ARIC ALMIROLA
Charlotte Roval Advance
No. 10 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Bank of America Roval 400 (Round 32 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 9
● Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval
● Layout: 2.28-mile, 17-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 109 laps/252.88 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 25 laps / Final Stage: 59 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Almirola has 33 points-paying road-course starts in the NASCAR Cup Series with two top-10 finishes, both coming at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in consecutive appearances – eighth in June 2018 and ninth in June 2019. His average finish of 18.3 in four outings on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval is his best among the road-course races currently on the Cup Series schedule. His best Roval finish of 14th came in October 2019.

● 2022 Season: Through 31 races this season, Almirola has earned two top-five finishes, seven top-10s, and has led 81 laps. He also qualified on the pole for the first time this season at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September. His average finish of 17.8 and seven top-10s this season have bettered his totals for the entire 36-race 2021 season.

● Driver Points: Almirola arrives at Talladega 20th in the driver standings with 663 points.

● Almirola’s career: In 419 NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has earned three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 91 top-10s, four poles, and has led 974 laps.

● Haas Automation, founded by Gene Haas in 1983, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers and rotary tables and indexers. All Haas products are constructed in the company’s 1.1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California, and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets.

● Back for More: Earlier this year, Almirola announced that he would step down from fulltime racing following the 2022 season.Through the course of the year, Almirola has discovered a new balance between his passion for racing and dedication to his family. His wife Janice, and kids Alex and Abby, join him on most race weekends, oftentimes enjoying once-in-a-lifetime experiences together as they travel the country. His rapport with crew chief Drew Blickensderfer has flourished, and the intense pressure he had put on himself was replaced with the joy of simply being present. Not only did Almirola see a new perspective on the sport, but so did anchor partner Smithfield Foods, who broached the subject of Almirola returning to fulltime racing in 2023. On Aug. 26, Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing, and Smithfield Foods announced his return with a multi-year agreement and the largest allotment of races since joining the team in 2018.

● Beyond the 10 YouTube Series: In 2022, Almirola is once again sharing his life beyond the No. 10 Smithfield Ford with season three of his award-winning YouTube series. Fans and media can subscribe on YouTube to see Almirola’s personality on and off the track. Episodes have already featured life as a dad, a husband and an athlete, and it gives fans a unique perspective on what goes on in the life of a professional NASCAR driver. Fans can also follow Almirola’s social media channels: @Aric_Almirola on Twitter and Instagram, and @AricAlmirola on Facebook.

● Almirola was the only NASCAR Cup Series driver to finish in the top-10 in this year’s opening three races. He finished fifth in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, sixth at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and sixth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Almirola’s top-10 streak ended with a 12th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway despite running inside the top-10 throughout the race.

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What is the goal this weekend on the Charlotte Roval?

“Progress is what we’re really looking for – progress with the car on road courses and progress with my own performance. I spent a lot of time in the Ford simulator this week logging laps on the Roval to get familiar with the track again. We’ve had some good road-course days this year and some bad ones. With the Roval, you have to have a mix of both speed and handling.

You have recently been coaching your son Alex’s baseball team. How has that been?

“It is an absolute blast. Seeing these boys learn and grow through the sport of baseball is so rewarding, and Alex has really enjoyed it. He has been to a few different MLB games this year and is a huge fan. He’s at that age where the things I find fun are the same things he finds fun and we can do them together.”

Do you have any more expectations for this season?

“Just finding little wins each weekend is important. I think we still have a shot at a race win this season, as well, but ultimately, progress in some way each weekend is a win. We raced well at Vegas, Martinsville, and Phoenix earlier this year, so we’re excited to go back to those venues and see where we can improve.”

