Category: NASCAR Cup PR

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: ATLANTA NOTES

Atlanta Motor Speedway is the site for this weekend’s NASCAR tripleheader, featuring the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series on Saturday, and the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday.  Here’s a look at how Ford has fared through the years in each series.

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT AMS

·         Ford has 33 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins at AMS.
·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen won the Atlanta 500 three straight years (1962-64).
·         Brad Keselowski (2017/2019) and Kevin Harvick (2018) have Ford wins at the track.
·         Georgia native Bill Elliott is Ford’s all-time leader at AMS with five wins.
·         The Wood Brothers rank second with 12 series wins at AMS.

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT AMS

·         Ford has 10 NASCAR XFINITY Series wins at AMS, all but two by Roush Fenway Racing.
·         Kevin Harvick won last year’s NXS race at AMS.
·         Jeff Gordon won his first series race, and the first one ever held at AMS, with Ford in 1992.
·         Harvick leads all drivers with five series wins.
·         Mark Martin has the most Ford wins with three while Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards have two each.

FORD IN THE GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES AT AMS

·         Ford is still looking for its first series win at AMS.
·         Matt Crafton has one win (2015) and leads all drivers with 10 career Top-10 finishes.
·         Ford has 100 all-time series victories.

FORD CONTINUES CUP ROLL AS SERIES HEADS BACK TO ATLANTA

Ford has made a habit of going to Victory Lane, winning three of the five Cup races since NASCAR returned to action on May 17.  Brad Keselowski (Charlotte and Bristol) has won twice and Kevin Harvick (Darlington 1) once.  Joey Logano has the other two victories (Las Vegas and Phoenix), giving Ford a manufacturer-high five wins this season in nine events.  That has enabled Ford to build a 25-point lead in the manufacturer standings.

KESELOWSKI/LOGANO CLIMBING FORD ALL-TIME LISTS

How even has it been since Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano joined Ford in 2013 with Team Penske?  Well, thanks to Keselowski’s last two wins at Charlotte and Bristol both drivers now have a total of 23 Ford Cup victories.  That also represents the number of wins NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace had during his tenure with the manufacturer.  In addition, the 23 Ford victories put them in a tie for ninth-place on the all-time Ford Cup win list.  Ned Jarrett is Ford’s all-time leader with 43 wins while Bill Elliott is second with 40.

KESELOWSKI GETS FIRST CUP WIN FOR MUSTANG

Brad Keselowski gave Mustang its first NASCAR Cup Series victory as he held off Martin Truex Jr. at the finish to win last year’s Folds of Honor 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  Keselowski, who was battling an illness all weekend and had Austin Cindric standing by in case he needed relief, led the final 33 laps to post his 28th career victory.  In all, Ford led 177 of the 325 laps and won for the third straight year at the 1.5-mile track.

HARVICK DOMINATES

Kevin Harvick led eight times for a race-high 181 laps in winning the Fold’s of Honor 500 in 2018 and completing a sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY races.  After winning all three stages the day before in his Ford Mustang, Harvick took the first stage in the Cup race and then led the final 25 laps to post his 38th career victory and third with Ford.  Brad Keselowski finished second and Clint Bowyer third to give Ford a 1-2-3 sweep.  Ford dominated from start to finish as four drivers combined to lead 272-of-325 laps.  Harvick became the first Ford driver to sweep a Cup/XFINITY weekend since Joey Logano did it in 2015 at Watkins Glen International.

KESELOWSKI CAPITALIZES

Brad Keselowski took advantage of a pit road speeding penalty by Kevin Harvick to pull away from the field in the final 14 laps to win the Folds of Honor 400 in 2017 and snap a 10-race Ford Performance draught in the NASCAR Cup Series.  The win was Keselowski’s first at AMS, but it didn’t look likely because Harvick dominated the afternoon, winning the first two stages in convincing fashion.  He appeared headed to victory, but on his final stop he was hit with a speeding penalty on pit road and didn’t have enough time to recover.  That proved to be a major storyline on the day as NASCAR handed out a total of 11 speeding penalties.

EDWARDS DOES BACKFLIP FOR THIRD TIME

When Carl Edwards beat Jimmie Johnson to the finish line by 2.684 seconds in 2008, it marked his third at the track and first since sweeping both events in 2005.  In addition, it moved Edwards up two spots into second-place in the point standings, but he was still a distant 183 points behind Johnson with only three races to go.  Edwards eventually finished runner-up in the Chase that season by 69 points.

SNOW DAYS

Morgan Shepherd capturing Ford’s 400th series victory in 1993 when snow delayed the Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 for nearly a week.  The original race date was Sunday, March 14, 1992, but a blizzard that would eventually be called the ‘Storm of the Century’ pounded the Atlanta area with 6-8 inches of snow.  An estimated 82,000 fans came back the following Saturday, where they were greeted by souvenir rigs that sports t-shirts proclaiming ‘I Survived the Atlanta Blizzard 500.’  When the race started Mark Martin had the dominant car as he led 140 of the first 225 laps, but engine problems put him out of the running and Shepherd took advantage as he stretched his fuel mileage to the finish, leading the final 12 laps and winning by a whopping 23.50 seconds.  The win for Shepherd, who was 51 at the time, was his fourth and final victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.

SWEEP DREAMS

Marvin Panch was the first driver to sweep both AMS races in a single season when he did it in 1965 with the Wood Brothers.  Georgia native Bill Elliott posted a pair of season sweeps (1985 and 1992) and won five times overall while Carl Edwards registered the first win of his career at the speedway in 2005 and matched it later that fall.

LORENZEN LAPS THE FIELD

Ford went to victory lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the first time in 1961 when NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen captured the Festival 250 on July 9 while driving for Holman-Moody.  He did it in dominating fashion as well by lapping the field.  Lorenzen, who led 52 laps on the day, beat runner-up Bob Welborn by one lap in his 1961 Ford.  Richard Petty finished third that afternoon, but was three laps down.  That victory served as a springboard for Lorenzen’s future success at AMS, which included becoming the first driver to win the Atlanta 500 three straight years (1962-63-64).

