Archive for November, 2019

HARVICK ADVANCES TO CHAMPIONSHIP 4

Posted on: November 4th, 2019
Location: post

 

FORT WORTH, TX – November 4, 2019 – Kevin Harvick led the Ford Mustangs to a 1-2-3-4 finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Winning his third straight AAA Texas 500, Harvick advances to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami for the fifth time in the past six years.
 

 
“Congratulations to Kevin, Tony, Gene, and everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “It was an incredible race, and everyone is pushing so hard to win these last couple of races. It was great to see these Ford Mustangs run so strong. We knew it was going to be a challenge with the changing track temperatures throughout the race, but Rodney and Kevin were well prepared. We {Roush Yates Engines} are proud to be part of the Ford family and look forward to Ford Performance racing for another championship.”
 

 
Harvick started the weekend off strong by taking the pole with a qualifying lap of 28.465 mph.
 

 
The Ford teams led a combined 247 laps out of the 334-lap race with a race high by Harvick of 119. In addition, Stewart-Haas teammate and Stage 2 winner Aric Almirola led 62 laps while Clint Bowyer had 36 laps and Daniel Suárez led 25 laps.
 

 

 
After leading the field and winning the first Stage, Harvick had to serve a pit-row penalty that put him in the rear of the field, but during a late caution he was able to get new tires on the No. 4 Ford Mustang and take control of the race, passing Almirola for the lead and finishing 1.594 seconds ahead of his SHR teammate. This marked Harvick’s 49th all-time Cup win, tying him with Stewart-Haas co-owner Tony Stewart for 14th on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series all-time wins list.
 

 
“Just really proud of everybody on this team,” noted Harvick in Victory Lane. “Just got to thank everybody from Busch Beer, from Hunt Brothers Pizza, Mobil 1, Jimmy John’s, everybody from Haas Automation and Stewart‑Haas Racing, Roush Yates Engines for the last‑minute engine change and the things that they worked on to give us all the speed we had here, and it was definitely fun to drive.”
 

 
Harvick and teammates Almirola and Suárez finished 1-2-3 with Team Penske’s Joey Logano finishing P4 and Ryan Blaney P8.

Harvick is now locked into the Championship 4 Playoffs with reigning 2018 NASCAR Champion, Logano P4 (+20 above the transfer line) and Blaney (-23 below the last transfer spot).
 

 
Ford NASCAR Xfinity driver Austin Cindric led the Ford Mustangs with a P4 finish Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway followed by Cole Custer P8, and Chase Briscoe P22.
 

 
In the NXS Playoff driver’s points standings, Custer is P2 (+52) above the transfer line while currently below the last transfer position are Briscoe (-18) and Cindric (-31).
 

 
NASCAR heads into the final event of the season this weekend in Arizona before the Homestead-Miami Championship race decides the titles for 2019.

 

27 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 379 WINS – 356 POLES!
 

 

*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media

STEWART-HAAS RACING PROMOTES CUSTER TO CUP

Posted on: November 19th, 2019
Location: post

MOORESVILLE, NC – November 15, 2019 – Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) announced they will promote Cole Custer from its NASCAR Xfinity Series team to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020, whereupon the nine-time Xfinity Series race winner will drive the team’s No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang.

“I was asked last year about this time what Cole needed to do to earn his place in the NASCAR Cup Series, and I said he needed to win,” said Gene Haas, co-owner of SHR with three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. “Well, Cole has done that – a lot. He showed that he’s ready to compete at the next level and we’re giving him that opportunity.”

Custer finished second in this year’s Xfinity Series championship, and 2019 has proven to be a breakout campaign for Custer. He came into the season with two wins – one in 2017 and another in 2018. This year alone, he has claimed seven victories, six poles, 16 top-fives, 23 top-10s and led 907 laps. Custer’s seven wins are the second-most this year, behind only Bell with eight wins. Custer’s six poles ties him with Bell for the most poles this season.

Custer, Bell and Reddick will resume their rivalry in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020, with each earning a promotion from their respective teams to NASCAR’s premier racing series.

“Cole has certainly earned his spot in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020,” Stewart added. “He’s consistently running up front, leading laps and winning races. The level of competition increases dramatically in the NASCAR Cup Series, but it’s where Cole belongs after having proven himself in the Xfinity Series.”

Custer has steadily advanced through NASCAR’s stepping-stone divisions, finding success in the NASCAR K&N Series, followed by the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series and the Xfinity Series. Being promoted to the NASCAR Cup Series is a natural evolution of his racing career, especially after such a strong 2019 season.

“This is the moment I’ve worked for ever since I first started racing,” said Custer, who began racing quarter midgets at age five. “I’ve learned a lot in these last three years in the Xfinity Series, and to be able to stay within Stewart-Haas Racing will make a steep learning curve a little less steep. I know the people, the culture and what’s expected of me. I’m ready for this challenge.”

*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media