Buescher captures dramatic Cup victory at Richmond, clinches Playoff spot

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July 31, 2023

Photo by Mike Biskupski for SpeedwayMedia.com.

With the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs less than a month away from commencing, Chris Buescher punched his ticket into the Playoffs following a dramatic victory in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on Sunday, July 30.

The 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion from Prosper, Texas, led three times for 88 of 400 scheduled laps, including the final six, in an event where he rallied from starting 26th to challenge for the lead and eventual victory. After assuming the lead for the first time with 195 laps remaining, Buescher would then navigate his way through a series of green flag pit stops and pit strategies to remain upfront.

He was then headed towards a victory when a late caution period with 10 laps remaining briefly stalled his progress. With a fast pit service by his pit crew during the caution period, Buescher was able to retain the lead and fend off Denny Hamlin during a three-lap shootout to grab his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2023 season and become the 12th different competitor to be guaranteed a Playoff spot by winning.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, July 29, Tyler Reddick notched his first Cup pole position of the 2023 season and the fifth of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 113.689 mph in 23.749 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Kyle Busch, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 113.636 mph in 23.760 seconds.

Prior to the event, AJ Allmendinger dropped to the rear of the field due to a driver change after Derek Kraus practiced and qualified his Kaulig Racing entry while Allmendinger opted to pull double duty by competing in Saturday’s Xfinity event at Road America before returning in time to compete for Sunday’s Cup event at Richmond.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Reddick pulled ahead while starting on the inside lane and assumed an early lead while Denny Hamlin challenged Kyle Busch for the runner-up spot through Turns 1 and 2. As the field fanned out through the backstretch, Reddick proceeded to lead the first lap in his No. 45 Xfinity 10G Network Toyota TRD Camry while Hamlin and Busch continued to battle for second in from of Chase Elliott, William Byron and Bubba Wallace.

Through the second lap, the field continued to fan out and jostle for early positions while Reddick stretched his early advantage to three-tenths of a second over Hamlin while Kyle Busch settled in third in front of Elliott, Byron and Wallace.

Through the first five scheduled laps, Reddick was leading by nearly four-tenths of a second over Hamlin followed by Busch, Elliott and Byron while Wallace, rookie Ty Gibbs, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Preece and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were in the top 10. Behind, Brad Keselowski was in 11th ahead of Kyle Larson, rookie Noah Gragson, Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland while Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Austin Dillon, Joey Logano and Aric Almirola occupied the top 20. Meanwhile, Truex, who made contact with Stenhouse a few laps earlier, had fallen back to 21st ahead of Ross Chastain, Chris Buescher, Harrison Burton and Ryan Blaney while Christopher Bell was mired in 27th.

At the Lap 10 mark, Reddick continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over owner Hamlin while Busch trailed by more than a second. Behind, Elliott retained fourth ahead of Wallace, Byron and Gibbs while Harvick was in eighth ahead of teammate Preece and Stenhouse.

Fifteen laps later, Reddick stabilized his advantage to six-tenths of a second over Hamlin while third-place Busch trailed by more than two seconds. Behind, Wallace moved up to fourth in front of Elliott, Byron and Ty Gibbs while Harvick, Preece and Stenhouse stabilized themselves in the top 10. In addition, Keselowski and Larson were in 11th and 13th, Bowman cracked the top 15 in 15th, Logano was mired in 17th ahead of Almirola, Austin Dillon was back in 21st ahead of Chastain, Blaney, Truex and Bell and Daniel Suarez was in 28th.

Another 10 laps later, Reddick retained the lead by half a second over Hamlin while Busch, Wallace and Elliott continued to run in the top five. By then, Harvick overtook Ty Gibbs to move into seventh place while Keselowski cracked the top 10 as he was in 10th. In addition, McDowell was in 12th and Larson retained 13th in front of teammate Bowman and Gragson while Logano was mired in 18th.

At the Lap 50 mark, Reddick extended his advantage to more than a second over Hamlin. By then, Wallace moved his No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota TRD Camry up into third place, trailing his teammate and owner by more than two seconds, while Busch and Elliott trailed behind in the top five. In addition, Harvick moved his No. 4 Rheem Ford Mustang into sixth place over Byron while Preece and Keselowski overtook Ty Gibbs to move up to eighth and ninth place, respectively.

Ten laps later, Reddick, who started to approach lapped traffic, extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Hamlin while teammate Wallace trailed in third place by more than two seconds. While Elliott and Harvick continued to run in the top five, Kyle Busch, who started on the front row, had dropped to ninth. In addition, a bevy of names that included Chase Briscoe, Larson, Buescher, Bell, Chastain, Austin Dillon, Blaney, Truex, AJ Allmendinger, Erik Jones, Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez and Justin Haley were mired outside the top 15 and within the top 30 on the track while Ryan Newman, who was making his third Cup start of the season, was in 30th.

When the first stage concluded on Lap 70, Reddick captured his fourth stage victory of the 2023 season. Teammate Wallace followed suit in second along with owner Hamlin while Elliott, Harvick, Preece, Byron, Aric Almirola, Keselowski and Ty Gibbs were scored in the top 10. By then, 29 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap, with Suarez, who was in 29th, able to fend off race leader Reddick to remain on the lead lap at the stage’s conclusion.

Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Reddick pitted for their first round of service. Following the pit stops, Reddick retained the lead after exiting first followed by teammate Wallace, Hamlin, Elliott, Harvick, Keselowski and Ty Gibbs. Amid the pit stops, Preece endured a slow pit service after stopping his car over the pit line and had to reverse to avoid a penalty, which dropped him out of the top 15.

The second stage started on Lap 78 as 23XI Racing’s Reddick and Wallace occupied the front row. At the start and with the field fanning out, Reddick retained the lead by a narrow margin over teammate Wallace, but Wallace fought back on the outside lane as both dueled dead even for the top spot during the following lap. With the momentum on the outside lane, Wallace assumed the lead on Lap 80. By then, Elliott moved up to third after overtaking Hamlin, who was being pressured by Keselowski for fourth while Harvick followed suit in sixth along with McDowell, who used the outside lane during the restart to move into the top 10.

Five laps later, Keselowski overtook Elliott to claim third place while Hamlin situated himself in fifth place. By then, teammates Wallace and Reddick continued to run first and second, with Wallace leading by half a second. Another two laps later, Hamlin dueled against Elliott while running on the outside lane for fourth place as Harvick followed in pursuit.

At the Lap 100 mark, Wallace was leading by more than a second over teammate Reddick followed by Keselowski, Hamlin and Elliott while Harvick, Almirola, Ty Gibbs, Logano and McDowell were running in the top 10. Behind, Buescher was in 11th ahead of Kyle Busch, Preece, Stenhouse and Bowman while Byron, Chastain, Bell, Austin Dillon and Briscoe occupied the top 20. By then, Larson was in 21st, Blaney was mired in 24th behind Erik Jones, Allmendinger was running in 25th ahead of Suarez, Truex was back in 27th and Austin Cindric was mired in 28th.

Ten laps later, Wallace stabilized his advantage to more than a second over teammate Reddick while third-place Keselowski trailed by more than two seconds, all while Hamlin and Elliott remained in the top five in front of Harvick.

Another 10 laps later, green flag pit stops commenced as Preece pitted along with Todd Gilliland. During Lap 122, more competitors that included Redick, Keselowski, Elliott, Buescher, Larson, Cindric, Gragson, Almirola, Bowman, Austin Dillon, Allmendinger, Haley and the leader Wallace pitted. Amid the pit stops, Almirola was penalized for a commitment line violation.

On Lap 128, more competitors that included Hamlin, Harvick, Ty Gibbs, Logano and Bell, who would be eventually penalized for speeding on pit road, pitted under green. With the majority of green flag pit stops completed by Lap 135, McDowell, who has yet to pit, was leading followed by Wallace while Reddick, Truex and Keselowski were in the top five. McDowell would relinquish the lead to Wallace by Lap 137, though he remained on the track.

At the Lap 150 mark, Wallace was leading by more than a second over teammate Reddick followed by Keselowski, Hamlin and Buescher while Elliott, Preece, Kyle Busch, Logano and Ty Gibbs were in the top 10. By then, McDowell and Truex pitted while on an alternate pit strategy.

By Lap 172, another cycle of green flag pit stops commenced as Ty Gibbs and Austin Dillon pitted. A few laps later, more competitors that included Keselowski, Buescher, Preece, Byron and Newman pitted. The leader Wallace would pit by Lap 174 along with Erik Jones, Chastain, Almirola, Briscoe, Harvick, Elliott, Reddick, Allmendinger, Larson, Stenhouse and others.

On Lap 180, Hamlin, who cycled into the lead, pitted his No. 11 Mavis Tires & Brakes Toyota TRD Camry under green along with Logano, Blaney and Bell. With the majority of the green flag pit stops being completed by then, Keselowski, who overtook Truex on his alternate strategy, was the new leader.

At the halfway mark on Lap 200, Keselowski was leading followed by Reddick, Buescher, Wallace and Hamlin while Truex, Busch, Preece, Ty Gibbs and Austin Dillon were in the top 10. Behind, McDowell was in 11th followed by Harvick, Logano, Bowman and Elliott while Stenhouse, Byron, Almirola, Briscoe and Larson occupied the top 20.