FORD’S ATLANTA CUP WINNERS
1961 – Fred Lorenzen
1962 – Fred Lorenzen
1963 – Fred Lorenzen
1964 – Fred Lorenzen and Ned Jarrett
1965 – Marvin Panch (sweep)
1967 – Cale Yarborough and Dick Hutcherson
1968 – LeeRoy Yarbrough
1969 – LeeRoy Yarbrough
1975 – Buddy Baker
1978 – Bobby Allison
1981 – Neil Bonnett
1985 – Bill Elliott (sweep)
1987 – Ricky Rudd and Bill Elliott
1990 – Morgan Shepherd
1991 – Mark Martin
1992 – Bill Elliott (sweep)
1993 – Morgan Shepherd
1994 – Ernie Irvan and Mark Martin
1997 – Dale Jarrett
2002 – Kurt Busch
2005 – Carl Edwards (sweep)
2008 – Carl Edwards
2017 – Brad Keselowski
2018 – Kevin Harvick
2019 – Brad Keselowski

FORD’S ATLANTA XFINITY WINNERS
1992 – Jeff Gordon
1997 – Mark Martin
1998 – Mark Martin
2000 – Mark Martin
2004 – Matt Kenseth
2005 – Carl Edwards
2008 – Matt Kenseth
2011 – Carl Edwards
2012 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2018 – Kevin Harvick

BRISTOL, TN – June 2, 2020 – Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 crew, with their never give up effort, won Sunday’s Food City Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. This marked the fifth win of the NASCAR Cup season for Ford Performance and Team Penske’s 75th all-time Cup win with Ford.

“Congratulations to Brad, Jeremy, Roger, and the entire Team Penske organization,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “What an exciting finish. Once again, the teams put themselves in position to win and the Ford Mustang’s came away with a 1-2 finish with Brad and Clint {Bowyer}. Congratulations to Roger and his team on 75 wins with Ford. It’s great to be back to racing and delivering exciting finishes for the fans.”

It looked like the wild, wild west at Bristol Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon. With 2-laps remaining, race leaders Joey Logano and Chase Elliott made contact and collided with the outside wall, leaving an opening at the bottom of the track for a well-positioned No. 2 Ford Mustang to take advantage of the track position and take the lead. Keselowski was followed by the No. 14 of Bowyer from Stewart-Haas Racing to make it a 1-2 finish for Ford Performance.

Keselowski now has 32 all-time points Cup Series career wins and is tied with fellow Team Penske teammate Logano and former Roush Fenway Racing driver, Carl Edwards with 23 NASCAR Cup Series wins since joining Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines.

“An incredible day. I’m so happy for the team,” commented Keselowski. “This was a never-give-up effort. That’s what we’re becoming as a team. We kind of got a Christmas present here in Bristol. We’ll take it. We’re in position and able to strike when it counted with the Discount Tire Ford Mustang. We were just in position to strike and here we are in victory lane.”

Keselowski started from the pole position to lead a total of 115 laps of the 500-lap race and Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney led 60 laps until retiring after an incident with Ty Dillon. In addition, Matt DiBenedetto from Wood Brother’s Racing led four laps and Logano led two laps.

With the 1-2, Keselowski – Bowyer finish, Ford continues to lead the Manufacturer Standings by 25 points. In addition, Stewart-Haas Racing (370 points) and Team Penske (346 points) continue to lead the Owner Standings.

Monday night, in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Cheddar’s 300, it all came down to a green-white-checkered finish for Chase Briscoe. He raced Noah Gragson hard off the restart, but ultimately finished the night second. In addition, Briscoe secured a position to run for an extra $100,000 in Atlanta this upcoming weekend.

Briscoe and Stewart-Haas Racing continue to lead the Driver Standings and Owner Standings in points.

NASCAR will head to Atlanta, Georgia later on this week, where the Xfinity Series will run the EchoPark 250 on Saturday and the Cup Series will run the Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500. Reference the full 2020 schedule on roushyates.com.

27 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 386 WINS – 357 POLES!

*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media & Getty Images

About Roush Yates Engines
Roush Yates Engines is a leading-edge engine development company based in Mooresville, NC consisting of two state-of-the-art facilities – Roush Yates Engines and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions, a world class ISO 9001 / AS9100 certified CNC manufacturing facility. The company’s core business includes designing, building and testing purpose-built race engines.

Ford Performance in partnership with Roush Yates Engines is the exclusive engine builder of the NASCAR FR9 Ford V8 engine and Ford Mustang 5.2L V8 engine, used in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series.

With an unparalleled culture of winning and steeped in rich racing history, Roush Yates Engines continues to follow the company’s vision to lead performance engine innovation and staying true to the company’s mission, provide race winning engines through demonstrated power and performance.

3 Series – 22 Teams – 81 Races

NASCAR CUP SERIES
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUPERMARKET HEROES 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 31, 2020

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 3rd
The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and two-time winner (2010 & ‘17) at Bristol Motor Speedway, posted his 2nd top-10 finish in 37 races at the historic venue.

POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:

THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by seven‑time champion Jimmie Johnson.
Jimmie, walk us through the wild and crazy race from your perspective.

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, wild and crazy night for sure. Very strong performance for us. Really proud of the guys keeping our chins up through the last four weeks. We’ve had fast cars, really haven’t had the results to show for it.
To put together a solid race, start to finish, great pit stops, fast car, be a threat. We need more long runs. There’s only one long race in the whole race. We were battling for the lead with Kyle. I wish there were more long runs because our car didn’t have the short run speed in it. But we still salvaged a great day out of it with the Ally Chevy.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions.

