Category: NASCAR Cup PR

DOVER

Saturday, April 27 — NASCAR Xfinity Series, 1:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday, April 28 — NASCAR Cup Series, 2 p.m. ET (FS1)

Dover Motor Speedway will host its annual NASCAR race this weekend featuring the NASCAR Xfinity and NASCAR Cup Series. The last Ford driver to reach Victory Lane at the Monster Mile was Kevin Harvick, who registered the manufacturer’s 700th all-time Cup Series win in 2020.

ANOTHER FRONT ROW SWEEP

When Michael McDowell won the pole and Austin Cindric qualified second at Talladega, it marked the fourth time this season Ford has swept the front row in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying. The pole was McDowell’s second of the season and second of his career, and was Ford’s fifth pole overall. The four front row sweeps matches Ford’s total from each of the last two seasons.

FORD FRONT ROW SWEEPS

Daytona – Joey Logano and Michael McDowell

Atlanta – Michael McDowell and Joey Logano

Bristol – Ryan Blaney and Josh Berry

Talladega – Michael McDowell and Austin Cindric

BERRY AT DOVER

Josh Berry made his NASCAR Cup Series debut on May 16, 2021 at Dover Motor Speedway after he was tabbed to drive the No. 77 for Spire Motorsports. He filled in for Alex Bowman a year ago in the No. 48 and finished 10th, so this will mark his third start at the Monster Mile with his third different team. In addition to his two Cup starts, Berry was dominant in three NASCAR Xfinity Series races with one win (2022) and two runner-up finishes.

BRISCOE AND CINDRIC LOOK TO ADD DOVER CUP WIN

Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric are looking to add a NASCAR Cup Series win at Dover to go with their NASCAR Xfinity Series victories. Briscoe won the second race of a weekend doubleheader in 2020 and eventually went on to win nine NXS races that season while Cindric won the only time the series visited the one-mile track in 2021.

RYAN BLANEY: “I feel like Dover is always, at least since I’ve been on the Cup side at Penske, a struggle racetrack for us and for our cars. Whatever we do as a group just doesn’t really suit that place as good, so we’ve been really trying a lot of things to try to figure out, ‘OK, what can we do differently?’ I know our three cars went with a pretty different mindset on each car, each team to try to figure out, ‘Alright, how can we run better at this racetrack and be more competitive,’ and our group just kind of hit it and had a pretty decent day. We were able to run in the top five pretty much the whole day, so hopefully we can take what we learned last year and apply it.”

JOEY LOGANO: “The atmosphere around Dover with the fans and everything is unique because the track itself is scary fast. It’s wicked, wicked fast to get around there. I like where it’s located because when I lived in Connecticut, Dover and Loudon were the two closest racetracks, so you get a good New England crowd in Delaware for that race. Everyone seems to have a good time there and with the casino right next to it, it seems like it’s a fun time for everybody.”

NOAH GRAGSON: “It’s a tough, challenging racetrack. I didn’t get too many laps there last year. Qualifying being rained out was tough to prepare for this year, but I feel like we’ve got a solid plan. Last year, I wrecked 30-40 laps into the race, so that was a challenge, but just being patient. I feel like I’ve been a lot more patient this year in general. Dover is a fun, fast racetrack and really challenging with these Next Gen cars.”

HARVICK RECORDS FORD’S 700TH CUP WIN

Kevin Harvick recorded Ford’s 700th all-time series victory when he won at the Monster Mile in 2020. Harvick dominated the second half of the weekend doubleheader, sweeping all three stages and leading 223-of-311 laps to win for the seventh time in 2020. The victory also clinched the regular season championship for Harvick, who went on to lead the series with nine victories.

ANOTHER FIRST FOR THE KING

Ford won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover International Raceway in 1969 when Richard Petty drove to victory lane on July 6. That marked the only year in which The King drove a Ford and was the fourth of nine wins for him that season, and it came in dominating fashion as he led half of the 300 laps, including the final 109. It was a Ford day all-around as the Blue Oval led every lap in the race with Lee Roy Yarbrough (124) and David Pearson (26) combining to lead the ones Petty didn’t, and had nine of the top 11 finishers.

FROM 500 TO 400

In 1997, Ford swept both Dover events, but it’s remembered for historical reasons because when Ricky Rudd won the spring event on June 1, 1997 it marked the speedway’s final 500-mile event. Rudd took advantage of being in the right place at the right time after leader Ernie Irvan was involved in an accident with 29 laps remaining. Rudd took over the lead and held off Mark Martin over the final few laps to lead a Ford sweep of the top four spots. Martin bounced back a few months later by winning the fall event, which marked the inaugural 400-mile race at the track. That started a streak that saw him win three straight fall events at the Monster Mile.

JUNIE GOES TO VICTORY LANE

Dover proved to be magical for the late Junie Donlavey, who won the only NASCAR Cup Series race of his career at Dover on May 17, 1981 in the Mason-Dixon 500 when driver Jody Ridley took the checkered flag. Ridley had a good car that day, but it was even more reliable and that proved the difference. Neil Bonnett was the dominant driver as he led 404 of the first 459 laps, but he blew an engine that ended his day. Cale Yarborough appeared to be the main beneficiary as he inherited the lead, but the same fate befell him 20 laps from the finish and sent him to the garage. That left Ridley to assume the top spot and he held on from there to register his first and only Cup win. It also ended up being Donlavey’s only trip to victory lane. The Richmond native made 863 starts and fielded strictly Ford products from 1965-2002 in NASCAR’s top series that featured names like LeeRoy Yarbrough, Fred Lorenzen, Harry Gant, Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader and Dick Trickle.

