Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Southern 500 Advance | Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang, will be making his NASCAR Cup Series playoff debut this weekend when the 2022 postseason gets started at Darlington Raceway. Briscoe, who earned his spot after winning at Phoenix, has one NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at the Track Too Tough To Tame. He spoke with reporters earlier today.

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang – DO YOU FEEL LIKE THIS IS A SECOND LIFE FOR THE SEASON? “Yeah, for sure. For us, we’ve had small glimpses of, truthfully, I feel like we’ve had speed every week, but unlike a lot of times we run anywhere from seven to 12th for a lot of the race and then we finish 18th to 23rd the last 60 laps, where other teams have kind of done the opposite. They run 17th to 21st a lot of the day and then at the end they find themselves from seventh to 12th. For us, it’s kind of nice to have a little bit of a reset button. I know we have the speed, it’s just a matter of putting the whole race together. There are a lot of variables that determine that, but I definitely think it’s a bit of a second life to a certain extent and one I’m looking forward to having.”

HOW CLOSE DID YOU COME TO FLIPPING ON SUNDAY AND HOW HARD OF A HIT WAS IT? “It was definitely a unique crash. I didn’t think I was gonna get airborne. I felt like I had been sliding for quite a while. When I first originally felt that I got airborne and came back down I figured somebody probably hit me in the door, but I never felt anybody hit me in the door. And then when I went back and watched it I saw just naturally went up. Luckily, it came back down, but I’ve flipped sprint cars obviously growing up racing them and getting in the air is definitely different in one of those versus a stock car, but, honestly, the landing, I was surprised. It wasn’t that bad. I don’t know if I landed luckily how it landed, but it wasn’t as bad. My neck is still a little bit sore, but I don’t feel like that was from getting air, I felt like that was probably just from hitting the wall. I felt all good. I wish that it didn’t happen, but glad it didn’t get any worse than it could have been.”

CAN YOU COMPARE WHERE YOU ARE NOW FROM A YEAR AGO AND HAVING THAT RESET TO HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP? “It’s definitely different. Last year, not that you don’t have anything to not race for anymore, but it’s just different when you’re not in the playoffs. You’re going to the racetrack and you know the focus isn’t gonna be on you and you know the attention is just different when you’re not in the playoffs. I think for me this year it’s definitely different to know that you have a shot at still winning a championship, just being in the playoffs, all of the things that come from that just from an attention standpoint for our partners and things like that is definitely different. It’s nice. I feel like our team is excited. For us, we won at Phoenix in the third or fourth week of the year, so we’ve had a long time to think about the playoffs and think about what we’re gonna do and how we’re gonna try to do things in the playoffs and now that they’re finally here, it’s nice because we have had a really, really long time to think about them truthfully. I’m excited that they’re inally here. It is gonna be nice to hit the reset button. We haven’t done a lot of things well the last two or three months and haven’t really had the finishes to show for what I feel like the speed we’ve had. Hopefully, we can hit the gate running these first three weeks or the next three weeks for this first round and kind of show what I know we’re capable of. I feel like they’re all really good racetracks for me career-wise too, so I’m looking forward to it and hopefully we can surprise a lot of people.”

THERE IS MORE PARITY THIS YEAR AS FAR AS POINT DIFFERENTIAL. IS IT MORE WIDE-OPEN THIS YEAR? “I think so. It definitely makes it a little bit easier when there’s not a huge point spread. At the same time because it’s so tight, I think it makes it even more important that you can’t have a bad race. And I think the other thing people are overlooking with these playoffs is in the past the playoff guys were so much faster from a speed standpoint that the non-playoff guys didn’t even have a chance to win any of the races or truthfully contend in the top five to 10 sometimes, where now there are legitimately seven to eight guys that can still go win races that aren’t in the playoffs and that are still gonna be battling inside the top five and top 10 that still have a lot to race for. So, I think that’s gonna be even tougher this year in the playoffs than ever before just because you’re gonna have a lot of non-playoff guys up there in the mix that normally with the old car you just wouldn’t have that from a speed standpoint, where with the Next Gen there’s just so much more parity, so many more guys that can run up front, so the point spread is probably gonna be a little bigger than normal because before if you were a playoff guy, you were gonna run top 15 fairly easy, where now you can be a playoff guy and run 21st just because there are a lot more guys that can run up front, so it’s gonna be interesting and to see how that plays out. The first two rounds, I think, are the toughest two rounds just because you can eliminate yourself and kind of how the racetracks play out. There are a lot of opportunities to make mistakes at those racetracks, so hopefully that’s one thing we haven’t done a great job of this year is limiting mistakes, but hopefully we can do that now.”

