McDowell on Phoenix:

“The time of year is once again upon us; it’s the final race of the season. Even with all of the craziness that 2020 has brought to our racing industry with the COVID-19 Pandemic and the lengthy pause on racing that it caused, it still feels like the Daytona 500 was only a few short weeks ago.

“And although it’s a bittersweet feeling to know that this is the final race of the year, I’m still really excited because we’re heading back to my hometown of Phoenix. Maybe I’m a little bit biased, but I’ve always felt like Phoenix would be a great venue to host our season finale at and I can’t wait to see what the racing will produce on Sunday.

“This weekend we’ll have Love’s Travel Stops back on board our No. 34 Ford Mustang and they’ll be joined by our friends at Luber-finer. We’ve had Luber-finer on the car with Love’s [Travel Stops] for a handful of races over the last couple of years and I really appreciate their support.

“I think it’s fitting that we have Love’s back on our race car this weekend to close out the season as they’ve played such an instrumental role in Front Row Motorsports’ growth and increased competitiveness throughout the years. They stuck by us when we were first building our program and not always having the best of finishes, and they’ve stuck by us this year, regardless of the financial uncertainties that most businesses have been faced with; and I know that all of us at Front Row [Motorsports]are extremely thankful for that.

“Obviously this weekend is the championship round for the Final Four, but when we take the green flag on Sunday, we’ll still have a battle of our own as we’re fighting to grab a spot in the Top-25 in Owner Points. The points race is tight between a few of us and I know that it’s going to be a dog fight on Sunday.”

About Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores

Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is the nation’s industry-leading travel stop network with 530 locations in 41 states. Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, the company remains family-owned and operated and employs more than 27,000 people. Love’s provides professional truck drivers and motorists with 24-hour access to clean and safe places to purchase gasoline, diesel fuel, fresh coffee, restaurant offerings and more. Love’s has more than 390 truck service centers, which include on-site and stand-alone Speedco and Love’s Truck Tire Care locations. Love’s and Speedco combined is the largest oil change, preventive maintenance and total truck care nationwide network. Love’s is committed to providing customers with “Clean Places, Friendly Faces” at every stop. To learn more, visit loves.com.

Track: Phoenix Raceway, one-mile oval
Race: 23 of 23
Event: Lucas Oil 150 (150 miles, 150 laps)

Schedule:
Friday, Nov. 6
8:00 p.m…………..Race (FS1)
(all times ET)

Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performance F-150

Tanner Gray will close out his rookie season in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Friday night in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway in the No. 15 Ford Performance F-150. This will be Gray’s second start in the Truck Series at the one-mile oval since this was one of the three races he competed in at the end of last season to help prepare for 2020.

Gray also finished fourth at Phoenix in March in the ARCA Menards Series race. Knowing it was the final race of the truck season, he wanted some extra seat time to prepare for the season finale. It was his best ARCA finish in his six starts this season.

In 22 Truck Series races to date this year, Gray has four top-five, eight top-10 finishes, has led four laps and sits 14th in the driver point standings. Of his four top-five finishes, three of them have been third-place finishes all within the last 12 races.

The Lucas Oil 150 from Phoenix Raceway will be run on Friday, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live on FS1. The 150-lap race will be broken into three segments with stage-ending cautions on laps 45 and 90.

Gray on Phoenix: “I’ve been looking forward to Phoenix. It’s a fun track, although I’ve struggled there a little bit in the past races that I’ve run there, but I really like the race track and the area in general. I ran the ARCA race out there in the spring to get some extra track time before this race and we finished fourth in that race.

“We had a tough month of October with a lot of bad luck, so hopefully we can end the season with a solid run Friday night in the Ford Performance F-150.”
Dylan Lupton, No. 17 Crosley Brands F-150

Dylan Lupton returns to DGR-Crosley for the third and final NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race of the season this weekend at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway in the No. 17 Crosley Brands Ford F-150.

Lupton, a native of Wilton, Calif., invades Phoenix on the heels of a strong top-10 finish in his most recent Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. After starting 29th in the SpeedyCash.com 400, a fast No. 17 Crosley Brands Ford F-150 allowed Lupton to climb through the field and earn a noteworthy eighth-place finish. It was his fourth career top-10 finish with DGR-Crosley in seven races dating back to Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway in June 2019.

Lupton, 26, has two prior starts in the Truck Series at Phoenix in 2016 and 2019 with a best finish of 16th last November with DGR-Crosley. Additionally, he has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the one-mile oval, with a best finish of 19th twice in 2015 and 2016.
He also has five Phoenix starts in the ARCA Menards Series West, including a track-best of fifth in 2014. Friday night’s race will mark Lupton’s 11th career Truck Series start, eight with DGR-Crosley.

The Lucas Oil 150 from Phoenix Raceway will be run on Friday, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live on FS1. The 150-lap race will be broken into three segments with stage-ending cautions on laps 45 and 90.

