Team: No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @RFK17Team, @RFKRacing and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 218.9 miles, 110 laps, Stages: 25-30-55
NASCAR Cup Race at Sonoma – Sunday, June 14 at 4 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
ADVANCE NOTES
Weekend Format
· This weekend’s schedule in Sonoma features a practice session Saturday afternoon, followed by qualifying. Two-round qualifying, with the top-five fastest cars in each group, will advance to the final round to set the lineup for Sunday’s 218-mile race.
Buescher at Sonoma
· Buescher makes his sixth Cup start at Sonoma this weekend. He finished 12th in 2018, his best finish there to date, and ran 16th last season.
· On road courses overall, Buescher has a 17.1 average finish in the Cup Series with two career top-five runs.
Scott Graves at Sonoma
· Graves will call his sixth Cup race this weekend at Sonoma, where he has a best finish of seventh with Ryan Newman in 2019. He ran 15th the year prior at Daniel Suarez.
QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Sonoma:
“As some have said in the past, I’m obviously very comfortable at road course racing, as it’s something I enjoy both learning and maneuvering. Sonoma is a fun track with the many different elements it offers, and we’ve been pretty good at road racing lately despite the many different tracks we visit. We’re looking forward to a productive weekend with our friends at Fifth Third back on board, and look to get them a solid finish after what was a disappointing Coke 600 end.”
Last Time Out
Zane Smith filled in for Buescher last weekend at Gateway, as Buescher was sidelined with COVID-19. Smith completed every lap and finished 17th in his Cup debut.
On the Car
Fifth Third makes its third appearance as the primary on the No. 17 this weekend. Fresh off celebrating its 10th season as a partner with RFK in 2021, Fifth Third returns this season for five races in total, while serving as an associate in all events for the No. 17 team.
The bank will also feature Noble Aerospace this weekend on the decklid of the No. 17 machine as part of the Fueled by Fifth Third pass-through program.
For over 70 years, our mission has been to provide the most innovative aerospace metal finishing services in the industry with a focus on employee safety, environmental responsibility, world-class quality, and on-time delivery performance.
Noble Aerospace is a conglomerate of market-leading companies dedicated to providing the highest quality metal finishing services to the aerospace industry. With over 70 years’ experience, we are a trusted, longstanding partner to the largest commercial and military contractors around the world. The hallmarks of our facilities are quality, service, single-source solutions, safety and environmental responsibility.
We believe it ultimately comes down to trust. When there are lives at stake and millions of dollars on the line, you need complete confidence in your supplier. That trust is built on decades of quality and innovation. It is built on hitting deadlines and building relationships. It is built on surpassing expectations every step of the way. We look forward to starting the journey with you.
About Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank, National Association, a federally chartered institution. As of June 30, 2020, Fifth Third had $203 billion in assets and operated 1,122 full-service banking centers and 2,456 ATMs with Fifth Third branding in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina. In total, Fifth Third provides its customers with access to approximately 53,000 fee-free ATMs across the United States. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending and Wealth & Asset Management. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of June 30, 2020, had $405 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $49 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations through its Trust and Registered Investment Advisory businesses. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third’s common stock is traded on the Nasdaq® Global Select Market under the symbol “FITB.” Fifth Third Bank was established in 1858. Deposit and Credit products are offered by Fifth Third Bank, National Association. Member FDIC.
