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Two Traditional Organizations – UNOH and General Tire – Join Historic DAYTONA Road Course Weekend for UNOH 188 and General Tire 100

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Official Release
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Events, along with Go Bowling 235 At The DAYTONA Road Course and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Race, Make up Historic Weekend on Iconic Road Course with Addition of Turn Four Chicane

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 10, 2020) – Daytona International Speedway announced today two entitlement partners – both with a century of success – for this weekend’s (Aug. 14-16) historic DAYTONA Road Course races for NASCAR’s top three national series, along with the ARCA Menards Racing Series. It will mark the first time the four series will tackle Daytona International Speedway’s iconic trioval/infield road course.

UNOH – the University of Northwestern Ohio – celebrating its 100th anniversary and known worldwide as a leader in the Automotive, Diesel and High Performance Industries, will serve as sponsor of the Saturday, Aug. 15, NASCAR Xfinity Series event. The event, known as UNOH 188 At The DAYTONA Road Course, will consist of 188 miles (52 laps). General Tire, which has a complete quality line of ultra-high performance, passenger, light truck, off-road and commercial tires to meet all consumer needs for the last 100 years, has partnered with the iconic track for the General Tire 100 At The DAYTONA ROAD Course for the ARCA Menards Series race on Friday, Aug. 14.

Both races, along with Sunday’s doubleheader events featuring the Go Bowling 235 At The DAYTONA Road Course NASCAR Cup Series race and the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series event, will be held on the same course as the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, North America’s premier race for sports cars, but with an added chicane. Located at the exit of turn four, the new chicane now creates a 14-turn, 3.61-mile layout (from the 3.56-mile/12 turn layout).

The ARCA Menards event on Friday and the Xfinity race on Saturday won’t have fans in attendance, but will be broadcast LIVE – the General Tire 100 at 5:00 p.m. on MAVTV and the UNOH 188 at 3 p.m. on NBCSN.

Sunday’s doubleheader, however, featuring the Go Bowling 235 At The DAYTONA Road Course and the Gander Truck Series race, will have a limited number of fans in attendance, with frontstretch seating and infield camping options. Tickets start at $49 (both races included) for adults and $10 for kids 12 years old and younger, by visiting www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or calling 1-800-PIT-SHOP.

The limited number of fans is in accordance with public health officials and local, state and federal authorities on amended safety protocols and procedures that will provide a safe experience.

Tickets also remain on sale for Daytona’s second big weekend of August, featuring the Saturday, Aug. 29Coke Zero Sugar 400, which will take place under the lights on the 2.5-mile trioval. A summertime staple since 1959, the switch of the race from July to August this year makes this the Cup Series Regular Season Finale prior to the start of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Tickets also start at $49 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under. Limited infield camping is also available. Special pricing options are available for the “August Double,” featuring both DAYTONA Road Course events (Cup and Gander Trucks) and the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat, and by downloading Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest Speedway news throughout the season.

About UNOH
Founded in 1920, and celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2020, the University of Northwestern Ohio is an entrepreneurial, not-for-profit, university located in Lima, Ohio, situated on 200 acres.  There are five colleges within the university: College of Applied Technologies, College of Business, College of Health Professions, College of Occupational Professions, and the Graduate College.  The University is celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2020 and is known worldwide as a leader in the Automotive, Diesel, and High Performance industries.  UNOH also offers world class degree programs in Business, Health, Marketing, Information Technology, Robotics, and many other fields of study.  UNOH is a co-ed campus and has taught students from all 50 states and 69 countries, and currently has nearly 4,000 students enrolled from 50 states and 36 countries.  At UNOH there is no out-of-state tuition.  UNOH awards Master’s, Bachelor, Associate, and Diploma programs to more than 1,000 students each year at graduation. The University of Northwestern Ohio also offers a variety of athletics including Men’s & Women’s Basketball, Tennis, Golf, Bowling, and Soccer, Women’s Volleyball, Men’s Baseball, Women’s Softball, and six Co-Ed Motorsports teams.   For more information, visit www.unoh.edu

About General Tire
For over 100 years General Tire has offered a complete quality line of ultra-high performance, passenger, light truck, off-road and commercial tires to meet all your needs. General Tire is a proud supporter of the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ARCA Menards Series West, NASCAR Pinty’s Series, NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Late Model Dirt Series, Pro Pulling League, Modified Series, ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series, Expedition Overland, FreestyleMx.com Tour, Zero One Odyssey, Spec Tire of JeepSpeed, Major League Fishing, Fishing League Worldwide and Jeep Jamboree USA. Team GT supports athletes: Jim Beaver, Christopher Polvoorde, Jerett Brooks, Jeff Proctor, Chase Motorsports, Jimmy Weitzel, Cory Winner, Camburg Racing, Stan Shelton, Ryan Beat, Skeet Reese, Edwin Evers, Mark Rose, Ott DeFoe, Andy Montgomery, James Watson, Alton Jones Jr., and Britt Myers.

About Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a state-of-the-art motorsports facility and was awarded the SportsBusiness Journal’s prestigious Sports Business Award for Sports Facility of the Year in 2016. Daytona International Speedway is the home of “The Great American Race” – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex, also known as the “World Center of Racing,” boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe. In addition to at least nine major event weekends, the Speedway grounds are also used extensively for events that include concerts, civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.

FORD PERFORMANCE SWEEPS MICHIGAN AND ROAD AMERICA

By
Official Release
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BROOKLYN, MI – August 10, 2020 – Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines won at Road America with Austin Cindric and swept the double header at Michigan International Speedway with Kevin Harvick. Cindric’s win marked his fourth win in the 2020 season and the ninth win for Ford Performance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Harvick’s wins marked three in-a-row in the NASCAR Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing and six in-a-row at MIS for Ford Performance teams and Roush Yates Engines.

“What an incredible weekend!” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “The weekend started off with an impressive run and win by Austin Cindric at Road America then ended with Kevin Harvick sweeping Michigan! Winning at Michigan has always been special for our team and the Ford family. It feels great to be able to keep the Heritage trophy in Dearborn.”

The NASCAR Cup Series had an action-packed weekend with a double header at Michigan International Speedway. Harvick dominated on Saturday afternoon, winning both stages and the FireKeepers Casino 400. Harvick‘s fast Ford Mustang was out front the majority of the afternoon, leading a race-high 92 of the 161 laps.

As the laps wound down, the competition began to heat up. There were five restarts in the final 30 laps, including an overtime finish, that forced Harvick, “The Closer”, to close out the win just 0.284 seconds in front of Ford Performance teammate Brad Keselowski.

Ryan Blaney also had a strong day, leading 27 laps, top five finish in both stages, and finishing P4. Joey Logano led 18 laps while finishing P8.

