Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022
2.5-Mile Oval
7:00 PM ET
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (26 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM, logo

5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 30 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 2nd

No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

A TURKEY: At Watkins Glen International, Kyle Larson swept the weekend on the 2.45-mile road course. On Saturday, the Elk Grove, California, native drove the No. 88 HendrickCars.com JR Motorsports entry to victory lane in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event. Larson then led the final five laps in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race to win in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Dating back to last year, the 2021 Cup Series champion now has three consecutive wins at the New York track.

18 AND LIFE TO GO: Last weekend’s Cup Series win was Larson’s 18th which now ranks him 47th on the all-time Cup Series victory list. The 2021 Cup Series champion is now tied with Neil Bonnett, Harry Gant, Kasey Kahne, Geoff Bodine and Ryan Newman in that statistical category.

COMETH FOR THE ICEMAN: Larson’s win last weekend at Watkins Glen marked his 12th with Hendrick Motorsports. He now sits tied for fourth with the “Iceman” Terry Labonte for most Cup Series wins for the 14-time Cup Series champion organization. Jeff Gordon (93) tops the list followed by Jimmie Johnson (83) and Chase Elliott (17).

TEN TO FIVE: Larson’s second win of the season marked his 10th top-five finish of 2022. One of those top-five finishes was a fourth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in April – his best Cup Series result at a superspeedway. The 30-year-old driver is tied for the most top-five finishes this season with Ross Chastain and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Elliott.

OH SO CLOSE: In 2017, Larson led the field with one lap to go in the DAYTONA 500. However, his Chevrolet ran out of fuel on the final lap and he coasted to a 12th-place finish. In 16 starts at the 2.5-mile track, Larson has five top-10s.

WINNER AT DAYTONA: In July 2018, Larson won the Xfinity Series race at Daytona. The 2014 Cup Series rookie-of-the-year led a race-high 40 laps en route to victory.

YOUR CAR NEEDS: This weekend, Larson will drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. From the convenience of home, customers can select the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HendrickCars.com. The website also makes it easy for customers to find one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 93 dealership locations nationwide.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 26 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 1st

No. 9 A SHOC Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

REGULAR SEASON CHAMP: This past weekend at Watkins Glen International, Chase Elliott clinched his first NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship with one race remaining before the playoffs get underway. With that honor comes 15 coveted playoff points that will be added to the 25 he has already accumulated (plus any playoff points he earns in the regular season finale) at the start of the playoffs. This will mark Elliott’s seventh consecutive playoff appearance as he has earned a spot in every full-time season he has raced in the series. The Hendrick Motorsports driver heads to Daytona International Speedway with a 134-point lead over teammate Kyle Larson.

DAYTONA STATS: In 13 Cup Series starts at Daytona, Elliott has two top-five finishes – both being runner-up results – four top-10s and three poles. At the 2.5-mile superspeedway, he has led 126 laps, including 36 laps last August. While the Dawsonville, Georgia, native is still looking to capture his first points-paying Cup Series win on Daytona’s oval, he does have two Duel victories (2017 and 2018) and also won a Cup Series event on the track’s road course in 2020.

ACTIVE STREAK: Elliott’s four top-10 finishes have come in the four most recent events on the Daytona oval. That is currently the longest active streak at the track and the longest by a Hendrick Motorsports driver there since Jimmie Johnson had five straight top-10 finishes between 2004 and 2006.

STARRING ON SUPERSPEEDWAYS: In four starts in 2022 on superspeedways and similar tracks, Elliott is the only driver to finish in the top 10 in all four events. The 2020 Cup Series champion scored a victory on the newly reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway just last month, which uses the superspeedway rules package, leading 96 laps. In addition to his win, he finished 10th in the DAYTONA 500, sixth in the Atlanta spring race and seventh at Talladega Superspeedway. The driver of the No. 9 has earned the most points across those three tracks this season with 178.

