Category: NASCAR Cup PR

CHASE BRISCOE
Iowa Advance
No. 14 Mahindra USA 30 Years Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol (Round 17 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 16
● Location: Iowa Speedway in Newton
● Layout: .875-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 350 laps/306.25 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 70 laps / Stage 2: 140 laps / Final Stage: 140 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● After a trip to the West Coast this past weekend at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to America’s Heartland for its inaugural race this Sunday at Iowa Speedway in Newton. While the track is new to the Cup Series, it is not new to NASCAR. The .875-mile oval located less than 40 miles east of the capital city of Des Moines played host to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series from 2009 through 2019, holding a total of 33 races (20 Xfinity Series races and 13 Truck Series races). NASCAR has been absent from Iowa since 2020, with this year providing a welcome return to a track many in the industry have come to love. The D-shaped oval was designed by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, and its similarity to the .75-mile Richmond (Va.) Raceway is no coincidence. Wallace claimed Richmond as one of his favorite tracks, and when he joined Iowa’s design team in 2003, Wallace used Richmond as his baseline. Iowa features variable banking, with the turns banked between 12-14 degrees, the frontstretch at 10 degrees and the backstretch at 4 degrees. Construction of Iowa began on June 21, 2005 and the facility made its public debut on Sept. 15, 2006 with a Hooters Pro Cup Series race during which driver Woody Howard became the track’s first victor. ARCA Menards Series races followed in 2006 and the IndyCar Series joined Iowa’s lineup in 2007.

● Despite the NASCAR Cup Series having never run at Iowa Speedway, Chase Briscoe is a veteran of the track. The driver of the No. 14 Mahindra USA 30 Years Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing has made five starts at Iowa across the NASCAR Xfinity Series (three), NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (one) and ARCA Menards Series (one). He has never finished outside the top-10 and has an average finish of 5.2, a number buoyed by two victories – July 9, 2016 in ARCA and July 27, 2019 in Xfinity.

● Briscoe dominated in his 2016 ARCA Menards Series win at Iowa. The native of Mitchell, Indiana qualified fifth and led twice for 63 laps. When Briscoe took the lead from Kyle Weatherman on lap 91, the 150-lap race was effectively over as Briscoe never relinquished the point, driving to a 2.484-second margin of victory over runner-up Kyle Benjamin.

● Briscoe’s second and most recent win at Iowa was a bit more nuanced. Despite qualifying second for the 2019 Xfinity Series race, Briscoe didn’t take the lead until lap 244 of the 250-lap race. But those final seven laps were the only ones that mattered as Briscoe outran Christopher Bell, who had led four times for a race-high 234 laps, to take the victory by 1.069 seconds. It was the last Xfinity Series race at Iowa and the top-five finishers – Briscoe, Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, Noah Gragson and Tyler Reddick – are now all fulltime NASCAR Cup Series drivers who will compete in Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol.

● Mahindra Ag North America is a proud sponsor of Briscoe and Stewart-Haas, and the No. 14 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Briscoe will drive this weekend at Iowa highlights an impressive milestone for Mahindra – 30 years of selling tractors in the United States. Houston-based Mahindra Ag North America is part of Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector, the No. 1-selling farm tractor company in the world, based on volumes across all company brands. Mahindra offers a range of tractor models from 20-75 horsepower, implements, and the ROXOR heavy-duty UTV. Mahindra farm equipment is engineered to be easy to operate by first-time tractor or side-by-side owners and heavy duty to tackle the tough jobs of rural living, farming and ranching. Steel-framed Mahindra Tractors and side-by-sides are ideal for customers who demand performance, reliability and comfort. Mahindra dealers are independent, family-owned businesses located throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra USA 30 Years Ford Mustang Dark Horse

It seems like everyone is genuinely excited to race at Iowa this year. Why is that?

“It’s my favorite pavement track that I’ve ever raced on. I’m super excited. It’s just an awesome racetrack. It’s rough and it’s worn out. They repaved some of it, which stinks, but nobody’s run there for a couple of years, and every time I’ve ever been there, it’s been an unbelievable race. You can just literally go wherever on the racetrack. I think it’ll be the perfect storm for our cars. I feel like the NextGen car really performs well on intermediates and kind of struggles on short tracks, but Iowa is like the intermediate of short tracks. And then you throw in the fact that it’s really slick and worn out, there should be tire wear. I’m just really, really excited to go there.”

In your last race at Iowa, you won. In fact, in three career NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Iowa, you’ve never finished outside the top-10. What made you so good there?