“This was just an awesome car to drive today,” Harvick said. “I think the confidence is high when we come to Michigan anyway. It‘s a race track that‘s been really good to us and for whatever reason just fits our style of cars, everything we do with our cars at Stewart-Haas Racing.”

Sunday’s Michigan race was more of the same, with Harvick winning stage two and the race. Harvick led a race-high 90 of 156 laps. This was his sixth victory of the season, his fifth at Michigan and the 55th of his Cup Series career, tying him with Rusty Wallace on the series’ all-time win list.

Harvick had to hold off a hard charging Denny Hamlin in the closing laps of the Consumers Energy 400 on Sunday. “It was a big challenge.” said Harvick. “Our Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang got really tight there in three and four. I could run really good through one and two still, but I was just tight on that other end all day. So, I’ve just got to thank all my guys. They did a great job all weekend on pit road. Great pit calls. Just got to thank Haas Automation, Mobil 1, Hunt Brothers, Jimmy Johns, Fields. Everybody who helps put this No. 4 car on the track and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing and Roush Yates Engines for awesome power underneath the hood this weekend.”

For Sunday’s race, Logano finished P5, Aric Almirola P6, and Matt DiBenedetto had a great run, finishing P7. Clint Bowyer also led 43 laps while winning stage one.

On Saturday afternoon the NASCAR Xfinity Series took on Road America, a 4.048-mile road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Cindric dove into Turn 1 taking the lead after the green flag dropped and led the opening eight laps before cars were called to pit road due to lightning in the area. After more than an hour of delay, teams returned to their cars.

The entire race was filled with ever changing weather conditions that made pit road strategy crucial. Heavy rain showers during the race forced teams to change to rain tires, but once the sun came out it was a race back to the slick tires.

The race win came down to a three-lap shootout between Cindric and AJ Allmendinger. Cindric came out on top, achieving his fourth win of the year while leading a race high of 19 laps. Chase Briscoe fought hard and was in contention to win all day while finishing P3, his sixth top-five in the last seven races.

Ford leads all manufacturers with 13 NASCAR Cup series wins and nine Xfinity series wins. Stewart-Haas Racing and Harvick lead the owner and driver points standings in NCS and Cindric along with Team Penske lead the owner and driver points standing in the NXS.

Both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity series will head to Daytona International Speedway to run the road course for the first time ever! Reference the full 2020 schedule on Roushyates.com.

27 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 401 WINS – 357 POLES!

*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media & Getty Images

About Roush Yates Engines
Roush Yates Engines is a leading-edge engine development company based in Mooresville, NC consisting of two state-of-the-art facilities – Roush Yates Engines and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions, a world class ISO 9001 / AS9100 certified CNC manufacturing facility. The company’s core business includes designing, building and testing purpose-built race engines.

Ford Performance in partnership with Roush Yates Engines is the exclusive engine builder of the NASCAR FR9 Ford V8 engine and Ford Mustang 5.2L V8 engine, used in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series.

With an unparalleled culture of winning and steeped in rich racing history, Roush Yates Engines continues to follow the company’s vision to lead performance engine innovation and staying true to the company’s mission, provide race winning engines through demonstrated power and performance.

3 Series – 22 Teams – 81 Races

Why Ceramic Based Tints Are the Best for Your Car

By
SM
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When choosing to protect you and your family with window tints for your car, the best one we recommend is to use a ceramic-based film as it has the best benefits in comparison to all other tinting alternatives. Alternate tints that are dyed or metalized are quite outdated, they have been notoriously known for disrupting radio and GPS signals due to the metalized content and dyed windows tend to fade over time. The bare minimum we always consider, are carbon or ceramic-based tints. But even so, the ceramic will always perform better than carbon despite offering the same or similar features, yet at a more enhanced rate. Also note, ceramic tints are not to be confused with ceramic coating. Ceramic coating is when you apply a coating on the exterior of the window for protection, whereas a ceramic-based tint is with it infused inside the actual film itself, which is then installed in the car interior. For the ultimate protection, many do consider combining the two together.

Benefits

Sunlight

The first benefit of getting a car window tint is that it blocks up to 99 percent of UV rays that may enter your car. It not only protects you and your family but also the insides of your car from wear and tear eg. Faded plastics, dashboard, leather seats, and so on. The tint also allows 50 percent of sunlight to enter the car, keeping better visibility that also helps keep your eyes be safe from sunlight. One of the main features that separate it apart from Carbon is its high effectiveness in block Infrared IR radiation at a much better rate.

Heat Regulation

Due to the car windows being tinted, the heat that would usually build-up is also lowered. As the UV rays are blocked, this means that your car is much cooler on the inside than it would be is there were not tints. This means it can retain the coolness of the car interior during scorching Summer periods. Compared to every other alternative, ceramic tints are the best when it comes to limiting the amount of heat transfer known as TSER (Total Solar Energy Rejection), which rates the highest.

Privacy

One of the benefits of having ceramic-based car window tints is that privacy is protected. This protects anything that you leave behind as no one can peek inside and potentially break the windows to steal any valuables. It also protects you and others while driving or doing other things as well. Ceramic tints also at times can be slightly thicker, which can give off a darker appearance. In addition to this, due to this nanotechnology, it boasts an anti-fade finish unlike old-fashioned window-dyed tints, which fade over time. Meaning your privacy is kept secure and dark for much longer.

Signals

The advantage that ceramic car window tinting has over the metallic one is that your radio signals are not interrupted. Metallic window tints mess up any signals coming in or out of the car due to its composition. This can also disrupt your GPS signals, which we all know can be very annoying whilst driving.

Durability

Having a ceramic window tint can be beneficial to the glass as it adds extra protection to your car. The extra layer of coating makes the glass more durable and harder to break as opposed to a regular one, which proves that it is durable in extreme weather scenarios like hail that would damage it. Therefore, many ceramic tints offer excellent shatterproof resistance, which can be a huge safety benefit during car crashes and collisions by minimizing the number of glass shards.

Disadvantages

Price-The only notable disadvantage over having a ceramic window tinting is the price, which is higher than most types. Due to its many advantages, the high price seems justified at this point as the coating does what it is intended, protect you from UV radiation and your car from the elements. If you want the best protection for your car, then a ceramic window tilt should be the one you are aiming for and you must be prepared to sacrifice a little bit more money for it.

Another disadvantage of ceramic coating is that it can be difficult to apply successfully. Without professional application, the coating may damage your car or leave an undesired aesthetic result. That’s why most motorists choose to visit a body shop or detailer. The process can take several days, which is why these businesses usually use paint curing methods to speed up the process.

Conclusion

Despite being highly-priced, having a ceramic window tint is the best thing you can do to protect your windshield. Not only does it extend its life but it also protects you from potential radiation-related illnesses such as skin cancer, so it is worth spending a lot of money just to get one. The tint also makes your car look cooler than before as this is also an advantage you would want as well.

