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Almirola Finishes 29th at Bristol

by MikeJune 1, 2020

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.

Harvick Rallies to Finish 11th at Bristol

by MikeJune 1, 2020

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:

● 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:

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Bristol I

by MikeMay 30, 2020

NASCAR makes its return to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend with the NASCAR Cup Series set to roll Sunday afternoon for 500 laps at ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile.’ A Jack Roush Ford has visited victory lane 18 times at Bristol, including 11 times in the Cup Series. Ryan Newman will pilot the No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang and Chris Buescher will pilot the No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang.

Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile)
Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500

Sunday, May 31, 2020 | 3:30 p.m. ET

FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

Ryan Newman, No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang
Chris Buescher, No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang

NASCAR Returns to Action

Following four races in the Carolinas as part of NASCAR’s return to the track, the focus shifts to ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile’ in Bristol, Tennessee, as the NASCAR Cup Series battles for 500 laps Sunday afternoon.
Following action at Bristol, the NCS will enjoy its first midweek off since the return before heading to Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 7 for the 10^th points race of 2020.
Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.

Thursday Recap, Sunday Preview

Ryan Newman found himself in the top-15 at the start of the final stage in Thursday night’s 208-lap event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, before crossing the line 17^th in the Roush Performance Ford. Teammate Chris Buescher earned a stage point in the opening 55 laps at Charlotte before going on to finish 22^nd.
The focus again shifts to a short track with Bristol, which happens to be a favorite of both Newman’s and Buescher’s.

Starting Lineup Procedures at Bristol

NASCAR announced this week the starting lineup for Bristol would be determined by a random draw based on teams’ order in owners points. Both Buescher and Newman – 20^th and 21^st, respectively – fall within the 13-24 group, with their random draw coming from charter teams in those positions. Newman drew the 17^th starting spot for Sunday, while Buescher drew 19^th.

Runner Up

Roush Fenway’s storied history at Bristol began on April 10, 1988 with the No. 6 NCS car earning a second-place finish. Since that time, in addition to the organization’s 11 NCS wins at the track, Roush Fenway Fords have finished second at Bristol on 15 occasions (7 NCS, 4 NXS, 4 NGROTS).

One-Two Punch

Roush Fenway’s most recent victory at Bristol came after sweeping the top two positions in the March 2014 event with former driver Carl Edwards taking the victory and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. coming home in second. Edwards led the final 78 laps of the event to earn the victory.

History and Hot Streaks at “Thunder Valley”

Roush Fenway’s history at Bristol has been one of hot streaks, including trips to victory lane in nine of the last 16 seasons at the famed short track. Roush Fenway swept the track in 2003 and put a NCS car in victory lane at least once in every season from 2002-2008.

Thunder Rolls

Roush Fenway has earned five victories, 23 top-five finishes, 37 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 15.8 at Bristol in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Former Roush Fenway driver David Ragan earned the organization’s most recent Xfinity victory at the .533-mile short track in the Aug. 2009 event.

Tale of the Tape

Roush Fenway has started 212 NCS races at Charlotte, recording eight total wins with 46 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. RFR Fords have an average finish of 16.3 with 2627 laps led all-time.

Roush Fenway Bristol Wins

1993-2 Martin Cup

1996-1 Martin NXS

1997-1 Burton NXS

1998-2 Martin Cup

2002-1 Busch Cup

2003-1 Busch Cup

2003-2 Busch Cup

2004-1 Busch Cup

2004 Edwards Truck

2005-2 Kenseth Cup

2006-2 Kenseth Cup

2006 Martin Truck

2006-2 Kenseth NXS

2007-1 Edwards NXS

2007-2 Edwards Cup

2008-2 Edwards Cup

2009-2 Ragan NXS

2014 -1 Edwards Cup

No. 98 HighPoint.com: Chase Briscoe Bristol NXS Advance

by MikeMay 30, 2020

NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview

Event: Cheddar’s 300 presented by Alsco (Round 7 of 33)

Date: June 1, 2020

Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway

Layout: .533-mile oval

Chase Briscoe Notes of Interest

• The Cheddar’s 300 presented by Alsco is the seventh event of the 33-race NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule. It will mark the third event for the Xfinity Series since racing returned May 21 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway after a 10-week hiatus amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The No. 98 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang will carry the name of Xfinity employee and National Guardsman Peterson Ferlene Monday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Ferlene has eight years of active service in the National Guard, and on March 23 he began providing critical service at Hard Rock Stadium near Miami in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of his duties include screening and directing first responders, along with the general public, as they arrive for testing at the stadium. Ferlene has been a communications technician with Comcast since January 2018 and he recently appeared in the Florida Region Tech Agenda thanks to his heroic actions on Feb. 6 when he saved the life of a Comcast customer.