No. 10 Haas Automation Ford Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Aric Almirola
Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer
Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Jerry Cook
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Engineer: Davin Restivo
Hometown: Asheboro, North Carolina

Engineer: James Kimbrough
Hometown: Pensacola, Florida

Spotter: Joel Edmonds
Hometown: Dobson, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder
Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White
Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard
Hometown: King, North Carolina

Jack Man: Sean Cotton
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener
Hometown: Fortuna, California

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Chris Trickett
Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Robbie Fairweather
Hometown: Westbrookville, New York

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller
Hometown: Monroe, New York

Tire Specialist: Rusty Davidson
Hometown: Mount Juliet, Tennessee

Transporter Co-Driver: Steven Casper
Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy
Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

CHASE BRISCOE
Charlotte Roval Advance
No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Bank of America Roval 400 (Round 32 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 9
● Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval
● Layout: 2.28-mile, 17-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 109 laps / 252.88 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 68 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● The NASCAR Cup Series takes on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval in the third and final race of the Round of 12 of this year’s playoffs. Briscoe enters the race eighth in the playoff standings, tied for the final transfer spot to the Round of 8 with fellow Ford driver Austin Cindric. The Roval serves as the final road-course event of the season and a fitting setting for Briscoe and Cindric, who began as teammates racing sportscars in the Trans Am Series and are battling to advance.

● Ford Performance Racing School reunites with Briscoe for the Bank of America Roval 400 at the track that serves as its home base. Ford Performance Racing School is the only school to wear the Ford oval, and Ford is the only full-line vehicle manufacturer to offer product-focused experiential driving programs exclusively to the owners of its complete line of performance vehicles, from cars to trucks to SUVs.

● Briscoe is fresh off his second consecutive top-10 finish and fourth top-15 in a row. His 10th-place effort last weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway was his sixth top-10 of the season and best Cup Series result there.

● Sunday’s race marks Briscoe’s second Cup Series start on the 2.28-mile, 17-turn Roval. In 2021, he started and finished 22nd after struggling all race with an ill-handling Ford Mustang. All three of Briscoe’s top-10 finishes during the 2021 season came on road courses – sixth at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, in May; sixth at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, in July; ninth at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in August. The week after the Watkins Glen race, the Indiana native nearly won in his first Cup Series start on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

● Briscoe took home the trophy in the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the Roval in 2018. He started ninth, took the lead for the first time on lap 18 and led until lap 26. He regained the top spot on lap 32 and stayed out front for the final 24 circuits en route to his first of 11 career Xfinity Series wins. The victory led to a fulltime ride in SHR’s No. 98 for 2019 and he returned to the Roval that year to secure a ninth-place finish after leading a race-high 21 laps.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You’re tied with Austin Cindric entering the Roval and own the tiebreaker to advance. What do you have to do to make sure you can hold onto that spot and move on to the Round of 8?

“Stay out of trouble. There can be a lot of chaos at the Roval, just like we see at superspeedways and some of the bigger tracks. You can lose a ton of positions on restarts and certain turns. If you miss a turn, it can put you behind. We just need to run a good race and stay out of trouble. We’re not in a terrible position to be able to advance but we also can’t have a bad day. It’s tough to gain points but all it takes is us not getting stage points and one of the guys in the bottom four spots winning to knock us out.”

Road-course races haven’t come with the best results for the No. 14 team this year. Have you figured out what you need to do to improve?

“It’s honestly just this car. It’s not anything we were doing that took away the advantage I felt I had coming to road courses. This car is made to drive better on those kinds of tracks. It used to be I could find areas to gain on guys under braking or figure out how to drive in harder and make a pass. The bigger brakes and things like that make it so much easier for everyone to do those things. So, I don’t know that there’s anything we need to figure out. We just have to run our race and try to be there with a shot at the end.”

No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe
Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: John Klausmeier
Hometown: Perry Hall, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey
Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook
Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen
Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Spotter: Joey Campbell
Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala
Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Jack Man: Dylan Moser
Hometown: Monroe, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams
Hometown: Naples, Florida

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads
Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips
Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Transporter Co-Driver: Todd Cable
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Rob Fink
Hometown: Mocksville, North Carolina

COLE CUSTER
Charlotte Roval Advance
No. 41 Autodesk/HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Bank of America Roval 400 (Round 32 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 9
● Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval
● Layout: 2.28-mile, 17-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 109 laps / 252.88 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 68 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Cole Custer and the No. 41 Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) feature Autodesk as co-primary partner for the fifth and final time this season during Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. San Francisco-based Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leader in software applications for the engineering, manufacturing, construction, architecture, media and entertainment industries, is capping off its fifth season with SHR, which started May 1 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway, then returned for the June 12 race at its hometown Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, the Aug. 27 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, and the Sept. 17 Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

● The Autodesk partnership with SHR is more than skin deep. The team utilized Autodesk’s Fusion 360 design and manufacturing software extensively to create lightweight, but strong, components for its fleet of Gen 6 racecars. Autodesk’s generative design capabilities and its Fusion 360 software helps designers and engineers quickly find optimal solutions to design problems, like SHR’s brake pedal revision in its Gen 6 racecars, as chronicled in this video. The new pedal accounted for a 32 percent reduction in weight with a 50 percent increase in stiffness, with the optimized design being realized by Fusion 360. The entire project took just two months to complete – from initial design to simulation, additive manufacturing of the pedal, testing and finalized part. Just as importantly, it was all delivered within two weeks of the needed race date.

