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Ross Chastain to make 200th Cup career start at Darlington

Competing in his fourth consecutive full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Ross Chastain is within reach of a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, the driver of the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will achieve 200 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Alva, Florida, Chastain made his inaugural presence in the Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway in June 2017. By then, he was campaigning in his third full-time season in the Xfinity Series, all with JD Motorsports. Driving the No. 15 Chevrolet entry for Premium Motorsports, Chastain started 36th and finished 20th in his Cup debut. Four months later, he made his second Cup career start with Premium at Dover during the 2017 Playoffs, where he finished 38th.

In 2018, Chastain, who remained a full-time Xfinity competitor, also competed in all but two of the 36-race Cup schedule. Making his first start of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February, where he finished 30th, the Floridian achieved a season-best 18th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April, a single-lap lead at Talladega Superspeedway in October and an average-finishing result of 28.4, all while competing for Premium Motorsports.

The following season, Chastain, who made 77 career starts across NASCAR’s top three national touring series and contended for the Truck Series title, also competed in all but one of the 36-race Cup schedule with Premium Motorsports. He commenced the season by notching his first top-10 career finish during the 61st running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway by finishing 10th. He would then notch a 12th-place finish at Talladega in October while tallying a total of 11 laps led and an average-finishing result of 28.2 before the 2019 season’s conclusion.

In 2020, Chastain, who became a full-time Xfinity competitor for Kaulig Racing, made his first Cup start of the season during the 62nd running of the Daytona 500 with Spire Motorsports, where he ended up 25th after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. He then competed in the following three events as an interim competitor for Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 Ford Mustang team as veteran Ryan Newman was recovering from a harrowing final lap wreck during the Daytona 500. In Chastain’s three-race stint with Roush, his highest-finishing result was a 17th-place run at Auto Club Speedway in March. Chastain would then make four additional Cup starts for the rest of the season with Spire Motorsports, where he achieved a season-best 16th-place result at Daytona in August.

In September 2020, Chastain was announced as a full-time Cup Series competitor for Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry for the 2021 season. He commenced the season by finishing seventh during the 63rd running of the Daytona 500 despite being involved in a final lap multi-car wreck before finishing no higher than 14th during his next 12 starts. After notching his first top-five career result during the series’ inaugural event at Circuit of the Americas in May, Chastain rallied from finishing 37th during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway to finish seventh at Sonoma Raceway and a career-best second place behind Kyle Larson during the series’ inaugural event at Nashville Superspeedway in June. Despite recording two additional top-10 results during the final nine regular-season events on the schedule, Chastain fell short of making the 2021 Cup Playoffs.

Nonetheless, Chastain achieved a third-place finish during the Playoffs opener at Darlington Raceway followed by a seventh-place run at Richmond Raceway in September. He then managed to secure three top-15 results during the final eight events on the schedule before ending up in 20th place in the final standings. By then, Chastain boosted his average finishing result to 18.6 and tallied three top-five results, eight top-10 results and 62 laps led throughout the 36-race schedule. He had also surpassed 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

In early August 2021, Chastain, who was initially labeled a free agent after Trackhouse Racing purchased Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR operations for the 2022 season, was hired by Trackhouse to pilot the team’s No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in 2022. Despite finishing 40th and 29th, respectively, during the season’s first two-scheduled events, he rebounded by finishing in the top three, including two runner-up results, during his next three starts. Then at Circuit of the Americas in March, Chastain outlasted an overtime battle against AJ Allmendinger and Alex Bowman, where he bumped and sent Allmendinger into Bowman before the former spun with two corners remaining, to notch the first Cup Series career victory for himself and for Trackhouse Racing, with the victory occurring in Chastain’s 121st Cup career start.

Four races later, he overtook both Kyle Larson and Erik Jones through the tri-oval on the final lap to score his second career win at Talladega Superspeedway in April, where he only led the final lap. The pair of regular-season victories along with a total of 10 top-five results and 14 top-10 results in 26 starts were enough for Chastain to qualify for his first Cup Series Playoffs.

After recording three top-10 results during the 2022 Playoff’s first six events, he was able to transfer from the Round of 16 to 8. Then after recording back-to-back runner-up results during the Round of 8’s first two events and entering the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway above the top-four cutline to make the Championship 4 round, Chastain achieved an incredible feat on the final lap by sending his car at full speed against the outside wall through the final two turns to go from 10th to fifth before taking the checkered flag.

As a result, Chastain, who was initially scored two points below the cutline, ended up making the Championship 4 cutline by four points over rival Denny Hamlin, who Chastain also managed to edge at the finish line. Eventually, Chastain would be credited with a fourth-place result after initial fourth-place finisher Brad Keselowski was disqualified for failing post-race inspection. During the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Chastain finished in third place on the track and in a career-best second place in the final standings behind Joey Logano. Despite falling one position short of winning his first Cup title, the 2022 season was a career year for the Floridian, who nabbed his first two career victories and achieved career-high stats in top fives (15), top 10s (21) and laps led (692) along with a career-best average-finishing result of 13.3.

Returning to Trackhouse Racing while under a new multiyear deal in 2023, Chastain commenced the season by finishing ninth during the 65th running of the Daytona 500. He then finished in the top five a total of five times during his next 11 starts before finishing no higher than 10th during the next four. Then at Nashville Superspeedway in June, Chastain secured his spot for the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs after scoring the first victory of the season for himself and Trackhouse Racing, where the Floridian led a race-high 99 laps and started on pole position for the first time in his career. After recording only a single top-10 result for the remaining nine regular-season events, Chastain then finished fifth, 13th and 23rd, respectively, throughout the Round of 16, which were enough for him to transfer into the Round of 12.

With respective finishes of second, 37th and 10th during the Round of 12, however, he was eliminated from title contention. Nonetheless, Chastain proceeded to finish fifth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the Round of 8 opener in October before concluding the season with a dominant win in the season-finale event at Phoenix Raceway in November. The finale victory at Phoenix was enough for Chastain to end up in ninth place in the final standings in a season where he notched two victories, a pole, 10 top-five results, 14 top-10 results, 640 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.0.

Chastain commenced the 2024 campaign by nearly winning the 66th running of the Daytona 500 until he and Austin Cindric wrecked through the frontstretch on the final lap, which relegated the Floridian to a 21st-place finish in the final running order. He has since recorded a total of four top-10 results through his next 11 starts and is currently ranked in 10th place in the 2024 driver’s standings while trailing the points lead by 136 points.

Through 199 previous Cup starts, Chastain has achieved four victories, one pole, 29 top-five results, 48 top-10 results, 1,515 laps led and an average-finishing result of 20.3 as he continues his pursuit for his first Cup Series championship.

Ross Chastain is scheduled to make his 200th Cup Series career start at Darlington Raceway for the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 12, with the event’s coverage to commence at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

May 8, 2024
Stenhouse to make 400th Cup career start at Phoenix

With the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season set to conclude this weekend at Phoenix Raceway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is set to achieve a milestone start of his own. By competing in this weekend’s Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway, the driver of the No. 47 JTG-Daugherty Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will reach career start No. 400 in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Olive Branch, Mississippi, Stenhouse made his inaugural presence in the Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600 in May 2011. By then, he was campaigning on a full-time basis for Roush Fenway Racing in the Xfinity Series and served as an interim competitor for his Xfinity teammate Trevor Bayne in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Fusion. Starting in ninth place, Stenhouse recorded an 11th-place finish in his Cup Series debut.

