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Portland Win Keeps ABEL Motorsports championship hopes alive

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Official Release
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  • Jacob Abel captures his third victory and ninth podium of the season in the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland
  • Yuven Sundaramoorthy stays hot, brings home his sixth top 10 in the past seven races

PORTLAND, Ore. (August 25, 2024) – Jacob Abel and ABEL Motorsports INDY NXT by Firestone championship hopes live on, after a fiercely hard-fought victory in Sunday’s 35-lap Grand Prix of Portland.

Abel, 23, powered his No. 51 ABEL Construction Dallara into the lead going into the first turn and held off championship leader Louis Foster for the remainder of the of the race for his third win and ninth podium in 12 races. Teammate Yuven Sundaramoorthy, driving the No. 22 S Team Motorsports/ABEL Motorsports entry, came back from early difficulties to capture an eighth-place finish on Portland International Raceway’s tricky 12-turn, 1.967-mile road course.

The win keeps Abel 79 points back in the title chase, with two races remaining in the season.

Abel took the green in second position, with Sundaramoorthy fifth. Abel tucked behind the pole sitter going down the front straight then slid to the inside as the field headed into the notoriously tight Festival Curves. Abel timed the move perfectly, taking the lead into Turn 1, as Sundaramoorthy avoided contact between cars to take fourth.

Abel held the lead through the first lap, as Sundaramoorthy lost a bit of footing early, putting him back in ninth. Focusing forward, Abel consistently set faster lap times as he began to gain an advantage.

On lap nine, contact between two cars in Turn 9 brought out a full course caution, pausing the action. Back to green on lap 12, Abel refused to relent, fighting off a charge from behind through Turns 3 and 4, and again in Turn 9, to hold the lead. Meanwhile, Sundaramoorthy won a drag race down the front straight to take eighth position.

The action settled in through the race’s midpoint, with Abel holding a half second lead over second, as Sundaramoorthy looked for an opportunity to make a move – and laying down lap times among the leaders.

At the checkered flag, Abel had captured the victory by four-tenths of a second – and immediately thanked the ABEL Motorsports crew that had worked so hard to give him a solid race car.

“We didn’t roll off the trailer that well this weekend, but we were able to make up a ton of ground and ultimately win the race,” said Abel. “So huge congrats to the ABEL Motorsports team, they did a fantastic job. With Louis on pole, I knew I wasn’t going to let him have it easy. But it was a good battle, good racing.

“My goal for the end of the season is to enjoy my last few races in the series and end this year on a high note. It’s been a super strong year for the ABEL team and for me personally. I’m really happy with it. So even if the championship isn’t totally still in play, to get back to victory lane late in the season as both the team and I position ourselves for next year, it’s huge. I want to be in INDYCAR next year so hopefully that helps.”

For Sundaramoorthy, the difficulties early in the race made the difference, but a strong finish showed the mettle of the Wisconsin driver.

“The car was good, I just had difficulty getting it going early,” said Sundaramoorthy. “We collected it mid-race and got it going. I just tried to put a couple of laps together but then, you know, once people started using push-to-pass so it is what it is. We put it together in the end and got another top 10 finish, which is tough given how competitive this series is.”

ABEL Motorsports thanks partners ABEL Construction Company, Advance Ready Mix, Boyd Cat®, S Team Motorsports, Quest Global and OMP for their continued support.

Next up for ABEL Motorsports and the INDY NXT by Firestone will be the Milwaukee 100, Sunday, August 31 at 3:50 p.m. ET at the Milwaukee Mile. The race will be streamed live in the U.S. on Peacock, while international viewers can watch via INDYCARLIVE, with INDYCAR Radio available at indycar.com and on Sirius XM.

About ABEL Motorsports: Team principal Bill Abel began racing motocross in 1972, earning numerous championship titles as he continued the family racing tradition. In 2015, ABEL Motorsports was launched, starting in the USF2000 series and building up the junior open wheel ladder. The team captured the inaugural Formula Regional Americas Championship with driver Kyle Kirkwood in 2018.

ABEL Motorsports currently competes in the INDY NXT by Firestone series, the official development series for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, led by third-generation driver Jacob Abel. The team made its INDYCAR debut in 2023 with driver RC Enerson in the Indianapolis 500. For more information visit the official team website at abelmotorsports.com.

About Abel Construction Company: ABEL Construction is one of the largest general contractors in Kentucky, holding licenses in thirteen states. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky and Indianapolis, Indiana, with the corporate office in Louisville. Their expertise spans many areas, including general contracting, construction management, design-build, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), and facilities maintenance.

Abel Construction has helped build some of the region’s most recognizable landmarks. Their projects cover diverse sectors, including automotive, healthcare, post-secondary education, commercial, food/beverage, tech, and industrial/manufacturing. They prioritize client satisfaction, focusing on efficient project delivery regardless of size or cost. The company’s skilled professionals utilize cutting-edge technology and software to ensure successful outcomes. abelconstruct.com/.

