LOUDON, N.H. (July 18, 2021) – A wild sequence of weather, wrecks and darkness resulted in a shortened race Sunday afternoon in Loudon, with an early incident halting a solid run for Chris Buescher. He would finish the race 29th in his Fastenal Ford Mustang, placing further importance on winning one of the next four races to lock into the NASCAR Playoffs.

A steady mist let up just before the scheduled start of the race, with Buescher taking the green from the 17th position. However, rain began to fall just after the start of the event, with the wet conditions sending several of the leaders spinning through turn two. The incident brought out a red flag that lasted just under two hours.

As the race resumed, NASCAR was forced to reckon with the encroaching sunset and no lights at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The league informed teams that it would make every effort to complete the scheduled distance of the race, but could shorten the event if needed.

Buescher made quick work of the restart, jumping into the top-15 before more cautions jumbled the pit strategy of the field. He would finish the first stage 21st after electing to pit prior to the end of the segment.

The saying that cautions breed more cautions certainly was true on this afternoon, as a caution just after the start of the second stage once again bunched the field up at the short track. Just laps after that restart, Buescher found himself just behind a spinning competitor and was knocked into the inside retaining wall at the track. He had to pit twice for the Fastenal team to repair damage and returned to the race track a lap down from the leaders in 30th place.

The team tried to play pit strategies to get the lap back, but with the rest of the race running mostly green as NASCAR tried to complete the scheduled distance they were never able to get back on the lead lap. Buescher would ultimately finish in the 29th position.

NASCAR will take two weeks off for the Olympic break, and return to action next at Watkins Glen on August 8. Race coverage there is set for 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

LOUDON, N.H. (July 18, 2021) – A wild afternoon of challenging weather conditions in New Hampshire culminated in a shortened race due to darkness, where Ryan Newman finished 24th in the Guaranteed Rate Ford.

A steady mist persisted around the track throughout the morning hours in Loudon, letting up just after lunch to allow the race to start on time. But, just five laps in, heavy rain fell which brought the red out after several cars went spinning in the opening turns.

The red flag lasted just under two hours, putting NASCAR in an interesting position with no lights at the facility. Newman used the early opportunity to hit pit road after the delay, and ended up 25th at the end of the first stage through 75 laps.

He fired off 27th for the second segment, but fought his way inside the top-20 to 18th by lap 185 when the second stage flag flew. He fired off the final stage in the same position, but faded back to 24th as the laps and daylight wound down, ultimately ending the race nine laps short of the scheduled distance.

NASCAR will take two weeks off for the Olympic break, and return to action next at Watkins Glen on August 8. Race coverage there is set for 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team came up short in their gamble to win Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway but still scored an 11th-place finish. It was the team’s third-straight finish of 11th or better, coming after a 10th-place finish at Road America and a ninth at Atlanta.

DiBenedetto started 14th in Sunday’s race and was running 12th when rains halted the show after just seven green-flag laps.

Once racing resumed after a one hour, 41-minute red-flag period, DiBenedetto worked his way forward and finished the first Stage in ninth place, earning two bonus points.

DiBenedetto ran just outside the top 10 for most of the second Stage and finished that segment in 12th place.

The third and final Stage of the race saw drivers and race teams making their strategy plans to maximize their opportunities in the event the race was cut short because of darkness. There are no lights at New Hampshire and the long red-flag period meant the race likely wouldn’t run to the advertised distance.

And the length of that segment of the race meant that no one could run to the finish without making a pit stop for fuel. NASCAR advised teams that if the race would be shortened, they would get a notice when there were 10 laps left to run.

DiBenedetto had worked his way up to ninth place when the leaders began making green-flag pit stops at Lap 250 of the scheduled 301.

Crew chief Jonathan Hassler elected to leave DiBenedetto on the track, hoping for some yellow-flag laps that would have slowed the pace and potentially ended the race before he had to pit.

DiBenedetto took the lead on Lap 254 and held it for 20 laps but no caution flags flew, so he steered the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang to pit road for a splash of fuel and two fresh tires.

