Team: No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @RFK17Team, @RFKRacing and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 218.9 miles, 110 laps, Stages: 25-30-55
NASCAR Cup Race at Sonoma – Sunday, June 14 at 4 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

· This weekend’s schedule in Sonoma features a practice session Saturday afternoon, followed by qualifying. Two-round qualifying, with the top-five fastest cars in each group, will advance to the final round to set the lineup for Sunday’s 218-mile race.

Buescher at Sonoma

· Buescher makes his sixth Cup start at Sonoma this weekend. He finished 12th in 2018, his best finish there to date, and ran 16th last season.

· On road courses overall, Buescher has a 17.1 average finish in the Cup Series with two career top-five runs.

Scott Graves at Sonoma

· Graves will call his sixth Cup race this weekend at Sonoma, where he has a best finish of seventh with Ryan Newman in 2019. He ran 15th the year prior at Daniel Suarez.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Sonoma:
“As some have said in the past, I’m obviously very comfortable at road course racing, as it’s something I enjoy both learning and maneuvering. Sonoma is a fun track with the many different elements it offers, and we’ve been pretty good at road racing lately despite the many different tracks we visit. We’re looking forward to a productive weekend with our friends at Fifth Third back on board, and look to get them a solid finish after what was a disappointing Coke 600 end.”

Last Time Out
Zane Smith filled in for Buescher last weekend at Gateway, as Buescher was sidelined with COVID-19. Smith completed every lap and finished 17th in his Cup debut.

On the Car

Fifth Third makes its third 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 Noble Aerospace this weekend on the decklid of the No. 17 machine as part of the Fueled by Fifth Third pass-through program.

For over 70 years, our mission has been to provide the most innovative aerospace metal finishing services in the industry with a focus on employee safety, environmental responsibility, world-class quality, and on-time delivery performance.
Noble Aerospace is a conglomerate of market-leading companies dedicated to providing the highest quality metal finishing services to the aerospace industry. With over 70 years’ experience, we are a trusted, longstanding partner to the largest commercial and military contractors around the world. The hallmarks of our facilities are quality, service, single-source solutions, safety and environmental responsibility.
We believe it ultimately comes down to trust. When there are lives at stake and millions of dollars on the line, you need complete confidence in your supplier. That trust is built on decades of quality and innovation. It is built on hitting deadlines and building relationships. It is built on surpassing expectations every step of the way. We look forward to starting the journey with you.

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 Power Reserve Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Twitter: @RFK6Team, @RFKRacing and @keselowski
Race Format: 218.9 miles, 110 laps, Stages: 25-30-55
NASCAR Cup Race at Sonoma – Sunday, June 14 at 4 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

· This weekend’s schedule in Sonoma features a practice session Saturday afternoon, followed by qualifying. Two-round qualifying, with the top-five fastest cars in each group, will advance to the final round to set the lineup for Sunday’s 218-mile race.

Keselowski at Sonoma

· Keselowski makes his 12th Cup start at Sonoma this weekend, where in 11 starts he has two top-10 finishes and an average of 16.6.

· His best-career finish out West came in 2017 when he ran third. He also finished 10th in his second-ever Cup race back in 2011.

· Most recently, Keselowski ran 15th last season after starting ninth in NASCAR’s return to the track following a two-year hiatus due to COVID.

Matt McCall at Sonoma

· McCall will be atop the box for his seventh Cup race from Sonoma. He has two top-10s all-time with a best finish of sixth, which came last year with Kurt Busch.

· He and Jamie McMurray finished 10th together in 2017, contributing to his 15.7 average finish at the road course.

QUOTE WORTHY
Keselowski on racing at Sonoma:
“Sonoma is a fun road course and just a great market and experience for many folks who will experience their first race. I know we have a large contingent of our West Coast friends coming out for the weekend, as the area provides bucket-list experiences. I’ve been in the mix and close at Sonoma before, so figuring out the left and right handers this weekend is key in getting our Kohler Power Reserve Ford primed and ready to go for Sunday.”

Last Time Out

Keselowski ran 20th in the Cup Series’ inaugural race at Gateway last weekend.

On the Car

Kohler returns for its sixth primary race this season, and this weekend will feature Power Reserve across Keselowski’s Ford Mustang. 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.