● Also riding along with Custer and his SHR Mustang this weekend is team co-owner Gene Haas’ Haas Tooling, which was launched as a way for CNC machinists to purchase high-quality cutting tools at great prices. Haas cutting tools are sold exclusively online at HaasTooling.com and shipped directly to end users. HaasTooling.com products became available nationally in July 2020. Haas Automation, founded by Haas in 1983, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers and rotary tables and indexers. All Haas products are constructed in the company’s 1.1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California, and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets.

● Sunday’s 109-lap race around the 2.28-mile, 17-turn road course will be Custer’s 107th career Cup Series start and his third on the Roval. He finished ninth in his Cup Series debut at the track two years ago this weekend for his seventh top-10 of the season en route to capturing 2020 Rookie of the Year honors. The finish came in just his second career road-course race in the Cup Series. Custer started 23rd and finished 18th in this race last October.

● The 24-year-old driver from Ladera Ranch, California, will be making his 15th points-paying Cup Series start on a road course. He matched his career-best road-course finish when he brought home a ninth-place finish July 31 on the infield circuit at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

● Custer’s 11 road-course outings in the Xfinity Series from 2017 through 2019 included a pair of outings on the Roval. He finished seventh in 2018 and eighth in 2019. His best Xfinity Series road-course result was fourth in 2018 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. All but one of his 11 career road-course outings in the Xfinity Series were top-10s.

● Custer also has top-10s in all three of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series outings on road courses, all three occurring at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario. His best was his most recent, a second-place run from the pole with a race-high 39 laps led in the No. 00 JR Motorsports entry in 2016. In addition to his three Truck Series outings, Custer raced on road courses twice in the ARCA Menards Series, at Road America and New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, and nine times in the K&N Pro Series at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Virginia International Raceway in Alton, and Road Atlanta.

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 Autodesk/HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

You’ve had some of the best runs of your career on road courses, everywhere from your rookie year in the Cup Series on the Roval, down through the Xfinity, Truck, ARCA and K&N ranks. Does that give you extra confidence when you go to road courses?

“I’ve always loved the road-course races and I feel like I’ve actually been pretty close to winning a few and I still haven’t won one. That’s probably the one thing in my career up to now that I really want to try and check off, to have a road-course win. I feel like, every single one I’ve been to, we’ve run pretty solid and I’ve been happy with it. There are so many things that have to go right to win a road-course race with the strategy, and people are running off course and running into you and spinning out. It’s just the races are so crazy that you have to have a lot of things go right, so I definitely want to try and check off that road-course win. That would be huge.”

You had a solid top-10 on the Roval in your first-ever Cup Series race there in 2020. What do you remember about that day, and how do you feel about your progress in perfecting your road-racing craft?

“What I remember most is that we had a lot of ups and downs in that race, which is typical on road courses, in general, especially on the Roval and especially on restarts. There’s always a lot going on and the potential for mayhem is always there. The crew stuck with it all race long and we ended up with a top-10 that we could feel good about. And I think one of the bigger positives that came out of that day was that we learned some things with regard to road-course racing that definitely carried on over into these last two seasons with all the road-course races we had on the schedule. We had a solid day in our last road-course race at Watkins Glen, so I can’t wait to get to the Roval, and the team feels the same way.”

How would you evaluate the road-course program at SHR?

“I would say, for us as an organization, we’ve been solid in the road-course races. You definitely always want to be better, but I feel like we’ve been in the mix more often than not, at least. I feel like we can run top-10 most of the time and, from there, it’s just a matter of one adjustment and one thing going right on pit road and you’re in the top-five and looking for a win. So I think it’s just a matter of fine-tuning it a little bit, but I’ve been pretty happy with our road-course cars. It’s just a matter of having the whole race play out right.”