Q. When you take stock of how you ran as a company today, do you feel decent about your short track package at this point in the season?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, we haven’t had many short track races. Bristol is pretty unique. When I think of Phoenix, we didn’t have a race‑winning car in Phoenix. That race is so important at the end of the year. I feel like we still have some work to do.
Great showing here. Then obviously our mile‑and‑a‑half stuff, the 550 package, in general we’re much more competitive this year. A lot of optimism, but I think we need to refine our package a bit more through the bulk of the year and set up well for the Playoffs.

Q. There’s been a lot of talk about why the Hendrick cars have been so fast this year, the Chevrolet cars as a whole. Denny Hamlin said he thought it was the redesigned Camaro. Is that the key to why Chevrolet has been so strong this year?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, without a doubt. That new Camaro has been a huge help for us. I think through last year’s events, and NASCAR taking the three makes, taking those cars after the race is over, blowing them in the wind tunnel, they saw the situation and they allowed Chevrolet to build a new Camaro and bring it out to get us up on par with the Toyotas and the Fords.
This year we feel like we are much more in the ballpark and much more on an equal with them with the 550 package.

Q. What kind of advantage does it give you with one year of this rules package, tweaking the car to fit the rules package?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: I mean, with the low horsepower, it’s really about efficiencies. It kind of tells a story that back when we didn’t have these restricted engines, the Chevrolets were creating downforce kind of in an inefficient manner, but it didn’t matter because we had the horsepower to pull us through it.
Last year it was pretty obvious when we raced the 550 package we had trouble. We couldn’t trim the car out to the lengths of the other manufacturers. After NASCAR studied it hard, they realized they needed to do something. They let us have a new car this year.
Between that and I think a new engine block that they approved for the year, the engine block is a lot lighter and helps on days like today. It’s their job to keep the quality and they allowed us to make those changes and bring us up to par with the other two makes.

Q. All things considered in the two weeks, how satisfied are you with the progress that you and Cliff have done, especially with the long layoff to now, a victory is all that’s missing?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: We’re excited. I felt like when the lockdown and quarantine started, we had momentum on our side. I was really bummed that we couldn’t see that through. Then to sit on ice for eight, nine weeks, whatever it ended up being, then come back and really actually be stronger than we were before the lockdown happened is really a testament to everybody at Hendrick, the leadership on Cliff’s side, what he’s doing with these crew guys.
I felt like we would be good, but we definitely stepped it up after the lockdown lifted, now that we’re back racing.

Q. In Darlington you made a mistake in the first race. Kyle Busch made a mistake in the third race. Chase Elliott took the blame for the late wreck today. Is there more pressure on you guys? Is there a reason why we’re seeing all the great drivers make a mistake or have an issue?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: No. I just think we do a nice job of making it look easy. When you cross the line, stuff goes wrong. We walk that tightrope day in and day out. 100% is really all the car can take. You step over it and create situations that take you out if you try too hard.
I think it’s more impressive that we fooled you guys for so long making it look easy on track, and our true colors finally showed through (laughter).

Q. You have obviously shown speed this season. As a collective group you won 10 stages already, two more than all of last year. You also have two wins together. The absence of wins is more circumstances regarding the racing or do you think there’s still some gains left to be made as an organization?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: We always want to be stronger. There’s no doubt. I feel like there’s probably two races that I could have been in contention to win, three including tonight, today. I think Chase could be sitting here with five in a row if things go his way, four or five in a row.
I do think HMS is very strong. I do think we have left some wins on the table as a group, unfortunately.

Q. You’ve had a lot of success at Atlanta. You get a week off, almost like normal. You haven’t had a lead lap finish since 2017. What are your expectations? What have you worked with as a team collectively trying to get HMS back to the front in Atlanta?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, you know, Atlanta last year was really an eye‑opening experience for HMS. When I look back at the year, that track is so hard on tires, really tells you what kind of aero balance you have, setup that you have to go with. We should have known then we needed to make some big changes.
When I look at this year and going to California Speedway, that surface is a lot like Atlanta. I feel like Darlington, Fontana, Atlanta, those tracks kind of all act the same. They’re not identical, but pretty good comparison between them all.
I’m really excited to go back to Atlanta. It’s one of my favorite racetracks to compete at. Been able to win there over the years. Of late it’s been tough for us. I really expect us to have a strong performance there.

Q. The headlines the last few days have been dominated by protests, including in Charlotte, against police brutality and people demanding justice for George Floyd. What is your reaction to that?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, I’ve watched it all. The circumstances are just crazy and unacceptable. I am for protesting, peaceful protesting. I hope there’s more of that tonight. I know there are concerns, especially in the Charlotte area, near my home, that they will be protesting tonight.
The message needs to be clear, but I think being peaceful is really the right way to send the message here. I hope everybody stays safe.

Q. Talking about crossing the line because of not having any practice and no qualifying, has that narrowed the line as far as crossing it? Has that made it more difficult as far as knowing where that line is?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: I don’t think so. I mean, I think if it’s an incident in the opening laps, you could chalk it up to not having practice or something there. But I honestly think it’s a product of what NASCAR is today.
When you back up to stages, the way that we race for stages, we now have championship points awarded or points being paid out in the stages.
We know that cautions breed cautions. Track position is more important than it’s ever been with this 550 downforce package and the big spoiler on the back of the car. You just keep stacking things up that make you drive as hard as you can every single lap. When you live that close to the edge, you’re going to step over. Just that simple.

THE MODERATOR: Jimmie, thanks for taking the time. Enjoy a couple days off. We’ll see you at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Thank you. Take care everybody.

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with 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.

