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.

Love’s Travel Stops and Delo Return to the No. 34 Ford Mustang

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (October 4, 2022) – Michael McDowell has continued his career-best season in 2022 with now 12 top-10 and two top-five finishes after Sunday’s race at the Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway where he finished third. McDowell and his crew, led by crew chief Blake Harris, are eager to break into victory lane with the return of Delo aboard the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang.

“We have run well at the road courses this season,” said McDowell. “The success we have had this season, we feel that we should contend for a win this Sunday. Sonoma, Indianapolis, Road America, and Watkins Glen- we had a shot to win all of them and raced up front. We know our program has elevated to the next level, to what we consider the best it has ever been. That development gives us the confidence going into the weekend.”

The No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops/Delo team has one top-five, and four top-10 finishes on road courses this season. The momentum from Talladega will boost the team going into the weekend.

“We’ve stayed consistently fast this year. A couple of 11th-place finishes that easily could have been top-10’s and we are ranked the best outside the drivers in the playoffs. The cars we have been bringing to the track have been great.

“We all feel that the Roval is a track where we can race up front and finally get that win. It is a tough race and a tough track. A lot of things happen in this race, but I think we’ll be in position to get our Love’s Travel Stop/Delo Ford Mustang in victory lane.”

McDowell and the Love’s Travel Stops/Delo Ford Mustang will race at the Roval this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

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.

STATESVILLE, North Carolina (Oct. 4, 2022) – Petty GMS is proud to partner with QuickChek to promote the “Best Damn Sandwich in Town” along with NASCAR Cup Series driver, Ty Dillon, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.

Always known for their quick service as a fresh convenience market chain, the partnership will bring a whole new meaning to “Fresh to Go”. The Whitehouse Station, NJ chain was named the National Convenience Store Chain of the Year and its overall food quality has been named best in America in numerous national consumer surveys.

QuickChek has become a local favorite among New York & New Jersey residents, boasting 161 store locations throughout the region. Sunday’s race in Charlotte will be the first time that the convenience store brand has ever paired up with a NASCAR team, so it’s a special opportunity for everyone involved.

“This is an exciting new way for us to enhance our customer experience and connections with thousands of NASCAR fans,” said QuickChek Divisional Vice President Don Leech. “Our partnership with Petty GMS enables us to really drive home we have the best damn sandwich in town with the best damn racing team.”

Racing in Charlotte is always marked on Dillon’s calendar, as he grew up in nearby Lewisville, NC. The veteran looks forward to debuting the QuickChek Chevrolet, saying this ahead of the announcement –

“Bringing new partners into our industry is always exciting, but when we have the chance to do so in our backyard, it’s even cooler. I’m proud to represent all of the employees, customers, and partners of QuickChek as we race on the ‘ROVAL’ this weekend. NASCAR fans have proven to be some of the most brand-loyal fans in all of sports, so hopefully they will see this partnership as a reason to stop in a QuickChek store next time they head north. I can’t wait to meet some of their team members and show them what our sport is all about in Charlotte!”

Since its inception in 2018, the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL has become one of the highest-anticipated races of the year. With its unique layout combining the best of both worlds in oval and road course racing, the track is adored by fans and drivers alike.

Those fans will have the No. 42 QuickChek Chevrolet to cheer for in Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at 2:00 PM ET on NBC. For more news, coverage, and behind-the-scenes content, follow Petty GMS across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

About QuickChek:

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Murphy USA, QuickChek stores provide local one-stop shopping, offering a wide variety of freshly prepared food and beverages for immediate consumption including made-to-order subs, as well as grocery and household items, through 161 store locations throughout New Jersey, New York’s Hudson Valley and Long Island (www.quickchek.com).

Murphy USA is one of the largest independent convenience store chains in the country, with more than 1,650 locations in 27 states across the Southwest, Southeast, Midwest and Northeast United States.