No. 41 Autodesk/HaasTooling.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Cole Custer
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California

Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
Hometown: Amherst, Ohio

Car Chief: Tony Cardamone
Hometown: Bristol, Virginia

Engineer: Lee Deese
Hometown: Rockingham, North Carolina

Engineer: Scott Bingham
Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Spotter: Andy Houston
Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Josh Leslie
Hometown: Mount Clemens, Michigan

Rear Tire Changer: Chris Jackson
Hometown: Rock Hill, South Carolina

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons
Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: Stan Doolittle
Hometown: Ninety Six, South Carolina

Fuel Man: Dewayne Moore
Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Joe Zanolini
Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Shock Specialist: Aaron Kuehn
Hometown: Kensington, Connecticut

Engine Tuner: Jimmy Fife
Hometown: Orange County, California

Tire Specialist: Austin Greco
Hometown: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues
Hometown: Santa Clarita, California

Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer
Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania

Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves

Twitter: @RFK17Team, @RFKRacing and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 252.8 miles, 109 laps, Stages: 25-25-69

NASCAR Cup Race at ROVAL – Sunday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

Group practice and qualifying sessions return for this weekend’s schedule at the ROVAL.

Buescher at the ROVAL

• Buescher makes his fifth start on the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway where he’s coming off a P3 finish last fall. In that race Buescher ran top-10 for all of the final stage and picked off five positions in the closing 20 laps to record his now third top-five on a road course.
• Prior to 2021, Buescher had finishes of 17th, 18th and 20th at the ROVAL.
• He has an average starting position of 14.5 with a career-best 10th in 2018.
• Overall on road courses in the Cup Series, Buescher has six top-10s with a 15.4 average finish. He has four-straight top-10s on road courses with finishes of ninth (Watkins Glen), 10th (Indy), sixth (Road America) and second (Sonoma).

Scott Graves at the ROVAL

Graves will call his fifth race from the ROVAL this weekend, also coming off the career-best third with Buescher there last fall. Otherwise, his best finish at the Charlotte Road Course was 21st (Daniel Suarez – 2018).
Graves has eight career top-10 finishes on road courses in the Cup Series and four inside the top five with a 17.5 average finish.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at the ROVAL:
“As I’ve said the last few weeks, we feel really good about our chances with every type of track and race remaining on the schedule, and that is surely the case this weekend with our final road course of the year. Last year we got really close in this race, and since have made huge strides in figuring out road courses, so we feel good about our Fastenal Ford entering the weekend.”

Last Time Out
Buescher finished 25th at Talladega last weekend after a late pit sequence shuffled him amongst the strong field still remaining.

On the Car

Fastenal, in its 12th season with RFK in 2022, makes its 18th appearance with the No. 17 this weekend. In its early days with RFK, Fastenal originally was a partner with the No. 99 team before moving over to the No. 17 team since. They were also the primary partner on the No. 60 Xfinity Series entry that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.

Fastenal will feature top suppliers 3M, Apex, Widia, Protective Industrial Products (PIP) and Shurtape on Buescher’s No. 17 this weekend. For more information on these suppliers, visit Fastenal.com, and stay up-do-date on social @FastenalCompany.

In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, in conjunction with the Kurt Busch Foundation and the NASCAR Foundation, both RFK cars this weekend will run pink window nets. At the conclusion of the race, each window net will be autographed and be offered in an auction hosted by the NASCAR Foundation, with proceeds benefitting a local charity. The auction will run live on eBay from Oct. 10-17.

About Fastenal
Fastenal [Nasdaq: FAST] is North America’s largest fastener distributor and a ‘one-stop’ source for hundreds of thousands of OEM, MRO and Construction products. With more than 2,600 stores worldwide, the company supports B2B customers with tailored local inventory and dedicated personnel, who visit regularly, quickly respond to emergency needs, and provide efficient inventory management solutions. Fastenal’s service-oriented business network includes the world’s largest industrial vending program, 14 regional distribution centers, 8 custom manufacturing facilities, thousands of delivery vehicles, and industry-leading sourcing, quality and engineering resources.

