Category: NASCAR Cup PR

CONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 5, 2019) – The No. 6 Mazola Corn Oil® Ford will make its on-track debut this weekend at ISM Raceway (Phoenix). In honor of the occasion, Roush Fenway Racing will hold the #RFRGreatTurkeyFry on Sunday at the track with driver Ryan Newman helping to feed his team and friends a mouth-watering delicious fried turkey prepared in Mazola Corn Oil®.

“We are looking forward to having Mazola® on the car at Phoenix,” said Newman, a 2019 NASCAR Playoff Driver. “Phoenix is one of my favorite tracks. We have had a lot of success there and I think we have a good shot at a strong run with the Mazola® Ford.

“We are going to fry up some delicious turkey that morning and I can’t think of a better way to spice things up and set the stage for a great day on the race track.”

The pro-choice for mouthwatering deep-fried turkey this Thanksgiving, is Mazola Corn Oil®. With a high smoke point above 450°F, Mazola Corn Oil® it’s the gold standard of  all-purpose cooking oils, perfect for frying as well as baking and grilling and sautéing and marinating. Newman has two wins at Phoenix, the second coming two years ago in 2017. He has posted 10 top-five finishes and 12 Top-10’s in 34 starts at the one-mile oval, while boasting four poles.

Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway is set for 2:30 PM ET and will be televised live on NBC.

For more information on Roush Fenway Racing, visit RoushFenway.com and to find a variety of delicious recipes, check out Mazola.com or Mazola’s Facebook page.

Roush Fenway Racing is one of the most successful teams in NASCAR history. In its 32nd season, Roush Fenway is a leader in driver development, having launched the careers for many of the top drivers in the sport. Off-track, Roush Fenway is a leader in NASCAR marketing solutions, producing multiple award-winning Social Media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Roush Fenway is co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Jack Roush and Fenway Sports Group, parent company of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox and English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C. Visit RoushFenway.com, become a fan on Facebook and Instagram, and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway.

About Mazola® Corn Oil

Since 1911, the Mazola® brand has delivered great tasting, high-quality products. Mazola® cooking oils are naturally cholesterol free and 100% pure with no additives. From baking and grilling to sautéing and marinating, Mazola Corn Oil® can be used for a variety of cooking techniques to create great tasting meals. With its neutral taste, corn oil lets the true flavors of food shine through in marinades, dressings and more. Additionally, corn oil’s high smoke point (450°F) makes it a great all-purpose cooking oil that is well suited to handle the heat in the kitchen. You can trust Mazola Corn Oil® to create delicious meals that your family will love.

No. 36 Team Looking for a Successful Weekend at ISM Raceway

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: PHOENIX PLAYOFF NOTES

The final two weekends of the NASCAR season will feature back-to-back triple-headers beginning Friday at ISM Raceway with the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.  That will be followed by the NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event on Sunday.

Kevin Harvick ensured there will be at least one Ford Cup driver in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway after winning on Sunday. Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney are still in the hunt and will be vying for the two remaining spots.

Here’s a look at where all of the Ford drivers in each series stand going into this weekend.

ROUND OF 8 MENCS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 4 Advance After Phoenix)
2nd – Kevin Harvick (Clinched spot in Championship 4 with Texas win)
4th – Joey Logan (+20 above cutoff)
6th – Ryan Blaney (-23 from final transfer spot)

ROUND OF 8 NXS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 4 Advance After Phoenix)
2nd – Cole Custer (+52 above cutoff)
5th – Chase Briscoe (-18 from final transfer spot)
7th – Austin Cindric (-31 from final transfer spot)

ROUND OF 6 NCWTS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 4 Advance After Phoenix)
5th – Matt Crafton (-9 from final transfer spot)

FORD IN THE MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES AT ISM
·         Ford has 16 series wins at ISM Raceway.
·         Alan Kulwicki won the first series race at ISM Raceway in 1988.
·         Current Ford drivers Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman have series wins.

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT ISM
·         Ford leads all manufacturers with 13 series wins at ISM Raceway.
·         Jack Roush is second for most owner wins in the series with eight.
·         Carl Edwards won four times in the series, most among Ford drivers.