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Race: Food City Presents Supermarket Heroes 500
Date: May 31, 2020

____________________________________

No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski
Start: 1st
Stage 1: 3rd
Stage 2: 9th
Finish: 1st (32nd-career NASCAR Cup Series victory)
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 500/500
Laps Led: 115
Point Standings (behind first): 4th (-55)

Notes:

Brad Keselowski went from third to first with three laps to go to score his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2020 season Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway. Keselowski was running behind leaders Joey Logano and Chase Elliott when the they made contact in Turn 3. The driver of the Discount Tire Ford grabbed the lead with three laps to go and never looked back, officially taking the checkered flag by .471 seconds over second-place Clint Bowyer.

Keselowski drew the pole position and led the first 62 laps in the event before scoring a third-place finish when Stage 1 ended on lap 125. The driver of the No. 2 Mustang was good at the top of the track but was struggling with turning in the center on the bottom. He pitted on lap 130 for four tires and restarted fourth when the race went green on lap 136.

He finished ninth when Stage 2 ended on lap 250. Keselowski said he needed a longer run and for the track to come to him. A mix of pit strategies among the leaders shuffled the driver of the Discount Tire Ford Mustang back to 16th when the third and final stage went green on lap 261.

By lap 327, Keselowski has worked his way into the top-10 but got zapped by a speeding penalty after a four-tire stop under caution on lap 330, moving him back to 16th position.

On lap 460, crew chief Jeremy Bullins made the pit call that put his driver in position to win the race. He called Keselowski to pit road for a change of left-side tires. Keselowski restarted 12th three laps later and, armed with fresher tires, began his march to the front.

He was up to fourth-place when the 17th and final caution set up the final restart of the race on lap 495. Lined up in the preferred outside lane, Keselowski was in perfect position to avoid trouble when Logano and Elliott made contact, giving him the lead with three laps to go.
The victory was Keselowski’s second of the 2020 season and his 32nd in 386 NASCAR Cup Series races. He won for the third time in 21 Cup starts at Bristol Motor Speedway and jumps up to fourth-place in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings.

Quotes: “We kind of got a Christmas present here in Bristol but we’ll take it. We’re in position and able to strike when it counted with the Discount Tire Ford Mustang. Joey and Chase got together there, and I don’t know what all caused it, but we were just in position to strike and here we are in victory lane. I wish I could celebrate with my team, but you know how everything is right now. There’s so much going on in the world I’m just so thankful to get to be a race car driver and get to do this.”

________________________________________________

No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 4th
Stage 1: 2nd
Stage 2: 40th
Finish: 40th
Status: Accident
Laps Completed: 199/500
Laps Led: 60
Point Standings (Behind First): 9th (-96)

A promising early start for Ryan Blaney ended up with an accident on lap 199 and a 40th-place finish in the Supermarket Heroes 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway. The driver of the Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang led 60 laps on the day.

Blaney started fourth and quickly worked his way to second behind teammate Brad Keselowski. A lap-20 competition caution would see the High Point, N.C. native remain on track. He would fall back to fifth on the restart before the caution would waive for second time on lap 62 for another competition caution. Solid pit service would get Blaney out fourth.

On the restart, Blaney would get back up to second behind Keselowski and would eventually pass him for the lead on lap 84. He would lead the next 21 circuits before being passed by Chase Elliott on lap 105. Blaney would hold on to second when Stage 1 ended on lap 125.
Strong pit service by the Menards crew got Blaney out with the lead as Stage 2 began. He would lead the next 39 laps before relinquishing the top spot to Keselowski on lap 170.

On lap 199, Blaney would get loose in turn 2 while racing for the lead and lose control of the Menards Ford. He would be hit by Ty Dillion, ending a promising a day. Blaney now sits eighth in the championship standings, 96 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Quote: “I was running up there for a little bit. I did not think I was that high and suddenly I hit a slick spot. I was way high and that is obviously not where I wanted to be, but I did not think I was that high getting in there. It might have just been trying to get too much and got in the marbles and spun out. I thought we were going be okay and then we got destroyed about six seconds later, so that’s just Bristol. I probably should not have been pushing that hard, but I was trying to get back to the lead. I thought we found some speed up there, just a mistake on my part. I hate it for Menards and Richmond and everybody on this No. 12 team. After having two strong weeks, you go and you wreck not even halfway, so that is just a bummer. We’ll go to Atlanta and see what we can do.”

________________________________________________

No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 3rd
Stage 1: 5th
Stage 2: 4th
Finish: 21st
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 500/500
Laps Led: 2
Point Standings (Behind First): 2nd (-14)

Notes:

Joey Logano started third and lead the race with just three laps remaining, but was forced into the outside wall late, ending a stellar day and remarkable late race surge by the No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang by finishing 21st. Logano was credited with leading two laps on the afternoon after rebounding from a pit road speeding penalty late in the Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

After starting third, Logano raced inside the top-five throughout the opening stage. The team elected to remain on the track at the lap 20-caution flag. In the run to the end of the first stage, Logano reported the Autotrader Ford Mustang was good on entry and exit. The stage ending stop netted Logano two positions and lined him up in third for the Stage 2 start.

During the second stage, Logano reported he’d lost center turn in the Autotrader Mustang, and with a caution at lap 199. To complicate matters, Logano took right rear damage racing three-wide. Logano survived some inside lane restarts late in the second stage, ultimately bringing the Autotrader Ford Mustang home in the fourth position at the green-checkered.

Split strategies on the stage ending caution lined the Autotrader Ford Mustang up in the 13th position for the restart, the deepest Logano had been in the field all afternoon. On a lap 330 pit stop, quick work by the 22 crew sent Logano from eighth to third, however, the Autotrader Mustang was assessed a pit penalty for too fast entering, dropping Logano to the 17th position for the restart.

As caution with 68 laps remaining brought the teams back to pit road, Logano reported he needed to be freed up for the run to the finish as he’d been battling a tight condition. As the race continued to play out, Logano found himself inside the top-five and briefly claimed the lead with three laps to go before the No. 9 of Chase Elliott missed corner entry, collecting Logano and the No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang, ending a remarkable rebound.