The following season and after winning his first Xfinity Series championship, Stenhouse, who remained in the Xfinity circuit to defend his title, made four starts throughout the 2012 Cup Series season and in the No. 6 Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing. His first start occurred during the 54th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, where he rallied from being involved in a late multi-car wreck to finish 20th. He proceeded to finish a season-best 12th at Dover before finishing 35th and 39th, respectively, during his next two starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway and at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

After winning his second consecutive Xfinity Series championship in 2012, Stenhouse was promoted to the Cup Series to pilot Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 17 Ford Fusion on a full-time basis, where he replaced the 2003 Cup champion Matt Kenseth as Kenseth moved to Joe Gibbs Racing. Stenhouse’s rookie Cup campaign commenced with a 12th-place finish in the 55th running of the Daytona 500.

He proceeded to record his first Cup pole position at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September, six top-15 results and 18 top-20 results throughout the first 25 scheduled events. Despite not making the 2013 Cup Series Playoffs, the Mississippi native notched his first top-10 career result in the Cup circuit by finishing in 10th place during the regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway. He then finished eighth during the Playoff opener at Chicagoland Speedway the following weekend before achieving his first top-five finish in the form of a third-place run at Talladega Superspeedway in October five races later. Managing two top-20 finishes during the final three-scheduled events, Stenhouse capped off his rookie Cup Series season in 19th place in the final standings and claimed the Rookie-of-the-Year title over Danica Patrick. Overall, Stenhouse achieved a pole, one top-five result, three top-10 results, 35 laps led and an average finishing result of 18.9.

The following season, Stenhouse commenced the 2014 Cup season by finishing seventh during the 56th running of the Daytona 500. Three races later, he notched a career-best runner-up result behind teammate Carl Edwards at Bristol Motor Speedway in March. He would then endure a difficult regular-season period that included only three additional top-10 results during his next 22 starts as he did not make the 2014 Playoffs. During the Playoffs, Stenhouse’s low point occurred when he did not qualify at Talladega. Managing a total of five top-20 results during his final nine starts of the season, with his best result being 15th at Martinsville Speedway, Stenhouse concluded his sophomore Cup season in 27th place in the final standings and with an average-finishing result of 22.4.

The following two Cup seasons, Stenhouse accumulated a total of five top-five results, nine top-10 results, 37 top-20 results and nine laps led, with his best result being a runner-up finish behind Kevin Harvick at Bristol in August 2016. Despite not making the Playoffs during both seasons, he achieved a 25th-place result in the 2015 final standings with an average-finishing result of 24.3 and a 21st-place result following the 2016 season with an average-finishing result of 19.6. By then, he also surpassed 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

The 2017 Cup Series season was a breakout year for Stenhouse, who rallied from ending up 31st during the 59th running of the Daytona 500 amid a late multi-car wreck to finish fourth three races later at Phoenix Raceway amid a late pit strategy to remain on the track on old tires. After recording top-10 results in three of his next five starts, including a fourth-place run at Richmond Raceway, Stenhouse notched his second Cup career pole position at Talladega in May. He then proceeded to lead the first 13 laps and avoid a late multi-car pileup to overtake Kyle Busch on the final lap during an overtime restart and score his first career win in the Cup Series.

By then, he achieved the first Cup victory for Roush Fenway Racing since teammate Carl Edwards won at Sonoma Raceway in June 2014 and the first for Roush’s No. 17 entry since Matt Kenseth won at Kansas Speedway in October 2012. Seven races later, Stenhouse scored his second Cup career victory at Daytona in July after overtaking David Ragan during an overtime restart. Despite recording seven top-20 results during his next nine starts, the pair of superspeedway victories cemented Stenhouse and the No. 17 team into the 2017 Cup Series Playoffs, which was the first for the Mississippi native. Stenhouse then managed to transfer from the Playoff’s Round of 16 to 12 despite notching three consecutive top-25 results during the first Playoff round. With respective finishes of 13th, 26th and 29th throughout the Round of 12, Stenhouse was eliminated from title contention. Nonetheless, he capped off the 2017 season with four consecutive top-15 results before settling in a career-best 13th place in the final standings. By then, Stenhouse had tied his highest mark of top-five results accumulated in a Cup season to four while also recording career-high stats in top 10s (nine) and laps led (56) with a career-best average-finishing result of 17.1.

The following two seasons, Stenhouse went winless, but accumulated a total of four top-five results, eight top-10 results, 43 top-20 results and 242 laps led, with his best result being a third-place run at Talladega in October 2018. Despite leading 133 and 109 laps during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, respectively, he did not make the Playoffs during both seasons as he ended up in 18th place in the 2018 final standings with an average-finishing result of 19.4 and 23rd in the 2019 final standings with an average-finishing result of 20.5. By then, Stenhouse also surpassed 200 Cup career starts.

In mid-September 2019, Roush Fenway Racing announced plans to replace Stenhouse with Chris Buescher for the 2020 Cup season. A month later, though, Stenhouse joined forces with JTG-Daugherty Racing to drive the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE on a full-time basis for the upcoming Cup season. In his first start with JTG-Daugherty Racing, he notched his third Cup career pole for the 62nd running of the Daytona 500 after posting a pole-winning lap at 194.582 mph in 46.253 seconds. Despite leading 24 laps, Stenhouse was penalized late for advancing his position below the double yellow line boundary zone and was involved in a late incident during a green-flag pit stop cycle, which resulted in him finishing 20th.

He rallied the following weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by finishing third amid a late pit strategy for a two-lap shootout before finishing fourth at Charlotte in May and second at Talladega in June after being edged by Ryan Blaney by 0.007 seconds. Ultimately, Stenhouse recorded 13 top-20 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, which were not enough for him to make the 2020 Playoffs. With only six top-20 results recorded during the final 10 events on the schedule, including a 12th-place run at Texas Motor Speedway in October, Stenhouse concluded his first season with JTG-Daugherty Racing in 24th place in the final standings and with an average-finishing result of 22.6.

The following two seasons, Stenhouse achieved two top-five results, seven top-10 results, 36 top-20 results and 112 laps led, including a pair of runner-up finishes at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course in March 2021 and at Dover Motor Speedway in May 2022. After missing the Playoffs during both seasons, Stenhouse ended up 22nd in the 2021 final standings with an average-finishing result of 19.7, where he notched top-18 results during the first nine-scheduled events, before dropping to 26th place in the 2022 final standings with average-finishing result of 22.8. By then, he also surpassed 300 Cup career starts.

This season, Stenhouse’s fourth campaign with JTG-Daugherty Racing commenced on a high note with the driver leading the final 10 laps and fending off the field during two overtime attempts and amid two multi-car wrecks to win the 65th running of the Daytona 500 in February. The 500 victory made Stenhouse the 42nd different competitor to win the Great American Race in Daytona Beach, Florida.

He also recorded his third Cup Series career victory, his first since winning at Daytona in July 2017 and the second overall for JTG-Daugherty Racing since the time last he won at Watkins Glen International with AJ Allmendinger in August 2014. Managing a total of seven top-10 results and 18 top-20 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, Stenhouse secured a spot into the Cup Series Playoffs for the second time in his career. Following respective finishes of 16th, 23rd and 10th during the Round of 16, however, Stenhouse was one of four competitors to be eliminated from title contention.

He has since finished no higher than ninth place during his next six Cup starts and he is currently ranked in 16th place in this year’s driver’s standings entering the season-finale event at Phoenix.

Through 399 previous Cup starts, Stenhouse has achieved three victories, three poles, 22 top-five results, 54 top-10 results, 561 laps led and an average-finishing result of 20.5.

