Category: NASCAR Cup PR

Matt DiBenedetto – No. 95 Toyota Express Maintenance Toyota Camry Preview
Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

No. 95 Toyota Express Maintenance Toyota Camry Notes:

DIBENEDETTO BY THE NUMBERS: With the ROVAL’s debut in 2018’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule, DiBenedetto started the event from 28th and drove to a 13th-place finish.  The 2019 season road course events have been some of DiBenedetto’s best races of the year with him earning a fourth-place finish at Sonoma Raceway in June (a career-best finish at the time) while Watkins Glen International say DiBenedetto finish sixth in August.

Team:                          No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang
Crew Chief:                 Brian Pattie
Twitter:                        @Stenhouse17Team, @StenhouseJr, and @RoushFenway

ADVANCE NOTES

Last Year at the ROVAL

After leading the field on a late restart, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. went for a spin in turn one, making contact with the wall, forcing him to settle with a 37th- place finish in Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Last weekend at Richmond

With the race going green for a majority of Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drove his Fastenal Ford to a 16th-place finish.

On the Car

Iconic brand and thirst quenching favorite SunnyD will return to the No. 17 this weekend as the primary partner on the No. 17 Ford Mustang.

Stenhouse Jr. Joins NASCAR America Motormouths Tomorrow at 5 P.M. ET on NBCSN

Two-time Xfinity Series Champion and current Cup Series driver will appear on Wednesday’s episode of NASCAR America Motormouths at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Motormouths are all about the viewers, providing regular opportunities for fans to call in to NASCAR America and speak with hosts, analysts, and a rotation of current drivers live on NBCSN.

Stenhouse Jr. on racing at the ROVAL

“Last year we really struggled at the Roval. The track is very challenging and requires a lot of finesse. I ran some laps on the Ford simulator just to get more familiar with the track. It’s so easy to step over that fine line and get in trouble. Our goal is to keep our Sunny D Ford clean and hopefully be there at the end to earn a solid finish.”

Team:                   No. 6 Performance Plus Ford Mustang
Crew Chief:         Scott Graves
Twitter:                @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Bank of America ROVAL 400 – Sunday, Sept. 29 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Newman at the ROVAL
·         Newman will make his second start at the ROVAL on Sunday, and 38th overall road course start in the Cup Series.
·         In last season’s debut of the 17-turn road course, Newman finished 11th after starting 29th. Overall he has 11 top-10s and three top-five finishes at road courses with an average finish of 15.4.
·         Looking back at the two previous road course events this season, Newman showed patience pays off as he finished seventh in Sonoma, before going on to record a 25th-place result at Watkins Glen two months later.

Scott Graves at the ROVAL
·         Graves was atop the pit box for the debut of the ROVAL last season, finishing 21st with Daniel Suarez after starting 17th.
·         Overall, Graves has three top-10s and two top-fives on road courses in the Cup Series.

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at the ROVAL:
“Coming off three-straight top-10s, we know what we need to do and what is ahead in the playoffs. The ROVAL is a track that has obviously shown to be challenging, and that will be the case again this weekend. Road course racing is all about stamina and being there at the end, which we’ve been able to do a good job of this year. We’re excited to get our Performance Plus Ford on track and give it our best and the rest will take care of itself.”

Tracking the #NASCARPlayoffs
·         Coming off another strong run – arguably the best outing of the year thus far – Ryan Newman and the No. 6 team are ninth in the playoffs standings, 14 points to the good entering Sunday’s cutoff race in the opening three-race round of the NASCAR Playoffs.
·         Newman holds a six-point advantage over the No. 12, while the No. 10 and No. 24 have just a three and two point advantage to the cut line, respectively. The No. 88 sits two back, the No. 14 is four back, while the No. 1 is 14 behind the 12th and final spot, with the No. 20 sitting 45 points off advancing.

On the Car
Performance Plus makes its fourth appearance on board Ryan Newman’s machine in 2019 as the primary partner. Performance Plus has served as Roush Fenway’s official oil since 2014, and teamed up as the primary partner on the Fords of NASCAR Champions Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle, and now with Newman.

About Performance Plus
Performance Plus is a premium brand of lubricants that provide superior quality and unmatched performance at a competitive price. Produced and distributed by Safety-Kleen, a subsidiary of Clean Harbors (NYSE: CLH), Performance Plus products use conventionally refined oils and proprietary twice-refined oils, blended with industry-leading additives, to meet and exceed industry certifications, licenses, approvals and OEM warranty requirements. With more than 30 years of innovation, research and testing, Performance Plus formulations are relied on by some of the largest commercial fleets and U.S. military combat vehicles, as well as race teams at events across North America. Visit PerformancePlusOils.com.

