Author: Official Release

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway… In 186 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the 2.0-mile speedway, Richard Childress Racing has recorded three wins with drivers Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990) and Kevin Harvick (2010), plus 25 top-five and 59 top-10 finishes. Earnhardt scored a dominating victory in 1987, leading 152 of 200 laps and earned a thrilling victory in 1990, edging Ernie Irvan by just .22 seconds (about two car lengths). Harvick’s 2010 victory was the driver’s first in the Irish Hills.

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Michigan… Richard Childress Racing has four victories in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at Michigan with four different drivers: Kevin Harvick (2003), Paul Menard (2014), Austin Dillon (2018) and Tyler Reddick (2019). The Welcome, N.C., team has claimed 14 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes in 54 starts at Michigan.

Catch Saturday’s Action in the Irish Hills… The Cabo Wabo 250 at Michigan International Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, August 17 beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. The event will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Follow Sunday’s Action in Michigan… The Michigan 400 will be televised live on Sunday, August 18, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Dow MobilityScienceTM Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway… Austin Dillon has 20 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Michigan International Speedway, posting five top-10 results and a career-best finish of fourth in August 2018. Dillon finished 19th in the 2023 Cup Series race after leading two laps. In NASCAR Xfinity Series competition, Dillon has earned two poles (2012, 2013) and one win (2018) at the 2.0-mile speedway.

Richmond Winner… Dillon enters Michigan International Speedway as the most recent winner in the NASCAR Cup Series. Last Sunday’s win at Richmond Raceway was Dillon’s fifth victory in the premier series.

Welcome, Dow MobilityScienceTM… Dow’s MobilityScience™ platform is designed to enhance the customer experience by tailoring technologies, products, and services from across Dow businesses to the transportation industry. The platform is pursuing accelerated growth by addressing Mobility mega-trends – where lighter weight, longer range, greater comfort, enhanced safety, and lower carbon footprint are the ultimate objectives. That is where Dow science, innovation, and people step in – working closely with customers to create the materials that bring the possibilities to life.

Dow brings a science and engineering crew who is driven by limitless curiosity to the RCR Team… Dillon and the RCR team are again supported by Dow’s materials science expertise and technologies this season. Backed by the power of data analysis and virtual modeling, Dow develops and manufactures high-performance components and materials custom-made for the No. 3 car. Dow and RCR’s partnership has expedited innovation and shortened testing time in the automotive industry by using one of the most extreme environments – the racetrack – as a real-time testbed. After 11 years of collaboration, Dow scientists and RCR engineers are continuing to work together to make the No. 3 car faster, safer, and more precise. Stay up to date with Dow’s exciting developments at www.dow.com/sports, and follow them on X (@DowSports) and LinkedIn (Dow Sports Marketing Solutions).

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:

Michigan International Speedway is a fast, 2.0-mile track. What is it about the track that you like?

“Michigan International Speedway is a big, fast place. It’s one of the roughest tracks we race on. Michigan is always a place where you’re trying to keep the gas pedal down and do whatever it takes to keep the momentum up. You get some good drafts there and you can make some big moves. You will see three or four wide action into the corner sometimes, and the race has gotten better over the years. ECR’s engine package is very good. You always see ECR engines race very well. We have to perform in Dow’s backyard, and I feel like we have a serious shot at winning.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Michigan International Speedway… Kyle Busch will make his 36th NASCAR Cup Series start at Michigan International Speedway this weekend. The driver of the Lucas Oil Chevrolet won at Michigan in 2011, edging seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson in NASCAR Overtime. Busch enters Sunday’s Michigan 400 with nine top-five and 15 top-10 finishes at the 2.0-mile speedway, including nine top-10 finishes in the last 11 Cup Series events. In 11 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, Busch has two wins and 10 top-10 finishes. In addition, Busch earned one victory in 10 NASCAR Truck Series events.

Points Update… Busch currently holds the 18th position in the NASCAR Cup Series driver championship point standings, 119 points below the Playoffs cutline.