Stenhouse is scheduled to make his 400th Cup Series career start in the 2023 series finale at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 5, with the event’s coverage to occur at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

November 1, 2023
Mike Kelley to call 100th Cup event as crew chief at Kansas

In his return as a full-time crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series, veteran Mike Kelley is set to achieve a milestone mark. By participating in this weekend’s Cup Series Playoff event at Kansas Speedway, Kelley will call his 100th career race as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Pinellas County, Florida, Kelley, who competed as a Pinellas Park racer in the 1990s before becoming a crew member and car chief working with icons that included Dale Earnhardt, Ernie Irvan, Ray Evernham, Jack Roush and Kurt Busch, made his inaugural presence as a crew chief in the Cup Series at the start of the 2014 season when he was paired with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., whom Kelley worked with and won back-to-back Xfinity Series championships in 2011 and 2012. By then, Kelley had also racked up 12 career victories and 13 poles in the Xfinity circuit as a crew chief while working with eight different competitors.

In their first event paired in the Cup Series, Kelley led Stenhouse and the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion team to a seventh-place result in the 56th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February. Three races later, Stenhouse notched a career-best runner-up result at Bristol Motor Speedway in March as the No. 17 team cracked the top 10 in points. The remainder of the regular-season stretch, however, ended up being a struggle for both Stenhouse and Kelley as they only managed two additional top-10 results and dropped outside of the top-20 mark in the standings, which prevented them from making the 2014 Cup Playoffs. The low point for the duo was when both failed to qualify for the Playoff event at Talladega Superspeedway in October. For the other nine Playoff events, Stenhouse finished no higher than 15th before capping off the 2014 season in 27th place in the final standings.

The following season, Kelley assumed the role as car chief for Stenhouse’s No. 17 Ford team while Nick Sandler, a former head engineer for Stenhouse’s teammate Carl Edwards, became Stenhouse’s new Cup crew chief. In 2016, however, Kelley returned to crew chief Stenhouse for a single event, which occurred at Talladega in May while on an interim role as Sandler was suspended for the event as a result of an unapproved steering wheel coupler that was found on Stenhouse’s car during the previous weekend’s practice session at Richmond Raceway. During the Talladega event, Stenhouse ended up 16th in the final running order after being involved in a multi-car wreck on the final lap.

In 2019, Kelley departed Roush Fenway Racing and joined Front Row Motorsports as a full-time Cup crew chief for the No. 36 Ford Mustang team piloted by former Xfinity Series competitor Matt Tifft. Through the first 20-scheduled events, Tifft and Kelley could only manage to post three top-20 results and a single top-10 result, which occurred at Daytona in July, as they were mired in 31st place in the regular-season standings. Then for the final 16-scheduled events, Front Row Motorsports swapped Kelley’s team role that resulted with him becoming a crew chief for veteran David Ragan and the No. 38 FRM Ford Mustang team, a role that was previously held by Seth Barbour with Barbour assuming Kelley’s old role with Tifft. In spite of the move that reunited Kelley with Ragan, whom he notched two Xfinity victories with in 2009, the duo finished no higher than 11th for the remainder of the season as Ragan settled in 30th place in the final standings.

Four years later, Kelley, who moved to JTG-Daugherty Racing in 2020 and served as a competition director for the organization and the team’s driver Stenhouse, was elevated to the role of becoming Stenhouse’s Cup crew chief for a second time. In their first driver-crew chief pairing with JTG-Daugherty Racing, Stenhouse and Kelley commenced this season on a high note by winning the 65th running of the Daytona 500 after Stenhouse survived two overtime attempts and retained the lead on the final lap amid a multi-car wreck to achieve an upset victory for himself and the team. The 500 victory was Kelley’s first overall as he also achieved his first Cup career win as a crew chief. With the 500 victory guaranteeing Stenhouse and Kelley a spot for the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs, the duo led the No. 47 team to an additional six top-10s and 13 top-15 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch before officially entering the Playoffs as one of 16 teams vying for this year’s title. Currently, Kelley and Stenhouse are coming off a 16th-place result in the Playoff opener at Darlington Raceway and are ranked in 15th place in the Playoff standings while being four points below the top-12 cutline to transfer to the Round of 12.

Through 99 previous Cup events, Kelley has achieved one victory, three top-five results, 13 top-10 results and 26 laps led while working with three different competitors.

Kelley is primed to call his 100th Cup Series event as a crew chief at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September 10, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

September 6, 2023
Drew Blickensderfer to call 400th Cup event as crew chief at Atlanta

A significant milestone achievement is in the making for Drew Blickensderfer, crew chief for Aric Almirola and the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team in the NASCAR Cup Series. By participating in this weekend’s Cup event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Blickensderfer will call his 400th race as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Mount Zion, Illinois, Blickensderfer, who grew up interested in racing and had a brief career as a modified racer before relocating to North Carolina and working as a crew member for Dale Earnhardt Inc., Bill Davis Racing and Roush Racing, became a crew chief for the first time during the 2006 Xfinity Series season when he worked atop the pit box of the No. 50 Roush Racing Ford team driven by Danny O’Quinn Jr. He then remained as an Xfinity crew chief for the newly named Roush Fenway Racing in 2007, where he led the No. 17 Ford team to his first two career victories as a crew chief with Matt Kenseth piloting the ride. After commencing the 2008 season as a crew chief for the No. 17 entry, where he went to Victory Lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Kenseth in March, he made a mid-season swap to Roush’s No. 60 Ford team that was being piloted by Carl Edwards. With Edwards behind the wheel, Blickensderfer led the No. 60 team to seven victories and a runner-up result in the 2008 Xfinity drivers’ standings.

In 2009, Blickensderfer graduated to the NASCAR Cup Series to work as a crew chief for the 2003 Cup champion Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion team. In his first appearance as a Cup crew chief, Blickensderfer achieved his first career win in the rain-shortened 51st running of the Daytona 500, which marked the first 500 victory for both Kenseth and Roush Fenway Racing. The duo then went two-for-two early in the 2009 season after Kenseth held off Jeff Gordon to win at Auto Club Speedway during the following weekend. Their flawless start to the season, however, came to an end during the following weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when Kenseth retired in 43rd place, dead last, due to an early engine failure. Then for the remaining 23 regular season events, the No. 17 team led by Blickensderfer only achieved seven additional top-10 results as they slipped out of the top-12 postseason cutline during the regular season finale at Richmond Raceway in September and resulted with Kenseth failing to make the Cup Series Playoffs for the first time in his career. Kenseth and Blickensderfer went on to record three top-three results during the final 10 events before finishing in 14th place in the final standings.

Early in the 2010 Cup Series season, Blickensderfer was replaced by veteran Todd Parrott despite guiding Kenseth to an eighth-place result during the 52nd running of the Daytona 500 in February. Seven months later, he returned as a crew chief for David Ragan and the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion team, beginning at Kansas Speedway. Blickensderfer served as Ragan’s crew chief for six of the final eight scheduled events as they achieved a season-best result of eighth place at Texas Motor Speedway in November before Ragan finished in 24th place in the final standings.

Blickensderfer remained as Ragan’s crew chief for the 2011 Cup Series season. During the 53rd running of the Daytona 500, Ragan was in position to win until he was penalized for a late restart violation, where he swapped lanes from the top to the bottom prior to reaching the start/finish line to restart the event. The penalty sent him to the rear of the field as he ended up in 14th place in the final running order. Blickensderfer and Ragan then recorded four top-10 results, including a runner-up result in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, during the following 15 scheduled events. They also managed to earn a victory in the non-points All-Star Open at Charlotte in May that allowed Ragan to compete in his first All-Star Race, where he finished eighth. Then when NASCAR returned to Daytona in July, Ragan redeemed himself by claiming the Coke Zero 400 and notching his first career victory in NASCAR’s premier series. The victory also snapped Blickensderfer’s 57-race winless drought dating back to February 2009. For the remainder of the season, however, the duo earned only three additional results in the top 10 and did not make the Playoffs as Ragan fell back to 23rd place in the final standings.