KYLE BUSCH
Racing Vacation

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (June 7, 2022) – As the NASCAR Cup Series is heading into its 16th consecutive weekend of racing, competitors are headed west to Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350k. For good reason, many drivers and team personnel are looking forward to the one and only off weekend that follows the race at Sonoma. And what better way to springboard into the lone off weekend of the Cup Series’ grueling 36-race schedule than with a win at Sonoma.

Before the series break commences, NASCAR’s top series gets its second road-course test of the season as it heads to Northern California’s Wine Country.

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Crunchy Cookie Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), is on the record as someone who really enjoys making right and left turns on the road courses. To him, road courses feels like somewhat of a vacation as they are a vast departure from the ovals that make up the majority of the schedule, even with many more road courses on the schedule than there were early in his career.

The 1.99-mile Sonoma circuit is one of numerous road courses where Busch has won as he has evolved into a constant threat to win on them each year. His Sonoma wins came in 2008 and 2015. Today, road-course racing has taken on even more importance on the Cup Series calendar the past couple of seasons with the addition of Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway grand prix circuit joining the traditional stops at Sonoma, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International and the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. With the recently added road-course races, it’s more important than ever to have a strong driver and team that can turn left and right.

While his road-course success is well documented, Busch’s most memorable road-course win was the 2015 Sonoma event. After sitting out the first 11 NASCAR Cup Series races that season because of injury, Busch and the M&M’S team had 15 races to meet two requirements in order to make the 2015 playoffs. He needed to have at least one victory, and he needed to make finish the regular season among the top-30 in driver points.

Busch’s Sonoma race that year was a turning point in his season as he snuck past seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson on a late-race restart to bring home the win, thought to be an unlikely one as he had to deal with all the shifting and footwork that is required on the tight, twisty road course while still recovering from his injuries. It started a remarkable streak of four wins in five weeks, including three in a row at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, and the prestigious Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, and the season culminated with his first Cup Series championship.

Just 15 races into the 2022 season, Busch is already starting to put together another championship-worthy effort. In addition to his win on the dirt surface at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway back in April, Busch and the M&M’S Crunchy Cookie team have been incredibly consistent of late, racking up six top-five finishes and 11 top-10s, which also includes a finish no worse than third over the past three races and narrowly missing out on another win last weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis.

M&M’S Crunchy Cookie will once again be adorning Busch’s No. 18 Toyota at Sonoma on Sunday. M&M’S Crunchy Cookie combines two favorite treats – M&M’S and chocolate chip cookies – and is now available nationwide. It’s bound to give race fans a fun, nostalgic snack to enjoy during this weekend’s race.

So, as the Cup Series heads to its annual stop in Wine Country, Busch looks to continue his strong recent form during this weekend’s “racing vacation” on the Sonoma road course, hoping it leads to more success throughout the summer.

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

What do you think about changes to Sonoma this season?

“This car is faster on the road courses because it has more grip. It is a more central-built racecar, meaning that it’s not just built to go left. I think the race should be competitive. All of the cars are the same, right? So, it should be more competitive. It’s just a matter of who runs over who that will determine whether we look like the local go-kart track or we look like professionals. That will determine the race length. Certainly we’ve had some good runs lately and we hope to keep that going and get us another win this weekend with our M&M’S Crunchy Cookie Camry TRD.”

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

“It’s definitely something you have to work on. With changes to the car, and tire changes, it’s something you work on every year. There’s always change that you have to work on to be competitive. When I was a kid back in Las Vegas in Legends cars, that’s where I was able to learn about shifting and turning left and turning right. I had the natural instincts for it and won a couple of championships in the winter series we had out there. We actually went to Sonoma back then and ran the national championship races two years in a row and finished third both times, so I had a little bit of experience on road courses as I came up through the ranks.”

How special was your 2015 Sonoma win, and what do you remember about it?

“That weekend was certainly a good start to our championship run. To go out there and win the race after where we were after Michigan the previous week, it gave us the confidence that we still had a shot to win the championship. We thought getting the win would be the hardest part, but it was really not expected at Sonoma. My feet and legs were still recovering and there was a lot of shifting and it was hard on them. With 30 laps to go, it was hurting pretty bad but, when you realize you have a chance to win, it doesn’t hurt as bad. We’ve had times at Sonoma where we’ve been up front and haven’t been able to hold onto it, and other times when we had the right strategy and we were in the right place at the right time. We’ve had some bad luck at times there, as well, so we’re hoping we can get a good run with our M&M’S Crunchy Cookie Camry at Sonoma.”

