliability, STANLEY is the No. 1 tapes manufacturer in the world and continues to drive the industry forward with innovations including the STANLEY FATMAX® product line as well as hand tools and accessories that make like easier. For more information visit www.STANLEYtools.com or follow STANLEY on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Denny Hamlin/FedEx Racing Express Facts – Darlington

by MikeMay 19, 2020

Race Info:

Race: Toyota 500

Date/Time: Weds, May 20/7:30 p.m. ET

Distance: 228 laps/311.4 miles

Track Length: 1.36 miles

Track Shape: Egg-shaped oval

2019 Winner: N/A

Express Notes:

Press Kit: Download the 2020 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Chris Gabehart and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.

Darlington “The Real Heroes 400” Recap: Denny Hamlin battled the track “Too Tough to Tame” for a top-five finish in NASCAR’s return to live racing on Sunday. Hamlin finished fifth at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in the Cup Series’ first event since going on hiatus in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The #11 “Thank You FedEx Team Members” Toyota lined up 10th by virtue of a random draw for the one-day event. With no practice or qualifying laps before the green flag, Hamlin had to assess the car for the first time during the first part of the race. The FedEx Racing team had brought a fast car – they just worked on slight handling issues through the 400-mile event. Hamlin remained in the top 10 throughout the afternoon, but never had enough to challenge for the lead. Kevin Harvick dominated much of the race for the win, leading 159 of the 293 laps.

Darlington Toyota 500 Preview: The series heads back to Darlington Raceway Wednesday night for a 500-kilometer event on the egg-shaped oval. Hamlin is a two-time winner at the track, taking the checkered flag in 2012 and 2017. Hamlin owns eight top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 15 career races at Darlington, leading a total of 562 laps. Hamlin and the FedEx Racing team will look to improve on their fifth-place finish in Sunday’s return-to-racing event at the South Carolina oval.

FedEx “The Real Heroes Project” Spotlight: FedEx is honored to highlight team member and “Real Hero” Jami Clark, from Afton, Wyo., with her name above the door of Hamlin’s car for the Toyota 500. Clark splits her time as a Sr. Global Operations Control Specialist with FedEx and as an Air National Guard C-17 pilot. Lately she’s been flying COVID-19 aid in missions for the 155 Airlift squadron. When she gets a free moment, she loves to go for runs with her dogs and train horses. FedEx is honored and thankful for her continued service during these challenging times.

FedEx “Delivering Strength” Paint Scheme: The #11 FedEx Toyota will sport a special paint scheme for the Darlington NASCAR race, carrying the message “Delivering Strength” on the hood and #fedexstrong on the back of the car. FedEx wishes to draw attention to not just its 475,000 FedEx team members, but all the organizations FedEx is working with during the COVID-19 crisis, including nonprofit organizations, the healthcare community and FedEx customers.

Hamlin Statistics:

Track: Darlington Raceway

Races: 15

Wins: 2

Poles: 1

Top-5: 8

Top-10: 12

Laps Led: 562

Avg. Start: 8.9

Avg. Finish: 7.6

Hamlin Conversation – Darlington:

How did it feel to be back on a real racetrack in the FedEx Toyota?

“It definitely felt good to be on the racetrack, that’s for sure. I’m proud of our FedEx team and everyone who helped put this program together. NASCAR and FOX did a great job to put together a process of making this a safe return that fans could enjoy on TV. Obviously, we wish we could do it with fans at the track, but that will come in due time.”

What do you need to do differently in the return to Darlington on Wednesday?

“I’m excited to go back and give it another shot. I like the process of figuring out what we can do better and getting to work on those things. Our FedEx Camry is going to be just as good, if not better, than it was Sunday.”

FedEx Office – Closest to Darlington Raceway: 2813 W Hwy 74, Monroe, NC 28110, (704) 289-3859

2020 FedEx Racing Team Results
DATE	EVENT	LOCATION	START	FINISH	LAPS	STATUS	LED	PTS	TREND
Feb. 16	Daytona 500	Daytona	21	1	209/209	Running	79	*1^st*	▬
Feb. 23	Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube	Las Vegas	4	17	267/267	Running	0	*9^th*	▼
Mar. 1	Auto Club 400	Fontana	28	6	200/200	Running	0	*7^th*	▲
Mar. 8	Fan Shield 500	Phoenix	3	20	316/316	Running	0	*11^th*	▼
Mar. 17	The Real Heroes 400	Darlington	10	5	293/293	Running	0	*6^th*	▲
*Averages/Totals*			*13.2*	*9.8*	*100%*		79

