Custer Finishes 23rd at Martinsville
Dixie Vodka Peach Cocktail Ford Driver Struggles With Balance of Racecar

Date: Oct. 31, 2021
Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish: 24th / 23rd (Running, completed 501 of 501 laps)
Point Standing: 26th with 547 points
Note: Race extended one lap past its scheduled 500-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

● Cole Custer started 24th and finished 22nd.

● When the green flag waved for the 500-lap race, the No. 41 Dixie Vodka Peach Cocktail Ford driver worked his way into the top-20 in only three laps and stayed there for a majority of the opening laps.

● As the green-flag run continued, Custer battled with a tightening Ford Mustang. He fell back to 26th by the time the competition caution came out on lap 60.

● During the competition caution, the No. 41 team pitted for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to combat the balance issue on the racecar. Custer rejoined the field 26th, the first car one lap down.

● The No. 41 Dixie Vodka Peach Cocktail team caught a break when the caustion came out just three laps later while Custer was running in the Lucky Dog position. He pitted during the caution for four fresh tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment during the caution.

● Custer continued to struggle with a tight racecar, making it difficult to turn. He finished 22nd in the stage.

● During the stage break, the No. 41 team brought Custer down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

● Custer started 22nd and finished 22nd.

● The No. 41 Dixie Vodka Peach Cocktail Ford Mustang ran 22nd in the opening laps of the stage. When the caution came out on lap 197, Custer reported to the team that he was still struggling to turn. The team pitted during the caution to put on four fresh tires, fill up on fuel and make a minor trackbar adjustment.

● As the rest of the stage went caution-free, the 23-year-old driver ran as high as 21st. Ultimately, he was unable to overcome the balance issues and finished 22nd.

● The No. 41 Dixie Vodka Peach Cocktail team came down pit road during the stage break for four tires, fuel and a double adjustment.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-501):

● Custer started 22nd and finished 23rd.

● The Ladera Ranch, California, native ran in 22nd at the start of the stage, one of only two cars one lap down.

● When the caution came out on lap 310, Custer reported that his Ford Mustang was still too loose getting into the corner. The No. 41 Dixie Vodka Peach Cocktail team called its driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and an adjustment.

● Another caution came out on lap 323. Custer reported that he “fired off tight.” The team pitted for just a wedge and trackbar adjustment. The Dixie Vodka Peach Cocktail Ford driver was in the Lucky Dog position and earned back his lost lap.

● Trouble found Custer on lap 357. Contact with another car caused the No. 41 Dixie Vodka Peach Cocktail Ford Mustang to spin, bringing out the caution. The team pitted to put on fresh tires.

● After the caution came out on lap 378, crew chief Mike Shiplett took a gamble and kept his driver out on track when the leaders pitted, hoping for a quick caution. Custer restarted third, but as the laps went green, the newer tires took over and Custer fell back to 22nd.

● On the lap-436 caution, Custer reported that he still needed help with the turn on his Ford Mustang. The team pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and another minor adjustment.

● Custer continued to report that his Ford Mustang was tight in the center and loose off the corners. Despite the balance issue, he made his way as high as 17th in the final 30 laps.

● In an overtime finish, Custer fought to stay in the top-20 but was unable to advance in the top lane and finished 23rd.

Notes:

● Alex Bowman won the Xfinity 500 to score his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin over second-place Kyle Busch was .472 of a second.

● There were 15 caution periods for a total of 91 laps.

● Twenty-five of the 38 drivers in the Xfinity 500 finished on the lead lap.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 Dixie Vodka Peach Cocktail Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Honestly, we just struggled all day. Martinsville is a tough track, and that proved to be true in this race. We struggled with the balance on the No. 41 Dixie Vodka Peach Cocktail Ford Mustang and just couldn’t get it right. Wish we could’ve gotten a better finish for Dixie Vodka, but we’ll head to Phoenix.”

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series season finale is Sunday, Nov. 7, at Phoenix Raceway. The championship race starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Harvick Soldiers to 12th-Place Finish at Martinsville

Date: Oct. 31, 2021
Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish: 9th / 12th (Running, completed 501 of 501 laps)
Point Standing: 6th with 2,318 points
Note: Race extended one lap past its scheduled 500-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

● Kevin Harvick started ninth and finished 13th.

● The No. 4 Unibet Ford Mustang steadily fell back and was 15th by the time the competition caution waved on lap 62.

● “Can’t get into the corner. Wants to lock up the tires. Plows up off (the corner),” said Harvick during the caution.