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Burton Scores His First Cup Win, and the Wood Brothers’ 100th, in Dramatic Daytona Finish

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Official Release
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#21: Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing, DEX Imaging Ford Mustang

Harrison Burton outdueled veteran Kyle Busch on the final lap of an Overtime finish of Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway to score his first career Cup Series victory and the 100th for his Wood Brothers team.

The win earned Burton and the Wood Brothers a berth in the 10-race, championship-deciding Playoffs, which begin after next week’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

The historic win for the Wood Brothers, who got their first Cup victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960 with Speedy Thompson at the wheel of the iconic No. 21 Ford, was their first since Ryan Blaney won at Pocono Raceway in 2017. The Woods have now won races at the Cup level for seven straight decades and have won NASCAR races for eight straight.

Saturday’s win also was the first since a third generation of Woods joined the ownership of the team founded by the late Glenn Wood and operated with his brothers Leonard, Ray Lee, Delano and Clay. Then a second generation, Glenn’s sons Eddie and Len and daughter Kim Wood Hall steered the team before being joined by the next generation of Jon Wood, Keven Wood and Jordan Wood Hicks. And in the winner’s interview in the media center Saturday night, a fourth generation Wood, Bailey joined the group on the podium.

The milestone victory came at Daytona, where the Woods have won five Daytona 500s and 11 more in the track’s second race, long known as the Firecracker 400.

Burton, who became the 19th driver to win a Cup race for the Woods and the 89th to win in a Ford, said getting the 100th win had been a topic of many a conversation at team meetings this year.

“That’s something you can’t take lightly,” he told reporters at Daytona. “We as a group have that place in history now forever for the 100th win for the Wood Brothers.

“To me, that just means the world.”

And he said he hopes there’s more to add to the team history before he leaves the team at season’s end.

“We’re not going to roll over and die,” he said. “We’ve had a rough year, but this is the shot in the arm we’ve needed, and we’re going to go to Darlington set on kill.”

Eddie Wood said in the winner’s interview that there are many people responsible for the team reaching this milestone.

“I don’t really have the words,” he said. “I just want to thank everybody that supported us. Harrison, he’s done such a great job tonight. I mean, missing those wrecks. It just seemed like they’d run a little while, then have another crash. He was so close. Just a matter of I’m not even going to say an inch, that one wreck, the early one. Seemed like about a quarter of an inch.

“It just means so much to our team to finally get the other win…We’ve got a wall in front of our museum that’s got 21 winners, 21 different drivers that’s won races in our cars. We get to put him up next week.”

Wood said he’s especially grateful for the support of Ford Motor Company, which is the only manufacturer the Woods have ever been associated with. And that support has been there even in the lean years, he said.

“Timing is everything, they say, but there was a phone call from Edsel Ford back in 2008,” Wood said. “We were really struggling. He said, ‘I’m going to have a gentleman call you tomorrow that’s going to help you.’

“That man’s name was Jim Farley, who is now the CEO of Ford Motor Company. That’s how far back things go.

Our family raced Ford Motor Company products since the beginning,1950. I think that’s one of the things I’m really, really proud of.”

Burton, who started from 20th place Saturday night, ran in the top 10 for much of the event but had to dodge several multi-car crashes to be in position to battle for the win at the end.

On the final restart, he lined up on the outside, with part-time Cup driver Parker Retzlaff, who was making just his second career Cup start and driving for a part-time team, on his bumper. On the inside line were two veterans – Busch and Christopher Bell.

Busch took the lead initially, then, like Burton, Retzlaff rose to the occasion and pushed Burton’s DEX Imaging Mustang Dark Horse into the lead on the final lap. From there Burton recovered from a bump from Busch that pushed him below the yellow line and kept the veteran at bay for the final yards to the finish line.

Crew chief Jeremy Bullins, who now has 10 Cup victories including the 2017 win at Pocono with Blaney, said Burton made all the right moves to survive the wrecks then prevail in Overtime. “He earned this one,” Bullins said.

The victory was a popular one in the garage, especially for those in the Blue Oval camp.

Austin Cindric posted on X: “I think I’m wearing my @woodbrothers21 hat all week. Good things happen to good people. I am so proud of @HBurtonRacing.”

Burton and the Wood Brothers team now head to Darlington Raceway for Sunday’s Cookout Southern 500.

About DEX Imaging
DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions, such as HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and numerous others.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:
Reducing Operating Costs
Reducing Paper Consumption
Increasing Productivity

DEX Imaging has been the recipient of virtually every industry award since the company’s inception, including the JD Power & Associates Award for Best Customer Experience, the prestigious ProTech Service award by Konica Minolta, the Diamond Premier Dealer Award by Kyocera, and the Elite DEALER Award by ‘ENX’ magazine. Other accolades include being named ‘Best Place to Work’ by numerous business journals in the markets DEX serves.

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 100 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last eight 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. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona Coke Zero Sugar 400

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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Harrison Burton, driver of the #21 DEX Imaging Ford, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 24, 2024 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Christopher Bell: Bell finished third in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.

“Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 car featured advertising for a Ronald Reagan movie,” Bell said. “It’s too bad this movie wasn’t made 20-some years ago, because there could have been a car touting ‘Dick Trickle-Down Economics.'”