DEEGAN MAKING DOVER DEBUT

Hailie Deegan has 10 career NASCAR Xfinity Series and 69 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts, but none of them have taken place at Dover Motor Speedway. That will change this weekend when she tackles the Monster Mile in Saturday’s 200-mile race, which comes after her career-best 12th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway. That marked Deegan’s third finish of 15th or better and second this season to go with her 15th-place run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.

NASCAR CUP SERIES

DOVER WINNERS

1969 – Richard Petty

1978 – Bobby Allison (2)

1980 – Bobby Allison (1)

1981 – Jody Ridley and Neil Bonnett

1985 – Bill Elliott

1986 – Ricky Rudd (2)

1987 – Davey Allison and Ricky Rudd

1988 – Bill Elliott (Sweep)

1990 – Bill Elliott (2)

1994 – Rusty Wallace (Sweep)

1997 – Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin

1998 – Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin

1999 – Mark Martin (2)

2004 – Mark Martin (1)

2005 – Greg Biffle (1)

2006 – Matt Kenseth (1)

2007 – Carl Edwards (2)

2008 – Greg Biffle (2)

2011 – Matt Kenseth (1)

2018 – Kevin Harvick (1)

2020 – Kevin Harvick (2)

FORD’S NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

DOVER WINNERS

1987 – Mark Martin (1)

2001 – Jeff Green (2)

2002 – Greg Biffle (1)

2004 – Greg Biffle (1)

2007 – Carl Edwards (1)

2011 – Carl Edwards (Sweep)

2013 – Joey Logano (Sweep)

2015 – Chris Buescher (1)

2017 – Ryan Blaney (2)

2019 – Cole Custer (2)

2020 – Chase Briscoe (2)

2021 – Austin Cindric

NOAH GRAGSON
Dover Advance
No. 10 MillerTech Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Würth 400 (Round 11 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 28
● Location: Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway
● Layout: 1-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 400 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 120 laps / Stage 2: 130 laps / Final Stage: 150 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Noah Gragson’s height is listed at 5 feet, 8 inches, but if he appears 6-feet tall when he walks into Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway this weekend, it’s because the 25-year-old Stewart-Haas Racing driver is coming off his career-best finish in the NASCAR Cup Series. Gragson finished third last Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, bettering his previous best result of fifth, earned on Aug. 28, 2022 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway while driving for Beard Motorsports. Making Gragson’s third-place run even more impressive is that he did it after starting 36th. Gragson led on five separate occasions at Talladega, highlighting how often he was at the front of the 38-car field.

● Sunday’s Würth 400 at Dover carries added worth for Gragson as the race marks his milestone 50th career NASCAR Cup Series start. Gragson made his Cup Series debut in the 2022 Daytona 500, also for Beard Motorsports.

● Of Gragson’s 49 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, only one has come at Dover. The Las Vegas native competed in last year’s Würth 400, starting 33rd and completing only 43 laps before an accident forced him out of the race.

● When it comes to the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Dover, Gragson is a veteran. In the stepping-stone division to the elite NASCAR Cup Series, Gragson has seven career starts at Dover with five top-10 results and no finishes outside of the top-20. His best effort was a pair of fourth-place drives – Aug. 22, 2020 when Gragson led 27 laps, and April 30, 2022 in his last Xfinity Series start at Dover.

● Gragson has made two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at Dover. He finished ninth in his first Truck race there on June 2, 2017, and 20th in his second Truck race at the track on May 4, 2018. In that second Truck race, Gragson won the pole with a lap of 22.834 seconds at 157.660 mph and led three times for 60 laps before a crash 12 laps from the finish sent him to the garage.

● Gragson made his Dover debut on Sept. 30, 2016 in the NASCAR K&N Series East. He started an impressive third, but 62 laps into the 126-lap race, Gragson suffered a flat right-front tire and it put him hard into the turn-two wall, leaving him with a 24th-place finish.

● Joining Gragson at Dover is MillerTech, a premium lithium battery company that combines superior quality products with faith-based business values to deliver a unique and beneficial experience for end users. MillerTech’s commitment to integrity, customer focus, quality and community engagement sets it apart as a reliable and trustworthy partner in the lithium battery industry. Choose MillerTech for premium lithium batteries that enhance your bottom line while aligning with your values.

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

Your first start at Dover came back in 2016 in the NASCAR K&N Series East. What was your welcome-to-Dover moment?

“Probably when I blew a right-front (tire) running third and it was a hard hit. That place is fast, it’s fun. The loads on your body are pretty unreal, but at the same time it’s a fun, challenging racetrack.”

You have one NASCAR Cup Series start at Dover and it lasted 43 laps. How difficult is that track in a Cup car, and how difficult is the learning curve?

“It’s a challenging racetrack to run fast laps, but it’s even more challenging when your stuff’s not driving well. Trying to figure it out in the simulator is really key for me. I probably do go deeper into the corner than I think I can just because we were looking at sim and I was driving it in about 165 feet deeper than my teammates, so I was probably overdriving it. Ran a little faster, but they were like tweaking out in the sim over it.”

