FONTANA, CA- March 3, 2020 –  Ryan Blaney was in contention for the third straight week, leading 54 laps — second only to eventual race winner Alex Bowman — and winning the second stage. But Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford was forced to pit road with a tire issue with three laps left in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway.

Blaney finished 19th, one lap off the pace.

Clint Bowyer started from the pole position and led the opening 11 laps, but a flat tire on his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford forced a caution flag on Lap 92. He finished 23rd.

In all, Ford finished with three Mustangs inside the top-10, paced by Brad Keselowski who used a late charge to take home a fifth place finish. He was joined by Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Aric Almirola (8th) and Kevin Harvick (9th).

Ross Chastain finished 17th in his second race filling in for the injured Ryan Newman in the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford.

MENCS RACE TOP-10 FINISHERS
1st – Alex Bowman
2nd – Kyle Busch
3rd – Kurt Busch
4th – Chase Elliott
5th – Brad Keselowski
6th – Denny Hamlin
7th – Jimmie Johnson
8th – Aric Almirola
9th – Kevin Harvick
10th – Erik Jones

REMAINING FORD FINISHERS
12th – Joey Logano
13th – Matt DiBenedetto
16th – Chris Buescher
17th – Ross Chastain
18th – Cole Custer
19th – Ryan Blaney
22nd – Michael McDowell
23rd – Clint Bowyer
25th – John Hunter Nemechek
29th – Corey LaJoie

Brad Keselowski, No. 2 America’s Tire Ford Mustang – FINISHED 5^th
“We had a good run today with the Discount Tire Ford. We ran fifth, which isn’t bad. There were some highlights. We were able to drive through the field there a couple times. The car had a lot of long run speed. We never had the speed the 88 had through the whole weekend but we fought really hard and scored a lot of points today to dig us out of a hole we had from early on in the season. There were a lot of positives.”

“I think we executed really well today. I probably could have done a little better on one of the early restarts, but other than that the team did really good.”

Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang – FINISHED 8^th
“I have to clean up some things and we have to clean up some things as a team. I thought we had a top-five car and we just kept giving away all of our track position. We have to do better, but we are building and we got a top-10 and we will take that and move on. I think we have a lot of potential. I think Bugga and all the guys did a great job with the car and I felt like we had a top-10 car going into today and we proved that. We ran in the top-10 most of the day but I feel like with track position and a few other things going a little better, a little smoother, we could have had a lot better result. Overall, it was still a decent day and we will take the points and move on.”

Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang – FINISHED 9^th
“We just didn’t have a very good weekend. This place wasn’t very good for us last year either. I am just having a hard time getting the car to be balanced all the way through the corner. I think as you look at it, we didn’t have a ninth-place car either, we just had a great day on pit road. Those guys did a phenomenal job on pit road and that kept us in the game.”

Ryan Blaney, No. 12 BodyArmor Ford Mustang – FINISHED 19^th
YOU LED 54 LAPS AND HAD TO PIT LATE WHILE RUNNING SECOND, CAN YOU TAKE ANYTHING POSITIVE AWAY FROM TODAY?
“Yeah, we led a little bit and ran pretty good, we just corded a right rear at the end. We lost the lead there at the beginning of the third stage and kind of got swallowed up and the 88 got away and got gone. We needed to be in front of him. It is just the way it goes sometimes.”

*Courtesy of Ford Performance

DEARBORN, MI – April 15, 2020 – NASCAR announced the 15 finalists for consideration as part of the 2021 Hall of Fame Induction Class on Tuesday.  Five of those men have Ford Motor Company ties, four of whom appear on the Modern-Era ballot and one on the Pioneer Ballot.

Those on the 10-member Modern Era ballot include Ricky Rudd, the sport’s Iron Man, who had 23 wins in more than 900 starts, including stints with Bud Moore, the Wood Brothers and as an owner/driver, and Neil Bonnett, who won nine times with Ford and the Wood Brothers during a four-year run from 1979-82.  First time nominees are former Roush Fenway drivers Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards.  Burton won 17 times in the Cup Series with Roush from 1996-2004 and added 16 more victories in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.  Edwards won the 2007 NASCAR XFINITY Series championship with Roush and Ford while combining to win 61 races in NASCAR’s top two series from 2004-2014.

The Pioneer Ballot is led by Ralph Moody, former co-owner of the Holman-Moody Ford factory team of the 1960’s that put the manufacturer on the NASCAR map.