“Iowa is the one track that from the get-go – I went there in ARCA and won, Truck Series I ran second almost the whole race and I should’ve won, the Xfinity car I was always up front and I was able to win in it, too. Honestly, as crazy as it sounds, on iRacing Iowa was always the one track that me and my buddies would all run because you could throw slide jobs, and before iRacing had dirt, that was the one track we felt like kind of raced like a dirt track because you’d slide around, and you could throw slide jobs on people. We would run so many laps around that racetrack between me and Christopher Bell and Logan Seavey and just all these guys you obviously hear of now. I had probably more laps around that track than any other on iRacing. When I finally got to go there in real life, I drove it just like I did on iRacing and it was fast. I need to get back on there and run some laps because it’s been a couple of years, now. It’s just a place that I fell in love with literally from the first lap I ran there, and I always enjoyed going there. It always helps when you run well every time you’ve been there, too. Yeah, I’m pretty jacked up about going there with the Cup car.”

We’ve talked about how different the NextGen cars are to the Xfinity Series cars, but does that familiarity with Iowa and your success there help for the inaugural Cup race at Iowa?

“I think so. The Cup car’s certainly going to drive totally different than anything I’ve ever run there before. But that track has so much character. It’s been since 2019 that I’ve raced there, so you know it’s changed a lot since then. The holes that were big then are probably going to be just bigger now, and how you manipulate your car through those holes is super, super important. And the NextGen drives totally different through bumps and stuff, so there’s going to be a lot of learning to do. But I still think it’s going to be one of those tracks where, if you understand your car placement and just how to run the top there, it’s going to be really big for you. It’s going to be a clean slate for everybody. Nobody’s going to have a lot of experience there, at least in the last few years, so it’s going to be fun to go there and try to figure it out together.”

How helpful is the simulator in getting your mind to understand how Iowa drives in a Cup car compared to what you experienced there in ARCA, Trucks and Xfinity back in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019?

“It’s good. It gives you a general idea of what to expect, and you at least kind of know what you’re getting into before you get into it. It’s never 100 percent, but I think the closer and the more we use it, the better it gets. There are some tracks that are better than others, but it’s hard when you haven’t been to a place before. But I think it just gives you a general idea. And even from just a visual standpoint, I haven’t been there since 2019, there are going to be signs and markers that are going to be different, so that’s where I think the sim will come into play.”

You get a rare Friday practice session at Iowa. How helpful will that real-world track time be for you?

“It’ll be nice to have a full practice session. You can learn a lot. We only have a few a year, and those are the only times that we’re actually allowed to make changes on the car at the racetrack that are more than just your little, tiny adjustments. So as a team, you almost go there just trying to make your program better as a whole for down the road, so you can really try some stuff that you’re really wanting to try. And you might sacrifice a practice session at a new racetrack just trying to learn stuff for the rest of the year. It’s always nice when you have those long practice sessions. You can tune your car in and just try some stuff that you haven’t been able to try before.”

Does Iowa have some tendencies of Richmond or other tracks where you’ve competed?

“I feel like it’s its own thing. Iowa’s always been my best racetrack, and I feel like Richmond’s always been my worst. I remember the first time I went to Richmond and felt like it was just a flat Iowa, and I was not very good. They’re definitely similar from a shape standpoint, but they race totally, totally different. I don’t feel like there’s much that compares.”

When I say “Iowa,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind, other than the racetrack?

“Other than the racetrack? I think of Knoxville, which is a different racetrack. Just sprint car racing, you know how big sprint-car racing is in that area, Knoxville is 20, 30 minutes away, you have the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. Outside of that, I think of corn fields. The racetrack is literally in a corn field.”

When we race at Iowa, Mahindra will be celebrating 30 years of selling its tractors in the United States. Iowa is farm country, and it seems to be your country, we well. Are you ready to deliver for Mahindra in NASCAR’s return to Iowa?

“It would be awesome, and I feel like it’s kind of a perfect storm. It’s my favorite racetrack, it’s 30 years for Mahindra selling in the U.S., and you’re literally in the middle of farm and tractor country. It’d be perfect, right? I think there’s a real opportunity to do it, and I feel like there’s no better place to do it than in the Heartland of America where there are probably more tractors in that state than any other state in America. It’d be awesome to win it right there, kind of fly the flag for Mahindra right there in the heart of where there’s a ton of tractor competition.”

You’ve gone from being a guy who probably didn’t know a whole lot about tractors to where you now have a fleet of Mahindra Tractors on your property. What have you been doing since you’ve become a homeowner in rural North Carolina?