DO YOU FEEL AS SAFE AS YOU CAN IN THIS NEXT GEN CAR OR DOES NASCAR NEED TO DO MORE TECH ON IT? “For me, I’ve only crashed the Next Gen car, truthfully, twice where I feel like it was a hard wreck and they were both at superspeedways. Both of them were way better than I thought they were gonna be. The Talladega wreck, for sure, I thought was gonna be way worse from a feel standpoint and I felt fine. I was sore the next day or two, but I feel like that was kind of typical. Obviously, I think there’s still stuff we can do to make it better, but I think in the old car there was still stuff we could do to make it better, so I think that’s the hard thing right now with the Next Gen car is with the old car we literally probably had thousands of data points that we could look at in crashes, where right now we’re not even probably in the hundreds yet, so it’s just hard to kind of pinpoint what we need to do better on this car and as it runs and as we get through the years I’m sure we’re gonna continue to make progress on it and make it better, but I think it’s always a moving target. You’re never gonna be perfectly safe, I don’t think. You’re a race car driver. You’re driving nearly 200 miles an hour and anything can happen, but the safer we can make it, the better. I’m confident that NASCAR wouldn’t send us out there if it wasn’t something that they don’t think is safe, so, yeah, can it be safer? Absolutely, but, at the same time, I do think I’ve taken two hard hits and I’ve felt OK. At the same time, obviously Kurt is sitting out. Everybody’s body reacts different. Yeah, I absolutely think it could still be safer, but I think it’s safe right now at the same time and I don’t think it’s ever gonna be bulletproof. It’s just a hard object. It’s a moving target and until we get more data on it, it’s gonna be really hard to kind of pinpoint it, I think.”

HOW ARE YOU APPROACHING THESE NEXT THREE WEEKS IN THE FIRST ROUND? “I think it’s not to eliminate ourselves in this first round. Darlington, especially, the Southern 500 there are gonna be a lot of opportunities to tear your car up at some point in the race running up on the wall. I think, just for me, the regular season and, like I was saying earlier, I just haven’t done a very good job of finishing where our car had the speed for, and I think these next three weeks if we have an eighth-place car, just try to run seventh or eighth with it. Don’t try to win with it and then end up costing yourself with a 10-spot difference. You just have to be smart about it in the playoffs and understand the bigger picture and that’s something I haven’t done a great job of this year. I think that’s my biggest focus these next three weeks is just limiting mistakes, doing all the little details right, and I feel like as long as you do the little details right this first round, you should be able to point your way through because there are gonna be guys that eliminate themselves just by making mistakes and if you can limit your mistakes and not make them super detrimental, I think then you should be able to make it out of that first round. At least that’s what we’re gonna try to do.”

DARLINGTON AND BRISTOL HAVE BEEN GOOD TRACKS FOR YOU. DOES THAT GIVE YOU MORE CONFIDENCE AT THOSE TWO PLACES SPECIFICALLY? “Yeah, I mean, truthfully how the playoffs are at the racetracks I feel like all 10 of them, with the exception of Talladega, are all really, really good racetracks for me statistically and I just enjoy going to all of them with the exception of Talladega just because of what can happen there. So, yeah, I’m definitely excited. I feel like this first round I’ve won at all three of these tracks before. The next round we have the Roval in there and Texas has been really good to me, too. Yeah, I’m definitely excited. I know I’m capable of doing it, it’s just a matter of putting it all together and, like I said, limiting mistakes. If we can do that, there’s no reason why we can’t make it to Phoenix because I feel we’ve shown when we do all the things right, whether it’s at Phoenix earlier in the year or the Coke 600. When we put the whole race together, we’re always right there battling for the win. It’s just a matter of doing that all day long and that’s where I’ve struggled, as a team we’ve struggled a little bit doing that as well, so if we can do all the little things right and if we can to Phoenix, we know we’re capable of getting it done there as well. We just have to limit mistakes and I know that’s hard to change in a matter of a week, but I think if we really put our mind to it and really focus on it, the regular season we still made them, but we didn’t have the pressure of the playoffs and there was no penalty if you went for trying to win the race, where now there’s a huge penalty. I think you just have to manage it all and hopefully I can do a better job behind the wheel and just give my team the best opportunity to try to get to Phoenix.”

ANY IDEA HOW DIFFERENT THE CUP PLAYOFFS WILL BE COMPARED TO XFINITY? “It’s hard because until you’re actually there and experience it I think it’s hard to say exactly what it’s gonna be like, but I know, for me at least in the Truck Series and even the Xfinity Series, the intensity definitely ratchets up. The stages, I remember in Xfinity I think it was at Kansas, battling for seventh was some of the hardest racing I’d ever done just because I knew that one point was gonna make a difference and now with the Cup Series I think it’s gonna be different this year too, just because of what I was saying earlier about all the non-playoff guys that can still run up front. I think just the intensity is gonna ratchet up even more than it already has, so, yeah, I think until I get going at Darlington and kind of feel out how the intensity is gonna be, I think it’s one way to expect what it’s gonna be like but until you get out there and do it, I know it’s gonna be more intense than what I’ve done throughout the regular season just because it’s way more cut throat. Every position matters even more, so we’ve just got to go there. Until we experience it, it’s gonna be hard for me to sit here and tell you what it’s gonna be like, but I think I have an idea.”

YOU HAVE BEEN TO DARLINGTON AND KANSAS WITH THIS CAR ALREADY. DOES THAT BRING SOME COMFORT AS THE PLAYOFFS START? “Yes and no. I think if you were really good there the first race, then yeah, absolutely, it probably brings you a little bit of comfort. For us, I will say Darlington was probably a little more of a struggle than we originally thought it was gonna be just because it has been a really good track for me in the past. We think we know what we kind of were doing wrong there, so I’m definitely confident this time around that we’re gonna be a lot better. Kansas, we were really, really good out there. I think I was running fourth or fifth and I spun out, so that was on me. I know we’re gonna have a car capable of going there and running good. We just have to go week by week and kind of see what hand you’re dealt for the following week because it’s gonna determine how you have to run the race, how aggressive you’ve got to be just because of your point situation. It’s gonna be nice to kind of know what to feel, especially at Darlington and Kansas – the feel you’re trying to find in practice and kind of know what to expect from a car driving standpoint for sure.”