For the 2012 Cup season, Blickensderfer transitioned from Roush Fenway Racing to Richard Childress Racing, where he served as a crew chief for veteran Jeff Burton and the No. 31 Chevrolet Impala team. The duo earned a fifth-place result during the 54th running of the Daytona 500 before finishing sixth at Bristol Motor Speedway three races later. Despite achieving a runner-up result at Daytona in July, Burton and Blickensderfer struggled with consistency as they did not make the Playoffs. Then with three races remaining to the season, Blickensderfer moved to Richard Petty Motorsports to serve as crew chief for Australia’s Marcos Ambrose and the No. 9 Ford Fusion team. During the three-race stint, the new duo managed a season-best result of 13th place during the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November before Ambrose finished in 18th place in the final standings, one spot ahead of Jeff Burton. By then, Blickensderfer surpassed 100 career events as a Cup Series crew chief.

Blickensderfer remained as Ambrose’s crew chief for the following two seasons. During the two seasons, the duo earned a pole, three top-five results and 13 top-10 results with Ambrose’s best points result being 22nd in 2013. Their best on-track moment during the two-year stretch was at Watkins Glen International in August 2014, where Ambrose settled in second place following a late battle with eventual winner AJ Allmendinger.

Ten races into the 2015 Cup Series season, Blickensderfer was a crew chief for Sam Hornish Jr., who replaced Ambrose in the No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford Fusion but finished no higher than sixth place at Talladega Superspeedway in early May. After being replaced by veteran crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion in May, Blickensderfer did not return as a Cup Series crew chief until late into the 2016 season, where he worked atop the No. 43 RPM Ford Fusion pit box piloted by Aric Almirola. Appearing in seven of the final eight scheduled events, Almirola and Blickensderfer finished no higher than eighth place, which occurred at Talladega in October, before Almirola finished in 26th place in the final standings for a second consecutive season. By then, Blickensderfer surpassed 200 Cup career events as a crew chief.

Remaining as Almirola’s crew chief, Blickensderfer commenced the 2017 Cup season with a fourth-place result in the 59th running of the Daytona 500. Nine races later at Talladega in May, however, Blickensderfer was hit with a three-race suspension and a $65,000 fine due to Almirola’s fourth-place car failing post-race inspection. By the time Blickensderfer returned atop the No. 43 paddock, Almirola was absent and recovering from injuries sustained from a harrowing wreck at Kansas Speedway in May. At Pocono Raceway in June, Blickensderfer worked with Bubba Wallace, who finished 26th in his Cup debut. After spending the following four scheduled events working with Wallace and road-ringer Billy Johnson, Blickensderfer reunited with Almirola at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July. The duo, however, could not generate on-track consistency for the remainder of the regular season stretch as they missed the Playoffs. They went on to finish in the top 10 three times during the final 10 events before Almirola settled in 29th place in the final standings.

For the 2018 Cup Series season, Blickensderfer was paired with Bubba Wallace, who took over the No. 43 RPM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and contended for the Rookie-of-the-Year title. During the 60th running of the Daytona 500, Wallace rubbed fenders with Denny Hamlin to earn a strong runner-up result by a nose. Blickensderfer and Wallace would proceed to finish in the top 10 on two additional occasions for the remainder of the season as Wallace settled in 28th place in the final standings and a runner-up to the Rookie-of-the-Year title behind William Byron.

In 2019, Blickensderfer departed Richard Petty Motorsports and joined Front Row Motorsports to serve as a crew chief for Michael McDowell and the No. 34 Ford Mustang team. The new duo earned a strong fifth-place result during the 61st running of the Daytona 500 before earning one additional top-five result at Talladega in October and finishing in 27th place in the final standings. By then, Blickensderfer surpassed 300 Cup career events as a crew chief.

Despite finishing in 16th place during the 62nd running of the Daytona 500 in 2020, Blickensderfer and McDowell doubled their top-10 results from the previous season to four and boosted their final standings result by four places to 23rd.

Then in 2021, Blickensderfer etched his name as a two-time Daytona 500 winning crew chief and returned to Victory Lane after McDowell dodged a multi-car melee on the final lap to take the lead at the moment of caution and claim his first victory in his 358th career start in NASCAR’s premier series. The Daytona 500 victory along with four additional results in the top 10 during the 26-race regular season stretch were enough for McDowell to claim a spot for the 2021 Cup Playoffs, which marked Blickensderfer’s first postseason appearance as a Cup Series crew chief. The duo’s run for the title, however, came to an early end during the Round of 16 after McDowell finished 37th, 28th and 24th respectively. Finishing no higher than 16th place twice during the final seven events, McDowell settled in a career-best 16th place in the final standings.

Following a three-year stint at Front Row Motorsports, Blickensderfer announced his departure from the team in December 2021. A month later, he was announced as a crew chief for Almirola, who was set to retire as a full-time competitor following the 2022 season, and the No. 10 Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing. The move marked a reunion for both the crew chief and the driver since 2017. Through the first half of the 2022 Cup season, Blickensderfer and Almirola have achieved two top-five results and five top-10 results. Despite being ranked in 12th place in the regular season standings, they trail the cutline to qualify for the 2022 Cup Playoffs by 47 points with eight regular season events remaining to the schedule.

Through 399 previous appearances, Blickensderfer has achieved four victories, four poles, 26 top-five results and 68 top-10 results while working with nine different competitors.

Blickensderfer is scheduled to call his 400th Cup Series career event at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 10, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

July 6, 2022
Brian Pattie to call 500th Cup career race as crew chief at Martinsville

A significant milestone achievement is in the making for Brian Pattie, crew chief for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the No. 47 JTG-Daugherty Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series. By participating in this weekend’s 400-mile Cup event at Martinsville Speedway, Pattie will call his 500th event as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Zephyrhills, Florida, Pattie made his debut as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief at Watkins Glen International in August 1999, where he was paired with Canadian Ron Fellows and the No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet team. By then, he was in his fifth season working for NEMCO Motorsports and had made select starts as a crew chief for the organization between the Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series. In Pattie’s first event as a Cup crew chief, Fellows started seventh and notched a runner-up result behind Jeff Gordon.

Pattie spent the following two seasons working as a crew chief for NEMCO Motorsports that was campaigning on a part-time basis in the Xfinity Series and making limited Cup Series starts on the road course events (Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen). Paired with Fellows, Pattie and Fellows made a total of three starts between 2000 and 2001, where Fellows did not finish during his three starts.

Then in 2002, Pattie reunited with Hendrick Motorsports and worked as a crew chief in a total of 22 events for the team’s No. 25 Chevrolet entry that started the season with driver Jerry Nadeau. Making his first appearance of the season at Darlington Raceway in March, Pattie led Nadeau and the No. 25 team to only one top-10 result, which was an eighth-place at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, through seven events, which concluded at Richmond Raceway in May. Prior to the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, Nadeau was replaced by Joe Nemechek due to performance issues. Pattie and Nemechek, however, struggled through the following 15 scheduled events as they finished no higher than 18th place before Pattie was replaced by Peter Sospenzo for the rest of the 2002 season.

From 2003 to early 2008, Pattie scaled back to the Xfinity Series. During the 2003 season, he took over as the team manager for NEMCO Motorsports before joining Chip Ganassi Racing in mid-2004 and reassuming his role as crew chief for CGR’s “all-star” entry that was shared between Reed Sorenson, Casey Mears and Jamie McMurray. During the following five seasons at CGR, Pattie achieved three victories and tallied his win column to 11, with his previous eight victories occurring at NEMCO.

Then in June 2008, Pattie returned to the Cup Series as a crew chief for Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Dodge team. By then, Montoya had undergone his third crew chief change of the season after posting a single top-five result (second place at Talladega Superspeedway in April) through the first 16 scheduled events. Making his first appearance at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Pattie led Montoya and the No. 42 team to a single top-five result, which was a fourth-place result at Watkins Glen in August, and a 25th-place result in the final driver’s standings.