Describe what it’s like to race at Sonoma and what challenges you face there?

“Sonoma is a neat place. It’s a cool area to go to up into Wine Country. I’ve always enjoyed road-course racing. Even when I was in Legends cars, I would enjoy going up there during the days that I raced there. Now that I’m on the Cup tour, it’s cool to go there every June. It’s a fun racetrack. The cars get grouped a lot closer together there than at Watkins Glen, where it’s more wide open, so braking there is a lot tougher getting into turn four, turn seven, and especially turn 10. There are some opportunities in those corners to pass people. Forward bite seems to have become an issue as you get going there during the run with our previous cars. And you need to make sure you keep the rear tires underneath you because it’s really easy to burn them babies off when you try and pass somebody. You go to pass somebody and hit the gas and all your rear tires want to do is spin and you can’t get alongside that guy. So, from that respect, Sonoma can be frustrating at times, as well. Sort of a whole new ballgame this year with this car and it’s possible we might be battling some different things. We just want to get in a position to win and then see how the strategy plays out.”

Event Overview:

● Event: Toyota/Save Mart 350k (Round 16 of 36)
● Time/Date: 4 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 12
● Location: Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway
● Layout: 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course
● Laps/Miles: 110 laps/218.9 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 30 laps / Final Stage: 55 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

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

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Kyle Busch
Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Ben Beshore
Hometown: York, Pennsylvania

Car Chief: Nate Bellows
Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

Spotter: Tony Hirschman
Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania

Race Engineer: Seth Chavka
Hometown: Soldotna, Alaska

Race Engineer: Jaik Halpainy
Hometown: Blockville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members:

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Front Tire Changer: Thomas Hatcher
Hometown: Middleburg, Florida

Jackman: Kellen Mills
Hometown: Mesa, Arizona

Tire Carrier: CJ Bailey
Hometown: Outer Banks, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Lee Cunningham
Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois

Road Crew Members:

Engine Tuner: Dan Bajek
Hometown: Camden, New York

Truck Driver: Chris Miko
Hometown: Bronx, New York

Truck Driver: Eloy Trevino
Hometown: Adrian, Michigan

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

Mechanic: Scott Eldridge
Hometown: Warsaw, Indiana

Mechanic: Tony Hamm
Hometown: Walla, Walla, Washington

Notes of Interest:

● All in the Stats:Busch has two wins, six top-five finishes and eight top-10s and has led a total of 115 laps in 16 career Cup Series starts at Sonoma. Busch’s average Sonoma finish is 14.6.

● Road-Course Ringer: Busch scored his fourth career Cup Series road-course win in June 2015 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, and he heads to Sonoma with 15 top-five finishes and 24-top-10s in 41 combined starts at Sonoma, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road course, Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval.

● 223 and Counting: Busch will be aiming to add to his record 223 overall wins among NASCAR’s top three series this weekend at Sonoma. In addition to his 60 Cup Series wins and 102 in the Xfinity Series, Busch has 61 wins in the Camping World Truck Series.

COLE CUSTER
Sonoma Advance
No. 41 Autodesk/HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Save Mart 350k (Round 16 of 36)
● Time/Date: 4 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 12
● Location: Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway
● Layout: 1.99-mile, 10-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 110 laps/218.9 miles (352.3 kilometers)
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 30 laps / Final Stage: 55 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Cole Custer and the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) welcome back Autodesk as primary sponsor for Sunday’s Save Mart 350k NASCAR Cup Series race on the road course at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. It will be a hometown race for San Francisco-based Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leader in software applications for the engineering, manufacturing, construction, architecture, media and entertainment industries, which kicked off its fifth season with SHR May 1 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.

● 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 helped 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.

● Sunday’s 90-lap, 350-kilometer race will be Custer’s 91st Cup Series start, his 11th on a road course, and his second on the 2.52-mile, 12-turn Sonoma circuit. The 24-year-old native of Ladera Ranch, California, started 23rd and finished 20th in his Cup Series debut at the track last year. His best previous Cup Series finish on a road course was ninth in the October 2020 race on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval en route to that year’s Rookie of the Year honors.

