Who is hot and not entering Cup finale at Miami

By Dan BeaverNov 14, 2018, 10:00 AM EST

Here’s a look from Racing Insights on who is hot and who is not heading into Sunday’s Cup race at Miami (3 p.m. ET on NBC):

Kevin Harvick

Round of 8 – Hot, But Penalized at Texas

• Finished fifth at ISM Raceway (20th in Stage 1, 4th in Stage 2, 73 laps led); pitted from the lead on Lap 73 due to flat right front tire (2 laps left in Stage 1); not eligible for wave around after Stage 1 caution for pitting while pit road was closed; caught one lap down on Lap 228 after caution came out during green flag pit stops; spun David Ragan on Lap 239 while battling for eighth
• Won at Texas (1st in Stage 1, 1st in Stage 2, 177 laps led); team assessed L1 penalty after spoiler was found at R&D Center to not be proper; docked 40 driver and owner points; Harvick lost ability to lock into Championship 4 with win; crew chief Rodney Childers and car chief Robert Smith suspended for final 2 races of season; Childers fined $75,000
• Finished 10th at Martinsville (9th in Stage 1, 15th in Stage 2)

Championship 4 – Great

• Advances to Championship 4 for fourth time in career (missed 2016)
• Won championship in 2014
• 2014: won race and championship
• 2015: finished second in race and second in championship standings
• 2017: finished fourth in race and third in championship standings

2018 Season – Great

• Won eight of last 34 races
• Eight wins in a season is a career best
• Finished in Top 10 in 14 of last 17 races
• Finished in Top 5 in 13 of last 22 races

Miami – Red Hot

• Finished fourth or better in four straight races at Miami (including win in 2014)
• Finished in Top 10 in 10 straight races at Miami
• Finished in Top 5 in nine of 17 career starts at Miami
• Finished in Top 10 in 15 of 17 career starts at Miami
• Since joining SHR in 2014, avg. running position at Miami has been fourth or better in all four races
• Started 9th, fourth in Stage 1, third in Stage 2, finished fourth in this race one year ago; had a hole in the fender from debris while running fourth on Lap 189; pitted from fourth to patch hole on Lap 199

1.5-Mile Tracks – Red Hot

• Won five of last 12 races on 1.5-mile tracks
• Finished top 10 in 16 of last 19 races on 1.5-mile tracks
• Harvick, Kyle Busch and Truex Jr. combined to win 16 of last 20 races on 1.5-mile tracks

KYLE BUSCH

Round of 8 – Hit or Miss, With A Win

• Won at ISM Raceway (seventh in Stage 1, first in Stage 2, 117 laps led)
• Finished 17th at Texas (seventh in Stage 1, 25th in Stage 2); penalized for speeding in pits on Lap 32 while running fifth; pitted for a second time under green on Lap 140 due to vibration and was trapped two laps down
• Finished fourth at Martinsville (third in Stage 1, third in Stage 2, 100 laps led)

Championship 4 – Great

• Advances to Championship 4 for fourth straight season and fourth time in career
• Won championship in 2015
• 2015: won race and championship
• 2016: finished sixth in race and third in championship standings
• 2017: finished second in race and second in championship standings

2018 Season – Great

• Won eight of last 29 races
• Last seven races: four top 10s and three finishes of 17th or worse
• Finished in Top 5 in 14 of last 23 races
• Finished in the Top 10 in 27 of 35 races in 2018
• Finished in the Top 5 in 21 of 35 races this season

Miami – Very Good

• Finished sixth or better in three straight Miami races (including win in 2015)
• Finished top 10 in five of last six races at Miami (39th in in 2014)
• Started third, (third in Stage 1, fourth in Stage 2, 43 laps led), finished second in this race one year ago; missed pit road during green flag pit stops on Lap 123 while running second