“I knew how to drive a tractor, but when I first moved down here, I didn’t have any land. And then two years ago I was able to buy a place with 17 acres and I instantly needed a tractor, so it kind of worked out being with Mahindra. I went from a 20-horsepower to a 50-horsepower back down to a 20-horsepower, and I definitely put a lot of hours on them. My son is just in love with riding the tractor. He wants to do it every single day, so if I’m not moving dirt or trying to fix my driveway or tearing down trees or just picking up limbs, he’s asking to get on the tractor. That’s the one thing, with 17 acres, there are trees falling all the time, so you’re always trying to pick something up, move it and clear something. When I’m not doing that, my son just wants to ride around and drive it and lift the bucket up and down, so it’s been nice for us just to have 20, 30 minutes every day of just going out there and just me and him and watching him kind of enjoying it and learning. It’s definitely been nice to have a partner like Mahindra where, not only are they family off the racetrack, but their product is honestly bringing our family closer.”

Mahindra tailors its equipment for first-time tractor buyers. That was you. How intuitive was their equipment to where you could get up to speed relatively quickly?

“I don’t have a ton of experience with other brands, but I felt like, for me, I hadn’t driven a tractor since I was probably 11, 12 years old with my grandpa, so 15 years ago. But I got on and it was pretty simple. You literally turn the key, you put the thing in gear, push the pedal down and it’s going, and the bucket’s pretty self-explanatory – you pull it back and it goes up, you push it and it goes down, and then you tilt it going left or right. So there’s not a whole lot of things that you can do to mess up on it. Now being in the tractor space, I’ve been able to see other brands and other things and it just looks more complicated. The Mahindras are super simple and, especially for the first-time tractor buyer, it makes things a lot easier just because it doesn’t overcomplicate things. You can’t hurt them, that’s for sure.”

No. 14 Mahindra USA 30 Years Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe

Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell

Hometown: Friendship, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey

Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Spotter: Joey Campbell

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala

Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal

Hometown: Holland, Michigan

Jack Man: Kapil Fletcher

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams

Hometown: Plymouth, Wisconsin

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads

Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips

Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Transporter Co-Driver: Todd Cable

Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Dale Lackey

Hometown: Taylorsville, North Carolina

IOWA

Saturday, June 15 — NASCAR Xfinity Series, 3:30 p.m. ET (USA)
Sunday, June 16 — NASCAR Cup Series, 7 p.m. ET (USA)

This weekend will mark the NASCAR Cup Series debut at Iowa Speedway, a ⅞ mile short track located in Newton, but it’s not that unfamiliar to many of the competitors because the NASCAR Xfinity Series has conducted 20 races at the facility. Iowa Speedway opened with single events in 2009 and ‘10 before hosting two races a year from 2011-19.

INAUGURAL RACE SUCCESS

Ford has had its share of success when it comes to inaugural races and no driver has had more than Team Penske’s Joey Logano, who has captured three such events in the last three years. The two-time Cup champion started his streak by winning the first series race on dirt in more than 50 years when he won at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2021. He followed that up with a pair of inaugural victories in 2022 at the season-opening Clash at the Coliseum and later in the year at World Wide Technology Raceway. The only other active Ford driver with an inaugural win is defending champion Ryan Blaney, who won the first race on the Charlotte Roval in 2018.

INAUGURAL RACE WINNERS

Joey Logano at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 5, 2022
Joey Logano at the Clash at the Coliseum on Feb. 6, 2022
Joey Logano at the Bristol Dirt Race on March, 29, 2021
Ryan Blaney at the Charlotte Roval on Sept. 30, 2018
Mark Martin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 1, 1998
Jeff Burton at Texas Motor Speedway on April 6, 1997
LEADER OF THE IOWA PACK

As noted above, the NASCAR Xfinity Series has had 20 races at Iowa Speedway and Ford leads all manufacturers with nine victories, followed by Toyota (7) and Chevrolet (4). Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Brad Keselowski are tied for the most wins among drivers with three each while Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe and Chris Buescher also have a victory at the short track.

Austin Cindric: “I know they were going to pave over the patchwork in three and four that’s been there for a little while, so obviously new pavement is gonna add grip and you’re gonna have to run through it. I think it all just kind of depends on how wide it is. Even at North Wilkesboro, that’s an extreme example with an extremely old surface. You would put your tire literally on the freshest piece of asphalt and that would be the racing line no matter what track shape or geometry would tell you is the correct racing line. It’s where the grip is, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a favored spot on the racetrack just because of that, but, otherwise, I think we’re all really excited about going to Iowa.”