● In his 11 road-course outings in the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2017 through 2019, Custer finished outside the top-10 just once with a best result of fourth in the 2018 race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

● Custer also has top-10s in all three of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series outings on road courses, all at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario. His best was his most recent, a second-place run from the pole with a race-high 39 laps led in the No. 00 JR Motorsports entry in 2016. He also made three starts apiece on the road courses at Sonoma and Watkins Glen in NASCAR K&N Pro Series competition, with best finishes of third in the 2016 East Series race at Watkins Glen after having qualified on the pole there the previous year, and fourth in the 2019 West Series race at Sonoma.

● Custer arrives at Sonoma 27th in the driver standings after his 29th-place finish in last Sunday’s inaugural Cup Series race at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois, near St. Louis.

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

You’re welcoming back Autodesk as your sponsor this weekend for what is the company’s home race. What are your thoughts about this weekend?

“I’m really looking forward to it. I think the road courses have been something that’s always kind of a wild card and it’s always kind of an equalizer for the field. For us, it’s a great opportunity to have a solid run and hopefully find ourselves with a chance to win by the end of it. Sonoma is a really technical place that I enjoy. Last year’s race was my first there in a Cup car, so there’s going to be a little bit of learning, but it’s just one of those places where you have so much elevation change. It’s just a fun racetrack to run and we have Autodesk on the car this week. It’s really cool. 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.”

This weekend takes you back to your home state for the third time this year. Any special thoughts on that?

“It’s still about 10 hours from my home because Northern California is so far from Southern California but, whenever I go back to California, it’s always special. I’m always trying to see family and it’s a homecoming. But going to Sonoma I ran last year’s Cup race there and I’ve run a few K&N races there and I’ve always loved it. It’s just one of those places where it’s fun to kind of slip and slide around and be able to go up and down the hills and hit the curbs. It’s just one of those places I think every driver loves to go to.”

Are there any things you can apply to this weekend that you learned during your previous visits to Sonoma?

“Like I said, it’s just such a technical racetrack and it’s definitely nice to have some laps around there. There’s so much (tire) fall-off and so much you have to do to try and make it around those slick corners. It’s not an easy place to get around, so having those laps definitely help, but I’m sure in the NextGen car it’s going to be a little bit different trying to figure out how you’re going to make your way through those corners and be patient. It’s going to be a lot of learning pretty fast.”

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: Coleman Dollarhide
Hometown: Hickory, North 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

ARIC ALMIROLA
Sonoma Advance
No. 10 Farmer John Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Save Mart 350k (Round 16 of 36)
● Time/Date: 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 12
● Location: Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway
● Layout: 1.99-mile, 11-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 110 laps/218.9 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 30 laps / Final Stage: 55 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● After 15 races this season, Almirola is the only driver in the NASCAR Cup Series without a DNF (Did Not Finish). He has completed all but five laps of the 4,240 run this year – a 99.9 percent completion rate.

● History at Sonoma Raceway: In nine starts at Sonoma, Almirola has two top-10 finishes, and he finished on the lead lap in all but one of those nine starts. The 38-year-old earned his two top-10 finishes in his first two starts at Stewart-Haas Racing.

● Last weekend at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois, near St. Louis, Almirola ran inside the top-10 for the majority of the race, earned 11 stage points, and crossed the finish line fifth to earn his second top-five and fifth top-10 of the season.

● Points: Almirola arrives at Sonoma 11th in the driver standings with 385 points, 122 out of first.

● Pioneering a revolution in the supply of locally flavored meats, Farmer John has been a Southern California staple since 1931. This will be the fourth time Farmer John has been a primary sponsor on the No. 10 Ford and the first time this specific red, white and blue livery has adorned Almirola’s car.

● Almirola’s career: In 403 NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has earned three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 89 top-10s, three poles, and has led 899 laps.

● One More Time: On Jan. 10, Almirola released a video on his YouTube channel announcing his retirement from fulltime NASCAR Cup Series racing after the 2022 season to spend more time with his family. His opening remarks were attributed to his grandfather’s mentorship. This year marks Almirola’s 11th fulltime Cup Series season. The official press release can be viewed here.