Quote: “We just got wrecked there at the end. It’s a shame, we made good changes all day on our Autotrader Mustang, put ourselves in a position to win and then got wrecked with three to go. It’s unfortunate, we had a really good points day and had a shot at a third win on the season there at the end.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FOOD CITY PRESENTS SUPERMARKET HEROES 500
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
MAY 31, 2020

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
3rd JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
6th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 SYMBICORT CAMARO ZL1 1LE
7th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
8th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE
10th BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 1LE

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Brad Keselowski (Ford)
2nd Clint Bowyer (Ford)
3rd Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet)
4th Kyle Busch (Toyota)
5th Erik Jones (Toyota)

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on Sunday, June 7, at 3:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 3rd
JIMMIE, WALK US THROUGH THE WILD AND CRAZY RACE FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
“Yeah, wild and crazy night for sure. Very strong performance for us. Really proud of the guys keeping our chins up through the last four weeks. We’ve had fast cars, really haven’t had the results to show for it.”

“To put together a solid race, start to finish, great pit stops, fast car, be a threat. We need more long runs. There’s only one long race in the whole race. We were battling for the lead with Kyle. I wish there were more long runs because our car didn’t have the short run speed in it. But we still salvaged a great day out of it with the Ally Chevy.”

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED IN THE TWO WEEKS, HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH THE PROGRESS THAT YOU AND CLIFF HAVE DONE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE LONG LAYOFF TO NOW, A VICTORY IS ALL THAT’S MISSING?
“We’re excited. I felt like when the lockdown and quarantine started, we had momentum on our side. I was really bummed that we couldn’t see that through. Then to sit on ice for eight, nine weeks, whatever it ended up being, then come back and really actually be stronger than we were before the lockdown happened is really a testament to everybody at Hendrick, the leadership on Cliff’s side, what he’s doing with these crew guys. I felt like we would be good, but we definitely stepped it up after the lockdown lifted, now that we’re back racing.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 SYMBICORT CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 6th
“P-6 for the No. 3 car. The Symbicort Chevrolet was good when it mattered. We worked really hard today; hard-fought battle. The car was tight; low right front. Goodyear said they didn’t know what happened to the tire. But we recovered and made some great adjustments. We were pretty fast there at the end. Justin (Alexander, Crew Chief) made a great call to take tires with 38 laps to go and it showed up. I can’t believe the 2 car won; just shows you have to stay in these races until the end. We were racing him right before that last caution, came out and he goes off and wins the race. We’re close, we’re getting there. Love how these races are playing out. Getting closer and closer! Thanks for all the support – next week is Atlanta!”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 7th
“Wow, what a day for us! The Monster Energy Chevrolet – not one straight panel on it. We went through a lot of damage, went through a lot of looseness early in the race. Man, we had a lot of lucky breaks that fell our way there at the end to be able to come home seventh. There were a couple of guys that wiped each other out, couple of guys chose the wrong lane on the restart and we were able to take advantage with our long run speed. We’ve got to work on our short run speed and how the car drives when it’s on stickers. But we’ll keep digging – we’re not going to give up!”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 8th
“It was a tough race at the start for us but we finished eighth which was good. Lately we’ve had damage and just a lot of things go wrong for us. We just really needed a good finish and we did today.

“We had a loose wheel at the start of the race and had to start at the back of the field after that. We marched our way through the field, back to the top 10. We then again had to start at the back to make repairs to account for the loose wheel. For a third time we had to start back again later because of right side damage. Once we finally got our track position back, we stayed up towards the top 10 and keep ourselves up there. At the end, some of those guys had fresher tires and we faded a couple spots. Overall though it was a good day for us, and we can go onto Atlanta where I think we have a good shot at winning.”

BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 10th
“That was hard fought. I am worn-out after that one. That was a good day for our Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Victory Junction Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. There were ups and downs, back and forth. We have to figure out our pit road speeding. I am 99.999% sure I was way under the limit – just because we got caught the first time, so there was no need to push it. Besides that, we rebounded from those penalties. I over stepped adjusting the car. We were just way out of place at the beginning of the race and our team over-adjusted, and came back full circle as the track rubbered-up.

“All-in-all, it was a good day at the Bristol Motor Speedway. It was fun there at the end. It was wild – that race had pretty much everything. I have seen a lot of positive comments from fans. That’s Bristol Motor Speedway for you. We will carry some momentum over – finally got a good finish after two bad ones. We got the bad juju off our back and we will go onto the Atlanta Motor Speedway! We’ve got some work to do there. I am excited about the speed we’ve been bringing to the track each week. The speed we have been bringing has been good. We need to tweak some things to get us to the next level. We are knocking on the door. We’re doing really good things.”

MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 16th
“Another tough day for me and the 42 team. We had a lot of things go right today with good stops in the pits and some runs with really good speed, but couldn’t turn it into a good finish. So, all in all a frustrating day that ended without the finish we could’ve had. We’ll keep working hard as we look forward to Atlanta and hopefully put together a better race next weekend.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 22nd
WE JUST TALKED WITH JOEY LOGANO AND HE GAVE US HIS TAKE. WHAT’S YOUR TAKE OF WHAT HAPPENED?
“Oh, just going for the win, you know, trying to get a run underneath and got really loose-in. I don’t know if I had a tire going down or if I just got loose on entry. But, as soon as I turned off the wall, I had zero chance of making it. I’ll certainly take the blame. I don’t think so, I just got loose and got up into him. Yeah, you know, I feel like that was my shot. He was really good on the short run and I feel like I had to keep him behind me right there in order to win the race with only three or four laps to go. I hate we both wrecked. But you can’t go back in time now.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined in crash on lap 228; Finished 34th
“We just got crashed. Our Kroger Camaro was just so good. Two weeks in a row, I feel like, we had one of the best cars I’ve had at that given race track. We were just racing hard. The No. 42 (Matt Kenseth) had to check-up and the No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson) just ran into our left rear and spun us. But, it was a bummer. I felt like we had a really good shot at racing them for the win. We were getting it dialed-in there. Starting on the inside was a little tricky on re-starts in trying to get yourself up, and we were starting to get some momentum back to the top five there and just got crashed. He about got us last week. He got us this week. But, it’s just part of it. It’s short-track racing. Hopefully our guys bring another good car to Atlanta next weekend, and we’ll go get ‘em.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by crash on lap 228; Finished 36th
“Well, unfortunately we had an early end to my NASCAR Cup Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway. We had a handful with the balance of our Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet today and weren’t quite where we needed to be to start the race. We worked really hard though and got it to where I thought it needed to be. We were even able to start clicking off some top-five lap times, just needed some track position to get up there and start contending. We had started to weed away at that, and I’m confident we would have gotten up there. I could run the top lane pretty well, which was helping a lot. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time at Bristol. I saw the No. 47 get spun, and I saw him go down but then I couldn’t see him anymore. I was worried if I checked up too much I’d get caught up in it, but it didn’t matter and I got caught up in it anyway. Just a tough situation and a tough way to end our day.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/ADAM’S POLISHES CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by crash on lap 228; Finished 37th
ALEX, WALK US THROUGH WHAT TOOK PLACE FROM YOUR VANTAGE POINT?
“It looked like the 47 (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) crashed and I just couldn’t get stopped in time. I was hoping they would stay low and as they all came up, I got on the brake pedal, just locked the fronts up and couldn’t turn. Bummer – hate it for our ChevyGoods.com Adam’s Polishes guys. The first race for having Adam’s Polishes on the car; bummed for them. We had a really good car, just had some weird stuff happen today. We cross-threaded a lug nut, had to come back down and change that out. The clutch pedal fell off inside the race car, so that wasn’t good for pit stops by any means. So, we struggled with that the last pit stop and lost some more track position. And then, just wrong place wrong time. Hate it, but it looks like the 9 (Chase Elliott) is running really well, so hopefully a HMS car can park it in victory lane. It was one of those days that everything was going wrong and finished it off.”

TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by crash on lap 198; Finished 39th
“Rough day for the third race in a row. Obviously today we got caught up in a wreck after having the car fall off the jack during a pit stop. It’s just unfortunate, but our Germain Racing team is strong though. Our cars are really fast. Our GEICO Camaros are a lot stronger than we have been in the past couple years. We have plenty of time to rebound and accomplish our goals this season. We will keep our heads up, keep digging and fight until the end. Bad days will come; it’s just how you fight through them. We will go try again in Atlanta.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with 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.

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway, 0.5 Mile Oval
Race: 9 of 38
Event: Supermarket Heroes 500 (266.5 miles, 500 laps)

John Hunter Nemechek
No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang

Started: 18th
Finished: 13th

Stage One: 19th
Stage Two: 11th
Stage Three: 13th

John Hunter Nemechek started Sunday’s “Supermarket Heroes 500” at Bristol Motor Speedway in the 18th position. The balance of his No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang was decent, but Nemechek radioed multiple times that he needed to be freer, noting that track position was a challenge at Bristol. Crew Chief Seth Barbour and the team made adjustments to the track bar and tire pressure as Stage 1 progressed. Nemechek took the green- and white-checkered flag in 19th place.

Stage 2 was mired with caution after caution, including one on-track incident that briefly brought out the red flag for cleanup. Nemechek’s No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford was on both sides of balance at various points, namely free at the end of a run, but “still a tick snug center.” While running 13th towards the end of the stage, he told the team that he felt faster than the cars in front of him, but it was too difficult to pass. Nemechek would finish Stage 2 in the 11th position.

Nemechek drove inside the top 20 through the majority of the final stage, cracking the top 10 with a little over 120 laps remaining. An issue with the car overheating led Nemechek down pit road multiple times under caution late in the race, but he still managed to stay on the lead lap. The No. 38 team continued their battle at “The Last Great Colosseum,” never giving up. Nemechek’s Scag Power Equipment Mustang crossed the finish line in 13th place.

Nemechek on Bristol:

“It was a tough day, but we still fought to have a good finish under the circumstances. Seth and the crew put together a super fast Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang. We started off the day a little tight, needing more turn. In that last stage though, we had some issues with overheating and that cost us some precious track position. It’s a challenge at Bristol to stay on the lead lap, let alone finish top-15 after the day we had. I’m so proud of my team for sticking with me and never giving up. We fought hard and still came out of it P13. Thanks to Scag Power Equipment for coming on board with us again. I’m looking forward to getting back after it at Atlanta next weekend.”

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway, 0.5 Mile Oval
Race: 9 of 38
Event: Supermarket Heroes 500 (266.5 miles, 500 laps)

Michael McDowell
No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang

Started: 25th
Finished: 14th

Stage One: 24th
Stage Two: 20th
Stage Three: 14th

Michael McDowell took the green flag in Sunday’s “Supermarket Heroes 500” at Bristol Motor Speedway from the 25th position. To start the race, McDowell mentioned that his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang fired off, “a little free overall” and then noted on lap 23 that the track was finally beginning to take rubber. McDowell would go on to finish Stage 1 in the 24th position. Under the Stage 1 caution, Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer made the call for 4 tires and fuel.

During Stage 2, the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang began to tighten up as McDowell radioed to the team to say, “I’m tight in dirty air, which is weird here at Bristol.” Under a mid-stage caution, McDowell brought his Love’s Travel Stops Ford to pit road for 4 tires, fuel, a wedge adjustment and pulled left-rear spring rubber. To end Stage 2, McDowell noted that his race car was a lot better, finishing in the 20th position. During the Stage 2 caution, he pitted for 4 tires and fuel.  Check out the leading casinos online and see if you can do better.