ARE YOU STILL WORKING WITH A PERSONAL TRAINER? “I’ve been Pelotoning at home. I don’t know if that counts as a personal trainer or not, but, no. We used to have Dan Jansen and when COVID happened Ford let Dan go and I think now he’s actually with Chevy, but I was always using Dan from 2017-2020 and then after that I haven’t had one since. I started going a little bit to Pit Fit and then it was like 45 minutes from my house, so I quit doing that and I kind of just do my own deal at home now.”

ANY CHANGES TO YOUR DIET OR FITNESS TO TRY AND MAKE YOURSELF AS PHYSICALLY FIT AS POSSIBLE? “No. I know for the last four weeks I’ve tried to be better about just working out and trying to be in the best shape. I haven’t felt like at any time this year I’ve been out of shape in a race, so I don’t know. I’ve tried to slim down for the playoffs a little bit. I think I’m down eight points right now, so I’m trying to do everything I can for my team at least to be a little bit better.”

DOES SHR HAVE A NUTRITIONALIST ON BOARD JUST TO HELP KEEP YOU FIT? “No. At one point, I want to say in 2019 we had one for like literally two months and then not anymore.”

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR TEAMMATES AND TONY ABOUT THE PLAYOFFS? “I think obviously like we were talking earlier about the second win question, kind of the same as Tony was in 2011. Everybody had written him off and thought there was no way he should even be in the playoffs and he even said it himself and then to go out there and make a run like he did. I think using that to your advantage and knowing that it is a reset in a certain sense. Everything we did the first 26 weeks, yeah, it mattered to get to this point, but now you could win the first 26 races and if you have three bad races in a row, you’re out of the playoffs. It’s all kind of irrelevant to a certain extent outside of getting you here. So I think, for us, just using that to go and know that, ‘hey, just because we’ve had a bad two, three months doesn’t mean we still can’t do this.’ We’re fully capable of making a run and then just talking to some of my teammates that have been in playoffs just about limiting mistakes and making sure that you don’t eliminate yourself. That’s kind of the big thing, especially the first round – how you don’t have to win. You can point your way there and that’s something that is hard for me, obviously, at times is to understand the bigger picture and realize you don’t always have to win the race or try to take a 12th-place car and win with it – that you have to be able to take a 12th-place car and run ninth with it. That’s a huge day when it comes to playoff time, so just talking to those guys from that side of things has been a big help. I’ll probably talk to Kevin before Darlington and kind of just feel him out a little bit more about things I guess I should try to work on, but outside of that, that’s really it.”

DOES IT HELP YOU TO HAVE A TEAMMATE IN THE PLAYOFFS WITH THIS CAR? “I don’t know. It’s hard to say. From a company standpoint, I wish all four of us were in it because financially for our partners it’s better to have all four cars in the playoffs, but, at the same time, there’s a lot of pride whenever out of four cars only two of us made it and to be able to be there with Kevin is a huge deal. I think come playoff time there is pros and cons to each now that there are two of us and we obviously have two teammates that can try different setups or if we’re in the middle of the race and maybe want to make an air-pressure adjustment that we’re not 100 percent set on, one of those two guys can now try it and kind of validate it for us and hopefully on the racetrack it’ll help just to know they’re gonna watch your back. They’re gonna try to help as much as they can in the situations where it makes sense, so I think there are pros and cons. Yeah, I would love for all four of us to be in it and be able to go battle, but having two of us in it and two of us out of it, there are some pros to the two guys that are in it – to be able to use those two guys to try setups and things like that. Until I get into it and see how it all plays out with the two of us and two of us out it’s hard to say, but I feel like there are pros and cons to each.”

IS THERE MORE URGENCY TO START THE PLAYOFFS OFF STRONGER? “Yeah, for sure. Just getting off on the right foot. If you go to Darlington and run 25th or whatever the number is or if you have an issue, you’re gonna pretty much be in a must-win at that point. It’s just hard to be in a must-win situation and go out there and execute it, so, for sure, like I said, we’ve been in the playoffs for a really long time and have been able to think about going to Darlington, starting the playoffs on the right foot and you talk about it a long time and you think about it for a long time and then if you can actually go there and do it, there’s a certain confidence and just when you talk about doing something and then you go do it, it just helps team morale and all those things. So, yeah, definitely it’s important to go there and get off on the right foot and just have a good, solid, clean day. These last couple of weeks we’ve just had weird stuff happen. At Richmond, we were gonna run top five fairly easily and maybe potentially try to win the race and just randomly our exhaust catches on fire. So just weird things like that have happened and hopefully at Darlington we can avoid all that stuff and just have a good, clean day.”

DOES YOUR PREVIOUS XFINITY PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE HELP AS FAR AS KNOWING SOME OF YOUR COMPETITORS’ TENDENCIES? “Yeah, I think so. The more you race around guys you definitely kind of know their tendencies a little bit more. I’ve raced a lot with Bell and Cindric and Reddick a lot more than I’ve raced against a Ryan Blaney, for example. So, just knowing their tendencies I feel like helps and knowing what they do in certain situations and things like that, but all of these guys are so good that it doesn’t really matter. They’re always switching it up and kind of keep you on your toes as far as a guessing game goes. It’s nice to at least understand how a lot of those guys race and I feel like the more you’ve raced with guys the more respect you have with them and it just makes things easier, so I guess it is unique that a lot of us are in our first year in the playoffs or some of us the second year. It’ll be interesting to see how the intensity ratchets up because of that.”