Riley Herbst / No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra Preview Toyota 200 at Darlington Raceway

by MikeMay 18, 2020

No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra News and Notes:

HERBST AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Four races in to his rookie season, Riley Herbst will visit Darlington Raceway for the first time in his young career when the Xfinity Series returns to the track on Tuesday, May 19.
STARTING LINEUP: With the starting lineup for Tuesday’s race selected by a random draw, Herbst and the No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra team will roll off from the fifth position for the Toyota 200.
JGR AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 58 total starts at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In those starts, the team has earned 10 wins, 29 top-five finishes, 39 top-10 finishes and seven pole starting positions. The team has led 1,114 laps, completed 8,001 of 8,482 attempted laps (94.3%) and earned an average start of 12.6 and an average finish of 10.6. Denny Hamlin leads the team with five wins followed by Kyle Busch with two wins and Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart and Joey Logano each earning one win at the famed South Carolina track.
PHOENIX RECAP: In the last race before NASCAR action was halted due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Riley Herbst and the No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra team started the race at Phoenix Raceway from the 11th position. Herbst struggled with handling most of the race before crossing the finish line in the 10th position. The finish marked Herbst third top-10 finish in just four starts in the 2020 season.
POINTS STANDINGS: After four races in the 2020 season, Herbst sits 11th in the Xfinity Series point standings, 67 points out of first place.
THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 18 SUPRA: This week, Monster Energy will serve as the primary partner for the No. 18 Toyota Supra team.
RACE INFO: The Toyota 200 at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Coverage will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, MRN Radio and SIRIUS XM Channel 90.

Herbst Career Xfinity Series Stats at Darlington Raceway:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0

Herbst 2020 Season NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
4	0	1	3	0	0	8.8	13.2

Herbst Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
14	0	1	7	0	1	10.2	15.1

From the Driver’s Seat:

Riley Herbst: “I’m really looking forward to getting to Darlington Raceway. It’ll be kind of interesting because I’ve never been there before. With no practice or qualifying, we just fire off and drop the green flag. It’ll be pretty interesting, but I’m looking forward to it. All of us on the No. 18 team are really prepared. I’ve been watching a lot of race film, working on the simulator and asking my super smart crew chief Dave (Rogers) a bunch of questions. I think we’ve done all of our homework and we’re ready to go out there and prove it at Darlington.”

Bowyer Finishes 17th in Darlington Return

by MikeMay 18, 2020

No. 14 Ford Mustang Raced At Front Until Final Laps

Date: May 17, 2020

Event: The Real Heroes 400

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Darlington (S.C) Raceway (1.366-mile oval)

Format: 293 laps, broken into three stages (90 laps/95 laps/108 laps)

Start/Finish: 13th/17th (Running, completed 293 of 293 laps)

Point Standing:10th with 135 points, 83 out of first

Race Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-90):

● Clint Bowyer started 13th and finished seventh to earn four bonus points

● Despite no track time before the race, the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang enjoyed a smooth start until a crash at the back of the field brought out the caution on lap one.

● Bowyer reported his car was tight and dropped to 17th before rallying back to 14th at the lap-30 competition caution.

● The Kansas native restarted the race in 14th on lap 40 and moved to 10th within two laps turning top-five lap speeds.

● Bowyer continued a steady climb to the front turning ultra-quick times before finishing the stage in seventh.

● Minor air pressure changes plus a quick stop by the No. 14 crew moved Bowyer from seventh to fifth during the stage break.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 91-185):

● Started fifth, finished fifth to earn six bonus points.

● The No.14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang stayed in the top eight through cautions on lap 109 and 123.

● Bowyer raced in fifth at the lap-135 mark as he searched for the fastest way around the 1.33-mile, egg-shaped oval.

● The Ford driver battled for fourth midway through the stage with Denny Hamlin before another round of stops for a lap-154 caution.

● After all cars pitted under caution, Bowyer restarted the race in sixth for an eight-lap shootout to conclude the stage.

● Bowyer used a good restart to climb to fifth before the stage ended.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 186-293):

● Started seventh, finished 17th.

● The No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang dropped to ninth on the restart but moved to sixth with 70 laps remaining.

● Bowyer raced in seventh with 60 to go when he reported his car was starting to get very loose.

● Bowyer faded to 10th with 50 laps to go telling the crew, “I’m in trouble. I don’t know what happened here.”

● A caution allowed Bowyer to visit pit road to tighten the car, but trouble during the stop dropped him to 15th with 34 laps to go.

● Bowyer suffered debris on the grill in the final laps and dropped to 17th by the time the checkered flag flew.