During the final stage of Sunday’s “Supermarket Heroes 500,” Michael McDowell and his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang made their way inside of the top 15 and then top 10 before unfortunately being collected in a late-race collision. Thankfully, the No. 34 team was able to make the necessary repairs on pit road to keep their race car competitive. Ultimately, good strategy calls all day long by Blickensderfer and a late-race charge by McDowell would bring the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang home 14th, earning McDowell a new personal best finishing position at Bristol Motor Speedway.  Get you best finish at casino games.

McDowell on Bristol:

“We had a great run going today at Bristol. My Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang was pretty close to the top 10, but unfortunately got involved in a mid-race collision and had some damage. Thankfully, Drew and my guys on pit road did a great job of making repairs and we recovered alright to get a few spots back at the end and finish 14th. Overall, Bristol has always been a tough track for us, so to be competitive and run up front made it a solid day.”

BUSCH, JONES SCORE TOP-FIVE FINISHES AT BRISTOL
Bell earns second top-10 finish in the last three races

BRISTOL, Tennessee (May 31, 2020) – Kyle Busch (fourth) was the highest-finishing Camry in the Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Bristol Motor Speedway
Race 9 of 36 – 266.5 miles, 500 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Brad Keselowski*
2nd, Clint Bowyer*
3rd, Jimmie Johnson*
4th, KYLE BUSCH
5th, ERIK JONES
9th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
17th, DENNY HAMLIN
18th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
19th, TIMMY HILL
20th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

ERIK JONES, No. 20 Stanley Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 5th

Solid race today at Bristol, but you had to battle back late due to an incident not of your own making. How was your race today overall?

“It was solid. We had a pretty good Stanley Camry. At times, I thought we were better than others. We got a good finish out of it, which was nice. I got caught up in a wreck with the 4 (Kevin Harvick) car. He blew a right front, and we got some damage on the left front at the end. It slowed us down for sure. We just never really got the track position all day, never got where we needed to. We were fast enough during some of the runs that I felt like we could have maintained if we had been up in the top three, we just never got up there. Good day, good finish. Top-five is always rewarding, but you always want more.”

With the track being so green, how long did it take to settle in and find some grip and a rhythm?

“It took a long time. We’ve never started at Bristol with a track green, and that slick. It really felt like it took all of that first 60 laps to get the bottom cleaned up and rubbered in. It took a good 250-300 to really get the top rolling, comfortably, and not even really to its full potential. I don’t think the top ever got to where it was truly the best it could be. It took a long time. It was really odd starting like that. We really had to make a lot of changes to try to keep up with the track.”

How different was this race without practice or qualifying?

“I think it was more of an effect today than what it had been at the mile-and-a-halves. Short tracks, you really seem to tune on your car a lot more through practice. Splitter heights are harder to gauge and hit correctly when you come to these places with just your sim. That was all a little farther off than what we had at the mile-and-a-halves. It took us a little longer to get it. Bristol, we are usually pretty good by time the race starts, and we really didn’t have that today. It definitely affected us more today than the other tracks.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 95 JBL Toyota Camry, Leavine Family Racing

Finishing Position: 9th

Talk about your day. You were solidly in the top-10 for most of the second half of the race and overcame a late pit road penalty.

“We struggled a little bit early, but we continued to make progress on the JBL Camry. I felt like for a time there we had a contending car, which was good.”

Christopher, second top-10 in the last three races, what does it mean to you to be getting these finishes?

“We battled back and have begun to see some results, which is good. It’s nice to be getting some results after the start of the season we had. We are continuing to build and get better, which is the goal.”

What do you believe you and your team needs to do to keep the momentum going?

“Just keep learning. I’m a rookie and I’m learning more every race. Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) is new with this Cup Series package, and as we continue to go back to the tracks we are continuing to grow and learn as a team.”

# # #

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FOOD CITY SUPERMARKET HEROES 500
FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST RACE QUOTES
SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2020

BRAD KESELOWSKI TAKES MUSTANG TO VICTORY LANE AT BRISTOL

• Brad Keselowski won his second race of the season today.
• The win is the 32nd of his Cup Series career and 23rd with Ford.
• The win is Mustang’s fifth of the season in nine starts.
• Today’s win is Ford’s 691st all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.
• Of Team Penske’s 75 MENCS wins with Ford, 48 have come since rejoining Ford in 2013.

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
1st – Brad Keselowski
2nd – Clint Bowyer
11th – Kevin Harvick
13th – John Hunter Nemechek
14th – Michael McDowell
15th – Ryan Newman
21st – Joey Logano
23rd – Chris Buescher
28th – BJ McLeod
29th – Aric Almirola
30th – Gray Gaulding
31st – Matt DiBenedetto
32nd – Corey LaJoie
35th – Cole Custer

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang — VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW — RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME. “I think everybody on this Discount Tire Ford Mustang team is gonna go to Vegas. Is it open yet? Because things have been going our way from the luck of the draw on the qualifying to the last few laps there. We couldn’t get anything to go our way at the start of the race with cars staying out and I kept getting the bottom lane on restarts and nothing was working out and then right at the end we came in and put two tires on the left and drove up to, I guess fourth or sixth, I don’t know, something like that and put ourselves in position. I could see Joey and Chase were getting really racy there and I didn’t know what was gonna happen, but I knew if I kept my eye open something good might happen and, sure enough, it did. An incredible day. I’m so happy for the team. This was a never-give-up effort. That’s what we’re becoming as a team.”

UNEXPECTED FINISH, BUT IT’S IN YOUR FAVOR. WHAT HAPPENED? “We kind of got a Christmas present here in Bristol. We’ll take it. We’re in position and able to strike when it counted with the Discount Tire Ford Mustang. Joey and Chase got together there. I don’t know what all caused it, but we were just in position to strike and here we are in victory lane.”

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO WIN TODAY AT BRISTOL? “It’s great. Bristol is a tremendous track. I wish there were all these fans here to see it, but that’s how it goes.”