• In four career Xfinity Series starts at Bristol, Briscoe has two top-five finishes, both of which were earned in 2019 – a fourth-place effort in the April 6 Alsco 300 and a second-place drive in the Aug. 16 Food City 300.

• In addition to his Xfinity Series experience at Bristol, Briscoe has one NASCAR Truck Series start at the .533-mile oval. In 2017, Briscoe started 15th and finished 12th in the UNOH 200.

• Briscoe comes into Bristol as the championship leader with an eight point-advantage over second-place Austin Cindric. Briscoe has three top-five and four top-10 finishes this season, punctuated by victories Feb. 23 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and May 21 at Darlington.

• Briscoe was poised for another strong result in his No. 98 Ford Mustang last Monday night at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway until oil on the racetrack sent him into the turn-three wall 47 laps short of the finish. Briscoe began the race from eighth in the 37-car field and climbed to as high as second. Following pit stops at the end of the second stage, Briscoe’s race began to come undone as he was cited for a series of pit road penalties over the course of the next 50 laps. Mired in the middle of the field, Briscoe became a victim of circumstance on lap 156 when his No. 98 Ford Mustang slipped up the banking and into the wall after the engine on Timmy Hill’s Toyota broke and spewed fluid onto the racetrack. While the No. 98 team was able to make repairs, Briscoe returned to the track in 18th, two laps down to the leaders. But on lap 172, a cut tire sent Briscoe back into the wall, deepening the damage to his racecar.

• Briscoe won the 2019 rookie-of-the-year title in the Xfinity Series and is racing for a championship in 2020. He already has one title to his name – the 2016 ARCA Racing Series championship. Briscoe finished fifth in the Xfinity Series championship standings last year, narrowly missing out on advancing to the Championship 4 and competing for the series title.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 98 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang

Bristol is a track that is known to be very tough on drivers, but you earned top-five finishes in both races there last year. What does it take to be successful at Bristol?

“The key to being successful at Bristol is just being versatile. The track changes, the racing changes, and you just never know what’s going to happen. You also have to be good in traffic because when something happens, it happens fast. I think that’s where my dirt background helps. Bristol keeps you on your toes.”

This is the first short-track race of the year and, once again, you’ll take your first laps on the racetrack when the green flag drops. Is there a difference between having no practice at a track like Darlington or Charlotte compared to a short track like Bristol?

“I think they all equally present different challenges. Bristol will probably be the hardest for the team to unload close to what we need for the race just because of the travels and not knowing how the traction compound affects the car. Those are the two biggest things you look at in practice or qualifying, and it is harder to prepare for that.”

With the race being moved to Monday night from its original afternoon start time on Saturday, does that change anything in terms of the team’s preparation for the race?

“That’s something we definitely have to think about, but we race during the day and during the night at Bristol already, so we have data from last year that we can go back to. That’s something we didn’t have for Darlington or Charlotte, and I had to look for input from the Cup guys and other guys in the garage. We ran really well at Bristol last year, so I feel good about our chances of finishing up front in our HighPoint.com Ford Mustang.”

Chase Briscoe Bristol Performance Profile

No. 98 HighPoint.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Chase Briscoe

Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell

Hometown: Friendship, Maryland

Car Chief: Nick Hutchins

Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina

Engine Tuner: Craig Hermann

Hometown: Albany, New York

Spotter: Tim Fedewa

Hometown: Holt, Michigan

Over-The-Wall Crew:

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Chris Jackson

Hometown: Fort Mill, South Carolina

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal

Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Fueler: Andrew Migliozzi

Hometown: Westborough, Massachusetts

Jackman: Sean Cotten

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

About HighPoint

HighPoint is a leading IT infrastructure and solutions company. With its customer-centric, results-driven approach to digital transformation, you get technology that works, delivered by people you want to work with. HighPoint builds lasting relationships with clients, employees and partners based on honesty, integrity, trust and a mutual commitment to growth and success. The company, founded in 1996, is a minority-owned business headquartered in Sparta, New Jersey, serving markets in the tri-state region and southeastern United States, with a presence in Charlotte, North Carolina, and overseas in London. To contact us or learn more about our solutions, please visit www.HighPoint.com.

