Category: NASCAR Cup PR

Iowa Corn 350 – Iowa Speedway
Newton, Iowa – June 16, 2024
Iowa Corn 300

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/MOEN FORD MUSTANG

START: 21ST STAGE ONE: 23RD STAGE TWO: 22ND FINISH: 30TH POINTS: 19TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Menards/Moen Ford Mustang, finished 30th in Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350, the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. Cindric was forced to start from the rear due to driving a backup car after suffering a blown tire in practice earlier in the weekend. By Lap 30, the Team Penske driver found himself inside the top 25 before making his first visit to pit road on Lap 51 for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. He restarted 22nd with 12 laps to go in Stage 1, but ultimately finished 23rd in the opening segment. Having just pitted, the No. 2 team elected to stay out at the Stage break. Well into Stage 2, Cindric reported a vibration and then a right-rear chatter on Lap 148. A few laps later, the Menards/Moen Ford Mustang returned to pit road for service and a big swing of adjustments under green. A tight condition plagued Cindric’s car, and when the caution flew on Lap 183, he returned to the attention of the pit crew for tires and an adjustment to free up the car for the short run to the Stage-ending green-and-white checkered flag, in which he crossed the line 22nd. The former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion restarted 22nd with fresh tires for the third and final segment. Under caution with 91 laps remaining, Cindric, in the 20th position, was able to take the wave around to gain a lap back, but lost position over the final stint, finishing 30th in the first-ever Cup Series event at the Newton, Iowa, short track.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “Just a struggle there coming from the back. We made progress early in the No. 2 Menards/Moen Ford Mustang, and we were just kind of on that fringe of lap down, not lap down without track position. Seemed like cycles on tires were a bit of a struggle, but we got ourselves in position and missed out on the lucky dog by a lap or two. So happy for everyone on the No. 12 car, and yeah, unfortunate to have to come from behind.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 ADVANCE AUTO PARTS FORD MUSTANG

START: 2ND STAGE ONE: 1ST STAGE TWO: 4TH FINISH: 1ST POINTS: 7TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney led a career-high 201 laps to claim the checkered flag in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway Sunday night, marking his 11th-career Cup Series victory. Blaney becomes the first to win a race at Iowa in all three of NASCAR’s top national series while clinching a spot in the playoffs for the eighth-straight season. Blaney began the night battling for the lead with the No. 5 for the entirety of the first 70-lap stage as the 12-team worked to dial in the balance of the Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang. With 10 laps to go in the segment, Blaney carried a run off turn four to make the pass for the lead and kept it out front for the rest of the run to pick up his second stage win of the season. A long green flag run to open Stage 2 saw Blaney at the point as he managed his tires over the course of the run. With the No. 9 closing in to battle for the lead, crew chief Jonathan Hassler called Blaney to pit road under green on lap 173 for a four tire stop to take them to the end of the stage. A caution on lap 182 in the middle of the green flag pit cycle shuffled the field as Blaney went from 13th to fifth prior to the restart with 22 laps remaining in Stage 2. Blaney battled through traffic with a tight-handling condition and ultimately came away with a fourth-place result in the second segment. Following a four tire stop at the stage break, Blaney lined up 10th before charging his way through the field on the ensuing run, making his way to second in the running order with 100 laps to go. A caution on lap 260 brought the leaders to pit road under yellow when Hassler made the call for right side tires only, allowing Blaney to win the race off pit road and restart from the outside of row one with 84 to go. After getting a good launch, Blaney set sail as he stretched his lead out to over a second with the laps ticking off. He went on to lead the rest of the way to capture his first win of the 2024 season in dominant fashion.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “What a cool way to win here. This place means a lot to me and means a lot to my mom. We had a lot of people here tonight cheering us on, so they willed us to that one. Overall, I really appreciate the 12 boys. I mean, our car was really fast all night and we got a little bit better through the night and two tires was a good call there. I didn’t know how well I was going to hold on. I started to struggle a little bit at the end, but had enough to hang on. I’m super proud of the effort. I appreciate Advance Auto Parts, Ford, Ford Performance, Menards, Discount Tire, Würth, Snap-On, DEX Imaging, Wabash – everything they do. It makes up a little bit from a couple weeks ago.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG

START: 11TH STAGE ONE: 6TH STAGE TWO: 17TH FINISH: 6TH POINTS: 15TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano picked up his fifth top-10 finish of the season Sunday night in the Cup Series’ inaugural race at Iowa Speedway, coming away with a hard-fought, sixth-place result. Logano fired off from 11th in the 350-lap event and battled inside the top-10 during the opening laps of the night despite reporting changes in the balance over the course of the run. Following a caution on lap 53, Logano restarted from 12th after the 22-team’s first four tire stop of the night and made a charge towards the top-five prior to the end of the 70-lap segment, resulting in a sixth-place finish in Stage 1. After staying out during the stage break, Logano restarted from the outside of row three and settled into fourth in the running order. As the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang began to build tight over the long run, crew chief Paul Wolfe called Logano to pit road under green on lap 176 but an untimely caution just six laps later trapped him a lap down. Although Logano was able to take the wave around under caution to rejoin the lead lap, he was mired outside the top-15 for the ensuing restart, resulting in a 17th-place finish in Stage 2. Logano began to make his way up the leaderboard early in the final stage – reaching eighth in the running order by lap 239 – before the final caution flag of the night flew on lap 260 while scored seventh. Wolfe made the call for right side tires only, allowing Logano to pull off pit road second and restart from row one with 84 laps to go. Logano battled for the top spot in the opening laps of the run but ultimately settled into second as he worked to manage his tires to the end before taking the checkered flag sixth.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “We put ourselves in position there to win the race with the two-tire call. I just didn’t re-fire good on two [tires]. I tried to race [Ryan] Blaney and couldn’t hold him off and then I just kind of got swallowed up by a couple cars pretty quick. We just didn’t have enough fire-off. I think if I could have got out front, I probably would have been OK, but I couldn’t get out there.”

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the USA Today 301 on Sunday, June 23. Coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

No. 6 King’s Hawaiian Ford Finishes P10, Chris Buescher 18th in Fastenal Ford

NEWTON, Iowa (June 16, 2024) – Brad Keselowski paced RFK Sunday night at Iowa Speedway with a top-10 finish while Chris Buescher overcame a cut tire and finished 18th in the inaugural Cup race at the 7/8-mile track.

Both RFK Fords led laps at three different points, Keselowski earned stage points in both stages, and Buescher picked up stage points in stage two in the 350-lap race as varying strategy proved to be critical.

“Not bad,” Keselowski said following the race. “We just kind of ran in that eighth to 10th place spot for pretty much the whole race and sometimes a little worse. That’s kind of what we had and we just executed around it. Our car was really good on the long runs. I liked that long run, but the short runs we just didn’t have enough speed.”

Tire wear proved to be the storyline of the weekend as the track recently underwent a repave, one that provided plenty of drama beginning in Friday’s full practice session. Saturday’s qualifying was condensed to a single round due to rain, with both RFK drivers taking advantage of a late run in the session as Keselowski put the King’s Hawaiian Ford fifth, and Buescher 15th in the Fastenal Mustang.

6 Recap
Rolling off the grid fifth, Keselowski and the No. 6 team quickly used opposite strategy to advance into the top-10. After the second yellow in the opening 51 laps, Keselowski stayed on track while the field pitted, putting him P2 on the ensuing restart. He went on to finish eighth in the opening stage of 70 laps, earning three stage points.

He fired off 17th for stage two following his first stop of the day under the stage break, then ran nearly 100 laps in a long green flag run to inherit the lead. Crew chief Matt McCall kept the No. 6 on track for the duration of a pit cycle before a yellow flew in the team’s favor with Keselowski in the lead.

Keselowski pitted for service in the caution and restarted 10th, before going on to finish ninth in the stage. Then, McCall elected to put right side tires on in the stage break, improving his track position to P3 on the restart. Keselowski held onto the top five position for the next several laps, eventually pitting for the final time at lap 263 for four fresh tires.

From there on the final restart at lap 266, Keselowski restarted 12th before going on to finish 10th, his ninth top-10 of the season.

17 Recap
Buescher fired off from 15th Sunday afternoon in the scorching Midwest heat as one of a handful of drivers in the race with a previous Iowa win. He pitted early at lap 53 for the first time of the day and went on to finish 29th in the opening stage.

As the team went to work early on the handling of the Fastenal Ford, Buescher restarted 26th for stage two, and finally gained track position just a pair of cautions later. He restarted 22nd at lap 86, which preceded a green flag run of 96 laps where he advanced all the way to sixth. After pitting from that spot, he restarted 11th with 28 laps remaining in the stage.