Dover is another track where your time in the Xfinity Series was fruitful – two top-fives and five top-10s in seven starts. What allowed you to be consistently good at Dover?

“I used to run really well around that place when I first started in K&N, Trucks and Xfinity. I talked to Jimmie (Johnson) a bunch about that place about how to get around there. He obviously found a technique that worked really well for that place. I just drove it as hard as I could when I first went there, and I think I need to get back to that.”

Describe a lap at Dover – specifically, the gumption you need to have to throw the car into the corner and trust it.

“Dover is shaped like Bristol, but the straightaways are elevated and the corners, you drop down off of them like a four-story building. So with that being said, it’s a lot of load on your body. The way the place rubbers up, it’s different. It’s got concrete, so your balance changes a lot throughout a run, which makes it really challenging.”

How physical is a race at Dover?

“It’s pretty physical. You feel like you’ve got somebody standing on your shoulders when you’re in the corner. You’re pretty worn-out afterward.”

Do you feel the seams in the concrete at Dover?

“No, it feels pretty smooth.”

Dover is right there near the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Do you sample some seafood, or are you a Grotto Pizza guy?

“I like Grotto Pizza because Artie Kempner with FOX, his son works there and they do a lot of work with Drive for Autism. I like going up there for the Drive for Autism tournament with Artie Kempner to support that foundation, get to see old friends, make new friends and new memories and raise some money for Drive for Autism.”

No. 10 MillerTech 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

Martin Truex Jr.
Dover Advance
No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Würth 400 (Round 11 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 28
● Location: Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway
● Layout: 1-mile concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 400 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 120 laps / Stage 2: 130 laps / Final Stage: 150 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Where We Stand: The New Jersey native heads to Dover second in the driver standings with 344 points, 15 behind leader Kyle Larson. All four Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) entries are currently inside the top-13 in points heading to the 11th race of the season, with Denny Hamlin sixth, Ty Gibbs eighth, and Christopher Bell 13th.

● Up Front: All four JGR Toyota Camry XSE drivers are among the leaders in total laps led this season. Larson’s 531 laps tops the list for the Cup Series, followed by Hamlin (399), Truex (368) and Gibbs (201) in second, third and fourth, respectively. Bell is ninth on the list with 120 laps led.

● Brotherly Love: At a track that sits a little over an hour drive from the City of Brotherly Love – Philadelphia – Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway was just that one year ago for the Truex brothers. On Saturday of last year’s Dover Cup Series and Xfinity Series weekend, Ryan Truex was able to bring home his first-ever Xfinity Series victory. And in Monday’s Cup Series race, Martin Truex Jr., led 68 laps and brought home his fourth Cup Series victory at what the native of Mayetta, New Jersey, considers his home track.

● First of Many: Truex’s first career NASCAR Cup Series victory came at Dover in June 2007. His record there shows it definitely feels like home. Truex has four career Cup Series wins at Dover, making it one of five tracks where he has three or more career wins. The others are Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, where he also has four wins, and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, and Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, where he as three wins apiece.

● In addition to his four wins in his 33 career Cup Series outings at Dover, Truex has 10 top-five finishes, 19 top-10s, and he’s led a total of 1,069 laps. His average Dover finish is 11.4.

● With his aforementioned four Dover wins, Truex is now the winningest active driver at Dover, one ahead of former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. Truex’s three career poles at Dover ties him with JGR teammate Denny Hamlin for most among active drivers.

● Truex has run particularly well at Dover since joining JGR in 2019. After scoring his first win for the team at Richmond in April of that year, he followed it up two weeks later with a victory at Dover, then made it three wins there with JGR last April. Truex has five top-five finishes at Dover in his seven starts there with JGR.

● Looking for 35: Truex’s win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon last July was his most recent Cup Series win, the 34th of his career, tying him with 2004 Cup Series champion Kurt Busch for 25th on the all-time Cup Series win list.

● Ahead at this Stage: Truex has accumulated 62 stage wins since the beginning of the stage era in 2017. He is the only driver with 10 or more stage sweeps, with his latest sweep coming at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn last August. Truex scored his first stage win of the season at Richmond earlier this season, leading the field across the line at the end of Stage 2.

Martin Truex Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE

After winning at Dover last year, what are your expectations heading back there this weekend?

“The whole weekend was pretty special last year. For Ryan (Truex) to finally get that first Xfinity win out of the way was really cool – at our home track and probably one of my favorite tracks was really neat. Look forward at having a shot at doing it again here this weekend with our Bass Pro Shops Camry.”

Dover seems to suit veteran drivers a lot more than some other tracks. Why do you think that is?

“Certainly experience is important there, it’s a difficult place. It’s concrete and is a lot different than what we do most other weeks. It seems to always be a place where you are guessing what the track is going to do on Sunday. I think the veterans probably understand the place more than many because we’ve seen it do different things over the years. We’ve had a good cars and a good team there and have been fortunate to have a lot of good runs at Dover.”

With Dover hosting the race that’s closest to your hometown in New Jersey, do you view Dover as your home track?

“I view Dover as my home track, it’s closest to home. If you could drive across the bay, it would be really close. It’s close to home, for sure. I’ve been going there a long time and it’s a place that means a lot to me, starting early in my Busch Series career, and doing some racing there in my dad’s car, and my first Cup win there, as well. We’ve had a lot of success there, too. It’s a special place for me and I love going there, it feels like home. We have a lot of friends and family who go to that race, as well, and hoping we can get them a win with our Bass Pro Shops Camry.”