Hunt Brothers Pizza Racing: Kevin Harvick Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 Advance and Team Report

by MikeMay 30, 2020

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (May 29, 2020) – Kevin Harvick will compete in his fifth race in 15 days on Sunday, May 31 in the Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. That’s a lot of races in 15 days, but not for someone like Harvick.

The driver of the No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) drove in four races in eight days back in 2007.

It was the year of the great rainout at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. Harvick drove in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Michigan on Saturday, Aug. 18 and finished third. The Cup Series race ended up running on Tuesday, Aug. 21 after it was rained out Sunday and Monday.

Harvick then headed south to Bristol for the Xfinity Series race on Friday, Aug. 24 and finished 16th. Finally, on Saturday, Aug. 25, he finished 16th in the Bristol Cup Series race.

He raced a total of 1,055.7 miles during that 2007 stretch. By the end of this past Thursday night’s 500-kilometer race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, he will have driven have driven 1,595.588 miles since the Cup Series resumed its suspended season April 17 with the first of two races at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. And he has another 250 miles coming up Sunday at Bristol.

So while the schedule has been odd, because of Harvick’s experience, he’s sort of been through this before. And he has been successful at Bristol before, as well.

Harvick has two wins, one pole, 12 top-five finishes, 19 top-10s and has led a total of 912 laps in his 38 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol. His average start is 16.7, his average finish is 13.8 and he has a lap-completion rate of 96.7 percent – 18,401 of the 19,027 laps available.

He has competed in 29 NASCAR Xfinity Series races there with five wins, 15 top-fives and 24 top-10 finishes with two pole positions. He has driven in five NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series events at Bristol and has one win and four top-10s.

Harvick will also have the support of longtime partner Hunt Brothers Pizza at Bristol Sunday.

With more than 7,800 locations in 30 states, Hunt Brothers Pizza is the nation’s largest brand of made-to-order pizza in the convenience store industry. Hunt Brothers Pizza offers original and thin crust pizzas available as a grab-and-go Hunk perfect for today’s on-the-go lifestyle, or as a customizable whole pizza that is an exceptional value with All Toppings No Extra Charge®. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Hunt Brothers Pizza is family owned and operated with more than 25 years of experience serving great pizza to convenience store shoppers through its store partners. To find a Hunt Brothers Pizza location, download the Hunt Brothers Pizza app by visiting www.huntbrotherspizza.com/app/

Hunt Brothers Pizza has partnered with Harvick for 11 years and last visited victory lane with him when he won the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In 2019, Hunt Brothers moved up to the Cup Series as a primary sponsor for three races and, in 2020, will be on Harvick’s car five times.

Harvick has also won two Truck Series races with Hunt Brothers as a sponsor at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, and at Bristol, both in 2011. The company also sponsored him in the non-points NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte in 2014 and 2015. Harvick finished second in both races.

Harvick is hoping he can heat up at Bristol and score his second victory of 2020. And if he leads just one more lap, he will have led 10,000 laps in his SHR career dating back to 2014.

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Is it hard to communicate inside the racecar at Bristol because everything happens so fast?

“It’s definitely loud and hard for the teams to hear. One of the hardest things at Bristol is just to see what’s going on. I have crashed at Bristol and gone back to watch it on TV and you’re like, ‘What in the hell were you doing? You just ran into four or five cars that have been sitting there for two seconds.’ But, Bristol is a very demanding racetrack. It’s very hard because things happen so fast, communication is hard. It’s easy to make a mistake or pile into a wreck. It’s easy to wreck somebody or to get into a fight. It’s easy to do a lot of things because there is just so much happening. It’s a tough place to race, to put it all together, and it’s mentally and physically exhausting.”

Can you talk about “the bounty” and Chase Elliott defeating Kyle Busch in the Truck Series race last Tuesday?

