Category: NASCAR Cup PR

Team: No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman

Toyota / Save Mart 350 – Sunday, June 23 at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Newman at Sonoma Raceway

· Newman will make his 18th start at Sonoma Raceway this weekend, which is tied for second among all active Cup drivers (Jimmie Johnson & Kurt Busch – 19th). In 17 events at the 2.52-mile, 12-turn road course, Newman has an average finishing position of 13.2.

· Newman has two top-five results all-time in Cup action at Sonoma, the first of which came back in 2003 when he finished fifth. He crossed the line runner-up to Jeff Gordon three years later in 2006.

· In his last five events in Napa Valley, Newman has two top-10s (ninth – 2015, eighth – 2016) and four finishes of 15th or better.

· Newman also has an average starting position of 13.2 at Sonoma with seven starts inside the top-10, the best of which came in 2006 where he lined up fourth.

Scott Graves at Sonoma Raceway

· Graves will be atop the pit box for his fourth MENCS event at Sonoma this weekend. In three previous races, Graves has an average finish of 19.3.

· He called one race with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., back in 2013 where he finished 27th. Most recently he finished 16th (2017) and 15th (2018) with Daniel Suarez.

QUOTE WORTHY

Newman on racing at Sonoma:

“I’ve always been a huge proponent of tracks that provide a challenge behind the wheel, and Sonoma is definitely one of those. It takes some aggressive hustle to get around a road course and Sonoma is no different. Strategy typically comes into play and has a major effect on this race, so we’ll see if we can put ourselves in position this weekend in our Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang.”

Recapping Michigan
In the second Monday race of 2019 due to rain in the Irish Hills on Sunday, Newman drove his Ford to an eighth-place finish. He restarted 14th for a final green-white-checkered finish and drove his way through the field on the restart to earn his fourth top-10 of the season.

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: SONOMA ADVANCE

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series resumes action this weekend for its annual trip to Sonoma and the first road course test of the season. Ford comes into the race off a victory at Michigan International Speedway by Joey Logano, which was the Blue Oval’s fifth triumph of the season. While the Cup drivers are turning right and left in northern California, the Gander Outdoor Truck Series will be competing at Gateway Motorsports Park.

FORD IN THE MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES AT SONOMA

· Ford has eight all-time series wins at Sonoma by eight different drivers.

· Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer have one series win each at the track.

· All eight Ford wins have been by NASCAR Hall of Fame owners (Robert Yates, 3; Jack Roush, 2; Bud Moore, 1; Roger Penske, 1; and Tony Stewart, 1)

FORD IN THE GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES AT GATEWAY

· Ford has two all-time series wins at Gateway.

· Greg Biffle (1999) and Terry Cook (2002) are the lone Ford winners.

· Matt Crafton ranks first among active drivers with eight career Top 10 finishes at the track.

FORD WINNERS HAVE NASCAR HALL OF FAME TIES

As noted above, Ford has won eight times at Sonoma and the one thing all of those winners have in common is that their owners are already or about to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Robert Yates (Class of 2018) won this event three times (Davey Allison, 1991; Ernie Irvan, 1994; and Ricky Rudd, 2002), while Jack Roush (Class of 2019) has two victories (Mark Martin, 1997 and Carl Edwards, 2014). Bud Moore (Class of 2011) won with Geoffrey Bodine in 1993 while Roger Penske (Class of 2019) won with Rusty Wallace in 1996 and Tony Stewart (Class of 2020) with Kevin Harvick in 2017.

HARVICK GETS FIRST FORD WIN

Kevin Harvick stretched his fuel over the final 40 laps to bring home his first win with Ford and first win at Sonoma when he captured this event two years ago. Harvick bested teammate Clint Bowyer and fellow Ford driver Brad Keselowski in a 1-2-3 showing for the Blue Oval. The win marked the second triumph for Stewart-Haas Racing since moving to Ford prior to the start of the 2017 season. In all, five Fusions wound up in the top-10 with Kurt Busch finishing seventh and Ryan Blaney ninth as Harvick led 24 of 110 laps and cruised to a win of over eight seconds.

RUDD RUCKUS

When Ford took the checkered flag at Sonoma Raceway for the first time it came in controversial fashion. That’s because Davey Allison, the man credited with winning the Banquet Frozen Foods 300 in 1991, was sent spinning by Ricky Rudd as they were approaching the white flag. Even though Rudd ended up crossing the finish line first, he received the black flag from NASCAR for rough driving and awarded Allison with the trophy. The win was Allison’s first and only one on a road course and snapped an eight-race streak that had seen either Rudd or Rusty Wallace end up in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen International or Sonoma Raceway.

