Team: No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @RFK17Team, @RFKRacing and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 400 miles, 160 laps, Stages: 35-60-65
NASCAR Cup Race at Daytona – Sunday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

· With the return to a Superspeedway, single-car qualifying is on tap Friday evening as the field will each run one lap for the pole for Saturday’s regular season finale.

Buescher at Daytona

· Buescher makes his 14th Cup start at Daytona this weekend where he has five top-10s and an average finish of 22.1. Last season he crossed the line second in the summer race but was later disqualified.

· He finished ninth in the 2020 edition of the summer race, and also ran fifth in 2018. He most recently finished 16th in the 2022 Daytona 500 after winning his Duel race Thursday night.

· Buescher has started inside the top-10 at Daytona once (2022 Daytona 500) with a career-best 13th in last summer’s race.

· Buescher also ran three Xfinity Series events and had a best finish of second in the No. 60 entry in 2015.

Scott Graves at Daytona

· Graves will call his 13th Cup race from Daytona this weekend where he has three career top-10s and a 19.4 average finish.

· He and Ryan Newman finished third in this race a season ago, and also ran fifth in the 2019 summer race. All of his career top-10s at the track have come in the last six races.

· Graves was also on the box for six Xfinity races in Daytona with two top-10s.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Daytona:
“This race is going to be chaos no matter how you look at it. I don’t know if we’ve ever seen this scenario play out with so many guys still eligible and all needing a win, so this week will be more about survival than ever. We’re very confident in our Superspeedway program and know we’ll unload a great Fifth Third Bank Ford this weekend, we just hope all the pieces fall our way to get the win and push us into the playoffs.”

Last Time Out
Buescher carded his fourth-straight top-10 on a road course and eighth overall of the season, finishing ninth last Sunday at Watkins Glen.

On the Car

Fifth Third makes its fourth 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 Summit Racing this weekend on the decklid of the No. 17 machine as part of the Fueled by Fifth Third pass-through program.

Summit Racing was founded in 1968 and is now the world’s largest internet and direct-mail supplier of high performance aftermarket parts and accessories.
Everything You Need for Anything You Drive! Summit Racing offers a huge selection of parts for race cars, classic muscle cars, vintage street rods, late-model performance vehicles, trucks, Jeeps, SUVs, motorcycles, ATV/UTV, and more!
Summit Racing is headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio, with retail stores and distribution centers in Tallmadge: Sparks, Nevada; McDonough, Georgia; and Arlington, Texas.

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.

Brad Keselowski – Daytona II Advance
Team: No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Twitter: @RFK6Team, @RFKRacing and @keselowski
Race Format: 400 miles, 160 laps, Stages: 35-60-65
NASCAR Cup Race at Daytona – Sunday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

· With the return to a Superspeedway, single-car qualifying is on tap Friday evening as the field will each run one lap for the pole for Saturday’s regular season finale.

Keselowski at Daytona

· Keselowski makes his 27th Cup start at Daytona. He is the winner of the annual summer event just six years ago (2016), and overall has six top-10s and a 22.7 average finish at The World Center of Racing.

· Most recently Keselowski finished ninth in the 2022 running of the Daytona 500 after winning his Duel event. He also finished top-10 (10th) in the 2020 summer race, and otherwise finished eighth back in the 2012 mid-season event.

· Keselowski has started inside the top-10 at Daytona on 10 occasions, seven of which came in the summer race. Overall he carries an 18.6 average starting position into the weekend.

· Keselowski also has 15 Xfinity Series starts at DIS with seven top-10s, and also made three Truck starts.

Matt McCall at Daytona

· McCall will be on the box for his 16th Cup race at Daytona. He has two top-10s there dating back to 2015 with the ninth-place run in this season’s Daytona 500 standing as his best finish.

· He and Kurt Busch finished 10th in the 2019 summer race – his best finish all-time in that event – with a 21.7 overall finish at Daytona.

· McCall and the No. 1 team qualified eighth for last summer’s race, which is tied for his best qualifying effort among summer races.

QUOTE WORTHY
Keselowski on racing at Daytona:
“It goes without saying but this race is going to be wild. I told the team that if I can be one of the last 10 cars left on the last restart, we’ll have a shot and that’s about all you can ask for, especially in this type of scenario. We know we have speed and feel really good about our chances, we just need everything to align to make it happen.”

