Category: NASCAR Cup PR

Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 Grillo’s Pickles Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Michigan International Speedway Competition Notes

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (August 13, 2024) – Grillo’s Pickles is back with Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 Ford Mustang Dark Horse team this weekend at the Michigan International Speedway.

After finishing 17th at the Richmond (Va.) Raceway, Gilliland looks to bounce back at Ford’s home track. Ford holds the most wins as a manufacturer at the two-mile speedway with 44 wins and has won the event in the past six races. Gilliland looks to continue that streak this Sunday.

The Cup Series will kick off the weekend with practice and qualifying on Saturday, August 17th at 12:30 pm ET. The 200-lap event is scheduled for Sunday, August 18th at 2:30 pm ET. Fans can watch the action live on the USA Network or listen in from the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM channel 90.

No. 38 Grillo’s Pickles Ford Mustang Dark Horse:

DRIVER TODD GILLILAND:

“This is a big weekend for Ford. With Michigan being their home track, there is a little bit more pressure to perform well. I’m not worried, though. Ryan (Bergenty) and team have been bringing speed all season, we just need to capitalize on it and close in on the points gap.

“It’s cool to see the support around Grillo’s Pickles adding a race to their schedule. I think it’s safe to say that everyone loves seeing them on our Ford Mustang Dark Horse. I can’t thank them enough for their support. Hopefully I can give them a good showing.”

CREW CHIEF RYAN BERGENTY:

“We want to perform well at every race, but especially at Michigan. Michigan is the home of Ford, and we always have a big group of Ford leadership at the track. We want to make them proud. I think we can do that this weekend.

“Myself, the team, and Todd (Gilliland) are eager to get to the track. I think we can make big gains in points this weekend and maybe even get the win to lock ourselves into the playoffs.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

MICHIGAN

Saturday, August 17 — NASCAR Xfinity Series, 3:30 p.m. ET (USA)
Sunday, August 18 — NASCAR Cup Series, 2:30 p.m. ET (USA)

There is no track on the NASCAR circuit that Ford has been more successful at than Michigan International Speedway, which is where the NASCAR Cup and NASCAR Xfinity Series will be racing this weekend. Ford has won nine straight Cup races at the facility and 44 overall, which is the most for the manufacturer at any track.

FORD ALL-TIME MICHIGAN WINS LEADER

No manufacturer has had more success at Michigan International Speedway than Ford, which comes into this weekend looking to extend a nine-race winning streak. Since the track opened in 1969 there have been 106 NASCAR Cup Series races and Ford Motor Company has won more than half of them (53%). Overall, the company has 56 MIS victories with 44 being Ford and 12 Mercury. David Pearson is the track’s all-time leader in wins with nine (all Mercury) while Bill Elliott has the most Ford wins with seven.

FORD LOOKS TO EXTEND MIS WIN STREAK TO 10

Ford comes into Sunday’s scheduled race having won the last nine series races at the two-mile facility as Chris Buescher extended the streak one year ago when he led the final 12 laps to win for the second consecutive week. That made Buescher the fifth different driver to win at MIS during this streak. Kevin Harvick has five wins during that span while Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Buescher have one each.

YEAR – DRIVER

2018 – Clint Bowyer (1) and Kevin Harvick (2)

2019 – Joey Logano (1) and Kevin Harvick (2)

2020 – Kevin Harvick (1 and 2)

2021 – Ryan Blaney

2022 – Kevin Harvick

2023 – Chris Buescher

HERITAGE TROPHY SUCCESS

Since Michigan International Speedway began handing out the Heritage Trophy to the winning manufacturer in August 2013, Ford has taken it back to World Headquarters in nearby Dearborn more times than any other manufacturer. Ford has won 11 races since the trophy came into existence while Chevrolet has won six and Toyota one.

BRAD KESELOWSKI: “I didn’t know it was nine races. That’s a great streak to have. We certainly don’t take it for granted. Those streaks come and go, but it’s been a good track for Ford. We put a lot of emphasis on going there, which has paid off clearly. Doug Yates and the engine shop are really good about making sure we’ve got the power and the things we need, and we had a good race there last year with RFK to be able to win with Chris. Hopefully, I can make it number 10.”

JOEY LOGANO: “It’s pretty important, more important for us. I’d like to get it more than anybody. Probably every Ford driver would say the same thing, but it’s definitely a special place to win for the OEMs. You think about it. All of the executives are there. The last thing you want is them to drive back to Dearborn and say, ‘Uhhhhh.’ You want them to be celebrating and enjoy it, so everyone brings as much as they can to try to win that one.”