MOORE IS BEST

Little did anyone know that when Geoffrey Bodine won the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway in 1993 it would represent the final win for car owner Bud Moore. Bodine, driving the No. 15 Motorcraft Ford, had just purchased the assets of Alan Kulwicki’s No. 7 team earlier in the week and after taking the checkered flag proceeded to honor the late driver by doing an abbreviated Polish Victory Lap. He was able to do that after surviving a fierce three-car battle on the final lap with Ricky Rudd and Ernie Irvan in which contact between all three cars took place. Moore, a NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee in 2011, won 63 series races during his career by 10 different drivers.

EDWARDS BREAKS DROUGHT

Carl Edwards snapped an 11-race winless streak for Ford when he captured the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race in 2014 for car owner Jack Roush. Edwards held off Jeff Gordon on the final lap to post the first road win of his MENCS career. He did it thanks to a two-stop strategy and a timely caution. Edwards had just pitted on lap 70 when NASCAR threw a caution for debris one lap later. While most of the field decided to pit for new tires, Edwards and fellow Ford driver Marcos Ambrose stayed out and gained the necessary track position that put both in position to win. Ambrose took the lead from Clint Bowyer on lap 81 and brought Edwards with him, but another restart with 25 to go saw Ambrose and Edwards sharing the front row. Edwards got the jump and took the lead, which he never surrendered, although a hard-charging Gordon made it interesting on the final lap.

FORD MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES AT SONOMA
1991 – Davey Allison
1993 – Geoffrey Bodine
1994 – Ernie Irvan
1996 – Rusty Wallace
1997 – Mark Martin
2002 – Ricky Rudd
2014 – Carl Edwards
2017 – Kevin Harvick

FORD GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT GATEWAY
1999 – Greg Biffle
2002 – Terry Cook

Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Ground Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Race Info:
Race: Toyota / Save Mart 350
Date/Time: June 23/3:00 p.m. ET
Distance: 110 laps/218.9 miles
Track Length: 2.52 miles
Track Shape: Road Course
2018 Winner: Martin Truex Jr.

Express Notes:

Press Kit: Download the 2019 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Chris Gabehart and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.

Michigan Recap: A Monday race day ended up in an 11th-place finish for Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota team at Michigan International Speedway. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was delayed one day due to persistent rain over the two-mile oval throughout the day Sunday. Hamlin took the late-afternoon green flag in fourth. He quickly moved to the lead for three laps before grip became an issue and he fell back outside the top 10. The FedEx Freight team tried various strategic pit moves throughout the race – and even led two additional laps – but a tight-handling racecar kept Hamlin from being able to truly challenge the leaders. The #11 team did make up some ground in the third and final stage. After restarting in 25th with 66 laps to go, Hamlin fought his way into the top 15 and was knocking on the door of the top 10. Despite a late caution that bunched the field back up for a green-white-checkered finish, he finished just outside the top 10 in 11th.

Sonoma Preview: The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be returning to the road course of Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, June 23. With 12 turns and 160 feet of a total elevation change on the track, Sonoma will be the first test of the #FedEx team’s road racing program this season. Hamlin seeks his first career victory at Sonoma and a boost in the Cup Series standings.

Hamlin Sonoma Statistics:
Track: Sonoma Raceway
Races: 13
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Top-5: 3
Top-10: 5
Laps Led: 96
Avg. Start: 18.0
Avg. Finish 18.7

Hamlin Conversation:

Your team has faced adversity, especially these past few races. How does your team remain confident week in and week out?

“We have a talented squad and some things just haven’t gone our way. Looking at Michigan, our FedEx Camry wasn’t quite handling the way we needed it to that night. But considering the challenges our team has faced, we have placed better than expected and are continuing to learn from each race.”

How are you preparing for the road course and elevation changes at Sonoma?

“This will be my first time running the Carousel, so the only way I can prepare for that is with some simulator time. But JGR has a strong road course program, and I will be preparing myself to handle the conditions so I can give our team the best chance to win.”

FedEx Ground Northwest District Along for the Ride at Sonoma Raceway: For the Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, the #11 car will feature the letters “NWST” on its B-post to recognize the FedEx Ground Northwest District for leading the company in trailer load performance.