Recapping Richmond
Newman put together arguably the No. 6 team’s strongest run of 2019 last weekend at Richmond, finishing fifth with a fifth-place result in stage two to go along with it. At one point Newman ran as high as third and was in the conversation for the lead, before going on to record his second top-five of the season, and first top-five on a non-plate track since Richmond 2017.

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: CHARLOTTE PLAYOFF NOTES

After sweeping the inaugural Roval weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway last season, Ford will look to do it again as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competes in its first elimination race of the Playoffs and the NASCAR XFINITY Series runs its second post-season event of the year.  Chase Briscoe earned his first NXS victory in this event last season and then Ryan Blaney followed that up with a dramatic triumph one day later.  Here’s a look at where Ford drivers stand going into this weekend’s action.

ROUND OF 16 MENCS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 12 Advance After Charlotte)
2nd – Kevin Harvick (Clinched spot in Round of 12)
4th – Brad Keselowski (+55 ahead of cutoff)
6th – Joey Logano (+50)
9th – Ryan Newman (+14)
10th – Ryan Blaney (+8)
11th – Aric Almirola (+3)
14th – Clint Bowyer (-4 behind final transfer spot)

FORD IN THE MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES AT CMS
·         Ford has 30 all-time series points wins at Charlotte
·         Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer all have at least one series win at CMS.
·         Blaney is the defending champion of the Bank of America Roval 400.

ROUND OF 12 NXS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 8 Advance After Dover)
2nd – Cole Custer (+60 above cutoff)
4th – Austin Cindric (+34)
7th – Chase Briscoe (+17)

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT CMS
·         Ford has 21 series wins at CMS.
·         Team Penske will be going for a season sweep after Brad Keselowski won the spring race.
·         Roger Penske has won 6 of the last 16 NXS races at CMS.

BLANEY WINS INAUGURAL ROVAL RACE

The debut of the Charlotte Roval didn’t disappoint as Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. wrecked each other in the final chicane heading to the checkered flag, allowing Ryan Blaney to sneak past both and win the inaugural Bank of America Roval 400.  Blaney put himself in position to win thanks to some sound strategy that enabled him to stretch his fuel mileage and win Stage 2.  He round himself in 25th place with 38 laps to go after a trip to pit road, but cycled his way back up to the front before being in the right place at the right time.  That capped a weekend in which Ford won the pole and race in the NASCAR XFINITY and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

BRISCOE WINS FIRST RACE ON ROVAL

Chase Briscoe led the final 24 laps and became the first driver to win a race on the new Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval course by taking the checkered flag in the Drive for the Cure 200.  The win was Briscoe’s first in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and he was able to do it thanks to a good restart with 11 laps to go.  Briscoe, who had been locked in a tight battle with Daniel Hemric throughout the final stage, got the jump after the race’s fifth caution and when Hemric missed the frontstrech chicane, it gave Briscoe some extra breathing room to take the checkered flag.

KESELOWSKI GETS FIRST FORD VICTORY

When Brad Keselowski captured the Bank of America 500 five years ago it snapped a 37-race winless drought, and marked his first win with Ford after Team Penske switched from Dodge following the 2012 season.  Keselowski won the race after a back-and-forth battle with Kasey Kahne.  He took the lead with nine laps remaining and held on for his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win on the 1.5-mile track.

SPEEDY WINS INAUGURAL FALL RACE

The first time Ford went to victory lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway was on Oct. 16, 1960 when Speedy Thompson won the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series fall race in track history.  The race, which was the second event overall at CMS, was called the National 400 and featured Thompson making his first start for the Wood Brothers in the No. 21 Ford.  He qualified third behind pole-winner Fireball Roberts, who quickly grabbed the lead and was the dominant car.  Roberts led 197 of the first 232 laps, but blew a tire that took him out of the race and handed the lead over to Thompson.  That was the break he needed and the result was Thompson winning the race by one lap over second-place Richard Petty.  The win was the first on a superspeedway for the Wood Brothers and the first of two straight for Thompson, who also won a week later at Richmond.

LOGANO STARTS PLAYOFF STREAK

After a dominant day that saw him lead 227-of-334 laps, Joey Logano earned an automatic berth into the Round of 8 with a victory in the rain-delayed Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2015.  The win was Logano’s first at the speedway and fourth of the season, but also started a streak that saw him win all three races in the segment.  It also marked the second straight year Logano won the first race of the second round and while Kevin Harvick threatened, Logano dominated as the final 89 laps went green.