Joey Logano: “Until you get there you don’t really know. It’s probably the most interesting repave-ish thing that we’ve seen. Like I said, I can’t really form an opinion until I make laps on it, but it’s definitely unique. Good or bad, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Going off the tire test at Wilkesboro, I thought that was gonna be a single lane race that wasn’t gonna have any passing, and I was completely wrong about that. The track was up to the wall, so who knows. Maybe things have changed. You just don’t know.”

Todd Gilliland: “I’m very interested to see how Iowa is. I’ve seen pictures and it’s like there’s one lane paved here, and it goes to two lanes and then back to one lane. From my side of it, when I last raced at Iowa it was extremely worn out, so I think the difference between the old pavement and the new pavement is gonna be on a different level.”

200TH SERIES VICTORY

Two years after his historic win in the Daytona 500, Trevor Bayne provided another milestone for Ford when he notched its 200th all-time victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Iowa Speedway on June 9, 2013. Bayne, who got married earlier in the week, took the lead from Austin Dillon with 12 laps to go and held on to register his second series victory. Ford currently has 286 all-time NXS wins with Mark Martin holding down the top spot for most victories with 47. Carl Edwards is second with 38.

FORD’S NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT IOWA

2011 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Sweep)
2012 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (1)
2013 – Trevor Bayne (1) and Brad Keselowski (2)
2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2015 – Chris Buescher (1) and Ryan Blaney (2)
2019 – Chase Briscoe (2)

Corey LaJoie to steer No. 7 Gainbridge/Iowa Hawkeyes Chevrolet

IOWA CITY, Iowa (June 11, 2024) – Gainbridge®, Spire Motorsports, and the University of Iowa Athletics Department and Learfield’s Hawkeye Sports Properties announced Corey LaJoie will drive a special Iowa Hawkeyes-themed paint scheme in the June 16 NASCAR Cup Series’ Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway. The No. 7 Gainbridge/Iowa Hawkeyes Chevrolet will take the track featuring special black and gold striping with the Iowa Hawkeyes athletics logo on the hood and the athletics website on the rear TV panel.

Gainbridge®, a Group 1001 company, is a proud sponsor of Iowa Athletics and earlier this year signed a multi-year partnership with Hawkeye legend Caitlin Clark as a brand ambassador. Gainbridge® is also an anchor partner of Spire Motorsports and the primary sponsor of LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet. All Iowa Athletics sponsorship agreements are managed by its multimedia rights holder Hawkeye Sports Properties, the locally based team of Learfield, the media and technology company powering college athletics.

“The No. 7 is extra special this weekend as we bring together two unique sports properties from our portfolio and give Iowans a home-state car to pull for in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway,” said Mike Nichols, Chief of Sponsorship and Activation at Group 1001. “From Caitlin Clark to now this, Gainbridge® has stepped up to support Iowa athletics and we hope that all of Iowa will rally around Corey LaJoie and cheer him on to victory lane.”

“The NASCAR event at Iowa Speedway is a marquee event for the state and we’re thankful that Gainbridge® is shining a big spotlight on Learfield and Iowa athletics,” said Gabe Aguirre, Vice President & General Manager, Hawkeye Sports Properties. “We’re all rooting for Corey LaJoie in that No. 7.”

The Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol will be televised live on USA Network Sunday, June 16, beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 17th of 36 races on the 2024 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

About Gainbridge® …
Founded in 2018, Gainbridge® is an insurtech subsidiary of Group 1001 that empowers consumers to take control of their financial future with solutions that are accessible to everyone, no matter their budget or financial knowledge. Its platform provides access to financial products that are simple, intuitive, and backed by smart technology with no complexity or hidden fees. Gainbridge® is headquartered in Zionsville, Indiana. For more information, visit www.gainbridge.io or follow and connect with us on X and LinkedIn.

About Learfield …
Learfield is a diversified and influential media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports is a NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2024, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively. The team will also field the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. An all-star driver lineup will rotate throughout the 2024 season in the No. 7 Chevy. Rajah Caruth will drive the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Chevrolets in the No. 77.

Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on April 12, 2024, when Kyle Busch took the took the checkered flag in the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Iowa Event Info:
Date: Sunday, June 16
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Newton, Iowa
Format: 350 Laps, 306.25 Miles, Stages: 70-140-140
TV: USA
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Friday: 5:35 p.m. ET, Practice (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 1:05 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 7 p.m. ET, Race (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• Iowa Speedway hosts the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time in its history this weekend as the NCS starts embark on a 350-lap race Sunday night.
• Despite no Cup races there, both RFK drivers have a leg up at the 7/8-mile track as both have visited victory lane in the Xfinity Series. Brad Keselowski won the first-ever NXS race at Iowa back in 2009 and went on to win three times, while Chris Buescher won with Jack Roush in 2015 at the track, with current crew chief Scott Graves atop the box.
• Overall RFK has five wins at Iowa, the most recent coming less than a decade ago with Buescher.

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: King’s Hawaiian / Casey’s

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Fastenal

Keselowski at Iowa (Xfinity Series Stats)
Starts: 7
Wins: 3 (2009, 2013, 2014)
Top-10s: 7
Poles: —

• Keselowski was the first winner in the Xfinity Series at Iowa, taking home the inaugural trophy back in 2009. He led 121 laps and drove the No. 88 for JR Motorsports to victory lane, his first of three NXS trophies at the track.
• He went on to win again in back-to-back seasons in 2013-14, and finished top-8 in every race he ran there, the last coming in 2016.
• With the Cup Series’ first visit to the 7/8-mile track, Keselowski is coming off a recent test at Iowa less than a month ago, one of the few drivers now to have turned laps in a Cup car.

Buescher at Iowa (Xfinity Series Stats)
Starts: 4
Wins: 1 (2015)
Top-10s: 1
Poles: —

• Buescher won at Iowa back in 2015 for Jack Roush in the No. 60 in one of his four NXS starts at the track. That season marked his most recent action at the track.
• He also made four starts in ARCA from 2009-12, earning a pair of top fives.

RFK Historically at Iowa
Wins: 5 (Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2011 twice, 2012; Trevor Bayne, 2013; Chris Buescher, 2015)

• Stenhouse Finds First in Iowa: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. picked up his first Xfinity Series win at Iowa back in 2011, sweeping both races as the series at the time competed there in May and August. The next season he won again, as three of his eight career NXS wins all-time came at the 7/8-mile track.
• Bayne Breaks Through in 2013: Trevor Bayne continued the winning tradition with the No. 6 in victory lane at Iowa, winning the first race of the 2013 campaign at Iowa. It marked his second Xfinity Series win of his career.
• Buescher Victorius in 2015: Buescher started fourth in the 2015 race, led 94 laps and won in the No. 60 entry for Jack Roush in what was one of his two wins in his Xfinity Championship season.

RFK Iowa Wins

2011 Stenhouse Xfinity
2011 Stenhouse Xfinity
2012 Stenhouse Xfinity
2013 Bayne Xfinity
2015 Buescher Xfinity

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Sonoma: Buescher led the second-most laps of any driver, won stage two and nearly won the race before finishing third, his third-straight top-5 at the track. Keselowski earned stage two points and picked up a P13 finish.

Points Standings (6: 7th, 17: 13th): RFK had one of the best points days of the season last Sunday at Sonoma as both drivers earned stage points and ultimately advanced positions in the standings. Keselowski jumped two spots to seventh as now just a point separates the No. 6, 54 and 20. Buescher advanced one position to 13th, but more importantly increased his gap to 14th by now 24 points.

Save Mart 350 – Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma, CA – June 9, 2024

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 AMERICA’S TIRE FORD MUSTANG

START: 28TH STAGE ONE: 14TH STAGE TWO: 22ND FINISH: 22ND POINTS: 18TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric started 28th and finished 22nd in an eventful 110-lap race at Sonoma Raceway in California. Following a win last week in St. Louis, hopes were high for the Mooresville, NC native heading into the second road course race of 2024. Stage 1 started off with multiple incidents that Cindric managed to avoid and brought the America’s Tire Ford home in the 14th position in Stage 1. Stage 2 would unfortunately see Cindric’s day take a downturn. A high-speed spin on lap 31 at turn one and multi-car incident on lap 40 would see any track position made up immediately lost again. Cindric would finish Stage 2 in the 22nd position. The final stage would see Cindric go for a third and final spin with three laps remaining. The America’s Tire Ford would soldier home for a 22nd-place finish. While certainly not the result the team wanted, Cindric and the No. 2 crew will look to rebound next week at Iowa Speedway – a track where he scored his first Xfinity Series pole in 2018.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “Definitely wasn’t the day we were expecting and we had to fight through a lot of adversity early on. Track position is so important at these places – especially with how these restarts can unfold – but this No. 2 America’s Tire team didn’t give in. We’ll take what we can from today and start looking ahead to Iowa.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/MOEN FORD MUSTANG