He rejoined the race in 14th place and worked his way back to 11th when darkness ended the race eight laps shy of the advertised distance.

DiBenedetto was upbeat afterwards, saying Sunday was another day to brag on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team.

“We were a little off on handling to start with and had to crank on it some,” he said. “We made some good adjustments and would have had another top-10.”

He said that if the team hadn’t gambled and run long on their final stop he believes he would have finished eighth, but he supported the decision to try for a race victory.

“It was a fair trade-off on the gamble,” he said. “And the decision to take two tires (on the final stop) was a great call.”

NASCAR is taking a two-week break during the Olympics before returning to action on Aug. 8 at Watkins Glen.

DiBenedetto, who is 17th in the points standings with four races left in the regular season, said he’s glad to be on a roll heading into the off weeks.

“Every week we’re up there in the top 10,” he said. “It just shows how good this team is.”

About Motorcraft:

Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

About Omnicraft:

Omnicraft is part of the Ford lineup of parts brands: Ford Parts, Motorcraft and Omnicraft. Omnicraft is the exclusive non-Ford/Lincoln parts brand of premium aftermarket parts. With over a century of parts heritage to build upon, Omnicraft provides excellent quality and fit and is a preferred choice of professional automotive technicians. To find out more about Omnicraft, visit www.omnicraftautoparts.com or contact your local Ford or Lincoln Dealership.

About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center

Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine vehicle maintenance including tire repair and replacement with a Low Tire Price Guarantee and a full menu of automotive services including oil and filter, brakes, alignments, batteries, and shocks and struts on all vehicle makes and models. Service is performed by certified technicians at more than 1,000 locations worldwide while you wait, and no appointment is necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.

Harvick Rock Solid in Granite State
Driver of No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang Finishes Sixth in
Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 To Score Series-Best 22nd Top-10 at New Hampshire

Date: July 18, 2021
Event: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (Round 22 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (1.058-mile oval)
Format: 301 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/110 laps/116 laps)
Start/Finish: 12th / 6th (Running, completed 293 of 293 laps)
Point Standing: 10th (673 points, 201 out of first)
Note: Race reduced eight laps short of its scheduled 301-lap distance due to darkness.
Race Winner: Aric Almirola of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-75):

● Kevin Harvick started 12th and finished fourth, earning seven bonus points.
● The first six laps were run under green before a light rain moved over the track, causing the leaders to spin and bring out the caution on lap seven. An hour and 42-minute red flag period to dry the track followed.
● Lined up eighth for lap-24 restart, but dropped to 10th by the time the second caution came out on lap 32 for a single-car spin.
● Was seventh for lap-39 restart as some drivers chose to pit during the previous caution.
● Harvick put the No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang into the top-five by lap 41.
● Passed Christopher Bell for fourth on lap 67.
● “Could use a little bit of rear grip. Take some tape off it (the grille) too,” said Harvick at the end of the stage.
● Pitted for four tires and fuel at the conclusion of stage. Made some tire pressure adjustments and removed tape from grille. Quick pit work gained Harvick three spots, positioning him in first place for the start of the second stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 76-185):

● Harvick started first and finished second, earning nine bonus points.
● Harvick positioned his No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang in the outside lane for the restart and got a great jump on second-place Denny Hamlin.
● “Lacking rear grip, center (of the corner) out, as I run,” said Harvick on lap 122 as he continued to lead.
● Caution on lap 128 ended a 45-lap green flag run where Harvick was the sole leader.
● Crew chief Rodney Childers took advantage of the caution and brought Harvick to pit road for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment on lap 131.
● The No. 4 Busch Light Apple team kept Harvick in front, getting him off pit road in first place.
● Harvick chose the outside lane for the lap-136 restart and got another good jump on second-place Hamlin.
● Caution on lap 139 for a two-car spin off the backstretch. Harvick and Childers opted to stay out and keep their first-place standing.
● Race went back to green on lap 145 with Harvick again choosing the outside lane and getting the jump on second-place Hamlin.
● Brad Keselowski passed Harvick for the lead on lap 147.
● “Struggling with the back (of the car) taking off the first 20 laps,” said Harvick while holding steady in second on lap 177.
● Maintained second through the end of the stage and pitted for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment at the conclusion of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 186-293):