When you race at Dover, is it a larger contingent of friends and family than usual who get to attend and watch you race?

“No question, most of my friends and family come to that race. We’ve got quite the cheering section, which is pretty cool. We are racing so much all over the country that it’s nice to see some familiar faces and get to spend a little bit of time with friends and family. Maybe just a little bit of extra time before the race, but definitely well worth it.”

What do you and your team need to lean on to have a successful race at Dover this weekend?

“Just build on what we learned last year and so far this year, and I think it’s important we qualify well, so hopefully we do that. Generally, when you qualify well there, you get a good pit stall and it sets you up for a smoother day. Staying out front all day long is very important, and track position is very important since it’s hard to pass. It’s a very fast track and you want to keep your track position. Hopefully we can qualify well and it can set us up for a really good day. Corner speeds are so high at Dover that it does become hard to pass. But we’ve also had years where it’s been hard to pass and we’ve driven through the whole field there, like in 2019. You’ve got to get your car dialed in right and, if you can do that, you can do pretty much what you want with it.”

No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.

Hometown: Mayetta, New Jersey

Crew Chief: James Small

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Car Chief: Chris Jones

Hometown: Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

Race Engineer: Jaik Halpainy

Hometown: Blockville, New York

Engineer: Jeff Curtis

Hometown: Fairfax Station, Virginia

Spotter: Drew Herring

Hometown: Benson, North Carolina

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Ryan Martin

Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Virgina

Mechanic: Todd Carmichael

Hometown: Redding, California

Interior/Tire Specialist: Tommy DiBlasi

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engine Tuner: Beau Morton

Hometown: Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Transporter Driver: Kyle Bazzell

Hometown: Fairbury, Illinois

Transporter Driver: Eddie DeGroot

Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jackman: Caleb Dirks

Hometown: Riverside, California

Tire Carrier: CJ Bailey

Hometown: Outer Banks, North Carolina

Front Tire Changer: Lee Cunningham

Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Mike Louria

Hometown: Gibraltar, Michigan

Dover Event Info:
Date: Sunday, April 28
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Dover, Delaware
Format: 400 Laps, 400 miles, Stages: 125-125-150
TV: FS1
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 10:30 a.m. ET, Practice (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 11:20 a.m. ET, Qualifying (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 2 p.m. ET, Race (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• Dover hosts its lone race date of the season this weekend, a track where Jack Roush has nine wins in the Cup Series alone, third-most of any track on the circuit.
• Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher have combined for three top-10s in the last two races at Dover with an average finish of 11th in that span, and an average qualifying effort of 7.5 since 2022.
• Both drivers have also led laps at Dover in the last two years as last season both finished top-10 after starting inside the top five.

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: BuildSubmarines.com

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Fastenal

Keselowski at Dover
Starts: 25
Wins: 1 (2012)
Top-10s: 11
Poles: 2 (2014, 2016)

• Keselowski makes his 26th Cup start at Dover this weekend. He has a 12.9 average finish with one win (2012) and 11 top-10 finishes.
• Keselowski won the 2012 fall race in the No. 2 car, and additionally has two runner-up finishes, both of which came in 2014. Most recently, he finished eighth last season after starting fourth.
• Keselowski’s average starting position stands at 11.2 with two poles (2014, 2016) and 14 top-10 starting efforts.
• He also made 12 combined additional starts in the Xfinity and Truck series, earning an Xfinity win in 2009 in the No. 88 with seven overall top-10s in 10 starts.

Buescher at Dover
Starts: 13
Wins: —
Top-10s: 2
Poles: 1 (2022)

• Buescher makes his 14th Cup start at Dover this weekend, where he’s coming off two-straight top-10 finishes in the last two seasons.
• In 2023 he qualified fifth and went on to finish ninth, just a season after earning the pole (the first of his career) before finishing eighth.
• He has an average starting position of 17th with four-straight starts inside the top-10.
• He also made four Xfinity starts in the No. 60 entry, earning one win (2015) with three top-10s overall.

RFK Historically at Dover
Cup Wins: 9 (Mark Martin, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004; Greg Biffle, 2005, 2008; Matt Kenseth, 2006, 2011; Carl Edwards, 2007)

• The Monster Mash: RFK’s nine wins in the NCS at Dover ranks third for the organization trailing only Michigan and Bristol with 14 and 12, respectively. Dover also ranks third in top-fives (52) and third in top-10s (87) for the organization.
• Get the Broom: RFK swept the NCS and NASCAR Xfinity Series spring races at Dover in 2004 and 2011, and won both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) and NCS races at the track in 2006.
• First in the First State: RFK has won in all three major NASCAR series at Dover (9 NCS, 6 NXS and 2 NCTS). RFK won its first race at Dover in the NCS from the pole in the fall of 1997 with former driver Mark Martin.
• To Xfinity and Beyond: RFK has recorded six victories at the one-mile oval in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with drivers Chris Buescher, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards. Buescher recorded his victory in June 2015, Biffle earned victories in the spring event in both 2002 and 2004, while Edwards took the checkered flag in the spring of 2007 and swept both races in 2011.
• Tale of the Tape: RFK has started 224 NCS races at Dover with 87 top-10 and 52 top-five finishes along with seven poles. Former drivers Mark Martin (1997, 1998, 1999, 2004), Greg Biffle (2005, 2008), Matt Kenseth (2006, 2011) and Carl Edwards (2007) are responsible for RFK’s combined nine Cup wins at the 1-mile track. Overall, a Jack Roush Ford has led 3918 laps at Dover.