FORD IN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES SERIES AT ISM
·         Ford has 3 series wins at ISM Raceway.
·         Joe Ruttman (1997), Mike Bliss (1998) and Greg Biffle (2001) have won with Ford.
·         Kevin Harvick has won the most series races at the speedway with four.

MUSTANG HITS DOUBLE DIGIT WINS

Kevin Harvick’s win on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway was the 10th for Mustang, which is in its inaugural Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series campaign.  Harvick leads the way with four victories this season while Team Penske drivers Brad Keselowski (3), Joey Logano (2) and Ryan Blaney (1) have combined for the other six.

LOGANO QUALIFIES FOR 2016 CHAMPIONSHIP FINALE

Joey Logano needed a victory at ISM in 2016 in order to assure he would be one of the four drivers eligible for the series championship, and he got it in dramatic fashion as he beat Kyle Busch on a green-white-checker finish.  The dramatic restart came about after an incident involving Alex Bowman, Busch and Matt Kenseth on the first overtime attempt.  Kenseth was the leader, but he got collected in an accident when Bowman tried to block Busch from passing on the inside lane going into turn one.  The resulting yellow enabled Logano to take advantage and win for the third time in 2016.

EDWARDS ENDS DROUGHT

When Ford went to victory lane at ISM in the second race of 2013, it snapped a 70-race winless drought for Carl Edwards, whose previous victory came in Las Vegas in 2011.  Edwards led 122 of 312 laps, including the final 78, to win the, but there were anxious moments, particularly at the end when a green-white-checker finish had most of the leaders wondering if they had enough gas in the tank to reach the end.  Edwards did and managed to beat Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the finish line.

BUSCH WINS DEBUT NIGHT RACE

Kurt Busch made ISM Raceway history when he drove his No. 97 Irwin/Sharpie Ford Taurus to victory in the first MENCS night race held at the track on Apr. 23, 2005.  Busch dominated from the start as he led 132 of the first 133 laps, and while others like Brian Vickers and Michael Waltrip led multiple laps at different stages of the event, it was Busch who proved to be too strong down the stretch.  He passed Waltrip with 44 laps to go and was never threatened again as he won by 2.315 seconds.  Busch led 219 of the 312 laps as ISM hosted the first of two annual Cup dates each season for the first time.

KULWICKI WINS FIRST CUP RACE IN ISM OPENER

Alan Kulwicki, driving the No. 7 Zerex Ford, won his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race in the debut event at ISM Raceway on Nov. 6, 1988.  Kulwicki, who celebrated by taking a Polish Victory Lap for which he is still remembered for today, passed leader Ricky Rudd with 16 laps to go and ended up taking the checkered flag in his 85th start by 18 seconds over runner-up Terry Labonte.  Fellow Ford drivers Davey Allison and Bill Elliott finished third and fourth, respectively.  Kulwicki, who ended up leading four times for 41 laps in taking the next-to-last event of the season, went on to win four more Cup races during his career.

WALLACE RAINS IN 1998

Rusty Wallace had only three more chances to keep his streak of winning at least one race a season alive when he rolled into ISM Raceway in 1998.  He had gone to victory lane in each of the previous 12 seasons and didn’t want to see it come to an end, so that’s why what he did on Oct. 25 was so impressive.  Wallace, who started sixth, made a beeline to the front and pretty much stayed there all afternoon until rain came and halted the race after 257 laps.  The event was eventually called, marking the first rain-shortened race in the track’s NASCAR history, but there was no doubt Wallace deserved the win.  He led 196 of the 257 laps, including the final 73.  Wallace’s streak eventually reached 16 seasons before it was snapped in 2002.