Notes:

● Bowyer’s 17th-place finish plus 10 bonus points earned in the first two stages moved him from 13th to 10th in the standings.

● Harvick’s victory marked the 73rd overall win for SHR. It was the organization’s 56th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series win, its first of the season and its second at Darlington.

● This was SHR’s 20th NASCAR Cup Series victory with Ford. The team won its first race with Ford when former driver Kurt Busch captured the 2017 Daytona 500.

● Harvick is responsible for SHR’s previous win at Darlington (2014 Southern 500).

● This was Ford’s milestone 30th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Darlington. NASCAR Hall of Famer Curtis Turner won Ford’s first race at Darlington in 1966.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“That stunk. I don’t know how that got away from us. Really disappointed with what happened. I’ll be mad about this for a while, but we’ll get over it and be ready for Wednesday night. Our Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford was fast and it was cool to be back racing today, just wish we had a better finish. Glad Kevin (Harvick) got SHR and Ford to victory lane.”

Erik Jones / No. 20 DEWALT ATOMIC Thank You Heroes Toyota Camry Preview Darlington 400 at Darlington Raceway

by MikeMay 14, 2020

No. 20 DEWALT ATOMIC Thank You Heroes Toyota Camry News and Notes:

JONES AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Erik Jones will make his fourth start in the Cup Series at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17, when NASCAR returns to the track. In his most recent trip to “The Lady in Black,” Jones captured his first Southern 500 victory and his second Cup Series victory in just his 100th Cup Series start. In his other two starts at the track, Jones recorded a fifth-place and an eighth-place finish. In addition to his Cup Series starts, Jones has two starts at the South Carolina track in the Xfinity Series where he earned a sixth-place and fourth-place finish.
JGR AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 88 total starts at Darlington Raceway in Cup Series competition. In those starts, the team has earned seven wins, 24 top-five finishes, 52 top-10 finishes and two pole starting positions. The team has led 1,595 laps, completed 29,735 of 30,465 attempted laps (97.6%) and earned an average start of 14.4 and an average finish of 11.7. Denny Hamlin leads the team with two wins followed by Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Jones with one win each.
THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 20 CAMRY: For the return to racing this weekend, the No. 20 Toyota Camry will carry the familiar black and yellow DEWALT paint scheme featuring DEWALT ATOMIC. The No. 20 Camry will also feature a “Thank You Heroes” message on the car to honor those what have been fighting and continue to fight the Covid-19 pandemic around the United States and the world.
DEWALT ATOMIC:

- The ATOMIC Compact Series ™ is an addition to the 20V MAX* system, which is DEWALT’s largest cordless platform with 200+ products.
- Where Size Meets Power, the ATOMIC™ Compact Series combines performance and durability in a compact format for a variety of applications.

RACE INFO: The Darlington 400 at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, 2020. Coverage will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio.

Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Darlington Raceway:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
3	1	2	3	0	79	10.7	4.7

Jones 2020 Season NASCAR Cup Series Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
4	0	0	1	0	0	17.5	19.8

Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
115	2	24	50	2	582	13.4	16.1

From the Driver’s Seat:

Erik Jones: “I’m looking forward to Darlington. It’s been a really good track to me in the past, over the last few years and especially last year getting the win there in the Southern 500. Hopefully I have another shot at a good run this weekend. It’s going to be a unique weekend with no practice or qualifying. We’re really going to have to hit it right off the truck and hopefully our car is where it needs to be when we start the race. I’m just excited to get back to the race track in general. The iRacing has been fun, but it’s nothing like really being in the car, really being at the track and working with your guys and having that team effort. It’s always a good feeling of everyone working toward one goal, it’s pretty cool. I’m just excited. Darlington has been a great track for me. It’s going to be a unique race and kind of knocking the rust off at first, and then hopefully getting in to a groove and being able to run up front and contend for a win. Really looking forward to it and getting back in the seat.

About DEWALT

DEWALT is obsessed with how users work in the real world and is relentlessly pursuing total jobsite solutions. By incorporating its latest technology and industry innovations, DEWALT is leading the charge for the jobsite of the future. DEWALT products. GUARANTEED TOUGH®. For more information, visit www.dewalt.com or follow DEWALT on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

William Byron goes back-to-back in eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

by MikeApril 20, 2020April 20, 2020

By Holly Cain
NASCAR Wire Service

William Byron became the first multi-time winner of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series – holding off Timmy Hill by a mere .256-seconds at the virtual Richmond Raceway Sunday afternoon. It was Byron’s second consecutive win in the series – answering a victory at iRacing’s virtual Bristol Motor Speedway two weeks ago just before the Easter off-week. (more…)