CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 28, 2020) – Hendrick Motorsports this morning signed driver Kyle Larson to a multi-year contract that will see him join the 12-time NASCAR Cup Series champions beginning with the 2021 racing season. He will pilot the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, which the organization will field for the first time since 2017. (more…)
Daytona proved to be the end of the line for 7-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Instead of transferring to the playoffs for his record-setting quest of 8 championships, he will be on the outside looking in. (more…)
| 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. |
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.
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.
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| Suárez Soldiers to 28th Place at Charlotte Today. Tomorrow. Toyota Battles Tight Condition in Alsco Uniforms 500k |
| Date: May 28, 2020 Event: Alsco Uniforms 500k Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval) Format: 208 laps, broken into three stages (55 laps/60 laps/93 laps) Start/Finish: 28th / 28th (Running, completed 207 of 208 laps) Point Standing: 31st with 72 points, 259 out of first
Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford) Stage 2 Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-55): ● Started 28th, finished 28th. ● Suárez gained a couple of positions to 26th before the caution flag appeared as the front of the field approached the start-finish line on the opening lap. ● He restarted 25th on lap 9 but dropped back to 30th by the time a competition caution flag appeared on lap 20, reporting that his Today.Tomorrow.Toyota Camry was better over the bumps than it was during Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 but had “no grip.” ● Air pressure adjustments on the right-front and both left-side tires was the call from crew chief Dave Winston when Suárez pitted from 30th on lap 22. ● He restarted 32nd on lap 24 and again made forward progress, climbing to 25th on the opening lap of the run, then up to 23rd before dropping to 24th by the time the caution flag appeared for another accident on lap 29. Suárez said the grip issues continued and the car felt much different than it did Sunday night. ● One lap into the caution, lightning in the area forced officials to red-flag the race with 30 laps complete. Engines were refired one hour, 14 minutes later after lightning holds had expired and track drying was complete. Suárez pitted on lap 31 for tires, fuel, and a pressure adjustment in the right-rear tire. ● The race restarted on lap 34 with Suárez in 24th place, and he dropped four positions by the time the caution flag flew to end the stage. He said his Toyota Camry started out a little free but it came to him after about seven laps. He said he was still lacking grip, but the car felt much, much more comfortable through the bumps in turns three and four than it did Sunday night. ● Suárez pitted on lap 58 during the stage break caution for four tires, fuel and another track bar adjustment and rejoined 26th.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 56-115): ● Started 26th, finished 28th. ● Suárez grabbed a couple of position to 24th on the opening lap of the stage, but then dropped back to his original position of 26th, where he held his ground until the caution flag appeared on lap 72 for another single-car accident. He reported that the splitter of his Today.Tomorrow.Toyota Camry was beginning to make contact with the bumps in turns three and four. ● He stayed on track during that caution period and restarted 13th when the green flag flew on lap 78. Over the next five laps, he dropped back to 29th as most of the field behind him benefited from fresher tires. ● Suárez picked up one position shortly thereafter and held onto it all the way to the stage break. He reported his Toyota Camry was loose on entry and still contacting the bumps. Winston called for tires, fuel and slight pressure adjustments to alleviate the two problem areas.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 116-208): ● Started 22nd, finished 28th. ● This run started with Suárez’s Today. Tomorrow. Toyota Camry good in turns one and two but too tight in turns three and four. He dropped back to 29th by lap 130. ● Suárez picked up one position shortly thereafter and held onto 28th until the caution flag appeared on lap 143. He said his Toyota was getting “way to tight” in turns three and four as the run progressed. Track bar and pressure adjustments in the right-front tire came on the pit stop during the caution. ● He rejoined in 25th after that stop but had to come down pit road one more time before the restart to add a missing lug nut. He restarted 27th on lap 148. ● Suárez held that relative position through the rest of the final stage, which stayed green all the way to the checkered flag. He dropped one position in the closing laps and crossed the finish line 28th, one lap down.