Lupton on Phoenix: “I’m looking forward to getting back in the No. 17 Crosley Brands Ford F-150 this weekend at Phoenix, especially after our top-10 finish at Texas Motor Speedway a couple weeks ago. The guys have really been working hard to make sure we come to Phoenix this weekend and be even better than we were at Texas.

“Phoenix is one of the tracks that I have the most experience on, but I only have one race under the new configuration. We’re going to be starting deep in the field because of the qualifying formula, but we just need to use the same mindset that we did at Las Vegas and Texas and hope that continues to pay off for us on Friday night.”

Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Luke Lambert

Twitter: @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 312 laps, 312 miles, Stage Lengths: 75-115-122

Season Finale 500 – Sunday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Season Finale in Phoenix This Weekend

· The 2020 NASCAR season comes to a close this weekend out west, where Phoenix Raceway hosts the finale for the first time in its history.

· The return to Arizona is also unique in that the spring race at Phoenix marked the last pre-COVID event for the series, as the pandemic ultimately postponed the schedule for two months following. Despite the hiatus, the #NASCARPlayoffs schedule remained intact, with Phoenix capping the 36-race campaign.

· Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed before the schedule later picked back up in mid-May.

· Sunday’s starting lineup will be set by three competition-based metrics, rewarding both season-long and single-race performance, and will be announced later in the week.

Buescher Historically at Phoenix

· Buescher will make his 10th Cup start at Phoenix on Sunday, where he has an average finish of 24.7. His best finish is 16th – which happened twice – in 2019.

· In the last four events in Phoenix, Buescher has finished no worse than 18th, and ran 17th in the No. 17 this spring.

· In four Xfinity starts at Phoenix, Buescher had a best finish of 12th in 2014 in the No. 60, with his best qualifying effort coming in 2015 (seventh).

Luke Lambert Historically at Phoenix

· Lambert returns to the site of his lone Cup series win, which came three years ago with Ryan Newman. Overall Lambert has an average finish of 13.5 in 15 races atop the box.

· Lambert led Jeff Burton to a fourth-place run in his first-ever race in Phoenix back in 2011, and went on to also finish seventh (2014) and third (2015) with Newman. Most recently, he and Buescher ran 17th this spring.

· Lambert also visited victory lane in the Xfinity Series with Elliott Sadler in 2012 after starting eighth, one of his two starts as a crew chief in the NXS at Phoenix.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Phoenix:
“There’s no doubt 2020 has been different and challenging at the same time, and that for sure applies to me and our 17 team. We’ve had an up and down ride this season, but have a great opportunity at another short track this weekend in Phoenix, and we’re looking forward to ending it on a good note in the Fastenal Ford.”

Last Time Out
Buescher finished 38th in Martinsville after being collected in an on-track incident.

Where They Rank
Buescher is 21st in driver standings through 35 events.

On the Car
Fastenal celebrates its 10th season with Roush Fenway Racing in 2020. The Minnesota company spent three years on the No. 99 before jumping to the No. 17 Cup Series entry, and were the primary partner on the No. 60 Xfinity team that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.

Thursday, Fastenal and Roush Fenway will have a special unveil looking ahead to 2021. Stay tuned to @roushfenway on social for further updates.

About Fastenal
Fastenal [Nasdaq: FAST] is North America’s largest fastener distributor and a ‘one-stop’ source for hundreds of thousands of OEM, MRO and Construction products. With more than 2,600 stores worldwide, the company supports B2B customers with tailored local inventory and dedicated personnel, who visit regularly, quickly respond to emergency needs, and provide efficient inventory management solutions. Fastenal’s service-oriented business network includes the world’s largest industrial vending program, 14 regional distribution centers, 8 custom manufacturing facilities, thousands of delivery vehicles, and industry-leading sourcing, quality and engineering resources.

Team: No. 6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves

Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Race Format: 312 laps, 312 miles, Stage Lengths: 75-115-122

Season Finale 500 – Sunday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Season Finale in Phoenix This Weekend

· The 2020 NASCAR season comes to a close this weekend out west, where Phoenix Raceway hosts the finale for the first time in its history.

· The return to Arizona is also unique in that the spring race at Phoenix marked the last pre-COVID event for the series, as the pandemic ultimately postponed the schedule for two months following. Despite the hiatus, the #NASCARPlayoffs schedule remained intact, with Phoenix capping the 36-race campaign.

· Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed before the schedule later picked back up in mid-May.

· Sunday’s starting lineup will be set by three competition-based metrics, rewarding both season-long and single-race performance, and will be announced later in the week.

Newman Historically at Phoenix

· Newman will make his 36th start at Phoenix this weekend, the track where he earned his most-recent NCS win. He won the spring 2017 race after starting 22nd en route to his 18th Cup win.