Last Time Out

Keselowski finished 19th last Sunday at Watkins Glen.

On the Car

Keselowski and the No. 6 team will run the iconic Castrol colors this weekend in Daytona. It marks Castrol’s fourth overall appearance on the No. 6 in 2022, and third in the last five races.

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

STATESVILLE, N.C. (August 23, 2022) – Today Petty GMS announced the addition of The Morgan Law Group as the primary partner on the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, October 23.

The Morgan Law Group, based in Florida, is a full-service law firm with its core focus on representing policy holders in insurance disputes, providing services throughout Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Puerto Rico. Collectively, the partners at The Morgan Law Group bring more than four decades of experience in handling property insurance disputes.

​​“We are excited to be a sponsor of Petty GMS, the No. 43 and Erik Jones at this year’s Dixie Vodka 400 in Homestead, Florida,” said Chris Berry, Chief Marketing Officer, “Petty GMS’s dedication to performance and commitment to excellence makes this partnership a natural fit.”

“This partnership will broaden our community awareness of The Morgan Law Group supporting homeowners and their property insurance rights across the country,” continued Berry. “We hope that NASCAR fans will call The Morgan Law Group when they need a policy advocate on their side.”

Jones will make his sixth Cup Series start at the 1.5-mile track when the series returns to Homestead-Miami Speedway in October. In his previous five starts at the track in the Cup Series, Jones has a best finish of third in 2019. In the Xfinity Series, Jones has two starts with a best finish of third in 2015, and in the Truck Series, Jones lone start at the track resulted in a sixth-place finish in 2015, the year he won the Truck Series Championship.

“We’re fortunate to have great partners on our Chevy Camaro this season,” said Erik Jones, driver of the No. 43 Chevrolet. “We’re excited to have The Morgan Law Group join us at Homestead and look forward to going out and putting on a great show. We’ve run well at Homestead in the past and with the momentum of strong runs on our side, we should be able to go out and contend for the win in our No. 43 The Morgan Law Group Chevy.”

Jones and the No. 43 The Morgan Law Group Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will take to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, October 23, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET. NBC will carry live television coverage and Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the live radio broadcast.

About The Morgan Law Group

The Morgan Law Group (www.policyadvocate.com) provides effective and efficient insurance claim representation to homeowners and business owners nationwide, including Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and California. Whether an insurer has denied, delayed, or underpaid a property damage claim, they aggressively pursue the best possible result for their clients, the policyholders. Their team has recovered millions of dollars on behalf of policyholders. They can help resolve all types of property damage claims, including hurricane damage, roof leaks, shower pan damage.

COLE CUSTER
Daytona Advance
No. 41 Autodesk/HaasTooling.com 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

● Cole Custer and the No. 41 Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) welcome back Autodesk a co-primary partner for the third time this season when they take to the 2.5-mile Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway oval for Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400. San Francisco-based Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leader in software applications for the engineering, manufacturing, construction, architecture, media and entertainment industries, kicked off its fifth season with SHR May 1 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway, then returned for the June 12 race at its hometown Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. After Saturday night’s race, Autodesk returns to Custer’s No. 41 Ford for back-to-back races Sept. 17 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Sept. 25 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth before appearing one final time Oct. 9 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval.

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

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

● Saturday’s 160-lap race will be Custer’s 101st career Cup Series start and sixth on the Daytona oval. His 11th-place finish in last year’s season-opening Daytona 500 is his best result at the iconic track. He finished 20th in this year’s Daytona 500.

● In NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at Daytona, Custer made six starts from 2017 through 2019, all in SHR Fords. He had a best start of third in the August 2018 race, and best finishes of 14th in the 2018 and 2019 openers, both seasons culminating with runner-up finishes in the series championship.

● Eleven days after his 18th birthday, Custer started the 2016 ARCA Menards Series season opener and his first career race on the Daytona oval from the pole. He led a race-high 42 laps before bringing the No. 54 for car owner Ken Schrader home 10th.

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

You’ve got Autodesk back on your racecar for Saturday night’s regular-season finale. Talk about that, and your overall thoughts about the race.