● Harvick started third and finished sixth.
● Harvick again positioned the No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang in the outside lane for the restart.
● As Team Penske teammates Keselowski and Ryan Blaney battled for the lead, Harvick inched ever closer to the duo.
● After initially gaining on second-place Keselowski, Harvick started falling back a bit, with his Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Aric Almirola taking third from him on lap 218.
● “Still just lacking rear grip,” said Harvick while in fourth place on lap 219. “And I’ve lost my turn-in the middle of the corner.”
● Harvick made a scheduled, green flag pit stop on lap 250 for four tires and fuel.
● After pit stops cycled through by lap 275. Harvick was fifth.
● Joey Logano passed Harvick on lap 283, sending the Busch Light Apple Ford to sixth.
● Harvick held steady in sixth through the finish.

Notes:

● Harvick earned his 15th top-10 of the season and his 22nd top-10 in 38 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at New Hampshire.
● Harvick’s 22 top-10s at New Hampshire are the most among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers.
● This was Harvick’s fourth straight top-10 at New Hampshire.
● Harvick led twice for a race-high 66 laps to increase his laps led total at New Hampshire to 831.
● Harvick has now led 11,246 laps since joining SHR in 2014. He has led 15,670 laps in his entire NASCAR Cup Series career.
● Almirola won the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 to score his third career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at New Hampshire. His margin over second-place Christopher Bell was .697 of a second.
● This was Ford’s 709th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its fifth this season.
● This was Ford’s 17th NASCAR Cup Series victory at New Hampshire. The manufacturer won its first race at New Hampshire on July 10, 1994 with Ricky Rudd.
● This was Ford’s fourth straight win at New Hampshire and SHR is responsible for three of them. (Harvick won in July 2018 and July 2019.)
● There were six caution periods for a total of 47 laps.
● Only 15 of the 37 drivers in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 finished on the lead lap.
● Hamlin remains the championship leader after New Hampshire with a 13-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series goes on a two-week summer break as broadcast partner NBC covers the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. It returns to action on Aug. 8 with the Go Bowling at The Glen road-course race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. It starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Custer Finishes 14th at New Hampshire
HaasTooling.com Ford Driver Scores Fifth Top-15 of Season

Date: July 18, 2021
Event: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (Round 22 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (1.058-mile oval)
Format: 301 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/110 laps/116 laps)
Start/Finish: 21st / 14th (Running, completed 293 of 293 laps)
Point Standing: 28th (337 points, 537 out of first)
Note: Race reduced eight laps short of its scheduled 301-lap distance due to darkness.
Race Winner: Aric Almirola of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-75):

● Cole Custer started 21st and finished 16th.
● Custer struggled with the balance of his racecar in the initial laps of the race before the caution flag flew on lap five.
● The Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 came to an abrupt pause after only eight laps due to rain. The HaasTooling.com Ford driver was running 20th when the red flag waved.
● After an hour and 41 minutes under the red flag, the race resumed under the competition caution. The No. 41 HaasTooling.com team opted to keep their driver out on the track during the caution laps with the leaders to restart 19th.
● The green flag waved on lap 24, and Custer moved up several spots before the lap-32 caution. The 22-year-old reported that his Ford Mustang was tight, but he opted to stay out on the track to try and gain position.
● Custer restarted 12th on lap 38 and broke into the top-10 just two laps later.
● As the stage progressed, the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang became tighter, causing Custer to fall back to 16th – where he finished the first stage.
● During the stage break, the No. 41 team brought their driver down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 76-185):