ABOUT PETTY GMS:

Petty GMS competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, operating the No. 42 Chevrolet for Ty Dillon and the No. 43 Chevrolet for Erik Jones. Founded in December 2021, Maury Gallagher, championship team owner of GMS Racing, purchased a majority interest of Richard Petty Motorsports. Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, known as “The King,” remains a key stakeholder of the organization. For more information, please visit www.pettygms.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow Petty GMS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KYLE BUSCH
Up for the Challenge

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (Oct. 4, 2022) – This weekend’s Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway road course just so happens to be the sixth and final road course race of the season for the NASCAR Cup Series.

Not long ago, there were just two road-course stops in NASCAR’s top series, but the challenge of road-course racing swelled from a couple of weekends where the series competitors honed their skills of turning left and right to a much more significant portion of the 36-race, points paying schedule.

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Toyota Camry TRD for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), has learned that the road-course-racing discipline is an even more important part of success over the course of the season, and he’s certainly up for the challenge this weekend on what is considered the trickiest road-course addition to the schedule in recent years. After a challenging first three seasons on the Charlotte Roval, Busch broke through a year ago this weekend to lead 22 laps and score his first top-five finish there in his fourth start on the 2.28-mile, 17-turn road course.

Busch is hoping he can up the ante this weekend from last year’s strong finish and equal the feat he accomplished in the May 2018 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, albeit on the oval, when he brought home his first career points-paying win at the track in one of the crown jewels of NASCAR’s top series.

While this weekend’s Charlotte Roval event always presents a somewhat unknown element, Busch has established himself as one of the top road-course racers in the Cup Series. If the two-time Cup Series champion was to grab another checkered flag in Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400, he could join some elite company as a road-racing ace in NASCAR’s top series.

In terms of overall road-course proficiency, Busch’s four Cup Series road-course victories ties him with David Pearson, Tim Richmond, and Martin Truex Jr., on the all-time road-course wins list. That’s some pretty good company, already. A fifth road-course win would tie him with Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison and Dan Gurney. The top three in all-time road-course wins in the Cup Series shows Chase Elliott in third place with seven wins, Tony Stewart second with eight, and Jeff Gordon atop the leaderboard with nine wins.

So as Busch heads to the Charlotte Roval this weekend, he will hope to be up to the challenge of another trip to the tricky Roval circuit while chasing its unique layout to his extensive winning resume, which includes a majority of the tracks on the Cup Series schedule.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

What is the most difficult part of the Roval to figure out?

“I think the hardest part is just trying to understand the different dynamics between the slow sections in the infield portion of the track versus the high-speed and high-banked portion of the oval track. You are slipping in every corner, there’s not a corner where you are necessarily feeling really good about it. It’s going to be a technical challenge all the way around yet again this year.”

How do you look at this weekend as far as the race being a crapshoot?

“It’s just a different challenge. It’s alright. There are a whole lot of differences there than a typical road course. There have been spots on the track where I could make up time and a lot of other spots where I would lose time, and now those spots where I could gain time are gone. We’ve worked on getting better there and hope we can show that this weekend.”

Is road-course racing something that comes naturally to you, or is it something you had to work on?

“It’s definitely something you have to work on. With rule changes and tire changes, it’s something you work on every year. There’s always change that you have to work on to be competitive. When I was a kid back in Las Vegas in Legends cars, that’s where I was able to learn about shifting and turning left and turning right. I had the natural instincts for it and won a couple of championships in the winter series we had out there. We actually went out to Sonoma back then and ran the national championship races two years in a row and finished third both times, so I had a little bit of experience on road courses as I came up through the ranks. Certainly the game has changed as far as road-course racing in recent years with several more than we used to have, so you have to adapt and adjust. We’ve run well at the majority of the road courses so far this year and I’m hoping we can keep it going this weekend in our M&M’S Camry.”

What is it that you like about racing on the road courses?