Team: No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Matt McCall

Twitter: @RFK6Team, @RFKRacing and @keselowski

Race Format: 252.8 miles, 109 laps, Stages: 25-25-69

NASCAR Cup Race at ROVAL – Sunday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

Group practice and qualifying sessions return for this weekend’s schedule at the ROVAL.

Keselowski at the ROVAL

• Keselowski makes his fifth start on the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend, where he has an average finish of 18.5 with one top-10 – a fifth-place finish in 2019.
• Keselowski is coming off a 20th-place run there last fall, and ran 18th in the race prior. His fifth-place finish in 2019 came after he qualified 11th and led three laps en route to the top five, his seventh such finish on a road course in the Cup Series.
• Keselowski has a 10.3 average starting position on the ROVAL with two starts inside the top five – a P3 start in 2020, and a P2 start last fall.
• Overall on road courses in the Cup Series, Keselowski has 11 top-10s and a 15.9 average finish.

Matt McCall at the ROVAL

McCall will be on the box for his fifth race at the ROVAL. He has a 12.8 average finish with two top-five results – a runner-up finish with Jamie McMurray in 2018, and a fourth-place run in 2020 with Kurt Busch.
McCall’s average starting position stands at 13.5 with two top-10 starts on the ROVAL.

QUOTE WORTHY
Keselowski on racing at the ROVAL:
“This weekend is yet another opportunity for our team to improve, show what we’ve done since last time on a road course, and capitalize on the speed we’ve had recently. Our company has shown what we can do on road courses this season, so I expect much of the same success with our Castrol Ford this weekend at our home track.”

Last Time Out
Keselowski finished 24th at Talladega after a late speeding penalty derailed his afternoon.

On the Car

Keselowski and the No. 6 team will run the iconic Castrol colors this weekend in Charlotte. It marks Castrol’s fifth and final appearance on the No. 6 in 2022.

In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, in conjunction with the Kurt Busch Foundation and the NASCAR Foundation, both RFK cars this weekend will run pink window nets. At the conclusion of the race, each window net will be autographed and be offered in an auction hosted by the NASCAR Foundation, with proceeds benefitting a local charity. The auction will run live on eBay from Oct. 10-17.

About Castrol
Castrol, a global leader in lubricant technology, serves consumers in over 140 countries. Our leadership brands include Castrol® GTX® — a premium conventional motor oil; Castrol® GTX® High–Mileage™ – a premium synthetic blend designed for vehicles with over 75,000 miles; the Castrol® EDGE ® line of advanced full-synthetic super premium motor oils that offer unsurpassed strength and performance; as well as our range of commercial transport lubricants. To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please call 1–888–CASTROL or visit www.castrol.com/us.

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: CHARLOTTE PLAYOFF NOTES

The NASCAR Cup and NASCAR XFINITY Series will have their respective playoff fields cut from 12 to 8 after this weekend’s doubleheader on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Ford has four drivers vying for the seven remaining spots in Cup while Ryan Sieg and Riley Herbst look to advance in NXS.

This Week’s Schedule:

Saturday, Oct. 8 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 3 p.m. ET (NBC)
Sunday, Oct. 9 – NASCAR Cup Series, 2 p.m. ET (NBC)

ROUND OF 12 NCS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 8 Advance After Charlotte)

2nd – Ryan Blaney (+32 ahead of cut line)
5th – Joey Logano (+18)
8th – Chase Briscoe (+0)
9th – Austin Cindric (-0)

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT CMS

· Ford has 32 all-time series points wins at Charlotte.
· Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and Kevin Harvick all have at least one series win.
· Blaney won the inaugural Cup Roval race in 2018.

ROUND OF 12 NXS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 8 Advance After Charlotte)

8tht – Ryan Sieg (+6 above cut line)
10th – Riley Herbst (-10)

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT CMS

· Ford has 22 series wins at CMS.
· Chase Briscoe won the first Roval race in 2018.
· Ryan Sieg and Riley Herbst are both looking for their first top 10 finish on the Roval.

BLANEY, LOGANO, BRISCOE AND CINDRIC LOOKING TO ADVANCE

All four of Ford’s playoff drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series remain in the hunt to advance into the Round of 8 going into Sunday’s race on the Charlotte Roval. Ryan Blaney (+32) and Joey Logano (+18) are in the best position while Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric have the same point total and are squarely on the bubble in eighth and ninth-place, respectively. Briscoe owns a Roval win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series while Blaney has one in Cup. This will mark Cindric’s Cup debut on the Roval, but he’s had great success with two poles and three top-five finishes in four career NXS starts.