· Overall at the 1-mile track, Newman has 12 top-10s, 10 of which were inside the top five, with an average finish of 16.7. He also won the 2010 spring race in Arizona.

· Dating back four events at Phoenix, Newman has an average finish of 13th, including a 12th-place finish last spring. Newman missed the spring race this season, as it marked one of the three events he missed following his accident in the season-opening Daytona 500.

· Newman has four Cup poles at Phoenix and an average starting position of 14.3, with the most recent pole coming in 2008.

· He also has two starts in the Xfinity Series, finishing fourth back in 2011.

Scott Graves Historically at Phoenix

· Graves will call his eighth Cup event at Phoenix on Sunday. He has an average finish of 15.3 in seven starts at the 1-mile track, with a best finish of eighth in 2018.

· Most recently, Graves finished 12th and 18th with Newman last year, and finished 23rd with Ross Chastain this spring as he was filling in for Newman.

· Graves also has seven Xfinity starts with a pair of top fives. He led Daniel Suarez to a third-place run in 2016, and followed that with a fifth-place finish that fall.

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at Phoenix:
“We go to every race track to try to win and put our best effort forward, and Phoenix will be no different. Obviously, we are not in the Championship 4 but the reality is, we do have the ability to win the race and end on the season on a good note. I missed this race back in the spring, but it is a fun track and one I’ve been fortunate to have some success at, so we’re looking forward to the weekend in the Guaranteed Rate Ford.”

Last Time Out
Newman had speed early on in the goings Sunday at Martinsville, earning stage points in the midway part of the race, before going on to finish 18th in the Guaranteed Rate Ford.

Where They Rank
Newman is 25th in driver points after 32 points races in his 2020 campaign. In owners’ points, the No. 6 is 23rd.

On the Car
Guaranteed Rate returns to Newman’s Ford at Phoenix, as part of the overall 12-race schedule for the brand to close out the 2020 slate.

About Guaranteed Rate

Guaranteed Rate is one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the Company has more than 5,000 employees in nearly 350 offices across the U.S., and is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Since its founding in 2000, Guaranteed Rate has helped hundreds of thousands of homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances and funded more than $30 billion in loans in 2019 alone. The Company has cemented itself as Positively Different by introducing innovative technology, such as the world’s first Digital Mortgage, by offering low rates and by delivering unparalleled customer service. Honors and awards include: Top Lender for Online Service for 2018 by U.S. News & World Report; No. 3 ranking in Scotsman Guide’s Top Retail Mortgage Lenders 2019; Top Lender 2016, 2017 and 2018 by Chicago Agent magazine; Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces list for seven consecutive years; and Best Online Mortgage Lender, Best Mortgage Lender for VA loans and Best Conventional Mortgage Lender by NerdWallet in 2019. Visit rate.com for more information.

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: PHOENIX CHAMPIONSHIP 4 NOTES

Five Ford drivers will be trying to win championships this weekend as NASCAR hosts its final weekend at Phoenix Raceway for the first time. Grant Enfinger looks to win Ford’s second straight NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoor Truck Series title on Friday while Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric battle for the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship on Saturday. Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski will both try to win their second NASCAR Cup Series crown on Sunday.

Here is a look at how Ford has done in each series as well as a snapshot of each driver competing for championships this weekend.

NASCAR CUP SERIES

Ford comes into Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series finale having already won a title, clinching the manufacturers’ championship last weekend at Martinsville Speedway for the second time in three years. Ford leads al manufacturers in wins with 18, led by Kevin Harvick’s nine. Brad Keselowski (4), Joey Logano (3), Ryan Blaney (1) and Cole Custer (1) have the others. Ford has also had good success at Phoenix Raceway, having won 17 times. Championship 4 contender Joey Logano is going for a season sweep at Phoenix after winning the series’ first race at the one-mile track in March.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Team Penske

This marks the fourth time in seven years Logano has made it to the Championship 4 and improved his finish on each occasion, going from fourth in 2014, to second in 2016, to winning it all in 2018…In 23 starts at Phoenix Raceway, he has two wins, five top-5 and 23 top-10 finishes…This will be Logano’s fourth Championship 4 appearance, which is the most of any Ford driver…He qualified for the Championship 4 by winning at Kansas Speedway in the Round of 8.

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Team Penske

Keselowski is going for his second NASCAR Cup Series championship after winning in 2012…This is his second appearance in the Championship 4 with his first coming in 2017 when he finished seventh in the race and fourth in the title race…Keselowski is still looking for his first Cup win at Phoenix as this weekend marks his 23rd start…He has six top-5 and 10 top-10 finishes during that span…Keselowski made the Championship 4 on points.