RFK Dover Wins

1997-2 Martin Cup
1998-2 Martin Cup
1999-2 Martin Cup
2000-1 Busch Truck
2002-1 Biffle NXS
2004-1 Martin Cup
2004-1 Biffle NXS
2005-1 Biffle Cup
2006-1 Kenseth Cup
2006-1 Martin Truck
2007-2 Edwards Cup
2007-1 Edwards NXS
2008-2 Biffle Cup
2011-1 Kenseth Cup
2011-1 Edwards NXS
2011-2 Edwards NXS
2015-1 Buescher NXS

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Talladega: Keselowski finished second for the second-straight week in a heartbreaker on the final lap. Buescher finished 25th.

Points Standings (6: 14th, 17: 16th): Keselowski is up three spots to sole possession of 14th, while Buescher is tied with the No. 22 for 15th. Overall, just 12 points separate positions 11-16.

CHASE BRISCOE
Dover Advance
No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview
● Event: Würth 400 (Round 11 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 28
● Location: Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway
● Layout: 1-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 400 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 120 laps / Stage 2: 130 laps / Final Stage: 150 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● With a 12th-place finish last Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Chase Briscoe maintained his streak of quiet consistency that has allowed him to climb from 18th in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings four weeks ago to 12th entering Sunday’s Würth 400 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing has scored seven straight top-20 finishes, with the last three being no worse than 12th. With 16 races to go before the championship cutoff where only the top-16 drivers are eligible to compete in the 10-race title chase, Briscoe has a 23-point margin over 17th-place Kyle Busch.

● The Würth 400 will mark Briscoe’s fourth career NASCAR Cup Series start at Dover. In three prior starts at the 1-mile, concrete oval, Briscoe’s best finish is 13th, earned in May 2022.

● Briscoe’s stats in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Dover are far more impressive. In the stepping-stone division to the elite NASCAR Cup Series, Briscoe competed at Dover five times, earning a win, three top-fives and four top-10s. His worst finish was 19th, earned in his first Xfinity Series start at the track in October 2018.

● Briscoe’s NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Dover was impressive. On Aug. 23, 2020, Briscoe started sixth and led three times for a race-high 107 laps, including the final 13. He crossed the stripe with a 2.463-second advantage over runner-up Ross Chastain.

● Prior to his time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Briscoe competed for one season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In 2017, Briscoe ran one Truck race at Dover. It went well as Briscoe won the pole with a lap of 23.007 seconds at 156.474 mph. He then led three laps in the race before finishing 12th.

● The high-banked, high-speed Dover oval harkens back to two other high-banked tracks Briscoe competed on as he climbed the racing ladder to the NASCAR Cup Series. Salem Speedway and Winchester Speedway, both in Indiana, provided Briscoe with a hint of what throttling around Dover’s 24 degrees of banking would be like. Salem is a .555-mile oval with 33 degrees of banking and Winchester is a half-mile oval with 37 degrees of banking. Briscoe made three ARCA Menards Series starts at Salem and one at Winchester. In his three starts at Salem between 2015 and 2016, Briscoe won two poles (April and September 2016), led a total of 155 laps, and scored two finishes of sixth or better, with his best result being fifth in his debut at the track in 2015. In his lone ARCA race at Winchester in 2016, Briscoe dominated by winning the pole, leading the most laps (142 of 200) and winning the race by 1.132 seconds.

● Mahindra Ag North America is in its third year as the anchor sponsor for Briscoe and the No. 14 team after extending its partnership with Stewart-Haas during the offseason. The multiyear agreement with the NASCAR team co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and industrialist Gene Haas continues to feature Mahindra Tractors, a brand of Mahindra Ag North America, on Briscoe’s No. 14 Ford Mustang for the majority of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Houston-based Mahindra Ag North America is part of Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector, the No. 1 selling farm tractor company in the world, based on volumes across all company brands. Mahindra offers a range of tractor models from 20-75 horsepower, implements, and the ROXOR heavy-duty UTV. Mahindra farm equipment is engineered to be easy to operate by first-time tractor or side-by-side owners and heavy duty to tackle the tough jobs of rural living, farming and ranching. Steel-framed Mahindra Tractors and side-by-sides are ideal for customers who demand performance, reliability and comfort. Mahindra dealers are independent, family-owned businesses located throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Your first start at Dover came back in 2017 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and you came out of the gate really strong by winning the pole. How did you do it?

“I’ve always enjoyed really fast racetracks where it’s just super-high commitment, kind of elbows up. There’s something about it that just felt normal. We were really good there in the Truck. I had a wheel come off in the race and we finished worse than we probably should have. We’ve been able to win there in other series. The Cup Series has been a struggle there, truthfully, but I’ve always enjoyed going to Dover. It’s one of those racetracks where, as a driver, if you just embrace it, it’s a lot of fun.”

Did the track remind you of Winchester or Salem from your sprint car days?