● Pitted for four tires and fuel with a track bar adjustment during the caution on lap 63.

● Lined up 13th for lap-68 restart. Ran a handful of laps before another caution on lap 73. Remained 13th.

● Grabbed 10th place shortly after lap-77 restart, but gradually dropped to 13th by the end of the stage.

● “It started off better, but it still doesn’t turn on long runs,” said Harvick. “I don’t have enough forward drive on exit.”

● Pitted for four tires and fuel with a right-rear wedge adjustment upon the conclusion of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

● Harvick started ninth and finished 15th.

● Grabbed eighth place from Joey Logano on lap 153.

● Caution on lap 198 allowed Harvick to pit for four tires and fuel with another right-rear wedge adjustment.

● “That was definitely better,” said Harvick before the stop. “Still need help on the long run.”

● Lined up eighth for lap-204 restart, but some jockeying for position among others left Harvick 14th by lap 208.

● “I’m out of control… sideways!” said Harvick on lap 215 while running 15th.

● Harvick held steady in 15th through the end of the stage.

● “Slides the back and just won’t turn,” said Harvick about his Unibet Ford Mustang.

● Pitted for four tires and fuel with a right-rear wedge adjustment before the final stage began.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500):

● Harvick started 12th and finished 12th.

● Dropped to 16th by lap 282.

● “Won’t turn and no rear grip on exit,” said Harvick during a caution on lap 311.

● Harvick used the caution to pit for four tires and fuel and to get another right-rear wedge adjustment.

● Lined up 14th for lap-320 restart before the caution flag waved again on lap 324. Was 15th for lap-330 restart.

● Was 14th when caution came out again on lap 340.

● Pitted on lap 341 for four tires, fuel and adjustments to left- and right-side wedge.

● Was 15th for lap-346 restart.

● “Hard to defend (position) when you can’t put the throttle down,” said a 15th-place Harvick before another caution on lap 359.

● Lined up 16th for lap-363 restart.

● Caution on lap 379 allowed Harvick to pit for four tires and fuel and a left-rear wedge adjustment. He restarted in 18th on lap 385.

● “Won’t turn. No rear grip as soon as you push the accelerator,” said Harvick while under caution on lap 437 and in 17th.

● Pitted on lap 438 for four tires, fuel and a right-rear wedge adjustment. Restarted in 14th on lap 444.

● The No. 4 Unibet Ford Mustang was 15th when the caution flag waved again on lap 456. Harvick opted to stay out for track position, where he restarted in 13th.

● Survived a barrage of yellow caution flags in the final 35 laps to finish 12th.

Notes:

● Since joining SHR in 2014, Harvick has only finished outside the top-20 once at Martinsville – a lone 33rd-place finish in October 2014.

● Alex Bowman won the Xfinity 500 to score his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin over second-place Kyle Busch was .478 of a second.

● There were 15 caution periods for a total of 91 laps.

● Twenty-five of the 38 drivers in the Xfinity 500 finished on the lead lap.

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series season finale is Sunday, Nov. 7 at Phoenix Raceway. The championship race starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
XFINITY 500
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES
OCTOBER 31, 2021

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
5th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
7th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
8th ERIK JONES, NO. 43 GOODY’S COOL ORANGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE
13th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 COWBOY CHANNEL CAMARO ZL1 1LE
14th KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)
2nd Kyle Busch (Toyota)
3rd Brad Keselowski (Ford)
4th Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
5th William Byron (Chevrolet)

The NASCAR Cup Series season concludes next weekend at Phoenix Raceway with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship on Sunday, November 7, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Race Winner
HIS WORD TO ME, WOW. WHY THE CONTACT WITH DENNY HAMLIN? WHAT HAPPENED THERE?
“I just got loose in. I got in too deep, knocked him out of the way and literally let him have the lead back. For anybody that wants to think I was trying to crash him, obviously wasn’t the case considering I literally gave up the lead at Martinsville to give it back to him.”

“He’s been on the other side of that. He’s crashed guys here for wins. I hate doing it. Obviously I don’t want to crash somebody. I just got in, got underneath him, spun him out.”

“Regardless, we get a free grandfather clock, which is pretty special. I struggled here for a long time. I was trying to get the flag, do a backwards victory lap. Mark Martin thinks that’s cool. Mark Martin is my hero. Obviously, like I said, hate we wrecked the 11. But how about that for Chevrolet, Ally, everybody on this 48 team. 48 car won here a bunch. Cool to do it again.”