Lucas Oil’s Role as a Technical and Development Powerhouse in Motorsports at RCR and ECR… Lucas Oil has contributed first-hand to the many on-track successes of one of NASCAR’s legendary race teams since 2014. Lucas Oil’s resources and expertise, including R&D, technical development and support, have provided a competitive on-track advantage that has equated to RCR’s more than 20 trips to Victory Lane over the past decade. All RCR NASCAR Cup and ECR engines rely on the best performance motor oil in NASCAR: a direct result of joint research and development. The same success that Lucas Oil and RCR/ECR have found at the highest levels of motorsports, has been successfully transferred to grassroots racing efforts throughout the country. And all team operations rely on the full line of Lucas Slick Mist appearance products – from metal polish to speed wax and detailers – to keep all types of vehicles looking their best. To learn more about Lucas Oil, visit lucasoil.com.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

How big of a factor is the draft at Michigan International Speedway?

“Over the last couple of years with this new Next Gen car, the draft at Michigan has become less effective in my opinion. These cars don’t quite suck up on the straightaways the way the old cars could.”

Is it refreshing to race at a place like Michigan International Speedway where you can move around the track and find a line that works?

“Michigan over the years has been pretty lane dominant, but with the addition of the traction compound through the corners, it has led itself to widening out and allowing you to try different grooves. It still isn’t as wide as it once was back in 2013 when you could race along the wall, but it’s getting better and going in that direction.”

Is there any track on the schedule that you can compare to Michigan International Speedway? Auto Club Speedway was similar.

“Fontana was the closest just because it was a two-mile racetrack. It was special to win the last Cup race there in our Lucas Oil Camaro, but the asphalt, grip level, and banking level is entirely different between Michigan and Fontana. Kansas has really aged well and has progressive banking from the bottom to the top so you can run all over the racetrack. You can run to the top, right up against the wall for the majority of the day at Kansas. Michigan is not quite there yet. I’m not really sure anywhere compares entirely to Michigan.”

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro SS at Michigan International Speedway… Jesse Love has made one career start at Michigan International Speedway, driving in the ARCA Menards Series event in August 2023. During that race, the Menlo Park, California native qualified in the fifth position, led 35 laps and claimed the checkered flag.

Off Weekend Winner… During the three-week Xfinity Series break, Love visited Montana’s Mission Valley Super Oval to compete in a Montana Big 5 Series super late model race. The 19-year-old driver picked up the victory in the Wild Fire 125 on August 3.

Did You Know? When compared to fulltime Xfinity Series competitors, Love currently holds the sixth-best average running position (12.2). Also, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points leader has completed 73.3% (2,227) of the laps inside the top 15 and has lead a total of 279 laps.

About Whelen Engineering… Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.

JESSE LOVE QUOTE:

What is the outlook coming out of the Olympic break and returning to Michigan International Speedway?

“I look forward to going back to Michigan International Speedway again this season. It’s always nice to go back to a track for a second time in the Xfinity Series or even back to a track that I’ve raced at in the ARCA Menards Series. My ARCA car last season was not the fastest car there, but we were able to get the job done to secure the victory. Danny Stockman and all of the guys on the No. 2 crew have been putting in the work over these last few off weeks to prepare our team for the final push to the Playoffs. Everything that we are doing in these final six races of the regular season are to prepare us for a race to the championship. Our team is hungry and hopefully we can take Whelen back to Victory Lane soon.”

Austin Hill and the No. 21 United Rentals Chevrolet Camaro SS at Michigan International Speedway… Austin Hill has two career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Michigan International Speedway, earning a best finish of fifth place in 2022. The Winston, Ga. native made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Irish Hills facility in 2022, driving the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to a respectable 18th-place finish. In addition, Hill has three NASCAR Truck Series starts at the 2-mile speedway, capturing one victory in 2019.

Did You Know? When compared to fulltime Xfinity Series competitors, Hill currently holds the second-best average running position (8.988). Also, the 30-year-old driver has completed 84.1% (2,544) of the laps inside the top 15.