● Custer started 15th and finished 14th.
● The HaasTooling.com driver reported on lap 88, as he ran 14th, that his Ford Mustang was way too tight on this run. He told the team that his Ford Mustang was starting to fall off, but he continued to hold his position.
● When the caution came out on lap 127, the No. 41 team brought Custer down pit road for four tires, fuel and an adjustment to combat his tight racecar. The pit crew gained their driver two spots for the restart.
● On lap 160 after falling back to 16th, Custer tried to mimick the line of his teammate Kevin Harvick, but he reported that he got too tight trying to run it.
● In the closing 20 laps of the stage, Custer found his momentum and passed several cars to finish 14th.
● The No. 41 HaasTooling.com team pitted for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment during the stage break.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 186-293):

● Custer started 14th and finished 14th.
● On the lap-193 restart, the HaasTooling.com Ford driver passed three cars to pull to 11th in the opening laps of the stage.
● As the final stage progressed, Custer reported that his No. 41 Ford Mustang needed more rear grip, and he fell back to 14th.
● Custer reported on lap 273 that he needed more turn and that he was continuing to run tight.
● On lap 284, NASCAR announced that the race would end in 10 laps due to the darkness. Custer was running 15th.
● The HaasTooling.com driver gained another spot in the closing laps to finish 14th.

Notes:

● Custer earned his fifth top-15 of the season and his second top-15 in two career NASCAR Cup Series starts at New Hampshire.
● Custer finished eighth in his prior visit to New Hampshire last August.
● Aric Almirola won the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 to score his first win of the season, the third of his career and his second since joining SHR in 2018. His margin over second-place Christopher Bell was .697 of a second.
● There were six caution periods for a total of 47 laps.
● Only 15 of the 37 drivers in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 finished on the lead lap.
● Denny Hamlin remains the championship leader after New Hampshire with a 13-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“It wasn’t out best day but it was a solid day for our HaasTooling.com team New Hampshire and something we can build on. It’s really cool to see Aric (Almirola) get the win and shows that as an organization we’re moving in the right direction. We’ll take this two-week break and head to Watkins Glen looking for another chance to make some gains.”

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series goes on a two-week summer break as broadcast partner NBC covers the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. It returns to action on Aug. 8 with the Go Bowling at The Glen road-course race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The event starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Briscoe Finishes 27th at New Hampshire
HighPoint.com Driver Struggles With Balance

Date: July 18, 2021
Event: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (Round 22 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (1.058-mile oval)
Format: 301 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/110 laps/116 laps)
Start/Finish: 19th / 27th (Running, completed 291 of 293 laps)
Point Standing: 24th (377 points, 497 out of first)
Note: Race reduced eight laps short of its scheduled 301-lap distance due to darkness.
Race Winner: Aric Almirola of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-75):

● Chase Briscoe started 19th and finished 24th.
● Just eight laps into the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301, the yellow caution flag was shown as the leaders spun going into turn one due to wet track conditions. With rain falling, the race was placed under red flag conditions for an hour and 41 minutes.
● After several laps under yellow, the event returned to green on lap 24 with Briscoe lined up 15th.
● The No. 14 HighPoint.com team made their first pit stop of the race under yellow on lap 26. Briscoe said the car felt like it was on top of the track and needed help on corner exit. He was given four tires, fuel and adjustments, and lined up 29th for the lap-39 restart.
● Briscoe drove up to the 22nd position, but as the end of the first stage approached, he struggled on corner entry, causing the HighPoint.com Ford to fall back to 24th.
● At the stage break the team pitted for four tires, fuel and additional adjustments to help Briscoe with corner entry.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 76-185):

● Briscoe started 29th and finished 21st.
● Following the stage break, Briscoe lined up 21st for the beginning of Stage 2. However, on the pace laps, the No. 14 HighPoint.com Mustang shut off. Briscoe pulled to the apron of turns three and four as the field approached the green on lap 82, where he attempted to refire his car. He was able to get going before the leaders lapped him, though he was scored in the 29th position, nearly 20 seconds behind the leader.
● Briscoe was lapped on lap 108. But he was able to hang on to his spot as the first car one lap down and was awarded his lap back when the caution flag waved on lap 129.
● Under caution, the HighPoint.com driver pitted for tires, fuel and adjustments to help him roll the center better as his entry had improved from previous adjustments.
● Briscoe restarted 21st but got stuck in the bottom lane and fell back to 25th. He worked his way back up to the 21st position by the end of the second stage.
● The HighPoint.com driver reported that he was having trouble across the center of the corner, so when the team pitted on lap 189 Briscoe was given fresh tires, fuel and adjustments to help with front turn in the center.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 186-293):