He went on to finish seventh in stage two before staying out in the stage break, putting the No. 17 to the point on the stage three start. He led 13 laps in that sequence (and later led three more laps) as he and the No. 4 car had a healthy battle for the lead.

Unfortunately, some 33 laps later, the No. 17 had a right front tire go down – one of many on the day – as he ran fifth at the time. The team quickly managed any damage though, putting Buescher back on track but lacking track position.

From there he began his march forward on the race’s final restart at lap 266, and went on to pick off multiple positions to finish 18th.

Up Next
New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosts the 18th race of the season next weekend. Race coverage Sunday is set for 2:30 p.m. ET on USA, with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

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

RICK WARE RACING
Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol
Date: June 16, 2024
Event: Inaugural Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol (Round 17 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Iowa Speedway in Newton (.875-mile oval)
Format: 350 laps, broken into three stages 70 laps/140 laps/140 laps)

Race Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

RWR Race Finish:

● Justin Haley (Started 19th, Finished 13th/ Running, completed 350 of 350 laps)
● Kaz Grala (Started 28th, Finished 33rd/ Running, completed 345 of 350 laps)

RWR Points:

● Justin Haley (30th with 234 points)
● Kaz Grala (35th with 140 points)

RWR Notes:

● Haley earned his sixth top-20 of the season.
● Haley finished 10th in Stage 2 to earn one bonus point.

Race Notes:

● Ryan Blaney won the inaugural Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol to score his 11th career NASCAR Cup Series victory and his first of the season. His margin of victory over second-place William Byron was .716 of a second.
● This was Ford’s 731st all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its third of the season.
● There were eight caution periods for a total of 49 laps.
● Only 14 of the 36 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Chase Elliott leaves Iowa as the new championship leader with a eight-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Sound Bites:

“We had a really good MotoRad Ford Mustang Dark Horse and a lot of speed early in the race before the pit road penalty. I’m glad we were able to recover pretty quickly and show just how strong our car was. Once the sun started to go down the car was just a little too tight for me to hold onto the top-10, but still a really strong showing for us that we can keep building on.” – Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 MotoRad Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the USA Today 301 on Sunday, June 23 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The race begins at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Austin Dillon Shows Strong Pace In The No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway.

Finish: 19th
Start: 36th
Points: 32nd

“Our team brought a solid Get Bioethanol Chevrolet to Iowa Speedway this weekend. Our pace in practice on Friday was good, but on Saturday, when we were the first car out for qualifying on a green track, it affected our lap. Justin Alexander and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol team made good changes overnight and we fought hard all race long. We started out tight and luckily got an early caution, which allowed us to make a pit stop to work on the car. We had to manage our tires all night. We made a strategy call late for fuel only, which helped us pick up positions when others had to pit. We did not know what to expect with this tire and the surface, but I believe we produced a good race for the fans in Iowa and it was great to see everyone from Iowa Corn and Get Bioethanol at the race to experience the first NASCAR Cup Series race for the state.” -Austin Dillon

Mechanical Problems Sideline Kyle Busch in zone Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway

Finish: 35th
Start:7th
Points: 16th

“We had a strong zone Chevrolet today at Iowa Speedway, but didn’t get to finish the race. Something broke in the left-rear suspension – I don’t know if it was a toe link or what it was, but it changed the skew of the back of the car and it was just undrivable doing that. We came in and fixed it. Rolling back out, we broke the belt and I had no power steering. I have no idea why, but it was frustrating, for sure. Not what we wanted for our No. 8 zone/Kwik Star Chevrolet. We were having a pretty decent day. I thought we had a top-10 run going. We had an opportunity to score some points, but it wasn’t meant to be.” -Kyle Busch

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol
Date: June 16, 2024
Event: Inaugural Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol (Round 17 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Iowa Speedway in Newton (.875-mile oval)
Format: 350 laps, broken into three stages (70 laps/140 laps/140 laps)

Race Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

SHR Finish:

● Josh Berry (Started 3rd, Finished 7th / Running, completed 350 of 350 laps)
● Noah Gragson (Started 23rd, Finished 16th / Running, completed 349 of 350 laps)
● Ryan Preece (Started 29th, Finished 27th / Running, completed 348 of 350 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 6th, Finished 28th / Running, completed 348 of 350 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (17th with 370 points, 221 out of first)
● Josh Berry (21st with 314 points, 277 out of first)
● Noah Gragson (24th with 287 points, 304 out of first)
● Ryan Preece (27th with 249 points, 342 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● This was Berry’s third top-10 of the season.
● Berry finished fifth in Stage 1 to earn six bonus points and second in Stage 2 to earn nine more bonus points.
● Berry led twice for 32 laps.
● Berry was the highest finishing rookie.