About United Rentals… United Rentals, Inc. is the largest equipment rental company in the world. The company has an integrated network of 1,504 rental locations in North America, 38 in Europe, 23 in Australia and 19 in New Zealand. In North America, the company operates in 49 states and every Canadian province. The company’s approximately 26,300 employees serve construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and others. The company offers approximately 4,800 classes of equipment for rent with a total original cost of $20.66 billion. United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the Barron’s 400 Index and the Russell 3000 Index® and is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. Additional information about United Rentals is available at unitedrentals.com.

Meet Hill… On Saturday, August 17 at 1:00 p.m. local time, Hill is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Midway at Michigan International Speedway. Stop by to meet the United Rentals driver and purchase new gear.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTES:

What are your thoughts about racing at Michigan International Speedway?

“I’ve won at Michigan in the Truck Series, so that gives me a little extra confidence each time we go back. Probably should have a won a second race there in the Truck Series but got wrecked while running second in a green-white-checkered finish. I’ve always seemed to run well there though. My rookie season in the Xfinity Series car, we ran decent. The biggest thing about racing at Michigan is keeping your momentum up. It’s not a superspeedway by any means, but the draft does come into effect on restarts. Having the right lane choices, knowing when to run the bottom or run the top, knowing when to make passes and or push your lane are all keys as a driver to having a good finish. A lot of the superspeedway type feel comes into play until the field gets strung out. Once you get strung out, it’s a normal mile-and-a half style of race.”

What are the keys to having a successful race in the Irish Hills?

“It’s all about momentum and reminds me of when I would race in the Truck Series. If you drive in too deep, you have to lift too much and then you get on throttle too late, which slows lap time down. You are better off to roll out early and get back wide open sooner, to carry the momentum down the long straightaways. We need to have a car that is very versatile, that can go in and out of the juice that gets laid down.”

NOAH GRAGSON
Michigan Advance
No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: FireKeepers Casino 400 (Round 24 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 18
● Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn
● Layout: 2-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 200 laps / 400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 45 laps / Stage 2: 75 laps / Final Stage: 80 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing, will make his second NASCAR Cup Series start at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn when he takes the flag for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400. Gragson’s lone Cup Series start at the 2-mile, D-shaped oval came in 2022 when a crash just past the race’s halfway mark left him 30th.

● Gragson’s history at Michigan in the NASCAR Xfinity Series is far more robust. In three starts at the track between 2019-2022, Gragson never finished outside of the top-three. He finished second in 2019 before scoring back-to-back third-place drives in 2021-2022. And in his last Xfinity Series start at Michigan in 2022, Gragson won the pole with a lap of 37.821 seconds at 190.370 mph. He then led twice for 39 laps before scoring the 11th of his 21 top-five finishes that season, which was a career high.

● A prelude to Gragson’s Michigan success in the NASCAR Xfinity Series was his two-race run in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He never finished outside of the top-10, recording a seventh-place drive in 2017 and delivering a fourth-place effort in 2018.

● To gain additional experience at Michigan, Gragson will pull double duty during this year’s FireKeepers Casino 400 race weekend. He will compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday before piloting his signature No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang on Sunday. Gragson will drive the No. 30 Ford Mustang for Rette-Jones Racing in the Cabo Wabo 250. It will be his third Xfinity Series start of the year as Gragson wheeled a Rette-Jones Racing-prepared Mustang to a 10th-place finish May 25 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway before earning a fifth-place result June 29 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

● Overstock.com adorns Gragson’s No. 10 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Michigan. The partnership amplifies the recent relaunch of Overstock.com, home of crazy good deals that offer quality and style for less. Overstock.com is for the savvy shopper who loves the thrill of the hunt and it includes product categories customers know and love, like patio furniture, home furniture and area rugs, while reintroducing jewelry, watches and health-and-beauty products.

Noah Gragson, Driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Michigan marks a return to a high-speed, high-banked, intermediate track after running a variety of tracks through the summer. Can the knowledge learned early in the year at Las Vegas – or even at places that we’ve raced at more recently like Kansas and Charlotte – be applied to Michigan, or were those races so long ago that it’s no longer applicable?