GREAT EIGHT: Across Elliott’s last eight Cup Series starts at Daytona and Talladega, he has finished with a series-high six top-10 results. Two of those finishes were runner-up results, which is tied with Bubba Wallace for the most. His average finish during that span also tops the series among drivers with more than two starts (9.5).

NOT YOUR AVERAGE ALAN: Alan Gustafson leads all active crew chiefs with 11 superspeedway poles, including five at Daytona. He has one points-paying win on traditional superspeedways coming in April of 2019 at Talladega with Elliott. The duo also scored a victory at Atlanta earlier this year, a 1.54-mile track that races more like a superspeedway now. Daytona’s oval is the site of two Duel victories for the No. 9 pit boss – both with Elliott in 2017 and 2018.

RETURNING HOME: Gustafson will make his return home to the “World Center of Racing” this weekend. Gustafson grew up in Ormond Beach, Florida, just down the road from the legendary track. After graduating from Seabreeze High School, Gustafson enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to study mechanical engineering. This marks his 18th season as a crew chief and his seventh year with Elliott.

RACEDAY APPEARANCE: On Saturday, Elliott will stop by the Team Chevy stage for a Q&A at 4:45 p.m. ET.

A SHOC RETURNS: This weekend, A SHOC Energy is back as the primary sponsor of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for its second and final race of the 2022 season. Earlier this year, the performance energy drink brand was on board for the spring Richmond Raceway event where Elliott and the No. 9 team earned a 14th-place result. Get a glimpse of all the angles of the 2022 A SHOC paint scheme here.

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 24 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 10th

No. 24 Axalta/Service King Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Axalta/Service King Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media at the Daytona International Speedway media center on Friday, Aug. 26, at 3:30 p.m. local time.

POINTS, POINTS, POINTS: Heading into the final race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, William Byron has secured 13 playoff points – tied for the fourth-most by a driver so far this season with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin.

UP FRONT: Byron continues to hold the statistic of leading the second-most laps this season with 611 behind teammate Chase Elliott, who has led 688. The laps led by Byron are not only his most in a single Cup Series season but have come across 12 races – tied for the seventh-most races led by a driver this year with Ross Chastain.

SUPER ON SUPERSPEEDWAYS: Saturday’s race at Daytona International Speedway will be Byron’s 19th superspeedway start in the Cup Series. In his previous 18 starts, Byron has scored one win (Daytona, August 2020), two runner-up finishes, four top-fives, and four top-10s with 187 laps led. In fact, two of Byron’s four top-five finishes have come in the summer race at Daytona – including his first Cup Series win.

BACK AT THE BEACH: During his time in the Cup Series, Byron has nine starts at Daytona. In that time, he has collected one win, two top-five finishes, two top-10s, and led 93 laps. However, his stats don’t accurately depict Byron’s success at the 2.5-mile oval. Not only is this the venue where he collected his first pole award (2019 DAYTONA 500) and his first Cup Series win, but he also won the Duel qualifying race in 2020 and was in position to capture the win during the summer race in 2019 before weather ended the event early, leaving Byron with a runner-up finish. Byron’s success here doesn’t end in the premiere series. During his 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship campaign, Byron qualified third in the July race, leading 29 laps to score the victory, becoming the youngest driver with a Xfinity Series win at the venue at 19 years, seven months and one day.

RUDY RETURNS: Saturday’s race will mark crew chief Rudy Fugle’s fourth Cup Series start at the 2.5-mile oval. In his three previous starts, all with Byron and the No. 24 team, they have started on the front row two times, showing speed across all three events prior to unfortunately being caught up in on-track incidents before the checkered flag. Aside from those three Cup starts, the Livonia, New York, native has nine other oval starts at Daytona, with seven coming in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and two in the Xfinity Series. Fugle has one runner-up result, one top-five finish and two top-10s across those races. Of those Truck Series starts, one was with Byron where the duo qualified and finished 13th.