2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin was collected in a Lap 61 pile-up that involved 18 cars. The damage ended Hamlin’s day and he finished 38th.

“We got hit earlier this week with a huge penalty,” Hamlin said. “And it cost us 75 points and more importantly, 10 playoff points. So, I wasn’t at all worried about the ‘Big One’ in the race, because it would pale in comparison.”

3. Tyler Reddick: Reddick was involved in the Lap 61 “Big One,” but survived only to be collected in “Big One No. 2” on Lap 191. He finished 28th.

“I’m not sure which idiot caused those accidents,” Reddick said, but it really affected several playoff drivers, including myself. I guess there’s a big difference between a ‘know-driving’ driver and a ‘no-driving’ driver.”

4. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski was penalized for jumping the restart on a late restart, ending his chances at the win at Daytona. He was forced to serve a drive-through penalty and finished a disappointing eighth.

“I don’t always agree with NASCAR’s decisions,” Keselowski said. “In fact, I never do, because they’re always wrong. But arguing with NASCAR officials is like arguing with a brick wall. But I’d much rather argue with a brick wall.”

5. Kyle Larson: Larson survived Lap 61’s “Big One’ and went on to a 21st-place finish in the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

“You probably heard me say I think I’m a better driver than Formula 1 star Max Verstappen,” Larson said. “I guess I’m gonna have to do one of two things: get more feet, or get a bigger mouth.”

6. Bubba Wallace: Wallace survived the chaos at Daytona and finished sixth in the Coke Zero Sugar 400, boosting his playoff chances.

“The Playoffs are looking much more likely for us,” Wallace said. “I think having Michael Jordan in the pits is always good for the team. If there’s anyone that’s familiar with the ‘odds,’ it’s Michael.”

7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished 29th at Daytona, a victim, like many, of a wild and wreck-filled night.

“I’m ready to defend my Cup Series championship,” Blaney said. “I’m really ready for the Playoffs to start. There are two things I really hate. One is waiting, the other is overtime restarts.”

8. Chase Elliott: Elliott’s No. 9 Chevy was knocked out of the race on Lap 61, a victim of the “Big One” triggered when Ross Chastain was turned mid-pack in front of the field. Elliott was credited with a 36th-place finish.

“Not only am I NASCAR’s most popular driver,” Elliott said, “I’m also its most laid back. I’ve always liked my dad’s nickname, so I’d like to be known as ‘Awesome Chill From Dawsonville.'”

9. Kyle Busch: Busch was oh so close to the win at Daytona, but Harrison Burton’s pass on the final lap denied Busch extending his streak of a win in twenty straight seasons, and also denied him a playoff-clinching win.

“I don’t know what I’m losing more,” Busch said. “Races, or patience. I guess I’m cursed. Which is only fair, because I’ve done my share of “cursing.'”

10. (tie): William Byron: Byron finished 27th at Daytona.

“It was a chaotic night at Daytona,” Byron said. “There was smoke, there was fire, there was Corey LaJoie.”

10. (tie) Martin Truex Jr.: Truex suffered a flat tire early at Daytona and fell out of contention, falling a lap down. He eventually finished 24th.”It’s too bad that my Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin was handed down a stiff penalty,” Truex said. “It wasn’t even the team’s fault; Toyota Racing Development did it and self-reported the infraction. I guess as far as Denny’s concerned, ‘TRD’ will now stand for ‘That’s Real Dumb.'”

Abel Clings to Title Hopes with Portland Victory

By
Official Release
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PORTLAND, Ore. (Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024) – Jacob Abel knew the task and completed it perfectly.

Abel kept alive his faint hopes for the INDY NXT by Firestone championship by passing points leader Louis Foster on the first lap and winning the Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday at Portland International Raceway. Abel drove his No. 51 Abel Construction entry of Abel Motorsports to victory by .4103 of a second over Foster’s No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car of Andretti Global.

“We didn’t roll off the trailer that well at all,” Abel said. “We were really struggling there the first practice session, especially going against someone like Louis, who won here last year and rolled off and just made his stuff better and better. Huge shoutout to the Abel Motorsports crew.”

Abel’s third victory of the season and in his career – his first since early May on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course – pulled him to within 79 points of Foster with two races remaining. Foster only needs to lead by 54 points after the next race, the INDY NXT by Firestone Milwaukee 100 on Saturday, Aug. 31 at the Milwaukee Mile, to clinch his first title in the INDYCAR development series. Foster and Abel are the only drivers still eligible for the championship, which includes a financial package to run selected NTT INDYCAR SERIES races.

“We’re really just trying to go out and win some races,” Abel said. “We lost a little bit of ground there in the middle of the season, so just trying to go out and have some fun and enjoy my last few races in INDY NXT and hopefully make the jump to INDYCAR next year.”

Rookie Bryce Aron of Andretti Global completed the podium finishers today on the 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course in the No. 27 Jaguar Land Rover Chesterfield machine after starting sixth. That finish tied his career best set in June at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Rookie Caio Collet finished fourth in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports car, followed by fellow rookie and teammate Christian Brooks in the No. 39 HMD Motorsports machine. Brooks tied a career best with his fifth place.