“I was sitting in my motorhome in Las Vegas and I woke up the next morning after Kyle (Busch) had won and saw a tweet from Kyle Larson that just had two cherries in it, which basically symbolizes cherry picking. When Delana (Harvick) and I used to own truck teams, that used to fly all over me, because I know how much time, effort and money it takes to get those trucks on the racetrack. I know how much work Kyle puts into putting those vehicles on the racetrack and I just thought, ‘What the heck, let’s put some money on the line and see if we can get some of these guys to come out and race in the Truck Series.’ You look at it the other night, with everything that has gone on in our sport with Chase (Elliott) and Kyle, to have them battling it out in the Truck Series and have Marcus Anthony Lemonis jump on board, it just wound up being a lot of fun. I really have a lot of respect for what Kyle Busch does and the effort he puts into putting those racetrucks on track and sometimes I think people forget the art of promoting. Sometimes you have to go out and give a little bit of nudge to create a little bit of excitement. As a fan, I love the Truck Series. I love to watch racing and, as a fan, I sat up with my son the other night watching and wondering what was going to happen. It was fun and exciting and it’s going to end up being a great donation once Chase decides where he wants take that $100,000 for charity during a time when there are so many things bigger than our sport right now. Our sport, once again, is going to step up just like we did during the first iRacing event at Homestead-Miami Speedway to donate some money to charity.”

Hunt Brothers Pizza Racing Team Report

Round 9 of 36 – Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 – Bristol

Car No.: 4 – Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang

PR Contact: Joe Crowley, True Speed Communication (704) 875-3388 ext. 808 or Joe.Crowley@TrueSpeedCommunication.com)

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Kevin Harvick

Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Crew Chief: Rodney Childers

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Car Chief: Robert Smith

Hometown: Whitewater, Wisconsin

Engine Builder: Roush-Yates Engines

Headquarters: Mooresville, North Carolina

Engine Specialist: Robert Brandt

Hometown: Mobile, Alabama

Spotter: Tim Fedewa

Hometown: Holt, Michigan

Over-The-Wall Crew Members:

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala

Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Mike “Shrek” Morneau

Hometown: Oxford, Maine

Gas Man: Evan Marchal

Hometown: Westfield, Indiana

Jackman: Stan Dolittle

Hometown: Ninety Six, South Carolina

Windshield: Shawn Hopkins (also serves as interior mechanic)

Hometown: Chesterfield, Virginia

Bristol Notes of Interest:

· Dynamic Duo: While this is Harvick’s 20th year in the NASCAR Cup Series, it’s his seventh with crew chief Rodney Childers, which is the longest pairing of any current driver-crew chief combination. Since joining forces at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in 2014, Harvick and Childers have combined to produce 27 points-paying victories, a victory in the non-points-paying 2018 NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, 25 Busch poles, 111 top-five finishes and 161 top-10s while leading 9,999 laps. They won the 2014 championship, finished runner-up in the 2015 title chase to champion Kyle Busch, finished eighth in 2016 and third in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

· Harvick has career totals of 50 wins, 31 poles, 211 top-fives, 370 top-10s and 14,425 laps led in 690 starts.

· His most recent Cup Series win came on May 17 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

· His most recent Busch Pole came in November 2019 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

· Harvick’s 50 career NASCAR Cup Series victories puts him in a tie with NASCAR Hall of Famers Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson for 12th on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list. He is third on the active driver list behind Jimmie Johnson and Busch. Harvick is four wins behind Lee Petty for 11th on the all-time wins list.

· At the Homestead season finale in 2019, Harvick became just the 11th driver to have led 14,000 laps in his NASCAR career. He’s led 14,452 and trails 10th-place Busch, who has led 17,445, and Johnson, who is ninth with 18,862 laps led. Harvick has led 9,999 laps as an SHR driver.

· Points Position: Harvick arrives at Charlotte first in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 331 points, 14 markers ahead of second-place Joey Logano.

· Harvick in the Monster Energy Cup Series at Bristol: Harvick has two wins, one pole, 12 top-five finishes, 19 top-10s and has led a total of 912 laps in his 38 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol. His average start is 16.7, his average finish is 13.8 and he has a lap-completion rate of 96.7 percent – 18,401 of the 19,027 laps available.

· Xfinity and Trucks at Bristol: Harvick has competed in 29 NASCAR Xfinity Series races with five wins, 15 top-fives and 24 top-10 finishes with two pole positions. He has driven in five NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series events and has one win and four top-10s.

· Already Playoff Bound – Harvick qualified for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with his win May 17 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

· 111 and Counting – Harvick scored his 100th career win in NASCAR’s top three series with his March 2018 Las Vegas win. He now has 111 total victories – 50 in the Cup Series, 47 in the Xfinity Series and 14 in the Truck Series. Only three other drivers in NASCAR history have passed 100 wins in NASCAR’s top three series: Richard Petty, David Pearson and Busch.