TO CLARIFY, THERE WAS OR WAS NOT INTENT IN YOUR SECOND CONTACT WITH DENNY?
“No, I just got loose underneath. I’m not trying to drive underneath there and crash the guy. I got under him fair, under him clean. I just got sideways underneath him, spun him out. Hate to do that. Obviously unintentional. Part of short-track racing.”

AS YOU’RE CELEBRATING, HE PULLS UP TO YOU. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO THAT?
“Man, I wasn’t going to get into it. This isn’t Bowman Gray Stadium. This is the Cup Series. As much as we could have made the highlight reel, we might climb the fence here because I want to see, the fence might come down. One of those deals.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 GOODY’S COOL ORANGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 8th
“Really solid day at Martinsville Speedway for the No. 43 Goody’s Cool Orange Camaro ZL1 1LE. It was kind of an up-and-down day. There were times where I really didn’t think we were going to have the finish we did.”

“It kind of worked out there at the end. We had a set of tires we put on and the car kind of came back around to us, balance-wise, and we were able to come home with a top-10. Just good to keep the string going. We’ve had a good couple of runs here the last month. Hopefully, we can go to Phoenix (Raceway) next week and finish it out on another good note.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 COWBOY CHANNEL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 13th
“We had a fast Cowboy Channel Chevrolet today at Martinsville Speedway. It was good to lead laps and run up front. We fought hard today, coming back from damage in Stage 2 and cutting multiple right-front tires. Our forward drive was ridiculously good. We started the race 14th and quickly drove into the top-10, ultimately finishing Stage 1 seventh. It was really challenging once we fell back in the running order because we were in the middle of the pack and around a lot of other cars and a lot of action. We worked as a team to get back on the lead lap, though, and survived some wild action out there to finish 12th. Good job by everyone on this RCR team.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 14th
TODAY, FOR YOU, WAS ALL ABOUT GETTING THE WIN. DESCRIBE YOUR RUN TODAY.
“Not good. Just bad execution on my part on pit road. I felt like our car was probably top-three, top-five, at times; and there were times it was tenth or worse. But my team did a good job working on it. I just sped (on pit road) too late in the race there again. From then on, just tried to not make anybody upset, knowing that I’m not going to get back up there for a win. Just try to keep everybody on my good side.”

WHEN YOU’RE COMING OFF FROM THREE WINS IN A ROW AND YOU HAVE A DAY LIKE TODAY, HOW DO YOU MENTALLY REGROUP FROM IT FOR PHOENIX?
“Honestly, the same way you treat the weeks after you win. You just kind of forget about it, move on and prepare for Phoenix. I’m excited about that. It’s cool that we get to race for our first championship. Hopefully, we can get it done.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 16th
YOU CAME IN WITH SOME POINTS THAT REALLY HELPED IN THE END. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE TODAY?
“Well, we’re moving on and that is all that matters. I had a really fast NAPA Chevy early and I made a couple of mistakes and kind of led us down the wrong path there for those last couple of runs, unfortunately. But the pace was certainly in the car.”

“Congrats to Alex (Bowman, race winner). It was a great day for Hendrick Motorsports; got two cars going to Phoenix and Alex getting the win here. Wish we could have won it. Hate to be so fast all day and it not work out, but obviously next week is what matters and that is where our heads are at. Excited to get out there and have another shot at it.”

HAVE YOU LEARNED A LOT THROUGH THIS YEAR IN BEING THE CHAMPION THAT MAY AID YOU NEXT WEEK?
“I think just the experience last year and kind of going through all that. Not so much with the on-track stuff, but kind of the prep throughout the week and all the obligations and whatnot that are involved in doing that is nice. We have been there and we know how far we can push ourselves and what we need to do to get prepared. Honestly, we are a simple group. We probably won’t change it a lot and will go out there and try and execute a really nice race. Hopefully better than the rest.”

“Super proud of this team. I know it hasn’t been super pretty at times, but for us to keep fighting through these Playoffs and to get to Phoenix. When you get there, it’s anybody’s game to go out there in that Final Four. So, really proud of this group to make it for a second consecutive year and being amongst those four cars is a big deal. We’re excited to have a shot. I think we can run with the best of them and we are looking forward to the opportunity.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Briscoe Finishes 22nd at Martinsville
Rush Truck Centers Ford Hampered by Braking Issues, Sporadic Handling Difficulties

Date: Oct. 31, 2021
Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish: 22nd / 22nd (Running, completed 501 of 501 laps)
Point Standing: 23rd with 653 points
Note: Race extended one lap past its scheduled 500-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

● Chase Briscoe started 22nd and finished 19th.