1.5-Mile Tracks – Red Hot
• Won three of last eight races on 1.5-mile tracks
• Finished in Top 10 in nine of 10 1.5-mile races in 2018
• Busch, Harvick and Truex Jr. combined to win 16 of last 20 races on 1.5-mile tracks

Wild Cards Entering Miami

Joey Logano

Round of 8 – Great Until Phoenix

• Finished 37th at ISM Raceway (21st in Stage 1, 37th in Stage 2); DNF – spun on Lap 96 and backed into wall after losing left-rear tire while running 16th
• Finished third at Texas (sixth in Stage 1, fifth in Stage 2, 54 laps led)
• Won at Martinsville (second in Stage 1, first in Stage 2, 309 laps led); knocked Truex out of the way exiting Turn 4 on last lap to win

Championship 4 – Not Great

• Advances to Championship 4 for third time in career (2014, 2016, 2018)
• Looking for first career championship
• 2014: finished 16th in race and fourth in championship standings
• 2016: finished fourth in race and second in championship standings

2018 Season – Great Until Phoenix

• ISM Raceway ended a streak of six straight Top 10s
• ISM Raceway was tied with his worst finish in the last 17 races of 2018
• Finished in Top 10 in 10 of last 13 races
• Finished in Top 5 in seven of last 12 races

Miami – Very Good

• Finished sixth or better in the last three races at Miami
• Finished top-10 in four of last five races at Miami (16th in 2014)
• Started 19th, ninth in Stage 1, eighth in Stage 2, finished sixth in this race one year ago

1.5-Mile Tracks – Very Good

• Finished in Top 10 in five straight 1.5-mile races
• Finished in Top 10 in 11 of last 12 1.5-mile races

Martin Truex Jr.

Round of 8 – Going In The Wrong Direction

• Finished 14th at ISM Raceway (12th in Stage 1, third in Stage 2, 8 laps led)
• Finished ninth at Texas (fifth in Stage 1, third in Stage 2); started in rear due to engine change; pitted to address vibration on Lap 247 while running seventh
• Finished third at Martinsville (seventh in Stage 1, fourth in Stage 2, 18 laps led); qualifying time disallowed after failing post-qualifying inspection; Logano knocked Truex out of lead exiting Turn 4 on last lap

Championship 4 – Good

• Advances to Championship 4 for third time in career and second straight season
• Won championship in 2017
• 2015: finished 12th in race and fourth in championship standings
• 2017: won race and championship

2018 Season – Hit or Miss Recently

• Finished top 10 in three of the last four races
• Last nine races: 5 top 10s and four finishes of 14th or worse
• Finished in Top 5 in 14 of last 25 races

Miami – Mixed Results Recently

• Won in 2017, but finished 12th or worse in three of last four races at Miami
• Finished in Top 10 in eight of 13 career starts at Miami
• Three of five career finishes outside Top 10 have come in last four races
• Started second, fifth in Stage 1, second in Stage 2, 78 laps led, won in this race one year ago

1.5-Mile Tracks – Red Hot

• Won eight of last 20 races on 1.5-mile tracks
• Finished top 10 in 20 of last 21 1.5-mile races
• Truex Jr., Harvick and Kyle Busch combined to win 16 of last 20 races on 1.5-mile tracks

Non-Playoff Drivers

Who is Hot Entering Miami:

Brad Keselowski

• Finished second at ISM Raceway (5th in Stage 1, 2nd in Stage 2, 32 laps led)

2018 Season – Warming Up

• Finished sixth or better in three of last four races
• Last 11 races: seven top 10s and four finishes of 12th or worse

Miami – Good

• Finished seventh or better in four of last five races at Miami (35th in 2016)
• Started 5th, second in Stage 1, fifth in Stage 2, 1 lap led, finished seventh in this race one year ago

Austin Dillon

• Finished eighth at ISM Raceway (10th in Stage 1, sixth in Stage 2)