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Nibco Mustang came away with a 13th-place finish in Monday’s rain-delayed FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Menard was fast from the drop of the green flag, moving from his sixth starting position to third place on the opening lap then to second by lap four.

He took the yellow flag at lap 21 for a competition caution in fourth place, and remained in the lead group throughout the first Stage. He ended that segment in ninth place, earning two stage points.

He finished just outside the top 10 in the second Stage, winding up 11th after that 60-lap segment.

The final Stage saw Menard moving up and down the scoreboard as teams employed differing strategies on pit stops, with some taking four tires, others two and some fuel only. He was running second when he made his final stop, for two tires and fuel, with 22 laps remaining.

Menard was running 16th when the race’s final caution flag flew, setting up an overtime run to the checkered flag. He gained three spots in those two laps to secure his seventh top-15 finish in the 15 races run so far this season.

“We had top-10 speed just about the whole race,” Eddie Wood said. “It was hard racing all day long.”

Wood said he was happy to see his fellow Ford campaigners – Joey Logano and his No. 22 crew from Team Penske – celebrating in Victory Lane, especially at Michigan.

“We know how much it means to Edsel Ford and the people at Ford Motor Company to win here and get to keep the Michigan Heritage trophy,” he said of the coveted trophy that goes to the winning manufacturer after races at Michigan International Speedway. “I know a lot of them couldn’t stay until Monday because some had to work and others were leaving for Le Mans.”

Wood also pointed out that a good number of fans stayed over to watch the rain-delayed race.

“And it was good to see a lot of fans stick around for a Monday race that started late in the day,” he said. “I’m glad they got to see a good race.”

Racing resumes June 23 at Sonoma Raceway.

Menards

A family owned company started in 1958, Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, WI. Menards has more than 300 retail stores located throughout the Midwest in the states of IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI and WY. Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader. It’s famous slogan “Save Big Money at Menards” is widely known and easy to remember. For more information, visit Menards.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.

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.

Michael McDowell
No. 34 Melling Performance Ford Mustang
Started: 23rd | Finished: 27th

“Tough day for our No. 34 Melling Performance Ford Mustang. We had a Top-20 car all day long, but had a loose right front wheel late in the race and had to pit under green, which put us down a lap to where we were not able to make it back up. It was really special to have Melling Performance on our car this weekend for my 300th Cup start and I look forward to hopefully having them back on board with us in the near future.”

Matt Tifft
No. 36 Surface Sunscreen/Tunity Ford Mustang
Started: 26th | Finished: 24th

“All in all, it was a decent weekend for our No. 36 Surface Sunscreen/Tunity Ford. We took tires during that last caution, and on the restart, hit the splitter and slid up, and it didn’t work out the way we needed it to. We almost got another Top-20 but came home P24. It was incredibly hard to pass all throughout the race, so we’ve just gotta do a little bit better job to get our cars to be able to cut through the air better. I had a pit road speeding penalty early on, so we’ve also got to clean up some mistakes here and there. We’ll reflect and regroup in the off-weekend. I’m looking forward to going road course racing at Sonoma, which is one of my favorites..”

David Ragan
No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang
Started: 24th | Finished: 34th

“A really unfortunate day for our No. 38 CITGARD Ford, as we showed really good speed all race long, running inside of the Top-15 at times before having a flat right rear tire and making contact with the wall. After that, we cut down multiple right rears and had to make multiple green flag pit stops which put us a few laps down and we just could not recover.”

Team Penske Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race Report
Track: Michigan International Speedway
Race: FireKeepers Casino 400
Date: June 10, 2019

____________________________________

No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski
Start: 8th
Stage 1: 10th
Stage 2: 32nd
Finish: 6th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 203/203
Laps Led: 6
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 3rd (-73)

Notes:

Brad Keselowski rallied from a lap down to score a sixth-place finish in the FireKeepers Casino 400 Monday evening at Michigan International Speedway. Keselowski used his eighth top-10 finish of the season to climb up to third-place in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings, 73 behind leader Joey Logano.

A persistent light rain pushed the start of the race from Sunday to late Monday afternoon. Keselowski, who started eighth, battled a loose-handling Miller Lite Ford Mustang during Stage 1 before scoring a 10th-place finish when the segment concluded on lap 60. He pitted for four tires during the stage caution on lap 63 and lined up seventh when the race went green on lap 67.

