Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report
Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Race: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500
Date: October 28, 2020
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No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski
Start: 3rd
Stage 1: 16th
Stage 2: 4th
Finish: 6th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 334/334
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (Above the Cutline): 4th (+25)

Notes:

Brad Keselowski scored a sixth-place finish in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Wednesday evening at Texas Motor Speedway. The driver of the Discount Tire Ford racked up his 22nd top-10 in 34 races this season. He is fourth in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings 25 points above eight above the Championship 4 cutline.

Keselowski started third and was second when he pitted for four tires under caution on lap 24. He restarted 15th and was running ninth when a light mist and fog forced the race to be halted on lap 52. NASCAR officials tried for several hours to dry the track, but persistent rain and mist forced the restart of the race on Monday. NASCAR tried multiple times to dry the track on Monday and Tuesday before the event restarted on Wednesday afternoon.

When the race restarted, the balance on the No. 2 Ford Mustang was a handful for Keselowski. He struggled on the exit off Turn 4 which forced him to lift, costing him positions. Keselowski was credited with a 16th-place finish when Stage 1 concluded on lap 105. Crew chief Jeremy Bullins called for four tires and a wedge adjustment during a round of pit stops under the stage caution and he restarted 15th on lap 111.

Early in Stage 2, Keselowski was still struggling with the balance on his Mustang, dropping back to 19th-place. He pitted during the seventh caution on lap 135 for four tires and another round of adjustments and restarted 17th when the race went green. As the run progressed, Keselowski said his Mustang began to turn better in the corners and he slowly began to climb back into contention. As the segment entered its closing laps, Bullins made a gutsy pit call for fuel-only under green on lap 202, eight laps from the end of Stage 2. The move propelled Keselowski to a fourth-place finish when the stage ended on lap 210 and the driver of the Discount Tire Ford claimed seven precious stage points. He pitted for four tires during the stage caution on lap 213 and restarted 13th three laps later.

The final stage started well for Keselowski. He steadily worked his way through traffic and climbed inside the top-five by lap 237. He made his final pit stop on lap 274 then held off Kurt Busch down the stretch to claim a sixth-place finish.

Quote: “I’m glad we had a great run. I’m very much looking forward to Martinsville. I’m very proud of the team. We made a great pit call at the end of stage two that set us up for a great day and very proud of everybody on the Discount Tire team. We just need to have a solid day at Martinsville. The two cars in front of us are close in points. If we have a solid day, we’ll be just fine.”

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No. 12 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 10th
Stage 1: 4th
Stage 2: 5th
Finish: 4th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 334/334
Laps Led: 20
Point Standings (behind first): 10th (-1886)

Notes:

Ryan Blaney finished fourth in a rain delayed Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway. The driver of the DEX Imaging Ford Mustang collected his 10th top-five finish of 2020 and led 20 laps in the event.

Blaney started 10th and made his way up to sixth by the early competition caution on lap 23. He would pit on lap 24 taking four tires and fuel along with a track bar adjustment and tape on the nose. Unfortunately, Blaney would have to return to pit road a lap later for loose lug nuts. Restarting 30th he would make his way back to 14th by lap 40 and seventh by lap 45.

Eventually the threating skies over Texas Motor Speedway opened and constant light precipitation over the next 72-plus hours forced the postponement of the race until Wednesday afternoon.

Blaney restarted in seventh position when racing resumed on lap 56. Battling a tight car in traffic, he would eventually drive his way up to fourth when Stage 1 was completed on lap 105.

Blaney would restart fifth when Stage 2 began on lap 110. A strong restart would move Blaney up to second place by lap 120. A caution on lap 135 would see Blaney take fuel only and tape on the nose of the DEX Imaging Ford Mustang. He would lead 20 of the next 21 laps before losing the lead to Martin Truex Jr. on lap 156. After falling back to third he would pit on lap 195 for routine service. Following the cycle of pit stops Blaney would come home in the fifth position in Stage 2.

Blaney would restart ninth after taking two left side tires during the stage break. He would fall back as low as 13th on lap 230, but slowly began to work his way back through the field. He was sixth on lap 240 and would get as high as third by lap 260. Blaney would make his final pit stop of the day on lap 277 and would cross the finish line in fourth at the end of the 500 miles.