“It’s the last chance for any driver without a win to race their way into the playoffs, and it comes in a race that anybody can win, so that makes things really interesting for everybody. Daytona is just a special place any time your race there, and it will be cool to have Autodesk on our car again. I ran an Xfinity race for them and we won with them and, from there, it’s just been a great relationship and it’s been awesome having them on the car. We use their software a ton at the race shop, to be able to design parts and do different things, so they’re a huge part of what we do.”

You’ve now had three races with the NextGen car on superspeedway-style tracks this year. What have you learned about what it will take to win at Daytona on Saturday night?

“I think the biggest thing about the superspeedway racing this year is this new car is really all about getting the pit stops good and making sure you stay with the lead draft. If you’re the last car in line, it’s really easy to lose the draft. So I think that’s been the biggest thing. At the end of the day, it’s been really similar. You’re still able to push really hard, you’re still able to draft and run three-wide, and four-wide at times, so it puts on good racing. You just want to make sure you can stay with the lead draft.”

With one more playoff spot available for a first-time race winner this weekend, do you expect the racing will be more aggressive than it has been all year?

“I think so, for sure. Everybody knows that you have to win to make the playoffs, so everybody without a win is going to do everything they can to try and get that win and they’re going to be aggressive. Daytona gives a lot more players a chance to win, so it’s going to be interesting to see who’s going to be extremely aggressive and who can make it to the end of the race.”

Can you hang in the back to stay out of trouble and still expect to work your way to the front in the closing laps?

“I think it just depends on your car. If you’re not very comfortable with your car and you’re in the middle of a hornet’s nest, yeah, I think you’re going to bail out because there’s going to be a great chance you’re going to get wrecked. But if your car’s handling well and you’re able to go up toward the front, you’re probably going to go up there and try and keep yourself out of the mess.”

No. 41 Autodesk/HaasTooling.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Cole Custer
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California

Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
Hometown: Amherst, Ohio

Car Chief: Tony Cardamone
Hometown: Bristol, Virginia

Engineer: Lee Deese
Hometown: Rockingham, North Carolina

Engineer: Scott Bingham
Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Spotter: Andy Houston
Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Josh Leslie

Hometown: Mount Clemens, Michigan

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

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons
Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: 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

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: DAYTONA 2 ADVANCE

The final regular season race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is this weekend at Daytona International Speedway with one playoff berth still to be determined. Ford’s Ryan Blaney currently has the spot based on his position in the point standings and will be looking to repeat his August win from a year ago while Austin Cindric goes for a season sweep after capturing the Daytona 500 in February. The weekend kicks off with the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Friday.

This Week’s Schedule:
Friday, August 26 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 7:30 p.m. (USA)
Saturday, August 27 – NASCAR Cup Series, 7 p.m. (NBC)

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT DAYTONA

· Ford has 40 all-time series wins on the oval at Daytona.
· Ford has won the last 3 races on the Daytona oval.
· Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell and Ryan Blaney have oval wins at Daytona.

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT DAYTONA

· Ford has 6 series wins on the oval at Daytona.
· Ford’s last win was by Austin Cindric in the 2021 season opener.
· Six different drivers have series wins for Ford.

FORD DAYTONA CUP WIN STREAK AT THREE

Ford has won the last three NASCAR Cup Series races held on the Daytona oval, including Austin Cindric’s win in the 500 to start the 2022 season. Michael McDowell kicked off the streak with his first career victory in the 2021 Daytona 500 and Ryan Blaney gave Ford a season sweep when he won the regular season finale six months later. Overall, Ford has won 40 races on the 2.5-mile superspeedway with half of those coming in the summer.

CINDRIC LOOKING TO JOIN SELECT GROUP

Austin Cindric captured the Daytona 500 for his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory in February and this weekend he’ll look to become only the sixth driver in history to win both events at DIS in the same season. The five men currently in that group are: Fireball Roberts (1962), Cale Yarborough (1968), Lee Roy Yarbrough (1969), Bobby Allison (1982) and Jimmie Johnson (2013).

FOUR FORD DRIVERS IN CUP SERIES PLAYOFFS

With only one race remaining in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, one spot remains up for grabs in the 16-driver playoff field. Four Ford drivers can rest easy going into Saturday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway knowing that their spot in the postseason is secure. Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe will all be competing for the championship. Harvick will be making his 16th appearance in the playoffs, tied for the most in series history with Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin, while Logano has qualified for the ninth time in his career. Cindric and Briscoe will be making their first appearance.