START: 3RD STAGE ONE: 2ND STAGE TWO: 30TH FINISH: 7TH POINTS: 12TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney came away with a seventh-place finish Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, marking his fourth-career top-10 finish at the 1.99-mile road course. After starting third, Blaney raced inside the top-five for the entirety of the opening stage as the 12 team opted to stay out during each of the three cautions in the 25-lap segment, culminating in a second-place finish in Stage 1. Blaney took the green flag at the start of Stage 2 from row one and continued his battle with the No. 45 for the race lead, but three cautions within the first 15 laps of the segment halted any forward momentum. Crew chief Jonathan Hassler eventually brought Blaney to pit road for the first time with four laps to go in the stage while running third as all the leaders pitted within the same two laps in order to stay out during the caution, resulting in a 30th-place result in Stage 2. With few teams opting to hit pit road during the stage break, Hassler called the Menards/Moen Ford to pit road to top off on fuel before the final run of the afternoon while restarting from 29th. Despite battling issues with rear grip on the ensuing run, Blaney worked his way back into the top-10 by lap 70 and was scored third before making his way to pit road under green with 27 laps to go for the final stop of the day. Blaney blended back onto the racing surface in 19th, but eventually made his way into the top-10 with seven laps to go before picking up an additional three spots in the final four laps to secure a seventh-place finish.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “Up and down day for our 12 team, for sure. I think the number of early cautions forced our hand with the strategy and we did a good job adjusting to that to keep us in contention in the final two stages. It’s tough coming back up through the field here but proud of the guys for staying on it all day to come away with a top-10.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 AUTOTRADER FORD MUSTANG

START: 1ST STAGE ONE: 30TH STAGE TWO: 9TH FINISH: 21ST POINTS: 16TH

RACE RUNDOWN: After picking up his 31st-career Cup Series pole on Saturday, Joey Logano and the No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang led the first 16 laps Sunday at Sonoma but a multi-car incident in Stage 1 marred the rest of the afternoon, resulting in a 21st-place finish. Logano paced the field from the drop of the green flag up until the second caution of the day on lap 16 as the Autotrader Ford was brought to pit road under yellow for a four tire stop before lining up 21st for the ensuing restart. As the field made its way down through the esses, several cars went spinning in front of Logano and the No. 14 slid back across the racing surface, clipping the right rear of the No. 22. Logano made a pair of stops under caution as the 22 team worked to make repairs, culminating in a 30th-place finish in Stage 1. Logano made two more trips to pit road during the stage break to continue working on the right side before lining up to restart for Stage 2. Three cautions in the opening laps of the segment saw Logano jump to 15th in the running order by lap 40 and eventually made his way back inside the top-10 as the green flag pit cycle began in the closing laps of the stage, resulting in a ninth-place finish in Stage 2. Logano began the final stage from ninth after staying out under yellow and was called to pit road early in the run on lap 68 for the final stop of the day before ultimately settling for a 21st-place finish.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “Unfortunate end to our weekend in Sonoma especially with the speed we showed the last two days. Anything can happen on these restarts and it was just wrong place, wrong time for us after trying to flip the strategy on everyone up front. Still proud of the effort from the 22 crew to keep after it all day long despite the early setback there.”

Iowa Speedway hosts its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race next Sunday, June 16. Race coverage begins coverage at 7:00 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Keselowski Finishes 13th, Waters DNF After Promising Start on Road Course

SONOMA, Calif. (June 9, 2024) – Chris Buescher led the second-most laps of any driver Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, won stage two and nearly lasted for the race win, before finishing third in the BuildSubmarines.com Ford.

Brad Keselowski put together a solid day, also with stage points, to finish 13th. Cam Waters unfortunately did not finish in his NASCAR Cup Series debut after being collected in a multi-car incident, despite a strong start.

“It was really good strategy on the day and an awesome finish,” Buescher said after the race. “I wasn’t quite able to hold the lead there and that bums me out, I was trying. I’ve got to be better and ultimately figure out how to make that last a little bit longer, but our team did a really nice job.

“To start where we did and finish right here at the front with our BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang, I’m really proud of that. Just another close one at the end of the day.”

The top three finish for Buescher marks the fifth-straight race an RFK car has finished inside the top three, and his best since P2 in Kansas.

6 Recap
Keselowski – carrying the banner for King’s Hawaiian and Despicable Me 4 – had arguably the best rebound of any driver, coming back from a 35th-place starting spot. The opening segments of the race saw eight total cautions in the first two stages alone, as the longest green flag run within the first 41 laps stood at just 13.