Daniel Suárez, driver of the No. 96 Today. Tomorrow. Toyota Camry for Gaunt Brothers Racing: “You know, another 28th – I’m getting a little tired of those 28ths. But we have to keep working. Honestly, I’m a little disappointed about this one because I thought we were going to bring a better car than last Sunday. We made adjustments hoping for that, but obviously it didn’t work out for us. I know what I signed up for and I trust in this team and I trust everyone involved – Toyota, Coca-Cola and CommScope, everyone who is making this happen. We have to keep pushing and the results will come. I really want to thank everyone for the amazing support. Let’s see what we can do Sunday in Bristol.”
Race Notes: ● Chase Elliott won the Alsco Uniforms 500k to score his seventh career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Charlotte’s oval. His margin of victory over second-place Denny Hamlin was 2.208 seconds. ● There were seven caution periods for a total of 37 laps. ● Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the Alsco Uniforms 500k finished on the lead lap. ● Harvick remains the championship leader after Charlotte with a 14-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 Supermarket Heroes 500 on Sunday, May 31 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. |
Ford Driver Earns Top-20 at 1.5-Mile Track
Date: May 28, 2020
Event: Alsco Uniforms 500k (Round 8 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 208 laps, broken into three stages (55 laps/60 laps/93 laps)
Start/Finish: 9th/18th (Running, completed 208 of 208 laps)
Point Standing:22nd with 138 points, 193 out of first
Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-55):
● Cole Custer started ninth and finished 30th.
● Early in the stage, Custer reported his Autodesk Fusion 360/ HaasTooling.com Mustang was loose.
● At the competition caution on lap 25 he pitted from 19th for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with his loose condition. Restarted 22nd.
● Race was red flagged for weather for approximately 75 minutes. Once it resumed, Custer once again pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help his loose-handling Mustang. Restarted 31st.
● During the Stage 1 break the 22-year-old pitted from 30th for fuel, four tires and adjustments.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 56-115):
● Custer started 27th and finished 21st.
● Caution on lap 75 and crew chief Mike Shiplett made the call for Custer to stay out and restart 14th.
● Reached top-10 on lap 80.
● The rookie remained in the top-15 until lap 99, and remained in the top-20 through the end of Stage 2.
● Custer pitted from 20th during the Stage 2 break for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with his loose-handling Mustang.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 116-208):
● Custer started 18th and finished 18th.
● Custer made a yellow flag pit stop on lap 146 from 19th for fuel, four tires and adjustments.
● The event remained under the green-flag for the rest of the race and Custer maintained a top-20 position, and ultimately finished 18th.
Notes:
● Custer made his 11th career NASCAR Cup Series start and his second at Charlotte’s oval.
● Chase Elliott won the Alsco Uniforms 500k to score his seventh career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Charlotte’s oval. His margin of victory over second-place Denny Hamlin was 2.208 seconds.
● There were seven caution periods for a total of 37 laps.
● Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the Alsco Uniforms 500k finished on the lead lap.
● Harvick remains the championship leader after Charlotte with a 14-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.
Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 Autodesk Fusion 360/HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“Thank you guys. It didn’t start the way we wanted to tonight, but we kept chipping away at it. I think we have some stuff we can take to other tracks. We definitely learned a lot.”
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Supermarket Heroes 500 on Sunday, May 31 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Penalties Slow No. 14 PEAK Coolant & Antifreeze Mustang
Date: May 28, 2020
Event: Alsco Uniforms 500k (Round 8 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 208 laps, broken into three stages (55 laps/60 laps/93 laps)
Start/Finish: 39th/16th (Running, completed 208 of 208 laps)
Point Standing:14th with 192 points, 139 out of first
Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-55):
● Clint Bowyer started 39th and finished 26th.
● The No. 14 PEAK Coolant & Antifreeze Ford Mustang moved from 39th to 29th by the lap 20 competition caution.
● A pit road speeding penalty forced Bowyer to pit twice during the caution and restart 37th on lap 25.
● Bowyer raced in 32nd-place when lightning and rain stopped the race on lap 31 for 75 minutes.
● Bowyer pitted before the restart, but too many crew members over the wall forced the No. 14 to the back of the field.
● Despite reporting he had “no rear grip,” Bowyer worked his way to 26th by the end of the stage.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 56-115):
● Started 23rd, finished 11th.
● The No. 14 PEAK Coolant & Antifreeze Ford Mustang suffered minor damage after contact with another car during the opening laps of the stage.