Race Notes:

● Ryan Blaney won the inaugural Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol to score his 11th career NASCAR Cup Series victory and his first of the season. His margin of victory over second-place William Byron was .716 of a second.

● This was Ford’s 731st all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its third of the season.
● There were eight caution periods for a total of 49 laps.
● Only 14 of the 36 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Chase Elliott leaves Iowa as the new championship leader with an eight-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Sound Bites:

“I thought we had a really good race and a really good car. To score stage points like we did, we had some great restarts in there and just that last restart didn’t really go our way. We lost a little bit of track position and just could never get it back but, all in all, just really proud of everybody on the 4 team. They did a great job. That was a lot of fun, for sure. We’re going to keep digging to keep getting better. (On whether there was front-end damage after contact just prior to the last restart.) I don’t know. It’s hard to say what that did. Obviously, it probably hurt it a little bit, but I think losing that much track position on the restart was more than anything. All in all, it was still a good day and I’m proud of our guys. We’ll keep digging.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“Just a long, hot day. Struggled. Fine-tuned on the car, just kind of loose in, tight center all race, never really got it to where we needed to. Got turned by the 42 (John Hunter Nemechek), just really eventful stuff. Rebounded, saved fuel at the end for 16th.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“Yeah, it was a tough day overall. We just didn’t have what we needed there to finish it off. We fired off good, but lost the balance and never found our way back from where we started. I’m proud of the team and how hard they fought all day to try and give me the racecar car I needed. I have to thank Morton Buildings for being on the car this weekend. We’ll re-rack and go at it again at New Hampshire.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 Morton Buildings Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“We were really good in the beginning, obviously. The first pit stop, lost like 10 spots and it was just downhill from there. Everything that could go wrong kind of went wrong. Pit stops again later in the race, kept losing spots. The caution comes out at the worst time and traps us. Then we were going to be able to wave around and the 47 (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) stays out and we were one car behind him. Just kind of anything that could go wrong went wrong. We definitely should’ve run better than 28th, for sure.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Mahindra USA 30 Years Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the USA Today 301 on Sunday, June 23 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The race begins at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

BELL TAKES BACKUP CAR TO FOURTH-PLACE FINISH AT IOWA
Earns fourth consecutive top-10 finish; fifth in the last six races

NEWTON, Iowa (June 16, 2024) – In a backup car, and starting in the rear of the field, Christopher Bell earned a hard-fought fourth-place finish in the inaugural Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway. The Oklahoma native and his Joe Gibbs Racing team overcame adversity all weekend and race long on the way to their fifth top-five of the season and fourth consecutive top-10.

Bell had a strong No. 20 Toyota Camry XSE, quickly driving up through the field after the green flag in Stage 1 and running mostly inside the top-10, and leading seven laps, in Stage 2. However, an ill-timed caution as he entered pit road in the lead moved him to the end of the lead lap, where he used the rest of the race to battle his way back up the running order to fourth.

Martin Truex Jr. battled back from a lap down early on to earn a 15th-place finish in his No. 19 Toyota Camry XSE, and Bubba Wallace, who finished fifth in Stage 2, came home 17th at the race’s end.

The Cup Series heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway next Sunday, June 23.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Iowa Speedway
Race 17 of 36 – 306.25 miles, 350 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Ryan Blaney*
2nd, William Byron*
3rd, Chase Elliott*
4th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
5th, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.*
15th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
17th, BUBBA WALLACE
22nd, TYLER REDDICK
24th, DENNY HAMLIN
25th, TY GIBBS
26th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
32nd, ERIK JONES
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing position: 4th

Starting in the rear, and with a backup car, you have to be proud of a fourth-place finish.

“Yeah, I mean, a top-five, is a good day. Obviously, we had pace to be better than that, so that’s why I’m sitting here with mixed emotions. Great effort, and if we keep bringing cars like that, hopefully it’ll be our day one of these times.”

Did you make adjustments to the car to pick up speed at the end?