● Beyond the 10 YouTube Series:In 2022, Almirola is once again sharing his life beyond the No. 10 Smithfield Ford with season three of his award-winning YouTube series. Fans and media can subscribe on YouTube to see Almirola’s personality on and off the track. Episodes have already featured life as a dad, a husband and an athlete, and it gives fans a unique perspective on what goes on in the life of a professional NASCAR driver. Fans can also follow Almirola’s social media channels: @Aric_Almirola on Twitter and Instagram, and @AricAlmirola on Facebook.

● Almirola was the only NASCAR Cup Series driver to finish in the top-10 in this year’s opening three races. He finished fifth in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, sixth at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and sixth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Almirola’s top-10 streak ended with a 12th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway despite running inside the top-10 throughout the race.

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Farmer John Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You’re heading to Sonoma with momentum from your most successful race of the season. How does that translate to a road course this weekend?

“We have had top-10 cars for the last handful of races but just couldn’t catch a break. From a cut tire to an untimely caution, we just haven’t been put in the best positions to finish where we run. To have put a full weekend together with no mistakes led us to a top-five and a good bit of stage points. It’s nice to head to a road course after this because we didn’t put ourselves in a hole. Our road-course program has steadily improved over time so, heading to Sonoma, we’ll try to have another mistake-free day and see where that lands us. We know what we’re capable of and we have to just put it all together and stay out of trouble.”

What do you need to be successful at Sonoma?

“A lot of patience, and grip. It’s such a technical and slow track compared to Watkins Glen. You really have to hit your marks.”

Do you enjoy road racing, and how do you continue to hone your craft?

“I have enjoyed road racing and I’ve strived to get better at it. Road racing is not something I grew up doing. I grew up racing go-karts on dirt ovals and then I went to stock car racing on asphalt ovals. I never did any road racing at all until I actually got to NASCAR. That was when I got introduced to road racing and I had a steep learning curve to catch up. I have really enjoyed honing my craft at road racing and trying to figure out how to get better.”

What can you take from this year’s first road-course race at Circuit of the Americas with this NextGen car?

“Be there at the end. It’s so competitive now and everyone is hungry. There are a lot of good road racers in the series. Just be there at the end.”

No. 10 Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Aric Almirola
Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer
Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Jerry Cook
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Engineer: Davin Restivo
Hometown: Asheboro, North Carolina

Engineer: James Kimbrough
Hometown: Pensacola, Florida

Spotter: Joel Edmonds
Hometown: Dobson, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder
Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White
Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard
Hometown: King, North Carolina

Jack Man: Sean Cotton
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener
Hometown: Fortuna, California

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Chris Trickett
Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Robbie Fairweather
Hometown: Westbrookville, New York

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller
Hometown: Monroe, New York

Tire Specialist: Rusty Davidson
Hometown: Mount Juliet, Tennessee

Transporter Co-Driver: Steven Casper
Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy
Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

KEVIN HARVICK
Sonoma Advance
No. 4 GEARWRENCH® Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Save Mart 350k (Round 16 of 36)
● Time/Date: 4 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 12
● Location: Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway
● Layout: 1.99-mile, 10-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 110 laps/218.9 miles (352.3 kilometers)
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 30 laps / Final Stage: 55 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● The Save Mart 350k Sunday at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway will mark the second of six road-course races on the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. The series’ first road-course race came on March 27 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, where Kevin Harvick drove his No. 4 GEARWRENCH® Ford Mustang to an 11th-place finish. The four remaining road-course races after Sonoma are July 3 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, July 31 at the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Aug. 21 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, and Oct. 9 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval.

● Harvick has made a total of 50 NASCAR Cup Series starts on road courses. He has 20 starts at Sonoma, 20 at Watkins Glen, four at the Charlotte Roval, two on the road course at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, two at COTA, and one apiece at Road America and the road course at Indianapolis. He has scored two wins – Watkins Glen in 2006 and Sonoma in 2017 – along with 10 top-fives and 24 top-10s with 195 laps led.

● Harvick is one of six NASCAR Cup Series drivers competing in the Save Mart 350k who hail from California. The driver of the No. 4 GEARWRENCH Ford Mustang is from Bakersfield, and the native Californians joining him on the grid at Sonoma include his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Cole Custer (Ladera Ranch), reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson (Elk Grove), two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick (Corning), AJ Allmendinger (Los Gatos) and Joey Hand (Sacramento).