Late Restart Lifts DiBenedetto To A Seventh-Place Finish At Michigan

By
Official Release
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A late-race charge following a pit stop propelled Matt DiBenedetto and his No. 21 NewFordTech.com Mustang to a seventh-place finish in Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway. It was DiBenedetto’s seventh top-10 finish of the season, and coupled with the seven points he earned from a fourth-place finish in Stage One, he now has a 57-point cushion in the Playoff standings with four regular-season races left before the start of the Playoffs.

DiBenedetto started Sunday’s 312-mile race from sixth place as the line-up was set by a partial inversion of the finishing order from Saturday’s race at Michigan, where he finished 15th.

Taking advantage of the track position he started with and some major overnight adjustments to the NewFordTech.com Mustang, DiBenedetto quickly drove up to third place then ended the first 40-lap Stage in fourth place, earning seven points.

In Stage Two he dropped out of the top 10, finishing in 12th place, but was soon back in the top 10. He raced his way back up to third place but had dropped back to 10th place when the race’s final caution flag flew with 19 laps remaining.

DiBenedetto was one of two drivers in the top 20 to head to pit road, and he fell back in line in 19th place then moved up six spot by taking the less-preferred inside line when it came time to choose. When the green flag dropped to start a 15-lap dash to the finish, DiBenedetto used his skills in traffic on restarts to quickly gobble up seven more positions before eventually losing one, which left him in seventh place.

DiBenedetto said he and crew chief Greg Erwin could never get the NewFordTech.com Mustang handling just like he wanted, but they kept working at it and made the most of the day.

“We were really struggling [Saturday], and our team worked super-hard and made some good improvements so we could at least run further up there,” he said. “We didn’t play a lot of defense all day and had to drive the thing for all it was worth…

“We hung tough. We had a monster restart there at the end and were able to drive our way up there and get a good finish.

“It felt really good to get to go on offense there at the end.”

DiBenedetto said he likes NASCAR’s new choose rule, which has been implemented at tracks other than road courses and superspeedways. It lets drivers choose which lane they will be in for restarts.

DiBenedetto said that after studying the way the choosing works, he’s decided to let his spotter Doug Campbell make the call on which lane to choose.

“It puts a lot of pressure on Doug, but I feel better with that decision in his hands,” he said.

DiBenedetto also said he’s cautiously optimistic about his Playoff chances but knows there is a lot of racing left in the regular season.

“You always want more points,” he said. “I feel good about how we’ve been running. We’ve been racking up some solid points, but you never know what can happen in these races.

“If we keep on doing what we’re doing, hopefully the rest will take care of itself.”

DiBenedetto and the No. 21 team return to work next Sunday for the first-ever Cup Series race on the road course at Daytona International Speedway.

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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, visitwww.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.

Marco Polo Motorsports Clinches Maiden SprintX Victory at Sonoma Raceway

By
Official Release
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SONOMA, Cali., (August 9, 2020) – Marco Polo Motorsports put on a commanding performance this weekend in the GT4 America triple header race weekend at Sonoma Raceway. The No. 71 KTM X-BOW dominated the charts at the sports car racing event, seeing drivers Nicolai Elghanayan and Mads Siljehaug earn two pole positions and one race win at their home event.

“Winning at Sonoma Raceway was amazing,” said Elghanayan. “Mads and I did a great job keeping the car clean, having no contact or anything. The car worked perfectly, and as a result, we had a commanding lead and the fastest race lap. It was a great race and we hope to have more like it at the next rounds at Road America.”

The Laguna Beach, California team earned the pole positions for race one and two, and the KTM X-BOW dominated race one until mechanical issues with the electronic wastegate system robbed the team of their lead. They worked overnight to repair the issues, leading the field to green for a second attempt on Saturday morning. Better suited for the cooler temperatures than the previous afternoon, the KTM led every lap of race two, winning by 17 seconds.

The field faced warm temperatures for Sunday morning’s race three, which affected the performance of KTM sports car. Mads Siljehaug started the race in 21st and had an impressive opening run, gaining five positions in the first lap. He continued his charge up the field, facing stronger competition the further up the charts he climbed. By the time Nicolai Elghanayan took over, the KTM began to struggle in the heat, resulting in a 20th place finishing position.

“These are growing pains that are expected with a new car,” said Mads Siljehaug. “Despite the issues, the crew did an excellent job, and the car was unbeatable when everything ran well. We’ll work more on the car and come back stronger for Road America.”

The next round of the 2020 season will take place August 28-30 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The event will again feature a triple header for the SprintX championship in an effort to make up for previous race rounds that were canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. For all schedule updates and series information, visit www.gt4-america.com.

About Muellerized…KTM X-BOW Sales and Support
Muellerized Inc. is California’s KTM X-BOW Dealer, with multiple models including the new 2020 X-BOW Comp R in stock. The shop was founded as a suspension and chassis specialist shop in 2004 by third generation champion racer John Mueller, who utilizes his 36 years of road racing experience to craft winning solutions. Muellerized offers a full range of vehicle services for street, track day, and competition vehicles. – muellerized.com

About Kollin Altomare Architects
Beyond providing full-service architecture, interior design and planning services, we create elegant, inspired projects. Not only award-winning luxury hotels, resorts, spas, residential, retail, dining and leisure destinations, but enduring partnerships with the people who hire us. Driven to be Creatively Responsible and Responsibly Creative, we deliver design solutions that surpass the expectations of both our clients and their customers.

Craftsmen Industries
For racing professionals looking for the ultimate in customized automotive transport, Craftsmen Industries, the trusted leader in custom-built transporters, introduces the Craftsmen Transporter. Inspired by the great European racing design, Craftsmen Transporters are Precision-Built, Lightweight, Fast, High-Performance and High-Design. For more details, please visit www.craftsmenind.com/transporters.

KTM Sportcar GmbH
With headquarters in Graz (manufactory) and Wels (racing), KTM Sportcar GmbH is the manufacturer of KTMs super sports car, the X-BOW, since 2008. More than 1,300 vehicles have been sold since, distributed in more than 40 countries worldwide, amongst them markets like Australia, China or North America. With a maximum of 100 cars manufactured per hand per year, KTM is one of the most exclusive car manufacturers worldwide. Besides homologated models for street use, KTM is focused in racing, especially in spec racing series like the “X-BOW BATTLE” or in the SRO GT4 category. With titles in 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, the KTM X-BOW GT4 (developed together with Reiter Engineering) is one of the most successful GT4 vehicles, racing against the biggest as well as most legendary sports car manufacturers in the world and on the most iconic tracks like Nürburgring, Bathurst or Spa-Francorchamps.

2020 Cup Playoff outlook after Michigan doubleheader

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images.

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series regular season is nearing its conclusion following an eventful weekend doubleheader at Michigan International Speedway and with the Playoffs weeks away from being set and commencing.