● The No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford driver picked up three positions to 19th in the opening laps and held steady until the competition caution on lap 60. He said his racecar “fired off pretty good, got a little tight, but otherwise the exit’s good.” He pitted for four tires, fuel and slight left-side air-pressure adjustments. He restarted 15th when the race went back to green on lap 67.

● Just four laps later, a three-car incident in turn four brought out the caution flag with Briscoe running 16th. He stayed on track and restarted 15th on lap 76.

● Maintaining rear grip under braking proved problematic for Briscoe over the remainder of the stage. He dropped four positions before pitting at the break for four tires, fuel and further air-pressure adjustments.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

● Briscoe started 18th and finished 19th.

● The No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford driver said his racecear had better forward bite early in the stage but needed help in all other aspects. He was running 21st when the caution flag flew on lap 196 for a single-car incident in turn two. He pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments and restarted 19th on lap 203.

● Briscoe held position until the end of the stage. He reported that, in addition to the steadily building tight condition, braking had become particularly problematic. He pitted during the break for four tires, fuel and adjustments.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 261-501):

● Briscoe started 18th and finished 22nd.

● The No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford driver said braking continued to be a problem and was now his biggest issue. He was holding down 19th place when the caution flag flew on lap 309 for a three-car incident in turn three. He pitted for four tires, fuel and air-pressure and trackbar adjustments and restarted 17th on lap 319.

● Another caution flag flew on lap 324, this time for a two-car incident in turn three. Briscoe stayed on track and restarted 14th on lap 331.

● Brisco had fallen back to 17th in the eight-lap run to the next caution flag for a three-car incident in turn two. He said his handling felt improved, but the braking issues made things difficult. He pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments and restarted 17th on lap 347.

● A single-car incident in turn four brought out the caution on lap 357 with Briscoe having fallen back to 19th. He said the last round of adjustments did more harm than good. He pitted for a splash of fuel and a chassis adjustment and restarted 19th on lap 362.

● The 15-lap run to the next caution for a single-car incident in turn two saw Briscoe drop to 22nd. He made slight right-front contact with the spinning car of Daniel Suárez ahead of him. He pitted for a quick inspection and took four tires and fuel before restarting 21st on lap 384.

● Another single-car incident in turn two brought out the caution flag on lap 436 with Briscoe running 19th. He had just fallen off the lead lap, but he stayed on track to take the wave-around and restarted 19th on lap 443, back on the lead lap.

● Briscoe moved up to 18th when a two-car incident in turn four brought out the caution flag on lap 455. He pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment for the sprint to the finish. Briscoe restarted 16th on lap 460, and another incident brought out the caution flag on the restart lap. He restarted 15th on lap 465.

● As mayhem continued with another single-car incident, this one in turn two, the caution flag flew on lap 473. Briscoe had fallen back to 21st, having struggled on the previous restart, but he stayed on track and restarted 18th on lap 477.

● Tight handling persisted for Briscoe as he dropped four positions to 22nd in the 18-lap run to the next caution on lap 495 for a two-car incident in turn three. He pitted for tires and a chassis adjustment, restarted 22nd on lap 499 for the green-white-checkered finish and held his position along the way.

Notes:

● Briscoe was the highest finishing NASCAR Cup Series rookie for the 30th time this season.

● Briscoe’s 22nd-place result bettered his previous best finish at Martinsville – 27th, earned in his first start at the track in April.

● Alex Bowman won the Xfinity 500 to score his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin over second-place Kyle Busch was .472 of a second.

● There were 15 caution periods for a total of 91 laps.

● Twenty-five of the 38 drivers in the Xfinity 500 finished on the lead lap.

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Finishing on the lead lap at Martinsville is never a small accomplishment, but it was a frustrating day in a couple of areas. Braking is so important here, and I had little to no brakes for about the whole race. And that made it difficult to find just the right changes to make to help our struggle with a tight-handling racecar and keeping the rear end on the racetrack. We’ve got one more shot to get a good finish for everyone out at Phoenix, so we’ll try to take advantage of the extra track time and get something out of it.”

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series season finale is Sunday, Nov. 7, at Phoenix Raceway. The championship race starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Almirola Finishes Sixth at Martinsville
Smithfield/IHOP Ford Driver Barely Misses Top-Five Result

Date: Oct. 31, 2021
Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish: 23rd / 6th (Running, completed 501 of 501 laps)
Point Standing: 15th with 2,184 points
Note: Race extended one lap past its scheduled 500-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

● Aric Almirola started 23rd and finished 10th, earning one bonus point.