● Briscoe started 19th and finished 27th.
● The HighPoint.com driver began the final stage in 19th but quickly dropped back to 27th, reporting that his Ford Mustang was plowing. As the stage went on he radioed that the tires were chattering in the center of the turn. But he was slowly able to work his way back into the 24th position.
● When the leaders began making scheduled green-flag pit stops on lap 246, the No. 14 team elected to stay on track to try to catch a caution. Briscoe ran as high as fifth before cars with newer tires began to pass him.
● Briscoe was called to pit road on lap 274 for his scheduled green-flag pit stop, receiving right-side tires and fuel. He rejoined the field in the 29th spot, two laps down.
● Briscoe picked up two positions before NASCAR announced on lap 283 that the race would end within 10 laps. He crossed the line 27th when the checkered flag waved.

Notes:

● The Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 marked Briscoe’s 22nd career NASCAR Cup Series start and his first at New Hampshire.
● Briscoe was the highest finishing NASCAR Cup Series rookie for the 18th time this season.
● Aric Almirola won the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 to score his first win of the season, the third of his career and his second since joining SHR in 2018. His margin over second-place Christopher Bell was .697 of a second.
● There were six caution periods for a total of 47 laps.
● Only 15 of the 37 drivers in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 finished on the lead lap.
● Denny Hamlin remains the championship leader after New Hampshire with a 13-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We had a really tough time getting our balance where we needed it all day. We’d make improvements on entry, but it was never really where I needed it to be to make up any ground. Going a lap down didn’t help, but we were able to get that back pretty quick. Playing the strategy game at the end and hoping for a caution didn’t quite go in our favor, so I’m looking forward to the break. It’ll give us a chance to regroup and come back ready for some road-course racing in a few weeks.”

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series goes on a two-week summer break as broadcast partner NBC covers the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. It returns to action on Aug. 8 with the Go Bowling at The Glen road-course race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The event starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Austin Dillon Survives Shortened NASCAR Cup Series Race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway In No. 3 Chevy

Finish: 17th
Start: 13th
Points: 13th

“It was an intense day to say the least in our No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. We battled weather, ill-timed cautions and darkness. We started the race a little tight rolling through the center of Turns 3 and 4 but routine adjustments really helped the handling of our Chevy. In Stage 2, the caution flag came out while we were on pit road, pinning us one lap down. I’m proud of this team for giving me what I needed to race our way into position for the free pass. I wish we could have earned some Stage Points today and finished a little higher in the running order, but I know we gave it our all and that is just how it goes sometimes. There’s a lot of fight left in this team so don’t count us out of the NASCAR Playoffs battle yet. We’ll take these next few off weekends to regroup before Watkins Glen.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Cat #WeDigLandscaping Chevrolet Team Showcase Speed and Determination at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Finish: 13th
Start: 8th
Points: 12th

“Our No. 8 Caterpillar #WeDigLandscaping Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was really strong today. I told Randall Burnett and the guys during the red flag that our car was sporty and could be in contention at the end. The handling built free during a long run, but it wasn’t unbearable or hurt us in any way. We barely adjusted on the handling during the race which is a sign of a really fast race car. We had to overcome a few different things – overshooting the pit stall and scrubbing the wall – but even though that cost us track position, I steadily worked my way back up inside the top-10. There were a few different strategies in play at the end when we were racing against the darkness. I hate we didn’t get to run the full distance, because I think we could have finished better than 13th. As we get closer to the playoff cutoff though, we will need to have a clean race and get a win to secure our spot. I know our team can do it and we will keep battling.” -Tyler Reddick