Two members from the Modern-Era ballot and one from the Pioneer Ballot will be selected later this year as the NASCAR Hall of Fame goes from five annual inductees to three.

JEFF BURTON

Jeff Burton became the first teammate of NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin when he joined owner Jack Roush in 1996 to form a two-car operation.  Burton won his first career Cup Series race in the inaugural event at Texas Motor Speedway in 1997 and went on to post 17 of his 21 career victories with the organization.

Burton, won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in 1999 and the Coca-Cola 600 in 2001, and had four consecutive seasons where he finished fifth or better in the final point standings.  He also holds the distinction of being the last driver to lead every lap in a Cup Series event when he led wire-to-wire at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2000.

NEIL BONNETT

Neil Bonnett won 18 times during a 20-year career with nine of those coming in Ford Motor Company products.  Each of those wins came during a four-year span driving for the Wood Brothers from 1979-82.  He won five times driving a Mercury in 1979 and 1980 before winning four more events behind the wheel of a Ford in 1981 and 1982.  During that time he won two of the sport’s biggest races, capturing the 1981 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and the 1982 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Bonnett won on every type of track NASCAR offered during his career, capturing one win each at the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega while dominating tracks like Rockingham and Atlanta, where he won three times apiece.

CARL EDWARDS

Carl Edwards drove for Ford and Roush Fenway Racing from 2004-14 and ran full-time in the NASCAR Cup and XFINITY Series for seven of those seasons.  He sits third in the all-time Ford record book for most wins in NASCAR’s top three series combined with 67 (23 NCS, 38 NXS, 6 NGOTS), trailing only NASCAR Hall of Famers Mark Martin (89) and David Pearson (73).

Edwards won the 2007 NASCAR XFINITY Series championship and finished second in the 2011 Cup standings by virtue of a tiebreaker.  He became the first driver in history to register his first wins in the NASCAR Cup and XFINITY Series on the same weekend when he won both events at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 2005.  And he instantly became a fan favorite with his patented back flip, which he displayed after registering Mustang’s first NXS win in April 2011.

RICKY RUDD

There may be drivers who have won more races, but when it comes to pure toughness it’s hard to put anyone above Ricky Rudd.  Whether it was putting tape over his eyelids after a harrowing crash at Daytona or surviving burns to his backside during a sweltering day at Martinsville, Rudd continually showed what made him a NASCAR staple from 1975-2007.

He set the sport’s all-time record for consecutive starts at 788 – starting every race from 1981-2005 – until Jeff Gordon broke it in 2015, and ranks second on NASCAR’s list for career starts with 906.  Rudd registered 23 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories and went to victory lane 15 times with Ford.  His biggest win undoubtedly came in the 1997 Brickyard 400 during a stretch where he filled the dual roles as owner and driver.  His success and consistency are also remembered by the fact he had a streak of at least one series triumph for 16 consecutive seasons (1983-98).

RALPH MOODY

As one half of the famed Holman-Moody Ford factory-backed team of the 1960’s, Ralph Moody helped produce some of the most recognized names in the sport.  It’s the place where NASCAR Hall of Famers Robert Yates and Waddell Wilson honed their engine-building skills and where legendary drivers like Bobby Allison, Mario Andretti, Jim Clark, A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Junior Johnson, Parnelli Jones, Fred Lorenzen, Benny Parsons, David Pearson, Fireball Roberts, Curtis Turner, Bobby Unser, Joe Weatherly, and Cale Yarborough took turns behind the wheel.

Moody was responsible for providing the engines that powered the fast Ford of Pearson to consecutive championships in 1968 and 1969 in what is now known as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.  Overall, the organization won 96 races and in 525 all-time starts finished in the top 5 a total of 284 times (54 percent).

*Courtesy of Ford Performance

LONG POND, PA – June 25, 2020 – A doubleheader is on tap for the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend at Pocono Raceway with a 325-mile race scheduled for Saturday and a 350-mile event on Sunday.  In addition, the NASCAR RV & Gander Outdoors Truck Series (Saturday) and NASCAR XFINITY Series (Sunday) will also be in action.  Here’s a look at some of  the highlights heading into Pocono.

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT POCONO

• Ford has 23 all-time series wins at Pocono.
• The last two Ford wins at Pocono have been by first-time series winners – Chris Buescher (2016) and Ryan Blaney (2017).
• Bill Elliott got Ford’s first series win at Pocono in 1985 (season sweep).