Blaney is 10th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings heading to the penultimate race of the season at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.

Quote: “We had a really fast DEX Imaging Ford Mustang. I think we had a car capable of running the top-three all day and managed to lead some laps. Todd (Gordon) and the team did a great job as always and we’ve been clicking off the strong runs each week lately. I’m looking forward to racing at Martinsville on Sunday.”

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No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 2nd
Stage 1: 8th
Stage 2: 15th
Finish: 10th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 334/334
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (Behind First): 6th (-43) (Championship 4 Clinched)

Notes:

Joey Logano started second and finished 10th in Wednesday evening’s continuation of the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in the No. 22 AAA Ford Mustang. Logano was in the fourth position when rain halted the event on Sunday afternoon. Plagued by cold temperatures and persistent mist, the race was delayed over 72 hours before being completed Wednesday night.

During the opening laps of the first stage, Logano dealt with a slightly tight condition on corner entry, but the team elected to take only right-side tires and fuel under the competition caution at lap 24. The race was red flagged at lap 52 for rain, which remained in the area for over 72 hours before racing resumed on Wednesday evening.

After the racing resumed, Logano fired off loose in the AAA Ford Mustang but quickly swung to the tight side for the remainder of the first stage. Logano radioed the team with three laps remaining in the stage and reported that the right front tire may have been coming apart, resulting in him dropping from sixth to eighth. Logano would pit at lap 135 for four tires and a significant trackbar adjustment as the tight condition persisted.

Logano brought the AAA Ford Mustang to pit road at lap 200 under green flag conditions with the team again making a four-tire change and trackbar adjustment to help the tight condition. The four-tire stop allowed the team to remain on the track at the end of the second stage.

Through the opening half of the final stage, Logano continued to fight a tight condition, lacking overall turn. The team pitted at lap 270 for four tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment to the No. 22 AAA Ford Mustang. The handling improved throughout the remainder of the race, but a long green flag run kept Logano and the AAA Mustang trapped in the 10th position until the checkered flag.

Logano remains the only driver locked into the Championship 4 race as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to the penultimate event of the season Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway.

Quote: “I thought we were decent on Sunday. Today, we just fought tight the whole race. We made a ton of adjustments on the car and we never got it freed up. The good thing is we’re locked into Phoenix already, so we’ll go to Martinsville on Sunday, have some fun and try to win another clock.”

After 500 miles of racing and 72 hours and 28 minutes of rain delay at Texas Motor Speedway, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters team are headed home with an eighth-place finish in the AutoTrader 500.

DiBenedetto and the Menards/Richmond team started the race on Sunday afternoon from the 14th position and ran as high as second before rain halted the action after 52 laps with DiBenedetto in 14th place.

When racing finally resumed on Wednesday afternoon, he began working his way forward and finished the first 105-lap Stage in 10th place, earning one bonus point.

As the second stage wound down, crew chief Greg Erwin elected to stay on the track as others pitted. DiBenedetto eventually assumed the lead before making his stop with seven laps remaining in the Stage.

While the move prevented DiBenedetto from earning Stage points in the second Stage, it allowed him to leapfrog to fourth place before the drop of the green flag to start the final segment.

DiBenedetto ran in the top five for the early portion of the stage but eventually yielded a few spots. Still, the decision to go for track position at the end of the second Stage allowed the Menards/Richmond team to score its ninth top-10 finish of 2020.

“It was a good, solid day all around for our Menards/Richmond team,” DiBenedetto said. “Our Mustang was a little better in the warmer temperatures, and as it got colder it cost us a little bit of speed. But the crew made a couple of adjustments that really helped, especially in Turns One and Two.”

DiBenedetto said he was appreciative of the efforts of Erwin and spotter Doug Campbell.

“Greg made some good calls, and Doug was really busy spotting all day which helped us keep our track position and end up with a good finish.”

DiBenedetto said he did have a few close calls at the start of the race, especially when he drove in the areas where the PJ1 traction compound had been applied.

“I had a couple of moments where I slipped the tires,” he said. “That was pretty hairy, but once the track got some heat in it, things were a lot better.”