FORD MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT ISM RACEWAY
1988 – Alan Kulwicki
1989 – Bill Elliott
1991 – Davey Allison
1992 – Davey Allison
1993 – Mark Martin
1995 – Ricky Rudd
1997 – Dale Jarrett
1998 – Rusty Wallace
2000 – Jeff Burton
2001 – Jeff Burton
2002 – Matt Kenseth
2005 – Kurt Busch (1)
2010 – Carl Edwards (2)
2013 – Carl Edwards (1)
2016 – Joey Logano (2)
2018 – Kevin Harvick (1)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT ISM RACEWAY
2000 – Jeff Burton
2001 – Greg Biffle
2003 – Bobby Hamilton Jr.
2005 – Greg Biffle (1) and Carl Edwards (2)
2006 – Matt Kenseth (2)
2008 – Carl Edwards (2)
2009 – Greg Biffle (1) and Carl Edwards (2)
2010 – Carl Edwards (2)
2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2015 – Joey Logano (1)
2018 – Brad Keselowski (1)

FORD NASCAR GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT ISM RACEWAY
1997 – Joe Ruttman (2)
1998 – Mike Bliss (2)
2001 – Greg Biffle

Team Penske Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race Report
Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Race: AAA Texas 500
Date: November 3, 2019

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No. 2 Wurth Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski

Start: 8th
Stage 1: 39th
Stage 2: 39th
Finish: 39th
Status: Accident
Laps Completed: 52/334
Laps Led: 0

Drier Point Standings (behind first): 9th (-1768)

Notes:

Brad Keselowski would like to have lap 53 back from Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. An uncharacteristic mistake resulted in an incident that forced him from the race to finish in the 39th position.
Keselowski led the Team Penske qualifying effort on Saturday evening by slotting into the eighth position to start the event. He radioed to crew chief Paul Wolfe that he was too loose on corner entry, but otherwise happy with the handling of the No. 2 Wurth Ford Mustang.

An early four-tire pit stop placed Keselowski back in the running order, but those positions were made up during a rash of early cautions that saw him cycle to the fifth position when the race resumed on lap 48.

Unfortunately, the handling was still not to his liking and Keselowski was doing all he could to maintain track position while dropping through the field. He decided to try the higher groove in turns 3 and 4, but the traction compound had not activated to improve the grip level. As a result, Keselowski made hard contact with the outside wall to end his day prematurely.

Quote: “I just busted my butt. I feel terrible for Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.), he didn’t deserve to get caught up in it. I was just real loose and trying to make something happen. When you are getting passed by other cars you kind of lose your confidence and you try something, and I knew better. My butt told me I would wreck if I do that. I was getting passed and swung for the fence and I hit it. It just sucks. I am kind of embarrassed to do that. I was just trying to make something happen for this Wurth team and swung too hard.”

________________________________________________

No. 12 Wabash National Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney

Start: 15th
Stage 1: 9th
Stage 2: 14th
Finish: 8th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 334/334
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (behind first): 6th (-45)

Notes:

A challenging day for Ryan Blaney resulted in an eighth-place finish Sunday evening at Texas Motor Speedway. The driver of the Wabash National Ford Mustang scored his 10th top-10 finish of 2019 and remains sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, 45 points behind leader Martin Truex Jr. and 23 points behind fourth place Joey Logano for the final transfer spot.

Blaney started 15th and reported early the balance of his Ford Mustang was tight. An early caution on lap 16 would see him visit pit road for the first time for fuel-only. Restarting outside the top-25, Blaney would begin to work his way back toward the front. A caution on lap 44 would see the High Point, N.C. native return to pit road fuel-only again, reporting his car had swung to the loose side in traffic. The strategy gained Blaney eight spots on pit road.

The caution would waive again shortly after the restart and Blaney would pit on lap 57 for four tires and an air pressure adjustment reporting his car was still too tight. The rash of early cautions would continue on lap 73 and 82 with crew chief Jeremy Bullins electing to race for much-needed stage points. In what would be a one lap sprint to the stage conclusion, Blaney would bring home a ninth-place finish in Stage 1. Under the stage caution he would pit for right side tires and fuel.

Stage 2 would run caution free and Blaney would report the balance of the Wabash Ford was loose on entry, middle and tight off. Running outside the top-10 for most of the stage, Blaney would come to pit road on lap 151 for fuel-only. He would work his way up into the top-15 bringing home a 14th-place finish in Stage 2. During the stage break, the Wabash crew would make significant air pressure and track bar adjustments along with four new tires as Blaney reported he needed more overall grip and was loose.