Abel wasted no time pouncing on an opportunity to pass Foster and keep the championship race alive. Abel, who started second, dove inside pole sitter Foster in the precarious, right-hand Turn 1 on the first lap and led all 35 laps.

But Foster didn’t make it easy on Abel. Foster stayed within a half-second of Abel’s gearbox for the entire race, often closing to within a car length.

Foster, who leads the series with six wins this season, pulled close enough to challenge on Lap 12 but was rebuffed by Abel in a near-calamity for both drivers.

British driver Foster pulled inside of Abel entering the left-hand Turn 10, with Foster’s right front tire making light contact with Abel’s left-rear tire. Foster backed off, and both drivers continued, with Foster applying pressure on leader Abel for the rest of the race.

INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland Race Results

PORTLAND, Ore. – Results Sunday of the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland INDY NXT by Firestone event on the 1.964-mile Portland International Raceway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, laps completed and reason out (if any):

  1. (2) Jacob Abel, 35, Running
  2. (1) Louis Foster, 35, Running
  3. (6) Bryce Aron, 35, Running
  4. (8) Caio Collet, 35, Running
  5. (7) Christian Brooks, 35, Running
  6. (4) Reece Gold, 35, Running
  7. (15) Myles Rowe, 35, Running
  8. (5) Yuven Sundaramoorthy, 35, Running
  9. (11) Josh Pierson, 35, Running
  10. (12) Jonathan Browne, 35, Running
  11. (14) Christian Bogle, 35, Running
  12. (9) Salvador de Alba Jr., 35, Running
  13. (13) Callum Hedge, 35, Running
  14. (10) Jamie Chadwick, 35, Running
  15. (16) Jack William Miller, 35, Running
  16. (3) James Roe, 32, Running
  17. (17) Ricardo Escotto, 7, Contact

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 106.713 mph
Time of race: 38:38.9698
Margin of victory: 0.4103 of a second
Cautions: 1 for 2 laps
Lead changes: 0

Lap Leaders:
Abel, Jacob 1 – 35

Wood Brothers Racing: 100 Wins By The Numbers

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Coke Zero Sugar 400 | Daytona International Speedway
Sunday, August 25, 2024

BY THE NUMBERS: Wood Brothers Racing WINS 100TH NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE IN DRAMATIC FASHION

  • Wood Brothers Racing won its 100th NASCAR Cup Series race on Saturday night when Harrison Burton captured the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
  • This marks the seventh straight decade Wood Brothers Racing has won a Cup Series race.
  • The team has competed in nothing but Ford products since 1950.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL. (August 25, 2024) – Another chapter was written in the storied history of Wood Brothers Racing when Harrison Burton delivered a thrilling overtime victory in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway Saturday night to give the team its 100th NASCAR Cup Series victory.

“This is beyond words,” remarked Eddie Wood, CEO and co-owner. “This has been such a long time coming, the hundredth win. We’ve been with Motorcraft Quick Lane and Ford Performance for over twenty years and you just can’t put that into words. Edsel Ford, all his family, Jim Farley – there’s just so many people in our world to make this happen. It’s just unbelievable.”

Ever since Glen Wood made racing the family business in 1950, the family organization and Ford Motor Co. have been synonymous. For the last 74 years, the team has only competed with Ford products, winning 64 times with the Mercury brand and 36 with the Ford Blue Oval.

“Ford and Motorcraft Quick Lane have stuck behind us for over twenty years now,” said Len Wood, COO and co-owner of Wood Brothers Racing. “To get our 100th win is so special, and we couldn’t do it without those people. It’s great to get a win here at Daytona. This is the place you want to be, right here.”

The Wood Brothers delivered their first win on April 18, 1960 when Glen Wood won Grand National Race No. 13 at Winston-Salem’s (NC) Bowman Gray Stadium. That was the first of his four career victories and set the tone that has now seen the organization win at least one NASCAR Cup Series race in seven straight decades.

“The Wood Brothers are family to us at Ford and to see them get their 100th win means so much to all of us who have followed them through the years,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “When you think of Ford and its NASCAR program, you think of the Wood Brothers. Their loyalty to us for the last 74 years is unmatched and we couldn’t be prouder.”

It’s hard to quantify just how much the organization has achieved through the years, but consider they have had 19 different drivers win a Cup Series points race, including 12 NASCAR Hall of Famers. David Pearson leads the way with 43 wins for the team while Cale Yarborugh is next with 13.

In addition, they have served as a springboard to many drivers who won their first series race, a list that includes Tiny Lund, who won Ford’s first Daytona 500 with the team in 1963, and Ford champions Dale Jarrett (1999) and Ryan Blaney (2023).

Burton’s victory means the team has qualified for the playoffs, which get underway in two weeks at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

BY THE NUMBERS

Wood Brothers Racing captured its 100th NASCAR Cup Series race Saturday night, continuing a record of excellence that began in 1950 when founder Glen Wood began his career. The numbers below help tell the story of what the team has accomplished with Ford Motor Company and NASCAR’s top touring series.