FedEx Racing Express Facts – Bristol

by MikeMay 29, 2020

Race Info:

Race: Supermarket Heroes 500

Date/Time: Sunday, May 31/3:30 p.m. ET

Distance: 500 laps/266 miles

Track Length: 0.533 miles

Track Shape: Oval

2019 Winner: Kyle Busch

Charlotte Recap: Denny Hamlin finished second in Thursday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the #11 FedEx #SupportSmall Toyota, in the 312-mile event won by Chase Elliott. Hamlin was fifth with less than 30 laps to go, but moved toward the front in the closing laps, crossing the finish line just one spot short of his third victory of the season. Hamlin started 29th and battled in the first two segments trying to gain track position. The FedEx crew kept gaining spots on pit road and Hamlin picked off positions on the track to finish 12th in Stage 2. Once the final segment started, Hamlin was one of the fastest cars on the track. He lined up second alongside then-leader Kevin Harvick for the final restart, but fell back to fifth early in the run. Later in the run, Hamlin was able to work back to second by the time the checkered flag flew. The finish kept Hamlin in eighth in the point standings.

Bristol Preview: The series moves to Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday for the Supermarket Heroes 500. This action-packed track has favored Hamlin in the past with two wins, and nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes, including a pole position and victory during the NASCAR Cup Series’ last visit to the half-mile track in August. He will look to secure his third career victory in Thunder Valley this weekend as the Cup Series stages its fifth return-to-racing event in 15 days.

Hamlin Statistics:

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway

Races: 28

Wins: 2

Poles: 4

Top-5: 9

Top-10: 14

Laps Led: 697

Avg. Start: 13.6

Avg. Finish: 14.4

Hamlin Conversation – Bristol:

With a victory in your last trip to Bristol, do you have extra confidence heading there this weekend?

“We have confidence in our team at every track. But, yes, we definitely know we can run well at Bristol, and we certainly proved that the last time we were here. Things will be a little different this time with no practice or qualifying, but we still feel like we can get our FedEx Camry to the front.”

How odd will it be racing at this stadium-style track with no crowd noise?

“It will definitely be weird. Bristol is synonymous with noise. But we know NASCAR is doing the right thing with all these safety protocols, and they’re trying to get fans back as soon as it’s safe to do so. I hope all the fans tune in on TV to watch what is sure to be a typically exciting Bristol race.”

FedEx Express – Along For The Ride at Bristol Motor Speedway: FedEx Express is pleased to recognize the team members at the HHHA station in Hilton Head Island, S.C., for their exceptional performance by featuring the letters HHHA on the B-post of the FedEx #11 at the Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. HHHA ranks among the top 10 stations in the Southeast Region year-to-date and has been the top-ranking station three separate months since June, most recently in December during the busy Peak season. The dedicated team of employees consistently strive to deliver outstanding service and meet the FedEx on-time delivery commitments efficiently and safely as evidenced by a year-over-year reduction in vehicle accidents and worker injuries.

FedEx Office – Closest to Bristol Motor Speedway: 2116 N. Roan Street, Suite 1A, Johnson City, TN 37601, (423) 283-9503

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*	▼
May 17	The Real Heroes 400	Darlington	10	5	293/293	Running	0	*6^th*	▲
May 20	Toyota 500	Darlington	16	1	208/208	Running	12	*4^th*	▲
May 24	Coca-Cola 600	Charlotte	13	29	398/405	Running	0	*8^th*	▼
May 28	Alsco Uniforms 500	Charlotte	29	2	208/208	Running	0	*8^th*	▬
*Averages/Totals*			*15.5*	*10.1*	*99.7%*		91

DiBenedetto Heads to Bristol with REESE and Draw-Tite

by MikeMay 29, 2020

Last fall at Bristol Motor Speedway, Matt DiBenedetto, having learned just days before that he would be a free agent in 2020, turned in a performance that won the hearts of fans both at the track and across the NASCAR nation.

Although he relinquished the lead after holding the top spot for 93 laps late in the race and wound up in second place, the crowd cheered loud and long as he was interviewed for the TV and radio broadcasts.

In those interviews, DiBenedetto, who finished second, vowed to remain in the Cup Series and said he had faith that some top-tier team would hire him and be glad to get him.

“I just want to stick around and keep doing this for a long time to come,” DiBenedetto said on that hot August night. “I love it. I love the opportunity. I’m not done yet.”

“Something will come open. It’s going to happen. I’m here to win. Something’s going to come open.”

Turns out he was right. The Wood Brothers hired him to drive their iconic No. 21 Ford Mustang.