2018 Season – Warming Up

• Top 10 in back to back races for the first time in 2018
• Last eight races: four Top 10s and four finishes of 11th or worse
• Finished outside Top 10 in 28 of 35 races since Daytona 500 win

Miami – Not Good

• Never finished in the top 10 in four career starts at Miami
• Started 17th, 13th in Stage 1, 13th in Stage 2, finished 11th in this race one year ago

Aric Almirola

Round of 8 – Good

• Finished fourth at ISM Raceway (11th in Stage 1, 10th in Stage 2)
• Finished eighth at Texas (10th in Stage 1, 6th in Stage 2); started in the rear due to unapproved body modification
• Finished 11th at Martinsville (10th in Stage 1, 12th in Stage 2)

2018 Season – Very Good

• Reached the Round of 8 for first time in career
• Finished in top 10 in two straight races and four of last five races

Miami – Very Bad

• Finished 16th or worse in five straight races at Miami
• Finished 40th or worse in two of last three races at Miami
• Started 20th, 19th in Stage 1, 18th in Stage 2, finished 18th in this race one year ago

Kyle Larson

• Finished third at ISM Raceway (6th in Stage 1, 5th in Stage 2); pit from second on Lap 289 with a possible loose wheel

2018 Season – Hot

• Finished in Top 5 the last two races and three of last four
• Last seven races: three Top 5s and four finishes of 11th or worse

Miami – Red Hot

• Finished top 5 in three straight races at Miami
• Miami is his self proclaimed “best track”
• Started seventh, first in Stage 1, first in Stage 2, 145 laps led, finished third in this race one year ago

Wild Cards Entering Miami:

Jamie McMurray

• Finished sixth at ISM Raceway (24th in Stage 1, 20th in Stage 2)

2018 Season – Pretty Bad, But Bright Spot in Phoenix

• ISM Raceway ended a streak of five straight finishes of 16th or worse
• Last 14 races: five top 10s and nine finishes of 16th or worse
• Finished 15th or worse in 26 of 35 races this season

Miami – Hit or Miss

• Last four races at Miami: two 5th-place finishes and two 13th-place finishes
• Started 13th, 11th in Stage 1, 12th in Stage 2, finished 13th in this race one year ago

Chase Elliott

Round of 8 – Good Until Phoenix

• Finished 23rd at ISM Raceway (first in Stage 1, seventh in Stage 2, 16 laps led); penalized for speeding entering pits on Lap 231 while leading; collected in multi-car accident on Lap 269 when Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin wreck on backstretch while battling for lead
• Finished sixth at Texas (ninth in Stage 1, 10th in Stage 2)
• Finished seventh at Martinsville (11th in Stage 1, seventh in Stage 2)

2018 Season – Good

• Eliminated in Round of 8 for second straight season
• ISM Raceway ended a streak of three finishes of seventh or better
• Finished top-10 in 12 of last 16 races in 2018

Miami – Hit or Miss

• Two career starts at Miami: fifth in 2017 and 11th in 2016
• Started 18th, sixth in Stage 1, ninth in Stage 2, finished fifth in this race one year ago

Ryan Blaney

• Finished 34th at ISM Raceway (second in Stage 1, eighth in Stage 2, 3 laps led); DNF – had an issue with radiator on Lap 237 while running second

2018 Season – Hit or Miss

• Last five races: two top 10s and three finishes of 20th or worse
• Last 17 races: eight top 10s and nine finishes of 11th or worse

Miami – Very Bad

• Finished 17th or worse in three career starts at Miami
• Started 11th, 29th in Stage 1, 28th in Stage 2, finished 29th in this race one year ago

Erik Jones

• Finished 17th at ISM Raceway (eighth in Stage 1, 14th in Stage 2, 11 laps led); penalized for speeding on Lap 136

2018 Season – Hit or Miss

• Finished 17th or worse in two of last three races
• Finished top-10 in four of last six races

Miami – Not A Good Start

• Started 14th, 17th in Stage 1, 21st in Stage 2, finished 21st in this race one year ago, his only career start at the track