“Yeah. I’ve always enjoyed racing at high-commitment places where it’s high-banked and the more speed you can carry, the better. Until that point, Salem and Winchester were the only tracks I’ve run that were like that. Bristol in the Truck Series, I guess I hadn’t even run Bristol yet at that point in the Truck Series, so the only point of reference I had was Salem and Winchester and I just remember it feeling like a big Salem or Winchester. A lot of guys aren’t used to high-banked racetracks. I only had two starts on them, but sprint car-wise, I ran a lot of high-banked, high-speed racetracks and it didn’t really freak me out. I feel like a lot of guys probably go there for the first time and if you grow up pavement racing, there’s not a lot that compares with that, so it can be very eye-opening. It’s just one of those deals that, as a sprint car guy, it makes it a little bit easier to get used to the speed, and I feel like you’ve seen a lot of sprint car guys be really successful there because of that.”

Did you ever have a welcome-to-Dover moment?

“I remember the first time I was there, going out and being pretty mind-blown at how big the drop was, like down into the corner. I ran the simulator and watched video, but you never get a full appreciation for it until you do it. I remember coming in after that first 10-or-so-lap run huffing and puffing. I never took a breath the first 10 or so laps around that place. So, yeah, I would say that was my welcome-to-Dover moment. And honestly, every time you go there, it’s one of those same things where you forget how big the drop is and you forget to breathe on your first run. I feel like every time you go to Dover you have one of those welcome-to-Dover moments.”

How difficult is Dover in a Cup car, and how steep is the learning curve?

“I would say the biggest thing about the Cup car is that everybody is just so close. In the lower series, if you’re fast, you can move around the racetrack and pass guys. Dover is one of the harder places to pass guys, in general. But the Cup car, everybody is so close on speed that it makes it really, really challenging. Track position is so important, and that’s where I probably need to do a lot better job in the Cup Series. When I get track position, I need to be extremely aggressive as far as trying to hold it, but then also just trying to figure out better ways to pass there. Especially in my Cup career, I’ve kind of been one of the first guys to the top (of the track) and that typically wears your tires out way more. It’s a short-term gain but a long-term loss, so just trying to understand what I need to do as far as passing guys would probably help me most in my Cup career there at Dover.”

Dover is another track where your time in the Xfinity Series was fruitful – a win among four top-10s in five career starts. What allowed you to be consistently good at Dover in the Xfinity Series?

“I would say the biggest thing is the Xfinity car was the one car that was the most out of control at that racetrack. You were really sideways all the time. The Truck has a lot of downforce, the Cup car has a lot of downforce, but the Xfinity car just really fit my driving style around that place and just how you had to be elbows up and, at the same time, you had to be really patient at times and you could search around the racetrack. I just really enjoyed that track in that style of car from the first time we went there. I always had speed there and that made it fun.”

Describe a lap at Dover, specifically, the grit you need have to throw the car into the corner and trust it.

“You go down the straightaway and it’s more banked than half the racetracks we go to, and you look down into turn one and see the elevation change. You drive down in there and it kind of reminds me of a roller coaster to a certain extent because it does kind of get your stomach a little bit. The car gets really light and it’ll slam down into the ground super hard, and you can feel your whole body compressed into the seat. And then you’re out of the gas, kind of rolling, and you can’t even see the exit of the corner. You go back to wide open and hope you did it at the right time. Come back out of the hole and then do the same thing going down into turn three. It seems like for whatever reason, in turn three the drop-in feels a little more extreme. It’s a cool place. I always feel like if you can give anybody a ride-along in a two-seater to hook them on NASCAR and make them appreciate what we do, Dover is certainly the place.”

How physical is a race at Dover?

“From your neck standpoint and from your core standpoint, I feel like Dover is probably the hardest track on your body. And just even from a mental standpoint, you can’t take a single second off there. You’ve got to be on it at all times. I’d say it’s one of the top-five, top-10 hardest tracks, for sure. It’s always a challenge when you go there.”

Do you feel the seams in the concrete at Dover?

“I’ve never had any issues there as far as that goes. I always feel it’s rougher down the straightaways than it is in the corner, and maybe that’s because our car in the corners is so loaded up that you don’t really feel anything. But I don’t feel like it’s crazy rough, by any means.”

No. 14 Mahindra Tractors 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: Dylan Moser

Hometown: Monroe, North Carolina

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

RICK WARE RACING
GEICO 500

Date: April 21, 2024
Event: GEICO 500 (Round 10 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway
Format: 188 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/68 laps)
Race Winner: Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

RWR Race Finish:

● Cody Ware (Started 34th, Finished 24th/ Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)
● Justin Haley (Started 27th, Finished 34th/ Running, completed 185 of 188 laps)

RWR Points:

● Justin Haley (33rd with 101 points)
● Cody Ware (38th with 13 points)

Note: This was Ware’s first start of the season.

RWR Notes:

● This was Ware’s eighth career start at Talladega. His best finish remains 19th, earned in October 2020.
● This was Haley’s ninth career start at Talladega. His best finish remains sixth, earned in October 2023.
● Haley led two times for four laps to bring his laps-led total at Talladega to nine.

Race Notes:

● Tyler Reddick won the GEICO 500 to score his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Talladega. His margin of victory over second-place Brad Keselowski was .208 of a second.
● There were four caution periods for a total of 21 laps.
● Thirty of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Larson remains the championship leader after Talladega with a 15-point advantage over second-place Martin Truex Jr.