FORD MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP WINNERS AT CHARLOTTE
1960 – Speedy Thompson (2)
1962 – Nelson Stacy (1)
1963 – Fred Lorenzen (1)
1964 – Fred Lorenzen (2)
1965 – Fred Lorenzen (Sweep)
1969 – Donnie Allison (2)
1970 – Donnie Allison (1)
1978 – Bobby Allison (2)
1982 – Neil Bonnett (1)
1984 – Bill Elliott (2)
1985 – Cale Yarborough (2)
1987 – Kyle Petty and Bill Elliott
1990 – Davey Allison (2)
1991 – Davey Allison and Geoffrey Bodine
1992 – Mark Martin (2)
1993 – Ernie Irvan (2)
1995 – Mark Martin (2)
1996 – Dale Jarrett (1)
1997 – Dale Jarrett (2)
1998 – Mark Martin (2)
1999 – Jeff Burton (1)
2000 – Matt Kenseth (1)
2001 – Jeff Burton (1)
2002 – Mark Martin (1)
2011 – Matt Kenseth (2)
2013 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2015 – Joey Logano (2)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT CHARLOTTE
1992 – Jeff Gordon (Sweep)
1993 – Mark Martin (2)
1995 – Chad Little (1) and Mark Martin (2)
1996 – Mark Martin (Sweep)
1998 – Mark Martin (1)
1999 – Mark Martin (1)
2000 – Jeff Burton (1)
2001 – Jeff Green (1) and Greg Biffle (2)
2002 – Jeff Burton (2)
2003 – Matt Kenseth (1)
2006 – Carl Edwards (1)
2011 – Matt Kenseth (1) and Carl Edwards (2)
2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2016 – Joey Logano (2)
2017 – Ryan Blaney (1)
2018 – Brad Keselowski and Chase Briscoe

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 23, 2019) – Legendary NASCAR crew chief and Charlotte, North Carolina, native Jeff Hammond will be presented with Charlotte Motor Speedway’s prestigious Smokey Yunick Award prior to Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL™ 400.

Presented annually since 1997 to honor famed mechanic Henry “Smokey” Yunick, the award recognizes an individual who rose from humble beginnings to make a major impact on the motorsports industry.

Known to many fans as a gregarious NASCAR on FOX personality, Hammond’s legacy as a crew chief can scarcely be matched. The 63-year-old worked as a tire changer and jackman before he took the reins as crew chief for Darrell Waltrip at Junior Johnson’s team in 1982. In a star-studded career that lasted nearly 20 years, Hammond amassed 43 NASCAR Cup Series wins and two championships while atop the pit box for superstar drivers including Waltrip, Terry Labonte and Kurt Busch.

“This is a total shock and honor,” Hammond said. “Smokey Yunick was a hero of mine. I always admired him and could never believe all of the accomplishments he had throughout his career and how he helped grow the sport. To be given this award and see people before me who’ve won it, like Ray Evernham, Dale Inman and Waddell Wilson – all friends of mine – it means a lot. This is right up there with winning championships in my book.”

Hammond’s cars won three points-paying races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including back-to-back Coca-Cola 600s in 1988 and 1989 with Waltrip.

“Charlotte is my home race track,” Hammond said. “I grew up three or four miles away from the speedway. I remember hearing the cars racing before I was old enough to go to a race. I first came in the pits here and I bought my first major race ticket here. To watch this speedway grow from its inception to what it is now is unbelievable. Bruton and Marcus Smith have always been trendsetters, much like Smokey Yunick.”

TICKETS:
Tickets and camping packages for the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 are available at the gates, by visiting charlottemotorspeedway.com/tickets or calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Weekend packages start at just $79. Kids 13 and under get in FREE for Bojangles’ Qualifying on Sept. 27 and the Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina on Sept. 28. Kids’ tickets to the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 cost just $10.

MORE INFO:
Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway and get the latest news by following on Twitter and Instagram, becoming a Facebook fan or downloading the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

Michael McDowell
No. 34 Long John Silver’s Ford Mustang
Started: 11 | Finished: 22

“That was a tough one. Our No. 34 Long John Silver’s Ford Mustang qualified really strong, but unfortunately when we took the green flag, we were really free through both corners and that hurt us a little. My guys did a good job of making adjustments and got us more competitive, but we went down a lap and were forced to take a wave-around under caution, putting us off sequence with the rest of the field and had to pit under green. That ultimately sent us 3 laps down to where we just couldn’t overcome it.”

Matt Tifft
No. 36 Surface Sunscreen/Tunity Ford Mustang
Started: 26 | Finished: 21

“Really proud of my No. 36 Surface Sunscreen/Tunity team tonight. We had a super fast Ford Mustang in the second half of the race. We didn’t start off the best and got a couple laps down toward the beginning of the race but had great speed at the end. I’m glad we could have Plan B Sales back as an associate sponsor this weekend, too. It’s really cool to see the improvements that we’ve made at Richmond since the spring. It makes me excited to head to the ROVAL next week and finish out the rest of the year on a high note.”