1 – Championships won (Owner’s title in 1963)

4 – Number of original Wood Brothers who founded the team (Glen, Leonard, Delano and Ray Lee)

5 — Daytona 500 Wins (Tiny Lund, 1963; Cale Yarborough, 1968; A.J. Foyt, 1972; David Pearson, 1976; Trevor Bayne, 2011)

7 – Car number that Kyle Petty won his first series race with at Richmond in 1986

8 – Number of drivers who got their first Cup win (Glen Wood, 1960; Tiny Lund, 1963; Kyle Petty, 1986; Dale Jarrett, 1991; Elliott Sadler, 2001; Trevor Bayne, 2011; Ryan Blaney, 2017; Harrison Burton, 2024)

12 – NASCAR Hall of Famers who drove at least one Cup race (Donnie Allison, Buddy Baker, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Glen Wood, Curtis Turner, Dale Jarrett, Junior Johnson, Ricky Rudd, Joe Weatherly, Fred Lorenzen, Bill Elliott)

16 – Car number that won 3 times (team’s first three wins by Glen Wood)

19 – Number of drivers who have won a points race

21 – Famed car number that has won 90 Cup races

36 – Number of wins in a Ford

41 – Car number that won twice (A.J. Foyt at Daytona and Curtis Turner at Rockingham in 1965)

43 – Cup races David Pearson won (most by any driver)

64 – Number of wins in a Mercury

74 – Current number of years driving Ford products in NASCAR

121 – Car number that Dan Gurney won with 4 times at Riverside (1964, ’65, ’66, ’68)

DRIVERS WHO HAVE WON NCS POINTS RACES WITH THE WOOD BROTHERS

Full List of Wood Brothers Winning Drivers: David Pearson (43); Cale Yarborough (13); Neil Bonnett (9); Marvin Panch (8); A.J. Foyt (5); Glen Wood (4); Dan Gurney (4); Speedy Thompson (2); Kyle Petty (2); Tiny Lund (1); Curtis Turner (1); Donnie Allison (1); Buddy Baker (1); Dale Jarrett (1); Morgan Shepherd (1); Elliott Sadler (1); Trevor Bayne (1); Ryan Blaney (1); Harrison Burton (1).

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Daytona II

By
Official Release
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Coke Zero Sugar 400: Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Fla. – August 24, 2024