Sound Bites:

“I think our No. 15 Jacob Construction Ford Mustang was a fast car. We showed our speed multiple times throughout the race. I just wanted to play it smart and be there at the end, which is what we did. Unfortunately, the last 20-25 laps we didn’t have a whole lot of help behind us to get a pack going towards the front, but I’ll take the wins with the losses. I’m still happy for our first race back. I’ll take the positives from it and know that we’ve got good, fast cars here at the superspeedways.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 15 Jacob Construction Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I’m really glad we had a chance to run up front and lead laps. We’ve had so much speed and haven’t really had the results to show it, so I’m glad we finally got to put it on display like that. I wish things had ended differently, there wasn’t much I could do in that situation and at the end of the day we were able to keep making laps and finish it out. I’m proud of the No. 51 team and everyone at RWR for sticking with it.” – Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Parts Plus/Grady Health Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Würth 400 on Sunday, April 28 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

STEWART-HAAS RACING
GEICO 500

Date: April 21, 2024
Event: GEICO 500 (Round 10 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway
Format: 188 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/68 laps)
Race Winner: Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

SHR Finish:

● Noah Gragson (Started 36th, Finished 3rd / Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 26th, Finished 12th / Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)
● Ryan Preece (Started 11th, Finished 14th / Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)
● Josh Berry (Started 29th, Finished 16th / Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (12th with 256 points, 103 out of first)
● Ryan Preece (23rd with 162 points, 197 out of first)
● Noah Gragson (27th with 154 points, 205 out of first)
● Josh Berry (28th with 151 points, 208 out of first)

Gragson Notes:

● Gragson’s third-place finish was his career-best NASCAR Cup Series result. His prior best was fifth in August 2022 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
● This was Gragson’s best finish so far this year. His previous best was sixth, earned March 3 at his hometown Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
● This was Gragson’s first top-five and his third top-10 of the season. It was also his first top-10 in four career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega.
● Gragson’s third-place result bettered his previous best finish at Talladega – 19th, earned in October 2022.
● This was Gragson’s fourth straight top-20. He finished 12th March 31 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, 20th April 7 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and 18th last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
● Gragson led five times for five laps to bring his laps-led total at Talladega to six.

Briscoe Notes:

● Briscoe earned his seventh top-15 of the season and his sixth top-15 in seven career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega.
● This was Briscoe’s third straight top-12. He finished 10th April 7 at Martinsville and sixth last Sunday at Texas.
● This was Briscoe’s fourth consecutive top-15 at Talladega. He finished 10th in October 2022, fourth last April and 13th in the series’ prior visit to the track in October.
● Briscoe led twice for three laps to increase his laps-led total at Talladega to five.

Preece Notes:

● Preece earned his fourth top-15 of the season and his sixth top-15 in nine career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega.
● This was Preece’s third straight top-15. He finished ninth April 7 at Martinsville and 12th last Sunday at Texas.
● This was Preece’s second consecutive top-15 at Talladega. He finished eighth in the series’ prior visit to the track in October.
● Preece finished ninth in Stage 2 to earn two bonus points.

Berry Notes:

● Berry earned his fourth top-20 of the season.
● Berry led once for three laps, and they came in his first NASCAR Cup Series start at Talladega.
● Berry was the highest finishing rookie.

Race Notes:

● Tyler Reddick won the GEICO 500 to score his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Talladega. His margin of victory over second-place Brad Keselowski was .208 of a second.

● There were four caution periods for a total of 21 laps.
● Thirty of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Larson remains the championship leader after Talladega with a 15-point advantage over second-place Martin Truex Jr.

Sound Bites:

“We were definitely working together as Fords on the bottom – (Michael) McDowell, Brad Keselowski and myself. All the Fords worked great all race. It’s coming to the end and the 6 (Keselowski) and the 34 (McDowell) were blocking coming to the checkers and, unfortunately, the 45 (Tyler Reddick) squeaked by. I really wanted to see a Ford in victory lane, but the Overstock team at Stewart-Haas did a great job all day. We had clean pit stops, fast pit stops, a lot of horsepower under the hood. The Mustang Dark Horses and racing with these other Ford guys has been a lot of fun. I haven’t been up here very much in the Cup Series on these superspeedways, but I’m extremely grateful. It’s a privilege to race with guys like Keselowski and McDowell. I mean, they’ve won really big races on speedways so, overall, I’m really thankful for everyone at Stewart-Haas and this Overstock team and we’ll keep the momentum going.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I’m definitely not surprised. The whole last lap, you just know it’s coming if we got that far, so overall it just was not a very good day for us. We went a lap down early because of flat-spotting the tires. It seemed like we honestly just rode around 30th all day. I don’t know where we ended up. Someone said 12th, somehow, so I guess that’s better than where we should’ve finished with how the day went. We’ll just go on to Dover next week and try to continue running good.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“Ultimately, we put ourselves in that position. I was trying to help Ryan (Blaney) and work with my other Ford teammates, but it’s tough when everybody isn’t on the same page. When you lose track position like that, it is what it is, but moving forward I’d like to talk to Blaney and figure out what I can do better to help him. That way, we can just not worry about anybody else.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I thought Rodney (Childers, crew chief) made some good changes there. We kind of took a swing at it just to get me feeling a bit better. But honestly, more than anything, really, just the strategy kind of worked in our favor. We kind of ended up on an opposite strategy, which sometimes you have to do to make something happen. That’s when we got up front and the car got driving a lot better. We had an opportunity there, but we just didn’t make it across the finish line. We’ll live to fight another day.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Würth 400 on Sunday, April 28 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