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT POCONO

• Ford is the first manufacturer with multiple Pocono wins in the series.
• Ford has 2 victories in 4 all-time series starts.
• Those victories have been by Brad Keselowski (2017) and Cole Custer (2019).

FORD IN THE GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES AT POCONO

• Ford has 1 series win at Pocono (Ryan Blaney, 2013).
• Ben Rhodes has one series pole (2017).
• This will mark the 11^th series race at the track.

SEVEN AND COUNTING…
Ryan Blaney’s Cup victory yesterday at Talladega Superspeedway continued Ford’s dominance at the track and increased its win total to a manufacturer-best seven this season.  Ford, which has won 9 of the last 10 NCS races at Talladega, has now seen all three Team Penske drivers win at least once as the series heads to Pocono Raceway.  Ford also holds down the top three spots in the point standings as Kevin Harvick holds a 23-point lead over second-place Joey Logano and 25 points over Blaney in third.  Ford also extended its lead in the manufacturer standings to 32 points after 13 races this season.

BLANEY GETS FIRST CUP VICTORY
Ryan Blaney earned his first NASCAR Cup Series two years ago at Pocono Raceway, giving the Wood Brothers their 99^th all-time series win.  Blaney held off Kevin Harvick over the final seven laps to win the Pocono 400 after overcoming a loose wheel only 19 laps into the event.  He found himself in position to win after the caution came out with 19 laps to go.  Kyle Busch opted to stay out while all of the other contenders behind him pitted, including Blaney who got four fresh tires and restarted fourth.  A major battle between Busch and Blaney resulted, but the newer tires proved to be too much as Blaney eventually got by with nine laps to go.  He couldn’t breathe easily, however, as Harvick started to reel him in, but could never pull alongside to challenge.

ELLIOTT SWEEPS IN 1985
Ford reached victory lane at Pocono Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time on June 9, 1985 when Bill Elliott beat Harry Gant to win the Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500.  Elliott was able to pass Gant with 11 laps remaining, shortly after a restart, to claim Ford’s first win at the facility.  Elliott, who also started on the pole, was helped by four cautions over the final 25 laps and won for the sixth time as he led 32 of the 200 circuits.  It marked the front end of what would eventually be a season sweep for Elliott at Pocono as he won a few weeks later on July 21.

KULWICKI’S FINAL WIN
Nobody knew it at the time, but when Alan Kulwicki won the Champion Spark Plug 500 on June 14, 1992 it marked the final victory of his career.  Kulwicki, who was voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame last week, passed Bill Elliott with 11 laps remaining to cap a day that saw 15 cars drop out before the checkered flag flew, including 11 engine failures.  In a precursor to what happened a few months later at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kulwicki and Elliott battled down the stretch as they exchanged the lead multiple times over the final 25 laps.  Kulwicki passed Elliott for the top spot on lap 181, but traffic slowed him down to the point that five laps later the two swapped positions.  Mark Martin made it a three-way battle, but Kulwicki ultimately prevailed as he got by both drivers on lap 190 and never looked back.  Kulwicki, who won five series races overall, went on to win the championship later that year over fellow Ford drivers Elliott and Davey Allison.

WALLACE HOT STREAK
Rusty Wallace was in his first season with Ford after car owner Roger Penske decided to switch from Pontiac for the 1994 NASCAR Cup Series season.  That decision paid immediate dividends as Wallace went on to win eight times that year, including the UAW-GM Teamwork 500 at Pocono on June 12.  The victory, his second straight in a streak that eventually grew to three with another triumph at Michigan a few days later, was a dramatic one as he passed Dale Earnhardt on the final lap.   The two waged a major battle as Earnhardt grabbed the lead with five laps to go, only to see Wallace fight back after the white flag flew to win by 0.28 seconds.

BIFFLE SNAPS DROUGHT
When Greg Biffle won the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono on Aug. 1, 2010 it snapped a 65-race winless drought and gave Ford its first win of the season.  Biffle found himself next to Sam Hornish Jr. on the front row of a restart with 20 laps to go and after he was able to gain the lead through the tunnel turn, he never looked back and ended up beating Tony Stewart to the finish line by more than three seconds.  The win was the first of two for Biffle that season as he also took the checkered flag at Kansas two months later.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT POCONO
1985 – Bill Elliott (Sweep)
1988 – Bill Elliott (2)
1989 – Terry Labonte and Bill Elliott
1990 – Geoffrey Bodine (2)
1992 – Alan Kulwicki (1)
1994 – Rusty Wallace and Geoffrey Bodine
1995 – Dale Jarrett (2)
1996 – Rusty Wallace (2)
1997 – Dale Jarrett (2)
1998 – Jeremy Mayfield (1)
2000 – Jeremy Mayfield and Rusty Wallace
2001 – Ricky Rudd (1)
2002 – Dale Jarrett (1)
2005 – Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch
2008 – Carl Edwards (2)
2010 – Greg Biffle (2)
2016 – Chris Buescher (2)
2017 – Ryan Blaney (1)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT POCONO
2017 – Brad Keselowski
2019 – Cole Custer

