Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Bristol Night Race | Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Aric Almirola will have a new sponsor on his No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Mustang this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway as BlueOval City will be featured. BlueOval City is a 3600-acre campus covering six square miles in western Tennessee and will produce Ford’s next all-new electric truck and batteries to power future Ford and Lincoln vehicles when it opens in 2025. Kel Kearns, Electric Vehicle Center Plant Manager for BlueOval CIty, joined Almirola for a media call earlier today to discuss the partnership.

KEL KEARNS, Electric Vehicle Center Plant Manager, BlueOval City – WHAT IS BLUEOVAL CITY AND WHAT DOES THIS OPPORTUNITY MEAN TO YOU? “Ford is leading the electric revolution with strong plans to create a sustainable automotive manufacturing ecosystem at BlueOval City. We have an electric vehicle center. We have a battery plant and other suppliers that together we’ll be producing the next generation battery electric truck for Ford while creating 6,000 jobs. We’re really excited to be showcasing BlueOval City on Aric’s Ford Mustang this weekend.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 BlueOval City Ford Mustang – WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO HAVE NEW PARTNER ON BOARD FOR THIS WEEKEND? “It’s awesome. Obviously, Ford has been a great supporter of mine over the last 11 years. That’s the only Cup car I’ve ever driven has been a Ford, so that’s been fun over the last 11 years and then to see the progression Ford Motor Company has made over those 11 years of me driving a blue oval and to now represent them this weekend at Bristol with BlueOval City and what a phenomenal facility they’re gonna built there. I just hope that the $5.5 billion that they’ve committed to build this facility doesn’t take away from our racing program. Is that OK, Kel?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE REPRESENTING THE FUTURE OF THE COMPANY THIS WEEKEND AT SUCH AN ICONIC RACE? “It means a lot and to do it in the playoffs with a large spotlight on us, do it in Bristol, Tennessee. The new plant is gonna be in Memphis, Tennessee. It’s just a really cool weekend and a great opportunity for me, like you said. Over the last 11 years I’ve seen a lot of progression out of Ford Motor Company. I remember getting to go down in the basement of Ford World Headquarters and I had to give my cell phone to a security guard and wasn’t allowed to take my cell phone in there and I got to go see the clay model of the Ford GT when they were getting ready to come out with that. And then also got to go down there and see when they were developing the Bronco a year before anybody else even knew about it. The same thing with the electric Mustang and getting to see that, so I’ve been able to see the future and the growth of Ford Motor Company over the years through my relationship with them and it has been so much fun for me to be able to see behind the curtain. Here’s another opportunity to be involved in the future of Ford Motor Company and to be able to cast a spotlight on BlueOval City and what a phenomenal place that they’re gonna build there. They’re gonna create between there and BlueOval SK 11,000 new American jobs. It’s just incredible and it’s been really enjoyable to be along for the ride throughout the journey.”

DO YOU FEEL THESE LAST 8 RACES ARE WORKING TOWARD 2023 OR ARE THERE POTENTIALLY TOO MANY CHANGES WITH THE CAR THAT WHAT YOU’RE LEARNING ISN’T AS FOCUSED ON 2023 AS IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN PREVIOUS YEARS? “No, we’re working really hard on 2023. The last six races before the playoffs we were really trying to just kind of massage on things and trying to take race cars that we felt like were capable of running seventh to 12th and like fine-tune it hoping that we would hit on that missing ingredient to get to where we needed to be to be a winning race car, and now that we’re out of the playoffs we’ve really used this opportunity as a team, the 10 team individually, we’ve used it as an opportunity to kind of swing for the fences on stuff that is way outside of the box on anything that we’ve looked at previously, and it’s also a big learning curve for our organization. We have a lot of great engineers here that have a lot of bright ideas and often times throughout the middle part of the season we would shoot them down because we’re like, ‘Man, we can’t try that. We only have 15 minutes of practice and what if it doesn’t work? If it doesn’t work, we can’t get it back out of the car.’ So we weren’t really willing to take that risk and especially in the early summer months we were right on the line for the cut off for the playoffs on points, and so we were just trying to be consistent and we couldn’t really take that risk. Now with not being in the playoffs we all kind of held hands and don’t really care about finishing 17th, 18th, 19th in points. It doesn’t really matter as much to us as much as it does to learn as much as we can going into next year so that we can go race for a championship next year. Drew and I had that conversation with our team after we missed the playoffs at Daytona. We came back to the shop and we talked and we said, ‘Hey, I remember a handful of years the 22 car missed the playoffs and came back the next year and won the championship.’ So, we’re not gonna get too upset and hang our heads. We’re just gonna look ahead and focus on getting better for next year.”