● When Harvick scored his first road-course victory at Watkins Glen in 2006, he had to beat his current team owner to do it. Tony Stewart – the “Stewart” in Stewart-Haas Racing – had won the past two NASCAR Cup Series races at the 2.45-mile, seven-turn road course and was poised to capture a third straight win as he was leading Harvick with four laps to go in the 90-lap race. But Harvick, who had already led once for 24 laps, passed Stewart on lap 87 as the two drag-raced down the frontstretch and into turn one. Harvick held onto the lead despite Stewart in his rearview mirror, earning a margin of victory of .892 of a second.

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

● Harvick’s last road-course win was his first in a Ford. When Harvick won at Sonoma in 2017, he became the 83rd different driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race behind the wheel of a Ford. Harvick has now won 23 Cup Series races with Ford, which makes him one of only 13 drivers to win 20 or more races with the manufacturer. He is currently tied with Rusty Wallace and Carl Edwards for 11th on the all-time Ford win list.

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

● GEARWRENCH, a premier hand tool brand from Apex Tool Group, joined Harvick and the No. 4 team of Stewart-Haas Racing as a primary partner in 2022. GEARWRENCH is the No. 1 worldwide professional-grade mechanics’ hand tool brand, offering products that are designed and manufactured to meet the requirements of pros, mechanics and auto techs who make a living with their tools. GEARWRENCH understands the problems mechanics face every day and provides tools that increase productivity through speed, strength and access. Since the launch of the original five-degree ratcheting wrench, the GEARWRENCH brand has led the industry with breakthroughs in pass-thru ratchets, sockets, screw/nut drivers, pliers, extraction tools and specialty tools. Learn more at GEARWRENCH.com.

● Featured on the decklid of Harvick’s No. 4 GEARWRENCH Ford Mustang during the Save Mart 350k is the 90T line of ratchets and wrenches from GEARWRENCH. 90T stands for GEARWRENCH’s 90-tooth platform, a design that creates a four-degree swing arc for easier turns in tight spaces. They feature longer and wider beams, allowing improved reach and leverage while providing better ergonomics and comfort. The sets also have an improved jaw design of the open end of the wrenches. This dual-direction off-corner loading gives a better fit on a nut or bolt, reducing the risk of slippage and fastener rounding. Lastly, the size markings on the wrenches make for quick identification. Each wrench features color-filled markings, with molten orange for metric sizes and black for standard sizes.

● What is molten orange? We’re glad you asked. Back in September of 2017, GEARWRENCH embraced the color of molten orange, a standout identifier of its premier line of tools that had seen remarkable growth since the brand’s introduction in 1996. The bright color, combined with the impactful and strong GEARWRENCH logo, reflects the power and personality of the brand. Known for tools that deliver speed, strength and access, the molten orange palette that is now synonymous with GEARWRENCH emphasizes these attributes. Just as quality work stands out, GEARWRENCH tools stand out in the hands of those who work with their hands.

● VIP me ASAP! GEARWRENCH is ready to make it happen. Enter the GEARWRENCH VIP Racing Sweepstakes for the chance to win a VIP racing experience with either the NASCAR Cup Series, Formula Drift or the NHRA. The winner and three of their best friends will go inside the ropes and behind the scenes at one of three events of their choice – the South Point 400 NASCAR race weekend Oct. 15-16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Formula DRIFT season finale Oct. 14-15 at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway, or the NHRA season finale Nov. 12-13 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.). The grand prize includes hotel accommodations for up to three nights, transportation, a private meet-and-greet with GEARWRENCH drivers, VIP seating for the race, and $2,500 in GEARWRENCH products. In addition to the grand-prize winner, two first-prize winners will be randomly selected to receive $1,500 in tools, and four second-prize winners will be randomly selected to receive $500 in tools.

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 GEARWRENCH Ford Mustang

You’re from Bakersfield, California, and you cut your teeth on the NASCAR Southwest Tour and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. How big of a deal was it to race at Sonoma when the NASCAR Cup Series was in town?

“Sonoma and Phoenix were always the two biggest races of the year for the West Series and for the Southwest Tour. I ran my first race in the Southwest Tour at Sonoma in 1995 and ran it a few more times after that. I ran the West Series race there a few times and a few years back, as well. It’s always been a staple of regional, West Coast racing because of the fact that that’s where the Cup guys raced, and Phoenix was the same way. Just getting to do something at the highest level, at the same time and at the same venue as the Cup guys, was really cool for the grassroots racers. At one point, I was that grassroots racer that wanted to be in that environment for that particular weekend because it was just cool.”

