NASCAR Cup PR

In registering his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory in 134 races on June 30 at Chicagoland Speedway, Alex Bowman secured a spot in the playoffs. Bowman, driving the No. 88 Axalta Camaro ZL1, led five Team Chevy drivers finishing in the top 10. Six Chevrolet drivers are in the top 14 in the standings as the series enters Round 18 of 26 in the regular season. Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 1 Global Poker Camaro ZL1, has been the most consistent of the Team Chevy contingent with nine top-10 finishes. He’s eighth in the standings.

A NEW RECORD: Following Alex Bowman's victory last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports tied Wood Brothers Racing for the all-time record for the most drivers to win for a team with 18. Of the 23 drivers that have competed in at least 10 races for Hendrick Motorsports, only five have failed to win. The organization is responsible for each of Chevrolet's last five Cup Series wins.

When Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang leave Daytona International Speedway at the end of Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400, it’ll mark the end of an era.

“We had a really strong run in the Daytona 500 this year and I'm really looking forward to getting back to Daytona. I’ve been so close to winning at this track, Front Row Motorsports has always showed up strong here, and I have a lot of confidence in our group right now. I feel we can contend Saturday night if we’re in position at the end.

Richard Childress Racing's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Daytona International Speedway ... Dating back to 1976, Richard Childress Racing has won 11 poles and collected six points-paying victories at the most-storied race track on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit. RCR owns three Daytona 500 wins (Dale Earnhardt - 1998, Kevin Harvick - 2007, Austin Dillon - 2018), three Coke Zero 400 trophies (Earnhardt - 1990, 1993 and Harvick - 2010) and 14 qualifying races, including a record 10-consecutive victories with Earnhardt (1990 - 1999). In addition, RCR has earned the Advance Auto Parts Clash win a total of eight times, with drivers Harvick (2009, 2010, 2013) and Earnhardt (1986, '88, '91, '93, and '95).

July Sizzler… Erik Jones earned his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) win at Daytona International Speedway during last July’s race. Jones came back from a mid-race incident to take the lead from now-teammate Martin Truex Jr. on the final lap to score the victory. The win also allowed Jones to clinch a spot in his first NASCAR playoffs.

Newman will make his 36th regular season start at Daytona International Speedway Saturday night. In 35 previous events between the Daytona 500 and the July race, Newman has an average finish of 18.8 with 10 top-10s and five top-fives.

Stenhouse has 14 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) starts at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) with an average starting position of 17.3 and average finishing position of 18.4.

In support of the Dale and Amy Earnhardt Fund at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Dale Jr. Foundation has announced its 2019 Driven to Give Gloves program. After raising more than $50,000 for Nationwide Children’s and the fund last season, the program is centered on the July 12 and July 13 events at Kentucky Speedway.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series headlines this weekend’s action at Daytona International Speedway, where Ford seeks to win the Coke Zero Sugar 400 for the third time in the last four years. Here’s a look at some notes from Ford’s success at Daytona in July.