Team: No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @RFK17Team, @RFKRacing and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 501.3 miles, 367 laps, Stages: 115-115-167
NASCAR Cup Race at Darlington – Sunday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

· The traditional weekend schedule returns this weekend with practice and qualifying on deck for Saturday in group format, which will determine Sunday’s lineup.

Buescher at Darlington

· Buescher is set for his 11th Cup start from Darlington where he is coming off two top-10s in the last three starts. He ran ninth in both of last season’s events and has a 17.4 average finish.

· Prior to last season, Buescher’s top finish stood as 12th (2019 fall race).

· He carries a 22.8 average starting position with a best starting spot of 11th which came in last season’s spring race.

· Buescher also made four Xfinity starts at Darlington with a fifth-place run in 2015.

Scott Graves at Darlington

· Graves will be on the box for his 11th Cup event from Darlington where he carries a 19.2 average finish with one top-10.

· Graves led Ryan Newman to a P10 finish in last season’s spring race after starting 20th, and otherwise has five finishes inside the top-15 in the last six races.

· Graves also called three Xfinity events – two with Buescher – with a career-best third-place finish in 2016 with Daniel Suarez.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Darlington:
“Darlington is one of those places we’ve worked really hard at to be better, and I think we made some good strides in the spring as a company, even though our finish(es) didn’t necessarily show for it. It’s a really challenging place to drive, but is really fun once you get the drive of the car tuned in. We’re looking forward to a solid weekend in the Fifth Third Ford.”

Last Time Out
Buescher was in the mix of vying for the race lead when rain began to fell in turn one with just over 20 to go Sunday at Daytona, and was caught up in the multi-car crash that claimed a host of victims, ending his day in 27th.

On the Car

Fifth Third makes its fifth appearance as the primary on the No. 17 this weekend. Fresh off celebrating its 10th season as a partner with RFK in 2021, Fifth Third returns this season for five races in total, while serving as an associate in all events for the No. 17 team.

The bank will also feature Sam’s Xpress Car Wash this weekend on the decklid of the No. 17 machine as part of the Fueled by Fifth Third pass-through program.

Sam’s Xpress Car Wash is a privately owned and operated company headquartered in Matthews, N.C. Its first location was opened in Fort Mill, S.C. in 2012, and now has over 35 locations in the Carolinas and Virginia.
They offer an express model car wash; a ride through xperience with free self-service vacuums that include many unique features like unlimited wash options, free gourmet coffee, mat cleaning, and exceptional customer service. Sam’s Xpress® also aims to be a friend to the communities they serve through fundraising, sponsorships and using environmentally safe processes and chemicals.
To learn more about Sam’s Xpress® Car Wash, please visit www.samsxpresscarwash.com.

About Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank, National Association, a federally chartered institution. As of June 30, 2020, Fifth Third had $203 billion in assets and operated 1,122 full-service banking centers and 2,456 ATMs with Fifth Third branding in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina. In total, Fifth Third provides its customers with access to approximately 53,000 fee-free ATMs across the United States. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending and Wealth & Asset Management. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of June 30, 2020, had $405 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $49 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations through its Trust and Registered Investment Advisory businesses. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third’s common stock is traded on the Nasdaq® Global Select Market under the symbol “FITB.” Fifth Third Bank was established in 1858. Deposit and Credit products are offered by Fifth Third Bank, National Association. Member FDIC.

Team: No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Twitter: @RFK6Team, @RFKRacing and @keselowski
Race Format: 501.3 miles, 367 laps laps, Stages: 115-115-167
NASCAR Cup Race at Darlington – Sunday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

· The traditional weekend schedule returns this weekend with practice and qualifying on deck for Saturday in group format, which will determine Sunday’s lineup.

Keselowski at Darlington

· Keselowski makes his 18th Cup start at Darlington on Sunday. He has eight top-10s and five top-five finishes in 17 starts with a 12.4 overall average finish.

· Keselowski won the fall race back in 2018, one of his five top fives overall at the track Too Tough to Tame. He’s coming off a P7 finish last fall, and finished 34th this spring after a crash 166 laps in.

· Keselowski does have three poles at Darlington – 2015, 2020, 2021 – with a 10.2 average starting position and 11 starts inside the top-10.

· He also made seven Xfinity Series starts with one win (2018) and three top-10s.

Matt McCall at Darlington

· McCall is set for his 12th Cup race on the box at Darlington where he has a 14.2 average finish with six top-10s.

· He and Kurt Busch teamed up for four top-10s in the last seven races, including a P6 finish last fall. His best finish of third came with Busch in the spring 2020 race.

QUOTE WORTHY
Keselowski on racing at Darlington:
“Darlington is one of the more challenging tracks we go to in just how hard it is to maintain and maneuver each corner perfectly for a lot of laps. It’s a long race, and having the right handling and perfect entry and exit means everything. Our focus is on improving each day over these last 10 races, and continuing to make strides to set ourselves up for more success now and in the future.”