When the second stage concluded on Lap 230, Keselowski claimed his third stage victory of the 2023 Cup season. Teammate Buescher followed suit in second while Reddick, Wallace, Hamlin, Busch, Preece, Truex, Ty Gibbs and Logano were scored in the top 10. By then, 17 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap while Bowman, who was in 18th, was able to fend off teammate Larson to emerge as the first competitor a lap down and receive the free pass during the stage break.

Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Keselowski pitted. Following the pit stops, Keselowski retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by teammate Buescher, Reddick, Wallace, Busch and Hamlin.

With 161 laps remaining, the final stage started as teammates Keselowski and Buescher occupied the front row. At the start, Keselowski rocketed ahead with the lead as the field fanned out through the first two turns. With Hamlin using the outside lane to launch forward into the top five and while battling Wallace, Keselowski maintained the lead ahead of Buescher while Reddick retained third. Behind, Wallace and Hamlin continued to battle while Kyle Busch was in sixth ahead of Preece, Ty Gibbs and Logano.

With 150 laps remaining, Keselowski retained the lead in his No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang by less than four-tenths of a second over teammate Buescher while Reddick, Hamlin and Wallace were scored in the top five ahead of Busch and Preece.

Fifteen laps later, Keselowski continued to lead by three-tenths of a second over teammate Buescher while third-place Reddick trailed by more than two seconds. Behind, Hamlin and Wallace remained in the top five while Busch, Preece, Logano, Truex and Elliott were scored in the top 10.

With less than 120 laps remaining, green flag pit stops returned as Buescher pitted along with Wallace, Busch, Logano and others. Keselowski would then pit with 115 laps remaining followed by Reddick, Elliott, Austin Dillon, Almirola, Harvick and others. Amid the pit stops, Buescher was able to cycle ahead of teammate Keselowski, who nearly pitted outside his pit box. With 108 laps remaining, Hamlin, who cycled into a brief lead, pitted along with Blaney while Truex, who was running on an alternate strategy was leading, followed by Buescher.

With 105 laps remaining, however, Buescher cycled into the race lead over Truex. Buescher would then extend his advantage to more than four seconds over Reddick with 90 laps remaining while Truex, Wallace and Preece were scored in the top five. Meanwhile, Keselowski was mired back in sixth ahead of Kyle Busch and Hamlin.

With 65 laps remaining and as Buescher continued to lead, another cycle of green flag pit stops occurred as teammate Keselowski pitted. Logano would follow suit to pit along with Preece, Wallace, Harvick, Almirola, Hamlin, Austin Dillon, Elliott, Busch and Reddick. Buescher would then surrender the lead to pit with 62 laps remaining along with Ty Gibbs and Stenhouse while Blaney, who has yet to pit, was leading followed by Truex. Amid the pit stops, Reddick was penalized for a commitment line violation as he smoked the tires to try to enter pit road.

With 54 laps remaining, Buescher, who was able to gain ground on Truex amid the pit strategies, overtook him to reassume the lead. Buescher would proceed to extend his advantage to nearly four seconds with less than 50 laps remaining while Hamlin, Preece and Keselowski were in the top five. Behind, Kyle Busch was in sixth while Logano, Wallace, Harvick and Almirola were scored in the top 10.

Down to the final 25 laps of the event, Buescher was leading by more than six seconds over Hamlin while Preece, Busch and Truex were scored in the top five. By then, Keselowski was in sixth ahead of Logano and Harvick while Wallace fell back to ninth in front of Almirola. In addition, 13 competitors were scored on the lead lap, with Austin Dillon, Briscoe and Elliott occupying the final three lead lap positions.

Ten laps later, Buescher continued to lead by more than five seconds over Hamlin while third-place Preece trailed by more than six seconds as Busch, Truex and Keselowski were in the top six.

Then with 10 laps remaining, the caution flew when Gragson sent Suarez for a spin in Turn 4 as Suarez smoked the rear tires of his No. 99 Jockey Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 before coming to a rest near the apron in Turn 4. During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Buescher pitted. Following the pit stops, Buescher retained the lead after exiting first followed by Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Preece, Truex and Keselowski.

Down to the final three laps, the event restarted under green as Buescher and Hamlin occupied the front row. At the start, Buescher launched ahead to retain the lead while Preece challenged Hamlin for second as the field behind fanned out entering Turns 1 and 2. Hamlin then tried to launch forward towards the lead while on the outside lane entering the backstretch, but he was blocked by Buescher’s No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang, who retained the lead with two laps remaining.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Buescher remained in the lead by half a second over Hamlin while Logano and Busch battled for third. With Hamlin unable to gain ground for a final lap charge, Buescher was able to navigate his way around the circuit smoothly for a final time and zip back to the frontstretch to claim his first checkered flag of the 2023 Cup season.

With the victory, Buescher, who came into the event 111 points above the top-16 cutline towards the Playoffs, notched his third career victory in NASCAR’s premier series and his first since winning at Bristol Motor Speedway in September 2022. He also recorded the second victory for the newly named Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.

“Yeah, it was smooth sailing there, trying to take care of Fastenal Mustang,” Buescher said on USA Network. “These guys over at [Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing], this No. 17 team gave me a great hot rod. This thing was so good. [I] Was just trying to take care of it there. I knew even on our green flag stuff, we were so strong during the race. I had a good feeling about it there. Pretty awesome to pull it off. Proud of everybody. That was a long way from the back [of the field] this morning, so heck of a race for us. We’ve had this [race] circled since last fall. I was really hopeful this could be the one that would turn the page for us. Sure enough, right off the truck I thought it was. I hate that qualifying went the way it did. I was sitting there beating myself up trying to figure out what we were going to do there. Made it to Victory Lane here in Richmond. I’d have told you to flood this place three years ago. My opinions are changing quite a bit here. What a day, though. That’s awesome…We’ve been talking about this a lot and you don’t get to ask me about points anymore.”

Despite ending up in sixth place in spite of leading a race-high 102 laps, Keselowski was left pleased in being victorious as a team owner for the second time in his second season as both a driver and owner in the Cup Series for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.

“I’m happy for Chris,” Keselowski, who celebrated with Buescher in Victory Lane, said. “We are incrementally building. Solid day for both teams here at RFK. I’m happy for everybody that works on these teams, everybody that supports us with Fastenal and Ford and Build Subs. We led a lot of laps with both cars. Neither cars, we really started up front. Drove through. Great job with the pit crews. A lot to be proud of today. Of course, I want to win as a driver, but just happy that we’re as competitive as we are. We want to keep building and keep being more competitive every week.”

Meanwhile, Hamlin, who led 20 laps and was coming off a milestone victory at Pocono Raceway, settled in the runner-up spot for the second time this season.

“I drove in way too deep [in Turns 1 and 2],” Hamlin said. “I was trying to get to the outside there. [I] Really had a great run off of Turn 2 on the restart and off of [Turn] 4 again. But, yeah, I was just so close to him there that I wanted to try to squirt a little extra gas to try to get to the outside. Just too much brake. Man, I’m happy for Chris, [Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing], those guys. I know they worked really hard to get to this point. I can appreciate the struggle that it is to get to this point. Congratulations to them. Definitely a great job by this Mavis team. Kept me in it all day long. We just lacked a little, little bit to be the best there. So we just need to improve on it. Still a good day.”

Kyle Busch came home in third place followed by Logano while Preece achieved a strong fifth-place result. Keselowski finished sixth while Truex, Almirola, Austin Dillon and Harvick, who made his final start at Richmond, completed the top 10. Notably, Wallace ended up 12th in front of Elliott and Blaney, rookie Ty Gibbs finished 15th, pole-sitter Reddick ended up 16th, Larson ended up 19th, the final competitor on the lead lap. Austin Cindric and AJ Allmendinger ended up 26th and 27th, respectively, after both wrecked while finishing the event.

There were 18 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured three cautions for 21 laps. While all 36 starters finished the event, 19 finished on the lead lap.

With four regular-season events remaining of this year’s Cup Series schedule, Martin Truex Jr. leads the regular-season standings by 39 points over teammate Denny Hamlin and 43 over William Byron.

William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are currently guaranteed spots for the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs based on winning at least once throughout the regular-season stretch. Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace and Michael McDowell currently occupy the remaining vacant spots in the Playoffs based on points, with McDowell occupying the 16th and final vacant spot by 18 points Ty Gibbs, 22 over AJ Allmendinger, 34 over Daniel Suarez, 40 over Chase Elliott, 42 over Alex Bowman, 64 over Austin Cindric, 70 over Justin Haley, 86 over Aric Almirola and 88 over Ryan Preece.

Results.