The balance of Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford Mustang was greatly improved during Stage 2. He was running fourth when he made a scheduled green flag pit stop on lap 113, seven laps from the finish of the segment. But the team was penalized for a safety violation on the stop and Keselowski was forced to serve a pass-thru penalty under green on lap 118, dropping him a lap down and shuffling him back to 32nd-place when the stage ended on lap 120. He made a four-tire stop during the stage caution on lap 124 and lined up 32nd when the race went green on lap 127.

Keselowski caught a break on lap 131 when the fifth caution gave him the free pass back to the lead lap. He pitted for four tires and fuel during the caution and restarted 29th on lap 134. From there, the driver of the Miller Lite Ford steadily worked his way through traffic and back in contention for a good finish. He had climbed up to 12th-place by lap 170 with the balance on his Mustang leaning to being just a bit free on entry into Turn 2. The final cycle of pit stops began on lap 173 and crew chief Paul Wolfe made the call for his driver to stay on the track. Keselowski cycled into the lead on lap 176 and he held the top spot for six laps before making a green flag stop on lap 182 for fuel only. When the sequence was over on lap 186, Keselowski was running seventh.

The seventh and final caution slowed the pace on lap 196 and pushed the finish of the event into NASCAR Overtime, a two-lap sprint to the finish. He restarted eighth on lap 201 scrambled his way up to sixth, edging Kevin Harvick by a fender for the spot at the checkered flag.

Quotes: “We just didn’t put it all together today. We were in a really good spot and then had the pit road penalty and lost the lap. It took us until about 70 to go to get it back. It’s kind of a miracle that we got back up to sixth to be quite honest. With a yellow we might have had a shot at winning it. I thought the team did a good job with the strategy all day. The cars when they get behind each other they make the car in front of them faster. If you go back 20-30 years ago that was not the case. You would draft but you wouldn’t make the car in front of you faster. Now it seems like when you get up behind somebody you make them faster too.”

________________________________________________

No. 12 Menards/Wrangler Riggs Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 13th
Stage 1: 11th
Stage 2: 30th
Finish: 9th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 203/203
Laps Led: 1
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 9th (-180)

Notes:

· A quiet day for Ryan Blaney resulted in a ninth-place finish Monday evening at Michigan International Speedway. The driver of the Menards/Wrangler Riggs Ford Mustang battled to his fifth top-10 finish of the season. Blaney and the No. 12 Menards team remain ninth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, 180 points behind leader Joey Logano.

Blaney started 13th in the race which was postponed by rain to Monday. He struggled early and fell outside the top-15. He reported to crew chief Jeremy Bullins the balance of the No. 12 Mustang was loose, especially in Turn 3. Blaney pitted during the competition caution on lap 20 for right-side tires and an air pressure adjustment. When racing resumed on lap 25, Blaney reported the balance was better but still free. Although Blaney fell to 20th position, he was able to battle back and finish 11th when Stage 1 concluded on lap 60. During the stage caution, crew chief Jeremy Bullins called for four tires and multiple adjustments to the Menards/Wrangler Riggs Ford including wedge, air pressure and a piece of tape on the nose. Blaney restarted 10th when the race resumed on lap 67.

The pace was slowed by the third caution on lap 71 and Bullins made the call for the No. 12 Ford to stay on the track. Blaney lined up fourth when the race went green on lap 75. The High Point, N.C. native muscled his way to the second position behind teammate Joey Logano before settling into third position. Blaney made a scheduled green flag stop on lap 115 for left-side tires just five laps before the conclusion of Stage 2. He finished 30th when the stage concluded on lap 120, the last car in the lead lap. During the stage caution, Blaney pitted for right-side tires, fuel and adjustments and he restarted in the 11th position on lap 127.

A chaotic restart led to another caution on lap 129 and shuffled Blaney back to 12th. The driver of the No. 12 Ford would make his way up to the seventh position before the pace was slowed once more on lap 134. Blaney communicated to his team that his Mustang was still loose, but a little better, maintaining position inside the top-12.

Blaney was running 11th on lap 174 when Bullins called the driver of the Menards/Wrangler Riggs Mustang to pit road for the final stop of the race. The team changed right-side tires, fuel and minor adjusts for the closing laps of the event. When the pit cycle was complete, Blaney was holding firm to tenth position. The seventh and final caution on lap 197 set up a two-lap NASCAR Overtime dash to the finish. The sprint to the checkered flag and intense restart worked to Blaney’s advantage. He picked up two positions over the final two laps and was credited with a ninth-place finish at the checkered flag.