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series — Foxwoods Resort Casino 301
New Hampshire Motor Speedway | Sunday, July 18, 2021

ARIC ALMIROLA”S DRAMATIC WIN AT NEW HAMPSHIRE CLINCHES PLAYOFF SPOT

• Aric Almirola registered his first victory of the season and third win of his NASCAR Cup Series career with today’s win.
• It’s Ford’s fourth straight Cup victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
• This marks the 30th win for Stewart-Haas Racing since joining Ford.
• Today’s win is Ford’s 709th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
1st — Aric Almirola
3rd — Brad Keselowski
4th — Joey Logano
5th — Ryan Blaney
6th — Kevin Harvick
11th — Matt DiBenedetto
14th — Cole Custer
24th — Ryan Newman
25th — Michael McDowell
27th — Chase Briscoe
29th — Chris Buescher
30th — B.J. McLeod
32nd — Anthony Alfredo
34th — Josh Bilicki

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang — VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW — DID YOU SEE THAT PERFORMANCE COMING THIS MORNING? “Honestly, I did. This is by far one of my favorite racetracks. I love coming up to the New England area and racing. I love this racetrack. I had this race won a couple years ago and I gave it away. I lost it, and I am so glad to win a race here with this race team. God is so good. We’ve been through so much and I’ve just stood the test and kept the faith. The team, everybody, they’ve just been working so hard. Smithfield, Ford, Go Bowling, Pit Boss Grills, everybody, Honeystinger, Shady Rays Sunglasses. There have been so many people that have just continued to support us through the crappiest year ever, and, man, this feels so good for them. My pit crew, they did a phenomenal job on pit road. All the guys that work on this car, they just keep fighting. They just keep digging, bringing the best race car they can bring every week and it is no doubt, we have struggled, but, guess what? We’re going playoff racing.”

HOW ABOUT THOSE LAST 50 LAPS? MAYBE THE HARDEST 50 LAPS YOU’VE EVER RACED TO BEAT BLANEY< KESELOWSKI AND BELL. “Yeah, that’s what a race car driver lives for and for so long I’ve been so close to winning at some of these racetracks like here, Dover, and I’ve let it slip away. I honestly hated it and my wife has hated it worse than I have. She’s always told me, ‘Honey, I want you to win so badly at somewhere other than a restrictor plate racetrack,’ and we did it today. I’m so proud of everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing, Roush Yates Engine Shop. We have been fighting, scratching, clawing and, man, this feels so good to have something pay off for all the hard work, so just really happy. Man, this means so much. It’s hard to explain it, but I love coming up here to New England. You fans are awesome in this area.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 eCascadia Ford Mustang — “The 10 was just lights-out fast that last run, or the last two runs, and just drove by everybody. It was pretty amazing. We were good, but we weren’t great, so a solid day.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CALL TO SHORTEN IT? “Yeah, it was pretty smart. You’ve got to keep in mind that what you can see on TV is not what you can see in the car. We see a lot less in the car than you can even on site, so whether it’s Circuit of the Americas where we had no visibility or here bad things happen when you can’t see.”

TEAM PENSKE AND FORD HAVE BEEN GOOD HERE LATELY. WHAT MADE FORD SO GOOD TODAY? “I don’t know. It seems like we’re a little better on the 750s than the 550s. We’re probably a little closer on the package.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Tarkett Ford Mustang — “I thought we were pretty good. We just got loose when the sun started to go down and as it got darker we got looser and just couldn’t really keep up with that. We kind of fell off the pace there at the end. When we had the lead I was kind of riding around and I knew Aric and the 2 were there and I was trying to manage my tires, but as soon as Aric got by the 2 he was on me incredibly quick and I couldn’t push any harder. Overall, not a bad run. The three best cars in the top five is not bad, just still have to keep doing a little work, but we’re getting there.”