“Just enjoy road racing. You used to only have two a year and you kind of treated them like an off weekend – come in, have fun and try to run hard and what not. Now, there’s four, five, six of them or whatever it is so there’s a bit more work involved, but I still feel as though it’s fun. I’ve always been fast most times on the natural road courses. It’s nice when you have a shot to come up to a track that you know you can get up into the top-three or four and go shoot for a race win.”

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

● Format: Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 25 laps / Final Stage: 59 laps

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

Meet the No. 18 M&M’S / Joe Gibbs Racing Team

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Kyle Busch
Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Ben Beshore
Hometown: York, Pennsylvania

Car Chief: Nate Bellows
Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

Spotter: Tony Hirschman
Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania

Race Engineer: Seth Chavka
Hometown: Soldotna, Alaska

Race Engineer: Jaik Halpainy
Hometown: Blockville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members:

Gas Man: Justin White
Hometown: Lynnville, Tennessee

Front Tire Changer: Blake Houston
Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Jackman: Derrell Edwards
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

Tire Carrier: Jake Holmes
Hometown: Westborough, Massachusetts

Rear Tire Changer: Mike Hicks
Hometown: Providence, Rhode Island

Road Crew Members:

Engine Tuner: Dan Bajek
Hometown: Camden, New York

Truck Driver: Chris Miko
Hometown: Bronx, New York

Truck Driver: Eloy Trevino
Hometown: Adrian, Michigan

Mechanic/Tire Specialist: Justin Peiffer
Hometown: Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Mechanic: Scott Eldridge
Hometown: Warsaw, Indiana

Mechanic: Tony Hamm
Hometown: Walla, Walla, Washington

Notes of Interest:

● All in the Stats:Busch has one top-five finish and one top-10 and has led a total of 25 laps in four career Cup Series starts at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. Busch’s average Roval finish is 25.8.

● Road-Course Ringer: Busch scored his fourth career Cup Series road-course win in June 2015 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, and enters the weekend with 15 top-five finishes and 24-top-10s in 46 combined starts at Sonoma, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road course, Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the Charlotte Roval, and the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

● 224 and Counting: Busch will be aiming to add to his record 224 overall wins among NASCAR’s top three series this weekend at the Charlotte Roval. In addition to his 60 Cup Series wins and 102 in the Xfinity Series, Busch has 62 wins in the Camping World Truck Series.

KEVIN HARVICK
Charlotte Roval Advance
No. 4 Mobil 1 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

● There are more than 4 million miles of road in the United States, but none embody the love of driving more than famed Route 66. Yet the small businesses that are the lifeblood of the Mother Road need help. Mobil 1 aims to inspire a journey on the open road, specifically by exploring the small businesses of Route 66 and meeting people along its 2,400-mile path from the shores of Lake Michigan to Los Angeles, right on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Route 66 crosses the country, connecting not only east and west, but past and present. Mobil 1 aims to Keep Route 66 Kickin’ with its recently debuted Mobil 1 Muffler Man – an homage to the larger-than-life Muffler Men that dot Route 66. Molded in fiberglass and polyester resin on steel frames that stand 14- to 25-feet tall, Muffler Men became icons of the Route 66 landscape – square-jawed men with arms outstretched promoting the business on which they stood. Now, Mobil 1 is taking its Muffler Man to promote the small businesses of Route 66. His journey began on Aug. 25 at California’s Santa Monica Pier before he visited Seligman, Arizona, on Sept. 10 to sample Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In – home to a Guinness World Record 266 milkshake flavors. He then traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Oct. 1 to stand tall at Clowndog Hot Dog Parlor and oversee a corndog eating competition involving competitive eaters. The journey continues with a stop in Litchfield, Illinois, on Oct. 15 to witness the most dogs attending a film screening at Litchfield Skyview Drive-In before the Mobil 1 Muffler Man turns around and stops in at the Hi-Way Café in Vinita, Oklahoma. Kevin Harvick and Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) are helping Mobil 1 highlight its Keep Route 66 Kickin’ campaign with logos of each of these small businesses on the sides of Harvick’s No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang in Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval.