SIEG AND HERBST ON NXS BUBBLE

Ryan Sieg matched his season-best finish at Talladega last weekend with a fourth-place run, which kept him in the thick of the NASCAR XFINITY Series playoff battle. With the top eight drivers advancing after Saturday’s race, Sieg finds himself in the final transfer position by six points. Riley Herbst is one of those currently on the outside looking in, but he’s only 10 points behind Sieg for the last spot. Both drivers are looking to advance to the Round of 8 for the first time.

BLANEY CAPTURES INAUGURAL CUP ROVAL RACE

The debut of the Charlotte Roval didn’t disappoint as Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. wrecked each other in the final chicane heading to the checkered flag, allowing Ryan Blaney to sneak past both and win the inaugural Bank of America Roval 400. Blaney put himself in position to win thanks to some sound strategy that enabled him to stretch his fuel mileage and win Stage 2. He round himself in 25th place with 38 laps to go after a trip to pit road, but cycled his way back up to the front before being in the right place at the right time. That capped a weekend in which Ford won the pole and race in the NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Cup Series.

BRISCOE WINS FIRST NXS RACE ON ROVAL

Chase Briscoe led the final 24 laps and became the first driver to win a race on the new Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval course by taking the checkered flag in the Drive for the Cure 200. The win was Briscoe’s first in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and he was able to do it thanks to a good restart with 11 laps to go. Briscoe, who had been locked in a tight battle with Daniel Hemric throughout the final stage, got the jump after the race’s fifth caution and when Hemric missed the frontstrech chicane, it gave Briscoe some extra breathing room to take the checkered flag.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT CHARLOTTE

1960 – Speedy Thompson (2)

1962 – Nelson Stacy (1)

1963 – Fred Lorenzen (1)

1964 – Fred Lorenzen (2)

1965 – Fred Lorenzen (Sweep)

1969 – Donnie Allison (2)

1970 – Donnie Allison (1)

1978 – Bobby Allison (2)

1982 – Neil Bonnett (1)

1984 – Bill Elliott (2)

1985 – Cale Yarborough (2)

1987 – Kyle Petty and Bill Elliott

1990 – Davey Allison (2)

1991 – Davey Allison and Geoffrey Bodine

1992 – Mark Martin (2)

1993 – Ernie Irvan (2)

1995 – Mark Martin (2)

1996 – Dale Jarrett (1)

1997 – Dale Jarrett (2)

1998 – Mark Martin (2)

1999 – Jeff Burton (1)

2000 – Matt Kenseth (1)

2001 – Jeff Burton (1)

2002 – Mark Martin (1)

2011 – Matt Kenseth (2)

2013 – Brad Keselowski (2)

2015 – Joey Logano (2)

2018 – Ryan Blaney (2-Roval)

2020 – Brad Keselowski (1)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT CHARLOTTE

1992 – Jeff Gordon (Sweep)

1993 – Mark Martin (2)

1995 – Chad Little (1) and Mark Martin (2)

1996 – Mark Martin (Sweep)

1998 – Mark Martin (1)

1999 – Mark Martin (1)

2000 – Jeff Burton (1)

2001 – Jeff Green (1) and Greg Biffle (2)

2002 – Jeff Burton (2)

2003 – Matt Kenseth (1)

2006 – Carl Edwards (1)

2011 – Matt Kenseth (1) and Carl Edwards (2)

2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)

2016 – Joey Logano (2)

2017 – Ryan Blaney (1)

2018 – Brad Keselowski and Chase Briscoe (2-Roval)

NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY R.C.
BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400

Chevrolet Looking to Keep NASCAR Cup Series Road Course Win Streak Alive at Charlotte

Bowtie enters ROVAL with 11 consecutive NCS road course wins

· In four NASCAR Cup Series races held on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Chevrolet has recorded three victories.
· Chevrolet has won 15 of the past 16 NASCAR Cup Series road course races, including a streak of the past 11 in a row.
· In 31 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races in 2022, Chevrolet has scored a manufacturer-leading 18 wins, captured by nine drivers from four different Chevrolet teams.
· The winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history; Chevrolet has 832 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories, 62 of which have been captured on road course circuits.