Remaining as Montoya’s crew chief in 2009 as Chip Ganassi Racing merged with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and swapped manufactures from Dodge to Chevrolet, Pattie and Montoya had a breakout season, where they achieved two poles, 12 top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch. They nearly won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July before Montoya, who led a race-high 116 of 160 laps, was penalized for speeding on pit road during a cycle of green flag pit stops with 35 laps remaining, which relegated him back to 11th place in the final running order. Nonetheless, Pattie led Montoya and the No. 42 Chevrolet team into the 2009 Cup Playoffs and with an opportunity to compete for the title. The duo earned four consecutive top-four results at the start of the Playoffs, but only two top-10 results during the remaining six events as the No. 42 team settled in eighth place in the final standings.

Through the first 21 events of the 2010 Cup season, Pattie and Montoya achieved three poles, four top-five results and eight top-10 results, but a series of inconsistent results prevented the team from returning to the Playoffs. Nonetheless, the duo scored a breakthrough victory at Watkins Glen in August after Montoya led 74 of 90 laps en route to his second Cup career victory as Pattie achieved his first win in NASCAR’s premier series as a crew chief. Pattie and Montoya went on to record five additional top-10 results through the remaining 14 scheduled events before settling in 17th place in the final standings. By then, Pattie surpassed 100 career events as a Cup Series crew chief.

Pattie initially commenced the 2011 Cup Series season as Montoya’s crew chief for a third full-time season, where they achieved two poles, two top-five results and six top-10 results during the first 19 scheduled events. Following New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July, however, Pattie was replaced by Jim Pohlman for the remainder of the season.

Then five months later, Pattie was named a full-time Cup Series crew chief for the No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota Camry team piloted by Clint Bowyer for the 2012 season. Following two top-five results and eight top-10 results during the first 15 scheduled events, Pattie and Bowyer achieved their first victory with MWR after Bowyer led a race-high 71 of 112 and fended off the field during a two-lap shootout to emerge victorious at Sonoma Raceway in June. Ten races and an additional five top-10 results later, the duo rallied from a midway spin and survived a late fuel mileage battle to claim a second victory of 2012 at Richmond Raceway in September, which marked the regular season finale before the Playoffs commenced.

Pattie, Bowyer and MWR began their charge for the 2012 Cup championship by posting three consecutive top-10 results during the first three Playoff events. After being involved in a last lap multi-car wreck at Talladega Superspeedway in early October, they rallied the following weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway by claiming a third victory of the season after Bowyer fended off Denny Hamlin in another fuel mileage battle to the finish. Four races later, Pattie and Bowyer, both of whom were coming off three consecutive top-six results, were within striking distance of narrowing the deficit of the championship battle. Then at Phoenix Raceway in November, their title hopes evaporated after Bowyer was involved in a late controversial incident with Jeff Gordon, where Gordon retaliated from an earlier contact with Bowyer by wrecking Bowyer head-on into the Turn 3 wall and igniting a scuffle between the two respective crew members in the garage area. Pattie and Bowyer managed to record a runner-up result in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but settled in second place in the final standings and 39 points shy of the title to Brad Keselowski. While they did not emerge as the champions, Pattie and Bowyer collected a total of three victories, 10 top-five results, 23 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 10.9 in their first campaign with MWR

The 2013 Cup Series season saw Pattie and Bowyer return to the Playoffs, but only achieve 10 top-five results, 19 top-10 results and a seventh-place result in the final standings as they were unable to record a single victory. The consistent season for the duo, however, was overshadowed with their involvement in manipulating the final results at Richmond in September, where Bowyer spun intentionally late in the event and gave teammate Martin Truex Jr. an opportunity to capitalize on a three-lap shootout and make the 2013 Cup Playoffs. A few days after Richmond, MWR was fined $300,000 and docked 50 driver/owner points, which knocked Truex out of the Playoffs while Bowyer, who had secured a Playoff spot prior to Richmond, remained in the postseason. In addition, all three MWR crew chiefs, including Pattie, were placed on probation for the remainder of the season. In the midst of the controversy, Pattie surpassed 200 Cup events as a crew chief.

Following two consistent seasons at MWR, Pattie and Bowyer struggled in 2014, where they only achieved five top-five results and 15 top-10 results as they did not make the Playoffs and fell back to 19th place in the final standings. Pattie then spent the first 16 events of the 2015 season with Bowyer, where they recorded four top-10 results, before MWR underwent a crew chief swap to the team’s two-car effort that saw Pattie move to the No. 55 Toyota team piloted by David Ragan while Billy Scott took over as Bowyer’s crew chief. Pattie’s best result with Ragan in 20 races was 12th place at Daytona in July. When the 2015 Cup Series season concluded, MWR ceased operations.

The 2016 Cup Series season marked a new beginning for Pattie, who joined Roush Fenway Racing as a crew chief for the No. 16 Ford Fusion team piloted by veteran Greg Biffle. The new duo, however, struggled with consistency as they managed a single top-five result together throughout the 36-race schedule, which was a fifth-place result at New Hampshire in July. Failing to make the 2016 Cup Playoffs, Biffle settled in 23rd place in the final standings. Despite being absent for four events, two of which stemmed from post-race violations discovered at Charlotte Motor Speedway between late May and early June, Pattie surpassed 300 Cup events as a crew chief.

The following season, Pattie, who remained at RFR, was paired with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the No. 17 Ford Fusion team. Pattie and Stenhouse collected four top-10 results through the first nine scheduled events and were coming off a fourth-place effort at Richmond Raceway in April. Then during the following event at Talladega in May, the duo, which started on pole position, emerged victorious after Stenhouse outlasted a late battle with Kyle Busch during an overtime restart to claim his first Cup career victory. The victory snapped a three-year winless drought for Roush Fenway Racing and a five-year winless drought for Pattie.

Seven races later, Pattie and Stenhouse went to Victory Lane for a second time in 2017 after Stenhouse survived another overtime restart to win at Daytona in July. The pair of superspeedway victories were enough for the No. 17 RFR Ford team to qualify for the 2017 Cup Playoffs. Despite finishing no higher than 15th place during the Playoff’s Round of 16, Pattie and Stenhouse earned valuable stage points to transfer to the Round of 12 by a mere margin. Their 2017 title hopes, however, came to an end during the Round of 12 after finishing no higher than 13th place during the round’s three events. Nonetheless, they capped off their season with two top-10 results during the final four scheduled events and a 13th-place result in the final standings.

Compared to the 2017 season, the 2018 and 2019 Cup seasons were difficult seasons for both Pattie and Stenhouse as they accumulated a total of four top-five results and eight top-10 results, with their best result in the standings being 18th in 2018. In the midst of the two seasons, Pattie surpassed 400 Cup events as a crew chief.

In 2020, Pattie and Stenhouse both departed RFR and joined JTG-Daugherty Racing, where Stenhouse took over the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. They commenced the season on a high note by claiming the pole position for the 62nd running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February. During the main event, however, Stenhouse was penalized late for advancing his position below the double yellow line “out of bounds” zone. He was then involved in a late collision while trying to pit under green and relegated back to 20th place in the final running order. Despite posting three top-five results during the following 12 scheduled events, a series of inconsistent results prevented the duo from making the 2020 Cup Playoffs in their first campaign with JTG-Daugherty Racing. Finishing no higher than 12th place during the 10 Playoff events, Pattie and Stenhouse finished in 24th place in the final standings.

Remaining at JTG-Daugherty Racing in 2021, Pattie and Stenhouse commenced the season with six consecutive top-20 results before notching a strong runner-up result at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course in April. They managed a sixth-place effort at Nashville Superspeedway in June before enduring another inconsistent season as they missed the Playoffs and settled in 22nd place in the final standings.