1. Chris Buescher, 88 laps led

2. Denny Hamlin, 20 laps led

3. Kyle Busch

4. Joey Logano

5. Ryan Preece

6. Brad Keselowski, 102 laps led, Stage 2 winner

7. Martin Truex Jr., 18 laps led

8. Aric Almirola

9. Austin Dillon

10. Kevin Harvick

11. Chase Briscoe

12. Bubba Wallace, 80 laps led

13. Chase Elliott

14. Ryan Blaney, two laps led

15. Ty Gibbs

16. Tyler Reddick, 81 laps led, Stage 1 winner

17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

18. Alex Bowman

19. Kyle Larson

20. Christopher Bell, one lap down

21. William Byron, one lap down

22. Michael McDowell, one lap down

23. Erik Jones, one lap down

24. Ross Chastain, one lap down

25. Todd Gilliland, one lap down

26. Austin Cindric, one lap down

27. AJ Allmendinger, one lap down

28. Noah Gragson, two laps down

29. Ryan Newman, two laps down

30. Justin Haley, two laps down

31. Harrison Burton, three laps down

32. Corey LaJoie, three laps down

33. Daniel Suarez, four laps down

34. Ty Dillon, four laps down

35. JJ Yeley, four laps down

36. BJ McLeod, five laps down

Next on the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the series’ lone visit of this season to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, August 6, at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

Beard Motorsports: Austin Hill Michigan Advance

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Official Release

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July 31, 2023

AUSTIN HILL
Home-Field Advantage
No. 62 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro

Event Overview

● Event: FireKeepers Casino 400 (Round 23 of 36)

● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 6

● Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn

● Layout: 2-mile oval

● Laps/Miles: 200 laps/400.4 miles

● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 45 laps / Stage 2: 75 laps / Final Stage: 80 laps

● TV/Radio: USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Driver Austin Hill will make his third NASCAR Cup Series start of the 2023 season and the fourth of his career in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. It will be a full-circle moment for the driver of the No. 62 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro, who made his Cup Series debut last season at Michigan driving the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing (RCR). He raced his way to an 18th-place finish after starting 31st.

● A series of firsts have headlined the 2023 NASCAR season for Beard Motorsports and that continues this weekend when, for the first time ever, the team will be competing on what is considered the home track for the Beard family. As Michigan natives, the Beard family calls Mount Pleasant home, a cozy town located in the central part of the state. Linda Beard sits at the helm for Beard Motorsports and its No. 62 Chevrolet Camaro team while daughter Amie takes the lead on managing the team and business that she shares with her brother Mark Beard Jr., who operates Beard Oil Distributing, a third-generation family business that is also based in Mount Pleasant.

● While Sunday’s race at Michigan will be the team’s first at the 2-mile oval, it is not the team’s first attempt to field a car in the Irish Hills. The late Mark Beard Sr., founded Beard Motorsports and served as the lead consultant to Beard Oil Distributing prior to his passing in 2021. Before he took his seat at the table as a NASCAR Cup Series team owner, however, Beard enjoyed a “side hustle” as a racecar driver that started at the age of 8 in go karts. His racing career included two starts in what is now referred to as the NASCAR Xfinity Series – the 1982 Goody’s 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and the 1986 Winn-Dixie 300 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Beard attempted to qualify for the Xfinity Series races at Michigan in both 1994 and 1995 but ultimately was unable to make the starting field for either race. The 1995 event would be his final entry into a NASCAR race.

● Sunday’s race at Michigan will be the third of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season for the combination of Hill and Beard Motorsports. The Beard family fielded the No. 62 Chevrolet Camaro with Hill during Speedweek at Daytona with plans to race in the season-opening Daytona 500. The team was poised to advance to the starting field for the 500 when the No. 62 Chevrolet was caught up in a multicar accident during the closing laps of its Duel qualifying race. Since Daytona, Hill has piloted the No. 62 Beard Chevrolet in races at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on April 23 and Atlanta Motor Speedway on July 6. The Winston, Georgia, native finished 24th at Talladega and was scored with a 37th-place finish at Atlanta after getting caught up in an accident not of his own making.

● The Bennett Family of Companies is back with the No. 62 Beard Motorsports team for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 with the Bennett Transportation and Logistics brand. Providing logistics and transportation services for companies across America, the Bennett Family of Companies offers a suite of trucking and specialized logistic services, from flatbed and step deck trucking and manufactured housing transport to RV delivery, customs brokerage, and warehousing. With more than 46 years of experience in the industry, Bennett’s network provides the safest and best possible service to all of its business partners.

● Three races make up the remaining 2023 NASCAR Cup Series campaign for the No. 62 Beard Motorsports team following Sunday’s race at Michigan. The next event on the schedule is the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on Aug. 26, followed by the YellaWood 500 at Talladega on Oct. 1, and the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte on Oct. 8.

Linda Beard, Owner of the No. 62 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro for Beard Motorsports:

Daytona and Talladega have historically been the tracks that make up the racing campaign for Beard Motorsports. This year, you have raced at Atlanta and you will run the road course at Charlotte, in addition to this weekend’s race at Michigan. What made you decide to expand the schedule?

“It was really a combination of many things that made it possible. The current car definitely helps a lot because there is more versatility to it. When Austin Hill and his team came to us last year with the idea to race for us and add to the schedule, it was just a great opportunity to see how far we could take this. We have some great partners on board with us this season and that’s really kind of taken this racing program to a level we didn’t expect. When Mark (Beard Sr.) was in charge, I didn’t worry about any of it because I knew he would make the decisions. It’s definitely different now, doing that, and it makes it a little bit harder. I have a lot of help and support from my daughter Amie and son Mark Jr., but doing this definitely makes the actual racing more rewarding, and you end up wanting to do more.”

What does it mean to you to be racing at home in Michigan?

“Well the travel will be a lot better, for sure! I think it is going to be exciting for us – we have so many friends and family there. Our business is there. The whole NASCAR thing can still feel a little overwhelming, and even intimidating sometimes, so being so close to home and racing there, I think, gives us a better opportunity to enjoy the day and share it with our guests.”

How will it feel to see the No. 62 car out on the track at Michigan?

“I think it could be a little emotional for us. My husband gave us this love of racing. The whole reason we decided to stay the course and keep racing is so we could carry on what he had started, to see what we could do with it. I think deep down it felt like the right thing to do. Every time we see that No. 62 on the track, it’s like having a piece of him there with us. Mark always wanted to run a race at this level at Michigan and he came close. Doing it now is going to be very special.”

Will you have more than the usual number of people at the track this weekend, and will you be doing anything special?

“We have always been known to buck trends and do things our way. That’s what Brendan (Gaughan) has always said and he’s right. But it will definitely be a celebration for our family and for our employees with Beard Oil to see our car on the track. We are going to be hosting a few more people than we normally do, but we also want our employees and customers to be a part of this. We have a number of them coming to the race and our plan is to show them around, let them tour the garage, see the car – all the things that go into the race weekend – and Michigan gives us the opportunity to do this.”

How do you think your guests who have never been to a race will feel after their first race?

“They will become racers for life! Every time we bring guests and clients to the racetrack, they are excited to be there and they gain a new perspective of what it takes to be at this level of racing. I find you can tell people about it all you want but, until they see it, feel the rumble of the engines and become a part of it, they really have no idea what it is like. It is then that they have become not only fans of the mighty 62, but of racing in general, and we love that!”

Austin Hill, Driver of the No. 62 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro:

This is the first track where you’re arriving with previous Cup Series experience. You ran all of the laps and finished 18th at Michigan last season. How much confidence does it give you going into this weekend’s race?

“Having already run laps in a Cup car at Michigan definitely helps the situation because it allows me to have a better idea of what to expect before hitting the track. The biggest thing I fought last year was the air. The way that the Cup cars work in the air was huge. If you crossed the wake of another car wrong, you would get super tight, have to get out of the throttle, get passed by a couple of guys, and then get your momentum back up. Keeping your momentum up is going to be big throughout the race. Any time you can get to someone’s right rear and pass them on the outside, it’s going to be more beneficial than making a pass on the bottom. When compared to the Xfinity cars, Cup cars seem to stay a little more packed up. Last year, especially when you go outside the top-10 or 15, it felt like we were running really close together and the draft came into play. You have to be smart with knowing when to pull out of line, knowing when not to, and knowing when to push your lane. When someone makes a bad decision to turn left and run the bottom, if you can fill the outside lane, it helps you gain that position. I’m excited to go back and run there a second time to see if we can improve on the finish.”

How much of what you learned last year will you be able to lean on for this year’s race at Michigan?

“The biggest thing I can lean on is how to work the air better. In my opinion, that’s the biggest key when you go there in a Cup car, especially. With the way that the NextGen car is built with the diffuser, the front end up in the air and the rear down, when someone crosses your wake the wrong way or when you cross someone’s wake the wrong way, it really upsets your car. Being able to know how to maneuver the air, almost like superspeedway-style, and keep clean air on the nose is what I’m going to lean on the most from last year and hopefully apply to this year’s race.”