David Ragan
No. 38 MDS Trucking/Xtreme Vac Ford Mustang
Started: 27 | Finished: 20

“Mike Kelley and the team did a great job of working on our No. 38 MDS Trucking/ Xtreme Vac Ford Mustang and making it a lot more competitive from where we first started the race. We were loose on entry and on exit for most of the first 2 stages, but the team made some good adjustments and we were able to come home with a top 20 finish. I’m ready to head to Charlotte next weekend and hopefully deliver a strong performance for our partners at CITGARD.”

Team Penske Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race Report
Track: Richmond Raceway
Race: Federated Auto Parts 400
Date: September 21, 2019

____________________________________

No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski
Start: 1st
Stage 1: 3rd
Stage 2: 4th
Finish: 4th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 400/400
Laps Led: 89
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 4th (-35)

Notes:

Brad Keselowski scored a fourth-place finish in the Federated Auto Parts 400 Saturday night at Richmond Raceway. Keselowski claimed his 11th top-five finish of the season. He collected his fifth top-five in 21 starts at Richmond but his first since the 2017 spring race. The driver of the Discount Tire Ford is fourth in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings, 35 points behind leader Martin Truex Jr. and 11 points behind third-place Kyle Busch.

Keselowski kicked off the weekend by winning the pole position for the 400-lap, 300-mile race during qualifying on Friday evening. One of the final cars to make a run, Keselowski ripped off a lap of 21.229 seconds, 127.185 mph to capture his third pole of the 2019 season (New Hampshire and Michigan were the others). He won his second pole in 21 starts at Richmond and the 17th in 369 career Cup Series starts.

Keselowski led the first 53 laps of the race before scoring a third-place finish when Stage 1 ended on lap 100. He told crew chief Paul Wolfe that they were close on the balance of the No. 2 Mustang. Wolfe made the call for four tires and an air pressure adjustment during the stage caution on lap 104 and restarted third when the race went green on lap 108.

The third caution on lap 113 saw Keselowski make a stop for four tires. He restarted 14th and steadily began working his way through traffic after the race went green on lap 116. He returned to the top-10 on lap 128 then passed Kevin Harvick on lap 192 to move up to fifth when Stage 2 ended on lap 200. Keselowski said his Mustang was freer on exit during this run. Wolfe made a four-tire change with no adjustments on lap 204 and Keselowski restarted fourth on lap 209.

Keselowski was running fourth when the fourth caution on lap 244 set up a round of pit stops for the leaders under yellow. The No. 2 crew made a lightening quick stop for four tires, giving their driver the lead on lap 246. Keselowski led the next 36 laps before Martin Truex Jr. passed him on lap 282. Keselowski was running fourth and preparing to make a scheduled stop when the fifth and final caution slowed the pace on lap 316. He came to pit road one lap later for four tires and restarted fourth on lap 321, 79 laps from the finish. Keselowski held firm the final 22 laps to claim his top-five finish.

Quotes: “We threw everything we had at them. We put down a great qualifying lap, got the first pit stall, had great pit stops and got to the lead, but just didn’t have the raw speed to keep it. We led eighty-some laps, so it’s not a bad day but just not nearly fast enough to dominate the race and win.”

________________________________________________

No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 15th
Stage 1: 17th
Stage 2: 14th
Finish: 17th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 399/400
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (behind first): 10th (-82)

Notes:

Ryan Blaney started 15th and finished 18th in Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at the Richmond Raceway. The driver of the Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang remains 10th in the Cup Series standings 82 points behind leader Martin Truex Jr. and eight points above the Playoff cutline.

Stage 1 ran caution-free and Blaney would run around 15th-place for most of the 100-lap opening stage. He would report to crew chief Jeremy Bullins that the balance of the Menards/Richmond Ford was loose on entry, tight center and loose off. Blaney would fall back to 17th position where he would eventually finish Stage 1. After being lapped by race leader Martin Truex Jr., he would receive the free pass under the stage break. Blaney would come to pit road where Bullins would opt for an air pressure adjustment and fresh tires.

Stage 2 began on lap 108 with Blaney restarting 18th. A caution would waive five laps later for a multi-car incident on lap 113. The Menards team would decide to the take the opportunity for new tires.

The new tires helped the Menards/Richmond Ford take off and Blaney drove his way to 14th-place by lap 160. He would report the air pressure on the first stop helped his center turn but he was still loose on entry and exit. He would finish Stage 2 in the 14th position.

Under the final stage break Blaney would come to pit road on lap 204 for four tires and another air pressure adjustment along with wedge. Another strong pit stop by the Menards crew gained Blaney two spots up to 13th for the restart. When racing resumed, Blaney reported the same tight handling characteristics, although they had made improvements on his entry from earlier in the race.