WAS THAT MORE FUN OR FRUSTRATING RACING WITH BRAD FOR THE LEAD? “I had more fun when I was behind him and I’m sure he had more fun when he was behind me because you could kind of get each other loose. You just put it on the left-rear and get him free pretty easy and, like I said, I thought I was gonna drive away when I got in front of Brad, but then he put the pressure on me like I did him and just kept getting me loose and loose just with air. I couldn’t get away, but that was a blast. That was a lot of fun and that’s something. I’ve always enjoyed racing Brad. He gave me my start in trucks, so that was a lot of fun racing for the lead like that.”

BRAD SAID TODAY WAS A CASE FOR NOT PUTTING THE PJ1 DOWN. DO YOU AGREE? “Yeah. I thought it put on a great show with no PJ1, just less grip out there. It felt like there was a little bit of a grip change, like the track was darker in the first and third lane, but it was like almost gone. I didn’t feel much PJ1. I just thought the track was pretty wide, so I think the place doesn’t need PJ1 at all.”

DID THEY CALL IT EARLY? “I’m happy because I was trying my butt off to keep the 4 behind me. I didn’t see the lead. From my seat, I’m glad they did because I don’t know if I could have held the 4 off for eight more laps.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang — “We had a really fast Autotrader Mustang. When you come to your home track all you want to do is win. A straight kick to the gut to start the race with a piece of rubber getting in the linkage, the throttle linkage, and not letting me get wide-open. All we did was take a picture under the red flag, underneath the hood to see what was under there. We took a picture with a camera phone and they gave us a two-lap penalty for that. I understand the rules are the rules, but it’s also a safety factor and the last thing you want is a throttle to stick and get hurt. I don’t know. Hindsight is 20/20, but you would never know what it was if you didn’t take a picture, but it still had the piece of rubber in it. It’s frustrating. We got a good finish out of it, but it’s frustrating when you’re at your home track and you feel like you could have got a win out of it, out of a safety issue that we got a penalty for.”

WITHOUT THE PENALTY YOU FELT YOU HAD A GOOD SHOT TO WIN? “Absolutely. As much as you fight through a field over and over again you beat up your car a lot. You wear tires out a lot. If you get up front, you can set your pace and save stuff and you can be a lot faster. We passed the whole field three or four times trying to get lucky dogs and move up there. I definitely felt like we had the best car we’ve had all season, in my opinion.”

WERE THESE THE BEST CARS FOR PENSKE AND FORD ALL YEAR? “Yeah, I’d say so. Probably the best car I’ve had all season and when you see other teammates up there battling for the lead at one point you feel like we brought some good stuff. This has been a good track for us. Brad has been really good here in the past and I think we all probably learned a lot from him and his style here that’s made us all competitive.”

THEY CUT THE RACE EIGHT LAPS SHORT FOR DARKNESS. COULD YOU SEE? “I don’t know if eight laps is gonna change anything. Maybe. Maybe I could have caught the 2 and got another spot. I was able to catch him quite a bit there. I didn’t know what was going on for the lead. I don’t know if it was close or not, but it was getting dark. I don’t know. I wasn’t in the lead, so I would say keep racing. I’d still say keep racing because I’m not in the lead.”

MATT DIBENEDETTO, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang — WHAT WERE YOU HOPING WHEN YOU HAD THE LEAD LATE AND IT WAS GETTING DARKER? “I was hoping they were gonna throw the 10 to go when we were leading. It was getting pretty dark. Hassler and our guys made a great attempt and call trying to snag one there. We started off and had to really crank on it today, and we got it way better. Then we stayed out and knew we’d sacrifice some track position if it did stay green and we didn’t get the 10 to go deal and we didn’t. But we did a two-tire deal and made it work and instead of finishing eighth we finished 11th and it was totally worth the gamble, so great job.”

WERE YOU THINKING YOU WERE DUE A BREAK WHEN YOU WERE LEADING? AT WHAT POINT DO YOU SAY THIS IS A TIME WHERE THE BREAK HAS TO GO YOUR WAY? “I was definitely hoping so. I looked at it two different ways. One, was that. Two, was here we are turning a day where we were off from the start into what was gonna be another top 10. If we didn’t throw a Hail Mary, instead of finishing 11th we would have been eighth, so it just shows yet again that even on our bad day we were gonna run top 10, so it just shows the strength of our team. So there were two ways to look at it.”