DiBenedetto and the team moved up one spot in the points standings to 14th as they head home to prepare for Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway, the home track of the Wood Brothers.

Menards

A family owned company started in 1958, Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, WI. Menards has more than 300 retail stores located throughout the Midwest in the states of IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI and WY. Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader. It’s famous slogan “Save Big Money at Menards” is widely known and easy to remember. For more information, visit Menards.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.

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.

NASCAR PR WEEKLY REPORT
October 28, 2020
CREATED BY: Campbell Marketing & Communications (Dan Zacharias & Matt Fancett)
RACE WEEKEND: Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE RECAP

Ryan Blaney finished fourth, one of four Mustangs inside the top-10 at Texas.

Brad Keselowski finished sixth and finds himself in the fourth and final transfer spot heading into the cut-off race Sunday at Martinsville.

Kevin Harvick, who finished 16th, is in 2nd in the playoff standings, 42 points ahead of fifth place.

FORT WORTH, TX. | October 25, 2020 – In a race delayed over 72 hours due to rain, Ryan Blaney battled to a fourth-place finish, the top Ford among four Mustangs inside the top-10 at Texas Motor Speedway Wednesday evening.

While Kyle Busch (Toyota) snagged his first win of the season, his victory denied the remaining Cup Series Playoffs contenders an automatic berth in the Championship 4 field that will compete for the Cup Series championship in the Nov. 8 finale at Phoenix Raceway. Three spots are still up for grabs in Sunday’s Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.

Brad Keselowski, who finished sixth currently holds the fourth and final transfer spot while Kevin Harvick, who finished 16th, sits second in the playoff standings. Only Joey Logano, by virtue of his win last week at Kansas is locked into the finale.

The race was halted Sunday after 52 laps by persistent rain. That precipitation lingered in the Fort Worth area, washing out Monday and Tuesday rain dates before the event resumed Wednesday at 5:10 p.m. ET.

Before the rain delay, Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford sustained right-side damage after a Sunday afternoon scrape with the Turn 2 wall. The team battled through multiple vibrations Wednesday and Harvick, a nine-time winner this year, held on to finish 16th, the first driver one lap down.

Clint Bowyer won the first stage and led 89 laps, but he was forced to pit with 24 laps remaining. He slipped to a 17th-place finish in what’s set to be his final Texas start.

The Round of 8 concludes next Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM) at Martinsville Speedway. The 500-lapper will be the penultimate race of the year.

NCS RACE TOP-10 FINISHERS
1st – Kyle Busch
2nd – Martin Truex Jr.
3rd – Christopher Bell
4th – Ryan Blaney
5th – Alex Bowman
6th – Brad Keselowski
7th – Kurt Busch
8th – Matt DiBenedetto
9th – Denny Hamlin
10th – Joey Logano

REMAINING FORD FINISHERS
14th – Cole Custer
16th – Kevin Harvick
17th – Clint Bowyer
19th – Ryan Newman
22nd – John Hunter Nemechek
23rd – Aric Almirola
25th – Corey LaJoie
26th – Michael McDowell
31st – Garrett Smithley
34th – Chris Buescher
37th – Joey Gase

NASCAR CUP SERIES

DRIVER, MANUFACTURER & OWNERS STANDINGS (via NASCAR.com)

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES RACE RECAP

FORT WORTH, TX. | October 24, 2020 – Austin Cindric didn’t have a perfect day at Texas Motor Speedway, but he still found a way to finish fourth in Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race and gain points in his bid to reach the Championship 4.

Cindric saw his fortunes change on the final turn when Harrison Burton passed Noah Gragson to win the race. A Gragson victory would have bumped Cindric down one spot in the standings and narrowed his cushion above the cutline, but the result enabled him to remain second in the point standings and increase his lead to 14 points ahead of fifth-place Brandon Jones going into the final Round of 8 event

It was a rough day for Chase Briscoe, who led the first 34 laps after starting on the pole, but while battling Jones in the closing laps of Stage 1 he had a right-rear tire go down. He was able to make it to pit road, but shortly after returning to the track he reported that something was broken. That ended up being a shock mount, which the team repaired after Briscoe took his No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Mustang to the garage. Briscoe returned 16 laps later and finished 24th.