With a pair of victories on back-to-back dates at the Irish Hills added to his resume and long list of accomplishments, Kevin Harvick continues his quest for a second Cup championship. Including Harvick, 10 competitors have been guaranteed a spot in the Playoffs by virtue of winning throughout the previous 22 regular-season races, among which continues to include Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon and rookie Cole Custer.

With four regular-season races remaining until the 2020 postseason field is set, six of the 16-postseason field spots remain vacant with multiple top names either on the bubble or still on the outside.

Currently, Aric Almirola and the Busch brothers (Kyle and Kurt) continue to remain in decent shape of making the Playoffs by points. Almirola rallied from finishing 16th on Saturday, August 8, to collect a handful of stage points, lead a handful of laps and post a top-10 run on Sunday, August 9, at Michigan as he is 158 points above the top-16 cutline. Kyle Busch, on the other hand, posted two top-five results in both races along with a chunk load of stage points to place himself 140 points above the cutline and with an opportunity of defending his series title.

Kurt Busch concluded his runs at Michigan by scoring a pair of 10th-place results and gaining a chunk load of stage points towards the postseason. With the 2004 Cup champion tallying his top-10 results to 14 this season, he and his No. 1 Monster Energy/Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team are 137 points above the cutline as he also looks to win a race for the first time since last July at Kentucky Speedway.

“We covered a lot of ground with the Monster Energy Chevy,” Kurt Busch said on NBCSN. “Both days were a hard-fought battle, a little loose here, a little tight there, lane choice and then, pit stops. We did it as a team, but it was like yesterday, we had a seventh-place car. Today, we had a 13th-place car and finished 10th on both days. Thanks to Monster Energy and Chevy. We know what we need to get our cars more efficient. We need to be a little bit better down the straightaway and still have that handling. This seems like we’re up against this imagery bubble and with [teammate Matt] Kenseth getting better, that’ll help us…working with Hendrick [Motorsports] and trying to get the horsepower right, all of its a balance. Jim Campbell, Chevrolet, thanks to those guys. But, we just didn’t get it done here at Michigan.”

For Clint Bowyer, it was an up-and-down weekend that ended up with a decent result approaching the final four regular-season races of this season. After finishing 19th on Saturday, Bowyer started Sunday on fire after leading the first 40 laps and winning the first stage. Throughout the second stage, he did not lead but he remained inside the top 10 and finished fifth to gain more stage points. For the early stages of the final stage, however, Bowyer’s race went backwards when he made an unscheduled pit stop after suffering a tire rub. He was able to quickly work his way back on the lead lap and from there, he charged his way back to finish 14th. With his 11th top-15 finish of this season, the Kansas native and his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team are 60 points above the cutline.

Like Bowyer, Matt DiBenedetto had an eventful weekend at Michigan that started with a 15th-place result on Saturday and ended up with a strong top-10 result (seventh) on Sunday. With his seventh top-10 result of the season, the Californian and his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang team are 57 points above the cutline as DiBenedetto attempts to make his first postseason appearance as a title contender.

“The ole car had its tongue hanging out all day,” DiBenedetto said on NBCSN. “It still wasn’t pretty. I’m glad to have driven this car. It looked good. Thank you to all of our Ford auto technicians, Motorcraft, Quicklane, Menards, everyone that allows me to drive this thing. It’s a lot of fun. We’re really doing good and the cool thing is when we have a car [that you are] very dissatisfied with and we finished seventh, that shows the strength of our team. So, I’m still encouraged about that. The second half of the season have some really good race tracks for me personally that I like a lot of the 750 horsepower tracks, a lot of the low downforce stuff. That’s what I definitely prefer. It fits my wheelhouse. Looking forward, we have a lot of really good tracks and we just get better and better as a team every week. So, tracks like the [Daytona] road course next week, I’m really looking forward to. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. It’s a lot of great places for us coming up.”

For the 16th and final spot to the Playoffs, William Byron continues to retain the position by 26 points following a pair of top-15 results at Michigan. The first two competitors who continue to trail Byron and the cutline by 26 points are Erik Jones and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Like Byron, Johnson capped off both Michigan races with top-15 finishes and in his final races at the Irish Hills. Jones, on the other hand, had an up-and-down weekend that started with an 11th-place result on Saturday before he finished a disappointing 27th place on Sunday. With two missed opportunities of locking himself into the postseason and winning at his home track, Jones and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry team are still on the outside of the cutline and with Jones set to depart the organization following this season.

Rookie Tyler Reddick had a long weekend at Michigan as he recorded finishes of 18th and 24th between the two races, and he now trails the cutline by 36 points.

“We fought hard today at Michigan International Speedway, but our No. 8 Chevrolet Accessories Camaro ZL1 1LE was a challenge during the race,” Reddick said. “We fired off extremely tight, which made it hard to move around and run the bottom like I needed to be able to do. My crew chief, Randall Burnett, made some good adjustments during the race that helped loosen me up, but we just needed a little bit more today. We’ll definitely look back at this weekend as a team to see what we can learn from it and regroup for next weekend.”

The remaining competitors who trail the top-16 cutline by 122 or more points include rookie Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, Chris Buescher, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., rookie John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Newman, Ty Dillon, Matt Kenseth, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Preece, Daniel Suarez, rookie Brennan Poole and rookie Quin Houff.

The battle for the final spots towards the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will continue next weekend in the inaugural Daytona International Speedway road course event, which will occur on August 16 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

Johnson and Byron rally for top-12 runs at Michigan

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

It was a long, sunny afternoon for Hendrick Motorsports’ drivers Jimmie Johnson and William Byron at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, August 9, that resulted in both competitors struggling for the majority of the race despite starting towards the front. When the checkered flag flew, both HMS competitors salvaged top-12 results and remain in a battle against one another for a Playoff spot with the postseason nearing its starting phase.

For Byron, his race started off on a high note when he moved up to start on the front row due to multiple cars starting at the rear of the field. When the green flag waved, the Charlotte native battled hard with Clint Bowyer for the field on the opening lap before the latter prevailed. Even though he never made a bid for the lead, Byron kept his No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE towards the front and running inside the top five. When the first stage concluded, he was scored in sixth place as he collected a handful of stage points towards the Playoffs. Jumping to second place for the start of the second stage, Byron dropped out of the top five and continued to downslide throughout the run. By the time the second stage concluded, he had fallen all the way back to 17th. Restarting 14th for the final stage under 65 laps remaining, he spent the majority of the run inside the top 15 before making a late charge for a top-10 spot. When the checkered flag flew, however, Byron crossed the line in 12th place. Despite the struggles throughout the race, Byron’s 15th top-10 result of this season kept him and his No. 24 team 26 points above the top-16 cutline, with Byron holding sole possession of the 16th and final transfer spot to the Playoffs with four regular-season races remaining.