● Almirola fell back to 26th at the beginning of the stage.

● The Smithfield/IHOP driver raced his way to 13th by the competition caution and said his No. 10 Ford was handling well.

● He pitted during the competition caution for four tires and fuel to restart 12th.

● Almirola entered the top-10 on lap 115. At the end of the stage he said the balance was “really close.”

● At the end of the stage he pitted for four tires and fuel.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

● Almirola started ninth and finished sixth, earning five bonus points.

● Almirola ran inside the top-10 for the entire stage.

● The Smithfield/IHOP driver battled his way to sixth before the checkered flag waved.

● The No. 10 team pitted at the end of the stage for four fresh tires and fuel.

● The pit crew gained the No. 10 Ford two spots on pit road.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-501):

● Almirola started fourth and finished sixth.

● Almirola ran inside the top-five until lap 302.

● The No. 10 Smithfield Ford driver pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments.

● Almirola drove to fifth before another caution was called.

● He remained inside the top-10 before another caution on lap 379. He said the No. 10 Smithfield/IHOP Ford’s balance was improving.

● Almirola restarted 10th and drove to eighth before a lap-436 caution.

● He pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments, and his crew’s quick work gained him two spots on pit road.

● The No. 10 Smithfield/IHOP Ford driver restarted sixth and was scored seventh after another caution on lap 453.

● On lap 494, the final caution was called with Almirola inside the top-five.

● On the final restart, the No. 10 Smithfield/IHOP driver fought hard for a top-five but came up just short in sixth place.

Notes:

● Almirola earned his fourth top-10 of the season and his sixth top-10 in 26 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville.

● Alex Bowman won the Xfinity 500 to score his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin over second-place Kyle Busch was .478 of a second.

● There were 15 caution periods for a total of 91 laps.

● Twenty-five of the 38 drivers in the Xfinity 500 finished on the lead lap.

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield/IHOP Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Today we ran where we know we could run all year. We had a great car, and the pit crew was on it. We had the balance pretty close right off the start and we tried not to adjust too much today, and it paid off. We were best on the long run, and with all of the cautions at the end, we didn’t get to find that long-run speed where it mattered. But I’m so proud of this team for capping off the season with solid speed. Looking forward to Phoenix, where I think we have a good shot at it again.”

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series season finale is Sunday, Nov. 7, at Phoenix Raceway. The championship race starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Xfinity 500 (Martinsville Speedway)
Sunday, October 31, 2021

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
3rd — Brad Keselowski
6th — Aric Almirola
9th — Chris Buescher
10th — Joey Logano
11th — Ryan Blaney
12th — Kevin Harvick
15th — Matt DiBenedetto
20th — Anthony Alfredo
22nd — Chase Briscoe
23rd — Cole Custer
26th — Michael McDowell
29th — BJ McLeod
32nd — Ryan Newman
35th — Josh Bilicki

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang — “We gave it all we had. We just needed to be a little bit faster in stage two to get us a handful of points and be closer, and then at the end I was just too loose. I just couldn’t quite get it perfectly tweaked in, but, all in all, a pretty good run.”

DESCRIBE THE LAST FEW LAPS. “We all just threw everything we had at it and nobody really had anything for the Hendrick and Gibbs cars. I felt we were getting closer at the end. Jeremy Bullins and the team really dialed the thing in as close as we could get, but that was just all we had.”

WERE YOU GOING TO TRY TO MOVE BOWMAN ON THE RESTART? “He was so much faster. I mean, he pulled two car lengths from me through the gears, so I was gonna need a lot more help under the hood if I was gonna move Bowman, so we’ve got a lot of work to do for next year.”

HOW TOUGH WAS IT FOR YOU TODAY? “It was a race. I wouldn’t say it was anything out of the ordinary — a little bit warmer than normally in the fall, but nothing big.”

WHAT ABOUT THE CONTACT WITH THE 18 AFTER THE RACE? “I don’t know what he was thinking. I don’t know if he’s mad at himself, mad at me. I don’t sweat that.”

IT SEEMED WITH 50 TO GO YOU REALLY GOT MOVING. “We were throwing everything we had at it. Jeremy Bullins got the car the best it had been, but it just wasn’t good enough.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang — HOW FRUSTRATING WAS IT? “It was definitely frustrating. I was looking forward to today a lot. We had one run where I thought we got going pretty good and drove up into the top 10 and made an adjustment and went right back to where it was. It was kind of a head scratcher today. I wish I could tell you where we missed it at, but I appreciate all the hard work from everybody today. It just wasn’t quite enough.”