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO CELEBRATE? “I’m gonna go home and see my wife and daughter. I think she’s got some arts and crafts I’m supposed to play with her, and maybe some brownies to eat. I wish I could celebrate with my team, but you know how everything is right now. There’s so much going on in the world I’m just so thankful to get to be a race car driver and get to do this.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Autotraderl Ford Mustang — WHAT WAS YOUR TAKE? “He wrecked me. He got loose underneath me. The part that’s frustrating is that afterwards a simple apology — like be a man and come up to someone and say, ‘Hey, my bad.’ But I had to force an apology, which, to me, is childish. Anyways, man, we had a good recovery with our Autotrader Mustang and had a shot to win. That’s all you can hope for. I passed him clean. It’s hard racing at the end, I get that. It’s hard racing, but, golly, man, be a man and take the hit when you’re done with it.”

CLINT BOWYER, No. 14 Built Ford Proud Ford Mustang — HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? YOU WERE ALL OVER THE TRACK, BUT WAS THERE WHEN IT COUNTED. “We actually struggled pretty bad with our setup. I don’t know, it was floating the nose really bad up off the corner all day long. I could gain and make some ground up in the center of the corner in, and in the middle, but if I had to pass somebody and turn underneath of them I didn’t have the real estate. The outside was no man’s land for me. I couldn’t get my front end to turn at all. The 2 car hit the 6 car into me and clobbered my whole left side. I was needing that 2 car to be a little bit closer. I wasn’t gonna feel bad about moving him, but it just didn’t materialize.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford Mustang — WHAT HAPPENED? “I was running up there for a little bit. I didn’t think I was that high and all of a sudden I hit a slick spot. I was way high and that’s obviously not where I wanted to be, but I didn’t think I was that high getting in there. It might have just been trying to get too much and got in the marbles and spun out. I thought we were gonna be okay and then we got destroyed about six seconds later, so that’s just Bristol and a part of Bristol. I probably shouldn’t have been pushing that hard, but trying to get back to the lead. I thought we found some speed up there, just a mistake on my part. I hate it for Menards and Richmond and everybody on this 12 team. After having two strong weeks, you go and you wreck not even halfway, so that’s just a bummer. We’ll go to Atlanta and see what we can do.”

WHAT DID TY DILLON SAY TO YOU? “Just how he was trying to get slowed up. It’s just one of them things at Bristol. Things happen fast and just couldn’t get slowed up enough and turn and miss me. I think we’re both out of it, but I shouldn’t have been sitting there sideways on the track anyway. That stinks, but I thought we were gonna be okay and just can’t seem to avoid things here. It’s hard to do, but I hate it for everybody on our crew. We had a good car and I just kind of overstepped it and cost us.”

COLE CUSTER, No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang — “Well, that stinks. We were getting our car a lot better and then caught up in the wreck. Just so little time to react so you get caught up in them pretty easily here at Bristol. That’s just how it is here. I thought our HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang was getting a lot better. I felt like we could’ve run in the top-10. We were a lot better than where we were running. We were going forward but our pit stall wasn’t helping us either. We were getting blocked in about every time and that hurt us too. We’ll move on to the next one, but man, I thought we were going to have a good day here.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang — “Man. We had such a good car today. We would have had a shot at a top-three finish. That’s Bristol. I felt like I had a tire going down at one point, so we pitted and even came back to the top-10 from that pretty quickly. We had a loose-wheel later and had to pit under caution that put us 10th. We were definitely making our way back towards the front and had a promising finish if we didn’t get caught up there. It looked like the 19 got into me. The car just took off towards the wall and we were done. I hate it for this Smithfield Ford team. We’re flirting on the edge of some really good runs. The good news is we came to Bristol with a setup that can win, so we’ll have confidence coming back.”

BRISTOL, Tenn. (May 31, 2020) – Perseverance was the name of the game in Sunday’s 500-lap race from Bristol Motor Speedway, as Ryan Newman battled to the end in the Castrol Ford to earn a 15th-place finish.

After starting 17th on the grid, Newman overcame two solo spins – one early and one late – and bounced back from an ill-handling machine to record the top-15. With competition cautions slated for laps 20 and 60, teams played varying strategies, as the traction compound had to work into play over the course of the 266 miles.

Newman’s first spin came at lap seven, where he took advantage of an early pit stop for adjustments on the No. 6 Mustang. With a large chunk of cars pitting at the ensuing competition yellow at lap 20, Newman stayed out, gaining track position up to 16th by lap 29.

He ran 17th at the next yellow at lap 60, and after service on pit road restarted 27th. He went on to finish the opening stage in 29th, battling a tight-handling machine.

After firing off 27th in the second stage, Newman eased his way inside the top-20 for a restart at lap 207, but again fell a few positions battling the handling. At lap 229 a multi-car incident occurred, with Newman avoiding the chaos in 27th.

After the red was lifted, Newman restarted 24th for a 15-lap shootout to the stage end and worked his way to 18th by lap 250 following another quick yellow. Halfway home to 500 laps, strategy came into play as a host of cars stayed out, putting Newman seventh on the restart to begin the final stage.

He maintained the 10th spot for the first few laps of the run, before teammate Chris Buescher caught the wall at lap 268. By lap 300 Newman ran 18th and worked his way to 15th for a restart at lap 334 after continued service on his Ford to fine tune the handling.

Twenty laps later, Newman spun on his own from the 20th spot, reporting he had no turn in the center and was loose in. From there, he ran 18th with 100 to go as the handling went to a loose condition. He would restart 11th with 61 laps to go, before getting pushed up the track by the No. 2 machine, causing slight cosmetic damage.

The team would spend the remaining laps battling for position, ultimately crossing the finish line 15th.

With the first midweek off since NASCAR’s return to racing, the NASCAR Cup Series has a full week break this week, before heading to Atlanta Motor Speedway next Sunday. Race coverage begins from Atlanta at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.