The Round of 8 concludes next Saturday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway with the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (3:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

DRIVER, MANUFACTURER & OWNERS STANDINGS (via NASCAR.com)

NASCAR CUP SERIES
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
AUTOTRADER ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE 500
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
OCTOBER 28, 2020

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
5th ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 ACRONIS CAMARO ZL1 1LE
7th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
11th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW SULLAIR CAMARO ZL1 1LE
12th RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE
13th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Kyle Busch (Toyota)
2nd Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
3rd Christopher Bell (Toyota)
4th Ryan Blaney (Ford)
5th Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)

UNOFFICIAL CURRENT PLAYOFF RANK (Following Race 8 of 10)
POS. DRIVER (* = Chevy Contender)

1. Joey Logano (Ford) 1 Win
2. Kevin Harvick (Ford) + 41
3. Denny Hamlin (Toyota) + 27
4. Brad Keselowski (Ford) + 25
5. * Alex Bowman (Chevrolet) – 25
6. * Chase Elliott (Chevrolet) – 26
7. Martin Truex (Toyota) – 36
8. * Kurt Busch (Chevrolet) – 81

The NASCAR Cup Series seasons continues at the Martinsville Speedway with the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, November 1st,, at 2:00 p.m. ET, the elimination race for the Round of Eight. Live coverage can be found on NBC, the NBC Sports Gold app, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 ACRONIS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 5th
“Not the day we really wanted. Had a really fast car, but pit strategy didn’t completely go our way. Some restarts were painful. When the sun came out, it was really fast. Some guys were really trimmed out and as cold as it was it seemed to really help them. Bummed out with fifth. I feel like we probably had the best handling race car and just came up a little short. Overall a good day and proud of everybody. So proud of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for bringing really great driving cars to the track every week. Proud of everyone at Chevrolet and a big thanks to Acronis for being on board.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW SULLAIR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 11th
“What a week in Texas in the Dow Sullair Chevrolet. We came into this race with high expectations and the goal of backing up RCR’s 1-2 finish that we earned in July. We were thrown a few curve balls by Mother Nature. We started too the race too free, but still managed to position ourselves solidly in the top-10 before the race was postponed for weather. There were a lot of varying strategies going on tonight, but as always Justin Alexander made some great calls. We were so close to a top-10 finish tonight, but it’s just so hard to pass. If we would have had more front turn at the end of the race, I think we could have passed a couple of more cars, but we were just too tight at the end. Everyone on this Dow Sullair team did a great job this weekend, and I am proud of them for hanging in there through our three day rain delay. We’re off to Martinsville Speedway to try and grab another win before the end of the season.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 12th
“I can’t thank the team enough for sticking out this rain delay and give us a solid night in our Kroger Chevrolet. We really worked on the handling and just got it better and better throughout the night and were able to run some really strong lap times. Traffic gave us a little bit of a challenge during the long run at the end, but once we made it through that it was all focus forward and we were able to keep gaining on it to the end. This is a quick turnaround to Martinsville, but I’m really happy with our momentum going into the final two races of the season.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1L3 – Finished 13th
“We finished 13th tonight. We had just really one bad run during the race and that buried us in traffic in mid-pack. We were just way too loose but once we got the handling better we were good. That last run we just couldn’t really pass even though the track was fast. Overall, I’m pretty happy with the way our No. 24 Liberty University Chevy drove for the majority of the race and hopefully we have a good run in Martinsville.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CLARK PIPELINE SERVICES CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 15th
“That was a much longer race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway than anyone expected, but I’m glad we were able to leave with a 15th -place finish with our No. 8 Clark Pipeline Services Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. It’s weird starting a race and then having such a long break before you’re able to finish it, but everyone managed the best they could. We had to fight a lot of changing track conditions today, and it was tough to nail down the right balance for our car. I started off on Sunday just way too loose, but after our first adjustment today it was like we had a completely different car. From then on, I was too tight in traffic and needed more help with entry into the turns. My spotter, Derek Kneeland, and crew chief, Randall Burnett, helped a lot with relaying information on what I could try to help my entry and get around the track better, which helped us capitalize on a top-15 finish on a day that we really had to fight for it. We’ll continue to push to get every spot we can during these last two races to finish the year on a high note.”

RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 SCOTT BRAND CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 18th
“Enduring the rain delay was definitely a new challenge, especially after starting the race on Sunday and thinking about what changes we could make when we got restarted again tonight. Trent Owens did an awesome job adjusting the handling throughout the race to give us something we could compete with at the end. Unfortunately, we had a bad pit stop and got trapped a lap down to only gain so much track position, but we were able to make some of that ground up at the end. I’m really proud of everyone that stuck with us and kept working on this Scott Brand Chevrolet and I’m excited to get to one of my favorite tracks, Martinsville Speedway, next weekend.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS GIVE A HOOT CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 20th
“I thought we were decent throughout the first part of the race and trying to kind of settle in there. I thought we settled into a decent spot. We certainly weren’t fantastic, but I thought we were better than we typically are out here. So, that was good. Kind of got going through the mid-portion of the race there. Was trying to gain some track position to get some stage points there in that second stage and had a tire come apart that I didn’t realize was coming apart. So, I had to come back down pit road and fix that. And then we settled into where we typically do out here and finished in the back.”

BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 DOOR DASH CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by accident on lap 61; Finished 38th
“I just hate it for my guys for sitting around for four days to have the race taken away from us like that. We’ll wait, sit on the plane and wait to go home. I got two races left. It’s just unfortunate. The funny thing is, the only thing I could think about is ‘damn, I didn’t grab my hat – my mom’s going to be mad my hair looks bad’. Onto Martinsville.”

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

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with 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.

KYLE BUSCH DRIVES TO VICTORY AT TEXAS
Toyota sweeps the podium for the 11th time in Toyota’s history

FORT WORTH (October 28, 2020) – Kyle Busch drove Toyota to his first victory of the season in a 72-plus hour rain-delayed AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Wednesday evening. This is Busch’s fourth career NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) win at Texas Motor Speedway and 57th of his NCS career. For Toyota, it the ninth NCS win of the season. With the victory, Busch extends his streak of at least one victory to 16 consecutive seasons. Martin Truex Jr. (second) and rookie Christopher Bell with a career-best third-place finish completed the podium for Toyota. Denny Hamlin (ninth) battled back for a top-10 finish after suffering damage in an in-race accident. He heads to Martinsville with a 27-point advantage over fifth-place in the standings. Truex will go into Martinsville Speedway – a track he has won the last two Cup Series races– needing another trophy to advance to the Championship 4.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Texas Motor Speedway
Race 34 of 36 – 501.0 miles, 334 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, KYLE BUSCH
2nd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
3rd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
4th, Ryan Blaney*
5th, Alex Bowman*
9th, DENNY HAMLIN
21st, ERIK JONES
27th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
30th, TIMMY HILL
35th, CHAD FINCHUM
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Skittles Zombie Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

How were you able to balance saving fuel and staying in front of Martin Truex Jr.?

“I don’t know. Just kept getting great leadership and mentoring from Adam (Stevens, crew chief) and Tony (Hirschman, spotter) and those guys kept talking to me and kept reminding me about saving and being able to do what I could. Trying to stay in the draft as much as I could on the straightaways. It ran out coming right in here to do a burnout, so I had enough to get a little bit of a burnout. I don’t know if it will make it back. I can’t say enough about Adam Stevens and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing. I appreciate all your hard work. Everybody at Toyota and TRD. This Skittles Zombie machine looked bad to the bone and it’s really, really awesome. I had to do a zombie remake here (helmet). This is what everybody looked like on their phones around here for the last three days. Everybody just zombied around. I wasn’t planning on that, but it kind of worked with this weekend, but more so with the times. This is going for auction. People can buy their tickets to win the raffle — $18 a piece at BundleofJoyFund.org or go to KyleBusch.com.”

How does it feel to get the win to keep your 16-year streak going?