DUDE Wipes Chevrolet Driver Avoids Last-Lap Accident to Score Top-10 Finish in GEICO 500
Date: April 21, 2024
Event: GEICO 500
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval)
Format: 188 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/68 laps)
Start/Finish: 24th / 6th (Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)
Race Winner: Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Overview:

Anthony Alfredo, driver of the No. 62 DUDE Wipes Chevrolet Camaro for Beard Motorsports, finished an impressive sixth in Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway after avoiding chaos on the final lap of the 188-lap race. The field raced three-wide during the initial stage of the race as Alfredo worked to learn the draft. The No. 62 Chevrolet got up to 15th by Lap 36 before making a trip to pit road for fuel only during the only round of green-flag pit stops in the first stage. The team elected to make another stop for fuel prior to the end of the first stage placing Alfredo in 30th place to finish that segment. During the second stage, Alfredo led on lap 70, his first laps led at Talladega as the field once again raced three-wide. He stayed up front even as the bottom line became unorganized. In an effort to save fuel, the DUDE Wipes driver positioned himself in the middle lane behind the leaders. Unfortunately, he ran out of fuel coming to the stage end and finished 36th. During the final stage, Alfredo restarted 10th but was forced to restart at the tail end of the longest line for pitting early during the stage break. He raced into the top-10 before falling back in the final stage. Using the draft, he was able to maintain a spot among the top-25 cars racing in a tight pack. Coming to the checkered flag, the leaders started wrecking collecting multiple cars. Alfredo was able to not only avoid the spinning cars but also launch himself from 18th to sixth, scoring his best career finish in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Anthony Alfredo, driver of the No. 62 DUDE Wipes Chevrolet Camaro for Beard Motorsports:

“Beard Motorsports has worked really hard to come to a couple races a year, but when they do it, they do it right, and they know they have a shot to win. So, I take a lot of pride in being the one behind the wheel for them. I hope I can do a lot more with them. You know, we had an awesome car today drove to the front, let some laps stayed skid-mark free thanks to DUDE Wipes. And at the end there we were just kind of boxed in. I couldn’t really do a whole lot especially when that third lane formed. I wanted to join that party earlier, but I was just trapped on the bottom so I pushed as hard as I could. In typical Talladega Superspeedway racing fashion things got a little crazy coming to the line and I just yanked it hard left, flew through the grass and somehow I crossed the line in sixth.”

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Würth400 on Sunday, April 28 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

The next race for Beard Motorsports and the No. 62 Chevrolet is Saturday, Aug. 24 in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

Second-Straight Runner-Up Result for No. 6; Buescher Finishes 25th

LINCOLN, Ala. (April 21, 2024) – Talladega Superspeedway delivered yet another chaotic ending Sunday afternoon as Brad Keselowski finished a close second in the Castrol Edge Ford, while Chris Buescher finished 25th in the Fastenal Ford.

The P2 finish marks Keselowski’s second consecutive runner-up result (P2 in Texas a week ago). He’s the first RFK driver since Carl Edwards in 2011 to finish runner-up in consecutive races.

6 Recap
Keselowski – a 6-time winner at Talladega – was in prime position as the laps wound down Sunday afternoon. He had help from fellow Ford teammates and had the position on the bottom lane on the final lap. But, a pair of blocks by the No. 34 – the latter ultimately causing a multi-car crash at the line – allowed the No. 45 to gain the advantage and the victory in the high line.

“The Fords were really working well together,” Keselowski said after the race. “We cleared the Toyotas on the bottom lane and it was pretty clear it was going to come down to the three of us. I backed up, Noah gave me a great push and I went to make a move on Michael and he covered it, and I went back the other way and got another push from Noah and there was nowhere to go when Michael came back down. I hate that for him, he’s a good guy, I hope he’s alright. That’s just kind of the way this stuff goes, but, all in all it was a really solid day for us, for Ford and Castrol. It’s another second. It’s a solid day, but not the win we wanted.”

Surprisingly, the final 26 laps ran uninterrupted as the finish was determined under green-flag conditions, despite double-digit cars crashing. Keselowski led two different times for a lap each.

He earned stage points with a P8 finish in the opening stage as fuel saving dominated the storyline of the 188-lap race. He went on to finish 23rd in stage two and was content with position at the tail of the field until around 30 to go when he jockeyed back into the top five.

The No. 6 was P3 in the race’s final yellow at lap 156 and pitted one final time for fuel in that caution, before restarting fifth with 26 laps remaining. From there, the field held it together until the tri-oval at Talladega before chaos ensued and Keselowski heartbreakingly finished second.

17 Recap
Buescher had a more uneventful afternoon in the Fastenal Ford, but also earned a top-10 stage finish in stage two. He put together a career-best qualifying effort on Saturday, lining up eighth on the grid for Sunday’s race.

Midway through stage two, Buescher drove to the point – one of four times on the day he led – and led the field with five laps remaining in the stage before crossing the stripe seventh.

From there, Buescher never regained the track position needed as the final laps remained calm until the final tri-oval, resulting in the 25th-place result.

Up Next
Dover Motor Speedway hosts race No. 11 for the Cup Series next weekend. Race coverage Sunday is set for 2 p.m. ET on FS1, with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 37th season in 2024, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.