BEACH BUMS: Returning to Daytona for the second time this season, two crew members on the No. 24 team will be making their way back home for Saturday’s race. Engineer Brandon McSwain grew up approximately 100 miles from the “World Center of Racing” in Auburndale, Florida. While just a few miles down the road from where McSwain grew up, engine tuner Ben Proctor calls Lakeland, Florida, home.

RACEDAY APPEARANCE: On Saturday, Byron will stop by the Team Chevy stage for a Q&A at 4:10 p.m. ET before appearing at the NASCAR Live! stage at 4:30 p.m. ET.

AT IT AGAIN WITH AXALTA: Heading to Daytona for the second time in the 2022 season, Axalta will be back on board Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Saturday’s race with co-branding from Service King. Now in its 30th year of partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, this is Axalta’s fifth season as a primary partner on Byron’s No. 24.

48 Alex Bowman
Age: 29 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 11th

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

DAYTONA DÉJÀ VU: Alex Bowman will return to Daytona International Speedway this Saturday for the final race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series regular season. In this year’s DAYTONA 500, Bowman qualified on the front row for the fifth consecutive year and garnered Hendrick Motorsports’ eighth 1-2 start at the season opener. The No. 48 driver has three top-10 finishes across his 12 starts at the superspeedway and matched his career-best finish of seventh place in last year’s regular season finale at Daytona.

2022 RECAP: With one race left in the Cup Series regular season, Bowman has tallied one win (Las Vegas Motor Speedway), three top-five finishes and 10 top-10s thus far – locking himself into the Cup Series playoffs for the fifth consecutive year with Hendrick Motorsports.

IN GOOD COMPANY: Since the start of the 2021 Cup Series season, the 29-year-old’s five wins trail only two drivers and both happen to be his teammates – 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott (six) and 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson (12).

IVES’ SUPERSPEEDWAY SUCCESS: Crew chief Greg Ives has an impressive background on superspeedways, finding success throughout his career on top of the box. In the Cup Series, the Bark River, Michigan, native has tallied four pole positions – three of those coming at Daytona – two points-paying wins (Talladega Superspeedway in May 2015 and Daytona in July 2015 with Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and two victories in the Daytona Duel qualifying races (2015 and 2016 with Earnhardt). In addition, Ives led Regan Smith to a NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Talladega in May 2013.

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY BEST FRIEND: Each week of the season, Bowman and primary sponsor Ally have joined forces to contribute $4,800 to Best Friends Animal Society. If Bowman wins, the donation increases to $10,000. To date, a total of $130,000 has been donated to Best Friends Animal Society and its network partners in each race market the Cup Series visits.

REVVING TO A MILESTONE: The engine shop at Hendrick Motorsports sits three wins away from 500 victories. To date, the company’s engine program is responsible for 337 wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, 123 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, 22 wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and 15 wins in the ARCA Menards Series and the K&N Pro Series (now ARCA Menards Series East and West) ranks.

PUSHING TO THE PLAYOFFS: While the playoffs don’t start for another week, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers are locked into the 16-driver field. This is the fifth season – and second in a row – that the Rick Hendrick-owned squad has had four drivers make the postseason. Its mark of 15 seasons with at least three drivers in the playoffs, and 17 straight seasons with at least two drivers in it, are both the most among all organizations.

LEADING THE WAY: With nine wins through 25 NASCAR Cup Series races in 2022, Hendrick Motorsports has earned the most victories so far this season. It is the only four-car team to see all of its drivers win a race this season. The organization is the only one to have multiple drivers with at least two wins – Chase Elliott (four), Kyle Larson (two) and William Byron (two). On top of that, the 1,624 laps out front lead all teams in the series by 74 circuits. Elliott and Byron rank 1-2 in laps led this year.

THREE’S NOT A CROWD: For the fifth time in team history, the company has had three drivers with multiple wins in the same season – the most for any one organization out of the 12 times it has happened in Cup Series history. The other occurrences for Hendrick Motorsports were in 2005 (with Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson), 2012 (with Gordon, Johnson and Kasey Kahne), 2014 (with Gordon, Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and 2021 (with Elliott, Larson and Alex Bowman).