On the Car

Kohler returns for its 10th primary race this season. Kohler is the anchor partner for the No. 6 team throughout the 2022 campaign, and will be the primary in 14 races after initially joining the RFK partner family in 2021 with eight events on the No. 6 team.

About Kohler Co.
Founded in 1873 and headquartered in Kohler, Wisconsin, Kohler Co. is one of America’s oldest and largest privately held companies comprised of more than 40,000 associates. Kohler is a global leader in the manufacture of kitchen and bath products; engines and power systems; premier cabinetry, tile and lighting; and owner/operator of two of the world’s finest five-star hospitality and golf resort destinations in Kohler, Wisconsin, and St. Andrews, Scotland.

A global force in power solutions since 1920, Kohler manufactures engines and complete power systems, including generators (portable, marine, residential, commercial and industrial), automatic transfer switches, switchgear, monitoring controls, and accessories for emergency, prime power and energy-management applications all around the world. The business is committed to reliable, leading edge power-generation products, clean energy solutions, as well as comprehensive after-sale support. Visit KohlerGenerators.com, facebook.com/KOHLERPower, and on Twitter at @KOHLERPower.

COLE CUSTER
Darlington Advance
No. 41 Feeding America®/Wow Wow Classic Waffles Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Cook Out Southern 500 (Round 27 of 36)

● Time/Date: 6 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 4

● Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway

● Layout: 1.366-mile oval

● Laps/Miles: 367 laps / 501.3 miles

● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 115 laps / Stage 2: 230 laps / Final Stage: 137 laps

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

Notes of Interest

● For the third time this season, Cole Custer and the No. 41 Ford Mustang team welcome back Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) partner Wow Wow Classic Waffles, and Feeding America®, the largest hunger relief organization in the United States with a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, during Sunday night’s traditional Labor Day-weekend Cook Out Southern 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. In addition, they’ll showcase an honorary crew member as part of NASCAR’s inaugural Workforce Appreciation Weekend celebration.

● Erinn Rowe, CEO of the Harvest Hope Food Bank, which serves the Darlington area, was nominated by Wow Wow and Feeding America® to serve as the honorary crew member with the No. 41 team this weekend. Rowe manages the organization’s operations through its three locations in the Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate of South Carolina, and annually helps distribute more than 20 million meals to neighbors in need. Prior to joining the food bank, with was preceded by her 10-year stint with Bank of America, Rowe owned and operated a franchise of Young Chef’s Academy, a children’s cooking school which promoted healthy eating and skill-based learning for kids and adults of all ages. Her passion has always been feeding people, and she is glad to put her skills to use to safely and effectively source and distribute millions of meals to those in need. Rowe and her family live in the Midlands of South Carolina.

● Darlington Raceway, home to the traditional crown jewel Cook Out Southern 500, is introducing Workforce Appreciation Weekend in partnership with NASCAR Cup Series teams to showcase the industry’s appreciation of to the American workforce and its tireless efforts throughout the year.

● SHR, Wow Wow Classic Waffles and Feeding America® are also asking fans to continue to do their part in helping to end hunger in America by visiting the Feeding America donation page via the Feeding America website. Each $1 donated helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks.

● Sunday night’s 367-lap race will be Custer’s 102nd career Cup Series start and seventh on the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval. The 2020 Cup Series Rookie of the Year’s 11th-place finish in last September’s Southern 500 was the best of his previous six Darlington outings.

● The native of Ladera Ranch, California, was credited with the victory in his most recent NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington in 2019 after finishing second the previous year and ninth in 2017, all behind the wheel of the No. 00 SHR Ford. In the 2019 race, he crossed the finish line .602 of a second behind the apparent race-winner Denny Hamlin. But Hamlin’s racecar was disqualified after a ride-height violation was discovered in postrace inspection, giving Custer his eighth of 10 career Xfinity series victories. In the September 2018 Xfinity Series race at Darlington, Custer was runner-up to Brad Keselowski by .738 of a second.

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 Feeding America®/Wow Wow Classic Waffles Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

You’re welcoming back Wow Wow Classic Waffles and Feeding America® to the team this weekend and are showcasing an honorary crew chief with a passion for feeding people in need. Talk about that.

“We’ve been able to do some really cool things through our partnership with Wow Wow Classic Waffles and Feeding America, and we want to welcome Erinn Rowe to the team this weekend as we honor the American workforce on Labor Day weekend. It’s been eye-opening to see how many in our area need help and we’ve been able to provide meals for many families through the work we’ve done, but we need help. There are so many ways to help and it doesn’t take much to make a difference for the many families out there who are in need. It’s been really cool to get involved with the food banks and pack bags for local schools and the community. It gives you a great mindset because volunteering is something I wish I did more of before and now it’s something that I’m doing as often as I can. It’s definitely rewarding to see the people that you’re helping in your community.”

Does it open your eyes to people who are less fortunate than you?

“Yeah, for sure. That’s what it’s all about. We get so wrapped up in our own lives and our own problems. You’re able to help out people who really need it in our community, so it’s something that has been really cool to get involved with and I’m really looking forward to doing even more of it in the future.”

Darlington is one of the trickiest tracks in the Cup Series. How do you approach racing on “The Track Too Tough To Tame?”

“I would say Darlington is one track that I always look forward to. It’s one of those races that every driver looks forward to because of the challenge behind it and how much you can do as a driver. There are so many different lanes you can work and you’re running right up against the wall. It’s just a driver’s racetrack and I feel there’s not one guy who doesn’t feel excited when they hear Darlington is coming up.”