“We still apply the same stuff, and we did run well at Vegas. Aerodynamics are probably a little bit more important at Michigan because the straightaways are so long, but if you handle well through the corners, you can make moves in traffic and can pass cars. Michigan’s been one of my favorite tracks, so I’m excited for this one. I’ve always been just pretty good there. It definitely fits my driving style.”

We’ve heard the adage of, “Slow down to go fast,” and that seems to be used a lot at Michigan. What does that mean and how does it apply to Michigan?

“You’re just focused on carrying as much speed through the corner and on exit as you can. If you have to lift a little bit early, but stay part throttle and run the corner with a lot of speed, that’s kind of how you do it. Don’t overdrive your entry. You have to wait on the gas, and you’re not carrying a lot of speed down the straightaway.”

Oftentimes, Michigan races have come down to fuel mileage. How does a driver try to save fuel when they’re still trying to outrun other racecars?

“You’ve just got to pick and choose your battles. What’s more important? Is it holding off the guy next to you, is he on the same strategy as you, or can you let him go and just race the racetrack and race your fuel scenario? You’re in a spot, but it almost makes it easier to race other guys when you’re saving fuel because you’re just focused on your throttle inputs. You don’t care if other people pass you in different scenarios because they might have to pit again. You’re just doing your own program.”

Has there been a fuel-mileage race where at the end of it you’ve said, “I did a really good job of saving fuel and got us the best finish possible?” Or have there been races where you’re left scratching your head wondering what you could’ve done differently?

“Earlier this year at Nashville, we ran 110 laps on a tank of fuel when they predicted it would be around 70 to 74 laps when you’ve got full fuel. That just showed how well we were able to save. We were on the same strategy as (Joey) Logano, who ended up winning. He had a little bit better track position, so he got to stay up there a little bit better. But that definitely pushed me to save under caution at every racetrack we go to because you never know. I do take pride with how much I save, and it ended up working out, where other guys who pitted after us were running out of fuel. I saved that much more than they did and we ended up with a top-10 finish. The guys who didn’t save fuel well were lazy and ended up in the back. So, it can make or break your day if you get lazy with it.”

When you’re trying to save fuel, is it easier to make a mistake because you’re sort of out of your rhythm, or do you just adapt into a new rhythm?

“You just find a new rhythm. You’re lifting early and not touching the brake and coasting through the corner and just being super smooth on the throttle and not using more than you need to. You’re just trying to be very, very smooth and not jumping on the gas all too hard in ways that are unnecessary.”

Do you put an asterisk next to a fuel-mileage win, or are you of the opinion that a win’s a win, no matter how you get it?

“I think a win’s a win. You out-saved the other guy and you did a better job than them. You worked your tail off and you strategized better and it all worked out. It is what it is. I think a win’s a win, especially 20 years from now. They don’t ask how, they just ask how many. There’s no asterisk for fuel mileage on the sheet.”

No. 10 Overstock.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Noah Gragson

Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Jerry Cook

Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Engineer: James Kimbrough

Hometown: Pensacola, Florida

Spotter: Andy Houston

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White

Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard

Hometown: King, North Carolina

Jack Man: Sean Cotten

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener

Hometown: Fortuna, California

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Beau Whitley

Hometown: Carmel, Indiana

Tire Specialist: Jacob Cooksey

Hometown: Westbrookville, New York

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Steve Casper

Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

CHASE BRISCOE
Michigan Advance
No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: FireKeepers Casino 400 (Round 24 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 18
● Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn
● Layout: 2-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 200 laps / 400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 45 laps / Stage 2: 75 laps / Final Stage: 80 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● The FireKeepers Casino 400 is round No. 24 on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and it will mark Chase Briscoe’s fourth career start at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang has made three previous starts at the 2-mile, D-shaped oval, with his best result coming in his first Cup start at the track in 2021 when he finished 11th. Luck has been fleeting in the Irish Hills region of Michigan since then, with Briscoe logging results of 20th and 31st in his last two Cup starts at the track.