FINE NINE: Larson’s win at Watkins Glen International gives the 14-time Cup Series championship organization its 16th season with at least nine wins. That mark is the most by three seasons for a Cup Series team. This is the ninth time since 1995 that the team has at least nine wins through the first 25 races of the season.

QUALIFYING QUICKNESS: With 22 poles at Daytona International Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has twice as many poles at the “World Center of Racing” as any other team. The Concord, North Carolina-based team has won the pole for nine of the last 11 Daytona races. All four drivers in the current lineup have earned a pole position at the 2.5-mile track.

V FOR VICTORY: The organization is tied for the most wins at Daytona with 15 – eight in the DAYTONA 500 and seven in the 400-mile summer race. Those 15 wins have come with seven different drivers – which is also tied for the most drivers on one team to win at the Florida venue. Gordon’s six wins top the board, followed by Johnson with three victories and Earnhardt Jr. at two triumphs. Byron, Geoff Bodine, Tim Richmond and Darrell Waltrip each have one win.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how the team attacks Daytona International Speedway with so many points and playoff implications: “It’ll be interesting. It’ll be a wild race – maybe not in the first two stages – but definitely in the last stage when drivers will be going for it. In our case, there are four or five of us close to second place in points. The No. 5 team can’t forget about that. We need to go chase points to try and stay up front all race long to finish second in regular season points and get those 10 extra bonus points. Our goal will be to get to the finish and beat those guys behind us in points.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on earning points Saturday night to possibly secure second in the regular season standings: “We certainly want to get all the points we can and we’ll try to be smart in the first two stages to be in position to get points. It’s really going to be about staying clean. A lot of guys are going to try to get that win to get themselves in the playoffs. We need to be smart about positioning ourselves in the field and hopefully call a good strategy. Would be nice to have a good finish and good points in all the stages to just get what we can.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what the feeling is as the team prepares to run for another championship: “The feeling is good, honestly. Our group, amongst our team, is just such low drama and we just put our work in, we go to the track, we give it our best effort and we go home. If it went good, great. If it didn’t, we’re going to try harder to do a better job when we go back. That’s really all you can control. So that’s really where our mindset is every week whether we’ve had a good year, a bad year, a mediocre year, a good month or a bad month, coming off a win or a loss. That is something about our team. I’m super privileged to have a group of guys that have their priorities so straight that performance (is what matters) and putting things first that need to go first ahead of things that don’t matter in order to be successful. I feel like our team is just solid and we look forward to going to battle with each other every weekend, and regardless of the result, we’re ready to re-rack and try harder to do better the next week.”

Elliott on superspeedway racing: “When I sit back and I look at the plate races, yes there are a lot of things that need to go your way, but we see the same guys up front winning those races more times than not. To me, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin are two guys that I see putting themselves in position to win those races as consistently as one can. I think that it’s just a balance that you really have to try to find and it’s one that I can’t say that I’ve really found quite as good as those guys to have odds as good as them. You’ve got to have a knack for it. You’ve got to enjoy it and embrace it. To me, that’s kind of step one of figuring it out is just embracing it. I feel like I’ve embraced it. I don’t know about the figuring it out part, but it’s been embraced.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the last race before the playoffs: “I’m excited to get to Daytona (International Speedway) this weekend. This is the first year that we have been solidly locked into the playoffs with multiple wins, meaning there’s less stress heading into this race compared to normal. That doesn’t mean, though, that we are going to take it easy by any means. There’s still playoff points on the line this weekend, and with how much of a wild card Daytona can be, any extra points we can get before the first round (of the playoffs) gets underway, the better. Daytona is a track we’ve always been fast at, and we were for sure fast in the (DAYTONA) 500 earlier this year. We just need to do a good job of managing the details we can and put ourselves in position to battle for the win at the end and carry some good momentum into Darlington for the Round of 16.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what he expects at Daytona: “The No. 24 team has always seemed to have speed at Daytona (International Speedway) in both last year’s car, the Next Gen car as well as the Hendrick Motorsports organization as a whole over the years. I feel like this weekend should be no different. We were fast in the DAYTONA 500 and could really make moves it seemed like. The main difference this time, though, is that it will be much warmer now then it was at that time. That means handling will play a bigger factor than it did in February. We won’t have any practice time but I feel like we have a good idea of what to expect. It will just be about adapting early on and putting ourselves in a position to be there at the end.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on making the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year with Hendrick Motorsports: “Obviously, I am excited to be back in the playoffs again. It’s no secret that we have had our struggles this summer, but I know we have a lot of smart people at the shop working really hard to get us out of the summer slump we have been in. Two years ago, we struggled to make the playoffs and then had one of the best playoff runs I have ever had. We all know what we are capable of. It’s time to go out there and execute and try to win Hendrick Motorsports’ 15th championship.”

Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on heading to Daytona: “Daytona (International Speedway) is a place that you can get caught in someone else’s mess pretty quickly. So for us it’s all about doing the fundamentals – bringing a fast No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and continue to work on the ability to be aggressive. I think you have to be a little aggressive at these speedway-style racetracks, be able to make moves quickly and have confidence in the car in order to have success. We are going to continue to work hard and execute on Saturday.”

RFK to Take Buescher through Campgrounds at DIS, Rewarding Fans with Memorabilia

CONCORD, N.C. (Aug. 24, 2022) – Coming off a week where Chris Buescher saw his name reference change to Christopher, he and RFK Racing will be taking a trip through the campgrounds at Daytona International Speedway this weekend as a Thank You to fans, passing out memorabilia and spending time with the Buescher faithful.

“The talk around the name change in the last week has certainly been fun,” said Buescher. “I think I underestimated how far this whole thing would go, so no reason to stop it now. We’re excited to get to Daytona and have a little fun with the fans before we strap in and go for the win on Saturday.”

Rewinding to the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond (Aug. 14), Buescher became one of the major talking points as he ran second to eventual winner Kevin Harvick for much of the closing laps, ultimately finishing third in his best career run to date at the track. During that broadcast, NASCAR Hall of Fame announcer Dale Earnhardt Jr. made multiple references to Buescher as Christopher, his full name.

Initially a misspeak, Jr. leaned into the reference and continued it throughout the end of the broadcast, a trend that gained traction and stuck on social in the days after Richmond. RFK continued the momentum by changing his name rail on the car to Christopher, and now will continue that throughout the season, at his request. Buescher himself even changed his name on Twitter to Christopher.

With a playoff spot on the line this Saturday night (7 p.m. ET, NBC), Buescher will be through the campgrounds Friday afternoon ahead of single-car qualifying. Stay tuned to RFK’s social channels for updates on timing, with the takeover expected to be sometime around 3 p.m. ET in Daytona Beach.

Buescher will pilot the No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Saturday night in the regular-season finale, and is one of 14 drivers needing a win to secure the final position in the 2022 playoff field.

Roush Fenway Keselowski Weekly Advance | Daytona II

Daytona stands as the final opportunity for RFK to catapult itself into the 2022 NASCAR Playoffs, as ‘The World Center of Racing’ hosts its annual night race this Saturday night. RFK has seven Cup wins all-time at DIS including five in the summer race.

NASCAR Cup Series Race at Daytona
Sunday, Aug. 27 | 7 p.m. ET
NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

· Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang
· Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang

Shining Bright in the ‘Sunshine State’
In 220 NCS starts at Daytona, RFK has recorded seven wins, 42 top-fives, 80 top-10s and has led 909 laps. Stenhouse earned the win in this race five years ago, the organizations most recent win overall. RFK also has five poles in the Cup series at Daytona, with the most recent coming in 2016 with Greg Biffle.

Two Trips to Victory Lane in 2017
Just two years after earning his first ever NASCAR win, Ryan Reed survived a wild kickoff to the 2017 season. He survived multiple on-track incidents after starting on the outside of the front row and led only nine laps, but the final two, en route to the win over a host of Cup regulars.