FORD GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT POCONO
2013 – Ryan Blaney

*Courtesy Ford Performance

PHOENIX, AZ – March 4, 2020

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR AT PHOENIX 

NASCAR’s three-week western swing concludes at Phoenix Raceway, where the ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Cup Series will be competing.  Ford has a combined 29 wins in NASCAR’s top two series and has swept the weekend five times (2000, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2018).  Here’s a look at Ford’s history at Phoenix.

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT PHOENIX

• Ford has 16 series wins at Phoenix Raceway.
• Alan Kulwicki won the first series race at Phoenix Raceway in 1988.
• Current Ford drivers Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman have series wins.

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT PHOENIX

• Ford leads all manufacturers with 13 series wins at Phoenix Raceway.
• Jack Roush is second for most owner wins in the series with eight.
• Carl Edwards won four times in the series, most among Ford drivers.

FORD IN THE STANDINGS

Ford holds down two of the top three spots in all three of NASCAR’s top touring divisions going into this weekend.  Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano are first and second, respectively, in the NASCAR Cup Series while Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric are second and third in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.  The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series will be off for a second consecutive week, meaning Johnny Sauter (second) and Ben Rhodes (third) hold their positions until returning to action in Atlanta.

HARVICK LOVES PHOENIX

Kevin Harvick holds the record with nine career NASCAR Cup Series wins at Phoenix Raceway with his latest coming in 2018.  That victory marks the last time Ford has been in Victory Lane at the one-mile track and for Harvick it represented his third straight series win, following triumphs in Atlanta and Las Vegas.  Harvick took the lead for good with 22 laps remaining, but had to hold off Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott in the closing laps.  The win was Harvick’s 40^th as he became the first Cup driver to win three straight since Joey Logano swept the Round of 12 in the 2015 NASCAR playoffs.

LOGANO QUALIFIES FOR 2016 CHAMPIONSHIP FINALE

Joey Logano needed a victory at Phoenix in 2016 in order to assure he would be one of the four drivers eligible for the series championship, and he got it in dramatic fashion as he beat Kyle Busch on a green-white-checker finish.  The dramatic restart came about after an incident involving Alex Bowman, Busch and Matt Kenseth on the first overtime attempt.  Kenseth was the leader, but he got collected in an accident when Bowman tried to block Busch from passing on the inside lane going into turn one.  The resulting yellow enabled Logano to win for the third time in 2016.

EDWARDS ENDS DROUGHT

When Ford went to victory lane at Phoenix in the second race of 2013, it snapped a 70-race winless drought for Carl Edwards, whose previous victory came in Las Vegas in 2011.  Edwards led 122 of 312 laps, including the final 78, to win the, but there were anxious moments, particularly at the end when a green-white-checker finish had most of the leaders wondering if they had enough gas in the tank to reach the end.  Edwards did and managed to beat Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the finish line.

BUSCH WINS DEBUT NIGHT RACE

Kurt Busch made Phoenix Raceway history when he drove his No. 97 Irwin/Sharpie Ford Taurus to victory in the first NCS night race held at the track on Apr. 23, 2005.  Busch dominated from the start as he led 132 of the first 133 laps, and while others like Brian Vickers and Michael Waltrip led multiple laps at different stages of the event, it was Busch who proved to be too strong down the stretch.  He passed Waltrip with 44 laps to go and was never threatened again as he won by 2.315 seconds.  Busch led 219 of the 312 laps as Phoenix hosted the first of two annual Cup dates each season for the first time.

KULWICKI WINS FIRST CUP RACE IN PHOENIX OPENER

Alan Kulwicki, driving the No. 7 Zerex Ford, won his first NASCAR Cup Series race in the debut event at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 6, 1988.  Kulwicki, who celebrated by taking a Polish Victory Lap for which he is still remembered for today, passed leader Ricky Rudd with 16 laps to go and ended up taking the checkered flag in his 85^th start by 18 seconds over runner-up Terry Labonte.  Fellow Ford drivers Davey Allison and Bill Elliott finished third and fourth, respectively.  Kulwicki, who ended up leading four times for 41 laps in taking the next-to-last event of the season, went on to win four more Cup races during his career.