Quote: “The restarts were crazy and the dirty air was tough. If you found yourself back in traffic you had to make the best of it. We were able to make our way into the top three, but the handling faded at the end. I thought we had a pretty good day for our Menards/Wrangler Riggs Ford. We certainly have something positive to build on after this run heading into Sonoma.”

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No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 1st
Stage 1: 1st
Stage 2: 24th
Finish: 1st
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 203/203
Laps Led: 163
Point Standings (Ahead of Second): 1st (+9)

Notes:

· Joey Logano finished the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway exactly where he started: first. Logano took the lead from William Byron with 18 laps to go and survived a NASCAR Overtime finish to win on Monday evening, crossing the finish line .147 seconds ahead of Kurt Busch to win his second race of the 2019 season. Logano moved into the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings, nine points ahead of second-place Kyle Busch. The victory was Logano’s third at Michigan – all from the pole position – and the 23rd of his Cup series career.

· Logano kicked off his weekend in fine style, winning the pole for the 200-lap, 400-mile race. He edged fellow Ford driver Aric Almirola by just 0.019 seconds to capture the 599th pole in Team Penske history. The driver of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang captured his fourth pole at Michigan and his 22nd pole in 378 career MENCS starts.

· The driver of the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang took the lead for the first time on lap 4 and reported that he was just a little free on entry to Turn 1. During the competition caution on lap 22, crew chief Todd Gordon elected to take two tires which kept the No. 22 Ford in the lead. He led the remainder of Stage 1, collecting his sixth stage win of the season when the segment ended on lap 60. During the stage caution, Logano reported he was a little free in clean air, but unsure what the handling would do in traffic. The team made a minor air pressure change, keeping their driver in the lead when the race restarted on lap 67.

· Logano dominated the majority of the second stage. On lap 92 he reported that the handling was still a little loose, but overall improved from the previous two runs. Unfortunately, Logano was forced to pit on lap 114, just six laps from the conclusion of Stage 2 for left-side tires and fuel to make it to the end. He was credited with a 24th-place when the segment concluded on lap 120. Logano regained the track position when other leaders pitted during the stage caution.

· When the third and final stage went green on lap 127, Logano found himself shuffled three-wide in the middle entering Turn 1. He was running sixth when the fifth caution slowed the pace on lap 131. On the ensuing restart three laps later, Logano powered from sixth back to the lead in just two laps, grabbing the top spot from Kevin Harvick the bottom of Turn 1. On lap 137, the sixth caution was displayed for an accident involving Austin Dillon and William Byron in Turn 2.

· Once the race went back green, Logano and Harvick exchanged the lead briefly before the driver of the Shell-Pennzoil Ford took control on lap 150. He led the next 25 laps before making a scheduled pit stop under green at lap 175 for two tires and fuel, kicking off a cycle of stops for the leaders.

· When the stops were complete on lap 186, Logano was back in the lead. He was firmly in command of the race when the seventh and final caution on lap 197 sent the race into NASCAR overtime. Once again, Logano had a superb restart, holding off Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr. to claim the victory.

Quote: “It is so hard to have perfect days like that. I made one mistake on the restart and let the 4 (Kevin Harvick) get to my outside. That really made me mad at myself. I was able to make that up, which is great. It feels so good to get into victory lane. I got to thank the fans, everyone that stuck it out through the rain yesterday and came out today to watch a great race and a wild ending. You don’t want to see cautions there at the end when you are the leader but as a fan that is like the one thing you do want to see. I am glad we got the best of both worlds.”

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 10, 2019) — After battling handling issues most of the day, Ryan Newman restarted 14th for the final green-white-checkered finish and drove his way to an eighth-place finish in his Coca-Cola Ford Mustang at Michigan International Speedway.

“To have our best lap I guess other than maybe one lap to be our last lap makes me proud of the guys,” Newman said after the race. “The Coca Cola Ford wasn’t the greatest all day. We had some good restarts toward the end but just struggled with the dirty air. I think everybody did. It is obvious if you know anything about racing. It was a good points day for us. We need to get some stage points. Nevertheless I am proud of the guys.”

Pit strategy paid off late for Newman and the No. 6 as the team pitted just once – for fuel only – in the final stage. With just three laps to go, Newman lined up 14th on the outside line and found himself eighth when the checkered flag flew.