Blaney began final stage restarting 14th. A caution 10 laps later on lap 187 would see the Wabash crew elect to come down pit road to top-off fuel. He would continue around the 12th position for the majority of run until green flag pit stops began. A timely caution for a spin by Bubba Wallace trapped several of the frontrunners down one lap. Running seventh, Blaney would pit for four tires along with another track bar and air pressure adjustment for front turn and rear security. Strong service by the Wabash crew would gain Blaney one position up to sixth for the restart on lap 248.

The final 86 laps would be run under green. Blaney would eventually give up a position to Alex Bowman on lap 291. He would visit pit road for the final time on lap 309 for fuel-only along with both a track bar and wedge adjustment. Returning the track in eighth position he would hold off Kurt Busch and bring home his 10th top-10 finish of 2019.

Quote: “It was a long night. We struggled all night with track position and then I felt like even when we got a little bit of it, we still weren’t very good. We tried a lot of things tonight and they didn’t really work. Unfortunately, we didn’t really get many stage points and the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) winning didn’t help our cause, but we have to run better than that anyway.”

_______________________________________________

No. 22 AAA Ford Mustang – Joey Logano

Start: 11th
Stage 1: 23rd
Stage 2: 5th
Finish: 4th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 324/324
Laps Led: 5
Point Standings (behind first): 4th (-22)

Notes:

Joey Logano started 11th and finished fourth after an up and down day in the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Logano failed to collect stage points in the Stage 1 after suffering damage on a restart, despite running inside the top-10 for most of the stage. The AAA Racing crew would rally back in Stage 2, finishing fifth and ultimately bringing the car home in the fourth position.

Logano worked from the 11th position to seventh before the first caution flag on lap 8. Under caution, Logano reported the AAA Ford Mustang was good working through traffic. A caution flag on lap 14 set the team up for a trip to pit road to take a splash of fuel in hopes of making it to the end of the first stage. Restarting 21st, he worked his way to 14th in the opening three laps following the caution.

Logano reported the AAA Mustang took a swing to the free side, slowing his forward progress through the field. However, a caution on lap 43 set the team up for an opportunity to hit pit road and make a substantial air pressure adjustment to work on the handling. Unfortunately, the handling on the AAA Ford Mustang didn’t improve. The team elected to pit again on lap 73 under caution, this time taking four tires and additional air pressure adjustments. Logano had to return to pit road near the end of the first stage to repair damage to the left rear suffered during a restart.

The No. 22 AAA Ford would take the green flag for Stage 2 in the 13th position with all repairs complete. As the run continued, Logano worked solidly inside the top-10, reporting his Ford Mustang was a little tight in turn 1. The team elected to make their green flag pit stop on lap 148, taking right side tires and fuel to finish the stage. Logano rallied to finish Stage 2 in the fifth position. The AAA Ford Mustang would come to pit road following the stage for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.

As the first run of the final stage wrapped up, Logano had cycled forward, reaching the lead before a caution flag would bring the AAA Ford Mustang back to pit lane for a four-tire stop. Logano reported that he was tight running the high line through the first run. With varying pit strategies, Logano would line up in the fifth position for the restart. As the laps winded down, he continued to run in the fourth position, reporting a loss of overall grip.

The team would relinquish the fourth position to pit on lap 306, taking right side tires and fuel. As the green flag stops cycled through, Logano would regain the fourth position and hold off a late surge from Alex Bowman, bringing home a fourth-place finish.
Logano’s finish kept the team in the fourth and final transfer position, 20 points ahead of the cutoff as the series heads to the penultimate race of the season at ISM Raceway.

Quote: “It is going to be a good battle for sure. We are racing for that last spot just in case someone behind us outside of the top-four wins. It will be a good time. Obviously, the No. 18 team is good, and Kyle (Busch) is a good driver, but I think we are a great team and they are beatable just like everybody else.”

FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 3, 2019) – Track position proved to be key in a 500-mile race Sunday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway as Ryan Newman crossed the line 15th in his Roush Performance Ford Mustang.

After starting from the 25th position, Newman spent much of the day trying to claw his way forward as five cautions were displayed in the opening 85-lap stage. Following a trio of stops in the opening segment – two of which were early fuel-only stops – the yellow came out with five to go in the stage, which set up a one-lap shootout to the stage flag, where Newman crossed the line 22nd.

With varying pit strategies, Newman rolled off 12th for the second stage, and maintained his position just outside the top-10 for the better part of the run, until green flag stops ensued more than 50 laps later. After pitting from the fifth position at lap 152, this time for four tires and fuel, Newman finished the stage 21st.

With just 18 laps on his tires, Newman took the wave around under the stage break putting him back on the lead lap, restarting 21st for the final segment. Over the course of the next five laps, two yellow flags were displayed as Newman pitted again for service before restarting inside the top-20 at lap 190.

Another 50 laps later, as green flag stops were cycling, Newman ran 12th when the caution came out once again, this time setting up a strategy call for crew chief Scott Graves. He elected to put two tires on Newman’s No. 6 machine from the 11th position, which put the 2003 Texas winner third on the restart at lap 248.

The team’s final pit stop would come at lap 299 with Newman running 13th. The green flag would remain in the air from that point on, with the South Bend, Indiana, native crossing the line 15th.

Newman and the No. 6 team return to action next weekend at ISM Raceway. Race coverage on Sunday from Phoenix begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90.

FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 3, 2019) – After working his way inside the top-five and running comparable lap times as the leader Kevin Harvick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was collected in a spin on lap 52 ending his day forcing him to settle with a 40th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway.

“We got our Fastenal Ford better there,” Stenhouse said. “We were running in the top-five but with the flip flop of track position when some cars stayed out, we made an adjustment that got us running turns one and two really well.

“We got around Brad (Keselowski) there in three and he got loose. I checked up but my car got loose as well. I was just trying to avoid him and it got my Fastenal Ford sideways. It’s a bummer of a weekend. Our Fastenal Ford was really fast and I was having a lot of fun out there.”

The two-time Xfinity Series Champion lined up for the 367-lap race in the ninth position quickly marching his was forward and was the second fastest car on the track despite battling a tight handling machine. When the caution waved on lap 43, Stenhouse relinquished fifth-place when he brought his Fastenal Ford to pit-road for fuel and a chassis adjustment.

With some cars staying out during the caution, Stenhouse lined up in the 11th position for the restart. As he was working his way up inside the top-10, the No. 2 machine got loose and spun in front of the No. 17 Fastenal Ford. Stenhouse was unable to avoid the sideways machine ultimately ending his day forcing him to settle with a 40th-place finish.

Next weekend Stenhouse and the No. 17 team travel to ISM Raceway for the Bluegreen Vacations 500. Race coverage begins at 2:30 pm ET on NBC.

Three Toyotas in the Top 10 at Texas
Martin Truex Jr. scores a sixth-place finish to lead Toyota

FORT WORTH, Texas (November 3, 2019) – Three Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas scored top 10 finishes at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday evening.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Texas Motor Speedway
Race 34 of 36 – 500 miles, 334 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Kevin Harvick*
2nd, Aric Almirola*
3rd, Daniel Suarez*
4th, Joey Logano*
5th, Alex Bowman*
6th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
7th, KYLE BUSCH
10th, ERIK JONES
14th, MATT DiBENEDETTO
22nd, PARKER KLIGERMAN
28th, DENNY HAMLIN
37th, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver

· Truex scored his third straight top-six finish.

· Busch led 18 laps, scoring his second straight top 10 finish at Texas Motor Speedway.

· Jones started a season-best second, and scored his fifth straight top 10 finish at Texas Motor Speedway

· While Truex has clinched his spot in the Championship 4, Busch will go into the cutoff race in Phoenix with a 22-point advantage. Hamlin is in fifth, 20 points behind the cutoff.