ELECTRIFICATION IS COMING DOWN THE ROAD. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THOSE KIND OF CARS? “I’ve driven the Mach-E quite a bit. The people at Ford were gracious enough to let me have one for a week and the kids loved it. We raced every single person we could from a stop light in Mooresville, Cornelius and Kannapolis, North Carolina. Everybody that was willing to race us from a stop light we raced, at least to the speed limit. So, zero to 45 or zero to 55 I don’t think there was a race we lost, so we had a lot of fun with that. It’s quite spectacular what the entire auto industry is doing, but specifically Ford. Having conversations with Jim Farley earlier this year and just his excitement and enthusiasm for where they’re headed as a company and where they’re headed with electrification is fascinating to me because I feel like we’re living in one of those eras to where you’re getting ready to see something spectacular and you’re getting ready to live through it. You think back to when we went from those big heavy muscle cars to lighter weight more aerodynamic more sophistication, more electronics, electronic fuel injection and all those things. My father and grandfather got to live through that transition, so here we are getting ready to live through the transition of seeing more electrification and what the capabilities are. I think that’s the most impressive part from my standpoint is for a guy that likes to hold the steering wheel and to mash the throttle, you want it to be an exciting experience. You want to enjoy driving the vehicle and I’ve been just amazed and fascinated with the vehicles that Ford has put out with electrification.”

KEL KEARNS CONTINUED – YOU’RE ADVERTISING A NEW MANUFACTURING PLANT. IS IT NO ACCIDENT OF THE LOCATION WHERE YOU’RE ON THE CAR? THE PLANT IS IN TENNESSEE AND YOU’LL BE ON THE CAR IN THAT STATE AS WELL. WAS THAT THE IMPETUS BEHIND DOING IT THERE? “It’s a great opportunity to showcase what’s happening in BlueOval City in Tennessee at Bristol and partner with a great event with NASCAR and Aric and his Ford Mustang. Aric really said it well. Electrification is the future. It’s the next generation. It’s exciting new technology, but that doesn’t change what Ford is. Ford is about Ford Performance and racing is part of our DNA, so that’s what we’re going to showcase this weekend as we move forward and showcase BlueOval City on the No. 10 this weekend.”

ARIC ALMIROLA CONTINUED – WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR YOU TO HAVE A GREAT PERFORMANCE WITH THIS NEW SPONSORSHIP? “To be totally honest and transparent, that’s the goal every weekend regardless of who is on the car, but certainly when you are representing Ford Motor Company and their new campus that they’re building in Memphis, Tennessee with BlueOval City, and you’re doing it in Bristol, Tennessee, there certainly is an added bonus for running well, getting the TV coverage and the notoriety and all of those things that they deserve. So, yes, I’m excited to have that opportunity. I’m looking forward to it. Nobody really knows what to expect at Bristol, to be totally honest, because this is a very unique racetrack and we have not run there with this car on this configuration. When we ran there earlier this year it was dirt, totally different from what we’re gonna have here this weekend. It’s a bit of an unknown for all of us, but I’m excited. If history has anything to say, Bristol has been a really good racetrack for me throughout my career, so hopefully we can do it right and we can get BlueOval City all the press that they need by going to Victory Lane.”