No. 62 Beard Motorsports Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Austin Hill

Hometown: Winston, Georgia

Crew Chief: Darren Shaw

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Car Chief: Drew Mickey

Hometown: Walkerton, North Carolina

Spotter: Chris Osborne

Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

President: Linda Beard

Hometown: Mt. Pleasant, Michigan

VP of Racing Ops: Brendan Gaughan

Hometown: Las Vegas

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Tim Sheets

Hometown: Carmel, Indiana

Rear Tire Changer: David Mayo

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Damien Wermes

Hometown: Huntersville, North Carolina

Jack Man: Adam Lewis

Hometown: North Carolina

Fuel Man: Bobby Grant

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Jack Gagnon

Hometown: Quebec, Canada

Mechanic: Mark Sanders

Hometown: Springfield, Ohio

Mechanic: Nic Hill

Hometown: Fort Myers, Florida

Tire Technician: Mike Harrold

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jason Watkins

Hometown: Ridgeway, Virginia

Transporter Driver: Terry Burger

Hometown: Lexington, North Carolina

Lundqvist to Drive for Meyer Shank Racing in Nashville INDYCAR Weekend

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Official Release

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July 31, 2023

Lundqvist will substitute for Simon Pagenaud in the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda

Pataskala, Ohio (31 July 2023) – As Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) heads to the fourth street circuit on the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar, the Ohio-based team will welcome Linus Lundqvist to its lineup alongside Helio Castroneves for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Sunday (12:00pm ET, NBC, SiriusXM Ch. 160).

Lundqvist is stepping in for Simon Pagenaud, who continues to recover from a practice accident at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course earlier this month. While he continues to improve, he has been advised by the INDYCAR Medical Team to not participate in this weekend’s event in Nashville.

Following the Mid-Ohio accident, MSR has continued to campaign the No. 60 Honda-powered entry, with the team’s IMSA Championship winning driver Tom Blomqvist making his INDYCAR debut on the streets of Toronto while Conor Daly stepped in on short notice to compete in both the Mid-Ohio race and the Iowa Doubleheader.

Now, the 2022 INDY NXT by Firestone Champion will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES race debut with MSR as he heads back to a track that he has seen much success at. Lundqvist excelled in INDY NXT competition, scoring third in the championship in his rookie campaign in 2021 and backing that up with a run to the title in 2022 on the strength of five wins and nine podium finishes.

In addition to his success in INDYCAR’s feeder series, Lundqvist has had two INDYCAR tests this year at Texas Motor Speedway and Sebring International Raceway.

Lundqvist heads into the Nashville event with some recent familiarity of the track, having swept the 2022 event with a pole and victory.

In honor of heading to the ‘Music City,’ the No. 60 machine will once again carry the all-new SiriusXM Channel, CARRIE’S COUNTRY – XM Ch. 60 – which is a specialty channel with music curated by the eight-time GRAMMY winner, Carrie Underwood.

Lundqvist will join INDYCAR SERIES veteran Castroneves who will drive the No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda around the 2.17-mile street course. Castroneves has shown well in his two outings in Nashville, finishing ninth in 2021. Last year’s event saw Castroneves start from the back of the field following an engine change, but the Brazilian driver worked his way up to a 13th place finish.

The sister MSR car driven by Pagenaud, finished inside the top ten in 2022, finishing ninth after starting 13th.

The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will air live on, Sunday, August 6th on NBC starting at 12:00pm ET. All Practice sessions and Qualifying can be viewed on Peacock. SiriusXM will also host live IndyCar Radio coverage on SXM Ch. 160.

Meyer Shank Racing Team Quotes:

Linus Lundqvist:

“This is a moment I’ve been dreaming of literally since the start of my career. I could not be more excited about the prospect of finally making my NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut; I am extremely grateful to Meyer Shank Racing for this opportunity. This will be an incredible experience, but also the toughest challenge of my life. Sitting on the sidelines all year, it would be a massive task to join any championship towards the end of the season – let alone the NTT INDYCAR SERIES on the streets of Nashville. There’s been very little time to prepare, but I feel like the sheer excitement of this moment will make up for some of that. Of course, working alongside Helio – one of the true legends of this sport – will also be a huge asset. Last but not least, I would like to wish Simon Pagenaud a continued speedy recovery. While fully aware of everything I have to learn this weekend, I will do my very best to make him and everyone else on the team proud in Music City.”

Helio Castroneves:

“I’m super excited to head back to Nashville, it’s such a fun city and it has such great energy. The race has always been interesting and it’s very important to stay clean and consistent. We’ve had a pretty good car there the last two years, so I’m hoping that when we go back we’ll be even better. It will be an interesting weekend to have Linus with us as well, he is new to all of this, just like Tom (Blomqvist) was in Toronto. There will be a lot to learn for him, so we’ll see how he adapts.”

CHRIS BUESCHER WINS AT RICHMOND, CLINCHES PLAYOFF POSITION

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Official Release

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July 31, 2023

CHRIS BUESCHER WINS AT RICHMOND, CLINCHES PLAYOFF POSITION — RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - JULY 30: RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski, driver of the #6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford, and crew chief Scott Graves celebrate with Chris Buescher, driver of the #17 Fastenal Ford, in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on July 30, 2023 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

RICHMOND, VA – July 31, 2023 – Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher won Sunday’s Cook Out 400, earning a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. This weekend’s win marked Buescher’s first win of the season, 139th win for car owner Jack Roush, and second since the forming of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. The triumph also marks Ford’s 723rd all-time win in NASCAR Cup Series competition and comes on the birthday of Ford Motor Company founder, Henry Ford.

“Congratulations to Jack, Brad, Scott, Chris, and everyone at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing on the race win at Richmond,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Both RFK cars raced their way to the front of the field and were strong throughout the race.”

“Our Fastenal Mustang was so good firing off today, so good in practice. I didn’t get the job done in qualifying. I had to pass a bunch of cars today and have some great strategy and some great pit stops. Everybody at RFK Racing who has worked so hard to get us to this point. This is awesome. I knew that last restart was gonna be tough, but I knew we had the speed in this thing.” commented Buescher.

Sunday’s 400 lap race was physically demanding for the drivers with temperatures reaching as high as 135 degrees inside of the racecars. Chris Buescher started the race in 26th position but steadily worked his way to the front of the field, cracking the top-5 by lap 160. Buescher along with fellow teammate and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski combined to lead 190-of-400 laps with Keselowski taking the Stage 2 victory. There was only one caution throughout the race which happened during the closing laps. Buescher was able to maintain the lead on the restart and win over Denny Hamlin by 0.549 seconds.

A total of six Ford Performance drivers finished in the top-10: Team Penske’s Joey Logano finished in P4, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece in P5, Roush Fenway Keselowski’s Brad Keselowski in P6, and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola and Kevin Harvick in P8 and P10.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series raced on Saturday at Road America. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst finished in P5 while RSS Racing’s Ryan Sieg finished in P13.

Both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series head to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan this weekend.
35 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 451 WINS – 417 POLES

*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media & Getty Images

About Roush Yates Engines
Roush Yates Engines is a leading-edge engine development company based in Mooresville, NC consisting of two state-of-the-art facilities – Roush Yates Engines and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions, a world class AS9100 Rev D/ISO 13485 certified CNC manufacturing facility. The company’s core business includes designing, building and testing purpose-built race engines.

Ford Performance in partnership with Roush Yates Engines is the exclusive engine builder of the NASCAR FR9 Ford V8 engine and Ford Mustang 5.2L V8 engine, used in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series.

With an unparalleled culture of winning and steeped in rich racing history, Roush Yates Engines continues to follow the company’s vision to lead performance engine innovation and staying true to the company’s mission, provide race winning engines through demonstrated power and performance.

Mitsubishi Motors Lineup at 30th GAIKINDO Indonesia International Auto Show – Exterior Design of the All-New Compact SUV Previewed Ahead of the World Premiere

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Official Release

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July 31, 2023

TOKYO, July 31, 2023 – (JCN Newswire) – Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (hereafter, Mitsubishi Motors) will celebrate the global debut of an all-new compact SUV at the 30th GAIKINDO Indonesia International Auto Show(1). Ahead of the world premiere, the company revealed the exterior design of the all-new compact SUV. The all-new model will be built at Mitsubishi Motors Krama Yudha Indonesia (Bekasi, West Java)(2), with delivery to start in November 2023.

At the show, Mitsubishi Motors will also display the eK X EV, an all-electric kei-car(3), for the first time outside of Japan, along with the Minicab-MiEV, a onebox kei-car class commercial electric vehicle (EV) that is scheduled for local production in Indonesia. The company will also exhibit models sold in Indonesia, including the Xpander and Xpander Cross crossover MPVs, as well as the Pajero Sport mid-size SUV.

Further, the Mitsubishi Motors booth will feature a special area where visitors can experience the new Dynamic Sound Yamaha Premium sound system, which was jointly developed with Yamaha Corporation and will be adopted for the first time in the all-new compact SUV. Inside the all-new model, visitors can enjoy the sound system’s characteristic, clear mid and high tones as well as lively bass.

“In this all-new model, we have further evolved the design to meet the needs of the compact SUV market, which has been growing in recent years,” said Seiji Watanabe, division general manager of design, Mitsubishi Motors. “In addition to the robustness and powerfulness characteristic of Mitsubishi Motors, we have pursued a design that is more stylish, energetic, and distinctive than ever. At the upcoming GAIKINDO Indonesia International Auto Show, we hope that even more customers will discover what Mitsubishi Motors has to offer and empathize with our design through this all-new compact SUV.”