“Hard fought day for us at Michigan today and this weekend overall really,” Byron said. “After this weekend, we came out of Michigan with a bit larger of a points gap than we started, which is good. Hopefully we can go on to the road course at Daytona and keep building that point buffer. I think we’re really good at road courses so hopefully, we can run well there despite it being an unknown. I’m looking forward to it though and the challenge it will bring. I will definitely be doing a lot of iRacing this week to get ready for it.”

Teammate Johnson also had a long run that ended up with a decent result. Starting in the second row, Johnson was competitive at the start of the race as he muscled his way into the runner-up spot. Following the first 15 laps, however, he had fallen back to seventh after he got loose in Turn 3 and lost a handful of spots. From there, Johnson and his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE continued to slide backwards as he dropped out of the top 10. He was unable to work his way back into the top 10 as he concluded the first stage on Lap 40 in 11th, missing an opportunity of collecting a stage point by one position. Despite starting in fourth place for the second stage, the seven-time champion continued to struggle with keeping pace with the leaders. When the second stage concluded on Lap 85, he was scored in 14th. Johnson struggled at the start of the final stage, falling back towards the top 20, but he rallied back into the top 15 as the run progressed. Even though he had a shot for a top-10 finish in the closing laps, it was not enough as Johnson finished in 11th place in his 38th and final run at Michigan. With his 12th top-15 result of this season, Johnson is tied with Erik Jones in being 26 points below the cutline as he attempts to make his final postseason appearance in his swan song season of full-time racing.

“We put up a good fight today,” Johnson said. “Track position was important, and we fought the balance most of the day. I’m looking forward to the [Daytona] road course and both Dover races.”

For the remaining half of Hendrick Motorsports’ four-car lineup, Chase Elliott was the lone Hendrick competitor to finish in the top 10 (ninth) while Alex Bowman ended his race in 36th following tire issues.

Byron and Johnson, along with their teammates and fellow competitors, will return for next weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series inaugural race on the Daytona International Speedway road course layout, which will occur on August 16 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

Kyle Busch, Almirola remain in Playoff contention with top-six runs at Michigan

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

While Kevin Harvick capped off an eventful NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader weekend at Michigan International Speedway with back-to-back victories, Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola kept themselves in guaranteed spots for this year’s Playoffs after both notched top-10 results on Sunday, August 9, at the Irish Hills. To go along with their results from the first Michigan race on Saturday, August 8, and the stage points they collected during the two Michigan races, both left the Irish Hills satisfied with their runs as they continue to set their sights towards the postseason and an opportunity to win the 2020 Cup title.

A day after having a potential shot of winning evaporated following the slightest of contact with eventual winner Harvick, Kyle Busch started Sunday’s race in 16th place and with vengeance. When the green flag waved, Busch wasted no time working his way towards the front. Following the first five laps, he had worked his way into the top 10 as he was running in seventh. Late in the first stage, the Las Vegas native made his way into the top five as he was scored in third. Ultimately, he would retain third place when the first stage concluded as he collected a chunk load of stage points towards the Playoffs. Following a stellar pit stop under the stage break, Busch emerged with the lead for the start of the second stage. At the start of the second stage, Busch, who led four laps, was quickly overtaken by Harvick for the lead. Nonetheless, Busch remained towards the front as he grabbed another third-place result in the second stage along with more stage points.

Following a pit stop under the second stage break, Busch restarted in second place for the final stage. For the remainder of the race and under the final 65 laps, he kept his No. 18 M&M’s Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry within the top 10 and battled for a top-five spot alongside teammates Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. When the checkered flag flew, Busch settled in fourth place, one spot higher than his fifth-place result on Saturday. Even though his winless streak of this season extended for another week and to 22 races, Busch’s 10th top-five result of this season kept the reigning Cup champion 140 points above the top-16 cutline with four regular-season races remaining until the 2020 Cup Playoffs commences.

“At the end of the day, we slowed down a little bit on the long runs,” Kyle Busch said on NBCSN. “That’s just what we had. We got about all we could get out of the day. I felt like [Harvick] was the best car, [Brad Keselowski] was second best, [Hamlin] at the end showed up and was pretty fast, but [Truex] and myself were really even. That’s about all we had. Great day again for the M&M’s Fudge Brownie Camry. We come to Michigan not normally looking for top-five days, but this has been two good days. Hopefully, we can keep some momentum rolling and get ready to go next week [at Daytona], turn right and turn left. Yesterday and today, the car drove great. Best driving car I’ve had here at Michigan…We stayed consistent with many of the things that we were doing from yesterday just to have a good solid effort of it today and not screw anything up.”

Compared to Busch, Aric Almirola had an up-and-down weekend at Michigan that ended up on a positive note. A day after finishing 16th, Almirola, who was scheduled to start in fifth place, dropped to the rear of the field in a backup car. Throughout the first stage and the first 40 laps, he methodically carved his way through the field and was scored in 19th. Starting 16th in the second stage, he cracked the top 10 throughout the run under green. By the time the second stage concluded, he finished eighth and collected a handful of stage points.

Starting 11th in the final stage, Almirola flexed his muscles as he made his way into the top five. Under 50 laps remaining, however, Almirola and his No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang emerged with the lead under caution through miscommunication when he had meant to pit with the leaders. For the ensuing restart, he led nine laps before he was overtaken by Harvick. While the run progressed, Almirola remained well inside the top 10, but needed a caution to complete the race with a shot of winning. A caution for debris under 20 laps remaining saved Almirola from pitting under green and falling a lap behind. When he pitted, however, he fell back near the top 20 while most of the leaders elected to remain on track. For the remainder of the race, Almirola benefited from the four fresh tires and fuel to charge his way back to the top 10. He had a shot in overtaking Joey Logano for fifth place in the final laps, but he was unable to navigate his way around Logano as he crossed the finish line in sixth place. Almirola’s 13th top-10 result of this season has the Floridian 158 points above the cutline and in a stable position of making his fourth postseason appearance.

“We overcame a lot today,” Almirola said on NBCSN. “We had to start in the back with a backup car, drove literally from 32nd all the way up to sixth and then, had that miscue on pit road about what we were doing for pitting. Led some laps there, which was nice but I knew that we were in trouble ’cause everybody else could make it on fuel and we couldn’t. So, we pitted, got four tires on [the car] and drove from 22nd back up to sixth again in about 12 laps. Really proud of [crew chief Mike] Buga [Bugarewicz] and all the guys on this team. Yesterday was not a very good day. It was a learning experience and a character-building experience. We learned so much from that and [prepared a] completely different racecar and a different mentality for today, back to what we’ve been running the last couple of months and we’ve had a lot more success on this. Excited to go these next few weeks and get ready for the Playoffs. I don’t know what to expect for next weekend at the Daytona road course but nonetheless, we’ve got a great car, great team and we’re excited about the Playoffs when they come.”