“That Bristol race was the turning point in Matt’s career,” Eddie Wood said. “I remember how well he ran and how the fans were supporting him. When Paul [Menard] decided to retire and we talked with him about who would take over the car, Matt’s name was the first one that came up for us and Paul.”

Now DiBenedetto, who already has matched his Bristol finishing position with a second-place run at Las Vegas earlier this year, is returning to Bristol with a No. 21 REESE/Draw-Tite Mustang that is expected to be capable of once again contending for a win on the half-mile concrete oval.

Wood said he’s optimistic about the team’s prospects this weekend.

“Bristol is Matt’s best track,” he said. “And we’ve had some fast cars up there lately.”

“The biggest thing is getting to the end of the race without getting involved in someone else’s mess or your own mess.

“It’s the hardest race we run to survive to the finish. It’s so fast and the cars run so close. Things happen fast.”

Wood also said he and his family team are excited to have the No. 21 Mustang carry the universally known REESE and Draw-Tite brands, which have been providing heavy-duty and custom hitches and towing equipment since their inceptions in 1952 and 1946.

“We had REESE and Draw-Tite on the car for the iRacing event at Bristol a few weeks ago, and we were proud of that, but it’s a much bigger deal to represent them in a real Cup race,” he said. “We always enjoy working with companies like ours that have long histories.”

Sunday’s Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500, for which there will be no practice or qualifying, is set to start just after 3:30 p.m. with TV coverage on FOX Sports One.
Horizon Global
Headquartered in Plymouth, MI, Horizon Global is the #1 designer, manufacturer and distributor of a wide variety of high-quality, custom-engineered towing, trailering, cargo management and other related accessory products in North America and Europe. The Company serves OEMs, retailers, dealer networks and the end consumer as the category leader in the automotive, leisure and agricultural market segments. Horizon provides its customers with outstanding products and services that reflect the Company’s commitment to market leadership, innovation and operational excellence. The Company’s mission is to utilize forward-thinking technology to develop and deliver best-in-class products for our customers, engage with our employees and realize value creation for our shareholders.

Horizon Global is home to some of the world’s most recognized brands in the towing and trailering industry, including: Draw-Tite, Reese, Westfalia, BULLDOG, Fulton and Tekonsha. Horizon Global has approximately 3,600 employees. For more information, please visit www.horizonglobal.com .

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. WoodBrothers 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.

Martin Truex Jr. – No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry Preview – Food City Presents Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway

by MikeMay 29, 2020

No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry News and Notes

TRUEX AT BRISTOL: Martin Truex Jr. has earned two top-five finishes and three top-10s in NASCAR Cup Series competition at Bristol Motor Speedway. Most recently, Truex matched his career-best starting position (third) and led 52 laps when the Cup Series visited the ‘World’s Fastest Half-Mile’ last August. He posted finishes of 17th and 13th in two starts at Bristol in 2019 despite running in the top five during both events.
CHARLOTTE RECAP: Truex claimed a pair of top-10 finishes in two starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway earlier this week. In the Coca-Cola 600, he ran inside the top five throughout the race before ultimately finishing sixth. On Thursday night, Truex battled a loose handling condition throughout the race and ran as low as 28th before mounting a late charge to finish ninth.
BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT: In March 2004, Bristol Motor Speedway played host to Truex’s first NASCAR national series victory when he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. He led a race-high 134 laps that afternoon and fended off Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch for the first of six victories during his 2004 Xfinity Series championship season.
SINCE THE RETURN TO RACING: The No. 19 team is tied for the most points scored since NASCAR’s return to racing on May 17. Counting the two Darlington races and a pair of events at Charlotte, Truex and overall points leader Kevin Harvick have each earned 167 points. Over that stretch, Truex jumped from 15^th to seventh in the series standings.
STRONG IN THE STAGES: Through eight races, Truex ranks second in stage points. His 92 stage points trail only Alex Bowman in that category.
NASCAR LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR’s Loop Data, Truex ranks seventh or better in multiple categories. He leads all drivers as being the fastest on restarts. The No. 19 driver is also fourth in fastest laps run and percentage of laps run on the lead lap. Additionally, he is fifth in fastest drivers early in a run and sixth in average running position, green flag speed, laps in the top 15, laps led and speed by segment. Truex currently has the seventh-best driver rating.
AUTO-OWNERS: Sunday marks the first race this season that Auto-Owners Insurance will be featured as primary sponsor of Truex’s No. 19 Camry. The Lansing, Michigan-based company offers multiple lines of insurance, including life, home, auto and business to customers in 26 states. In their first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Auto-Owners was on board for monumental moments like Truex’s first victory for the team at Richmond in April, his 500th career start at Michigan in August and the No. 19 team’s dominant Martinsville win that propelled them to a Championship 4 appearance.
JGR AT BRISTOL: Joe Gibbs Racing owns 13 NASCAR Cup Series victories at Bristol Motor Speedway, including both races last season and four of the past five overall. In 138 combined starts, the organization has amassed 34 top-five finishes, 52 top-10s, 11 pole awards and 5,833 laps led the .533-mile concrete oval. Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart have each raced JGR entries to victory lane at Bristol.
TUNE IN: Coverage of this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway begins Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, PRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Martin Truex Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry

Talk about going to Bristol on Sunday and racing with no practice…

“Bristol is always wild, so you go in there expecting anything can and probably will happen. Going there without practice and running the low downforce package will be exciting and a challenge for everyone for sure. I feel like we’ve actually ran pretty well there the last few times and just crazy stuff happens to knock us out of contention. We just need to be able to put a full race together without any mistakes. If we can do that, I feel good about our chances to have a solid day.”

Truex NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway

Starts		Wins		Top 5		Top 10		Poles		Laps Led		Avg. Start		Avg. Finish
28		0		2		3		0		282		16.0		20.6

Truex 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats

Starts		Wins		Top 5		Top 10		Poles		Laps Led		Avg. Start		Avg. Finish
8		0		0		4		0		118		15.0		16.1

Truex NASCAR Cup Series Career Stats

Starts		Wins		Top 5		Top 10		Poles		Laps Led		Avg. Start		Avg. Finish
521		26		102		209		19		9,024		14.4		15.7

About Auto-Owners Insurance

Established in 1916 and headquartered in Lansing, Michigan, Auto-Owners Insurance Group is the 15th-largest property/casualty insurance group in the nation, based on written premium of over $7.4 billion. The company also ranks 375th on the Fortune 500 list. Auto-Owners is one of nine insurance carrier groups in the U.S. to receive the highest rating possible, A++ Superior, by A.M. Best, which is a nationally recognized rating agency for insurance companies. Auto-Owners offers auto, home, business and life insurance through more than 44,000 licensed independent agents in its 26 operating states. Auto-Owners owns Atlantic Casualty Insurance Company which sells excess and surplus lines polices in 49 states and is affiliated with Concord General Mutual which sells property & casualty products in four states. Auto-Owners employs over 5,000 associates nationwide. Find your agent at auto-owners.com, and connect with Auto-Owners Insurance on Facebook and Twitter (@AutoOwnersIns).

Harrison Burton/ No. 20 DEX Imaging/FIELDS Toyota Supra Preview- Bristol Motor Speedway

by MikeMay 29, 2020

No. 20 DEX Imaging/ FIELDS Toyota Supra News and Notes:

Last Great Coliseum: Harrison Burton and the NASCAR Xfinity Series return to the track Monday night at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Cheddar’s 300 and race number seven of the 2020 season. Despite being a rookie this season, Burton does have one NASCAR Xfinity Series start under his belt at the half-mile oval, starting fifth and finishing 10^th in his DEX Imaging Supra last April. Monday will also serve as the first qualifying race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash Program.
Racing for Military Heroes: During the race Monday night, Xfinity will salute a variety of military veteran frontline employees for their efforts in response to the COVID-19 crisis, including 23 employees across the company that are actively serving on the frontlines in the National Guard and reserve to keep communities safe and connected. The DEX Imaging/FIELDS Toyota Supra will carry the name of Johnathan Bogle on their windshield. Mr. Bogle works for Xfinity and is actively serving in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in the Army National Guard in Louisiana.
Charlotte Recap: Harrison Burton collected his sixth top-10 finish in as many races on Monday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Burton was a mainstay inside the top 10 for most of the race and crossed the finish line in ninth following a multitude of cautions to the end race. With his finish Monday night, Burton currently sits fourth in the Xfinity Series driver standings and continues to hold a commanding lead in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle.
JGR at Bristol: In combined 99 Xfinity Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, JGR has earned 13 wins, 32 top-five finishes, 47 top-10s and 10 pole starting positions. The team has led 3,177 laps, with an average start of 11.2 and an average finish of 14.5.
Welcome FIELDS: For the first time this season, FIELDS will adorn the hood of the No. 20 Toyota Supra this season. FIELDS is an award-winning sports general contractor whose projects include natural grass and synthetic turf sports field construction for professional sports teams, universities, and municipalities. Headed by principals with a combined 100+ years of industry experience, expertise and creativity is applied to every project that’s undertaken. FIELDS is part of the Sports Fields Inc. family of companies which also includes FIELDS Maintenance, The Sports Force and Sports Force Parks. Learn more at www.fields-inc.com.
DEX IMAGING: DEX Imaging returns as a full-time sponsor of Burton and the No. 20 team this season. DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions in the industry, such as Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and HP. What makes DEX unique is its people, whose combined knowledge of cutting-edge business technologies and depth of service experience is unmatched. DEX Imaging’s success is directly tied to its mission: to help customers of all sizes drive down document-related expenses while improving productivity.
RACE INFO: The Cheddar’s 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled for Monday, June 1^st, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Watch and listen live on FoxSports 1, Sirius XM Channel 90 and PRN Radio.