● Briscoe enjoyed solid results at Michigan prior to racing there in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has three starts at Michigan outside of the Cup Series – one each in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series. He scored top-10 finishes in all of them, with his best result coming in his Michigan debut when he finished second in the 2016 ARCA race, where he also led 31 laps. When Briscoe returned to Michigan in 2017, he was driving a Ford F-150 for Brad Keselowski Racing. Despite going from a Ford Fusion in ARCA to an F-150 in the Truck Series, Briscoe maintained his front-running ways by finishing ninth after leading four laps. His last Michigan start before getting promoted to the Cup Series came in the Xfinity Series in 2019 when he finished seventh in a Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas. In those three non-Cup Series starts at Michigan, Briscoe completed 100 percent of the 225 laps available.

● Joining Briscoe at Michigan is HighPoint.com, a leading provider of technology infrastructure solutions that is headquartered in Sparta, New Jersey. HighPoint has been a partner of Briscoe and Stewart-Haas since 2020 when the company supported Briscoe’s NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign, a collaboration that netted a season-best nine victories and earned Briscoe a promotion to the NASCAR Cup Series. HighPoint has climbed the NASCAR ladder with Briscoe and has helped Stewart-Haas maximize its IT investments. Said Briscoe about the partnership: “Even though we race stock cars, there’s nothing stock about what we do. The science of our cars is impressive, but the technology that goes into building our Ford Mustangs and then making them perform is even more advanced. Our IT needs are pretty complex, and we demand a lot from our technology every day, whether it’s at the shop or at the track. HighPoint provides efficiency and security. They’re more than just a sponsor – HighPoint is a partner that helps us perform.” As an IT Solutions Integrator focused on all things that connect, HighPoint helps its customers with the selection and supply of network infrastructure, mobility, collaboration, data center, security solutions and the risk-mitigated implementation and management of their technology. The company, founded in 1996, is a minority-owned business that serves markets in its nearby Tri-State Region (New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware) and the southeastern United States via its presence in Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as globally with offices in Amsterdam and London. To learn more about HighPoint’s solutions, please visit HighPoint.com.

● The story of how HighPoint.com came together with Briscoe and Stewart-Haas is one that could’ve been scripted in Hollywood. In November 2019, while walking to dinner after attending the SEMA show in Las Vegas, Kevin Briscoe was stopped by a stranger who noticed his No. 98 Stewart-Haas hat. The man was Mike Mendiburu, founder and CEO of HighPoint.com, and he said he was a big fan of Chase Briscoe, then a young NASCAR Xfinity Series driver from Mitchell, Indiana, who was driving the No. 98 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas. Kevin informed Mendiburu that Chase was his son and the two carried on a conversation like they were old friends. The two walked away with Kevin accepting Mendiburu’s business card, just in case the Briscoes ever needed anything. Months passed and Chase Briscoe was told that he may not have a ride in the No. 98 for the 2020 season if funding couldn’t be found. So, Stewart-Haas was given Mendiburu’s information and an agreement was reached for HighPoint.com to sponsor Briscoe. That chance encounter in Las Vegas led to a nine-win season in 2020. In October of that year, midway through the playoffs, Briscoe arrived at Tony Stewart’s house in Indiana for what he thought was a discussion with his team owner about whether HighPoint.com would be returning as his sponsor for the next season. The group sat down for dinner and Briscoe, joined by his parents, was informed a decision had already been made – he would be leaving the No. 98 Xfinity Series program to become the next driver of the team’s No. 14 Cup Series entry, the car Stewart himself wheeled during his driving tenure at Stewart-Haas. “I wouldn’t have a career if it wasn’t for Mike and everyone at HighPoint.com,” Briscoe said. “Going into 2020, I was going to be done. They literally came in the fourth quarter with 30 seconds left on the clock and kept things going. Without them, I think my career would’ve been over.”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang

Michigan is a fast, 2-mile, D-shaped oval. Do you feel the sensation of speed there more than you do at other tracks?

“It definitely feels like you’re hauling the mail at Michigan. Michigan is one of those places where you know you’re going fast and if you hit something, it’s not going to feel good. It definitely gets your attention.”