WHAT WAS THE REASON FOR DECIDING TO COME BACK IN 2023? “That decision ultimately came down to the fact that the sponsor wanted me to stay and asked me to reconsider. The team asked me to stay and to reconsider and I talked with my wife about it, we prayed about it and we just felt like circumstances in our life had changed drastically in the last 12 months since we had previously decided that it would be it. So, for me, my desire to still race was there. I love to drive race cars, but I was willing to sacrifice doing what I love to do for my family. I felt like it was important to not miss out being the husband that I wanted to be and being the dad that I wanted to be, but things change. My kids started at a school to where Fridays were satellite work days, to where they don’t have to go to school on Friday. They can work from home online and turn their work in, and so now we could travel as a family to go to these races because we could leave on Thursday night or Friday morning to make it to the races and my kids weren’t missing school. And the other thing that changed were my kids’ activities. We found activities for them that were during the week, which for my daughter was easy. She was already doing that with theater and horseback riding during the week, but my son was playing baseball and football and those happened on the weekends. The games were on Saturdays and we ended up getting involved with a league in our community where practices are on Monday nights and games are on Tuesday and Thursday nights, so now not only am I not missing games on Saturdays, but I’m actually coaching my son’s baseball team, which has been really enjoyable for me. I feel like a normal dad. I feel like I have that ability to be there and be present and I’m not missing it. If I was gonna continue to miss it, I was totally willing to give up driving a race car. I was not willing to continue watching my son’s baseball games or football games on Facetime or my wife video texting me his at-bats. I wanted to be there. When he did good I wanted to be able to give him a high-five, and when he did something pooly I wanted to be able to talk to him about it and give him a hug, pat him on the butt and tell him to go get it next time. The same for my daughter. I want to be there and want to be present, but now with their activity schedule, their school schedule, they’ve traveled to I think 24 races already this year and they’re gonna go to four or five more before the end of the year, so we’re spending more family time together this year than we have ever in the past, and it’s been enjoyable. For those reasons, we just felt like God had manipulated some things in our lives to make it to where the opportunity was still there and the circumstances matched up to where I was able to say yes.”

IS THERE ANY CHANCE YOU WOULD OWN A TEAM IN THE FUTURE OR RACE PART-TIME IN XFINITY OR TRUCK? “To own a team in the future, probably not. I would say that’s not in the cards for me. Financially, I’m not in a position to do that most likely and even the time commitment that I feel like it would need to take I don’t think I would be willing to do that going forward, but race part-time? Yes, I would love to do that. Once I step away from full-time racing in the Cup Series, I would still have a strong desire to scratch the itch and continue to drive race cars. If the opportunity presented itself to run six, eight, 10 Xfinity races and a handful of Truck races, I would love to do that to still strap in and go drive a race car.”

HOW DIFFICULT WITH IT BE TO RACE WITH THIS CAR ON THE ASPHALT AT BRISTOL? “Well, it’s concrete if we’re being totally accurate here, and I think it is going to be very, very different. I think there’s a lot of unknowns that we’ve already talked about, but some of them are very intricate unknowns, like how aggressive are the bumps gonna be on the racetrack and how low can you get your car without it getting upset from hitting those bumps, and just all those things we don’t have the answers to and we’re gonna have to try and figure it out in 15 minutes of practice. And how is the PJ1 gonna take effect and are we gonna run the bottom predominantly or are we gonna move up? We probably won’t figure that out in 15 minutes of practice because typically when we go to Bristol we practice for an hour and it takes 45 minutes of the hour of practice until we move up the racetrack, so I think even practice will be not the greatest indicator of how the race is gonna play out because I think a lot of things are gonna continue to evolve throughout the weekend.”

HAS THE DECISION TO COME BACK ALLOWED YOU TO RELAX MORE, KNOWING YOU’LL BE BACK? “No, I don’t think so. I was pretty relaxed anyway just thinking about it, not having to deal with the grind anymore to be totally honest. I was ready either way and I live in a pretty relaxed state. I don’t get too hyped up over a whole lot. I don’t get too anxious. There’s a lot of work involved. It’s certainly a grind to go throughout the 38 week stretch, but when I think about having next year honestly it adds a little bit more to the plate. I’m already sitting down thinking about photo shoots and commercial shoots with the marketing department here at the race team for next year. I had a meeting this morning with the suit manufacturer and getting re-measured for fire suits and stuff for next year, so there’s a lot of work that goes into being a race car driver behind the scenes – sponsor-related, media-related, just a lot of different stuff. The workload is pretty high and I think people underestimate that, but I have a great team around me. I have a great team of people and everybody helps to make it work and make it run smoothly.”