 DETROIT (Oct. 4, 2022) – The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) is geared up to face the last road course circuit race of the season this upcoming weekend, with the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course holding the position as the Round of 12 playoffs elimination race. Chevrolet has a history of success in making left- and right-hand turns in NASCAR’s premier series, with the manufacturer riding the momentum of victories in 15 of the last 16 NCS road course races, including a streak of the last 11 in a row. The Bowtie brand’s strength on road course circuits is proven across the Chevrolet field, with six drivers from four different Chevrolet teams contributing to the manufacturer’s recent streak of road course dominance.

With playoff implications on the line, 109-laps around the 2.28-mile, 17-turn Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course will determine the eight drivers that will remain in the championship title hunt. Of the six Chevrolet playoff drivers, four have at least one road course victory on their NCS resume:

·       Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 - Elliott is commonly known as NASCAR’s “King of the Road”, leading all active NCS drivers with seven career road course wins in NASCAR’s premier series. One of those wins includes his first career NCS victory, captured at Watkins Glen International in 2018. The 26-year-old Georgia native has taken the checkered flag in two of the four NCS races that have been held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, taking back-to-back wins in 2019 and 2020. A win in this weekend’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 would move Elliott up the NCS all-time road course wins ranking to second to tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart’s eight career NCS road course wins. Career Chevrolet driver, Jeff Gordon, sits atop that list with nine career NCS road course wins.

·       Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1: Larson added his first career NCS road course victory to his name during his championship season, taking a home state win at Sonoma Raceway in June 2021. The reigning series champion now has four career NCS road course wins, including the series’ last appearance at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in October 2021. The 30-year-old California native is the series’ most recent road course winner after sweeping the NCS and NXS races at Watkins Glen International in August.

·       Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1: Chastain became a winner in NASCAR’s premier series for the first time earlier this season, taking the victory at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in March; a victory that punched his ticket into the 2022 NCS playoffs. The victory also gave Chevrolet team, Trackhouse Racing, its first triumph in NASCAR’s premier series in only the organization’s second season in the series.

·       Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1: Following suit to his Trackhouse Racing teammate, Suarez secured his berth into the 2022 NCS playoffs with his first career NCS win at Sonoma Raceway in June.

Also adding to Chevrolet’s road course wins in 2022 was Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who became a first-time NCS winner at Road America in July… a win that was celebrated by a Chevrolet sweep of the top-five finishing positions. Reddick went on to become a back-to-back road course winner just a few weeks later, taking the victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

 Chevrolet Racing: NASCAR Cup Series Road Course Fast Facts

· Chevrolet has recorded wins in 15 of the last 16 NASCAR Cup Series road course races, including a streak of the past 11.

-> The win streak dates back to May 2021 when Chase Elliott delivered Chevrolet its milestone 800th all-time win in NASCAR’s premier series at Circuit of The Americas.

· Six drivers from four different Chevrolet teams have contributed to the manufacturer’s 11 consecutive NCS road course wins:

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet:

(Circuit of The Americas; May 2021)

(Road America; July 2021)

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet:

(Sonoma; June 2021)(Watkins Glen; August 2021)

(Charlotte ROVAL; October 2021)

(Watkins Glen; August 2022)

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet:

(Indianapolis Road Course; August 2021)

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet:

(Circuit of The Americas; March 2022)

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet:

(Sonoma Raceway; June 2022)

Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet:

(Road America; July 2022)

(Indianapolis Road Course; July 2022)

· Chevrolet has 62 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins on road courses – starting with Buck Baker at Watkins Glen International in 1957. There have been 155 road-course races in Cup history dating back to 1949.

· Three of the first-time NASCAR Cup Series winners in 2022 are Chevrolet drivers, with all three recording their first career NCS wins on a road course circuit:

 Ross Chastain – Circuit of The Americas (March 2022)

 Daniel Suarez – Sonoma Raceway (June 2022)

 Tyler Reddick – Road America (July 2022)

· All behind the wheel of a Chevrolet, Chase Elliott has recorded seven road-course victories in his NASCAR Cup Series career, the most of all active NCS drivers.

-> Elliott ranks third on the NCS all-time road course wins list behind NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (nine wins, all with Chevrolet) and Tony Stewart (eight wins).