“We finally got it. I was so nervous – I was nervous the whole last run. I’ve been in this position so many times. The last three laps though, that’s like winning the championship – that’s how nervous I was. I can’t believe it, but just so proud to be here. My team guys, awesome pit stops, they were phenomenal. I appreciate M&M’s, Interstate Batteries, Rowdy Energy Drink. We’re ready to fight next year, we’ll be back.”

This is your 57th win of your career, does this one mean a lot?

“Yes and no. They all mean a lot. There’s certain circumstances and certain specialties to all of them. This one means a lot just to keep the 16 going. We’re out of the Playoffs and have nothing to shoot for. Everyone thought we were duds. We don’t ever give up.”

Can you explain your emotion right now?

“I don’t know. It means a lot just to keep that winning streak going. That’s the biggest thing I was hoping for and obviously wanting to accomplish this year before the year was out. I can’t say enough about Adam Stevens (crew chief) and Tony Hirschman (spotter), my pit crew guys and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing for all their hard work and everything that they do year in and year out. This Skittles Zombie machine looked bad to the bone, it’s really cool to run with Skittles and do fun schemes. Halloween-themed – everybody out there, happy Halloween coming up this week. We have a special helmet that’s going to go up for auction, it’s now a winning helmet. We’re raising money for the Bundle of Joy Fund. You can go to KyleBusch.com and purchase your tickets for our raffle in order to win my helmet.”

How close were you on fuel at the end of the race?

“I came in here to do a celebration and it was out. It’s running on the pump, but it’s running low. I don’t know if there’s anything left in the lines for me to get back to victory lane so if the tower is listening, send a tow truck in case I can’t go.”

What does this mean knowing you had nothing to lose and everything to gain with this win?

“Winning the race was precedent. I knew we had a good car early on in the race. We were really loose, but we made some adjustments before the rain and then obviously sitting around for three days. Being able to get back at it, I knew we were going to have a good piece. It was just a matter of getting through traffic. Some of those guys on the short runs were just putting me in really bad aero spots and I was able to make something happen once we all got single-filed out I could roll and show them what we really had.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

Did you know the fuel situation with Kyle Busch in the closing laps?

“Yeah, they told me. We knew he (Kyle Busch) was close. The only thing we could do at that point, which we did all day anyway was try to run flat out. Hell of an effort by the Bass Pro guys and everybody that helps us. It just seems like one of those years where we’re second, third, fourth – we’re right there a lot. Just need a little bit more to be better.”

What is the confidence level heading to Martinsville in a must-win situation to continue in the Playoffs?

“it’s high. I think coming here, we had a lot of confidence and obviously we had a good car. This time of the year, Playoffs – to finish second is great, but it’s not enough. I don’t know. Excited about Martinsville. I know we can win there and obviously we’ve shown that in the past. It’s a new race and a new week. We have to figure out how to be better than we’ve been there and feel like everybody will get better. Looking forward to it, excited for the opportunity to get to do this. Hopefully we’ll put ourselves in another championship race. Great job by our team. I can’t say enough. We just lack a tiny bit of speed off the 18 (Kyle Busch).”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 95 Procore Toyota Camry, Leavine Family Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

You grew up watching races at this track, and now you come home with a top-three finish. How was your night?

“It was definitely hard fought. I felt like my Procore Camry was extremely fast. If I ever could have got by the 19 (Martin Truex Jr.), I feel like I would have been able to get up the 18 (Kyle Busch), but to pass him is another thing. I was able to drive up through the field pretty good, but once you got up to the top couple cars, passing got a little bit tougher. I’m really proud of everyone on this Procore Camry, 95 team. They’ve been bringing really good racecars to the track. We just haven’t been able to finish well and today we finally got one.”