Almirola and Busch, along with their fellow Cup competitors, will return on Sunday, August 16, for the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at the Daytona International Speedway road course layout, which will occur at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

Harvick sweeps Michigan in one weekend

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

Like his run from a day earlier at Michigan International Speedway, Kevin Harvick had a fast car and had to fight off all comers to earn a victory. That was the case on Sunday, August 9, when Harvick held off a late challenge from Denny Hamlin in the final laps to win the Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan and to sweep both Cup races at the Irish Hills on the same weekend. The victory was Harvick’s sixth of this season, fifth at Michigan and the 55th of his Cup Series career. 

The starting lineup was based on the results from Saturday’s Cup race at Michigan, where the top-20 finishers were inverted while the latter 20 competitors started as finished on Saturday. Chris Buescher, who finished 20th, was scheduled to start on pole position, but he started at the rear of the field in a backup car. As a result, William Byron and Clint Bowyer, both of whom finished 14th and 19th on Saturday, started on the front row and led the field to the start on Sunday.

In addition to Buescher, the following competitors, including Austin Dillon, Ryan Newman, rookie Tyler Reddick, Aric Almirola, Michael McDowell, Ryan Preece, rookie John Hunter Nemechek and rookie Cole Custer, started at the rear of the field in backup cars. Rookie Brennan Poole also started at the rear of the field for an engine change, Daniel Suarez and Reed Sorenson both dropped to the rear of the field due to failing pre-race inspection twice and Josh Bilicki started at the rear of the field due to a driver change. 

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Byron and Bowyer battled dead even for the lead with Bowyer squeaking ahead to lead the first lap. Behind, Austin Dillon was assessed a pass-through penalty for unapproved adjustments made on the grid prior to the race.

The following lap, Jimmie Johnson and Matt DiBenedetto overtook Byron for position with rookie Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Erik Jones and Kurt Busch trailing behind. By then, Bowyer was ahead with the lead by nearly half a second.

By the fifth lap, Kyle Busch muscled his way up to seventh after overtaking brother Kurt and Wallace in Turn 2 a lap earlier. Behind, Ryan Blaney was in ninth, Chase Elliott was in 11th ahead of Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski. Denny Hamlin was in 17th, teammate Martin Truex Jr. was in 19th and Tyler Reddick was in 20th ahead of Alex Bowman. Rookie Cole Custer was in 25th ahead of Ryan Newman, Aric Almirola and Daniel Suarez.

Five laps later and 10 laps into the race, Bowyer stabilized his early advantage by more than a second over Johnson followed by Bell, DiBenedetto, Byron and Jones. Two laps later, Bell, the fastest competitor on the track, moved into the runner-up spot after passing Johnson. Another lap later, Johnson lost momentum entering Turn 3 and fell back to sixth place while being overtaken by DiBenedetto, Byron and Jones. 

By Lap 15, Harvick, winner of Saturday’s Cup Michigan race, cracked the top 10 after passing Wallace. Ahead of him, Kyle Busch was in eighth ahead of Blaney while Logano, Elliott, Keselowski and Hamlin were running in 12th through 15th.

Five laps later and 20 laps into the race, Bowyer was still leading by more than two seconds over Bell, who continued to chop off Bowyer’s advantage. DiBenedetto was still in third place while Byron and Jones battled for fourth. The Busch brothers followed suit while Blaney and Harvick were in eighth and ninth. Johnson, meanwhile, had fallen back to 10th with Logano lingering behind him. By then, Wallace was in 15th ahead of Reddick, Truex was in 24th behind Almirola and Austin Dillon was back in 33rd place following his opening lap pass-through penalty.

With the laps in the first stage dwindling, Bowyer and his No. 14 DEKALB Ford Mustang were still ahead and cruising by three seconds over Bell and his No. 95 Procore Toyota Camry. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch and his No. 18 M&M’s Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry continued to work towards the front as he moved into third place followed by Jones, Byron and DiBenedetto. Blaney was in seventh followed by Harvick, one of the fastest competitors on the track. Kurt Busch was in ninth while Logano was in 10th ahead of Johnson, Elliott, Hamlin and Keselowski. Reddick was in 17th behind Wallace while Truex was stuck back in 22nd.

With no competition trailing behind him for the lead, Bowyer was able to navigate his way through lapped traffic and cruise to the first stage win on Lap 40 while claiming his third stage win of the season and crucial stage points towards making the Playoffs. Bell settled in second place followed by Kyle Busch, DiBenedetto and Jones. Byron, Blaney, Harvick, Kurt Busch and Logano settled in the top 10. 

Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Kyle Busch emerged with the lead after exiting pit road first following a stellar stop by the No. 18 M&M’s crew. Harvick moved up to second place followed by teammate Bowyer, Byron and Jones. Following the first round of pit stops, Blaney, who was in the top 10, made another pit stop to fill up the fuel tank of his No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang. 

Prior to the restart and with the choose rule implemented, Byron moved up from fourth to second place and restarted beneath Kyle Busch on the front row, Johnson moved up from seventh to restart in third place alongside Harvick in the second row and Bowyer dropped back to sixth to restart on the outside lane in the third row alongside Logano.

The second stage started on Lap 47 and Kyle Busch jumped to an early advantage with drafting help from Harvick. Not long after, Harvick made a three-wide move on Kyle Busch and Byron entering Turn 2 to take the lead and pull away. Busch settled in second followed by Bowyer, Byron and Jones. A lap later, Keselowski made his way into the top five after moving up to fourth. Behind, Bell was back in eighth following a slow stop under the first stage break. 

By Lap 60 and with less than 100 laps remaining of the overall race, Harvick was leading by more than a second over Keselowski and Kyle Busch. Bowyer was in fourth followed by Bell, Jones, Logano, DiBenedetto, Elliott and Hamlin. Kurt Busch was in 11th followed by Almirola and Byron, Johnson and Bowman. Blaney was in 18th behind Reddick and ahead of Truex and Wallace. Matt Kenseth and Newman were in 16th and 23rd.

Ten laps later, Harvick, who started to approach lapped traffic, was still ahead of the field by two seconds over Keselowski and more than three seconds over Kyle Busch. Bell was still in fourth place followed by Bowyer, Jones, Hamlin, Logano, Elliott and Almirola. Johnson and Byron were back in 14th and 15th behind Blaney while Truex was in 17th. 

At the halfway mark on Lap 78, Harvick extended his advantage to more than three seconds over Keselowski with Kyle Busch trailing by more than four seconds, Bell by nearly six seconds and Bowyer by nearly seven seconds. Like his race-winning performance from Saturday and with the same car he drove to yesterday’s win, Harvick was able to drive away from the field and easily claim the second stage on Lap 85 for his fifth stage victory of the season. Keselowski settled in second place followed by Kyle Busch, Bell and Bowyer. Hamlin, Jones, Almirola, Logano and Blaney were scored in the top 10.

Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Harvick retained the lead after exiting pit road first ahead of Kyle Busch. Keselowski, Bowyer and Hamlin exited in the top five followed by Bell. Prior to the restart, Hamlin moved up to the front row to restart beneath Harvick, Kyle Busch fell back to fourth to restart on the outside lane alongside Blaney. Elliott and Keselowski restarted behind on the third row followed by DiBenedetto and Bowyer.

Under 65 laps remaining, the final stage started under green. During the restart, Hamlin and Blaney boosted ahead with the lead and both competitors battled dead even before Blaney squeaked ahead with the top spot. Behind, Harvick and Hamlin battled for the runner-up spot followed by Elliott, Kyle Busch and Keselowski. Meanwhile, Bowman and Truex, both of whom struggled, were in 10th and 11th while Bowyer was in 12th ahead of Jones, Reddick and Bell. Byron was in 17th ahead of Kenseth while Johnson was in 20th behind Wallace.

With around 60 laps remaining, Keselowski, who muscled his way up to the runner-up spot, made a move beneath Blaney in Turn 1 and challenged for the lead when he got loose and slipped up into Blaney as both Penske teammates wrecked across the Turn 2 outside wall. With the caution returning, the wreck eliminated Blaney and Keselowski from race-winning contention and the overall race.

“I just lost it,” Keselowski said following his release from the infield care center on NBCSN. “It’s my fault. I feel really bad for my teammate, Ryan Blaney. He didn’t deserve that. I just came off of Turn 4 and [Harvick] was behind me. He gave me a push and I swear, I went into the corner like 20 mph faster than I had been all day. [I] Got pass [Hamlin] and went to get underneath [Blaney]. It just slipped, lost the back a little bit. I went to correct it and he was there, and I wiped him out and myself out.”

“It’s unfortunate for the whole Penske organization,” Blaney added. “We had two fast cars, battling for the lead. It stinks that happened. He had a run like he said. He didn’t think he had a big of a run as he had and just got loose and unfortunately, got us both. That’s a shame to end our day like that with the Knauf/Menards Ford Mustang. We were so fast…Got the lead…It’s unfortunate, but it’s not going to carry over. Mistakes happen.”

Under caution, Bowman made a pit stop after sustaining damage during the incident. Bowyer, who also sustained minimal damage to his car, remained on track inside the top 10. Prior to the restart, Kyle Busch moved up to restart beneath teammate Hamlin on the front row. Kurt Busch and Harvick restarted on the second row in front of Bell and Elliott.

The race restarted under green with 55 laps remaining and Harvick made his way back to the lead over Hamlin. Elliott moved into third followed by Kyle Busch and Almirola. Kurt Busch charged his way up to sixth followed by DiBenedetto, Truex, Johnson and Bell. Meanwhile, Bowyer, who sustained a tire rub during the restart, made an unscheduled pit stop and was trapped a lap behind the leaders.

Shortly after, the caution returned when Bell spun in Turn 2 after sustaining a flat tire. The caution was as a saving grace for Bowyer, who received the free pass and returned on the lead lap. 

Under caution, nearly the entire field pitted and Hamlin exited pit road first after only taking fuel to his No. 11 FedEx Toyota, the first of many who elected to pit for only fuel. DiBenedetto exited in second after he also took only fuel to his car followed by Harvick, who opted for a two-tire stop. At the front, Almirola remained on track to inherit the lead, though he miscommunicated with his crew over code words and had meant to pit with the leaders.

When the race restarted with 47 laps remaining, teammates Almirola and Harvick battled for the lead with Harvick leading the following lap before Almirola cleared his teammate for the lead the next lap. Behind, DiBenedetto moved up to third place followed by Truex, who made a three-wide move on Kurt Busch and Hamlin to move into the top five for the first time. Logano was in seventh followed by Jones, Kyle Busch and Newman. 

With 40 laps remaining, Harvick made his way back to the lead after passing Almirola, though Almirola and his No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang remained competitive on old tires and low fuel. Truex was up in third place followed by DiBenedetto and Hamlin. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch was in ninth ahead of Johnson and Jones, Austin Dillon was up to 13th, Byron was in 15th and Bowyer was in 18th.

Ten laps later and with 30 laps remaining, Harvick was still leading by two-tenths of a second over his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Almirola while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Truex and Hamlin battled for third place. Kurt Busch trailed by more than four seconds with brother Kyle up to sixth.

Seven laps later, with the leaders approaching lapped traffic, teammates Truex and Hamlin passed Almirola to move up to second and third with Truex trailing race leader Harvick by less than a second. 

With less than 20 laps remaining, the caution returned due to debris from Bowman’s No. 88 Adam’s Polishes/ChevyGoods.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, who had sustained a flat tire entering Turn 4 and near the pit road entrance. The caution was as a saving grace for Almirola, who was on the brink of having to make an unscheduled pit stop under green.

Under caution, Almirola along with some that included DiBenedetto, Wallace, Kenseth, Michael McDowell, rookie John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Preece and Daniel Suarez pitted while most of the leaders led by Harvick remained on track.

With 15 laps remaining, the race restarted under green with Harvick and Hamlin on the front row in front of Truex and Logano. At the restart, Harvick retained the lead while teammates Truex and Hamlin battled for the runner-up spot. Teammate Kyle Busch made his way to fourth after passing brother Kurt and with DiBenedetto behind. 

Two laps later, Hamlin settled in the runner-up spot in front of teammates Truex and Kyle Busch. By then, Harvick was ahead by nearly a second. Meanwhile, Almirola, following his pit stop, was up to eighth on fresh tires behind Elliott. 

With less than 10 laps remaining, Harvick was leading by six-tenths of a second over Hamlin, who was slowly closing in towards Harvick, while teammates Truex and Kyle Busch battled for third place. During this time, Bowman made another unscheduled pit stop after making contact with the wall and sustaining another flat tire.

With the laps dwindling, Hamlin continued to chop off Harvick’s advantage as he drew himself to being three-tenths of a second behind Harvick. While Hamlin remained within sight of Harvick’s rear bumper and made a few attempts to pass for the lead through the turns, Harvick was able to retain his advantage entering the straightaways.

With two laps remaining, Hamlin gained a run in Turn 1 when Harvick lifted, but he also lifted entering Turn 2 as Harvick stabilized his advantage to nearly three car lengths. On the final lap, Harvick was still ahead with Hamlin still lurking behind. In Turn 3, Harvick remained on the inside lane while Hamlin went on the outside lane. Entering Turn 4, Hamlin gained a huge run on Harvick and got to his rear bumper. With the checkered flag waving and the leaders coming across the finish line through the frontstretch, Harvick was able to beat Hamlin by 0.093 seconds to grab a thrilling win.