Burton’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway:

Starts		Wins		Top 5		Top 10		Poles		Laps Led		Avg. Start		Avg. Finish
1		0		0		1		0		0		5.0		10.0

Burton’s 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:

Starts		Wins		Top 5		Top 10		Poles		Laps Led		Avg. Start		Avg. Finish
6		1		4		6		0		49		6.5		4.7

Burton’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:

Starts		Wins		Top 5		Top 10		Poles		Laps Led		Avg. Start		Avg. Finish
15		1		5		11		0		49		8.1		11.9

From the Cockpit:

Harrison Burton:

You are heading back to the track you made you Xfinity Series debut – Bristol Motor Speedway. What have you learned since your debut?

“I’ve learned a lot. We had a good car last time we were at Bristol. A really fast race car – we made good moves towards the front. We were running top five and had some damage that held us back for the rest of the race after that. That was a good experience to have for me to be able to run there, get some laps. It will be nice to be able to go somewhere I know what to expect instead of going somewhere I’ve never been in Xfinity with no practice. Hopefully, we will get a better qualifying draw for there too. We will see what happens. I’m just excited to go racing again. It’s been so nice to be able to focus on racing and get back in the swing of things. Hopefully, we can put the Supra back in Victory Lane.”

About DEX IMAGING:

DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions in the industry, such as Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and HP. What makes DEX unique is its people, whose combined knowledge of cutting-edge business technologies and depth of service experience is unmatched. DEX Imaging’s success is directly tied to its mission: to help customers of all sizes drive down document-related expenses while improving productivity.

About FIELDS

FIELDS is an award-winning sports general contractor whose projects include natural grass and synthetic turf sports field construction for professional sports teams, universities and municipalities. Headed by principals with a combined 100+ years of industry experience, expertise and creativity is applied to every project that’s undertaken. FIELDS is part of the Sports Fields Inc. family of companies which also includes FIELDS Maintenance, The Sports Force and Sports Force Parks. Learn more at www.fields-inc.com.

DiBenedetto Finishes 15th at Charlotte

by MikeMay 29, 2020

After a promising start to Thursday’s Alsco Uniforms 500-kilometer Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Richmond team struggled with a loose handing condition for the remainder of the race and wound up with a 15^th-place finish.

DiBenedetto started fourth when the line-up was set using a modified inversion of the finish of Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, where he finished 17^th.

On the start of Thursday’s 208-lap race, he pushed pole-sitter William Byron into the lead going into Turns One and Two then passed him for the lead down the backstretch.

He led the next nine laps then retook the top spot on the 11^th lap for a total of 10 laps led. It was the second-straight race he’s been out front, the first being the six circuits he led in the Coca-Cola 600.

After losing the top spot DiBenedetto continued to keep pace with the front-runners and ended the first 55-lap Stage in third place, collecting eight Stage points.

But from then on to the finish, the loose handling conditions persisted, hampering his progress in a race that ended with a 59-lap green-flag run to the finish.

“The car got really loose, and with it being a short race we never really got a handle on it,” DiBenedetto said. “We worked on the car, but it just wasn’t responding to the adjustments we made.

“But it was good to lead the race, and the Stage points helped make our day not too bad. They saved us a little.”

DiBenedetto remains 11^th in the Cup Series standings as and the No. 21 team head to Bristol Motor Speedway, one of his best tracks and where he finished second last fall driving for another team.

“I’m ready to go to a short track and get away from these mile-and-a-half tracks for a weekend,” he said.

Sunday’s Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500, for which there will be no practice or qualifying, is set to start just after 3:30 p.m. with TV coverage 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.