RYAN BLANEY: “It’s huge. We take a lot of pride in that Heritage trophy and obviously with Ford being right there it’s really important. Edsel definitely makes sure that we know that it is important that we keep that there in Detroit at their home base. I was fortunate enough to win there a few years ago and have Edsel there and kind of see that excitement in him. It would be important to keep the streak going, so hopefully we can at least make a run at it and keep that trophy where it belongs.”

NOAH GRAGSON: “I know there are big manufacturer rivals up in the rolling hills, so going for 10 in a row is a pretty big accomplishment in my opinion at any racetrack. To be able to do it up in Michigan that’s the goal, obviously. Nine in a row is really big to be able to do that is a statement made. That makes me proud to drive a Ford and especially up in the rolling hills because they obviously have speed with the Dark Horse Mustang. I hope we can have a good run because Michigan is one of my favorite racetracks. It’s a good, fun, fast racetrack, probably the fastest racetrack we go to on the whole NASCAR circuit, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

FOUR STRAIGHT FOR AWESOME BILL

Bill Elliott is the only driver to win four straight NASCAR Cup Series races at Michigan International Speedway, sweeping both events in 1985 and ’86, and he capped that impressive streak in dominating fashion. Elliott led 125-of-200 laps on Aug. 17, 1986 to beat Tim Richmond to the finish line and win the Champion Spark Plug 400. Elliott went on to win seven career races at MIS and currently ranks third on the all-time list, trailing only David Pearson (9) and Cale Yarborough (8).

JARRETT WINS FIRST CUP RACE

Dale Jarrett registered his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in memorable fashion at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 18, 1991. Jarrett, who was in second season driving for the Wood Brothers, found himself in a furious battle with Davey Allison, who stalked him over the final dozen laps in his No. 28 Texaco Havoline Thunderbird. Allison made a move to the outside coming off turn four and got alongside Jarrett as the two took the white flag together. They took turns exchanging the lead, but never left each other’s side. As they came off turn four both Fords made contact, but it was Jarrett who ended up edging Allison by eight inches at the finish line.

BIFFLE WINS FORD’S 1,000TH

Greg Biffle posted Ford’s 1,000th NASCAR victory when he took the checkered flag on June 16, 2013 in the Quicken Loans 400. The milestone win, which included combined victories in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck, NASCAR Xfinity and NASCAR Cup Series, was Biffle’s second straight at MIS and fourth overall. The race was shaping up to be a battle between Biffle, who was leading, and a hard-charging Jimmie Johnson, but a flat tire ended Johnson’s chances with two laps to go.

HERITAGE TROPHY FIRST

When Joey Logano won the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 18, 2013 it represented his first win with Ford and new car owner Roger Penske. But it also marked the first time the speedway awarded the Michigan Heritage trophy, which goes to the winning manufacturer of every NASCAR Cup Series race at MIS. Logano, who won the pole and led a race-high 51 laps, passed Mark Martin for the lead with four laps to go after Martin’s car ran out of gas.

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK?

Ford will be going for its third straight series victory this weekend after Cole Custer won at Pocono Raceway and Riley Herbst captured the checkered flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway three weeks ago. Custer, who has 14 career NXS wins, is looking for his first victory at MIS. In four career series starts, he has a pair of top-10 finishes with a third-place effort in 2018 being his best. Herbst enters the competition with three straight top-10 runs at MIS, including a career-best sixth in last year’s event. With both drivers now locked into the playoffs, the attention will focus on Ryan Sieg, who currently holds the final spot in the 12-driver field, but only has a three-point cushion over Sammy Smith with six races remaining in the regular season.