Through 499 previous Cup events, Pattie has achieved with six victories, nine poles, 56 top-five results and 127 top-10 results while working with eight different competitors. He and Stenhouse have finished no higher than 10th place during the first seven events of the 2022 season and they are ranked in 28th place in the regular season standings.

Pattie is scheduled to call his 500th Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, April 9, with coverage to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

April 6, 2022
Mike Bugarewicz to call 200th Cup race as crew chief at New Hampshire

A significant milestone start is in the making for Mike “Buga” Bugarewicz, crew chief for Aric Almirola and the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team in the NASCAR Cup Series. By participating in this weekend’s event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Bugarewicz will call his 200th Cup career race as a crew chief.

A native of Lehighton, Pennsylvania, Bugarewicz earned a B.S. and a M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State before joining Roush Fenway Racing as an engineer in December 2005, which marked the beginning of his racing career. From 2006 to 2013, Bugarewicz worked as an engineer within the Roush organization, where he also worked with names like Danny O’Quinn, David Ragan, Paul Menard, Matt Kenseth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

In 2014, Bugarewicz became a lead race engineer for veteran driver Kevin Harvick, crew chief Rodney Childers and the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet team. The season was one to remember for Bugarewicz as Harvick, who was in his first season with SHR, captured five victories, eight poles, 14 top-five results, 20 top-10 results and the season’s Cup championship.

Following a productive 2015 season with Harvick, where Harvick won three races before settling in second place in the final standings, Bugarewicz was named a Cup Series crew chief for three-time champion Tony Stewart and the No. 14 SHR Chevrolet team for the 2016 season, which marked Stewart’s final full-time season as a NASCAR competitor. A month prior to the season, however, Stewart suffered a back injury after being involved in a sand buggy accident outside of San Diego. With Stewart hospitalized and forced to miss the early portion of the upcoming season, Bugarewicz spent the first eight Cup events of the season and of his career with Brian Vickers and Ty Dillon. During this span, Vickers, who made five starts, finished as high as seventh at Martinsville Speedway in April while Dillon, who competed in the other three events, finished as high as 15th at Phoenix Raceway in March.

At Richmond Raceway in April, Stewart was medically cleared to return to racing. In his first race with Bugarewicz, Stewart finished 19th. The following race at Talladega Superspeedway, Stewart, with relief help from Ty Dillon, was credited with a sixth-place result before he competed the following six races through the entire distance.

Then at Sonoma Raceway in June, Bugarewicz achieved his first NASCAR victory as a crew chief when Stewart prevailed over a late battle with former teammate Denny Hamlin to snap an 84-race winless drought and collect his 49th Cup career win, a victory that also placed the No. 14 team in a guaranteed spot to make the Playoffs. After winning at Sonoma, Bugarewicz and Stewart earned four top-five results and recorded enough points through the final 10 regular-season events to secure their spot in the 2016 Cup Playoffs. Their run in the Playoffs, however, came to an end following the Playoff’s Round of 16, where Stewart finished 16th, 23rd and 13th in a three-race postseason stretch and missed the cutline to the Round of 12. Bugarewicz and Stewart went on to finish in 15th place in the final standings.

Bugarewicz remained as crew chief for SHR’s No. 14 team in 2017 with the organization swapping manufacturers from Chevrolet to Ford. With Stewart retired, Bugarewicz was paired with veteran Clint Bowyer, who was named Stewart’s successor of the No. 14 car. Participating in all but two of the 36-race schedule, Bugarewicz and Bowyer achieved six top-five results, 13 top-10 results and an average result of 15.0. They, however, did not make the Playoffs as Bowyer settled in 18th place in the final standings.

Following the first five events of the 2018 Cup season, Bugarewicz returned to Victory Lane when Bowyer scored a dominating win at Martinsville Speedway, the sixth event of the schedule, in March and snapped a 190-race winless drought. Ten races later, they won for the second time of the season at Michigan International Speedway in June, which was a rain-shortened event. Making the 2018 Cup Playoffs, Bugarewicz and Bowyer remained in title contention through the Round of 8, where they fell short of making the Championship Round and contending for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. Nonetheless, Bugarewicz and Bowyer achieved two victories, nine top-five results and 16 top-10 results before finishing in 12th place in the final standings.

Remaining as crew chief for Bowyer and SHR’s No. 14 Ford team in 2019, Bugarewicz guided the driver and team to a pole, seven top-five results, 18 top-10 results and through the first two rounds of the Playoffs before finishing in ninth place in the final standings. By then, Bugarewicz had called more than 100 Cup races as a crew chief.

For the 2020 season, Stewart-Haas Racing reshuffled most of its crew chief lineup, placing Bugarewicz as crew chief for Aric Almirola and the No. 10 SHR Ford Mustang team for the upcoming season. Bugarewicz achieved a second consecutive consistent season as he led Almirola to six top-five results, 18 top-10 results and through the first two rounds of the Playoffs before settling in 15th place in the final standings.

Thus far, Bugarewicz and Almirola have recorded a pole, one top-five result and two top-10 results through the first 21 Cup races of the 2021 season. They also achieved a victory in the first Bluegreen Vacations Duel event at Daytona International Speedway in February and the NASCAR All-Star Open at Texas Motor Speedway in June. They are currently ranked in 27th place in the regular-season standings.

Through 199 previous Cup appearances, Bugarewicz has achieved three victories, two poles, 34 top-five results and 76 top-10 results while working with five different competitors.

Bugarewicz is set to call his 200th Cup race as a crew chief at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 18, with the race scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

July 14, 2021
Chastain to achieve 100th Cup start at Atlanta

A significant milestone start is in the making for Ross Chastain, driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the NASCAR Cup Series. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Chastain will accomplish 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Alva, Florida, Chastain made his Cup Series debut at Dover International Speedway in June 2017. By then, he was a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for JD Motorsports. Driving the No. 15 Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports, Chastain finished 20th in his Cup debut. He returned for the Cup Playoff race at Dover in October, where he finished 38th while driving for Premium Motorsports.

The following season, Chastain competed in 34 of the 36-race Cup schedule, making all of his starts with Premium Motorsports. Throughout the season, he earned two top-20 results, including a season-best 18th-place result at Texas Motor Speedway in April.

In 2019, Chastain campaigned in all but one of the 36-race Cup schedule with Premium Motorsports. He also competed the entire Truck Series schedule with Niece Motorsports and on a part-time basis in the Xfinity Series between JD Motorsports and Kaulig Racing. During his Cup tenure, Chastain earned a 10th-place result in the season-opening Daytona 500 and a 12th-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in October. He also led a total of 11 laps and averaged a finishing result of 28.2.

While competing as a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for Kaulig Racing in 2020, Chastain also made a total of eight Cup starts, starting with the season-opening Daytona 500 in February. Driving the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in a partnership between Spire Motorsports and Chip Ganassi Racing, Chastain was in position to win the 500 until he was involved in a late multi-car wreck that relegated him to 25th in the final running order.

Two days after the 2020 Daytona 500, Chastain was named a substitute competitor for Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 Ford Mustang driven by Ryan Newman, with Newman hospitalized after suffering non-life threatening injuries from a final lap accident during the 500. Making his first Cup start with RFR at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in February, Chastain finished 27th after being involved in a late spin. He went on to finish 17th and 23rd during the following two race weekends at Auto Club Speedway and Phoenix Raceway in March before the COVID-19 pandemic put a hiatus to all racing activities.