A caution on lap 244 would see the leaders return to pit. The Menards crew pitted for tires and an air pressure adjustment. Strong pit service saw Blaney gain two spots on pit road from 14th to 12th on lap 245.

A caution on lap 316 would see the leaders make their final pit stop of the night. The Menards crew would make a wedge and air pressure adjustment to go along with four tires. Unfortunately, Blaney would have to come back down pit road to tighten loose left side lug nuts. Restarting 18th, Blaney would try to make up spots lost, but would settle for an 17th-place finish.

Quote: “Overall it was a better night than what we had here, for sure. We were running close to the 15th and that’s about where we were going finish, but we had to come back in for a loose wheel there. By the time you get to the cars you’re racing your tires are wore out. We kind of salvaged a decent run at it here. We’re a little bit to the good on points, so hopefully we can have a solid race next week.”

______________________________________________

No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 28th
Stage 1: 23rd
Stage 2: 19th
Finish: 11th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 400/400
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (behind first): 6th (-82)

Notes:

Joey Logano started 28th and battled handling conditions throughout Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway, ultimately brining the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang home in the 12th position. Logano is sixth in the series standings entering the first elimination race next week at the Charlotte ROVAL.

After starting 28th, Logano gained five spots in the opening 10 laps, reporting the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang was tight. As the opening run progressed, the handling continued to get tighter while Logano worked to maintain. Unfortunately, Logano would fall a lap down on lap 72, while running in the 20th position. He finished the first stage a lap down and in the 24th position.

A quick caution at the beginning of Stage 2 would secure the free pass for Logano, putting the Shell-Pennzoil Ford back on the lead lap. Under the caution, the team elected to pit again for four tires and a trackbar adjustment. After the adjustments, Logano reported the car took off better, but was still progressing to the tight side. The condition continued to intensify resulting in Logano dropping off the lead lap once again.
A caution flag on lap 243 would secure the free pass for the second time of the night. The team elected to make additional air pressure adjustments, still looking to give Logano more turn and help keep the front tires turning longer into the run.

With all the adjustments made, Logano began working his way forward, reaching the 13th position by lap 285. The driver of the Shell-Pennzoil Ford reported the car was much better, but still needed a little more front turn. A caution flag on lap 315 would bring the team back to pit road to make an additional trackbar and air pressure adjustment.

Logano would restart in the 13th position. He quickly moved up to 12th where he’d run for most of the run, reporting the Shell-Pennzoil Ford was slightly free on corner exit. The race would remain green to completion, with Logano bringing the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang home in the 12th position.

Quote: “It was a rough night. We missed it at the start. I don’t know where. We were decent in practice and on the long run I thought we were pretty good, and we go to qualify, and we were tight, and then we start the race and we’re really tight. We put so many rounds and air-pressure and we hit everything we could hit to try to get the tight out of it. We got better and we went from not being able to stay on the lead lap and getting a couple lucky dogs and then towards the end we got semi-competitive. I wouldn’t say we were good, but a little closer to where we need to be. Overall, I think we had a 50-point cushion, I believe, over the cutline, so that’s a nice feeling going into the ROVAL. Maybe we can be a little more aggressive and try to get something there.”

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team spent most of Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway working to make up lost ground.

Despite their best efforts, Menard wound up 28th at the finish.

Starting 24th in the 400-lap race meant the team’s best bet was to try some pit strategy in the opening 100-lap stage to hopefully move up through the field.

Crew chief Greg Erwin called Menard to pit road midway through the stage, with the idea being that Menard could use the fresher tires to rejoin the lead lap and be in a better position entering Stage Two.

He was able to gain positions through the strategy but came up a couple of spots short of getting back on the lead lap.

From that point on, the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team was in catch-up mode, but the breaks didn’t go their way. The team opted to take the wave-around, sometimes with success and sometimes without, as taking the wave-around means restarting at the back of the pack, which makes it difficult to keep from being lapped again.

Making matters worse was damage to both front fenders due to contact when drivers became bottled up just after restarts.

Eddie Wood said that his team didn’t run as poorly as a 28th-place finish indicates, but the results show just how difficult it is to make up lost ground on a track like Richmond.

“We didn’t qualify that well, and that makes you have to take chances, like short pitting,” Wood said. “When you gamble, there’s always the chance that the cautions won’t fall like you need them to. And once you get a lap or more down, it’s a struggle to make it up.

“You kind of have what you have, and that makes for disappointing finishes like tonight’s.

“We’ll just have to put this one behind us and move on.”

Next up for Menard and the No. 21 team is the Bank of America 400 on the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sept. 29.