DO YOU THINK YOUR RETURN TO SHR HAD AN AFFECT ON THE KYLE BUSCH DECISION TODAY? “I have no idea. I can’t answer that. I was involved to a degree with the race team on trying to help them figure out what the plan was going forward and ultimately they came back and just asked me if I would be willing to reconsider and come back. The same for the sponsor. Outside of that, I don’t have a great answer to your question because I simply don’t know, but what I do know is that I’m gonna go to Bristol, Tennessee this weekend and represent BlueOval City, which I’m pretty fired up about and the reason that we’ve done this Zoom call today.”

ARIC ALMIROLA
Bristol Race Advance
No. 10 BlueOval City Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Round 29 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 17
● Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway
● Layout: .533-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 500 laps / 266.5 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 125 laps / Stage 2: 125 laps / Final Stage: 250 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● History at Bristol: In 24 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol, Almirola has two top-five finishes, four top-10s, and has led three laps.

● Last weekend at Kansas: Almirola had to rally for a 21st-place finish after an engine change on Saturday forced the No. 10 team to start in the rear for Sunday’s race. After the team opted to stay on track during the first stage break, Almirola led the field to green to start the second stage but was collected in an accident not of his own doing later in the race, which ultimately created handling issues that could not be remedied.

● 2022 Season: Through 28 races this season, Almirola has earned two top-five finishes, seven top-10s, and has led six laps. His average finish of 17.4 and seven top-10s have bettered his totals for the entire 36-race 2021 season.

● Driver Points: Almirola arrives at Bristol 20th in the driver standings with 618 points.

● Almirola’s career: In 416 NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has earned three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 91 top-10s, three poles, and has led 899 laps.

● BlueOval City: This weekend, Almirola will sport a brand new paint scheme that showcases one of the largest auto manufacturing facility projects in U.S. history. BlueOval City is an all-new electric vehicle and battery manufacturing campus located in West Tennessee. This $5.6 billioninvestment will be home to Ford’s next-generation electric truck and will produce batteries for future Ford and Lincoln vehicles. The site spans six square miles and will encompass vehicle assembly, battery production, and a supplier park in a vertically integrated ecosystem. Once fully operational, the assembly plant at BlueOval City will be carbon neutral, send zero waste to landfills, and meet Ford’s air emission goals. Production of the all-new electric truck will begin in 2025. In addition to the 4,100-acre property, two BlueOval SK battery plants will be built in Kentucky, creating a total of 11,000 new American jobs. These facilities reimagine how electric vehicles and batteries are designed, built and recycled – all built for America with an $11.4 billion investment by Ford and its partners.

● 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 Friday, 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 BlueOval City Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

We’re back on the concrete surface at Bristol. Does that excite you?

“Absolutely. The original Bristol is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. I know the dirt race puts on a good show for the fans, but there is nothing like Saturday-night short-track racing under the lights. You’re beating and banging the entire time and just always on edge. I’ve been looking forward to Bristol all year and our short-track program has been good this year. I hope we’ll have a shot at adding another non-playoff driver win to the scoreboard this weekend.”

How cool is it to be a part of such a revolutionary project with Ford Motor Company?

“One of the many great things about being a Ford driver is that you are part of a company that helped reshape America. That’s what Henry Ford did when he formed Ford Motor Company and BlueOval City will have the ability to do the same thing for this generation when it gets up and running. I’m excited to see what the future holds and hope I can give them a good run on Saturday night.”

No. 10 BlueOval City 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

• Ford NASCAR Cup Series driver Aric Almirola will be racing in Saturday’s annual Bristol Night Race with BlueOval City on the hood of his No. 10 Mustang.
• BlueOval City is a 3600-acre campus covering six square miles in western Tennessee and will produce Ford’s next all-new electric truck and batteries to power future Ford and Lincoln vehicles when it opens in 2025.
• Ford, together with its partner, SK On, is investing $5.6 billion in Blue Oval City, creating 6,000 jobs in West Tennessee at one of the largest manufacturing campuses in U.S. history.