Then, in July of 2017, Stenhouse found himself in victory lane for the second time after leading 17 laps in his Fifth Third Ford. Stenhouse first led at lap 86, and from there survived a total of 14 cautions for 51 laps in what was his second win of the season.

Born in the USA

RFK has recorded five victories in the July event at Daytona, including the organization’s first at the high-banked oval with former driver Jeff Burton in 2000. Former RFK drivers Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray and David Ragan earned victories in 2003, 2007 and 2011, respectively. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. earned the fifth in 2017.

RFK Daytona Wins

2000-2 Burton Cup

2003-2 Biffle Cup

2004 Edwards Truck

2006 Martin Truck

2007-2 McMurray Cup

2009-1 Kenseth Cup

2011-2 Ragan Cup

2012-1 Kenseth Cup

2015-1 Reed NXS

2017-1 Reed NXS

2017-2 Stenhouse Jr. Cup

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Martinsville Test | Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series, knows that if he wins Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, he will qualify for the playoffs. Burton, who is taking part in a two-day test at Martinsville Speedway for Wood Brothers Racing, spoke about his situation earlier today.

HARRISON BURTON, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang – HOW HAS YOUR MARTINSVILLE TEST GONE SO FAR? “I think it’s been going really well. We’ve had good pace and been able to kind of tune ourselves in and out of the top group of cars and feel like we have a good direction for coming back here and what we’re gonna need to go fast. We’re trying to manage the temperature difference and the rubber difference. It’s laying a lot of rubber down compared to what we thought it would coming here, so that’s different and the temp is gonna be different. How you apply that to the real race is gonna be the biggest challenge.”

BUT IT MUST BE NICE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TEST FOR A CHANGE? “Oh, for sure. I think yesterday we turned 100 laps more than anyone else. We made 370 or 380 laps and just did a lot of long runs. I learned a lot about the race car and what direction it falls off when you have a certain balance and what small changes we can do to make it fire off even better. That’s the biggest thing, I think, is we’ve been good on the long run for the whole test, but our short run speed is where we need to be faster. I’ve been getting that more and more recently, so it’s good to see changes that are putting us in the right direction.”

THE TASK THIS WEEKEND IS SIMPLE – WIN AND YOU’RE IN – RIGHT? “Yeah. That’s the only goal when we go there now. At this point, it doesn’t really help us to have a decent points day, so it’s win or go home.”

AFTER ENDING ON YOUR ROOF THE LAST TIME, DO YOU FEEL DAYTONA OWES YOU ONE THIS WEEKEND? “I don’t know if it ever owes you one. Daytona is a place that takes more than it gives, for sure. There have been a lot of people that have tried for decades to win there and have never done it or eventually do it. Obviously, having speed and being up front there at the beginning of the year was cool. Flipping isn’t cool, but we’ve got to be aggressive to go try and get up front. At the end of the day, it’s not a deterrent. We were up front and something happened, so, if anything, I think it’s encouraging for us that we can be up front.”

WE SEE OEM’S STICK TOGETHER IN THIS RACE, SO DOES THE STRATEGY OF PITTING AND RUNNING WITH TEAMMATES ALL DAY HELP YOU WIN A RACE LIKE THIS? “Yeah, it does help you, especially if the Fords are as fast as they were in February. In our Duel, our group of Fords linked up and created a gap to where there was literally only a chance that a Ford could win the race at the end of the second Duel. We ended up finishing second or third and that was after we crashed, but we had a big gap on everybody and hopefully we can go back and do that again.”

CHASE BRISCOE
Daytona Advance
No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Round 26 of 36)

● Time/Date: 7 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 27

● Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway

● Layout: 2.5-mile oval

● Laps/Miles: 160 laps / 400 miles

● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 35 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps

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

Notes of Interest

● Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), returns to the scene of his career-first top-five finish in the NASCAR Cup Series during Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Briscoe finished third there in this year’s season-opening Daytona 500. It was his best finish in three points-paying starts at Daytona.