WALLACE RAINS IN 1998

Rusty Wallace had only three more chances to keep his streak of winning at least one race a season alive when he rolled into Phoenix Raceway in 1998.  He had gone to victory lane in each of the previous 12 seasons and didn’t want to see it come to an end, so that’s why what he did on Oct. 25 was so impressive.  Wallace, who started sixth, made a beeline to the front and pretty much stayed there all afternoon until rain came and halted the race after 257 laps.  The event was eventually called, marking the first rain-shortened race in the track’s NASCAR history, but there was no doubt Wallace deserved the win.  He led 196 of the 257 laps, including the final 73.  Wallace’s streak eventually reached 16 seasons before it was snapped in 2002.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT PHOENIX RACEWAY

1988 – Alan Kulwicki

1989 – Bill Elliott

1991 – Davey Allison

1992 – Davey Allison

1993 – Mark Martin

1995 – Ricky Rudd

1997 – Dale Jarrett

1998 – Rusty Wallace

2000 – Jeff Burton

2001 – Jeff Burton

2002 – Matt Kenseth

2005 – Kurt Busch (1)

2010 – Carl Edwards (2)

2013 – Carl Edwards (1)

2016 – Joey Logano (2)

2018 – Kevin Harvick (1)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT PHOENIX RACEWAY

2000 – Jeff Burton

2001 – Greg Biffle

2003 – Bobby Hamilton Jr.

2005 – Greg Biffle (1) and Carl Edwards (2)

2006 – Matt Kenseth (2)

2008 – Carl Edwards (2)

2009 – Greg Biffle (1) and Carl Edwards (2)

2010 – Carl Edwards (2)

2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)

2015 – Joey Logano (1)

2018 – Brad Keselowski (1)

All broadcast times are EST.

NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series

Saturday, Mar. 7
2:35 P.M. Qualifying, on FS1, MRN

Sunday, Mar. 8 
3:30 P.M. FanShield 500, on FOX, MRN

***

NASCAR XFINITY Series 

Saturday, Mar. 7
1:05 P.M. Qualifying, on FS1
4:00 P.M. LS Tractor 200, on FS1, MRN

*Courtesy Ford Performance

MOORESVILLE, NC – March 6, 2020 – In a response to fans’ increased interest in road-course races, Daytona International Speedway announced Thursday that the Busch Clash At DAYTONA will move to the speedway’s 3.56-mile road course and be held under the lights on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021 making the annual preseason NASCAR Cup Series event one of the most unique in all of motorsports.

The 2021 Busch Clash at DAYTONA, an exhibition-style event, will be held on the same course as the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and the DAYTONA 200, North America’s premier races for sports cars and motorcycles, respectively. Road-course racing has always been a vital component on the speedway calendar, with the Rolex 24 first held in 1962 as a three-hour race called the Daytona Continental while the DAYTONA 200 moved off the old Daytona Beach-Road Course to the speedway in 1961.

“The famed road course at Daytona has a long and storied history with sports cars and motorcycles, and now we can write a new chapter on it with stock cars,” NASCAR Vice President of Racing Development Ben Kennedy said. “Fans coming to the track will get to see six consecutive days of exciting NASCAR action, with no two days being the same.”

In contrast to the tightly packed competition on the speedway’s famed 2.5-mile high-back-tri-oval, the re-imagined Busch Clash will utilize approximately three-quarters of the tri-oval along with the challenging infield portion of the road course. That translates into 12 turns instead of the usual four.

“Having driven on the road course at Daytona in the Rolex 24, I know how difficult the circuit can be,” said NASCAR Hall of Famer and current FOX NASCAR analyst Jeff Gordon. “It will present a real challenge to the drivers and teams, and I’m looking forward to calling what I believe will be a lot of action from the booth.”

That challenge entails the high-speed entrance into Turn 1, as drivers dive left off the front straight to begin the twists and turns the infield offers, including the east and west Horseshoe turns and the trick negotiation of the back stretch chicane prior to a climb back atop the bank in Turn 3.

“NASCAR fans have asked for more road-course competition and the industry is listening,” Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile said. “With the talent level the Busch Clash brings to the table, the race will now clearly have its own look and feel during DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth in 2021 and beyond.