When NASCAR resumed the 2020 season in May at Darlington Raceway, Newman was medically cleared to return to racing. Chastain, meanwhile, returned the following week at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600. Driving for Spire Motorsports, he finished 21st. He made three more Cup starts for the remainder of the season, all for Spire Motorsports, beginning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, where he finished 17th. He also competed at Daytona in August, where he finished 16th, and at Darlington Raceway for the Southern 500 in September, where he finished 29th.

Prior to the 2021 season, Chastain was selected by Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the team’s No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE on a full-time basis. The move fulfilled the fruition of Chastain competing with CGR following sponsor DC Solar’s fallout and FBI raid in December 2018, an event that cost Chastain an opportunity to compete with CGR for the 2019 Xfinity Series season due to sponsorship woes and resulted with CGR’s Xfinity team ceasing operations.

Commencing this season with a seventh-place result in the Daytona 500, Chastain has achieved two top-five results, five top-10 results, 40 laps led and an average-finishing result of 18.1 through the first 20 Cup races of the schedule. This includes a career-best runner-up result achieved at Nashville Superspeedway in June along with a strong fourth-place finish at the Circuit of the Americas in May. He and Ganassi’s No. 42 Chevrolet team are currently ranked in 18th place in the regular-season standings.

Through 99 previous Cup starts, Chastain has achieved two top-five results, six top-10 results, 53 laps led and an average-finishing result of 25.7.

Chastain is primed to make his 100th Cup career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 11, with the race scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. on NBCSN.

July 7, 2021
Buescher to make 200th Cup start at COTA

Competing in his sixth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Chris Buescher is set to reach a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s inaugural EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, the driver of the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang will make his 200th career start in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Prosper, Texas, Buescher made his Cup Series debut at Auto Club Speedway in March 2015. By then, he was a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for Roush Fenway Racing. Driving the No. 34 Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports as a substitute competitor in place of Brett Moffitt, Buescher finished 20th in his Cup debut. He ended up competing in five additional Cup races with FRM at Martinsville Speedway in March, Texas Motor Speedway in April, Bristol Motor Speedway in April, Talladega Superspeedway in May and Watkins Glen International in August.

After winning the 2015 Xfinity Series championship, Buescher earned a full-time Cup ride in Front Row Motorsports’ No. 34 Ford Fusion for the 2016 season, which he entered as a rookie contender. His rookie Cup season, however, started off on a low note after being involved in a multi-car accident nearing the midway point of the 2016 Daytona 500.

Through the first 20 races of the 2016 Cup season, Buescher’s best result was 14th at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July and he was mired back in 31st in the regular-season standings. Everything changed, however, at Pocono Raceway in July, when he emerged with the lead on Lap 127 as part of an economy run while most of the leaders pitted under green. Buescher retained the lead when the caution flew shortly after and as the leaders were brought down to pit road with the race red-flagged due to weather. Following an extensive weather delay, NASCAR made the race official and handed Buescher his first Cup career victory in his 27th series start. With his first win in NASCAR’s premier series, Buescher became the first Rookie-of-the-Year candidate to claim victory in a season since Joey Logano made the last accomplishment in 2009 and he recorded the second career victory for Front Row Motorsports. Buescher, however, was not automatically guaranteed a spot in the Playoffs since he was outside of the top-30 cutline in the regular-season standings and needed to earn consistent results for the upcoming five races to move into the cutline prior to the Playoffs commencing.

Following his victory at Pocono, Buescher earned an impressive fifth-place result at Bristol Motor Speedway in August and generated enough decent results above the top 35 on the track through the remaining five regular-season events to move into the top-30 cutline in the standings and secure his spot for the 2016 Cup Playoffs, which also marked the first postseason appearance for Front Row Motorsports. Buescher’s Playoff run, however, came to an end after finishing 28th, 30th and 23rd through the Round of 16. Nonetheless, Buescher went on to finish in a career-best 16th place in the final standings.

In 2017, Buescher departed Front Row Motorsports and joined JTG-Daugherty Racing as driver of the No. 37 Chevrolet SS. Commencing the season in 35th place following a multi-car wreck in the second half of the Daytona 500, he went on to earn a total of four top-10 results and two season-best sixth-place results. Compared to his rookie Cup season, however, Buescher did not record a victory nor did he make the Playoffs as he concluded his sophomore Cup season in 25th place in the final standings.

Remaining at JTG-Daugherty Racing for the 2018 Cup season, Buescher commenced the season on a strong note by finishing in fifth place in the Daytona 500. He would earn another fifth-place result at Daytona in July, but conclude the season in 24th place in the final standings. By then, Buescher surpassed 100 Cup career starts.

Throughout the 2019 season, Buescher earned a season-best sixth-place result in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May and a total of four top-10 results before finishing in 20th place in the final standings.

For the 2020 Cup season, Buescher reunited with Roush Fenway Racing and replaced Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as driver of the No. 17 Ford Mustang. He kicked off the season by finishing in third place in the Daytona 500. Ultimately, he would earn a total of two top-five results and six top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch. While he did not make the Playoffs, he earned three additional top-10 results during the final 10 races before finishing in 21st place in the final standings. The eight top-10 results he achieved throughout the 2020 season were his career best in a season.

Through the first 13 events of the 2021 Cup season, Buescher has achieved three top-10 results, a season-best result of seventh place at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, a career-best average result of 15.9 and a career-high 71 laps led. He is currently ranked in 14th place in the regular-season standings.

Through 199 previous Cup starts, Buescher has achieved one career win, six top-five results, 23 top-10 results, 135 laps led and an overall average result of 21.0.

Buescher is slated to make his 200th Cup career start at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, May 23, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

May 19, 2021
Stenhouse to make 300th Cup start at Martinsville

Competing in his ninth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is within reach of a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s event at Martinsville Speedway, the driver of the No. 47 JTG-Daugherty Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will achieve career start No. 300 in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Olive Branch, Mississippi, Stenhouse made his Cup Series debut in May 2011 during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. By then, he was a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for Roush Fenway Racing. Driving the No. 21 Ford Fusion for the legendary Wood Brothers Racing team as a substitute competitor for Trevor Bayne, Stenhouse recorded an impressive 11th-place result in his Cup debut.

Returning for four Cup races in 2012 and in Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 Ford Fusion, Stenhouse made his first start of the season at Daytona International Speedway in February for the 54th annual running of the Daytona 500. He finished 20th after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. He went on to finish a season-best 12th at Dover International Speedway in September, 35th at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October and 39th at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. Despite the struggles during his part-time Cup schedule, Stenhouse went on to win the 2012 Xfinity Series championship, which marked his second title in two years after winning his first in 2011.

In 2013, Stenhouse graduated to the Cup Series on a full-time basis and in Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 17 Ford Fusion, where he replaced the 2003 Cup champion Matt Kenseth. Starting with a 12th-place result in the season-opening Daytona 500, Stenhouse captured his first Cup career pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway in August and a career-best third-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in October. He also earned a total of three top-10 results, an average result of 18.9 and a 19th-place result in the final standings. Above all, he captured the 2013 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title over Danica Patrick.

Stenhouse opened his sophomore Cup season (2014) on a strong note by finishing seventh in the Daytona 500. Three races later, he notched a career-best second-place result at Bristol Motor Speedway in March behind teammate Carl Edwards. Despite recording a total of five top-10 results throughout the season, Stenhouse did not make the Playoffs and he failed to qualify for the Cup race at Talladega in October. In the end, he concluded his sophomore Cup season in 27th place in the final standings.

Remaining at Roush Fenway Racing for a third full-time Cup season in 2015, Stenhouse earned a season-best fourth place at Bristol in April and a total of three top-10 results. He went on to conclude the season in 25th place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 100 Cup career starts.

In 2016, Stenhouse managed to earn a career-high four top-five results, including a runner-up result at Bristol in August, and six top-10 results. They were not enough, however, to draw him and his No. 17 Ford team into Playoff contention as the driver concluded the season in 21st place in the final standings.