YOU HOVERED AROUND 10TH ALL DAY. “We took it from around that 10th area and there was a lot of green flag racing where we got the car way better to where we were running lap times comparable to the leaders. We just really had to crank on it. It just shows how good our team is. There are still a lot of proud things to take out of it.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang — “That was a long day. We weren’t that great to start and then at the beginning of the second stage our motor shut off and that kind of put us behind. We were able to get the lucky dog, but wasn’t really that great all day. Then at the end, I don’t know, we just missed something and went really bad all of a sudden. That was unfortunate, but I’m glad our teammate was able to win, but it was a long, long day for us.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO 301
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES
JULY 18, 2021

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
7th KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE
8th ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 1LE
9th ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
13th TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT #WEDIGLANDSCAPING CAMARO ZL1 1LE
15th RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER/DAWN CAMARO ZL1 1LE

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Aric Almirola (Ford)
2nd Christopher Bell (Toyota)
3rd Brad Keselowski (Ford)
4th Joey Logano (Ford)
5th Ryan Blaney (Ford)

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Watkins Glen International for the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, August 8, at 3 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 7th
SOLID DAY ALL AROUND. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU NEEDED THERE AT THE END OR THROUGHOUT THE DAY TO MAKE GAINS?
“I think we just needed grip. I was just a little bit too free. Once we finally got some grip in it, my long run kind of faded a little bit. My team made some improvements, so that was good. I feel like with the improvements, we probably finished a spot or two better than we maybe would have before. It’s good to get the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE back into the top-10.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 8th
“Eighth-place here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The No. 42 Clover Camaro ZL1 1LE ran in the top-10, right around sixth to tenth, all day long. We executed on a green flag pit stop there at the end to bring our Chevrolet home right behind Kyle (Larson).”

“We want to be better; but a nice, solid, pretty uneventful day. I got to race around my teammate (Kurt Busch) a few times. It was good stuff. Onto the next one.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 9th
“Top-10 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the No. 48 Ally team; we’ll take it. We typically aren’t good here, so a ninth-place finish is pretty good for us. It’s a good improvement versus the last couple of times we’ve been here. I only raced one race car today, which was fantastic. I’ve raced three race cars here before, so we’re doing what we can on the Ally Camaro. Not a bad day.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT #WEDIGLANDSCAPING CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 13th
“Our No. 8 Caterpillar #WeDigLandscaping Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was really strong today. I told Randall (Burnett) and the guys during the red flag that our car was sporty and could be in contention at the end. The handling built free during a long run, but it wasn’t unbearable or hurt us in any way. We barely adjusted on the handling during the race which is a sign of a really fast race car. We had to overcome a few different things – overshooting the pit stall and scrubbing the wall – but even though that cost us track position, I steadily worked my way back up inside the top-10. There were a few different strategies in play at the end when we were racing against the darkness. I hate we didn’t get to run the full distance, because I think we could have finished better than 13th. As we get closer to the playoff cutoff though, we will need to have a clean race and get a win to secure our spot. I know our team can do it and we will keep battling.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 17th
“It was an intense day to say the least in our No. 3 Chevy at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. We battled weather, ill-timed cautions and darkness. We started the race a little tight rolling through the center of Turns 3 and 4 but routine adjustments really helped the handling of our Chevy. In Stage 2, the caution flag came out while we were on pit road, pinning us one lap down. I’m proud of this team for giving me what I needed to race our way into position for the free pass. I wish we could have earned some Stage Points today and finished a little higher in the running order, but I know we gave it our all and that is just how it goes sometimes. There’s a lot of fight left in this team so don’t count us out of the NASCAR Playoffs battle yet. We’ll take these next few off weekends to regroup before Watkins Glen.”

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

About Chevrolet
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