DEARBORN, MI, September 13, 2022 – Aric Almirola is used to having the iconic Ford blue oval on his stock car every week, but for Saturday’s annual Bristol Night Race he’s going to have more than just a decal as a full BlueOval City wrap takes up residence on his No. 10 Mustang.

Announced one year ago as a key component to Ford’s electric future, BlueOval City is located in Stanton, TN, over a six square mile area that will produce Ford’s next all-new electric truck. The $5.6 billion investment will result in one of the largest auto manufacturing campuses in U.S. history and the assembly plant will be designed to be carbon neutral from the start of production in 2025.

“Ford is enthusiastically embracing an electric future and BlueOval City is going to be at the forefront of this new era,” said Kel Kearns, Electric Vehicle Center plant manager at BlueOval City. “We know how much Tennessean’s love motorsports, so to be on Aric’s car this weekend for one of the most popular events of the season is a wonderful way to spread the message of who we are and the arrival of BlueOval City.”

Almirola, who is in his fifth season driving for Stewart-Haas Racing and 11th year overall with Ford, has three career Cup Series wins. After saying at the start of the season that this would be his final year as a full-time competitor, he announced two weeks ago that he will be returning in 2023.

“One of the things I’ve learned during my time driving in NASCAR is that when you become a Ford driver, you become part of the Ford family,” said Almirola. “We know how important electrification is to Ford’s future and after driving vehicles like the Mustang Mach-E, I can see why. I’m excited to represent BlueOval City and hope I can give them a good run on Saturday night in Bristol.”

In addition to producing electric trucks, the BlueOval City campus will also include a BlueOval SK battery plant that will produce batteries for future Ford and Lincoln vehicles.

BlueOval City is part of a larger $11.4 billion manufacturing investment by Ford and SK On to build both BlueOval City in West Tennessee and BlueOval SK Battery Park in Central Kentucky, which will create 11,000 jobs between the two campuses.

Saturday’s Bristol Night Race is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on USA Network. In addition, it can be heard on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR radio.

To learn more about BlueOval City, please visit: BlueOval City – Tennessee (ford.com)

About Ford Performance
Ford’s racing program is part of the Ford Performance organization based in Dearborn, Mich. It is responsible for major racing operations globally, including NASCAR (Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Camping World Truck Series), IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, FIA World Rally Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars, Formula Drift, NHRA Funny Car, off-road desert racing, and sportsman drag racing. In addition, the organization also oversees the development of Ford’s racing engines, as well as the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts. For more information regarding Ford racing’s activities, please visit www.fordperformance.com, www.facebook/FordPerformance, Ford Performance on Instagram and @FordPerformance on Twitter.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, that is committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company’s Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for and deepen the loyalty of those customers. Ford develops and delivers innovative, must-have Ford trucks, sport utility vehicles, commercial vans and cars and Lincoln luxury vehicles as well as connected services. Additionally, Ford is establishing leadership positions in mobility solutions, including self-driving technology, and provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford employs about 182,000 people worldwide. More information about the company, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company is available at corporate.ford.com.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (September 13, 2022) – Michael McDowell and his Love’s team are set to return to Bristol (TN.) Motor Speedway this weekend for a Saturday night rumble in “The Last Great Colosseum.” Bristol, a place where he earned a ninth-place finish in the spring on the dirt configuration, is poised to improve on that in just a few days’ time.

With eight races left in the 2022 campaign, McDowell and his team are poised to reach victory lane before seasons’ end, while the team has already claimed XX top-ten finishes to this point. With stronger Bristol results in the past few seasons, the driver and team paring have a best asphalt finishing result of tenth in 2020, and twelfth in 2021.