FORD’S NCS CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVERS

1965 – Ned Jarrett
1968 – David Pearson
1969 – David Pearson
1988 – Bill Elliott
1992 – Alan Kulwicki
1999 – Dale Jarrett
2003 – Matt Kenseth
2004 – Kurt Busch
2018 – Joey Logano

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

The duo of Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric have carried the Ford banner throughout the 2020 NASCAR XFINITY Series season and have combined for a manufacturer-best 14 victories. Briscoe and Cindric have both qualified for the Championship 4, giving Ford more than one driver in the finale for the first time since NASCAR instituted the format for the series in 2016. Ford has 13 all-time NXS wins at Phoenix Raceway with the last one coming by Brad Keselowski in 2018.

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 98 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang – Stewart-Haas Racing

This will be Ford development driver Chase Briscoe’s first appearance in the Championship 4 and he’s made it on the strength of nine series victories…Briscoe, who will be moving up to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021 as driver of the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, has three NXS starts at Phoenix Raceway…He has finished in the Top 10 on each occasion, finishing sixth and eighth in the two races last year and sixth earlier this season.

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 Menards Ford Mustang – Team Penske

Austin Cindric will be making his second career Championship 4 appearance, but first in the NASCAR XFINITY Series…Cindric was part of the title race in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoor Truck Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2017 and finished fifth in the race, which was good for third in the final standings…In five NXS series starts at Phoenix, Cindric has four top-10 finishes with a career-best fourth coming in 2018.

FORD’S NXS CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVERS

2002 – Greg Biffle
2007 – Carl Edwards
2011 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2012 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2015 – Chris Buescher

MUSTANG LOOKING TO ADD ANOTHER TITLE

Mustang has dominated the NASCAR XFINITY Series since it joined the circuit full-time in 2011, winning at least one championship in seven of its first nine seasons. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won back-to-back drivers’ championships in 2011 and 2012 while Team Penske followed that with three straight owner’s titles from 2013-15 and again in 2017. Overall, Mustang has won nine driver’s and owner’s championships combined going into Saturday’s final event at Phoenix Raceway.

MUSTANG NASCAR XFINITY CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK

2011 — Driver’s Championship (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.)
2011 — Owner’s Championship (Jack Roush, No. 6)
2012 — Driver’s Championship (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.)
2013 — Owner’s Championship (Roger Penske, No. 22)
2014 — Owner’s Championship (Roger Penske, No. 22)
2015 — Driver’s Championship (Chris Buescher)
2015 — Owner’s Championship (Roger Penske, No. 22)
2017 — Owner’s Championship (Roger Penske, No. 22)
2018 – Owner’s Championship (Stewart-Haas, No. 00)

NASCAR GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES

Ford comes into this weekend looking to win its second straight series championship after Matt Crafton captured last season’s title. Grant Enfinger will have the opportunity to do that after winning four races, including last week’s Round of 8 elimination event at Martinsville Speedway. Ford’s six series victories this season, which includes one each by Matt Crafton and Ben Rhodes, is the most since it won eight in 2006. Ford has three series wins at Phoenix with the last one coming in 2001 by Greg Biffle.

GRANT ENFINGER, No. 98 Champion Power Equipment/Curb Records Ford F-150 – ThorSport Racing

Grant Enfinger will be making his first Championship 4 appearance and he earned it in style, winning a final lap duel last weekend at Martinsville to take the checkered flag first and clinch his spot…Enfinger is tied for the most series wins this season with four and is looking to add a post-season truck championship to the regular season title he won in 2019…Enfinger has three career series starts at Phoenix and back-to-back top-5 finishes (4th in 2018; 5th in 2019).

FORD’S NGROTS CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVERS
2000 – Greg Biffle
2019 – Matt Crafton

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT PHOENIX
1988 – Alan Kulwicki
1989 – Bill Elliott
1991 – Davey Allison
1992 – Davey Allison
1993 – Mark Martin
1995 – Ricky Rudd
1997 – Dale Jarrett
1998 – Rusty Wallace
2000 – Jeff Burton
2001 – Jeff Burton
2002 – Matt Kenseth
2005 – Kurt Busch (1)
2010 – Carl Edwards (2)
2013 – Carl Edwards (1)
2016 – Joey Logano (2)
2018 – Kevin Harvick (1)
2020 – Joey Logano (1)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT PHOENIX
2000 – Jeff Burton
2001 – Greg Biffle
2003 – Bobby Hamilton Jr.
2005 – Greg Biffle (1) and Carl Edwards (2)
2006 – Matt Kenseth (2)
2008 – Carl Edwards (2)
2009 – Greg Biffle (1) and Carl Edwards (2)
2010 – Carl Edwards (2)
2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2015 – Joey Logano (1)
2018 – Brad Keselowski (1)

FORD NASCAR GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT PHOENIX
1997 – Joe Ruttman (2)
1998 – Mike Bliss (2)
2001 – Greg Biffle