The No. 6 pitted twice in the opening stage, setting up a strategy play for later. He finished 27th to end the first stage and fired off 22nd to begin the second. Then, at lap 35, a multi-car incident occurred in turn 11, one that blocked the track and trapped Keselowski in 33rd. He stayed out in the caution break though, setting him up 18th on the ensuing restart.

He restarted 16th for the final restart of the stage at lap 42, then, as the lead cars were forced to pit to end the stage, Keselowski remained on track, regaining track position to ultimately earn stage points and finish sixth.

He and teammate Buescher restarted the third stage sixth and first, respectively, at lap 59 to begin the final run to the checkered. With one more stop needed, Keselowski remained on track for as long as possible, ultimately pitting again for the final time at lap 64 from sixth, before going on to finish 13th.

17 Recap
Buescher and the No. 17 team utilized a similar strategy to the No. 6 to start the race as the BuildSubmarines.com Ford had to rebound from 26th on the grid. He finished the first stage in 28th after pitting just once in the opening run.

The No. 17 rolled 24th to start stage two and worked his way up to 17th just five laps later on a restart. He skated through the incident at lap 35, advancing to 11th. A few laps later he got into the top-10 for the first time all day, restarting 10th with 13 laps remaining in the stage at lap 42.

He was the first car on different strategy, meaning when the lead cars pitted in the closing laps of the stage, Buescher inherited the lead for the final two laps to win the stage, earning a playoff point. He stayed out in the stage break and led the field back to green to begin stage three, ultimately hitting pit road for fuel at lap 68.

He again took the lead at lap 84 after another pit cycle occurred, and this time led for 17 laps before the No. 19 and No. 5 took over. He went on to finish third after the 19 ran out of fuel in the final lap, securing the top three result.

60 Recap
Waters made the most of his Cup debut despite the circumstances and was in line to inherit a top five position until an incident out of his control ultimately severely damaged the No. 60 AUKUS/BuildSubmarines.com Ford.

Waters – the Australian native – began the day from 31st and elected to pit early at lap 16 during one of the several cautions to begin the afternoon. With that strategy in play, Waters was able to slowly check off track position throughout the flurry of cautions. He worked his way to 18th by lap 20, and up to 18th to end the first stage.

He fired off 16th to begin stage two, restarted just outside the top-10 at lap 34, and was in line to gain more track position due to strategy, before chaos ensued the next lap. The No. 4 was forced into a host of cars into turn 11 on lap 35, which ultimately created a traffic jam where Waters sustained front-end damage. Despite the damage and not knowing how the car would run, Waters bounced back to finish the second stage in 21st.

However, as the laps ticked away, the right front and steering proved to be too damaged, forcing Waters to retire the car early.

“I had so much fun,” Waters said following his race. “This weekend and the whole experience coming to a road course in a Cup car was sensational. I had so much fun and I can’t thank everyone enough for making that happen. The start of the race, I took it easy the first couple of laps and then I pressed on and tried to pass some cars.

“The car was super fast. It could absolutely make some ground passing cars, which was really good. The cautions fell our way a bit and I guess effectively we were right up there somewhere. It was all looking really good.”

Up Next
Iowa Speedway hosts the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time ever next weekend with a night race on tap. Race coverage next Sunday is set for 7 p.m. ET on USA, with radio coverage on MRN 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.

Top-10 Run For Austin Dillon and The No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Team Slowed By On-Track Incident at Sonoma Raceway

Finish: 36th
Start: 16th
Points: 31st

“Our RCR team brought a fast Get Bioethanol Chevrolet to Sonoma Raceway today. We had a solid strategy playing out in Stage 2 and we may have been able to outlast the leaders on fuel. We planned to run to the end, come to pit road, take tires and fuel, and restart the final stage inside the top 10. We didn’t get a chance to show what we were capable of. We were racing in the ninth position when we were caught up in the mess. The No. 60 car got me into the No. 23 car going into turn 10, causing us to be three-wide going into Turn 11. The No. 4 and No. 43 cars collided going into Turn 11, and that caused a chain reaction with a few cars. Our team did a great job on pit road trying to repair it, but the damage was too severe, and we had to take it to the garage. We will move on and head to Iowa Speedway next weekend.” -Austin Dillon

Kyle Busch And The zone Chevrolet Team Credited With 12th-Place Finish after Last Lap Spin at Sonoma Raceway