After an experiment last year at Sonoma when the NASCAR Cup Series ran “The Carousel” portion of the racetrack, you’re back to running “The Chute”. After sampling both layouts, is there one you prefer?

“I think probably ‘The Chute’ just because our cars didn’t do well with ‘The Carousel’. ‘The Chute’ creates a little bit more passing going into (turn) four and also going down what I would call (turn) seven. I think that’ll fit our cars better.”

Now that we’re back to “The Chute”, there’s one spot that looks incredibly tight, at least to the TV viewer, and that’s the exit off turn four and down into “The Chute”. Cars go wide off turn four but then they have to funnel back into line to avoid hitting a wall that seems to jut out at the start of “The Chute”. Is that section of the track as tight as it seems on TV?

“You have to funnel back in just because the wall comes out all the way to the racetrack. It’ll be interesting to see how our cars navigate the curb and all the things that slam into the ground when we cross that curb.”

If a guy is hung on the outside of you as that wall comes up, do you treat it like an exit ramp where you give him room to merge back into traffic, or is it more like, ‘Sorry, dude. You should’ve planned better’?

“It depends on where they are. It could be messy if you run them into that barrier, so you have to see how far alongside you they are.”

With the speed that you carry down through “The Chute”, what do you need to do to both maintain control and not scrub off speed as you exit turn seven and head through the esses?

“The trick to the exit of turn seven is just keeping the rear tires driving forward because, as the run goes, the car loses rear grip, and tire wear is obviously something that you have to keep track of. That exit of turn seven is older asphalt that kind of transitions to some newer asphalt as you get through the exit of that corner, so you just have to take care of the rear tires there, and it just gets worse as the day goes.”

What’s OK and what isn’t when you’re racing with someone else as you head into the hairpin in turn 11?

“I think a lot of that just takes care of itself. It’s a pretty straightforward corner as far as braking, and that’s really what it comes down to – just who can get in there the hardest on the brakes and be able to keep the car under control and still make the bottom of the corner.”

The NextGen car seems to have acclimated well to all the tracks, but does it perform best on road courses since the car carries a lot of sports-car DNA?

“It’s definitely leaning more toward handling well at the road courses just because that’s kind of the nature of how it was designed. I think for me, our first road course was a lot more comfortable in the car than what we were last year. For the braking and things that come with this particular car, it’s been good for us on the road courses, so far.”

Does having run COTA earlier this year give you an idea of what to expect with the NextGen car at Sonoma?

“I think so, and I think everybody knew that was the easiest thing that we did, the road courses. For me, it was just getting comfortable maximizing the braking, and I felt good about that.”

With the sequential shifter in these cars, how is shifting on a road course? Do you have to be more methodical in what you do to ensure you’re in the right gear?

“That’s still a little bit of a transition just because the cars are not hard to shift, but they’re hard to constantly shift correctly, and the timing of it with the way the gears are cut, you can mistime the shift really easily. So it’s definitely something that, as you go throughout the day, you have to pay attention to.”

No. 4 GEARWRENCH Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Kevin Harvick
Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Crew Chief: Rodney Childers
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Car Chief: Robert “Cheddar” Smith
Hometown: Whitewater, Wisconsin

Engineer: Dax Gerringer
Hometown: Gibsonville, North Carolina

Engineer: Stephen Doran
Hometown: Butler, Pennsylvania

Spotter: Tim Fedewa
Hometown: Holt, Michigan

Over-The-Wall Members

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

Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith
Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Jeremy Howard
Hometown: Delhart, Texas

Jack Man: Stan Doolittle
Hometown: Ninety Six, South Carolina

Fuel Man: Evan Marchal
Hometown: Westfield, Indiana

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Richie Bean
Hometown: Bradford, Vermont

Mechanic: Nick DeFazio
Hometown: Orange, California

Tire Specialist: Jamie Turski
Hometown: Trumbull, Connecticut

Engine Tuner: Robert Brandt
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama

Transporter Co-Driver: Rick Hodges
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Stephen Mitchell
Hometown: Woodville, Ohio