###

About Motorcraft

Motorcraft® offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended and approved by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to under-hood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer exceptional value with the highest quality and right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers are backed by Ford Motor Company’s two-year, unlimited-miles Service Parts Limited Warranty. Ask for Motorcraft by name when you visit your local auto parts store or your favorite service facility. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers

Ford’s Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers routine vehicle maintenance such as oil and filter changes, light repair services including brake repair, and tire replacements on all vehicle makes and models. With more than 800 locations and growing, customers can visit www.quicklane.com to find a center that is closest to them, print savings coupons and review maintenance tips to keep their vehicles running at peak efficiency. This site includes information on how to spot tire wear, how to jump-start a battery and even a series of tips to improve a vehicle’s fuel economy.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Paul Menard in the famous No. 21 racer.

Truex Jr. Makes Joe Gibbs Racing History
Joe Gibbs Racing sweeps the top-three finishers in Richmond

RICHMOND, VA. (September 21, 2019) – Martin Truex Jr. won his second-consecutive event this season, and second-consecutive race at Richmond Raceway on Saturday evening.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Richmond Raceway
Race 28 of 36 – 400 miles, 300 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
2nd, KYLE BUSCH
3rd, DENNY HAMLIN
4th, Brad Keselowski*
5th, Ryan Newman*
15th, MATT DiBENEDETTO
38th, ERIK JONES
*non-Toyota driver

• It’s the 16th win at Richmond Raceway for Joe Gibbs Racing, which is the most in series history.

• It’s the 15th win in 28 events for Joe Gibbs Racing, which is the most in team history.

• This is the fourth straight win at Richmond Raceway for Joe Gibbs Racing.

• This is the seventh time that Toyota has swept the top three finishing positions, and second time this season (Daytona 500).

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 1st

Great win tonight, Martin.

“Man, I don’t know what to say, I really don’t. I’m speechless. Just an unbelievable job by all my guys. Toyota, TRD, Bass Pro, Auto Owners, everybody back at the shop. You guys built some unbelievable race cars right now. Had a heck of a race with Kyle (Busch) and Denny (Hamlin) all night long really, and we just kept plugging away at it, kept plugging away at it, as we always do. We just keep digging and we never quit. Next thing you know, catching the 18 (Kyle Busch) for the lead, I’m like, ‘cool, all right, here we go.’ Man, to sweep Richmond finally is pretty awesome, as much as we’ve led here coming into this year, and just thanks to everybody. It’s pretty amazing.”

Unbelievable this redemption here at this track. It looked like there was no way Stenhouse was trying to slide you around, but somehow you spin, you keep your cool, you come back and win. How did you do that?

“Luckily, I didn’t hit anything. I just tried to keep it off the fence, tried to get spun around and get going, and we ended up – because we were pretty far up front, we got going in a pretty good spot and left pit road in a good position and then good adjustments at the end again. This is just freaking unbelievable, so we came here to get bonus points and damn sure we did that.”

Martin, congratulations! How about that! Did you see that one coming?

“Yeah, that’s unbelievable. That’s never happened to me in my whole racing career. Thanks to all the fans who came out tonight and thanks to everyone on this team, Bass Pro Shops, our Camry was really fast tonight. It takes a lot of people to make this happen. I felt pretty good coming into this race. We’ve had a lot of heartbreakers over the years in Richmond. To come here and sweep this year, it must have been meant to be. Thanks to all of our guys, Toyota, TRD, everybody who makes this happen, Auto Owners, all of our partners that let us do this, and everybody back at Joe Gibbs Racing building unbelievable racecars. Hopefully, we can keep this up. We came here to get bonus points and we sure as hell did it.”

Talk about the spin. How did you regroup?

“I just tried to stay out of the fence and get it straightened out. Luckily, we got a caution, and we ended up in a pretty good spot when we came off pit road. We had a pretty good lead there and we were able to take advantage of it. From there, we were just battling. Had to pass the 11 (Denny Hamlin), had to pass the 18 (Kyle Busch). I knew it was going to be really tough to get by both of them. Both of them were strong all night long. Track position was important. I don’t know if the 18 fell off at that long run in the end there, but we were to be a little bit better than them in the end and make the move.”

It’s great to have strong teammates. What is it like racing against strong teammates in the end?

“Yeah, you just don’t want to screw up and get into each other. I’ve got so much respect for Kyle (Busch) and Denny (Hamlin). They are great teammates, Erik (Jones) as well. We can race hard, but we race clean. We kind of threw that out there tonight and showed everybody we can do it. Those guys did a great job. They were really fast all night. It was going to come down to whomever could hit it right in the end. Fortunately, we were able to do it right. Lot of fun to race with those guys. Hopefully, we can take it all the way to Homestead and put all four in there.”

When you have a car as good as the car you said tonight, is anything less than this acceptable?