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/TARKETT FORD MUSTANG
START: 8TH STAGE ONE: 4TH STAGE TWO: 16TH FINISH: 18TH POINTS: 19TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric finished 18th in Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 after a late-race incident put a damper on his stout performance throughout the night. Cindric started eighth after advancing to the final round of qualifying Friday evening and was a mainstay in the top 10 over the course of the opening Stage. Cindric led the charge of the third lane that formed early on before eventually taking the lead on Lap 26. As the momentum of the draft fluctuated, the 2022 DAYTONA 500 winner finished Stage 1 fourth. Cindric restarted third in line behind teammate Joey Logano as a contingent of Fords flexed out front. Under caution on Lap 60, Cindric pitted for fuel only and restarted sixth, until getting bounced from the second position with 17 laps to go in the Stage. After dropping back to 19th, Cindric gained a few positions to finish Stage 2 16th. Following a quick pit stop, the Team Penske driver restarted sixth for the final Stage. Cindric continued to impress at the front of the field, in contention for the win as the laps winded down until getting collected in a late-race incident that relegated him to an 18th-place finish.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “Obviously, we had a really fast Ford Mustang Dark Horse. The Menards/Tarkett Ford was good enough to win tonight. We were in position there to win and I just got turned and that’s how it goes sometimes here. I’m really happy for Harrison and everybody at the Wood Brothers. They’ve been waiting a long time for win No. 100. I love those guys. I love Harrison. He’s a great dude and deserves this spot in the limelight. It’s awesome.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 ADVANCE AUTO PARTS FORD MUSTANG
START: 14TH STAGE ONE: 5TH STAGE TWO: 2ND FINISH: 29TH POINTS: 4TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney came away with a pair of top-five stage finishes Saturday night at Daytona but a multi-car incident in turns one and two with nine laps to go resulted in a 29th-place finish for the No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang. After starting 14th, Blaney found success running the inside lane during the opening stage to work his way to the front of the field despite battling a tight-handling condition. Blaney and teammate Joey Logano worked together in the draft to pull their line to the front of the field in the closing laps of the segment as Blaney secured a fifth-place finish in Stage 1. The first caution flag of the night flew on lap 60 as the field came apart on the backstretch right in front of Blaney, but he was able to evade the carnage before coming to pit road for fuel prior to the restart with 29 laps remaining in Stage 2. All three Team Penske Fords were able to get lined up on the ensuing restart and carried their momentum to the front as Blaney pushed Logano to the lead coming to the final lap of the stage. Blaney made the move to the inside of the No. 22 as the leaders made their way through the tri-oval, setting up a three-wide finish to the green-and-white checkered flag with the Advance Auto Parts Ford scored second at the line in Stage 2. Following a round of pit stops during the stage break, teams began to vary their fuel strategies with one more stop needed to make it to the end of the 400-mile event but a caution with 21 to go eliminated a potential green flag pit cycle. The No. 12 crew gained five spots on pit road during the fuel-only stop as the field lined up to take the green flag with 16 laps to go. As the intensity began to pick up at the front of the field, Logano and Blaney were leading the inside lane yet again when the No. 34 spun down the banking in turn one in front of Logano, collecting Blaney and several others in the process. Blaney sustained significant front-end damage that knocked out the radiator, bringing the 12-team’s night to an end.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “I saw the logo on [Joey Logano’s] rear bumper get really big really fast and it knocked the radiator out of it. I don’t know what happened in front of [Logano] and who got turned or what and what made us check up. I was really hoping to make it to the end of this. I haven’t finished a Daytona race in like two years, so I was looking forward to it. I thought Joey and I were in a decent spot to go forward, but it’s just chaotic like normal.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG
START: 3RD STAGE ONE: 2ND STAGE TWO: 1ST FINISH: 31ST POINTS: 15TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano led a race-high 34 laps and picked up his second stage win of the season Saturday night at Daytona, but a late-race incident at the front of the field brought the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford’s run to an abrupt end in a 31st-place finish. Logano started the 400-mile event from the inside of row two and battled for the lead throughout the opening run of the night. The Shell-Pennzoil Mustang led the field into turn one on the final lap Stage 1, but ultimately settled for a second-place finish in the 35-lap segment after the outside lane prevailed. The first caution flag of the night flew on lap 60 for a 14-car incident on the backstretch as crew chief Paul Wolfe made the call for fuel only under yellow in order to make it to the end of Stage 2. All three Team Penske Fords were able to get lined up and work their way to the front shortly after the restart before teammate Ryan Blaney pushed Logano to the lead on the final lap. Logano fended off a three-wide battle to the line as the green-and-white checkered flag waved to pick up his second stage win of the season. With teams varying their strategies on pit road during the stage caution, Wolfe made the call for four tires and fuel as one more stop was needed to make it to the end on fuel. With under 30 laps remaining and window open for green flag pit stops, the caution came out with 21 to go while Logano was scored eighth in the running order as the leaders hit pit road to top off on fuel one final time under yellow. With Blaney lined up behind him in the inside lane, Logano took the green flag with 16 to go as the two teammates again worked their way to the front as the laps ticked off. After the field crossed the line with nine laps remaining, contact between the No. 34 and No. 2 in the outside lane shot the No. 34 down the banking and head-on into Logano, setting off a multi-car wreck in turn one that ultimately marked the end of the night for the 22-team.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “It’s speedway racing. It’s a lot of fun until it’s not. We did a good job keeping our car in position all night, up in the top-five the whole race. We got a stage win, which is great. [Michael] McDowell just got turned and came down in front me with nowhere to go. I think he’s OK as well. Some pretty big hits there, and then horrible to see Josh Berry there a second ago upside-down into the wall. We’ve got to figure out how to keep the cars on the ground. We’re not doing enough to fix that.”

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway for the regular season finale on Sunday, September 1. Coverage of the Cook Out Southern 500 begins at 6 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Rick Ware Racing: Coke Zero Sugar 400 from Daytona

By
Official Release
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RICK WARE RACING
Coke Zero Sugar 400
Date: Aug. 24, 2024
Event: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Round 25 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (35 laps/60 laps/65 laps)

Note: Race extended four laps past its scheduled 160-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Harrison Burton of Wood Brothers Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Josh Berry of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

RWR Race Finish:

● Cody Ware (Started 33rd, Finished 4th/Running, completed 164 of 164 laps)
● Justin Haley (Started 36th, Finished 32nd/Accident, completed 151 of 164 laps)

RWR Points:

● Justin Haley (30th with 356 points)
● Cody Ware (36th with 98 points)

Ware Notes:

● Ware’s fourth-place finish was his career-first Cup Series top-five. It was his second top-10 finish in seven starts at Daytona.
● Ware’re previous best finish was a sixth-place effort at Daytona, earned in Aug. 2022.
● Ware’s fourth-place finish matched the RWR’s best Cup Series result, first earned by David Ragan at Daytona in Feb. 2020.

Haley Notes:

● This was Haley’s ninth NASCAR Cup Series start at Daytona. Haley’s first Cup Series win came in the 2019 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.
● Haley finished sixth in Stage 2 to earn five bonus points.
● Haley led one time for 21 laps.