Michigan marks a return to a high-speed, high-banked, intermediate track after running a variety of tracks through the summer. Can the knowledge learned earlier in the year at Las Vegas – or even at places that we’ve raced at more recently like Kansas and Charlotte – be applied to Michigan, or were those races so long ago that it’s no longer applicable?

“I think you can take a little bit from those races, but Michigan is kind of different than all the other ones. It’s not got a lot of tire falloff, it’s extremely fast, it’s smoother through the corners, and the banking and things are different, so Michigan is kind of its own racetrack that stands out among the rest. You can apply some of the stuff you’ve learned at mile-and-a-half racetracks from an aero standpoint, but when you go to Michigan, all that stuff is amplified, so you’ve got to be really on your game from an aero standpoint and an engine standpoint. It has been a while since we’ve run a mile-and-a-half-style track. I feel like it’s always a fresh reset when we get to Michigan and try to figure out who’s going to be good.”

We’ve heard the adage of, “Slow down to go fast,” and that seems to be used a lot at Michigan. What does that mean and how does it apply to Michigan?

“Because you’re going so fast down the straightaway driving in, and the straightaways are so long there that you’re really just trying to set up for the exit of the corner, so sometimes when you try to start slowing down, you start backing your entry up and you start getting on the gas earlier and making the straightaway longer, and you end up going faster. It’s funny, a lot of times you see guys actually start going faster when they’re saving fuel there just because they’re making the straightaways a lot longer. I’m pretty guilty of driving in too deep there. Hopefully, this year I can do a lot better job of that.”

Oftentimes, Michigan races have come down to fuel mileage. How does a driver try to save fuel when they’re still trying to outrun other racecars?

“It’s a hard balance trying to keep those guys behind you. I think the biggest thing is just being a lot smoother on the gas pedal and not only pushing it down, but even letting up, and then just lifting earlier in the corner, getting back to the throttle a little bit later. There are a lot of things you can do, including shutting it off. Guys will even do that sometimes under green getting into the corner. There are a lot of things you can do, fuel mileage-wise, especially at the bigger racetracks like Michigan. There are a lot of games played, for sure, on the fuel side.”

Has there been a fuel-mileage race where at the end of it you’ve said, “I did a really good job of saving fuel and got us the best finish possible?’, or have there been races where you’re left scratching your head wondering what you could’ve done differently?

“Nashville earlier this year would definitely be one where I thought I was doing a really, really good job of saving and doing everything I needed to do, and somebody who had essentially three laps less fuel than me made it and I didn’t. I don’t know, it’s definitely hard. I think the big thing is you can save all you want under caution, but sometimes under green you’re burning more if you’re faster, or you’re burning less if you’re a little bit slower than some other guys. So, it’s just hard to say really what you’ve got. Nashville would certainly be the one that stands out above the rest. I thought I did a really good job under caution, and even looking back at stuff, I thought I did a really comparable job to everybody, but then you still don’t have enough at the end.”

When you’re trying to save fuel, is it easier to make a mistake because you’re sort of out of your rhythm, or do you just adapt into a new rhythm?

“I feel like you just adapt. You’re always doing something different trying to get more and more fuel saved. It’s easier to drive the car when you’re fuel saving just because you’re not pushing the car as hard, but there’s still a rhythm and a technique of trying to maximize your time while saving fuel. It’s kind of a new rhythm that you find, but it’s also constantly evolving as you’re trying to save more fuel.”

Do you put an asterisk next to a fuel-mileage win, or are you of the opinion that a win’s a win, no matter how you get it?

“They all pay the same amount of points and pay the same amount of money. For me, from a pride standpoint, it’s a little bit different if you know you lucked into one in the sense of fuel mileage. But at the same time, you still did a better job than everybody else. A win’s a win in my book. You still get to take home a trophy and enjoy victory lane, so it doesn’t really matter to me how you get them, it’s just a matter of getting them.”