-> Elliott’s victories have been recorded at five different road courses, a series record.

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series winners at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course:

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – September 29, 2019

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – October 11, 2020

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – October 10, 2021

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series playoff drivers on road course circuits in 2022, as well as career stats at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course:

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 1st in Playoff Standings

In five NCS road course races in 2022:

Top-Fives: 3

Top-10s: 4

At Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (4 starts):

Wins: 2

Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 3

Average Finish: 5.0

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 3rd in Playoff Standings (28-points above cutline)

In five NCS road course races in 2022:

Wins: 1

Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 3

At Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (3 starts):

Average Finish: 23.0

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 6th in Playoff Standings (18-points above cutline)

In five NCS road course races in 2022:

Wins: 1

Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 2

At Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (3 starts):

Wins: 1

Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 1

Average Finish: 13.0

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 7th in standings (12-points above cutline)

In five NCS road course races in 2022:

Wins: 1

Top-Fives: 3; Top-10s: 3

At Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (4 starts):

Top-15s: 1; Average Finish: 23.3

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 10th in Playoff Standings (11-points below cutline)

In five NCS road course races in 2022:

Top-10s: 1; Top-15s: 2

At Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (4 starts):

Pole Wins: 1

Top-10s: 2; Top-15s: 3

Average Finish: 14.3

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 12th in Playoff Standings (54-points below cutline)

In five NCS road course races in 2022:

Top-Fives: 1; Top-15s: 3

At Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (4 starts):

Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 4

Average Finish: 6.0

 
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Cornerstone Partner Supports No. 38 Team at Charlotte Roval

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (October 4, 2022) – For the final time this season, First Phase will partner with Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 Ford Mustang team. First Phase, the credit card from CURO Credit, LLC, issued by The Bank of Missouri, has played an integral part in Gilliland’s first season in the NASCAR Cup Series. The credit card debuted on the No. 38 during the exhibition Busch Clash in Los Angeles before racing in front of millions at the Daytona 500.

Gilliland has also raced the First Phase colors at the Bristol dirt race, Talladega, Kansas, the All-Star race at the Texas Motor Speedway, Gateway in St. Louis, Michigan, Daytona in August, again at the Texas Motor Speedway, and finally this weekend at the Charlotte Roval in North Carolina. Gilliland has helped expose First Phase to fans across the country, and he knows how important is to have the partnership during his first season.

First Phase has been with me through all the ups-and-downs of this crazy rookie season,” said Gilliland. “I just cannot thank them enough for helping our team build and stick with us. We have grown this year as a team together. It has been challenging and we know that it has been hard on us at times, but we have also seen success, too. We are laying a foundation for the future.”

Gilliland hopes that the season finale for First Phase is a great one at the Charlotte Roval.

“I’m really just going to lean on my love for road course racing for this weekend,” continued Gilliland. “I am coming into this race raw, but that is how we have been doing it all season. We are just going to try and do what we’ve been doing. That is getting the laps in, pass as many cars as we can, and be there for a good finish at the end. I just want to do that for First Phase and really get everyone talking about us. First Phase deserves a lot of credit this year for being by our side and being a great partner.”

Gilliland and the No. 38 First Phase team will race on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

ABOUT CURO

CURO Group Holdings Corp (NYSE: CURO) is a full-spectrum consumer credit lender serving U.S. and Canadian customers for over 25 years. Our roots in the consumer finance market run deep. We’ve worked diligently to provide customers a variety of convenient, easily accessible financial services. Our decades of alternative data power a hard-to-replicate underwriting and scoring engine, mitigating risk across the full spectrum of credit products. We operate a number of brands including Cash Money®, LendDirect®, Flexiti®, Opt+®, Revolve Finance®, Heights Finance, Southern Finance, Covington Credit, Quick Credit, First Phase, and First Heritage Credit.

ABOUT FIRST PHASE

First Phase is a new credit card issued by The Bank of Missouri that provides pathways to financial freedom for people with unestablished or imperfect credit. It’s a powerful tool that can provide flexibility and help fuel the next chapter of their financial future. First Phase is the doing business assumed name of CURO Credit, LLC, whose ultimate parent company is CURO Group Holdings Corp (NYSE: CURO).

About Front Row Motorsports

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series and the 2021 Daytona 500 champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team– from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.