● Three weeks later, on March 13 at Phoenix Raceway, Briscoe followed up his Daytona breakthrough with his first Cup Series victory. It secured the 27-year-old driver’s position in this year’s 16-driver playoff field. In his two fulltime NASCAR Xfinity Series seasons in 2019 and 202, Briscoe qualified for the playoffs both years and reach the Championship 4 at Phoenix in 2020. He will make his Cup Series playoff debut next weekend at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

● Outside the Cup Series, Briscoe has made six previous starts at Daytona – four in the Xfinity Series and one apiece in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and in the ARCA Menards Series. He has started inside the top-10 for five of those races, with his best being a third-place qualifying effort in the 2016 ARCA season opener. His best finish is third, earned twice – August 2020 in the Xfinity Series and February 2017 in the Truck Series.

● Mahindra Tractors, a brand of Houston-based Mahindra Ag North America, returns to the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Saturday night’s event. Part of Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector, Mahindra Ag North America is the No. 1 selling farm tractor company in the world, based on volumes across all company brands. Mahindra farm equipment is engineered to be easy to operate by first-time tractor or side-by-side owners, and heavy duty to tackle the tough jobs of rural living, farming and ranching. Steel-framed Mahindra tractors and side-by-sides are ideal for customers who demand performance, reliability and comfort at a great value. Mahindra dealers are independent, family-owned businesses located throughout the U.S. and Canada.

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

Does going into Daytona knowing you’re locked into the playoffs take off any pressure or change your strategy?

“I don’t think so. We’ve been doing the same thing the last few weeks just working to get points, playoff points with stage wins if we’re in position to do so and, if we’re in a place to go for a win, we will. I don’t think that changes. We’ve got a good amount of playoff points, but more is always better. There are guys who have terrible first rounds but the points they started off with have kind of saved them from elimination. I hope we don’t need that, but any help we can get to start the playoffs is always better.”

Before the Daytona 500, you set goals to consistently run up front and compete for wins, to win a race or two, and to make the playoffs. You’ve met all of those goals as you head into the regular season finale. What is the goal for the final 10 races?

“I try to set realistic goals, at least ones I feel are realistic, and I’ve said all along that I’d really like to not just make the playoffs but make arun in the playoffs to try to get to that final race. Maybe we don’t make it that far, anything can happen with this format. But, we’ve been up front and in position to win several races and I’ve made a move to give it away. We had some things we tried that didn’t work and we’ve gone in a different direction, but I think we’ve learned enough to go into the playoffs, compete with some of these other guys and give a good effort to make it to Phoenix.”

No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe
Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: John Klausmeier
Hometown: Perry Hall, Maryland

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

Engineer: Mike Cook
Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen
Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Spotter: Joey Campbell
Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

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

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Jack Man: Dylan Moser
Hometown: Monroe, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams
Hometown: Naples, Florida

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads
Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips
Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

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

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

This Week in Motorsports: August 22-28, 2022

· NCS/NXS: Daytona International Speedway – August 26-27
· ARCA: Milwaukee Mile – August 28

PLANO, Texas (August 24, 2022) – It is the final race of the regular season for the NASCAR Cup Series as they and the NASCAR Xfinity Series take on Daytona International Speedway, while the ARCA Menards Series competes at the Milwaukee Mile.

NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS

Wallace ready to earn first Daytona triumph… Bubba Wallace has been inches from victory in his NASCAR Cup Series career at Daytona. Wallace has three runner-up finishes at the track, including the last two events. Wallace is on a strong run recently as he has six top-15 finishes in the last seven events.

Bell adding to his top-10 tally… Christopher Bell added another strong run to his tally this season with a top-10 finish in Watkins Glen. Bell has now scored top-10 finishes in four of the last six events and has scored 14 this season. His 14 top-10 finishes are second-most this season in the Cup Series, trailing only the points leader.