Race Notes:

● Harrison Burton won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 to score his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was .047 of a second.
● This was Ford’s 734th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its sixth of the season.
● This was Ford’s 42nd NASCAR Cup Series victory at Daytona. Ford won its first race at Daytona on Feb. 24, 1963 with Tiny Lund.
● There were seven caution periods for a total of 34 laps.
● Only 20 of the 40 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Tyler Reddick remains the championship leader after Daytona with a 17-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Sound Bites:

“I’m on cloud nine right now. Late in the race, things are getting pretty hectic. I knew I was in good hands when I had Keselowski behind me. I knew I had a good pusher and we’ve been working with RFK Racing through our alliance, so I really felt like we were lined up perfect. I really appreciate him working with us to get to the front. Our Ford Mustang Dark Horse wasn’t quite fast enough to make a move on the guys in front of us, but putting Rick Ware Racing at the front of the pack today was a phenomenal experience. It’s just really, really cool to see how far we’ve come, and I can’t wait to see what we can put together in these last 11 races of the season. – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 15 Jacob Construction / Parts Plus Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“You know it’s going to happen, but you just have to keep going. That’s just part of it. It’s unfortunate. It was a good run for us. We’ll keep digging and go the next one. I appreciate everyone at RWR for their hard work. We had a good car and led some laps, and we go to one of our better tracks next week. We got lucky to flip one of the stages there and were able to get up front, so we had a good run.” – Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Beef-a-Roo Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday, Sept. 1 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The race begins at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Coke Zero Sugar 400 from Daytona

By
Official Release
-

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Coke Zero Sugar 400
Date: Aug. 24, 2024
Event: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Round 25 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (35 laps/60 laps/65 laps)

Note: Race extended four laps past its scheduled 160-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Harrison Burton of Wood Brothers Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Josh Berry of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

SHR Finish:

● Chase Briscoe (Started 6th, Finished 14th / Running, completed 164 of 164 laps)
● Josh Berry (Started 5th, Finished 26th / Accident, 158 of 164 laps)
● Noah Gragson (Started 15th, Finished 37th / Accident, completed 59 of 164 laps)
● Ryan Preece (Started 4th, Finished 39th / Accident, completed 59 of 164 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (18th with 514 points, 309 out of first)
● Josh Berry (23rd with 448 points, 375 out of first)
● Noah Gragson (24th with 426 points, 397 out of first)
● Ryan Preece (27th with 368 points, 455 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Briscoe earned his 11th top-15 of the season and his third top-15 in eight career NASCAR Cup Series start at Daytona.
● Briscoe led once for two laps to increase his laps-led total at Daytona to 74.
● Berry won Stage 1 to earn 10 bonus points and one playoff point.
● Berry led five times for nine laps to increase his laps-led total at Daytona to 10.

Race Notes:

● Harrison Burton won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 to score his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was .047 of a second.
● This was Ford’s 734th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its sixth of the season.
● This was Ford’s 42nd NASCAR Cup Series victory at Daytona. Ford won its first race at Daytona on Feb. 24, 1963 with Tiny Lund.
● There were seven caution periods for a total of 34 laps.
● Only 20 of the 40 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Tyler Reddick remains the championship leader after Daytona with a 17-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Sound Bites:

“I’m good. It probably wasn’t as bad as it looked. But, man, I was bummed because we had a hell of a night going. Just such a great job by Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and this whole 4 team. This car was so strong, and we were in position. Man, I’m really proud of the job I did tonight, the job the whole team did because we were in contention and that could’ve been our day. But it didn’t work out. I just want to thank everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing and Ford and NASCAR for building safe racecars, eero for coming on board tonight. It’s disappointing, but whether we would’ve won or flipped, we’re going to go to work Monday and try to win next week.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 eero Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I’m good. We kind of struggled at the beginning of the race with the front balance and then we made adjustments out of the first pit stop and felt like we had it decent. We had the bottom lane rolling and were up to maybe the top-10 or the top-15 on the bottom line. I got up to the middle and I was behind the 1. He looked real darty, real squirrely, so I was trying to bail out of there and get out. I haven’t seen what happened yet, but I was trying to get out of that line. I don’t know if I got run over or what the case was. If it was my fault, I want to apologize to the other guys, but I don’t really know yet. It’s just a bummer. I was trying to get away from the 1 in the middle line. I was pushing him and I pushed him a couple times and he just couldn’t take a push. He was super squirrely and I didn’t feel comfortable pushing him just because he was out of shape by himself. I was trying to get out of that middle line. I don’t know if the 7 got into me or what. I’m just disappointed.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I don’t know what happened. We were all kind of riding. We were all saving fuel, so I’m kind of shocked it happened, but I checked up. I got hit from behind and, I don’t know, the car didn’t even look that damaged. It was just we couldn’t change the toe link. We ran out of time and that was it, so kind of a tough deal. There was a wreck right there, but honestly, we were all getting really aggressive. I thought it was going to happen in the first five or six laps, so I was planning on racing really hard and being aggressive, but then it crossed my mind that this stage is not worth not potentially trying to win and change your whole season. They didn’t wreck, and then when you wouldn’t have thought they would wreck with fuel saving, we all did. I don’t know. It’s a tough deal.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 TRUEWERK Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday, Sept. 1 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The race begins at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

RFK Posts Pair of Top-10s in Daytona Night Race

By
Official Release
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Keselowski Eighth, Buescher 10th

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 24, 2024) – RFK Racing left Daytona International Speedway Saturday night with a pair of top-10 efforts as both Ford Mustangs steadily ran up front, with Brad Keselowski leading the charge with an eighth-place finish, while Chris Buescher defended his win with a 10th-place result.