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About Toyota

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Track: Texas Motor Speedway, 1.5 Mile Tri-Oval
Race: 34 of 36
Event: Autotrader EchoPark 500 (501 miles, 334 laps)

Michael McDowell
No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Speedco Ford Mustang

Started: 23rd
Finished: 26th

Stage One: 24th
Stage Two: 24th
Stage Three: 26th

Michael McDowell and his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Speedco Ford Mustang took the green flag in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway from the 23rd position. At the Competition Caution on Lap 22, McDowell radioed to say that balance of his race car was “definitely getting better … just a little free over the bumps” and would pit for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. On Lap 44, McDowell would be running in the 20th position as mist began to fall over Texas Motor Speedway, bringing out the 3rd Caution of the race; to which McDowell would pit for 4 tires and fuel after noting, “the balance is close. I’m a little free, which actually helps me in traffic.” As weather conditions intensified, the red flag would be displayed and the race would eventually be postponed until Wednesday. Once racing finally resumed, McDowell would go on to finish Stage 1 in 24th place. During the first Stage Break Caution, McDowell told his team that his race car was “too tight, center-off” and would pit for 4 tires, fuel and a trackbar adjustment.

Early on in Stage 2, McDowell told his team that their No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Speedco Ford Mustang was “a little free” and would pit under caution on Lap 133 for 4 tires, fuel, a wedge adjustment. McDowell would come over the radio again halfway through the stage to say that he had a bad vibration and would pit under green for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment, before going on to finish Stage 2 in 24th. Under caution, McDowell would bring his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Speedco Ford Mustang down pit road for 4 tires, an air pressure adjustment, packer adjustment and fuel.

In the Final Stage of Wednesday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, McDowell came over the radio on Lap 236 to say that he was once again picking up a vibration and on Lap 246 would pit for left-side tires and fuel. Roughly 50 Laps later, McDowell would make note of the same issue and was forced to pit again for 4 tires and fuel before taking the checkered flag in 26th place.

McDowell on Texas:

“A really unfortunate turn of events for us here at Texas Motor Speedway. On Sunday, prior to the weather delay, I felt like our No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops and Speedco Ford Mustang had some good speed; but then today, we battled a recurring vibration that forced us to pit road multiple times under green and with the lack of cautions, it made it really hard for us to regain any track position. Thanks to Love’s Travel Stops and Speedco for coming on board with us this weekend and thank you to all of the men and women who helped to get us back racing today. We’ll head home tonight and gear up for Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.”

Track: Texas Motor Speedway, 1.5 Mile Tri-Oval
Race: 34 of 36
Event: Autotrader EchoPark 500 (501 miles, 334 laps)

John Hunter Nemechek
No. 38 ROMCO Equipment Ford Mustang

Started: 24th
Finished: 22nd

Stage One: 11th
Stage Two: 16th
Stage Three: 22nd

John Hunter Nemechek started in the 24th position in Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Shortly after taking the green flag, Nemechek noted that his No. 38 ROMCO Equipment Ford Mustang “fired off on the snug side.” At the competition caution, Crew Chief Seth Barbour called Nemechek to pit road for 4 tires and fuel with no other adjustments. Racing would resume for less than 20 laps before the misty Texas weather would bring out a three-day red flag pause. Once racing resumed on Wednesday, Nemechek narrowly avoided a wreck on Lap 61, noting to the team that he may have slid his tires and sustained front end damage. He pitted under caution for 4 tires, fuel and for the crew to assess damage. Nemechek would go on to finish Stage 1 in 11th place.

Continuing his strong run towards the front, Nemechek stayed within the top 12 positions for the first half of Stage 2. On Lap 179, Nemechek noted that he picked up a vibration in his No. 38 ROMCO Equipment Ford Mustang that did not improve as the stage progressed. By the time he took the green- and white-checkered flag in 16th place, Nemechek told the team that he was snug through the corner, but he couldn’t get into a rhythm once he picked up the vibration. He would pit at the Stage Break Caution for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.

Nemechek struggled a bit in the Final Stage at Texas Motor Speedway in his No. 38 ROMCO Equipment Ford Mustang. He noted over the radio shortly after restarting the race that track position was key, and that it was difficult to pass. After running dangerously low on fuel, he would pit on Lap 273 for 4 tires and fuel but was otherwise content with the handling of his racecar. Unable to find enough clean air to move up in track position, Nemechek would take the checkered flag in the 22nd position.

Nemechek on Texas:

“Wow, what a week. Obviously, mother nature didn’t want to cooperate with us on Sunday but huge shoutout to the fans who stuck around to see the race today. Our No. 38 ROMCO Equipment Ford Mustang fired off on the snug side to start the race. Once we refired today, our handling wasn’t bad, but it was just challenging to find grip and make moves to improve track position. We missed the mark on fuel strategy, as well, so that hurt us in the end. We’ll recover as much as we can over the next couple of days and head to Martinsville ready to try again on Sunday.”