“Racing under the lights brings with an entirely different atmosphere to the track,” says McDowell. “There are no shortage of challenges Bristol has to offer, but everything is amplified under night conditions. With tight, momentum-based racing, it is important that we are on our “A-Game” all night in the cockpit, on the pit box, and on pit lane. We have been close to victory lane many times with our Love’s Travel Stops Ford this season, and we will continue to execute to get there.”

Michael continues, “We have been firing on all cylinders this season, and our entire Front Row Motorsports program has elevated from last season into this one. Our Love’s, Luber Finer Ford has improved every weekend still, and we are close to breaking through, and taking that next step up in performance. We expect this weekend to be that weekend.”

This weekend’s night race at the Bristol Motor Speedway will take stage at 7:30pm et on USA

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.

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: BRISTOL NOTES

All three of NASCAR’s top series are competing this week at Bristol Motor Speedway and each of them are in different phases of their respective seasons. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will kick off its second round of the playoffs as the Round of 8 begins on Thursday night while the NASCAR XFINITY Series closes out its regular season on Friday. The weekend wraps up with the first-round finale for the NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday night as four drivers will be eliminated from the field of 16.

This Week’s Schedule:

Thursday, Sept. 15 – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, 9 p.m. (FS1)
Friday, Sept. 16 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 7:30 p.m. (USA)
Saturday, Sept. 17 – NASCAR Cup Series, 7:30 p.m. (USA)

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT BMS

· Ford has 40 all-time series wins at BMS.
· Joey Logano won back-to-back Bristol Night Races in 2014 and 2015.
· Ford has won 2 of the last 3 races run on the Bristol concrete.

ROUND OF 16 NCS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 12 advance after Bristol)

4. Joey Logano +40
5. Ryan Blaney +36
6. Austin Cindric +2
7. Chase Briscoe -3
8. Kevin Harvick -35

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT BMS

· Ford has 10 series wins at BMS.
· Riley Herbst has clinched a spot in the series playoffs.
· Chase Briscoe recorded Ford’s last win at Bristol in 2020.

FORD IN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES AT BMS

· Ford has five series wins at BMS.
· Joe Ruttman won the inaugural series race in 1995.
· Brad Keselowski’s lone series win came at Bristol in 2014.

ROUND OF 8 NCWTS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 4 advance after Homestead)

1. Zane Smith +24

FIVE FORD CUP DRIVERS LOOKING TO ADVANCE

Bristol Motor Speedway marks the end of the first round for the NASCAR Cup Series and five Ford drivers will be looking to advance to the Round of 12. Joey Logano (4th) and Ryan Blaney (5th) are in solid positions while Austin Cindric (12th) and Chase Briscoe (15th) are firmly on the bubble. Kevin Harvick (16th) likely needs a win as he sits 35 points below the final transfer spot, but with three career wins at the half-mile short track, it’s not out of the question. Cindric is currently in the final transfer spot, but is only two points ahead of Kyle Busch and three in front of Briscoe.

NXS REGULAR SEASON FINALE SET FOR FRIDAY

The NASCAR XFINITY Series will end its regular season on Friday night with the top 12 drivers in the standings advancing to its seven-race playoff. Riley Herbst clinched his spot in the postseason after finishing 16th last weekend at Kansas Speedway. The playoff berth will be his second straight with Stewart-Haas Racing and third overall since joining the series full-time in 2020. Sieg, on the other hand, is battling with Sheldon Creed in points for the final slot. Sieg currently holds the 12th and final spot, but only has a 13-point lead over Creed.

SMITH KICKS OFF ROUND OF 8 AS TOP SEED

Zane Smith heads to Bristol Motor Speedway as the top seed as the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicks off on Thursday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Smith, on the strength of his seven stage wins and three overall victories, has a nine-point lead over second-place Chandler Smith and a 24-point advantage over fifth-place Stewart Friesen.