● Bowyer stayed on the track during the lap 74 caution and restarted the race in 12th on lap 78.
● Bowyer quickly moved to ninth before the cars with newer tires dropped him to 11th by the end of the stage.
● Another pit road speeding penalty dropped him from ninth to 30th before the start of the final stage.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 116-208):
● Started 30th, finished 16th.
● The No. 14 PEAK Coolant and Antifreeze Ford Mustang climbed to 24th with 70 to go.
● Bowyer pitted during the lap 145 caution and restarted 21st with 60 laps remaining.
● Bowyer moved to 18th with 40 laps to go and 16th with 30 to go.
● Bowyer held his position for the final laps of the race to finish 16th.
Notes:
● Chase Elliott won the Alsco Uniforms 500k to score his seventh career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Charlotte’s oval. His margin of victory over second-place Denny Hamlin was 2.208 seconds.
● There were seven caution periods for a total of 37 laps.
● Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the Alsco Uniforms 500k finished on the lead lap.
● Kevin Harvick remains the championship leader after Charlotte with a 14-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 PEAK Coolant & Antifreeze Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“We need to figure something out for this place. We just had too many penalties tonight. We can’t make those kinds of mistakes.”
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Supermarket Heroes 500 on Sunday, May 31 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Smithfield Ford Driver Endures Handling Issues After Starting in the Rear
Date: May 28, 2020
Event: Alsco Uniforms 500k (Round 8 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 208 laps, broken into three stages (55 laps/60 laps/93 laps)
Start/Finish: 6th/20th (
Point Standing: 9th (225 points, 106 out of first)
Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-55):
● Aric Almirola started sixth and finished 16th.
● The Smithfield Ford driver was forced to start in the rear due to unapproved adjustments before the green flag waved.
● Almirola raced to 26th before the competition caution on lap 20. He said his car was tight on the exit of the turns.
● He pitted under caution for two tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments to come off pit road 18th.
● Inclement weather postponed the race on lap 30. When racing resumed, Almirola did not pit and restarted 16th.
● Almirola continued to battle tight-handling conditions on the exit of the turns.
● At the end of the stage, he pitted for four tires, fuel, and wedge and air pressure adjustments. He came off pit road 14th.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 56-115):
● Almirola started 14th and finished 22nd.
● Almirola and the No. 18 car made contact on lap 65. He held on to the No. 10 Ford and fell to 21st.
● After a caution was called on lap 74, Almirola pitted twice for four tires, fuel and adjustments, and to repair damage.
● He restarted 32nd and drove back into the top-25. Almirola said he was extremely loose in traffic and needed help passing.
● At the end of the stage, he pitted for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and chassis adjustments. He came off pit road 16th and gained six spots.
Stage 3 Recap (Laps 116-208):
● Almirola started 16th and finished 20th.
● The No. 10 Smithfield driver continued to note loose-handling conditions in traffic and fell to 18th.
● He pitted on lap 174 under caution for four tires, fuel and adjustments to restart 18th.
● Almirola endured more handling issues and fell back to 24th.
● The No. 10 Smithfield Ford driver battled his way back to 20th before crossing the finish line.
Notes:
● This was Almirola’s fourth straight top-20 finish at Charlotte’s oval. He finished 16th in last Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600.
● Chase Elliott won the Alsco Uniforms 500k to score his seventh career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Charlotte’s oval. His margin of victory over second-place Denny Hamlin was 2.208 seconds.
● There were seven caution periods for a total of 37 laps.
● Only 22 of the 40 drivers in the Alsco Uniforms 500k finished on the lead lap.
● Harvick remains the championship leader after Charlotte with a 14-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.
Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“That was just an overall tough day for our Smithfield Ford team today. After starting in the rear we were able to get back to 16th by taking two tires and holding on, but our day went downhill from there. The car was just not where we wanted it to be and contact with the No. 18 put us back where we started. The pit crew did a great job today and gained us some spots, but unfortunately I just couldn’t pass in traffic with the way the car handled. I’m looking forward to Bristol in a few days to get back to a short track.”
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Supermarket Heroes 500 on Sunday, May 31 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