DID THE DAMAGE EARLY HURT YOU? “I was going backwards before the damage anyways, so I don’t really think that played a huge role in it.”

WHAT DID YOU NEED? “It was definitely a disappointing day. We started off kind of good and never really got better. We had one run I thought we kind of went forward and then we made a change to try and make it better and it got worse, so I don’t know. I’d love to tell you what kind of went wrong, but we weren’t really any different than where we’ve been here the last three times, just small little tiny changes, but we were just way off today. It’s disappointing for sure. I was really looking forward to today’s race just knowing how strong we run here and it just wasn’t quite enough today and kind of missed it by a long shot. I appreciate everyone sticking with it all day and trying to get better, but it just wasn’t quite enough.”

DID THE DAMAGE HURT EARLY? “I was backing up before that. I don’t know what the 3’s got running into me right now, but apparently he likes it. But that didn’t play any role.”

IS IT BETTER TO LOSE BY A LONG SHOT UNLIKE THE WAY KYLE BUSCH DID? “Losing is losing. I don’t care if you miss it by one point or 20, I mean, it stinks no matter what. It sucks we don’t get to race for a championship at Phoenix, but I appreciate the year everyone has put together and we have one more shot to get Todd another victory. Hopefully, we can do that for him before he hangs it up.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang — “We just weren’t fast enough. We couldn’t get the car to turn. It was just a struggle all day. We tried different things, but the car just wouldn’t fire off good and ultimately at the end you had to fire off good and we didn’t have that either. We tried compromising to try and make everything better, but all that is is a compromise. The guys that win aren’t compromising and it just wasn’t there.”

HOW WAS YOUR DAY? “It was mediocre. That’s all we were today. We struggled with being tight in two-thirds and tried to fix it. It was kind of the wrong way, so we tried a different way and got closer, but even at that we were just kind of compromising our balance to get decent. Our fire off speed was not very good, which was also a struggle, especially at the end with all those refires at the end. We just didn’t fire off fast enough.”

HOW WOULD YOU SUM TODAY UP? “Not the best of days. Nothing really worked out. The strategy piece that we tried worked out fairly well, but we just weren’t fast enough to really stay towards the front and really do much. It’s kind of a bummer. You go out there in a must-win situation and can’t even see the front most of the day, so we just missed it.”

HOW TOUGH IS THAT TO GO 500 LAPS AND YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT? “You just keep swinging at it. You don’t say there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s never over til it’s over. You keep swinging at the car and trying things. You saw what was going on at the end of the race. Anything could happen being in the right place at the right time, but we were just too far back to be in the right place.”

IS THAT BETTER TO NOT MAKE IT THE WAY YOU DID OR LIKE KYLE BUSCH, GETTING SPUN OUT AND LOSING IT THE LAST COUPLE OF LAPS? “Losing is losing. I don’t think it matters how it happens. Whether you’re close or you lose by a lot, I think they both sting.”

Strong Run For Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Cowboy Channel Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE Team at Martinsville Speedway

Finish: 12th
Start: 14th
Points: 17th

“We had a fast Cowboy Channel Chevrolet today at Martinsville Speedway. It was good to lead laps and run up front. We fought hard today, coming back from damage in Stage 2 and cutting multiple right-front tires. Our forward drive was ridiculously good. We started the race 14th and quickly drove into the top-10, ultimately finishing Stage 1 seventh. It was really challenging once we fell back in the running order because we were in the middle of the pack and around a lot of other cars and a lot of action. We worked as a team to get back on the lead lap, though, and survived some wild action out there to finish 12th. Good job by everyone on this RCR team.”

-Austin Dillon

Hard-Fought Day For Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet Team at Martinsville Speedway

Finish: 18th
Start: 18th
Points: 13th

“Racing at Martinsville Speedway is always a fun challenge. When you hit it just right, your car can make up ground quickly and roll through the corners. Today though, our Childress Vineyards Chevrolet battled a tight-handling condition for most of the race. It felt like the front tires were asleep. My Richard Childress Racing team kept working on the overall balance and we would make gains on the short run, but once the track rubbered up, it went back to the front tires not being awake enough. This No. 8 team showed perseverance all day and fought as hard as we could. We will now set our eyes on Phoenix next week and look to finish the season on a high note.”

-Tyler Reddick