Design of the All-New Compact SUV (World Premiere)

Based on the design concept of Silky & Solid, the stylish yet powerful, authentic SUV design combines elegance and robustness, thereby realizing styling that creates a commanding presence in scenes from ASEAN cities to the great outdoors. The upper part of the body expresses an airy silkiness with a floating roof and a sleek surface that begins from the three-diamond emblem up front and flows along the side to the rear. The lower part of the body adopts the solid and powerful proportions of an SUV – the muscular fender flares express the agility of an athlete, while a top-class ground clearance of 222 mm(4) as well as 18-inch wheels and large-diameter tires enhance road handling on rough roads.

At the front, the Dynamic Shield front face has been evolved in line with the design concept. Here, the design consisting of left and right bumpers that protect the front grille which symbolizes the performance of the powertrain, is three-dimensionally integrated to create a sporty front face with a sense of depth. The LED daytime running lights combine an L-shape with slitted accents to emit light in an iconic T-shape, making the SUV instantly recognizable as a Mitsubishi model even from a distance, while also emphasizing the wide stance.

On the body sides, the rich, muscular surfaces combine with sculpted fender flares and character lines to express the strength and dynamism of the SUV. By adopting the same T-shaped design for the LED tail lights as the front, the rear attains a wide and stable look.

Overview of the eK X EV (Indonesian Premiere)

The eK X EV, an all-electric kei-car, is an EV variant of the eK X, a height-wagon kei-car. The eK X EV offers a spacious, pleasant cabin despite its small vehicle size, user-friendliness, the smooth and powerful driving unique to EVs, a quiet and comfortable ride, advanced driver assistance systems and connectivity.

(1) August 10 is press day, and the show is open to the public from August 11 to 20. Mitsubishi Motors will hold a press conference at the Mitsubishi Motors booth in Hall 10 from 1:30pm (local time) on August 10.
(2) Share owned: Mitsubishi Motors 51.0%, Mitsubishi Corporation 40.0%, Krama Yudha 9.0%
(3) Kei-car is a vehicle category in Japan for microcars.
(4) 18-inch tire models. Figure does not include under cover.

About Mitsubishi Motors

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (TSE:7211) — a member of the Alliance with Renault and Nissan–, is a global automobile company based in Tokyo, Japan, which has about 30,000 employees and a global footprint with production facilities around the world. Mitsubishi Motors has a competitive edge in SUVs, pickup trucks and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and appeals to ambitious drivers willing to challenge convention and embrace innovation. Since the production of our first vehicle more than a century ago, Mitsubishi Motors has been a leader in electrification — launched the i-MiEV — the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle in 2009, followed by the Outlander PHEV — the world’s first plug-in hybrid electric SUV in 2013.

For more information on Mitsubishi Motors, please visit the company’s website at www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/

Tickets go on sale for the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix 2024

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Official Release

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July 31, 2023

FIA and Formula 1® confirm next season’s race will return to Miami on May 3-5, 2024
Organizers expand capacity at Miami International Autodrome to 100,000 per day for next year’s event
Economic impact report reveals local economy boost of $798 million from races in 2022 and 2023
Fans can buy grandstand and hospitality tickets for next year’s race here from 3pm BST / 10am ET today, with General Admission Campus Pass to go on sale later this year

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – South Florida Motorsports (SFM), the organizers of the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX, are delighted to announce that tickets for next year’s race go on sale today. With the recent confirmation of the 2024 calendar, Formula 1 will make a spectacular return to the Miami International Autodrome on the weekend of May 3-5, 2024. With over 270,000 fans at the three days of 2023’s race, increased demand has meant organizers are releasing tickets earlier than usual and will increase capacity to 100,000 spectators per day for next year’s event.

For 2024, all existing grandstands will return, with increased capacity at some of the most popular areas of the circuit, including the Start/Finish and Turn 1 North grandstands. All grandstands offer shaded sections, reserved seating and access to the full MIA Campus experience. Alongside the grandstands, the many unique hospitality options are also going on sale today, including the hottest beach club in Miami where guests can watch the action between Turns 11 and 13 alongside a signature pool and world-renowned performers at the Hard Rock Beach Club, or the Boathouse which offers incredible views of the high-speed corner complex at Turns 4 and 5.

The Casa Tua Trackside Club, The Villas and The Vista at Turn 1 all offer close up views of the first corner action, with the renowned 72 Club overlooking the racing towards Turn 4, and the Turn 18 Club and Turn 18 Suites offering panoramic views as the drivers come off the long back straight, towards one of the best overtaking areas on the track. The General Admission Campus Pass ticket will be evolved further for 2024, and go on sale later this year. Full details of the range and types of tickets are available to purchase today, can be found at the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2024 website here.

This past May, the second edition of the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX was an overwhelming success thanks to the significant investment made by South Florida Motorsports and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and the direction of Managing Partner Tom Garfinkel. With the addition of a new permanent Paddock Club building and a complete repaving of the 3.36-mile track, fans were able to experience one of the best Formula 1 events on the calendar in addition to enjoying a thrilling on-track spectacle with even more overtaking than the inaugural race, including for the lead with nine laps remaining.

An independently commissioned economic report has also revealed the local economy benefited by $449 million from 2023’s race, an increase of 29% on 2022, which brings a total impact over the race’s first two years to $798 million. Visitor spending in the Greater Miami region during race week reached over $195 million and total attendance was up nearly 15% in 2023, emphasizing Miami’s place on the calendar as a destination race. The fans who visited the Miami International Autodrome this year were able to enjoy an enhanced spectator experience with one of the most popular changes being the upgraded Campus Pass, which enabled fans to enjoy the spectacle of the all-new F1 Team Village on the home field of the Miami Dolphins from the 300 level of Hard Rock Stadium.

The race also provided employment opportunities with salaries and wages reaching $150 million — an increase of 41% from the first year of the race. The report, prepared by Applied Analysis, gathered economic and fiscal data from Formula 1, Miami Dolphins, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau plus state and local governments, in addition to spend profiles from attendee surveys. The construction of a new permanent Paddock Club building also led to a 60% increase in construction-related economic activity, with an impact of $230 million on the Greater Miami region in the months leading up to May’s event.

“We are delighted to be able to release tickets for next year’s race so early,” said Tyler Epp, President of the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX. “Thanks to the huge investment into Miami International Autodrome made by Stephen Ross and under the vision and leadership of Tom Garfinkel, this year’s race built on the foundations of our first event and took the spectator experience to a new level, which we aim to further for 2024. It’s also incredible to see the significant economic impact the race has had on the local area with $449 million directly benefitting the Greater Miami region, and we look forward to building on that in 2024 and beyond.”

In addition to the economic impact, the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX continues to be at the heart of the local community. Over 200 students from Miami Gardens, Florida, participated in a series of STEM educational programs at this year’s race while 14 minority-owned food vendors took part in the food and drink experience on Campus.

Constructed for the inaugural race in 2022, the Miami International Autodrome is a 3.36-mile circuit located in Miami Gardens. With a brand-new Paddock Club building and state-of-the-art facilities, the venue in the Hard Rock Stadium complex also includes one of the best medical centers in the sport, provided by Jackson Health System. Jackson’s Ryder Trauma Center is responsible for the medical staff, equipment and primary treatment facility for drivers and other team personnel during the event.

Following the success of the first two Formula 1 races in Miami, organizers are looking forward to enhancing the spectator experience for both returning fans and new attendees for the 2024 edition next May. Spectators are encouraged to secure their opportunity to watch world-class racing in one of the top destination cities on the Formula 1 calendar by purchasing their tickets today at the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2024 website here.

Busch Light Peach Racing: Kevin Harvick Michigan Advance

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Official Release

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July 31, 2023

KEVIN HARVICK
Michigan Advance
No. 4 Busch Light Peach Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: FireKeepers Casino 400 (Round 23 of 36)

● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 6

● Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn

● Layout: 2-mile oval

● Laps/Miles: 200 laps / 400 miles

● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 45 laps / Stage 2: 75 laps / Final Stage: 80 laps

● TV/Radio: USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Kevin Harvick has a sweet ride this weekend at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion will drive the No. 4 Busch Light Peach Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at the 2-mile oval. Busch Light Peach is a crisp, refreshing, peach-flavored lager with a touch of sweet on the front end and a clear, beer finish on the back end. It is available for a limited time only in 12-, 24- and 30-packs nationwide.

● The FireKeepers Casino 400 will mark Harvick’s 43rd career NASCAR Cup Series start at Michigan, the most among active drivers. Since making his first start at the track on June 10, 2001, Harvick has scored six wins, 16 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes while leading 737 laps, all of which are series bests. Harvick’s six wins are three more than Kyle Larson and Joey Logano, who are tied with three wins apiece. Harvick’s 16 top-fives are five more than next best Denny Hamlin (11 top-fives). Harvick’s 22 top-10s are four more than nearest pursuer Logano (18 top-10s), as are his 737 laps led, which is 147 more laps than Logano (590 laps led).

● Harvick’s first NASCAR Cup Series win at Michigan came on Aug. 15, 2010. Fifteen races passed before Harvick’s second win on Aug. 12, 2018, but in that span he finished second six times, including a run of four straight runner-up finishes (2013-2014).