TOYOTA QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 6th

Can you evaluate your run in today’s race?

“Just a battle. We felt pretty good after practice going into this thing that we’d be competitive. We were not very good and then we got some track position and we were hanging on okay. Then, we got back in the pack again and just had one run where it got really, really tight and lost all of our track position again and then it was just a battle. Made huge adjustments. We’ve not adjusted on a car that much all year long and we still never got it perfect, but definitely a lot better at the end. We just fought hard and never gave up on it all day and came home with a decent finish.”

Did this race mean anything to your team today after winning at Martinsville?

“There’s a lot of learning for next year going on here. Not sure what happened. We had a decent car at times, it just chattered the front tires way too bad all day long. So, I’m not sure what that was all about. We salvaged a decent finish there. It was a battle all day and we had to work hard for sixth. Just glad it’s over. Wish we could’ve been better, but learned a lot for next year which is important.”

How was your race today?

“It was a tough day for us. We expected to run pretty well here after practice and then at the start of the race it was just extremely tight and it stayed that way most of the day. We gained some track position and we could hang on up towards the front. Lacking way too much front grip. We made more adjustments today than I think we have in two years combined. We got it better at the end for sure, but it still wasn’t right. We missed something somewhere. Overall, fought hard and gave it our best to the bitter end there and we got a decent finish there. So, hopefully we learned some things out of what we did tonight for next year.”

What was the PJ1 like when you ran up high on the track?

“It was okay. I thought it was certainly a better race with it than it would’ve been without it. I think that’s probably the key takeaway here. I wish we could get it to be a little bit wider. Only two lanes is a little bit tough. We need three or so to really put on a good race. It was definitely a step in the right direction.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finshing Position: 7th

What is your mood at the end of this race?

“I don’t know, I was running wide open there and those guys were just driving away. We got what we got out of our M&M’s Camry tonight. Adam (Stevens, crew chief) made some good adjustments. The whole first set of tires was just ugly for us. Once we got past that and got some other tires on the car, it seemed to go a little bit better. It was hard battling some of them guys up there and up through traffic and what not. We should have run third and ran out of gas and starved the pump there at the end. Then I was stalled on pit road. That cost us four or five spots there.”

How do you feel heading to Phoenix next weekend to get back to victory lane?

“We all know one guy is going to move through on points and we have to do whatever we have to do in order to be that guy. If we can obviously go to Phoenix and have a strong run and be able to go out there and win, that will put ourselves through as well too. We’re two (points) on the 22 (Joey Logano) so it’s going to be a race between the 18 and the 22, imagine that.”

How did you feel the PJ1 came in throughout the race?

“It was slick early and certainly got better as the night went on and as the runs progressed. It was slick on restarts as well too just with new tires and it not activated I guess. Took a few laps.”

Does tonight’s race give you a good cushion going to Phoenix?

“We were going to run third and then it ran out down the back and starved the pump and it was out of gas. It wasn’t running when I got to my pit stall so it took them to engage to start filling it full of fuel for me to crank it over and get gas to it. That sucked and cost us four or five spots on the track I guess. That was about six points because the 22 (Logano), we flipped there. We were ahead of him and that would have been a great eight-point cushion on the 22 going into next week, but now it’s only a two-point cushion. That’s who we’re racing is the 22. No matter what anyone else does, if we finish ahead of him then we’re in.”

You have good memories at Phoenix, how does that play into next week?

“The last couple times we’ve been to Phoenix, we’ve run pretty good. Hopefully, that can translate to this time around again. We were good at Richmond and normally Richmond translates good there. Loudon (N.H.), that translates there. I’m optimistic about it. I think we can do okay. It’s just a matter of running another clean race and not having mistakes.”

ERIK JONES, No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 10th

Talk about your finish.

“It was okay, the car was alright. Got caught out there on pit road and had to restart pretty far back with 90 to go and just drive back to where we could. Kind of a tough day. The Sport Clips Camry fired off the race well and just kind of lost it through the race. We’ll go on to Phoenix and hopefully be a little bit better.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 28th

What happened when the car got away from you?