Double for Gibbs… Ty Gibbs continues to fill-in for Kurt Busch in the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD this weekend as he makes his first superspeedway start in the NASCAR Cup Series, while continuing to run for the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in his No. 54 Toyota GR Supra. Gibbs made his track debut at Daytona in February, where he finished 11th.

Smith coming off strong run… Sammy Smith heads into his first superspeedway start after earning his first career stage win and top-five finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last weekend. Smith got past AJ Allmendinger on a late-stage restart to earn the stage win and went on to finish third. Smith will run at Daytona on Friday before competing in the ARCA Menards Series race at Milwaukee on Sunday.

Two Nemecheks… Sam Hunt Racing will run two Toyota GR Supras in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Friday. John Hunter Nemechek will return to the No. 26, while his dad, Joe Nemechek, will run the No. 24. It will be the first race the father-son duo will run as teammates since 2019. It is also the first of two consecutive starts for John Hunter in the No. 26 as he will also run for the team in Darlington.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA

Love looking for another win… Jesse Love earned his first win of the season on the Springfield dirt on Sunday in dominating fashion. Love won the pole and led every lap on Sunday to earn his second career ARCA win. He will look for another victory on Sunday as he closes in on the Sioux Chief Showdown championship lead.

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Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Veteran NASCAR Cup Series Driver to Continue Racing No. 22 Ford under Multi-Year Agreement

MOORESVILLE, NC (August 24, 2022) – Joey Logano, the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, and Team Penske have reached an agreement on a long-term contract extension that will keep the winning racer behind the wheel of the No. 22 Ford Mustang for years to come.

“Over the last 10 years Joey has become such an important part of Team Penske and we know he will continue to be a leader and a winner with the No. 22 Ford team well into the future,” said Roger Penske. “Joey is a great champion of our sport and we are proud of how he continues to produce for our team and represent all of our partners, including Shell, Pennzoil and Ford. He also brings veteran leadership to our program, serving as a great mentor and teammate to both Ryan (Blaney) and Austin (Cindric). With all he has achieved in his career, he still has a lot left to accomplish with Team Penske.”

Logano has emerged as one of the most consistent winners in the NASCAR Cup Series since he joined Team Penske prior to the start of the 2013 season. Over the course of his 10 years with the team, Logano has earned 27 Cup Series victories and produced many notable achievements, including winning the 2015 Daytona 500, the 2016 NASCAR All-Star race, the 2021 Bristol Dirt race and the first race in the Next Gen era – the 2022 Clash at the Coliseum.

He also delivered one of the most memorable championship performances in recent NASCAR history in 2018 when he won the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, to bring home Team Penske’s second-ever NASCAR Cup Series Championship.

“Since taking over the No. 22 car at Team Penske, I’ve had the opportunity to accomplish so many of my dreams both on and off the track.” said Logano. “For the last 10 years, Roger has provided me the resources to be competitive, a team that stands behind me and leadership that is second to none. I’m excited to be continuing our relationship together so we can keep focusing on winning races, more championships and doing what we do for many years to come.”

Since he joined Team Penske, Logano has qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in all but one season. Logano has also reached the Championship Four in the Playoffs four times while competing for the team.

This season, Logano is currently fourth in the Cup Series point standings, with two wins, seven top-five results and 12 top-10 finishes, along with one pole, in 2022. Entering this weekend’s race at Daytona International Speedway, Logano is seeded fourth for the upcoming NASCAR Playoffs.

About Team Penske
Team Penske is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Cars owned and prepared by Team Penske have produced more than 600 major race wins, over 660 pole positions and 41 championships across open-wheel, stock car and sports car racing competition. Over the course of its 56-year history, the team has also earned 18 Indianapolis 500 victories, three Daytona 500 Championships, a Formula 1 win, victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, along with a win in Australia’s legendary Bathurst 1000 race. In 2022, Team Penske competes in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, NASCAR Cup Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship. For more information about Team Penske, please visit www.teampenske.com.