● The Bank of America Roval 400 serves as the sixth and final road-course race of the 2022 season. The series’ first road-course race came March 27 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, where Harvick finished 11th. The second road-course race was June 12 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and Harvick finished fourth. Next up was Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, on July 3, where Harvick secured a 10th-place result. Then in the series’ road-course race July 31 on the layout inside Indianapolis Motor Speedway, an accident relegated Harvick to a 33rd-place finish. Harvick rebounded in the penultimate road-course race of the season Aug. 21 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International with a 12th-place drive.

● Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, has made a total of 54 NASCAR Cup Series starts on road courses. He has 21 starts at Sonoma, 21 at Watkins Glen, four at the Charlotte Roval and two apiece at COTA, Road America, Indianapolis and the road course at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. He has scored two road-course wins – Watkins Glen in 2006 and Sonoma in 2017 – along with 11 top-fives and 26 top-10s with 195 laps led.

● When Harvick scored his first road-course victory at Watkins Glen in 2006, he had to beat his current team owner to do it. Tony Stewart – the “Stewart” in Stewart-Haas Racing – had won the previous two NASCAR Cup Series races at The Glen and was poised to capture a third straight win as he was leading Harvick with four laps to go in the 90-lap race. But Harvick, who had already led once for 24 laps, passed Stewart on lap 87 as the two drag-raced down the frontstretch and into turn one. Harvick held onto the lead despite Stewart in his rearview mirror, earning a margin of victory of .892 of a second.

● Harvick’s second career road-course win also had a connection to Stewart. When Harvick won at Sonoma in 2017, he gave Stewart-Haas Racing its second straight victory at the 1.99-mile, 10-turn road course. The winner in 2016? None other than Stewart. It ended up being his 49th and final NASCAR Cup Series victory as Stewart retired from NASCAR racing at the conclusion of the season.

● Harvick’s last road-course win was his first in a Ford. When Harvick won at Sonoma in 2017, he became the 83rd different driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race behind the wheel of a Ford. Harvick has now won 25 Cup Series races with Ford, which makes him one of only 13 drivers to win 20 or more races with the manufacturer. He stands 10th on Ford’s all-time win list and is now only one win away from tying Brad Keselowski, Junior Johnson and Fred Lorenzen for ninth. Harvick has won more races driving a Mustang (15) than any other driver since the iconic muscle car became Ford’s flagship model in 2019.

● Harvick has four road-course wins outside of the NASCAR Cup Series. Two came in the NASCAR Xfinity Series – Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2007 and Watkins Glen in 2007 – and two were in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West – Sonoma in 1998 and Sonoma in 2017. Harvick’s K&N Pro Series win at Sonoma in 1998 was three years before his Cup Series debut on Feb. 26, 2001 at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham.

● Turning left and right. Going up and down through the gears. Hitting the apex of corners and, sometimes, riding the curb with such force that it puts the car on two wheels. It’s all a part of road-course racing, and it demands maximum performance from every part and piece on the racecar. Harvick has an added advantage with Mobil 1. Not only is the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand the primary sponsor of his No. 4 Ford Mustang at the Roval, Mobil 1 products are used throughout his racecar and they extend beyond just engine oil. Power steering fluid, transmission fluid, gear oil and driveline lubricants from Mobil 1 give Harvick a technical advantage over his counterparts by reducing friction, heat and rolling resistance. Mobil 1 is a sponsor whose technology makes Harvick’s No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang faster.

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang

Whether it’s a road course or a short track or any kind of track, you have an added advantage with Mobil 1 as a sponsor and technology partner. How advantageous has this relationship been?