FORD’S NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS

AT MICHIGAN

1969 – David Pearson (2)

1984 – Bill Elliott (1)

1985 – Bill Elliott (Sweep)

1986 – Bill Elliott (Sweep)

1987 – Bill Elliott (2)

1988 – Davey Allison (2)

1989 – Bill Elliott (1)

1990 – Mark Martin (2)

1991 – Davey Allison and Dale Jarrett

1992 – Davey Allison (1)

1993 – Mark Martin (2)

1994 – Rusty Wallace and Geoffrey Bodine

1996 – Rusty Wallace and Dale Jarrett

1997 – Ernie Irvan and Mark Martin

1998 – Mark Martin (1)

1999 – Dale Jarrett (1)

2000 – Rusty Wallace (2)

2002 – Matt Kenseth and Dale Jarrett

2003 – Kurt Busch (1)

2004 – Greg Biffle (2)

2005 – Greg Biffle (1)

2006 – Matt Kenseth (2)

2007 – Carl Edwards (1)

2008 – Carl Edwards (2)

2012 – Greg Biffle (2)

2013 – Greg Biffle and Joey Logano

2016 – Joey Logano (1)

2018 – Clint Bowyer (1) and Kevin Harvick (2)

2019 – Joey Logano (1) and Kevin Harvick (2)

2020 – Kevin Harvick (Sweep)

2021 – Ryan Blaney

2022 – Kevin Harvick

2023 – Chris Buescher

FORD’S NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS

AT MICHIGAN

1993 – Mark Martin

1995 – Mark Martin

1998 – Jeff Burton

2001 – Ryan Newman

2008 – Carl Edwards

2011 – Carl Edwards

Martin Truex Jr.
Michigan Advance
No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing

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

Notes of Interest

● Where We Stand: Truex sits eighth in the Cup Series standings with 662 points, 117 behind new leader Kyle Larson. All four JGR entries are currently inside the top-11 in the standings with Denny Hamlin fourth, Christopher Bell sixth and Ty Gibbs 11th as the series heads to the Irish Hills of Michigan this weekend.

● You Don’t See This Very Often: With an engine failure last weekend at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Truex suffered his first DNF (Did Not Finish) of the season. It was just the fourth DNF for Truex in the last two seasons.

● Home Game: Truex heads to Michigan hoping to get his first win at the 2-mile oval in the backyard of his primary sponsor this weekend – Auto-Owners Insurance, which is headquartered north of the track in Lansing.

● Truex has 11 top-five finishes and 16 top-10s and has led a total of 322 laps in 33 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Michigan. Truex’s average Michigan finish is 13.1. The Auto-Owners Insurance driver hasn’t finished outside the top-10 at the 2-mile oval since August 2018 and has not finished outside the top-10 at Michigan in a JGR-prepared car.

● Looking for 35: Truex’s win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon in July 2023 was his most recent Cup Series win, the 34th of his career, tying him with 2004 champion Kurt Busch for 25th on the all-time Cup Series win list.

● Ahead at this Stage: Truex has accumulated 63 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 last August. Truex scored his third stage win of the season last month at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, leading the field across the line at the end of Stage 1.

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

Michigan has been a place where you’ve been very consistent but haven’t quite been able to break through with a win. What are your thoughts heading into the weekend?

“Michigan is the fastest track we go to. It’s really hard to hold your foot down going into turn one. Your brain is telling you that you need to start lifting, but usually the car can take a bit more. It’s super, super fast and the commitment level is very high. And the groove is not really wide, which is different than, say, Fontana, where you can go really fast but the groove is very wide. You miss it by a few inches there you will be OK. At Michigan, not so much, especially when the traction compound is live, it’s very sketchy and on edge. We’ve been very consistent there in my time with JGR, but James (Small, crew chief) and the guys have been bringing fast cars. Hoping Michigan is another place we add to the win list this weekend with our Auto-Owners Insurance Camry. Really would love to get Auto-Owners a win at their home track. They’ll have a lot of people at the track cheering us on Sunday and hope we can make them proud.”

Last year, you had a runner-up finish at Michigan and almost pulled off the win. What worked so well for you there last year?

“I think we just needed a little longer run at the end of the race and we might have been able to catch the 17 (Chris Buescher). I felt like we were a little better, but it was just really hard to pass the leader on equal tires. Our Auto-Owners Camry was a rocket last year – just the leader in clean air was really, really hard to pass, which is usually the case. We just didn’t quite have enough, but I’m hoping things work out a little bit better for us and we can turn that strong finish from last year into a win this time around.”

With Auto-Owners right up the road in Lansing, Michigan, what has Auto-Owners meant to you as a longtime partner over the years, and how big is the Michigan weekend for them?

“They’ve meant a ton. I was able to visit the office there recently and get to see all the employees, and I have so many supporters there over the years. This is the eighth year they’ve been a partner of the teams I’ve driven for. Can’t thank them all enough for all of their support over the years, they are a special group. Going to be fun to see everyone with Auto-Owners Insurance at the track one more time at Michigan this weekend. We have a lot of visits to make and it will be great to get to thank them in person, as well.”