This weekend marks the beginning of the Cup Series playoffs for 16 of your fellow competitors. Do you feel the playoffs are a good way to determine a champion?

“It’s how we play the game. I don’t know how else to say it. I think it generates a lot of excitement. I think it’s a lot like other sports where we have playoffs and I think it’s always been good. In all sports, you have times where the best team doesn’t win the whole thing, doesn’t win the championship. That happens in our sport, too. It’s just part of it. Our sport is a little bit unique because we do race at different tracks and things can happen. Some teams are better at certain tracks than others, but at the same time it’s the game you play. We have a playoff system and I think it’s been great for the sport in having a lot of excitement and you just have to make it happen those last 10 races.”

No. 41 Feeding America®/Wow Wow Classic Waffles 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: Kapil Fletcher
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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

Floor Cleaning Distributor Partners with Gilliland for Historic Southern 500

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (August 30, 2022) – Southeastern Equipment and Supply, a leading distributor in floor scrubbers and cleaning equipment returns to Front Row Motorsports (FRM) this Labor Day weekend at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway to support Todd Gilliland in his first Southern 500 run.

The Southeastern Equipment and Supply blue and yellow colors will adorn the No. 38 Ford Mustang for the first time since debuting with the team in 2019.

“We’re really excited to reignite our partnership with Front Row Motorsports,” said Grady Martin, General Manager of Southeastern Equipment and Supply. “We all love NASCAR and the excitement around a historic event like the Southern 500 in our home state. We’re looking forward to showing our support for Todd and his team this Sunday evening.”

Joining Southeastern Equipment and Supply on the No. 38 car for Darlington is manufacturer partner Kärcher, the world’s leading provider of efficient, resource-conserving cleaning systems.

“We are excited to be on Todd’s No. 38 Ford Mustang for the race in Darlington, as we introduce our brand in the sport of NASCAR,” said Guy DiLullo, Director of Sales at Kärcher. “We wish Todd and the team all the best in this weekend’s race and we will be cheering him on.”

For Gilliland, he’s excited to welcome returning partners back to FRM.

“It is great to see a partner like Southeastern Equipment come back to FRM this year,” stated Gilliland. “The paint scheme for this weekend at Darlington turned out great. I am ready to hit the track this weekend and get to work.”

“Darlington was a great track for us in the spring,” continued Gilliland. “We came away with a 15th-place finish and I believe we’ve learned a lot about this car. I think that experience will help us deliver Southeastern Equipment a good result.”

Gilliland and the No. 38 Southeastern Equipment and Supply Ford will see the green flag at Darlington on Sunday at 6:00 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.

CHEVROLET RACING: NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFFS FAST FACTS
 
· In the 26-race NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Chevrolet scored a manufacturer-leading 15 wins, recorded by eight drivers from three different Chevrolet teams.

  --> With all eight of those drivers clinching a berth in this season’s 16-driver NCS playoffs by virtue of a win; Chevrolet drivers occupy 50 percent of the playoff field.

· Since the debut of the 16-driver playoff field and elimination rounds to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014; at least five Chevrolet drivers were represented in the playoffs each season.

  --> The 2022 season marks the fourth time since the format’s debut in 2014 that Chevrolet has accounted for at least 50 percent of the playoff field, with a manufacturer-high nine drivers taking playoff positions in 2015.  

 
· In 2021, Chevrolet recorded its 40th NCS Manufacturer Championship and its 33rd NCS Driver Championship, the most of all OEMs in series’ history.

 --> Chevrolet looks to make it three in a row in NCS Driver Championship titles, following Chase Elliott (2020) and Kyle Larson’s (2021) Championships.

Chevrolet All-Time NASCAR Cup Series

Championships:

Manufacturer Championships:

1st Chevy Title: 1958

Most Recent Title: 2021

Highest Number of Consecutive Titles: 13 (2003-2015)

Driver Championships:

1st Chevy title: Buck Baker (1957)

Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Highest Number of Consecutive Titles: 7 (2005-2011)

Chevrolet’s 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Drivers:

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

2022 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion

Victories: 4 (series-leading)

Top-Fives: 10 (tied for series-leading);

Top-10s: 17 (series-leading);

Laps Led: 719 (series-leading);

Average Finish: 10.5 (series-leading);

Stage Wins: 5

Of Note:

• For the first time in his NCS career, Elliott was crowned the 2022 NCS Regular Season Champion.
• The 2022 season marks Elliott’s seventh consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.
• Elliott has advanced to the Championship 4 the past two seasons, winning his first career NCS Driver Championship in 2020.
• Six of his 17 career NCS wins have come in the playoffs.

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 3rd in Playoff Standings

Victories: 2

Top-Fives: 10 (tied for series-leading);

Top-10s: 14

Laps Led: 583

Average Finish: 14.6

Stage Wins: 5

Of Note:

- The 2022 season marks Chastain’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs.

- Chastain secured a playoff berth with his first career NCS win at COTA in March; also marking Trackhouse Racing’s first win in the organization’s second season in the series. 

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 4th in Playoff Standings

2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion

Victories: 2

Top-Fives: 10 (tied for series-leading)

Top-10s: 13

Laps Led: 307

Average Finish: 14.3

Stage Wins: 3

Of Note:

- In 2021, Larson scored his first career NCS Regular Season Championship, going on to win his first career NCS Driver Championship.