“The oil in the engine, the oil in the transmission, the oil in the rear gear and the things Mobil 1 provides us from a lubricant standpoint, it all adds up in the form of quicker lap times. On an oval, we can pick up a tenth-and-a-half or two-tenths of a second. On a road course, Mobil 1 helps with preservation, because we beat the heck out of our racecars – hitting curbs and shifting all the time. The level of technology and commitment to the things that go in our car, every piece of it adds up to a pretty big chunk of speed and an incredible amount of reliability.”

When it comes to all the different road courses on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, where does the Roval stack up for you?

“The Roval’s been really good for us, and the road courses, in general, have been surprisingly good, as long as they’re dry. Joey Hand has played a huge part in helping us kind of guide the road-racing program. It’s helped me tremendously. I’ve been a lot better under braking, and a lot of that comes from confidence in the car, and that’s really been my weak point at the high-braking racetracks. The Roval’s not really one of those places, it’s more like Sonoma, so it’s been a really good place and I’m looking forward to going back there and continuing that trend.”

What do you like about the Roval?

“The Roval has really evolved into being one of our better racetracks. It’s very similar to Sonoma with a lot of partial throttle and light braking and a place that we’ve always been able to run really well at. I think the Roval isn’t a typical, well-laid-out racetrack. It’s more of a parking lot. It’s not as much of a parking lot as Indy, as it does have a lot of elevation changes and things like that, but it’s got some unique corners that aren’t your typical, free-flowing, nicely laid-out, natural road-course-type corners. I think the Roval has been intense and exciting over the last several years, and I think this car is going to be a little bit different just because it’s more of a road-course-style vehicle than we’ve driven there in the past. The Roval is aggressive with some of those tough, aggressive passes into some of those braking zones and some of those odd corners. It’s another of those racetracks that has its own characteristics.”

When it comes to road-course racing, do you feel that more of the race is in your hands?

“You do have more in your hands, for sure, especially when it comes to shifting and all the different things that could happen. But strategy and track position are a big part of that element too. It’s just like anything else, you’ve got to have the whole piece of the puzzle to put it all together.”

How do you approach road-course weekends?

“There’s just a lot more time that goes into a road-race week. You have to spend a lot of time in the simulator. You have to spend a lot of time with your previous notes and make sure you have the shift points and all the things that you remember as far as curbs you need to hit and things you don’t need to hit, where you need to be on the racetrack, tire falloff. You have to have everything memorized before you get there so that the first few laps are valuable because you’re still going to be learning the real-life tolerances of the grip level. And you’re going to have to blend that into also trying to do it in a short amount of time and get something out of those practices to give some feedback about the cars. It’s a different preparation week for the road courses than it is for anything else.”

A race weekend at Charlotte allows the industry to work close to home. You’re taking advantage of that by having a golf tournament on Monday that benefits your foundation. What does the Kevin Harvick Foundation do?

“The Kevin Harvick Foundation does a wide variety of things. We’ve gone in and rebuilt fields and areas behind Boys and Girls Clubs and high schools. The most recent project we’ve worked on is with the Charlotte Police Athletic League near our home in North Carolina. We’ve gone in and put a room with some racing simulators, and have helped them try to progress their basketball program. It’s a number of things we do like that throughout the year, and our charity golf tournament in Charlotte is one of our fundraisers.”

How satisfying is it to see success like that off the racetrack?

“There’s nothing better than helping kids, and I enjoy the kids who come to the racetrack. You can see the real enthusiasm for being at the race and how intrigued they are with everything that’s going on. Being able to give kids an opportunity that they otherwise wouldn’t have had is always something that we strive to do but, in the end, it’s the ones who take advantage of it to change the direction of what they want to do. Being able to have a platform to do that is very rewarding.”

No. 4 Mobil 1 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: Dax Gerringer
Hometown: Gibsonville, North Carolina

Engineer: Stephen Doran
Hometown: Butler, Pennsylvania

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: Richie Bean
Hometown: Bradford, Vermont

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