NASCAR Cup Series

Ricky Stenhouse, driver of the No. 17 EcoPower Ford Fusion, and car owner Jack Roush participated in a press conference this morning announcing their involvement with EcoPower re-refined motor oil, produced by Safety-Kleen. In addition, they answered questions regarding the 2014 season to date. Below is a transcript of that Q&A session:

“Michigan is a special place for me. It is the sight of my first Cup race. We’ve won races there, it’s fast, it’s in Ford’s backyard and it would be a great place for us to lock up a Chase spot with a second win. I got caught up in that wreck last weekend at Pocono, it’s not what we wanted so hopefully Michigan will give us a chance to prove that we have gained a little bit of ground on our big track program."

“Yeah, I think Michigan is a good track for a first win. It’s the size race track that I like. We have been close a few times. We have been pretty competitive every week so I think just keep knocking on the door and the wins will come. Just have to stay consistent and put yourself in contention each week to try and sneak out a win.”

CONCORD, N.C., and LOS ANGELES (June 13, 2014) – Farmers Insurance, one of the nation’s largest multiline insurers, has extended its sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team for three years and, in celebration, will give fans the opportunity to help design driver Kasey Kahne’s 2015 Chevrolet SS primary paint scheme.

HScott Motorsports announced earlier this week that Carcoons Storage Solutions will sponsor Justin Allgaier’s No. 55 Chevrolet SS this weekend in the Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

Free enterprise is a great concept, though in the presence of a monopoly it does not work worth crap. If one outfit gains near total dominance over any industry, there is no competition. Standard Oil, AT&T, Microsoft, U.S. Steel, and even Western Union have been accused of holding monopolies at some point in their history. Maybe you could add Hendrick Motorsports to that list.

Denny Hamlin finished fourth in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, logging his second-straight top-five finish in the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota. Hamlin and crew chief Darian Grubb played the strategy game to near-perfection in the 160-lap event won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the 2.5-mile triangular track.

In a fitting tribute to the continuing 50-year celebration of the iconic pony car, the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang is about to make its pace car debut at Michigan International Speedway. A Mustang GT fastback will lead the field to the green flag for the Quicken Loans 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race June 15.

In search of his third straight win, Johnson finished sixth at Pocono despite an accident on pit road with Marcos Ambrose that left the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet with right-side damage. Johnson now sits fourth in the points standings, 23 behind Jeff Gordon.

This past race weekend, thanks to Richard Petty Motorsports, driver Aric Almirola and team, sponsor Eckrich, Weis Markets, and Operation Homefront, wounded warrior Staff Sergeant Randy Gray was given a VIP NASCAR experience that literally left him speechless.