How much confidence do you have coming into the weekend?

“For sure, it’s been a tough couple of months, finish-wise. Speed-wise, aside from maybe just a few races like Iowa, we’ve been solid. Just need to capitalize on that and execute. It takes a lot of things to win races, lead laps, stay up front and have fast cars, so hope we can put it all together this weekend. But I feel good about it. Yeah, just kind of been in a slump for a little while now and we’ve had fast cars like we had at Richmond, and then bad things have happened that have kept us from good finishes.”

No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance 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: Thomas Hatcher

Hometown: Middleburg, Florida

Rear Tire Changer: Lee Cunningham

Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois

Michigan Event Info:
Date: Sunday, August 18
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Brooklyn, Michigan
Format: 200 Laps, 400 Miles, Stages: 45-75-80
TV: USA
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 12:35 p.m. ET, Practice (USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 1:20 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 2:30 p.m. ET, Race (USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• Chris Buescher heads into Michigan as the defending race winner, one of his three wins a season ago.
• The victory marked Jack Roush’s 14th all-time in the Cup Series in the back yard of Ford Motor Company, and the first for RFK at Michigan since 2013 (Greg Biffle).
• Just three races remain in the regular season with Michigan, Daytona (Aug. 24) and Darlington (Sept. 1) hosting the final three races to determine the playoff picture.

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: Castrol Edge

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Fifth Third Bank

• As part of the Fueled by Fifth Third Bank pass through program, Comprehensive Care Services (CCS) will ride along with Buescher on the decklid this weekend.
• CCS is committed to delivering superior patient outcomes for hospitals across Michigan, the United States and Europe. CCS proudly serves Michigan health systems including Corewell, Trinity, McLaren, and Ascension.
• As a Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) certified business, CCS upholds the highest standards of clinical excellence and innovative healthcare solutions to ensure quality care and efficiency for partner hospitals.

Keselowski at Michigan
Starts: 26
Wins: —
Top-10s: 14
Poles: 2 (2017, 2019)

• Keselowski makes his 27th Cup start in Michigan this weekend where he has an average finish of 12.3 and 14 top-10s.
• Despite no wins at his home track, Keselowski has eight results inside the top five with three runner-up finishes (2012, 2018, 2020).
• The Rochester Hills native has six top-10s in his last nine starts, and ran fourth a season ago after leading 15 laps in the race his teammate won.
• He has two career Cup poles at MIS (2017, 2019) and 10 overall starts inside the top-10.
• Keselowski has an additional nine combined starts at MIS in the Xfinity and Truck Series with two NXS wins (2009, 2010).

Buescher at Michigan
Starts: 13
Wins: 1 (2023)
Top-10s: 2
Poles: 1 (2020)

• Buescher is the defending race winner at Michigan, having led 52 laps a season ago after qualifying fourth.
• Buescher’s best finish prior was back in 2017 when he finished sixth, one of his two career top-10s at the track.
• He carries an average starting position of 18.5 with a pole back in 2020, and the P4 starting position last season.
• Buescher also made three NXS starts at MIS and finished top-10 in all three with a best finish of P4 in 2015.

RFK Historically at Michigan
Cup Wins: 13 (Mark Martin, 1990, 1993, 1997, 1998; Matt Kenseth, 2002, 2006; Kurt Busch, 2003; Greg Biffle, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013; Carl Edwards, 2007, 2008; Chris Buescher, 2023)

• Home Sweet Home: Michigan International Speedway serves as ‘home’ for Jack Roush and RFK Racing, located just an hour from Roush Industries in Livonia, Michigan. MIS has naturally been one of the organization’s most successful tracks on the circuit, with the team earning a total of 24 wins across NASCAR’s three major touring series.
• I Said Welcome to Detroit City: In 223 NCS starts at Michigan, RFK has recorded 14 wins, 58 top-fives and 104 top-10 finishes with 2,520 laps led. Greg Biffle’s win back in 2013 was the 1,000th NASCAR victory for Ford Performance.
• Roush vs. Everyone Else: RFK’s 14 wins in the NCS at Michigan are the most of any track on the NCS schedule. Six different drivers have earned victories for RFK at the two-mile oval with former drivers Mark Martin and Biffle both taking the checkered flag on four separate occasions. RFK drivers Matt Kenseth (two), Carl Edwards (two), Kurt Busch (one) and Chris Buescher (one) have also gone to victory lane for the organization in Michigan.