Through the first nine Cup races of the 2017 season, Stenhouse earned two fourth-place results and was ranked in 15th place in the regular-season standings. The following race at Talladega, he earned his second Cup career pole. Stenhouse then went on to lead 14 laps and fend off a late battle against names like Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray and Jimmie Johnson in overtime to capture his first Cup career win in his 158th series start. By then, Stenhouse became the 11th different competitor to win a first Cup race at Talladega and he recorded the first victory for Roush Fenway Racing since June 2014.

Seven races later, Stenhouse prevailed on another overtime shootout by overtaking David Ragan on the penultimate lap and fending off the field for a final circuit to collect his second Cup career victory in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona in July. Despite not recording another top-10 result for the remaining nine regular-season events, Stenhouse’s superspeedway victories at Daytona and Talladega were enough for him to earn a Playoff spot for the first time in his career.

In the Playoff’s Round of 16, Stenhouse finished 25th, 15th and 19th, which were enough for him to advance to the Round of 12 by a slim margin. After finishing 13th, 26th and 29th in the Round of 12, however, he was eliminated from title contention. Despite the midway exit, Stenhouse went on to conclude the season in a career-best 13th place in the standings and in a season where he won his first two Cup career races and earned a pole, four top-five results, nine top-10 results and an average result of 17.1 (his overall best from a full-time Cup season).

The following two seasons, Stenhouse recorded a total of four top-five results and eight top-10 results along with a career-best 133 total laps led in 2018. He did not, however, make the Playoffs in both seasons, finishing 18th in the final standings in 2018 and 23rd in 2019. By then, he also surpassed 200 Cup career starts.

After five full-time seasons with Roush Fenway Racing, Stenhouse was replaced by Chris Buescher for the 2020 season. Not long after, though, Stenhouse joined JTG-Daugherty Racing to drive the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for the upcoming season.

In his first run with JTG-Daugherty Racing, Stenhouse captured the pole position for the Daytona 500, which marked his third Cup career pole and third overall for the team. During the main event, however, Stenhouse, who led 24 laps, finished 20th after being involved in a late on-track incident while trying to enter pit road for a green flag pit stop. He rebounded the following race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by finishing third following a late shootout to the finish. Stenhouse went on to finish fourth at Charlotte in May and a close second-place result at Talladega in June. The results, which included three top-five results and four top-10 results, were not enough for Stenhouse and the No. 47 Chevrolet team to qualify for the Playoffs as the driver concluded the season in 24th place in the final standings.

Stenhouse is coming off a strong runner-up result at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course and he is ranked in 14th place in the regular-season standings through the first seven Cup events of the 2021 season.

Through 299 previous Cup starts, Stenhouse has achieved two career victories, three poles, 19 top-five results, 39 top-10 results and an average result of 20.4.

Stenhouse is slated to make his 300th Cup career start at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

April 7, 2021
Luke Lambert to call 300th Cup race as crew chief at Las Vegas

A significant milestone start is in the making for Luke Lambert, crew chief for Chris Buescher and the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang team in the NASCAR Cup Series. By participating in this Sunday’s Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Lambert will call his 300th event atop the pit box in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Mount Airy, North Carolina, Lambert grew up as a race fan and briefly competed in go-karts before attending North Carolina State University. During his college education, he worked as a driver and mechanic as part of the university’s Wolfpack Motorsports program.

Following his graduation from NC State University in 2005, Lambert joined Richard Childress Racing. He started as a mechanical engineer before assuming the eventual role as race engineer, where he was a part of RCR’s No. 31 Chevrolet team driven by veteran Jeff Burton.

Midway through the 2011 NASCAR Cup Series season, Lambert was named crew chief for Burton and RCR’s No. 31 Chevrolet team, where he replaced veteran Todd Berrier. Lambert’s debut as a crew chief occurred at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, where Burton finished 35th following an engine failure.

Lambert remained as Burton’s crew chief for the final 17 Cup races of the 2011 season. Together, they achieved a best on-track result of second place at Talladega Superspeedway in October, two top-five results, five top-10 results and a 20th-place result in the final standings.

After spending the 2012 season in the Xfinity Series, where he guided veteran Elliott Sadler to four victories and a runner-up result in the final standings, Lambert returned to the Cup Series in 2013 and reunited with Burton as his crew chief. Working with Burton in all but two of the 36-race schedule, the combo achieved a best on-track result of third place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July, two top-five results, four top-10 results and another 20th-place result in the final standings.

Lambert remained at RCR and as crew chief for the No. 31 Chevrolet team in 2014, but he was paired with veteran Ryan Newman when Burton scaled back as a part-time competitor. While Lambert and Newman did not record a single victory throughout the 2014 Cup season, they were one of the most consistent teams on the track as they achieved five top-five results and 16 top-10 results throughout the entire season. In addition to making the Playoffs, they made it all the way to the Championship Round, where Newman went on to finish in a career-best second place in the final standings.

Lambert returned for a third full-time season in the Cup Series as crew chief for RCR’s No. 31 Chevrolet team with Newman remaining at the team. In late March 2015, Lambert was suspended for six races and fined $125,000 as a result of NASCAR discovering illegal modifications made to the tires on Newman’s car at Auto Club Speedway, which also cost Newman and RCR 75 driver/owner points. Despite the early suspension, Lambert and Newman went on to achieve a pair of season-best third-place results, five top-five results and nine top-10 results. While Newman made the Playoffs, he was eliminated from title contention following the Round of 12 and went on to finish 11th in the final standings. By the time the 2015 season concluded, Lambert also surpassed 100 starts in the Cup Series.

In 2016, Lambert and Newman only achieved a season-best result of third place at Kentucky Speedway in July, two top-five results, 10 top-10 results and an 18th-place result in the final standings after missing the Playoffs.

On March 19, 2017, at Phoenix Raceway, a late caution enabled Lambert to make a decisive pit strategy call to keep Newman out on the track with the race lead on old tires. During an overtime attempt, the strategic call paid off as Newman held off Kyle Larson to win and deliver the first NASCAR Cup career victory for Lambert. In addition, the Phoenix victory snapped a 127-race winless drought for Newman and a 112-race winless drought for Richard Childress Racing.

In total, Lambert and Newman achieved one victory, seven top-five results and 13 top-10 results in 2017. They made the Playoffs for the third time in four seasons, but were eliminated following the Round of 16 and settled in 16th place in the final standings.

Following the 2018 Cup season, where Lambert and Newman achieved nine top-10 results and a final points result of 17th place, Newman departed RCR for Roush Fenway Racing while Lambert was paired with Daniel Hemric, who was assigned to drive RCR’s No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in 2019. By then, Lambert had also surpassed 200 starts in the Cup Series.

Participating in all but one of the 36-race schedule in 2019, Lambert and Hemric achieved a pole, one top-five result, two top-10 results and a 25th-place result in the final standings. In addition, Hemric was able to achieve the 2019 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title.

For the 2020 season, Lambert departed RCR and joined Roush Fenway Racing to serve as crew chief for Chris Buescher and the No. 17 Ford Mustang team in the Cup Series. In their first race together, Buescher recorded a strong third-place result in the season-opening Daytona 500. They, however, went on to record an additional top-five result and an additional seven top-10 results before concluding the season in 21st place in the final standings.

This season, Lambert and Buescher have achieved results of 31st, 11th and 19th through the first three Cup scheduled races. They are ranked in 15th place in the regular-season standings.

Through 299 previous appearances in the Cup Series, Lambert has achieved one victory, one pole, 26 top-five results and 80 top-10 career results.

Catch Lambert’s milestone start in the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 7, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

March 7, 2021