FORT WORTH, Texas (Oct. 28, 2020) – In a 500-mile race that started and ended three days apart, Chris Buescher and the No. 17 Fastenal team worked to bounce back after an early incident Sunday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway but were forced to settle for a 34th-place finish on Wednesday night.

Buescher rolled off the grid 20th, but on lap 4 he spun into the wall after getting loose in the wet traction compound NASCAR placed on the track prior to the event. The team immediately pitted to assess and fix the damage, using nine laps to get back on track and meet minimum speed. A caution flag for weather waved at lap 43, and the team took the time to pit for further repairs. Not long after the Fastenal team serviced the No. 17 Ford, the red flag was displayed for inclement weather.

When the stage finally resumed roughly 72 hours later, Buescher drove to the garage for further damage repair and got back on track 20 laps down under caution at lap 62. The team decided to pit one more time to make sure the car was ready and hit the track in 39th with the restart at lap 68. The team pitted once more in the stage with a caution at lap 77 to take four tires, fuel, an air pressure adjustment and tape off the grill. The caution enabled the team to gain two positions, allowing Buescher to finish stage one in 37th, 20 laps down.

The team visited pit road at the stage break for another air pressure adjustment, tires, fuel and to pull more tape off the No. 17 machine. Buescher restarted 37th and rode in the bottom lane, avoiding driving into the slick traction compound. When a caution flag waved at lap 134, the team took the wave around and gained a lap back. Restarting 37th, Buescher drove hard all the way up to a scheduled green flag stop for four tires and fuel at lap 179. He took the green-white checkered flag in 36th and 20 laps down.

The Prosper, Texas native restarted 36th, 21 laps down after making his way down pit road for an air pressure adjustment, fuel and tires. He made solid lap times, driving in the bottom lane until pitting under green at lap 282 for four tires and fuel. Buescher returned to track and tried to make up as much ground as he could. The team ultimately finished 34th, 24 laps down.

Buescher and the No. 17 team return to track at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, November 1 at 2 p.m. EST on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

FORT WORTH (Oct. 28, 2020) – After a weather delay lasting more than 72 hours, the NASCAR Cup Series was able to return to the track for a rare Wednesday night finish in Texas. With the teams finally able to complete the scheduled 500-mile event, Ryan Newman navigated the Guaranteed Rate Ford to a solid 19th-place finish.

The race got underway just past 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday afternoon in its scheduled slot. However, following 52 laps of green flag racing, a light mist set in that postponed the rest of the action for the day. Despite multiple attempts to restart Monday and Tuesday the mist never left the Fort Worth area, ultimately pushing the resumption of the race to Wednesday when the field took the green again just after 5 p.m. ET.

Newman fired off 25th in his Ford Mustang on Sunday, but quickly improved, getting up to 18th after the competition caution at lap 21. Roughly 10 laps later, the mist began, resulting in multiple cars spinning out on track, before NASCAR threw the yellow at lap 43, and eventual red at lap 52.

Once the action picked back up on Wednesday, Newman stayed on track for the immediate yellow that was displayed, setting him up 19th for the restart at lap 56. A pair of quick cautions followed just after, before Newman finished the stage 22nd.

Battling unstable handling conditions, Newman restarted 20th for the second 105-lap stage before the yellow came out 23 laps into the run, with the veteran running 23rd. After a solid stop on pit road, Newman gained five positions to set him up 18th for the ensuing restart.

After a strategy call well into the stage for two left-side tires, Newman went on to finish 23rd for the second stage and was the recipient of the free pass to get back on the lead lap. He would pit for two right-side tires prior to the start of the final stage at lap 213, lining up 23rd at lap 216.

With varying strategies in play, Newman hit pit road one final time at lap 276 for one final fill-up on fuel and tires, with the rest of the race going green, as he finished 19th.

Newman and the No. 6 team return to the track in just a few days at Martinsville Speedway. Race coverage on Sunday begins at 2 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.