- The 2022 season marks Larson’s sixth appearance in the NCS playoffs, with 2021 bringing Larson his first trip to the Championship 4.

- During the playoff era (2004-present); Larson leads the series in multiple playoff race wins in a single season’ with five in 2021 (Bristol, Charlotte ROVAL, Texas, Kansas, Phoenix).

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 5th in Playoff Standings

Victories: 2

Top-Fives: 4

Top-10s: 5

Laps Led: 612

Average Finish: 18.1

Stage Wins: 3

Of Note:

- The 2022 season marks Byron’s fourth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.

- Bryon’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs came in 2021, finishing the season 10th in the final standings.

 
Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – 8th in Playoff Standings

Victories: 2

Top-Fives: 8

Top-10s: 11

Laps Led: 331

Average Finish: 16.7

Stage Wins: 2

Of Notes:

- The 2022 season marks Reddick’s second consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs, with his first coming in 2021.

- Reddick earned a playoff berth following his first career NCS win at Road America; going on to win his second of the season at the Indianapolis Road Course. 

 
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 13th in Playoff Standings

Victories: 1

Top-Fives: 6

Top-10s: 10

Laps Led: 238

Average Finish: 16.5

Stage Wins: 2

Of Note:

- The 2022 season marks Suarez’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs.

- Suarez earned his playoff berth following his first career NCS win at Sonoma Raceway.

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 – 14th in Playoff Standings

Victories: 1

Top-Fives: 3

Top-10s: 10

Laps Led: 29

Average Finish: 15.7

Stage Wins: 1

Of Note:

- The 2022 season marks Bowman’s fifth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.

- Bowman has raced his way into the Round of 12 in each of his NCS playoff appearances; making it to the Round of Eight in the 2020 season to score a career-best sixth in the final standings. 

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – 16th in Playoff Standings

Victories: 1

Top-Fives: 4

Top-10s: 8

Laps Led: 18

Average Finish: 19.8

Stage Wins: 0

Of Note:

- The 2022 season marks Dillon’s fifth appearance in the NCS playoffs.

- Dillon’s playoff berth came from his win in the NCS regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway, after entering the weekend in a must-win scenario to take one of the final two playoff spots.

- Dillon’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs is 11th, accomplishing that feat in 2017 and 2020. 

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.

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: DARLINGTON NOTES

The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs kick off this weekend at Darlington Raceway with five Ford drivers eligible to compete for this year’s championship. Joey Logano is going for a season sweep on the Cup side after winning in the spring while Kevin Harvick looks for his second Southern 500 victory in the past three years. The NASCAR Xfinity Series, which has three races remaining in its regular season, will race on Saturday.

This Week’s Schedule:

Saturday, Sept. 3 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 3 p.m. (USA)
Sunday, Sept. 4 – NASCAR Cup Series, 6 p.m. (USA)

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT DARLINGTON

· Ford has 32 all-time series wins at Darlington.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Curtis Turner won Ford’s first race at Darlington in 1966.
· Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano have Ford wins at Darlington.

ROUND OF 16 NCS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 12 Advance After Bristol)

2nd – Joey Logano (-15 behind 1st place)

7th – Ryan Blaney (-27)

9th – Kevin Harvick (-28)

12th – Chase Briscoe (-31)

14th – Austin Cindric (-34)

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT DARLINGTON

· Ford has 20 series wins at Darlington.

· Mark Martin holds the record for most series wins at Darlington with eight.

· Jack Roush leads all owners with 15 Darlington series wins.

THE FORD FIVE AT DARLINGTON

Darlington Raceway has been a good stop on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit for the five Ford drivers in the playoff field. Kevin Harvick has three career Cup victories and 18 top-10 finishes in 29 career starts while Joey Logano owns one win and 9 top-10 efforts (17 starts). Chase Briscoe, who will be making his fourth Cup Series start at Darlington, has one win at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Ryan Blaney’s best finish at the Lady in Black in 11 career starts is 8th while Austin Cindric finished 18th in his debut Cup race earlier this year after posting three top 10 runs in six career NXS races.

LOGANO GOING FOR SEASON SWEEP

Joey Logano looks to become the first Ford driver to sweep consecutive races at Darlington Raceway since Jeff Burton did it for Roush Racing in 1999. Logano earned his first Cup Series win at the Track Too Tough To Tame in May when he passed William Byron with two laps to go. After earning the pole, Logano proceeded to lead a race-high eight times for 107 laps as he became the 10th different winner in the first 12 races. Logano could actually be the second Ford driver to win twice at Darlington in the last three years after Kevin Harvick won 2-of-3 races during the 2020 season.

HARVICK CELEBRATES RETURN TO RACING IN STYLE

Nobody enjoyed a return to Darlington in 2020 more than Kevin Harvick, who celebrated the sport’s return to competition by winning his 50th career series race in what turned out to be the first of three NASCAR Cup Series races held at the track dubbed ‘Too Tough to Tame.’ Harvick led 159-of-293 laps and once he passed fellow Ford driver Brad Keselowski on lap 216, he never trailed again. That marked the first of two Darlington wins on the season for Harvick, who captured the annual Southern 500 in the fall.