A THREE SERIES SWEEP

One of the most memorable Ford weekends in recent years came in August of 2014 when Ford swept all three NASCAR series races – Camping World Truck, XFINITY and Cup at Bristol Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski captured his first NCWTS victory while Ryan Blaney took the XFINITY event. Joey Logano capped the weekend sweep when he passed Matt Kenseth with 45 laps to go and then had to hold off Keselowski to post his third win of the 2014 season. Logano was in control until caution came out with 69 laps to go. While he pitted for four tires, Kenseth and others stayed out which put Logano sixth on the ensuing restart with 63 to go. With fresh tires, however, he was able to move to the front in less than 20 laps and then hold off his Penske teammate down the stretch. It marked the first time Ford swept all three divisions in the same weekend since 2006 when Mark Martin (NCWTS) and Kenseth (NNS and MENCS) did it, ironically, at Bristol.

LOGANO WINS BACK-TO-BACK NIGHT RACES

Joey Logano held off a hard-charging Kevin Harvick over the final 25 laps to win the Bristol Night Race for the second consecutive year in 2015. Logano led four times for 176 laps, including all but four of the final 147 laps and that was because he pitted when the caution came out with 71 laps to go while Penske teammate Brad Keselowski opted to stay out for track position. Even though Keselowski had the lead on the ensuing restart, Logano’s four fresh tires enabled him to get the lead immediately and he held on over the final 64 circuits to post his 11th career victory.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT BRISTOL

1963 – Fireball Roberts and Fred Lorenzen

1964 – Fred Lorenzen (Sweep)

1965 – Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett

1966 – Dick Hutcherson (1)

1968 – David Pearson (Sweep)

1969 – David Pearson (2)

1970 – Donnie Allison (1)

1971 – David Pearson (1)

1988 – Bill Elliott (1)

1990 – Davey Allison (1)

1991 – Alan Kulwicki (2)

1992 – Alan Kulwicki (1)

1993 – Mark Martin (2)

1994 – Rusty Wallace (2)

1996 – Rusty Wallace (2)

1997 – Dale Jarrett (2)

1998 – Mark Martin (2)

1999 – Rusty Wallace (1)

2000 – Rusty Wallace (Sweep)

2001 – Elliott Sadler (1)

2002 – Kurt Busch (1)

2003 – Kurt Busch (Sweep)

2004 – Kurt Busch (1)

2005 – Matt Kenseth (2)

2006 – Matt Kenseth (2)

2007 – Carl Edwards (2)

2008 – Carl Edwards (2)

2014 – Carl Edwards and Joey Logano

2015 – Joey Logano (2)

2018 – Kurt Busch (2)

2020 – Brad Keselowski (1) and Kevin Harvick (2)

2021 – Joey Logano (Dirt)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT BRISTOL

1989 – Mark Martin (2)

1994 – Kenny Wallace (2)

1996 – Mark Martin (1)

1997 – Jeff Burton (1)

2006 – Matt Kenseth (2)

2007 – Carl Edwards (1)

2009 – David Ragan (2)

2014 – Ryan Blaney (2)

2015 – Joey Logano (1)

2020 – Chase Briscoe (2)

FORD NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT BRISTOL

1995 – Joe Ruttman

2004 – Carl Edwards

2006 – Mark Martin

2014 – Brad Keselowski

2015 – Ryan Blaney

Familiar Partner with New Paint Scheme in Bristol

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 13, 2022) – Long John Silver’s will partner with NASCAR Cup Series rookie, Todd Gilliland, for the 500-lap night race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway this Saturday night.

Gilliland enters Saturday night’s race under the lights after a 23rd place finish at Kansas Speedway and is looking to build some strong runs as the Cup Series heads into the final eight races of the 2022 season.

“We’ve learned a lot this season,” said Gilliland. “I am proud of how well our team has come together to adapt to the new car. We still have a few more races to put together some strong runs and I am looking forward to getting to Bristol this weekend.”

Long John Silver’s returns to Front Row Motorsports (FRM) for the first time since 2019, this time partnering with Todd Gilliland and creating a fresh look for this weekend’s night race.

“It is really cool to see the Long John Silver’s brand back on a FRM Ford this weekend at Bristol,” stated Gilliland. “It is even more cool to see that they are changing up the familiar paint scheme and bringing chrome numbers to the night race. I think this car will look great out on the track and hope we can deliver them a great run.”

Gilliland and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford will race on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on the USA Network.

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.