“I was just not good until the tires got hot. Once the tires got hot, it came in. I was literally the slowest car in the field when we took off on stickers, and all of a sudden, it started to come in, and we were really fast. I don’t know. It was an up and down day, and I don’t really quite know how to feel about it.”

What was the car like in the long runs tonight?

“Yeah, I mean it was a rocket ship on the long runs. Everything I needed. I don’t know how much faster I was, but I could see the leaders, and then all of a sudden, I couldn’t see them later on. It was good on the long runs, just struggled with strategy and on the short runs.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.

Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

• Daniel Hemric qualified 30th for the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway.
• The first caution of the day came out on lap five, and Hemric stayed out to restart 26th. Struggling with a loose-handling No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1, Hemric had fallen a lap down by the time the next caution came out on lap 53. He was able to take the wave around and restarted back on the lead lap, before finishing the opening stage in 35th.
• During the first stage break, Hemric pitted for tires, fuel and a right-rear adjustment to tighten up the No. 31 Chevrolet. Just after the start of the second stage, the caution came out for a wreck in front of Hemric, who acquired minimal nose damage. He restarted 31st. Hemric ran long and made it as high as 15th, before he got into the wall and the caution came out. He pitted for four tires and fuel. He restarted 32nd and radioed that something felt broken or badly bent on the No. 31. He nursed the car to the end of stage two, finishing 32nd.
• During the second stage break, Hemric pitted and came back down pit road to fix a toe link before starting the final stage from 32nd. A caution on the initial restart put Hemric 27th. By lap 230, he radioed that his No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet was extremely tight handling. The next caution came out on lap 260. Crew chief Trent Owens made the call to pit for tires, fuel and adjustments to free up the No. 31 Chevrolet under caution. He restarted 31st on lap 266 and went on to finish 29th.

“Today was quite the battle. We were too free to start and after getting into the wall, we bent a rear toe link on our No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet. After that, I was just too tight and couldn’t really catch a break. We will regroup and get ready for New Hampshire next week.” – Daniel Hemric  

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1

• AJ Allmendinger qualified 18th for the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway.
• The first caution came on lap five and Allmendinger reported he was free on the throttle, while running in 19th. On lap 50, Allmendinger blew a right front tire and hit the outside wall. The damage sustained to the Action Industries Chevy ended the day for Allmendinger and the No. 16 team. Allmendinger was relegated to 36th place.

“Disappointing day for our No. 16 Action Industries team. The warning signs were there. I could feel it getting really tight before we had the tire issue. Yesterday, there was no warning sign to it, so it was a shock. Today, I kind of felt it coming when it blew. It kind of turned off into the corner, so I could definitely checkup enough.” – AJ Allmendinger  

About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
IOWA SPEEDWAY IOWA CORN 350
POWERED BY ETHANOL
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
JUNE 16, 2024

 Byron Leads Chevrolet with Runner-Up Result at Iowa Speedway

• Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron led Chevrolet to the checkered flag in the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural visit to Iowa Speedway – posting a runner-up result in his No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1. The finish marks Byron’s sixth top-five finish of the 2024 season.
• With a caution on lap 259, William Byron was running in the third position when Crew Chief Rudy Fugle called the driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. With the lead cars opting for a two-tire stop, Byron showed the quick advantage of a fresh set of four Goodyear tires – taking the second position on lap 65 and progressively closing the gap to leader Ryan Blaney until the lead pack approached lap traffic.
• Polesitter Kyle Larson was deemed a favorite in the early portions of the race – leading 45 laps in Stage One before hitting pit road during a caution on lap 80 with a potential issue with the left-rear tire. Lining up in the 32nd position for the restart, the former series champion quickly climbed through the field – entering the top-10 in just 25 laps. Larson went on to claim the Stage Two win before contact at the beginning of the final stage took the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 out of contention.
• Byron led Chevrolet to three top-five finishes at the Iowa short-track, with Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, in the third position; and JTG Daugherty Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounding out the top-five.
• The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with the USA Today 301 on Sunday, June 23, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Zone Camaro ZL1

Finished: 35th

What started things there? I was hearing suspension issues and then maybe another issue..