“Just got up in that stuff before it was really broke in. Just lost control. That’s all there is to it. Proud of the whole FedEx team for putting their best effort forward so we could be there at the end. Did the best we could and we’ll go to Phoenix and try to win.”

How confident are you to go to Phoenix and win to transfer to Homestead?

“The car and the effort will be there, that’s for sure. There’s no doubt in my mind that we can go there and win. In these circumstances, I like the challenge. We’re going to go out there and give it our best shot and put our best foot forward and see if we can’t get a win next week.”

# # #

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 38 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 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2018.

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 ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Austin Dillon and No. 3 RigUp Chevrolet Put Up A Good Fight at Texas Motor Speedway

Finish: 13th
Start: 21st
Points: 22nd

“We put up a good fight tonight in the No. 3 RigUp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Texas Motor Speedway. We came from the back three times, which is a testament to the amount of speed we had in these Richard Childress Racing Chevrolets tonight. I think we could have ended up with a top-10 finish if a few more things would have just went our way. We’re working hard to make our cars respond better in traffic, and we’re learning a lot as a team. We’ll be in a strong position for 2020. I want to thank RigUp for their support this weekend.” -Austin Dillon

Daniel Hemric Battles to 16th-Place Finish at Texas Motor Speedway with No. 8 Cat Dozers Chevrolet

Finish: 16th
Start: 16th
Points: 25th

“Everyone on this No. 8 Cat Dozers Chevrolet team fought all day and never gave up. We were just way too tight to start the race, then we had a piece of debris wrap around the splitter and cover the right side air duct, which really hurt the handling. I hate we lost that whole run to adjust on the car and make it better, because when we did get a chance to work on it and wave around, we were sitting in a position to have a good day. I feel like we just needed one more caution to be on equal tires with everyone ahead of us and fighting on the lead lap, it just didn’t work out. I’m proud of everyone on this Caterpillar team. We live to fight another day and we’ll go on to Phoenix to do just that.” -Daniel Hemric

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
AAA TEXAS 500
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES
NOVEMBER 3, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER (* = Playoff Contender)
5th ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1
9th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1
12th * KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1
13th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 RIGUP CAMARO ZL1
16th DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 CAT DOZERS CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER (* = Chevy Playoff Contender)
1st Kevin Harvick (Ford)
2nd Aric Almirola (Ford)
3rd Daniel Suarez (Ford)
4th Joey Logano (Ford)
5th Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)

UNOFFICIAL CURRENT PLAYOFF RANK (Following Round 8 of 10)
POS. DRIVER (* = Chevy Contender)
1. Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota); Win
2. Kevin Harvick (Ford); Win
3. Kyle Busch (Toyota); +22
4.___Joey Logano (Ford); +20 ________
5. Denny Hamlin (Toyota); -20
6. Ryan Blaney (Ford); -23
7. * Kyle Larson (Chevrolet); -23
8. * Chase Elliott (Chevrolet); -78

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at ISM Raceway with the Bluegreen Vacations 500 on Sunday, November 10 at 2:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, NBC Sports Gold, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 5th
“We started really tight and we made good adjustments throughout the day. Obviously, once the sun went down, the car got a lot better and we were pretty solid. I wish we could have had a little more track position and our strategy go our way a little more there at the end. But we definitely had a really good car today. It was just really tough to pass, but the guys did a good job. We came through the field a couple of times and had a good day.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 9th
“I think we just need to stay positive on this with our Monster Chevy and we finished ninth. We were running second and had everything under control and the yellow came out right after we pitted and it locked us a lap down. It’s just tough to be on the back side of that circumstance and to be locked back there in 20th with only 90 (laps) to go. It’s tough to make that back up. Our car had really good speed. I was really happy with the balance the second half of the race. And all-in-all, it just wasn’t the Top 5 effort that we needed but we’ll take ninth.”

WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF THE TRACTION COMPOUND AT THE TOP OF THE TRACK? SOME WERE SLIPPING, BUT YOU DIDN’T LOSE YOUR GRIP ON IT.
“They don’t need to spray it that heavy right before the race starts. That just throws away everybody’s set-ups and it’s too inconsistent to start and with too many guys having trouble that are quality cars, it shows that the surface wasn’t prepped right.”

THERE WAS A QUESTIONABLE SPIN BY BUBBA WALLACE. IT LOOKED LIKE IT AFFECTED BOTH YOU AND YOUR TEAMMATE, KYLE LARSON. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THAT INCIDENT INVESTIGATED FURTHER?
“We won Kentucky earlier this year when the No. 43 (Wallace) spun on the same spot. He had an axel problem a couple of weeks ago. My spotter said 200 feet before he spun, he had a flat tire. So, if you have a flat tire, it’s kind of hard to hold on to your car.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 12th
NOT THE FINISH YOU WERE HOPING FOR. YOU WERE DEALING WITH SOME THINGS THERE LATE IN THE RACE. WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE RACE CAR?
“I’m not really sure yet. But it was just vibrating really bad and it lost a lot of speed. So, something happened. But what really killed our race was the No. 43 (Bubba Wallace) spinning on purpose. They put us a lap down. I think we were up to fourth at that point. It really killed us and a few others. You hate to see that and be affected by it, but it is what it is. There’s nothing you can do about it now. We’ll try and go to Phoenix and get a win. I don’t really know who is in front of us. I feel like we had a good shot to win up until the No. 43 spun in front of us.”

WITH ONE RACE TO TRY TO GET TO MIAMI, DID YOU SEE SOME THINGS EITHER THROUGH PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING OR THE RACE THAT GIVE YOU A POSITIVE OUTLOOK GOING INTO NEXT WEEK’S RACE?
“Well, I felt like once the traction compound came in today, I was really fast; probably the best on top, for sure. Next week they’re going to be doing it at Phoenix as well. I hope that opens up some lanes for me. I feel like there’s nobody better at finding different lanes and things like that to find speed. So, hopefully it lends to benefit us because we need to get a win. We can do it. I’ve been close to winning there before. So, we’ve just got to work hard.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 RIGUP CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 13th
“We put up a good fight tonight in the No. 3 RigUp Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway. We came up from the back three times, which is a testament to the amount of speed we had in these Richard Childress Racing Chevrolets. I think we could have ended up with a top-10 finish if a few more things would have just went our way. We’re working hard to make our cars respond better in traffic, and we’re learning a lot as a team. We’ll be in a strong position for 2020. I want to thank RigUp for their support this weekend.”

DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 CAT DOZERS CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 16th
“Everyone on this No. 8 Cat Dozers Chevrolet team fought all day and never gave up. We were just way too tight to start the race, then we had a piece of debris wrap around the splitter and cover the right-side air duct, which really hurt the handling. I hate we lost that whole run to adjust on the car and make it better, because when we did get a chance to work on it and wave around, we were sitting in a position to have a good day. I feel like we just needed one more caution to be on equal tires with everyone ahead of us and fighting on the lead lap, it just didn’t work out. I’m proud of everyone on this No. 8 Cat Dozers Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team. We love to fight another day and we’ll go on to Phoenix to do just that.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – Sustained damage from an accident on lap 9; Finished 32nd
“I made a mistake, got loose and crashed. I really hate that happened. Obviously, it’s not good and not what you’re looking for. It’s just my mistake and there’s really no excuse for it. It’s just all eyes on Phoenix.”

HAS ANYONE HAD A CRAZIER PLAYOFF RUN THAN YOU WITH THE HIGHS AND THE LOWS?
“I’m not sure. Obviously, today was very self-inflicted. I made a mistake that there’s really no excuse for and that’s what you get. You make mistakes, you put yourself in a bad position and that was all on me today. I hate that it happened, but it did and we’ll just go onto Phoenix and try to get a win out there.”

DO YOU JUST TAKE IT RACE TO RACE? YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT NOW.
“That’s right, you can’t do anything about it now. Onward.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHANCES AT PHOENIX?
“I feel a lot better about it than I did today. So, I look forward to getting out there.”
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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