The 200-lap event was finally able to get underway at 5 p.m. ET Monday afternoon after rain set in Sunday, forcing the postponement of the 400-mile race. The 2003 Daytona 500 Champion rolled off the grid 18th and ran 21st at the time of the competition caution at lap 20.

The South Bend, Indiana, native continued to battle tight conditions, crossing the line 22nd in stage one. He would line back up 19th for the second stage and took fuel only when the yellow was displayed at lap 71. As the remaining laps ran green and a set of cars pitted for fuel, Newman stayed on track to complete the second 60-lap stage 15th.

The team continued adjustments on the No. 6 Ford under the break, sending Newman back out 20th to begin the final segment. Over the course of the opening eight laps, two caution flags were displayed as Newman stayed on track gaining track position. He would line back up 12th at lap 141 and ran there 20 laps later as the laps wound down.

With the laps continuing to pass by, Newman was eventually forced to pit under green at lap 177 for fuel only. In what looked to be a green-flag ending, the yellow came out one final time at lap 196 when Newman ran 15th. He lined back up 14th for the final restart and powered inside the top-10 on old tires finishing eighth.

Following an off weekend this weekend, Newman and the No. 6 team return to action June 23rd at Sonoma Raceway. Race coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on FS1. Coverage can also be heard on PRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 10, 2019)- After sustaining damage to the nose of the NOS Energy Drink Ford early on in stage two, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. battled back to earn a 19th-place finish in Monday’s rain delayed Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan Speedway.

“Our car was a handful today,” Stenhouse said. “It seemed like we were battling back all race from the pit-road penalty to the nose damage that caused us to pit multiple times. With this package, it was really hard to pass. We will go back and regroup and get ready for Sonoma.”

In Ford and Roush Industries’ back yard, the two-time Xfinity champion started the rain postponed 200-lap race in the 10th position picking up five positions in the first lap. When the competition yellow waved on lap 20 for rain overnight, Stenhouse was scored in the 22nd position due to loose handling conditions. After the pit-stop, NASCAR deemed the No. 17 team had a safety violation sending Stenhouse to the rear for the restart. When the first green checkered waved, Stenhouse had picked up nine positions despite battling a loose handling condition.

On the restart, the top lane stacked up causing Stenhouse to suffer minor nose damage to his NOS Energy Drink Ford. Luckily a caution flag waved two laps later allowing the team to repair the nose under the caution. After restarting in the 31st position, the Olive Branch, Miss. native battled his way back through the field taking the second green checkered in the 19th position.

Crew chief Brian Pattie chose to bring Stenhouse down pit-road early to allow the team more time to fix the nose after the team assessed the damage during the previous pit-stop. With the damage corrected, Stenhouse lined up in the 31st position for the final 80-lap stage.

Stenhouse was scored in the 20th positon when the caution flag was displayed on lap 196 sending the race into overtime. The 2013 NASCAR Cup Rookie of the Year lined up in the 20th position and picked up one spot during the final two-lap shootout.

Next up for Stenhouse and the No. 17 team is Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, June 23.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet Team Score Stage 2 Win and Show Speed at Michigan International Speedway

Finish: 26th
Start: 12th
Points: 21st

“The No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet team showed their tenacity this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. After a few struggles in practice, the team completely changed the setup and gave me one of the fastest Chevrolets I’ve ever had for the race. We showed speed in Stages 1 and 2 and even picked up the Stage 2 win. Shortly after the start of Stage 3 we were running strong in the top 10 when another car got a run and clipped the corner of the No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet. We ended up tagging the wall and had damage to the right-rear. We made multiple pit stops to repair damage and ended up finishing 26th. It’s definitely disappointing considering how good our car was today, but that’s part of racing. We will start preparing for the road courses and be ready for Sonoma Raceway in two weeks. I want to thank Dow for honoring Veterans and active-duty military members this weekend. It’s always special when those guys can ride with us. I just hate we couldn’t get them a win today.” -Austin Dillon

Daniel Hemric Earns Stage Points, Records 12th-Place Finish in Chevrolet Accessories Camaro ZL1 at Michigan International Speedway