“The new placement on the Speedweeks schedule also adds to the anticipation. That switch will make for a fuller Speedweeks calendar. Fans also will have the opportunity to engage in a festive infield atmosphere, similar to the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, with many prime viewing opportunities.”

The Busch Clash At DAYTONA was held for the 42nd consecutive time on Sunday, February 9, featuring NASCAR Cup Series pole winners and playoff participants from the previous season, former Busch Clash champions and former DAYTONA 500 champions and pole winners who competed full time in 2019.

“Busch Beer is excited to play an integral role in this historic shift for NASCAR and its fans,” said Nick Kelly, vice president partnerships, beer category and community, Anheuser-Busch. “Moving the Busch Clash to Daytona’s road course will differentiate the event from every other race during DAYTONA Speedweeks and drive even more attention to the first NASCAR Cup Series race of 2021.”

“We know how passionate our viewers are about both Daytona International Speedway and road course racing,” said Brad Zager, FOX Sports Executive Producer, EVP/Head of Production & Operations. “Additionally, fans have been craving mid-week races. These changes to the 2021 opening slate of races will provide new and unique story-telling opportunities when we kick off the season on FOX Sports.”

In addition to the changes to the Busch Clash, it was also announced the Lucas Oil 200 Driven By General Tire ARCA Menards Series season-opening race shifts to Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021 as part of a doubleheader with the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the NASCAR Racing Experience 300.

DAYTONA 500 Qualifying Presented By Kroger will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 10, to set the front row for the DAYTONA 500. The Bluegreen Vacations Duel at DAYTONA qualifying races will remain on Thursday night, Feb. 11, followed by the NextEra Energy 250 to open the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series season on Friday night, Feb. 12.

Courtesy of Daytona International Speedway

DEARBORN, MI – April  21, 2020 – Maybe it was always destined that Kevin Harvick would one day end up driving a Mustang.

As a kid growing up in Bakersfield, CA, he would often go for rides with his aunt, who sported a 1960’s version that set the standard for what a muscle car is supposed to be.  Now, as driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, he gets to experience it like few others can.

His first on-track victory with Mustang came in 2018 when he won the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but when Ford brought the world’s best-selling sports coupe to the Cup Series last year, he found it even more to his liking with four wins and a spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

But that’s the only place you’ll see him driving a Mustang — at least for now.

With wife DeLana and children Keelan and Piper waiting for him at home, there are other more practical choices for the Harvick family.  And, like most parents who go through the sometimes-maddening exercise of switching out car seats between multiple vehicles, the final destination is the determining factor.

“I have an F-150 pickup and a Lincoln Navigator,” said Harvick when talking about what vehicles he drives most frequently around the house.  “It depends on the task at hand to be honest with you.  If we’re going to the go-kart track, it’ll be the pickup truck.  If we’re doing anything else on a daily basis, I’m gonna drive the Navigator.”

But whether it’s picking up Keelan at school or driving to the race shop, Harvick is no more immune to the construction delays and traffic tie-ups than the fans who cheer for him on Saturday nights or Sunday afternoons.  As a result, he does the same thing many of them do by utilizing technology to his advantage.

“I think the thing I use the most is the GPS because with Charlotte having all the traffic, no matter where you’re coming from or going to, it’s nice being able to use that and all the hands-free pieces built into the vehicle,” said Harvick.  “For me, I’m a do not disturb guy on my phone as I drive, so having all that stuff on the screen is pretty handy to stay in tune with life as you’re driving along and not get stuck in traffic.”

The fact Harvick would have an F-150 as one of his vehicles shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who remember him behind the wheel of the racing version in what was then the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 1999.  Driving for Liberty Motorsports, owned by Jim Herrick and Brad Daugherty, Harvick started all 25 races in the No. 98 F-150 that season and posted three runner-up finishes while ending up 12^th in the final point standings.

One of the trucks from that year has a special place in not only Harvick’s heart, but his personal collection of vintage race cars.

“That’s one of the cool pieces of my collection and was the last time I drove a Ford before we switched at SHR in 2017,” said Harvick of the truck nicknamed ‘Bully’.  “It was a truck that Butch Miller and Kenny Irwin drove before I got there.  We used it as a short track truck, and Butch actually won a race with it at Colorado National Speedway, so it has a lot of history.”

With his next Cup victory Harvick will become only the 14^th driver to register 50 career wins in NASCAR’s top series and give him another Mustang moment as memorable as the one from his youth.

Not to mention some added company for Bully.

*Courtesy Ford Performance