Consistency in the Motor City: Michigan ranks first overall among all tracks that RFK has competed on in the NCS in top-five finishes, top-10 finishes and in average finish among tracks that they have run two or more races. RFK has recorded 58 top-fives, 104 top-10s and has an average finish of 14.4 at the two-mile oval.

RFK Michigan Wins

1990-2 Martin Cup

1993-2 Martin Cup

1993 Martin NXS

1995 Martin NXS

1997-2 Martin Cup

1998 Burton NXS

1998-1 Martin Cup

1999 Biffle Truck

2000 Biffle Truck

2002-1 KensethCup

2003-1 Busch Cup

2004-2 Biffle Cup

2005-1 Biffle Cup

2006-2 Kenseth Cup

2007-1 Edwards Cup

2007 Kvapil Truck

2008-2 Edwards Cup

2008 Edwards NXS

2008 Darnell Truck

2009 Braun Truck

2011 Edwards NXS

2012-2 Biffle Cup

2013-1 Biffle Cup

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Richmond: Keselowski finished 16th Sunday night in Richmond, while Buescher had to overcome a loose wheel to finish 18th.

Points Standings (6: 9th, 17: 13th): Keselowski remains ninth in points, while Buescher is down to 13th.

Cook Out 400: Richmond Raceway
Richmond, VA – August 11, 2024

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/LIBMAN FORD MUSTANG

START: 18TH STAGE ONE: 19TH STAGE TWO: 20TH FINISH: 24TH POINTS: 20TH

RACE RUNDOWN: In what turned out to be a chaotic end to Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, Austin Cindric finished 24th in the No. 2 Menards/Libman Ford Mustang. The Team Penske driver took the green flag from the 18th position and muscled forward immediately, climbing to 13th within the opening ten laps. As the opening run went on, the handling of the No. 2 Ford Mustang began to fade and Cindric lost position, ultimately finishing 19th in the opening stint. He then marched to pit road for a new set of the yellow Prime tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, lining up 18th for the restart. He continued to be tasked with an ill-handling race car and returned to the attention of the Menards/Libman pit crew on Lap 122 for the red Option tires and eventually climbed back inside the top 15. Just over 40 laps later, Cindric returned to the Prime tires and on Lap 177 alerted the team that he was losing power steering. Despite the unexpected hurdle, the former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion flexed his muscle and forged ahead to finish 20th in Stage 2. Cindric opted against the team diagnosing the issue under the break as he would lose valuable positions in the running order and just took four fresh Option tires and fuel. He restarted 20th and informed the team on Lap 283 that he was starting to lose grip. He navigated back to pit road to receive a set of Prime tires and jetted back off, pitting just once more later in the race before finishing 24th as a hectic last-lap incident involving the race leaders played out.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “Yeah, it was unfortunate. I felt like we spent about 100 laps there as the lucky dog to start Stage 3. We started Stage 2 and I lost power steering, so that definitely made my day more physical than I probably had expected. So it was a bit unfortunate for the No. 2 Menards/Libman Ford Mustang. I thought we had a decent run going there – got some good spots on the start. So, yeah, we’ve just got some stuff to clean up. I learned a lot about the Option tire and all the different strategies, so there’ll be plenty to review if we do this in the future.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 BODYARMOR SPORT WATER FORD MUSTANG

START: 11TH STAGE ONE: 14TH STAGE TWO: 14TH FINISH: 11TH POINTS: 5TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney battled his way back to an 11th-place finish Sunday night at Richmond Raceway in the Cup Series’ second trip to the Virgina short track. After starting 11th, Blaney settled into 12th in the running order for a majority of the opening stage as the BODYARMOR Sport Water Ford experienced a tight-handling condition in the center of the corners. Blaney ultimately settled for a 14th-place finish in the first 70-lap stage before crew chief Jonathan Hassler dialed in a round of adjustments during the team’s four tire stop under caution. The entirety of Stage 2 saw green flag racing as teams were forced to make a pair of scheduled green flag stops. After cycling to third in the running order at the start of the first round of pit stops, Blaney was called to pit road on lap 131 for four tires and a round of adjustments before his final stop of the stage came on lap 177 for the same service. Blaney managed to work his way back to 14th by the end of the second stage as he reported improvement in turn in the center of the corner despite being tight at the start of each run. The 12 team began the final stage on the softer option tire the saw Blaney charge into the top-10 shortly after the restart. Blaney climbed the leaderboard to third before his scheduled green flag service on lap 281, but a slow stop mired the No. 12 back to 17th in the running order and fighting to get back on the lead lap. The 12 team altered their strategy for the final green flag cycle of the night, opting to run long before pitting for its last set of option tires on lap 357 to make ground on the leaders with the harder prime tire. Blaney made his way through the field in the closing laps to get back inside the top-10 with 12 to go before the caution came out with two laps to go, setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Blaney pitted for four prime tires prior to the final restart and ultimately took the checkered flag 11th.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “I actually thought it was a good night for us. We were able to fight back to get in the top-10 before the last caution and ended up 11th. Overall, it was a good night. I definitely think it could have been better, but not bad.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG

START: 9TH STAGE ONE: 4TH STAGE TWO: 4TH FINISH: 19TH POINTS: 15TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team put themselves in position to pick up their second win of the season Sunday night at Richmond but were taken out off the exit of turn four coming to the checkered flag, resulting in a 19th-place finish. Logano displayed top-five speed from the drop of the green flag, charging his way into the top-five just 12 laps in before crossing the line fourth at the end of Stage 1. Despite a tight-handling condition at the beginning of the first few runs of the night, Logano continued to hang with the leaders throughout a second stage that featured a pair of green flag stops on laps 123 and 176. Logano ultimately came away with a fourth-place finish in Stage 2 before crew chief Paul Wolfe made the call to use the team’s first of two sets of option tires to begin the final segment. After restarting fourth, Logano reached second in the running order on lap 246 before Wolfe called the Shell-Pennzoil Ford to pit road for four prime tires on lap 280 as Logano cycled back to second in the running order, this time chasing the No. 11 for the lead. As the two battled through lapped traffic with 100 laps to go, Logano made his final green flag stop of the night on lap 331 as he reported the front turn was beginning to fade, prompting the 22 crew to service him with four prime tires and a round of adjustments. While running third with two laps to go, the caution flag flew to set up one final trip to pit road before the green-white-checkered finish. Wolfe made the call to put on the team’s final set of option tires and a fast stop saw Logano come off pit road second, allowing him to restart from the outside of row one. Logano charged into turn one from the outside lane and cleared the No. 3 off turn two as he came around to take the white flag, but as the field made its way into turns three and four for the final time, the No. 3 got into the rear bumper of Logano and sent him spinning up into the outside wall, ending his chance to pick up his third-career win at Richmond.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action on Sunday, August 18 for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan. Coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Buescher Finishes 18th in Fastenal Ford

RICHMOND, Virginia (August 11, 2024) – Chris Buescher earned stage points early in Sunday night’s 300+ mile race from Richmond Raceway, but Brad Keselowski earned the better finish of the two RFK cars, crossing the line 16th, while Buescher finished 18th.

Despite showing speed late, Keselowski was behind in track position from the start in the BuildSubmarines.com Ford, while Buescher had to overcome a pit road issue in the Fastenal machine. Outside of that, the race ran caution-free – outside of stage breaks – until the final lap when the yellow flew for a two-car incident, sending the finish into what was a chaotic NASCAR Overtime.

6 Recap
Keselowski began the day from the 26th spot after his single-car qualifying session on Saturday. He finished the caution-free first stage in 27th before pitting for the first time in the stage break. After a stage two finish of 22nd, Keselowski worked his way inside the top-20 late as pit cycles varied with the option tire coming into play.

The late caution aided in Keselowski’s efforts to regain some track position, but ultimately the timing was too late as the No. 6 crossed the line 16th.

17 Recap
Buescher looked to have a strong shot at a top-10 through much of the day, but an issue on pit road negated that chance. Opposite of his teammate, Buescher had a strong day in practice and qualifying, firing off the grid seventh Sunday evening.

He wound up eighth to end the opening stage of 70 laps, and began the second stage back in seventh. It was the next stop under a green-flag cycle that saw an issue on the left front, ultimately making Buescher lose a lap to the leaders.

It was an uphill battle from there as the team had to claw its way back to the lead lap, and like Keselowski, it did so but only with a handful of laps before finishing 18th.

Up Next
Michigan hosts its lone race date next weekend with race coverage set for 2:30 p.m. ET. TV coverage on Sunday can be seen on USA, with radio coverage on MRN 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.