The victory was the 13th of the season for Ford, the manufacturer’s 42nd Cup victory since 2018 and the seventh of the season for Stewart-Haas Racing. With his two victories this weekend, Harvick tallied his top-five results of this season to 15 and top-10 results to 19. A day after tying the late Lee Petty for 11th place on the NASCAR Cup all-time wins list, Harvick has tied NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace for 10th place on the all-time wins list. 

“It was a big challenge [on the battle with Hamlin],” Harvick said in Victory Lane on NBCSN. “Our Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang got really tight there in [Turns] 3 and 4. I could run really good through [Turns] 1 and 2 still, but I was just tight on that other end all day. I just got to thank all of my guys. They did a great job all weekend on pit road. Great pit calls. It’s been a long time since I’ve raced back-to-back days, let alone in the Cup car. I’ve never accomplished that, obviously, but we’ve done that a couple times this year. For us, it’s worked out pretty good. When you look at my team, we’ve been together for seven years now, and you look at the confidence that everybody has in each other, the details of the racecars and the thought of everything that goes into everything we do is untouchable.”

Hamlin settled in the runner-up spot for his 12th top-five result of this season as this also marks the ninth time where he has finished first or second this season. Teammates Truex and Kyle Busch finished third and fourth while Logano held off Almirola to finish fifth.

“Once we finally got to second, I knew we had something for [Harvick],” Hamlin said. “We got stalled there. He was tight, I was tight. We were better, that’s for sure. He just had the track position and could control the lanes there. [I] Wished I had Turns 1 and 2 to go do over again when we both lifted off of [Turn] 2 there. I should’ve faked low and went high, but I thought I could maybe get to the quarter panel and shoved him even higher. Just couldn’t quite do it, but proud of this whole FedEx Ground Toyota team. Obviously, a very strong run. We just needed a little bit more. Overall, I thought we just had a good-handling car and that’s what allowed us to keep pace there. I thought our whole team did a great job of adjusting overnight. We’re just plugging along here. [I] Really hate giving up wins to [Harvick]. I got tremendous respect for everyone on [the No. 4] team and Kevin. As we’ve gotten older, we’ve gotten wiser, learned to really appreciate what each other does on the race track and obviously, they’re have a great season as well.”

“We battled back,” Truex said. “The car was pretty far off to start the race. We’re all pretty disappointed in that, obviously. Really proud of the effort to get the Auto-Owners [Insurance] Camry back upfront. Just really proud of our race team. We keep bringing top-three cars to the race track and the Playoffs are coming. So, we need to keep doing that. Just off at the start and had to rebound. Definitely, a different story than yesterday but pretty much, the same result. I was doing all I could to get up there. I got too tight there at the end. Just fought the balance too much all day. Wicked loose to start and wicked tight at the end. We’ll keep digging.”

Almirola, DiBenedetto, Austin Dillon, Elliott and Kurt Busch rounded out the top 10. Jimmie Johnson finished 11th in his final run at Michigan while Bowyer ended his run in 14th place.

There were 10 lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 24 laps.

With two victories this weekend and with four regular-season races remaining until the start of the 2020 Cup Playoffs, Harvick continues to lead the regular-season series standings by 137 over Keselowski and 140 over Hamlin.

Results.

1. Kevin Harvick, 90 laps led, Stage 2 winner

2. Denny Hamlin, six laps led

3. Martin Truex Jr.

4. Kyle Busch, four laps led

5. Joey Logano

6. Aric Almirola, nine laps led

7. Matt DiBenedetto

8. Austin Dillon

9. Chase Elliott

10. Kurt Busch

11. Jimmie Johnson

12. William Byron

13. Ryan Newman

14. Clint Bowyer, 43 laps led, Stage 1 winner

15. Matt Kenseth

16. Ryan Preece

17. Christopher Bell

18. Ty Dillon

19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

20. Chris Buescher

21. Bubba Wallace

22. Corey LaJoie

23. John Hunter Nemechek

24. Tyler Reddick

25. Cole Custer

26. Daniel Suarez

27. Erik Jones

28. Michael McDowell

29. J.J. Yeley, two laps down

30. Brennan Poole, three laps down

31. Reed Sorenson, three laps down

32. Quin Houff, three laps down

33. Josh Bilicki, four laps down

34. Garrett Smithley, four laps down

35. Timmy Hill, six laps down

36. Alex Bowman – OUT, Tire

37. James Davison, nine laps down

38. Ryan Blaney – OUT, four laps led

39. Brad Keselowski – OUT

Next weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series will race for the first time on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course layout as the 2020 Playoffs approaches its starting point. The race at Daytona will occur on August 16 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

Michael McDowell Post-Race Report: Michigan 2

By
Official Release
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Track: Michigan International Speedway
Race: 22 of 36
Event: Consumers Energy 400
(312 miles, 156 laps)

Michael McDowell
No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Martin Transportation Systems Ford Mustang

Started: 29th
Finished: 28th

Stage One: 32nd
Stage Two: 31st
Stage Three: 28th

Michael McDowell and his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | MTS (Martin Transportation Systems) Ford Mustang would start 29th in race two of the Michigan International Speedway doubleheader weekend, however had to drop to the rear before taking the green flag as the team needed to go to a backup car after being collected in a late-race incident on Saturday. The first stage would run caution-less and McDowell would go on to take the green- and white-checkered flag from the 32nd position. Under the caution, McDowell noted that his race car was extremely tight and would bring the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | MTS Ford Mustang down pit road for 4 tires, fuel, a packer and trackbar adjustment.

Stage 2 would mimic the first as the 45-lap segment would stay green through its entirety. Halfway through the stage, McDowell would radio to his team to say that the adjustments made to his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | MTS Ford Mustang during the Stage 1 caution had helped to improve the car by roughly 20 percent, and would go on the finish Stage 2 from the 31st position. Under the Stage Break, McDowell would pit for more of the same as Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer made the call for 4 tires, fuel, a trackbar and packer adjustment.

During the final stage of Sunday’s 156-lap NASCAR Cup Series event, the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | MTS Ford Mustang would pit three more times under various cautions to make a variety of adjustments and go on to take the checkered flag in the final race of the Michigan doubleheader weekend from the 28th position.

McDowell on Michigan:

“It was just an overall difficult weekend for our No. 34 team at Michigan. We didn’t unload how we had hoped in race one and then got collected in a late-race incident that forced us to a backup car for today. My guys fought hard on pit road all weekend to try and get our race cars better, and I felt like we were continuously making improvements, but we just ran out of time at the end of the race. I’m extremely thankful to have had the support of Love’s Travel Stops and Martin Transportation Systems this weekend and look forward to having them both back on the car soon. We’ll debrief this week at the shop and then get ready to head to Daytona on Sunday.”

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