● The victory on Aug. 12, 2018 might have been one of the most satisfying of Harvick’s career. Upon climbing from his car on the start/finish line, Harvick waved his son, Keelan, over to grab the checkered flag. Then after Harvick completed his TV interview, a then 6-year-old Keelan rode with his dad around the racetrack and on to victory lane. It was a tradition that continued a year later when Harvick successfully defended his win at Michigan. This time, Keelan joined his dad on pit road and rode in the car en route to the frontstretch, riding shotgun as Harvick performed an epic burnout on the way to the start/finish line to pick up another checkered flag.

● Ever since Keelan got to take a victory lap with his dad at Michigan, Harvick’s daughter, Piper, wanted to do the same thing. Harvick delivered last August by winning the FireKeepers Casino 400. Harvick led the final 38 laps and took the victory by 2.903 seconds over second-place Bubba Wallace. After doing some burnouts and collecting the checkered flag, Harvick scooped up Piper and put her in the No. 4 Ford Mustang, just like he did with Keelan four years earlier. They took a victory lap together on their way to the winner’s circle.

● The batch of second-place finishes in 2013-2014 served as a prelude to Harvick scoring a batch of wins. From August 2019 through all of 2020, Harvick won every NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan. The three-win streak began with a victory on Aug. 11, 2019 and then culminated with a sweep of the 2020 doubleheader. In taking back-to-back checkered flags Aug. 8-9, 2020 at Michigan, Harvick became the first driver to win two Cup Series races on consecutive days since Richard Petty in 1971 when Petty won July 14 at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, New York, and July 15 at Islip (N.Y.) Speedway. Harvick’s sweep of the 2020 Michigan doubleheader earned him an accolade no other driver had ever achieved – the first NASCAR Cup Series driver in history to win on back-to-back days at the same track.

● Harvick is one of just 10 drivers who have earned consecutive wins at Michigan, joining Bobby Allison (1971 sweep), David Pearson (1972 sweep-1973 and 1974-1975), Cale Yarborough (1983 sweep), Elliott (1985 sweep-1986 sweep), Bobby Labonte (1995 sweep), Mark Martin (1997-1998), Ryan Newman (2003-2004), Greg Biffle (2004-2005 and 2012-2013) and Kyle Larson (2016-2017 sweep).

● Harvick hasn’t finished outside the top-15 at Michigan since a 29th-place result in June 2015. To provide some context to the length of this streak, here are some pop-culture anecdotes from eight years ago…

●  Gas was $2.08 a gallon.

●  The No. 1 song was “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth.

●  The No. 1 movie was “Jurassic World,” which earned $1.67 billion at the box office.

●  CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” and “NCIS,” in their ninth and 13th seasons respectively, were the most-watched comedy and drama on TV.

●  The Golden State Warriors won its first NBA championship in 40 years, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. The Warriors have gone on to win three more NBA titles, including the 2022 championship.

● Harvick has flexed his muscles outside of the NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan. In 11 career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track, Harvick has a win (August 2003), four top-fives and nine top-10s. And in the NASCAR Truck Series, Harvick has a win (August 2011) and two top-fives and four top-11s.

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Peach Ford Mustang

How important was your win last year at Michigan? It punched your ticket to the playoffs in a season where every playoff driver had won a race.

“I think Michigan took a load off because we weren’t going to make the playoffs unless we won a race, and we’d gotten so far behind in the first half of the season that it just put us in that position to have to win. In that position, you feel a little bit more pressure because you only have one option and points really weren’t an option last year. It definitely was a relief to put that behind us and then worry about the last part of the season.”

That win broke a 65-race winless streak. How satisfying was it?

“I think the most gratifying part of it all was the fact that we all worked through it together. Last year, this car was so drastically different from what we had before, and it forced you to look at things a lot differently than what you did before. For myself and Rodney (Childers, crew chief), we’ve been around this for a long time, and having to forget all of the stuff that you’ve done – you’re going to the same racetracks, but it’s a different thought process. It’s a different process of how you get to that answer than what it used to be. You had to be open-minded.”

Michigan marks a return to a high-speed, intermediate track after running a variety of tracks through the summer. Can the knowledge learned early in the year at Fontana and Las Vegas – or even at places that we’ve raced at more recently like Kansas and Charlotte – be applied to Michigan, or were those races so long ago that it’s no longer applicable?

“Michigan is just unique because of the speed and the things that you have at Michigan. California Speedway is just so much different. And while you have the mile-and-a-half stuff that we do on a normal basis at some of those places, it’s something that is just different at Michigan. So you just kind of go off of what you’ve done in the past with the differences in the tracks and apply that to the new car with that mindset. But everything in the new car is different. We had a good car there last year and were able to get the track position we needed to show it off and we wound up going to victory lane. Last year will be more of a base than the evolution of the things that have happened this year since the rules on the big tracks are the same.”

We’ve heard the adage of, “Slow down to go fast,” and that seems to be used a lot at Michigan. What does that mean and how does it apply to Michigan?

“Michigan is one of those places where you don’t want to miss the center of the corner. You want to be on the throttle at the center of the corner and get that good exit speed to make the straightaway as long as you can. So the less you can touch the brake pedal and the more time you can spend on the throttle to make those straightaways as long as possible, the better speed you’re going to make. And Michigan in the past has been pretty line-sensitive, so you’ve just got to be careful about where you are on the racetrack. And if you miss that on the entry, it just screws the whole corner up.”

You’ve enjoyed a lot of success at Michigan, and you were able to continue that success last year in your first race at Michigan with the NextGen car. How have you been able to be so consistently good for so long at Michigan, all while so much around you has changed?

“For me, the places where car placement comes into play and being able to repeat that lap after lap is something that kind of fits my driving style. I think Michigan is one of those places where car placement and just putting yourself in the right position lap after lap after lap, and not making the mistakes that cost you a half-a-second a lap, and just making a half-a-tenth-of-a-second mistake instead of making those big mistakes and losing track position, and just doing all the little things right, is what you need to do at Michigan.”

In your last two Michigan wins, you’ve also been able to win Dad-of-the-Year honors by taking Keelan and Piper around the track in victory laps. Obviously, those are special, one-of-a-kind moments. What have those moments been like for you?

“Those are definitely cool dad moments. Piper was kind of frustrated that she didn’t get her turn to be able to ride in the car, so I was able to deliver on that after doing it with Keelan.”

How did that first moment, when you put Keelan in the car, come together?

“Honestly, that was something we had talked about beforehand. That was what he wanted to do. He wanted to get into the car and ride around after we won. He likes going to Michigan because they have a great ice cream shop and he can go to the golf course and drive a golf cart. That was after he had stuffed a golf cart into the big pine tree in the morning, and then during the day he told me, ‘Dad, if you win today, can I come out on pit road and ride in the car?’ My biggest concern right there was making sure he didn’t burn his butt because those cars and bars and everything are hot. So he had to sit over there and ride along. But what a cool experience. During pre-COVID races and things that we were doing, he was not racing and he was traveling with me, and a lot of times it was just he and I and we found all these spots at different places. But Michigan became one of his favorite places because that’s where he drove his quarter midget and we got to go to the go-kart track and go to the golf course, and the ice cream shop is always the biggest hit. And, obviously, that was his creation, riding in the car.”

Looking back, was it more special for him or for you?

“For me, those moments are really cool just because of the fact that they don’t stay that small very long. I look at how small he was in the videos from that race and, as you look through those old videos, it seems like it was forever ago because now I look at him and he’s twice the size as he was then. So those are just things you will have forever, and to be able to experience that was pretty neat.”

No. 4 Busch Light Peach Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Kevin Harvick

Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Crew Chief: Rodney Childers

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Car Chief: Robert “Cheddar” Smith

Hometown: Whitewater, Wisconsin

Engineer: Stephen Doran

Hometown: Butler, Pennsylvania

Engineer: Dax Gerringer

Hometown: Gibsonville, North Carolina

Spotter: Tim Fedewa

Hometown: Holt, Michigan

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Daniel Coffey

Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Jeremy Howard

Hometown: Delhart, Texas

Jack Man: Brandon Banks

Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Evan Marchal

Hometown: Westfield, Indiana

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Tyler Trosper

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Mechanic: Nick DeFazio

Hometown: Orange, California

Tire Specialist: Jamie Turski

Hometown: Trumbull, Connecticut

Engine Tuner: Robert Brandt

Hometown: Mobile, Alabama

Transporter Co-Driver: Rick Hodges

Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Stephen Mitchell

Hometown: Woodville, Ohio

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Richmond II

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Official Release

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July 31, 2023

RICHMOND RACEWAY

RACE: COOK OUT 400 DATE: JULY 30, 2023

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/JACK LINK’S FORD MUSTANG

START: 30TH STAGE ONE: 28TH STAGE TWO: 26TH FINISH: 26TH POINTS: 22ND

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric finished 26th in Sunday afternoon’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway in the No. 2 Menards/Jack Link’s Ford Mustang. Cindric started from the 30th position and remained quiet over the radio through much of the opening stint, holding on to take the Stage 1 green-and-white checkered flag in the 28th position. Following the 70-lap green flag run, the Team Penske driver informed his team that he needed an adjustment to help give him a little turn back and support his entry and exit. Crew Chief Jeremy Bullins called the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment before the restart. Cindric keyed up the radio again on Lap 113 to relay his need for additional help with the car’s entry into the corners. The 24-year-old racer pulled the No. 2 Ford down pit lane twice during the second segment for scheduled service stops. Following the conclusion of the second caution-free Stage, Cindric was scored 26th in the running order. In need of grip, the Menards/Jack Link’s machine received an air pressure adjustment during its pit stop under the Stage break. Cindric lined up 25th for the start of the final Stage and alerted the crew of his loose handling condition early in the run. Two additional stops were on deck in Stage 3 before the checked flag waved, in which Cindric crossed the line 26th.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “It was an up-and-down day. It was honestly good to get a long green-flag race in and get a lot of reps in the Menards/Jack Link’s Ford Mustang. We had a bit of a messy second Stage that I feel like cost us a lap on the pit sequences with the way it worked out. I thought the strategy was right, it was just unfortunate the way it panned out with cars coming in and out and the miscue on another pit stop. Past that, I thought we had some highlights, and we learned some things this weekend. It’s a tough track to recover track position. We got a few spots and had some good restarts, but definitely want more.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 BODYARMOR FORD MUSTANG