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Cook Out 400
Date: Aug. 11, 2024
Event: Cook Out 400 (Round 23 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (70 laps/160 laps/170 laps)
Note: Race extended eight laps past its scheduled 400-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Race Winner: Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Daniel Suárez of Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)

SHR Finish:

● Josh Berry (Started 3rd, Finished 14th / Running, completed 408 of 408 laps)
● Noah Gragson (Started 16th, Finished 20th / Running, completed 407 of 408 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 25th, Finished 21st / Running, completed 407 of 408 laps)
● Ryan Preece (Started 26th, Finished 25th / Running, completed 407 of 408 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (17th with 485 points, 294 out of first)
● Josh Berry (23rd with 412 points, 367 out of first)
● Noah Gragson (24th with 400 points, 379 out of first)
● Ryan Preece (27th with 341 points, 438 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Berry earned his ninth top-15 of the season and his third top-15 in three career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Richmond.
● Berry finished 10th in Stage 1 to earn one bonus point.
● Gragson earned his 14th top-20 of the season and his second straight top-20 at Richmond.

Race Notes:

● Austin Dillon won the Cook Out 400 to score his fifth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Richmond. Denny Hamlin finished second as the race ended under caution.

● There were four caution periods for a total of 26 laps.

● Only 19 of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Kyle Larson remains the championship leader after Richmond with a five-point advantage over second-place Tyler Reddick.

Sound Bites:

“It was fun. We struggled a little bit more than we thought we were going to, but all in all we executed a good race, stayed on the lead lap and got a solid finish. We’ll just build off of that and go to Michigan.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 P&G Supports Our Military Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“We just kind of struggled all weekend, just needed forward drive, but still super proud of our group. We got the car better, just kind of got behind all day. We’re super excited for next weekend at Michigan and we’ll keep going.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“For what we’ve kind of had here at Richmond from just a racing standpoint – you know, it’s kind of been hard to pass – I don’t know what it looked like outside of the car, but inside the car it looked like there were a lot of guys going forward, going backward. It definitely added a new complexion and strategy to the race. I’d be interested to see what we’d all look like if we ran the soft tire the whole time. I thought it was OK.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Rinnai Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, Aug. 18 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The race begins at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

RICK WARE RACING
Cook Out 400
Date: Aug. 11, 2024
Event: Cook Out 400 (Round 23 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (70 laps/160 laps/170 laps)
Note: Race extended eight laps past its scheduled 400-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Race Winner: Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)

RWR Race Finish:

● Justin Haley (Started 36th , Finished 27th/ Running, completed 406 of 408 laps)
● Riley Herbst (Started 34th, Finished 33rd/Running, completed 405 of 408 laps)

RWR Points:

● Justin Haley (29th with 329 points)
● Note: Herbst is a fulltime driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and is not eligible for points in the NASCAR Cup Series.

RWR Notes:

● This was Haley’s eighth NASCAR Cup Series start at Richmond. His best finish remains 21st, earned in August 2022.
● This was Herbst’s first NASCAR Cup Series start at Richmond.

Race Notes:

● Austin Dillon won the Cook Out 400 to score his fifth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Richmond. His margin of victory over second-place Denny Hamlin was .116 of a second.
● There were four caution periods for a total of 26 laps.
● Only 19 of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Larson remains the championship leader after Richmond with a five-point advantage over second-place Tyler Reddick.

Sound Bites:

“Richmond is such a tough track, but our Pinnacle Home Improvement Ford Mustang Dark Horse was good enough to do what it needed to do.”– Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Pinnacle Home Improvements Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I’ve always enjoyed racing at Richmond in the Xfinity Series, but the Cup Series is a whole different game. It took a while for me to really get a good idea of how the track was changing and what that was doing to the car. Things happen so quick that it’s hard to come back from a couple of laps down, but we ran every lap and that’s exactly what I needed to do in my first Cup race here.” – Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 15 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Firekeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, Aug. 18 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The race begins at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
RICHMOND RACEWAY
COOK OUT 400
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
AUGUST 11, 2024