Keselowski earned the most points of any driver in the field with 41 total – including stage finishes of seventh and third – while Buescher also posted a strong points effort with 37 total, fourth most of all cars, also with top-10 stage finishes of third and ninth.

“Yeah, our Mustang was so good,” Buescher said following the race. “We were able to push unbelievably well, make a ton of speed. It was a lot of fun for a long while there, caught up in another accident. Just trying to get it to the end. Ultimately it was not the day we needed.”

6 Recap
Keselowski’s King’s Hawaiian Ford was arguably the class of the field, leading three different times and rarely falling outside the top five and top-10.

After a qualifying effort of 12th on Friday, Keselowski put the No. 6 in the top-10 early, taking his first lead of the race just eight laps in. He ended the opening stage of 35 laps in seventh and restarted stage two ninth after the first stop of the day.

The race’s first big incident came at lap 61 when 18 cars tangled on the backstretch as Keselowski pitted for fuel only under the caution. He restarted P2 on the ensuing restart behind Buescher, as the two worked together in the remainder of the stage before finishing third to end it.

Stage three played out as a fuel mileage scenario up until a string of late caution flags began at lap 141. Keselowski pitted under that yellow for fuel only, setting him up for the final run to the checkered flag. He restarted front row, but was hit with a restart violation penalty, forcing him to pit road for a pass through penalty.

He used the final two cautions to regain track position, ultimately finishing eighth.

17 Recap
Buescher and the 17 team again showed resiliency, overcoming an incident to finish top-10 for the second week in a row. Buescher put the Fifth Third Bank Ford third to end stage one, earning valuable stage points in the final run to the NASCAR Playoffs.

He restarted third for stage two and immediately went to the point a few laps later, leading two different times in the next 30 laps. After finishing the stage in ninth, Buescher began stage three from 23rd after pitting in the stage break. He was then scored 14th at the time of the next caution at lap 141 before pitting for fuel only. Then, 10 laps later, an incident involving 14 cars occurred in turn one, collecting Buescher and causing damage to the front end.

After repairs on pit road, Buescher rejoined the field, and was back in 12th by the time the next caution flew at lap 159. He battled in the closing NASCAR Overtime finish to 10th, his 11th top-10 of the season.

Up Next
Darlington Raceway hosts the final race of the regular season next weekend, with race coverage Sunday night set for 6 p.m. ET on USA, with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 37th season in 2024, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.

RCR NCS Race Recap: Daytona International Speedway

By
Official Release
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Promising Race for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet Team at Daytona Before Late-Race Crash Takes Them Out of Contention

Finish: 22nd
Start: 16th
Points: 29th

“I’m proud of this Richard Childress Racing team and ECR. We were able to run up front in our BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet, and avoid the early crashes to put us in a good position towards the end of the race. We were solid with fuel mileage. We ended up with suspension damage in a crash with three laps to go, which took us out of contention for the win. I just had no where to go. It’s part of speedway racing, but we’ll regroup and give it our all for Darlington.” -Austin Dillon

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Team Lead Laps and Narrowly Miss Victory at Daytona International Speedway Enroute to Strong Second-Place Finish

Finish: 2nd
Start: 11th
Points: 16th

“I’m really proud of everybody on the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet team. Crew chief Randall Burnett and all the guys at RCR and ECR did a great job and brought a fast car. I was hoping we could get those free No. 8 specials from Cheddar’s on Monday for everybody – it would be great to get some chicken tenders rolling — but wasn’t meant to be. It’s frustrating. We’ve led races here at Daytona going into the last restart and haven’t been able to pull off a victory. I’m not sure what it is that I am doing wrong or what it is that I’m missing. It seems like the energy broke up off Turn 2 and the No. 20 car got crooked and wasn’t on my rear bumper the way we needed to be. The outside lane just went by. I wanted to get up in front of the No. 21 because I knew the momentum was coming there, but I knew the No. 20 was a better friend. It just didn’t work out. We’ll take this second-place finish. We’ve got a good little stretch going these last three weeks, and I hope we can do what we need to do next week at Darlington.” -Kyle Busch

Austin Hill and the No. 33 Team Put the United Rentals Chevrolet in Position for a Top-10 Finish at Daytona International Speedway

Finish: 25th
Start: 23rd
Points: N/A

“I’m very proud of the No. 33 United Rentals team for the effort this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. In the closing laps, everyone was pushing extremely hard and no one was going to lift. The closing rate is very quick in the Cup Series car. Right as I saw the leaders get turned to my inside, I checked up to not run over the No. 3, but I got hit from behind. We got turned to the right into the outside wall, then I slapped the right rear and it broke something in the backend of our Camaro. Everyone is pushing so hard, so no one is at fault at that point of the race. It’s just an unfortunate end to our day. We ran inside the top-10 multiple times throughout the race and had ourselves in a position to finish there. The goal was to push the No. 3 or the No. 8 to the checkered. I can’t thank Richard Childress Racing and United Rentals for the opportunity to make Cup starts this year though. I’m having a lot of fun running in the Cup Series so hopefully I get more chances in the future.” -Austin Hill

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