BLANEY ON THE BUBBLE

Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney remains on the bubble and is currently the highest driver in the point standings that has not won a race in 2022. Blaney, who is third overall, holds a 25-point lead over Martin Truex Jr. and would get the final playoff berth if he wins or maintains that lead and a repeat race winner takes the checkered flag on Saturday night. Blaney is the defending champion of this weekend’s race and has registered three of his seven career victories on the superspeedways of Daytona (1) and Talladega (2). He has six top-10 finishes in 14 career Cup starts at DIS, including four of the last five.

HERBST AND SIEG MAINTAIN PLAYOFF POSITIONING

Riley Herbst’s seventh-place finish at Watkins Glen enabled him to maintain his eighth-place position in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings. Herbst now has 15 top-10 efforts this season, two more than all of last year, and is a comfortable 129 points above the cutoff for the 12-driver playoff field. Ryan Sieg finds himself in a much different situation as he currently sits on the bubble and holds the final postseason berth based on his 12th-place position in the point standings. Sieg has a 39-point lead over Sheldon Creed with only four races remaining in the regular season, but a first-time winner by someone below him in the standings would put him on the outside looking in. There’s still a chance for Sieg to move off the bubble as he sits only 11 points behind 11th-place Landon Cassill.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES SUMMER RACE WINNERS AT DAYTONA (OVAL)

1963 – Fireball Roberts

1965 – A.J. Foyt

1967 – Cale Yarborough

1969 – LeeRoy Yarbrough

1970 – Donnie Allison

1983 – Buddy Baker

1988 – Bill Elliott

1989 – Davey Allison

1991 – Bill Elliott

1994 – Jimmy Spencer

1997 – John Andretti

1999 – Dale Jarrett

2000 – Jeff Burton

2003 – Greg Biffle

2007 – Jamie McMurray

2011 – David Ragan

2014 – Aric Almirola

2016 – Brad Keselowski

2017 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

2021 – Ryan Blaney

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT DAYTONA (OVAL)

1995 – Chad Little

2004 – Mike Wallace (2)

2015 – Ryan Reed (1)

2016 – Aric Almirola (2)

2017 – Ryan Reed (1)

2021 – Austin Cindric (1)

 No. 34 Ford Mustang to Pay Tribute to Local Hobby Shops Across America

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AUGUST 23, 2022) – In what is one of the most anticipated races in the NASCAR Cup Series season, Michael McDowell and the No. 34 Ford Mustang team are preparing for Saturday night’s 400-mile race under the lights at the Daytona International Speedway. The upcoming regular season finale will determine the 16 drivers who will fight for the championship.

McDowell wants to once again be one of the 16, just as he was last year. To do so, he will need to win at the track once again where he took the Daytona 500 checkered last year.

“We can do it,” said McDowell. “We have done it before, right? But I don’t know if this is just another Daytona race. The move to Daytona to the regular season finale has made it exciting, and every team not locked into the playoffs races with that urgency to win. Atlanta was only a small barometer of what we’ll see Saturday night. It’s going to be intense.”

Supporting the team this weekend is the global leader in RC products and accessories, Horizon Hobby. The popular makers of radio control cars, boats, planes and accessories will give thanks to the hundreds of local hobby shops across America with their names on the No. 34 Ford Mustang.

“It is really cool to see Horizon Hobby supporting the local hobby shop and owners,” commented McDowell. “We are racing for them this weekend and have their stores on the car. We’ve met so many local shop owners and employees this year at the tracks. It’s been so cool to hear their stories and their support for Horizon Hobby. We’ll be celebrating with them if we can win on Saturday night.”

Fans are encouraged to login on www.horizonhobby.com to see their full range of brands and accessories that includes cars, boats, planes, batteries, chargers and more.

About Horizon Hobby

Horizon Hobby was founded in 1985. Since then, Horizon Hobby has become the global leader in RC products and accessories. Horizon Hobby is committed to delivering innovative products and providing an exceptional customer experience. By forging strong relationships with RC hobby consumers, retailers, and manufacturers around the world, Horizon Hobby has built the best brands in the industry. Horizon Hobby has locations in the United States, Germany, England, and China. The company is headquartered in Champaign, Illinois.

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.