START: 25TH STAGE ONE: 23RD STAGE TWO: 17TH FINISH: 14TH POINTS: 9TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney battled a tight-handling BODYARMOR Ford Mustang from the onset of Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, resulting in a 23rd-place finish in Stage 1 that was green for the entirety of the opening 70-lap segment. The No. 12 team made a round of adjustments during its first opportunity to go to work on the handling of the car at the stage break and lined up 25th to start Stage 2. Blaney was brought to pit road during the latter stages of the first of two green flag pit cycles in the second stage which saw him break into the top-10 before hitting pit road. As Blaney’s Ford Mustang began to work its way free following its second green flag stop on lap 179, he battled to stay on the lead lap as the laps ticked off in the second stage. Blaney was able to fend off the No. 6 to stay on the lead lap en route to a 17th-place finish in Stage 2. Blaney ran in the top-15 for a majority of the final stage as various pit strategies started to come to light. The No. 12 team opted to wait to bring Blaney to pit road until the end of the final green flag pit cycle, allowing him to take the lead on lap 339. Blaney made his way down pit road on lap 346 while running third and cycled back to 14th upon rejoining the field. Blaney was one of the last cars on the lead lap prior to the caution on lap 390 and fended off a host of wave-around cars on the final restart of the day with three laps remaining to come away with a 14th-place finish.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “Definitely an up-and-down day for our BODYARMOR Ford Mustang. We were going to work on it every chance we had – which wasn’t often with the number of long, green-flag runs that this place can tend to produce. I feel like the balance started to come to us towards the end and we were better on the long run. We’ll take a top-15 considering how deep we started and look to build some momentum in Michigan.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG

START: 23RD STAGE ONE: 14TH STAGE TWO: 10TH FINISH: 4TH POINTS: 10TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Despite starting 23rd in Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, Joey Logano gained track position on the field in the opening laps by forcing three-wide situations to race his way into the top-15 in the latter stages of Stage 1. Logano battled a tight-handling condition throughout the opening stage but came away with a 14th-place finish in the 70-lap segment to begin the afternoon. Following a four-tire stop with a round of adjustments at the stage break, Logano broke into the top-10 on lap 85 just eight laps after the restart before settling into ninth in the running order during the first green flag run of Stage 2. As green flag pit stops began to cycle, Logano brought the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang to pit road while running fourth and cycled back to ninth once the cycle was complete. After another green flag pit cycle shuffled Logano out of the top-10, Logano battled to pick up a stage point by working his way around the No. 3 with seven laps to go in the stage to come away with a 10th-place finish in Stage 2. As the balance started to settle in, Logano settled into eighth on the leaderboard to begin the final stage and held his position for a majority of the run. The No. 22 team’s final green flag stop of the day came on lap 334 for four tires, fuel, and a round of adjustments before cycling back to eighth in the running order. The first caution for an on-track incident came with 10 laps remaining, bringing the leaders to pit road for their final service of the afternoon. Logano lined up on the outside of row four and immediately went up the race track to run three-wide heading into turn one, a move that saw him vault from seventh to third with three laps to go. Logano battled to make his way to the front in the closing laps but settled for a fourth-place finish, marking his 13th-career top-five at Richmond and his seventh top-10 in his last nine races at the Virginia short track.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “I thought our Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang was pretty good all day, really. We just needed to get there and execute our race a little bit better. Execute in qualifying, execute on pit road a little bit better to maximize our day. I had a good restart there at the end and was able to roll a couple of rows on the top there. To see third place for a half a second – almost second when the No. 11 lost the corner into [turn] one – but [Hamlin] got back to my outside and got me back. I could see the lead, I got excited, but just another top-five here at Richmond. It’s been a really solid race track for us. We’ve been able to click off a lot of top-fives here recently. We’re pretty much machines here. We just have to get it into victory lane a little bit more.”

WHAT’S NEXT: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, August 6 for the FireKeepers Casino 400. Coverage begins at 2:30 pm E.T. on USA, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Buescher Clinches Playoff Berth with Richmond Win

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Official Release

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July 31, 2023

RFK Fords Lead a Combined 190 Laps in Dominant Effort at Richmond

RIDGEWAY, Va. (July 30, 2023) – RFK Racing dominated Sunday afternoon’s race at Richmond Raceway as Chris Buescher won his third career Cup race and locked the No. 17 into the NASCAR Playoffs, while Brad Keselowski led the most laps of any car en route to a sixth-place finish.

“I knew that last restart was going to be tough, but I knew we had the speed in this thing,” said Buescher after the victory.” Our Fastenal Mustang was so good firing off today. I had to pass a bunch of cars today and have some great strategy and some great pit stops. Everybody at RFK Racing has worked so hard to get us to this point – this is awesome.”

Buescher – who earned his second win since Bristol last fall – led 88 of the final 95 laps in the Fastenal Ford Mustang, including holding off the field in a final restart with three laps remaining. Keselowski’s BuildSubmarines.com Ford led 102 laps in total, and won stage two in an RFK 1-2 finish, while earning his ninth top-10 finish, with now four races remaining in the regular season.

“Certainly tremendous execution,” Keselowski said after his second win as a co-owner at RFK. “We wanted to win 1-2, that’s the ultimate goal. We had these RFK Fords up front and had a heck of a day where we ran 1-2 part of it.

“This is kind of the next step for us, to be able to win races on a contender basis. I told somebody, a lot of you guys here this year, we have become relevant. The next step is to try to be contenders. You get to the contender status by winning races. We want to be where we win every week, we’re 1-2 finishing. This is another step in our progression and a lot to be proud of.”

17 Recap
Buescher certainly earned the hard-charger award, driving to the win from the 26th position after his qualifying run on Saturday. He proved early on that he did not belong there, driving up to 17th by the conclusion of stage one at lap 70.

Following a quick pit stop that put him plus four on the ensuing restart, Buescher fired off 13th for stage two, and by lap 101 was inside the top-10. He never left it from there.

With just one natural caution all day, green-flag pit stops dominated the action, with the first coming at lap 122. Once that cycle completed, Buescher was fifth at lap 145. Another green-flag cycle separated the field at lap 173 with Buescher again cycling back to fifth.

From there, he powered his way to second by the stage end at lap 230, surpassing the 23 – who led 80 laps in the race, and the 45, who sat on the pole and led 81 laps. With teammate Brad Keselowski at the point, the duo ran 1-2 from there all the way to lap 284 when they both hit pit road again under green. This time, Buescher cycled back to the leader with just one pit stop remaining on the day.

That final stop took place with 62 laps remaining for the Fastenal Ford. He again cycled back to the lead and set sail with a six-plus second lead, but a caution was displayed with nine laps to go. A stellar stop for fresh tires again put Buescher back on track in the lead, and he didn’t look back from there, driving to his third-career Cup Series victory.

6 Recap
Keselowski’s day began from the 13th position following his qualifying effort Saturday, and he, too, charged to the front early. The BuildSubmarines.com Ford was 10th just 29 laps in, eighth 30 laps later, and went on to finish ninth in the opening stage of 70 laps.

He fired off sixth for stage two, but from there quickly drove forward to third by lap 101. His first green-flag stop of the day came at lap 122 with his teammate, as he cycled to the third spot by lap 145. Another pit cycle gave him the lead by lap 182, before he went on to win stage two with RFK taking the top two spots.

They restarted in the same positions and maintained until the next green-flag cycle, this one at lap 284. Keselowski pitted from the lead and nearly overshot his pit box, losing just enough time to relinquish the lead.

He later regained the top-five position and maintained the spot throughout, before going on to finish sixth in a race that saw just the one natural caution with nine to go.