 Dillon Takes Win and Playoff Berth at Richmond Raceway

•  In a dramatic overtime finish, Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1 team prevailed to claim the victory and a playoff berth in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. The victory – his first on a short-track in NASCAR’s top division – marks Dillon’s fifth career victory in 396 career NASCAR Cup Series starts.
• Dillon delivered Chevrolet its series-leading 11th victory in 23 NASCAR Cup Series victories this season. The 34-year-old Welcome, North Carolina, native is the six driver from the third different Chevrolet organization to make a trip to victory lane in NASCAR’s top division this season.
• Dillon is the 18th different driver to take Chevrolet to victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway – extending the manufacturer’s series-leading win record to 41 all-time victories at the .75-mile Virginia short-track.
• Six drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations claimed top-10 results in the 400-lap event, with Richard Childress Racing’s Dillon leading Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain in fourth and Daniel Suarez in 10th; Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson in seventh and Chase Elliott in ninth; and Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar in eighth.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:
POS. DRIVER
1st Austin Dillon
5th Ross Chastain
7th Kyle Larson
8th Carson Hocevar
9th Chase Elliott
10th Daniel Suarez

WITH 23 NASCAR CUP SERIES RACES COMPLETE:
Wins: 11
Poles: 7
Top-Five Finishes: 41
Top-10 Finishes: 88
Stage Wins: 13

UP NEXT: The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Michigan International Speedway with the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, August 18, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

 
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Jockey Infinite Cool Underwear Camaro ZL1

Finished: 5th

WHAT DID YOU SEE WHEN THE CURTAINS OPENED IN FRONT OF YOU?

“It’s so refreshing just to run in an average position all night with a ‘1’ in front of it. To finish with a single-digit result is so refreshing right now to have that for our No. 1 Jockey Infinite Cool Underwear Chevy. We had a lot more pace and a lot more running position from where we have been. The car is still tight; it’s still loose. It’s not like we magically fixed anything, but we just had a lot more pace to do what we want to do and what we’ve been missing for a few months. The whole night, to drive to 11th in Stage One; run around there and be able to execute there late is great. We were going to run seventh with a set of red tires left, and it was killing me in the car that we were going to leave those in the pits, but we were able to put them on there at that green-white-checkered.”

“Congrats to Austin (Dillon), RCR and Chevrolet. That is big for our group and will make tomorrow’s meeting better that a Chevy won. I am happy for that, and everything else will work itself out. It’s simple math – if we just keep stacking together finishes and just pace like this, we will be just fine.”

YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW THE RACE ENDED?

“I saw a bunch of craziness up there, but I am just happy for Austin. I know the work he puts in. For GM and Chevy and for what our Tech Center in Concord (NC) does, it’s really important to be winning races. To go win one like that, I am just happy I wasn’t in it and I wish I was up a few spots more to take advantage of it.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1

Finished: 1st

YOU ARE GETTING PELTED WITH MILKSHAKES HERE IN VICTORY LANE, HOW DOES THAT FEEL?

“That is a first, but it feels good when you get a win. After the season we had, the good Lord above just blessed us today. We had a fast No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevy, and I hated to see that caution come out. I knew it was going to be wild and coming to the last corner, I just had to go for it. It was our opportunity; you don’t get many of those and that is what our partners, my family and RCR wants us to do, is to go and try to get a win. So, I just had to send it.”

Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

Finished: 30th

“Tough night at Richmond. Congrats to Austin [Dillon] and RCR on the win; it’s huge for alliance. We definitely need to regroup, but hopefully what we saw here tonight with the No. 3 car is going to help us in the future short tracks.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Delaware Life Camaro ZL1

Finished: 8th

HOCEVAR ON HIS TOP-10 FINISH AT RICHMOND RACEWAY:

“The No. 77 Delaware Life Camaro ZL1 was pretty good. We didn’t qualify great, but we were able to get to the top-15 and then top-10 there on the long run. From where we were in the spring and where we have been on short tracks, this is huge for us. To run top-10 is pretty big and just to have a really good turnaround from almost high 20s to a single digit finish here is really big for the Delaware Life/Spire Chevrolet team.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Choice Privileges Camaro ZL1

Finished: 10th

HOW WAS YOUR RACE TONIGHT?

“That was a fun race! These option tires, if NASCAR and the fans didn’t like it, I don’t know what they would like because they were amazing. The strategy played a huge role in what everyone was doing; what we were doing and everyone’s different agenda. It was fun. I enjoyed it and the No. 99 Choice Privileges Chevy was fast. The guys did an amazing job with the strategy. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out at the end, but we gave it a shot and we ended up with a 10th place finish.”

WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE THAT MUCH FASTER THAN EVERYONE FOR THE LEAD?

“It was fun. It was like Mario Kart with a star.”

 

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.