KESELOWSKI SPARKS BACK-TO-BACK 1-2 FINISHES

Brad Keselowski was at the forefront of consecutive 1-2 Ford finishes when he swept the NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Cup Series fall Darlington weekend in 2018. Keselowski led the final 33 laps and won Saturday’s NXS event after Ross Chastain and Kevin Harvick made contact while battling for the lead. Cole Custer finished second to Keselowski, who registered his first win at Darlington. One night later Keselowski got his second after the No. 2 pit crew got him the lead on the final round of stops. Keselowski took off on the restart and beat Penske teammate Joey Logano to the finish line for Ford’s first Cup win at Darlington since Greg Biffle in 2006.

WOOD BROTHERS LEAD THE WAY

It comes as no surprise that the Wood Brothers are Ford’s all-time winningest team at Darlington Raceway, posting eight career victories. All but one of those triumphs came in a Mercury, which the team ran in the 1960’s and 70’s. David Pearson, who holds the record with 10 career Darlington Cup victories, led the way with six while Cale Yarborough captured the team’s first in 1968. The last Darlington win for Wood Brothers Racing came in 1981 when Neil Bonnett took the Southern 500 in 1981 behind the wheel of a Ford.

DARLINGTON MASTER

David Pearson holds the record for most NASCAR Cup Series wins at Darlington Raceway with 10 and eight of those came in Ford Motor Co. products. He won six times driving the famed No. 21 Wood Brothers Mercury (1972,’74,’76-2,’77), winning the Southern 500 twice in that span (1976-77), and two more times in a Holman-Moody Ford (1968 and ’70). Pearson won three Southern 500 titles overall, capturing his third in 1979.

FIELD OF 70

The first time Ford won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway was when Curtis Turner took the Southern 500 on Sept. 3, 1956. Unlike today, where the field is set at a maximum of 40 cars, there were 70 vehicles in the race that saw Turner lead 224 of the 400 laps. He beat Speedy Thompson to the finish line by more than two laps, and did it in record fashion with an average race speed of 95.167 mph.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT DARLINGTON

1956 – Curtis Turner

1960 – Joe Weatherly (1)

1961 – Fred Lorenzen and Nelson Stacy

1962 – Nelson Stacy and Larry Frank

1963 – Fireball Roberts (2)

1964 – Fred Lorenzen (1)

1965 – Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett

1968 – David Pearson (1)

1969 – Lee Roy Yarbrough (2)

1970 – David Pearson (1)

1981 – Neil Bonnett (2)

1982 – Dale Earnhardt (1)

1985 – Bill Elliott (Sweep)

1988 – Bill Elliott (2)

1992 – Bill Elliott (1)

1993 – Mark Martin (2)

1994 – Bill Elliott (2)

1997 – Dale Jarrett (1)

1998 – Dale Jarrett (1)

1999 – Jeff Burton (Sweep)

2001 – Dale Jarrett (1)

2005 – Greg Biffle

2006 – Greg Biffle

2018 – Brad Keselowski

2020 – Kevin Harvick (1) and (3)

2022 – Joey Logano (1)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT DARLINGTON

1993 – Mark Martin (2)

1994 – Mark Martin (Sweep)

1995 – Mark Martin (2)

1996 – Mark Martin (1) and Terry Labonte (2)

1997 – Jeff Burton (2)

1999 – Mark Martin (2)

2000 – Mark Martin (Sweep)

2001 – Jeff Green (1) and Jeff Burton (2)

2002 – Jeff Burton (Sweep)

2004 – Greg Biffle

2005 – Matt Kenseth

2009 – Matt Kenseth

2018 – Brad Keselowski

2019 – Cole Custer

2020 – Chase Briscoe (1)

 
McDowell Ready to Replicate Spring Success

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (September 6, 2022) – Michael McDowell is set to head back to the Darlington (S.C.) Raceway this weekend for the NASCAR Cup Series final visit to the track this season. McDowell and his Fr8Auctions.com Ford team are ready for their return to the crown jewel event- the Southern 500. In the team’s last visit to the track, they collected their fourth top-10 finish of the season.

“We have had some of the success we have come to expect in the last few races,” said McDowell. “We knew we had good tracks in the summer stretch with Sonoma, Indianapolis, Watkins Glen, and Daytona. We wanted to win.

“But it does not change the effort from our entire Fr8Auctions.com team moving forward. We are still focused on finishing well, running up front, and winning.

“As we have progressed through the season, we have seen our performances become stronger and more consistent. I have mentioned it a lot before, but our program has come so far in such a brief period, and it is still humbling to think of where we started.

“At Darlington in the spring, we had an impressive performance that really showed of what we are capable. With Fr8Auctions.com and Brave Like Wyatt on the car, we are excited to be able to improve on the seventh-place finish we had earlier in the season.”

McDowell and his Fr8Auctions.com Ford Mustang continue to be proud supporters of the Brave Like Wyatt Foundation, which assists in efforts to help children receive lifesaving organ transplants. It has always been something close to McDowell’s heart.

“What Marcus (Barela) and the Fr8Auctions.com family does for Brave Like Wyatt to help young children and their families who are in the hospital with chronic disease is second to none,” stated McDowell. “That has been more important than anything, really. It is saying a ton of Fr8Auctions.com that they use our program to help fans learn more about how they can help.”

Fans are encouraged to go to www.bravelikewyatt.com to learn more.

McDowell and his Fr8Auctions.com Mustang will race this Sunday, September 9th, from the Darlington Raceway at 3:00 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.