“Yeah, I don’t know what happened, but Next Gen parts and pieces broke. Something in the left-rear suspension – I don’t know if it was a toe link or what it was, but it changed the skew of the back of the car and it was just undrivable doing that. We came in and fixed it. Rolling back out, we broke the belt. I have no idea, but frustrating, for sure. Not what we wanted for all of our No. 8 Zone Chevy guys; everybody from Kwik Star. We were having a pretty decent day. I thought we had a top-10 run going. We had an opportunity there to score some points, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1

Finished: 3rd

WHAT ELSE DID YOU NEED THERE TO GET THE WIN?

“Our balance was just right, and I thought all day we had really good long run pace. I just really struggled to get going on restarts, and just was really loose and couldn’t. Just felt like I couldn’t attack like I needed to and just lost a lot of ground. Could make good pace there at the end of a run with our NAPA Chevy, just needed to be a little closer I think to keep the pressure on and keep things rolling. Anyway, I was proud of the effort and felt like we had a really good car and were right there in the fight.”

SO CONSISTENT THIS SEASON, BEST AVERAGE FINISH OF ANYBODY. WHAT IS IT RIGHT NOW THAT IS CLICKING AND HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO KNOCKING OFF A FEW MORE WINS HERE?

“Yeah, I mean I definitely think we have been closer than we have been. That is good and nice to have some consistency across some different styles of racetracks, so happy with all that. We need just a little bit to be where we need to be to lead laps and kind of set the pace. We will keep working at it.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1

Sidelined by damage sustained after a tire issue in the first stage.

Finished: 36th

Did it feel the same as yesterday, as far as the car, or is it any different?

“No, the warning signs were there. I told my team the lap prior, two laps prior, that I thought we were going to blow a right-front. The angle was a lot better, so I got it slowed down enough that I didn’t feel anything inside the car.”

So it was almost like a different issue, as far as the tire issue?

“I think these tires give you at least a warning sign. I could feel it getting really tight. Yesterday, there was no warning sign to it, so it was a shock. Today, I kind of felt it coming when it blew. It kind of turned off into the corner, so I could definitely check up enough. The angle was just way better.”

William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1

Finished: 2nd

ARE YOU SURPRISED WILLIAM? YOU HAD FOUR FRESH TIRES BUT TWO TIRES WON THIS RACE.

“No, he had a really good car, so he was up front and contending a lot, and him and the5 were really good. So, we were just a step off of that, you know? I feel like I just needed to turn the center just a hair better and still kind of maintain the long run. Proud of the effort. It was a really good night, and I feel like we can learn from this and build from it to be a little bit better.”

HOW MUCH DID THE TRACK CHANGE GOING TO NIGHTTIME?

“Yeah, I don’t know. I will have to look back at our adjustments. I wasn’t sure if it was our adjustments or what, but it definitely gained a little bit of grip and it just seemed like you were running hard for longer. Not that at the beginning you weren’t, but I think the cars just got closer together at night. I wasn’t really sure what happened.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/NOS Energy Drink Camaro ZL1

Finished: 5th

DESCRIBE HOW THE RACE UNFOLDED FOR YOU AND THE SATISFACTION OF A TOP-FIVE FINISH AT THIS TRACK FOR YOU

“Yeah, that first run and starting at the back, we were really strong late in that run. So, I felt confident in what our NOS Energy Drink Camaro could do throughout this whole race. We had a little mishap on pit road that set us back again, to kind of that back row. So, we had to battle back from that. Those guys cleaned it up on pit road, and we had great strategy with those two tires to get us back to clean air at the front of the field. Really wanted to go battle (Ryan) Blaney there. We got to second, just got a little too loose, and couldn’t hold those guys off. Really cool to do a Cup race here in Iowa after all our success and to do it in front of a great crowd.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Kubota Camaro ZL1

Finished: 9th

Suarez on the contact with Kyle Larson:

“Honestly, during the race, I was so confused. I didn’t know exactly what happened. I didn’t know if I went up, or if he came down. I just saw the replay for the very first time and I noticed that the No. 6 (Brad Keselowski) was the one on the outside. He had like a quarter of a car from the wall. He was trying to pinch down the No. 5 (Kyle Larson), and the No. 5 had another quarter of a car to the No. 6. Tried to pinch me down and I just expecting those two guys to be closer to the wall like everyone else. I’m definitely the one that made contact with the No. 5 and I take responsibility for that.”

What did you think of the track tonight?

“It raced well. Honestly, it raced exactly how I thought it was going to. I thought it was good. It was a three-lane racetrack. People were able to pass, which is a good. I thought it was good, honestly. I’m pretty happy with the product that NASCAR brought.”