Up Next

Michigan International Speedway hosts the Cup Series next weekend as the month of August kicks off with the final run to the playoffs. Race coverage Sunday is set for 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Kaulig Racing Post-Race Report | Richmond Raceway & Road America

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Official Release

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July 31, 2023

Cook Out 400

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1

Derek Kraus practiced and qualified the No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1, while AJ Allmendinger competed in the Road America 180 at Road America. Allmendinger then started the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway 36th due to a driver change.
In the opening stage, Allmendinger made it up to 26th by lap 22, taking over 25th on lap 67 where he ultimately finished the stage. Allmendinger reported he started off neutral but was building free as the run went on and needed better drive off. The team made an air pressure and wedge adjustment under the stage break to help Allmendinger with the handling of the car.
The No. 16 Chevy restarted 26th on lap 78 and took over 24th on lap 85. On lap 98, Allmendinger fell back to 25th, telling the team he needed more rear grip. He came down pit road on lap 122 for the first green-flag pit stop of the day. After green-flag stops cycled through, the No. 16 took over 22nd place on lap 131 but reported he was too loose and wasn’t able to make the top line work. The team came back down pit road on lap 173 for a scheduled green-flag pit stop. Allmendinger exited pit road and was scored 23rd on lap 174, where he ran until the last lap of the second stage when he took 22nd place.
Under the stage break, Allmendinger reported he couldn’t be freed up anymore and asked for more front turn. The team made a slight air pressure adjustment, and Allmendinger restarted 23rd on lap 240, quickly taking over 21st place on the restart. Allmendinger held this position until lap 246 when he dropped back to 22nd, reporting he was now feeling brake shake. Allmendinger took over 21st again on lap 270, telling the team he needed help with rear grip on the next stop. The team came down pit road on lap 284 for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment and Allmendinger made it up to 20th on lap 316. Allmendinger quickly reported the changes made upset the car and came back down pit road on lap 338 to go back on the changes. Allmendinger was running 24th when the caution came out on lap 390. The No. 16 restarted in 24th with three laps to go. Allmendinger was caught up in a wreck at the finish, spinning across the line and ultimately finished 27th.

“I appreciate Derek Kraus doing his part this weekend with helping us get the car ready in practice and qualifying yesterday. Unfortunately, when it came to the race, we struggled making the right adjustments to help the handling of our No. 16 Action Industries Chevy. We’ve still got work to do on this style track.” – AJ Allmendinger

Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1

Justin Haley qualified 28th for the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.
Haley made up one spot in the opening 10 laps but fell back to 30th as the No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy began handling free all throughout. By lap 37, Haley radioed that his rear tires were completely gone, and he lacked all rear grip. He went on to finish the stage in 31st.
During the stage break, Haley pitted for tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to help the freeness and lack of turn in the No. 31 Chevy. The second stage went green on lap 78. Haley was called to pit road on lap 124 for a scheduled green-flag pit stop where he received four tires and fuel. He radioed to the team he was experiencing bad brake shaking. Haley made his next scheduled green flag stop on lap 176 for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The stage remained green for its entirety, with Haley finishing 32nd. He radioed to the team he was still experiencing more of the same brake shaking but that the first run of the second stage was better than the second. The team called Haley in for another pit stop for more adjustments for the final stage.
The final stage went green with 139 laps remaining, and by lap 281, Haley radioed that his No. 31 Chevy was still extremely loose handling. He made a scheduled, green-flag pit stop on lap 288 more tires, fuel and more adjustments to help the freeness of the car. The race continued to stay green, and Haley pitted once again with 62 laps remaining, in need of fresh tires. The first natural caution of the day came out with just 10 laps remaining, allowing Haley to take the “wave around”, gaining one lap back. The field went back to green with three laps remaining. Haley finished 30th.

“Richmond definitely didn’t go the way we had hoped. Our No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy lacked rear grip throughout the whole race. I started to get bad brake shaking at the end of the first stage, and it would just shake the wheel out of my hand in the corners. Unfortunately, lack of cautions prevented us from getting laps back, so it was difficult to gain any spots. We will go back to the drawing board and get ready for Michigan.” – Justin Haley

Road America 180

AJ Allmendinger, No. 10 LeafHome Water Solutions Chevrolet

AJ Allmendinger qualified on the pole for the Road America 180 at Road America.
Allmendinger pulled away early, holding a three-second lead over second place by lap two and reported that his No. 10 LeafHome Water Solutions Chevy was too loose. On lap six, Allmendinger fell back to third, telling his team he was having issues stopping when using the brakes. When the competition caution came out on lap 10, Allmendinger sat in third. Under caution, the team made several adjustments to help Allmendinger with the handling of his car. He restarted on the outside of the front row on lap 12 and held second place until lap 16 when he fell to third, reporting the adjustments on the last stop helped but his biggest challenge was still his brakes. Allmendinger went on to finish the opening stage third after the caution came out on lap 20 ending the stage under caution. During the stage break, the team made a big change to the rear brakes in an effort to help Allmendinger for the remainder of the race.
Allmendinger restarted from third on lap 24 and took over second on the restart. The caution came out on lap 25, and Allmendinger told the team that his No. 10 Chevy was already loose on the start. On lap 28, Allmendinger rolled off second and fell to fifth on the restart, telling the team he lacked grip grip. The next caution came out on lap 31 as the No. 10 was running fifth. He restarted from the same position and took over fourth on the restart, going on to finish the second stage fourth.
Allmendinger started the final stage in fourth with nine to go and fell to fifth on the restart. The No. 10 was collected in a spin running in the fifth position with four to go, bringing out the caution. The team came down pit road to repair damage before sending Allmendinger back out to restart 29th in the first overtime attempt. With two to go, the caution came out, followed by the red flag for oil that covered several turns. Allmendinger restarted 21st in the second-overtime attempt with three laps to go and went on to finish ninth.

“We never quite had the overall speed today to contend for the win. We definitely learned some things to focus on going to Indy, and I’m proud of everyone at Kaulig Racing for working hard to try to maximize everything that we could to get a decent finish out of it today.” – AJ Allmendinger

Daniel Hemric, No. 11 Cirkul Chevrolet

After electing to not make a qualifying lap in order to make an engine change, Daniel Hemric started 32nd in the Road America 180 at Road America.
Hemric quickly made up 11 spots after the first lap and was able to move up 15 positions in the first 3.5 laps. Hemric reported that his entry was good but needed more arc going into the corners. As the competition caution came out on lap ten. Hemric came down pit road on lap 12 for a non-competitive pit stop where he took four tires, fuel and made adjustments. Restarting 18th on lap 13, Hemric was up to 16th by lap 15 but reported his car was starting to feel free in the rear. He made his way up to 14th with three laps to go in stage one before the caution flew again one lap later, ending stage one under caution with Hemric finishing 14th.
During the first stage break, Hemric pitted for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment before starting the second stage in 14th on the inside lane. A multi-car spin on the restart brought the caution back out with Hemric steering clear and moving up to move up to 11th. He restarted 11th on the outside with six laps to go in the second stage and was able to crack the top 10 with five laps to go in the stage. He reported that his balance in the front was getting better but was loose through the carousel. Hemric restarted 10th for a one-lap shootout to the stage end, but unfortunately, Hemric went off track in turn 14 to avoid another car and went on to finish the second stage 21st.
During the second stage break, the team performed another non-competitive pit stop for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. During the yellow flag laps, Hemric relayed to the team that his front end was getting better but that his brakes were struggling. Restarting 21st with nine laps to go in the race, Hemric was able to work his way back up to 17th before the caution flag flew again with seven laps to go. Hemric restarted 15th with four laps to go when the caution came out again, forcing an overtime restart. Hemric sat 11th as the first overtime attempt brought out a caution that would eventually see the red flag displayed. The race would eventually go back to green for a second overtime attempt, where Hemric went on to finish the race 11th.

“It was a tough day for our No.11 Cirkul Chevrolet team. We had speed but felt like it never showed. I just got caught up in a few bad spots during the race and could never recover. I’m proud of how hard these guys worked to prepare the car. On to Michigan.” – Daniel Hemric

Chandler Smith, No. 16 Quick Tie Chevrolet

Chandler Smith qualified 16th for the Road America 180 at Road America.
Smith methodically moved up the leaderboard after the green flag, grabbing two positions in the first two laps of the race. Smith’s third lap was as fast as the rest of the top five, but he began losing time soon after. The No. 18 and No. 25 cars caught and passed Smith on consecutive laps, putting the No. 16 back in 16th by lap eight. Right as Smith reported that his rear tires were chattering, a stopped car on track brought out the previously scheduled competition caution on lap 10. The Quick Tie Products No. 16 crew added fuel, changed tires and made an air pressure adjustment during the non-competitive pit stop. Smith restarted in 14th on lap 13 but fell five positions by the next lap. After settling back in, Smith passed the No. 8 for 18th and ran his fastest time of the day, both on lap 16. Two laps later, Smith passed the No. 25 for 17th. On lap 20, Smith’s brakes failed at full speed down the frontstretch, and instead of hitting the turn one wall head on, Smith veered his car into the outside wall. The crash ended Smith’s race, and he finished 37th.

“Man, I just hate how our day ended after how hard everyone worked to prepare for the race. I didn’t have much indication of brake failure, just that something felt strange going down the front stretch. I truly believe we had a top-10 No. 16 Quick Tie Products Chevrolet.” – Chandler Smith

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 made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and has won back-to-back regular-season championships. Before becoming a full-time NCS team, Kaulig Racing made multiple starts in the 2021 NCS season and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team expanded to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 with Justin Haley piloting the No. 31 Camaro ZL1, and an all-star lineup featured in the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. Haley will continue to drive the No. 31 full-time in 2023, alongside AJ Allmendinger, who will drive the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. The team will continue to field three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by an all-star lineup, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by Chandler Smith. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

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