“I don’t know, man. I don’t know that we have crazy expectations. We just go out there and get all we can. What a job the team did. I mean, it’s just unbelievable. To win this way is pretty incredible. I’ve never done anything like that in my life. I don’t know, when things are rolling, they just are, and again, just a lot of people to thank, a lot of people responsible for putting me in this position and giving me these race cars, my buddy Johnny (Morris, Bass Pro Shops), I know he’s up there in Canada with some friends fishing and they’re watching tonight, so have one for me, guys. Thanks for everything, and just everybody, Auto Owners, Toyota, TRD, all the guys in Costa Mesa building the engines. It takes a lot of people to get this stuff done, and to be able to race with Kyle (Busch) and Denny (Hamlin) like that all night was a lot of fun. Hopefully, we can keep it going. Bonus points are awesome, so we’ll try to keep getting them.”

COLE PEARN, crew chief, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Cole, I know that center turn was something that you wanted in this car all night. How big was that at the end there just to be able to track Kyle Busch down?

“Yeah, it was huge. We had to keep working on it all night. We had good speed, but it was just a matter of staying up with it and adjusting. It’s hard when you’re racing your teammates and they’re looking at what you’re doing and you’re looking at what they’re doing and those are the guys you’re racing. Just an awesome night for JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing). Just want to thank everybody back at the shop. I don’t know, everybody works so hard this time of year, and then just to let them know all their hard work is paying off is pretty awesome.”

JOE GIBBS, Team Owner, Joe Gibbs Racing

How strong is this team?

“A great night for us. I am really proud of these guys and the guys back at the shop. We have so many great people, and I wish they could all be here to celebrate. It was a great team effort by everybody, all four cars, just a thrill. This doesn’t happen very often. We are going to enjoy it. The Lord blessed us with a great night.”

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

Finishing Position: 2nd

Kyle Busch finished in second, just couldn’t hold off Martin Truex Jr. there. What more did you need to hold him off in that long run?

“I don’t know, I don’t think we were as good as him all night long. Martin (Truex Jr.), the car, the combination thereof, us, the combination of, just lacked a little bit. You know, like the 11 (Denny Hamlin) lacked a little bit more than us. Just weird, I don’t know. We led a lot of laps. We were up front a lot. But when I was out front, he could keep the closest distance to me. That kind of worried me for a finish like that in the long run. But our M&M’s guys did a great job, and we brought a fast race car here to Richmond, and I think all the JGR cars were pretty respectable there, so really awesome job by everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota, and being able to have some really good pieces to go out there and race with.”

You led the most laps. You’re now clinched into the next round so you don’t really need to worry at the Roval. How do you treat that race and maybe the next round knowing that?

“Last year, I thought we were going to be all right and finish okay, but then we all decided to follow everybody else off a cliff. It was pretty ugly. But overall just ‑‑ you try to go into that race, it’s a newer type of track, and I don’t know that everybody has got it quite figured out exactly yet. With this new aero package, it’s going to be different and of course, too, with the new chicane it’s going to be different. We can go out there and attack it and try to try to get a win, try to get some stage points, get ourselves a bit of a cushion here, I guess, more over the rest of the guys.”

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

Finishing Position: 3rd

A strong run today for Denny Hamlin and this 11 team and a third‑place finish to go along with it. Ultimately, what were your teammates ahead of you able to do with your cars that you couldn’t with yours?

“Just seemed like the long run speed they really had quite a bit more and a little bit more turn, a little bit more forward drive, just everything – every little bit. It just seemed like it was about a half a tenth a lap there on average, and 19 (Martin Truex Jr.) just had a really good long run car. We were kind of third best there, that’s kind of where we ended up. Happy with maximizing the day that I thought I was capable of, and good effort, and we’ll go to the Roval and have some fun now.”

49 points you collected today, 55 points now above the cut line. How much assurance does that give you headed to the Roval?

“Pretty sure. You know, just go there, run a normal race, everything should be fine. We just try to move to the next round and go to work from there. I think we’re really close to where we need to be. Every time we come back to a track for the second time, it seems like we run quite a bit better. Tonight, we were just a hair off.”

# # #

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.

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
RICHMOND RACEWAY
FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES & QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 21, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER (* = Playoff Contender)
3rd * KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1
11th JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1
13th BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1
14th * CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA CAMARO ZL1
19th * KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER (* = Chevy Playoff Contender)
1st Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
2nd Kyle Busch (Toyota)
3rd Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
4th Erik Jones (Toyota)
5th Brad Keselowski (Ford)