No. 14 HighPoint.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe

Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell

Hometown: Friendship, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey

Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Spotter: Joey Campbell

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala

Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal

Hometown: Holland, Michigan

Jack Man: Kapil Fletcher

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams

Hometown: Plymouth, Wisconsin

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads

Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips

Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Transporter Co-Driver: Todd Cable

Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Dale Lackey

Hometown: Taylorsville, North Carolina

JUSTIN HALEY | CODY WARE
Michigan Advance
Event Overview

● Event: FireKeepers Casino 400 (Round 24 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 18
● Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn
● Layout: 2-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 200 laps / 400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 45 laps / Stage 2: 75 laps / Final Stage: 80 laps
● TV/Radio: USA Network / MRN Radio / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Justin Haley, Driver of the No. 51 Fraternal Order of Eagles Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Fraternal Order of Eagles Ford Mustang Dark Horse, will make his fourth NASCAR Cup Series start Sunday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The 25-year-old has completed 599 of 600 available laps in his three previous starts at the 2-mile, D-shaped oval with a best finish of 17th earned in August 2022.

● In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Haley competed at Michigan twice, earning a 10th-place finish in his first race there in 2019. Haley also owns two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts there, leading three laps in 2017 en route to a 10th-place finish, then returning in 2018 to finish ninth.

Cody Ware, Driver of the No. 15 Parts Plus Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● Cody Ware will also make his fourth NASCAR Cup Series start at Michigan. Ware finished 22nd in his last race at the track in 2022 – his best finish and the best result for RWR in 24 total starts at Michigan.

● The Parts Plus brand, part of The Pronto Network, is the largest and the most diverse automotive program distribution group in North America, will make its debut on the No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse this weekend as co-primary partner. Parts Plus began 2024 with an expansion of its partnership with RWR and its Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series Top Fuel driver Clay Millican.

Rick Ware Racing Notes

● The Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series returns to action this weekend at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway. RWR’s Top Fuel driver Clay Millican is currently seventh in the standings. In the most recent event July 26 – 28 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, Millican was the second-fastest qualifier but wasn’t able to advance past the first round of eliminations. However, at the Northwest Nationals the week prior at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington, the Parts Plus dragster was knocked out of contention for the Wally after advancing to the semifinals.

● American Flat Track takes a week off after two events last week. In Tuesday’s event at Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, South Dakota, AFT Singles rider Kody Kopp finished third, his 11th podium finish to that point. He followed that up on Sunday with his sixth win of the season, extending his podium streak to eight straight top-three finishes and increasing his lead to 34 points in the championship standings. Mission SuperTwins rider Briar Bauman finished second to earn his fourth podium of the year and advance to third in the standings.

● Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age six when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver seat and into fulltime team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that fields two fulltime entries in the NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX), where RWR won the 2022 SX2 championship with rider Shane McElrath.

Justin Haley, Driver Q&A

What are some of the characteristics of racing at Michigan?

“Fast and edgy. You really have to commit when you’re headed into turn one. It’s so fast and the groove isn’t as wide as some other places, so that’s usually where you’ll see guys have problems. You get just a little bit out of line and it could be bad. We haven’t been terrible on the bigger tracks, so I feel like we’ll be OK this weekend and hopefully we can get back on track with top-20 results.”

Ford has won nine consecutive Cup races at Michigan. Does that add a bit of confidence?

“It’s like going to superspeedways. The Fords were always so good and it was something I was really looking forward to when I moved over to the Ford camp. It does add some confidence to know that Ford is the one to beat, but you also know everyone is trying to match that and take the win this time.”

Cody Ware, Driver Q&A

What are your expectations for the No. 15 team heading to Michigan?

“Michigan is a place where we have had decent success as a small team in the past, so I’m looking forward to seeing how we have progressed there with our RFK Racing alliance. Staying clean on restarts is the most important thing, because that’s where 99 percent of the chaos happens there.”

There are just three races before the playoffs begin and there seems to be more desperation among drivers sitting below the cutline. Do you have to adjust your race plan to account for more aggressive driving throughout the field?

“I don’t think so. We still want to run our own race and be as aggressive as we can without making mistakes. Obviously, if we see certain cars around each other, we probably want to be on our toes, but other than that I feel like our strategy at Michigan will be pretty straightforward. We just need to get the best finish possible and bring home a clean car.”