 

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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Iowa Corn 350 Qualifying | Sunday, June 16, 2024

RYAN BLANEY CLINCHES PLAYOFF SPOT WITH INAUGURAL IOWA WIN

• Ryan Blaney won his first race of the season tonight as he captured the inaugural Iowa Corn 350.
• This is the second inaugural race Blaney has won, following his Charlotte Roval victory in 2018.
• The win is Blaney’s 11th career triumph and clinches a spot in the playoffs.
• Today’s win is Ford’s 731st all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.
• It also marks Team Penske’s 95th series win with Ford.

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW – DID THIS ONE MEAN A LITTLE MORE? “Yeah, definitely. What a cool way to win here. This place means a lot to me and means a lot to my mom. We had a lot of people here tonight cheering us on, so they willed us to that one. Overall, I really appreciate the whole 12 boys. I mean, our car was really fast all night and we got a little bit better through the night and two tires was a good call there. I didn’t know how well I was gonna hold on. I started to struggle a little bit at the end, but had enough to hang on. I’m super proud of the effort. I appreciate Advance Auto Parts, Ford, Ford Performance, Menards, Discount Tire, Wurth, Snap On, DEX Imaging, Wabash – everything they do. It makes up a little bit from a couple weeks ago.”

HOW IS THE GOING TO WORK. ARE ALL 80 COMING TO VICTORY LANE? “I hope so. I don’t know. We’ll see, but I’m looking forward to seeing them. It’s always good to have family and I’ve been super lucky to have family that supports me through my career and it’s great that they’re still supporting me just as much as they day on Day 1. I always appreciate this sold out crowd. It was a cool weekend and really cool to win the first Cup race here. I can’t wait for us to come back for many more years.”

THAT’S A RARE BURNOUT. “Yeah. Home track. I’ve got to. It means a lot. It’s cool to win in a Truck here, an Xfinity car here and now a Cup car. That was cool. I’m worn out. It was a long race and driving hard. I figured I deserved a burnout, so hopefully Dale Inman isn’t too mad at me.”

UNOFFICIAL FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
1st – Ryan Blaney
6th – Joey Logano
7th – Josh Berry
10th – Brad Keselowski
12th – Todd Gilliland
13th – Justin Haley
16th – Noah Gragson
18th – Chris Buescher
20th – Harrison Burton
23rd – Michael McDowell
27th – Ryan Preece
28th – Chase Briscoe
30th – Austin Cindric
33rd – Kaz Grala

JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I thought we had a really good race and a really good car. To score stage points like we did we had some great restarts in there and just that last restart didn’t really go our way. We lost a little bit of track position and just could never get it back, but, all in all, just really proud of everybody on the 4 team. They did a great job. That was a lot of fun, for sure. We’re gonna keep digging to keep getting better.”

DID YOU GET ANY DAMAGE WHEN YOU RAN INTO STENHOUSE BEFORE THAT RESTART? “I don’t know. It’s hard to say what that did. Obviously, it probably hurt it a little bit, but I think losing that much track position on the restart was more than anything. All in all, it was still a good day and I’m proud of our guys. We’ll keep digging.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We put ourselves in position there to win the race with the two-tire call. I just didn’t re-fire good on two. I tried to race Blaney and couldn’t hold him off and then I just kind of got swallowed up by a couple cars pretty quick. We just didn’t have enough fire-off. I think if I could have got out front, I probably would have been OK, but I couldn’t get out there.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 King’s Hawaiian/Casey’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Not bad. We just kind of ran in that eighth to 10th place spot for pretty much the whole race and sometimes a little worse. That’s kind of what we had and we just executed around it.”

HOW WAS THE TRACK AND TIRE WEAR FOR YOU? “Our car was really good on the long runs. I liked that long run, but the short runs we just didn’t have enough speed.”

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 10 Bass Pro Shops Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was a long, hot day. We struggled fine-tuning on the car. It was kind of loose in and tight center all race and never really got over any of the two. We rebounded saving fuel at the end and finished 16th.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Mahindra USA 30 Years Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We were really good at the beginning and the first pit stop we lost like 10 spots. It was just downhill from there. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. The pit stops again later in the race, we kept losing spots. The caution comes out at the worst time and traps us and then we were gonna get the wavearound and the 47 stays out and we’re one car behind him. Anything that could have gone wrong.”