UNOFFICIAL CURRENT PLAYOFF RANK (Following Round 2 of 10)
POS. DRIVER (* = Chevy Contender)
1. Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
2. Kevin Harvick (Ford)
3. Kyle Busch (Toyota)
4. Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
5. Brad Keselowski (Ford)
6. Joey Logano (Ford)
7. * Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
8. * Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
9. Ryan Newman (Ford)
10. Ryan Blaney (Ford)
11. Aric Almirola (Ford)
12. * William Byron (Chevrolet)
13. * Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)
14. Erik Jones (Toyota)
15. Clint Bowyer (Ford)
16. * Kurt Busch (Chevrolet)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course with the Bank of America ROVAL 400 on Sunday, September 29 at 2:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, NBC Sports Gold, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 7th
“If maybe I could have gotten a better restart there that last time, I could have been a spot or two better. But, we ran better than I thought I would. At the beginning of the race I was kind of falling back. But, then we made it better each stop. Actually, I had a pretty good car in the long run there at the end. So, I was happy about that. And, I haven’t seen the points, but it seemed like a lot of guys had a bad night. So, I’m sure we gained a little bit on the cutoff, so that’s always good.”

HOW DO YOU TAKE THIS INTO THE ROVAL NEXT WEEK?
‘Yeah, just have another clean run. Just don’t make any mistakes. We didn’t make any mistakes tonight. Our pit crew was really good tonight, with the exception of one stop. But, other than that, we gained spots every time and we might have even gained spots on the stop that didn’t feel great. So, it was a really good night for them. We’ve just got to keep it going.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 11th
“Just a solid performance and unfortunately missed our pit box on the second-to-last pit stop, and we had to dig out of that hole. But just a solid performance, and I think we could have been fifth or sixth if I didn’t miss the pit box. We worked our way back to 11th and it was a solid qualifying effort and all three stages of the race which led to a respectable finish.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 OKUMA CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 23rd
“What a night. The Okuma Chevrolet was loose to start the race but I felt confident that Danny Stockman and everyone on the No. 3 team would be able to keep up with changing track conditions and make the adjustments needed to get us a solid finish tonight at Richmond Raceway. Unfortunately, our night became a lot more difficult after we made contact on a restart and ended up with a couple of flat tires. We fell off the lead lap when we pitted for repairs and spent the rest of the race playing catch up. We just couldn’t get the break that we needed to get back on the lead lap, which is a shame because we had a good Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 24th
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH DAYS LIKE TODAY TO MAXIMIZE EVERY OPPORTUNITY YOU GET?
“Yeah, we didn’t execute very well on top of it either. So, it’s definitely a bummer. We were really tight here in the spring and we came here trying to build a car that would turn really well. It did that, but it just didn’t have any drive. When you’re on stickers and the guys running 75 lap old tires are forward driving you, it’s not much fun. We didn’t have a good day. We didn’t have anything go our way either. We just struggled with the car all day. It’s a bummer, but Greg (Ives) and all of us will regroup and we should be strong next week.”

THE ROAD COURSE PROGRAM FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS HAS BEEN STRONG THIS YEAR. WHAT IS YOUR OUTLOOK GOING TO THE ROVAL? OPTIMISTIC?
“Yeah, we qualified third and ran fourth there last year. So, we just have to get stage points and have a good day all day. If we don’t make the next round, we don’t really deserve to be there with how we are running right now. It’s definitely a bummer, but we have to get our stuff together.

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 25th
YOU’RE IN THE PLAYOFFS FOR THE FIRST TIME, YOU’RE ON THE BUBBLE GOING INTO THE ROVAL. DO YOU FEEL PRESSURE OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE HEY, IT’S MY FIRST TIME? IS THIS AS MUCH OF A LEARNING EXPERIENCE AS ANYTHING?
“It’s just great to have a shot. It’s just great to be even on the upside of it. And, I think if we can do that, I’m really optimistic for what we can do going forward. We’re just really fortunate to have another shot after a night like tonight and we can go forward and see what we have.”

HOW DID YOU END UP ABOVE THE CUT LINE HERE AT THE END?
“I have no idea. I really didn’t know that was even a possibility. But, it was just a tough night. We started out far back and lost our first lap pretty quickly. We just couldn’t recover, we just kept getting lapped. So, we just move on from here and move on to the Roval. I think we have a good shot there to have a good result and hopefully compete for a top-5 or something like that would be nice. I’m really optimistic about that with how we’ve run at the road courses and hopefully that will work out for us.”

YOU’RE GOING HOME TO CHARLOTTE. WHAT’S THE CONFIDENCE LEVEL GOING TO THAT TRACK? YES, IT’S A ROAD COURSE, BUT IT’S ALSO A STREET COURSE. IT’S KIND OF A COMBINATION.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a combo. The back chicane is definitely a lot tighter than it was last year. So, I think we are going to have to really kind of judge the braking zone differently and it’s probably going to be a passing zone there. I think it’s going to be a totally different beast this year with that. At least we can look at the notes that we had for the other corners from last year and try to put that all together. I’m not really sure what to expect with that chicane, but it should be fun.
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.