Finish: 12th
Start: 29th
Points: 15th

“Randall Burnett and all the guys on the zone Chevrolet team came up with a great strategy today that put us in position to score a top-five finish. Early in the race I thought I broke something on the right-front but we had a damaged wheel. We lost track position but our strategy kept us in the game. A couple of guys there at the end of the race had better tires than we did but we were going to have a good day. Unfortunately, one of those guys got into us on the last lap and ruined our day. It’s frustrating to not get the finish that we deserved.” -Kyle Busch

Will Brown Makes First Career NASCAR Cup Series Start in the No. 33 MobileX / Shaw and Partners Chevrolet at Sonoma Raceway

Finish: 31st
Start: 24th
Points: N/A

“It was a great experience to make my first NASCAR Cup Series start in the No. 33 MobileX / Shaw and Partners Chevrolet. I really enjoyed the racing and to be honest, it was very similar to our racing back home in SuperCars. It was a disappointing result for sure. I think we were running quite well at the start and able to make up ground. I started to smell an electrical fire inside the car before the end of Stage 1. I wasn’t sure if it was my car and then I started to see fumes behind the dash. I was hoping it would last, but it was obviously something similar to the issue yesterday in qualifying. I shut off everything and unfortunately with the way the race played out, there weren’t any cautions at the end to get our laps back. It’s disappointing but that is racing at the end of the day.” -Will Brown

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

• AJ Allmendinger qualified 11th for the Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
• When the first caution came on lap three, Allmendinger was running 10th and reported his No. 16 Cirkul Chevy fired off well. After the restart, Allmendinger drove up to eighth place by lap 12, reporting he was starting to feel free laterally. The next caution came out on lap 17 and Allmendinger told crew chief, Travis Mack, his car was better in clear air compared to the cars in front of him. The team came to pit road under caution for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Allmendinger restarted in 22nd with seven to go in the opening stage. The No. 16 went on to finish stage one in 15th place.
• During the stage break, the No. 16 Cirkul Chevy would not re-fire. After falling back to 31st, the team came to pit road for four tires and fuel. Allmendinger restarted in 27th on lap 31. On lap 35, Allmendinger avoided a large wreck in turn 11, gaining 10 spots. The No. 16 restarted in 11th on lap 39. As cars started to make green flag pit stops at the end of stage two, Allmendinger drove up to fifth before the stage end, earning six stage points.
• The No. 16 stayed out during the stage break and restarted in fifth place. Allmendinger continued to gain positions taking over third before the leaders in front of him came to pit road. Allmendinger took over the lead on lap 68 and maintained the lead until lap 71 when the team came to pit road for a scheduled green-flag pit stop. After exiting pit road, Allmendinger drove up to eighth by lap 77 and by lap 83, the No. 16 was scored in sixth place. After battling hard with the No. 8, Allmendinger reported from fifth place on lap 86 he had used up his rear tires. Allmendinger went on to finish in sixth.

“We had a really fast Cirkul Chevy. Travis [Mack] did a great job with strategy with everything that happened adversity wise. I thought overall we maximized our day. If everything fell right, we could have and a top-five finish, but we’re happy with the result.” – AJ Allmendinger  

DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

• Daniel Hemric qualified 34th for the Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
• The first caution of the day came out after only three laps complete, and Hemric pitted to top off with fuel in the No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1. Restarting 35th, Hemric gained two spots when the second caution fell on lap 17. Another caution fell after the restart, and Hemric found himself sitting in 27th, before restarting 25th with three laps to go in the stage. He went on to finish 29th in the opening stage.
• Hemric radioed that the No. 31 Chevy lacked grip overall, and crew chief, Trent Owens, made the call to pit for four tires and fuel during the first stage break. He started the second stage from 30th, before an early caution fell on lap 33. Hemric stayed out and avoided mayhem after the restart, before shaking out to 18th. The green flag came back out on lap 39. After avoiding another spin, Hemric restarted 18th with 13 to go in the stage. He went on to finish the second stage in 12th.
• Hemric stayed out during the stage break and worked his way up to 11th during the first few laps of the final stage. He made his final, scheduled pit stop on lap 69 for tires and fuel, before cycling out to 22nd place. Hemric spun out with 11 laps to go, forcing him to pit for tires, as the field stayed green. He went on to finish 28th.

“We had a good day going for us, until my tires went away there at the end and I spun with about 10 to go. It’s unfortunate to finish the day like this after such a solid run, but I’m proud of the No. 31 Cirkul team for finding a good bit of speed from where we started the weekend in practice.” – Daniel Hemric  

 

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.