12th
11th
24th

“I was fairly happy with how this No. 8 Chevrolet Accessories Camaro ZL1 took off to start the race. I feel like we had the ability to make some good moves. That made me feel more confident than I needed to be, and I hung myself out a couple of times and lost a little bit of track position. Early in the race we tried to take fuel only and it just killed our balance. After that, we started chipping away at the positions ahead of us and were able to score some points at the end of Stage 2. We were setting ourselves up to have good track position to start Stage 3, but we had an issue with the air hose getting caught on the splitter and that caused us to lose all of our track position. I was able to drive back inside the top 10, which shows the speed we had in our Chevrolet Accessories Camaro ZL1. When that last caution came out, we got stuck in the dreaded bottom lane, where nobody wanted to be all day, and got shuffled back on the restart. We salvaged a 12th-place finish. We’ll learn from today and come back here later in the year ready for an even better result.” -Daniel Hemric

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Michigan International Speedway
Race 15 of 36 – 400 miles, 200 laps
June 10, 2019

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Joey Logano*
2nd, Kurt Busch*
3rd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
4th, Daniel Suarez*
5th, KYLE BUSCH
11th, DENNY HAMLIN
21st, MATT DiBENEDETTO
31st, ERIK JONES
*non-Toyota driver

Camry driver Martin Truex Jr. (third) was the highest-finishing Toyota driver in the postponed Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) event at Michigan International Speedway on Monday.

It was Truex’ sixth top-five and ninth top-10 finish in 15 MENCS races this season.

Kyle Busch also scored a top-five finish with a fifth-place result. It was his ninth top-five and 14th top-10 finish in 2019.

TOYOTA QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR, No. 19 Auto Owners Insurance Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

Take us through what you needed to do there to have a shot at passing Joey Logano for the win.

“He was just really fast. I don’t know if we could have done anything with him. We were going to need one heck of a push from behind – a shove down the straightaway. I could get a little bit of a run, but never enough to get next to him and surely not enough to get next to him and clear him getting in the corner. His car was really good. They were really fast obviously qualifying first and then as good as they raced. Hats off to those guys. I thought we’d rack them up there, you know green-white-checkered. I thought hey, maybe we do have a shot at this thing and then he jumped the restart by over a car length. I don’t know. I guess they don’t enforce those rules anymore. We’ll have to remember that for next time.”

Was starting at the bottom line on that final restart frustrating for you?

“No, I felt like before that we were going to finish second no matter what. My mindset there was at least we got a shot at it here, rack ‘em up, have a green-white-checkered and see. I don’t know. My second gear was off a little bit all day on the restarts, so I was getting jumped, but then the 22 (Joey Logano) just went like a whole car length before his restart zone. I don’t know how you get away with that. I thought we were supposed to go in the box. Aside from that a great day for the Auto Owners Toyota. Everybody back at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing), thank you – TRD (Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A.), everybody. We had a solid race car. It’s just man, you’ve got to be so patient in this racing it’s really hard. Earlier in the race I kept getting runs and going underneath guys and beating them through the corner, but if you can’t clear them, you lose two or three to four spots every time. It’s frustrating at times, but everybody did a good job. We had a fill-in rear tire changer this weekend and that’s a lot pressure to come in on. He’s a young kid and he did a good job there. Great job by everyone. Came up a little bit short, but a solid day for us here.”

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

Finishing Position: 5th

How did you get up to that top-five finish?

“We just did the best we could with what we had. Our M&M’s Camry was not great, but we just kept working on it all day. We just kept falling back or doing rounds, doing air pressure, everything we could to get improving on it and make it better. I don’t think we ever really made it faster. It was still kind of slow at the end. We saw the 22 (Joey Logano) just drive away from us on that restart there, but overall we came with about – way better than we should have. Let’s go with that. Way better than we should have.”

What more did you need at the of the race?

“Running as fast as we could run, running as hard as we could, I couldn’t necessarily keep up with those front guys. The M&M’s Camry though it drove well. It was wide open all day long through (Turns) 3 and 4. We had to breathe it a few times here or there. We had some issues in traffic a lot. The further back we got, the worse we got. There on that green flag stop, the guys did a phenomenal job to jump us there and got us into the top four to be able to position ourselves for the end. That’s what saved our day. We’ll just go on to the next one.”

Were you hoping to push Joey Logano down to the corner and maybe get him loose or do something?

“Do something, yeah exactly. The something – I don’t know where the something was. My car wasn’t keeping up with that car. He just drove away from us there on that final restart. Just flat out out-accelerated us and drove away. He even gave room for the 19 (Martin Truex Jr.) to fall in line so that was pretty anti-climactic there at the end.”