William Byron

• Finished ninth at ISM Raceway (17th in Stage 1, ninth in Stage 2)

2018 Season – Awful Until Phoenix

• ISM was his first top 10 since Watkins Glen (12 races between)
• Finished 12th or worse in 31 of 35 races this season

Miami – No Cup Experience, Very Good in Lower Series

• Finished third in only career Xfinity Series start at Miami (2017)
• Won only career Camping World Truck Series start at Miami (2016)

KURT BUSCH

Round of 8 – Good Until Phoenix

• Finished 32nd at ISM Raceway (fourth in Stage 1, 23rd in Stage 2, 52 laps led); DNF – involved in multi-car accident on Lap 269 after contact with Denny Hamlin on backstretch while battling for lead
• Finished 7th at Texas (second in Stage 1, eighth in Stage 2)
• Finished 6th at Martinsville (fifth in Stage 1, fifth in Stage 2)

2018 Season – Hit or Miss

• Eliminated in Round of 8 for third time in career
• Last nine races: four top 10s and five finishes of 14th or worse
• Finished top-10 in 12 of last 17 races

Miami – Not Good

• Finished outside the top 10 in four of last five races at Miami
• Only six Top 10s in 17 career starts at Miami
• Started eighth, seventh in Stage 1, 6th in Stage 2, finished 22nd in this race one year ago; spun while running 10th on Lap 228

BUBBA WALLACE

• Finished 10th at ISM Raceway (25th in Stage 1, 16th in Stage 2)

2018 Season – Terrible Until Phoenix

• ISM Raceway was first Top 10 since Texas in April (27 races between)
• Finished 14th or worse in 27 of last 28 races and 23rd or worse in 15 of last 17 races
• Finished 20th or worse in 26 of 35 races in 2018

Miami – No Cup Experience, Mixed Results in Lower Series

• Two career Xfinity Series starts: 10th in 2015 and 11th in 2016
• Two career Camping World Truck Series starts: Won in 2014 and 15th in 2013

Who is Not Hot entering Miami:

DENNY HAMLIN

• Finished 13th at ISM Raceway (third in Stage 1, 12th in Stage 2); involved in multi-car accident on Lap 269 after making contact with Kurt Busch on backstretch while battling for lead

2018 Season – Bad

• Finished 13th or worse in three of last four races
• Last 14 races: six top 10s and eight finishes of 12th or worse

Miami – Very Good

• Finished in top 10 in five straight races at Miami (including win in 2013)
• Finished in top 10 in nine of 13 career starts at Miami
• Started first, eighth in Stage 1, 10th in Stage 2, finished ninth in this race one year ago

Clint Bowyer

Round of 8 – Ice Cold

• Finished 35th at ISM Raceway (13th in Stage 1, 35th in Stage 2); DNF – scraped the wall on lap 45 while running 16th; lost left-rear tire entering Turn 3 on lap 133 and hit wall hard while running seventh
• Finished 26th at Texas (30th in Stage 1, 28th in Stage 2); contact with Hamlin on Lap 1; pitted on Lap 10 with flat right-rear tire after contact with Hamlin; penalized for crew over the wall too soon on Lap 164
• Finished 21st at Martinsville (fourth in Stage 1, 8th in Stage 2, 1 lap led); damaged right-front fender after contact with William Byron on pit road on Lap 133; spun after contact with Jimmie Johnson on Lap 457 while running 10th

2018 Season – Ice Cold

• Eliminated in Round of 8 for first time in career
• Finished outside Top 20 in four of last six races
• Last 12 races: five top 10s and seven finishes of 13th or worse (3 DNFs)

Miami – Slumping

• Finished 12th or worse in three straight races at Miami
• Started 16th, 10th in Stage 1, 15th in Stage 2, finished 12th in this race one year ago

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

• Finished 33rd at ISM Raceway (15th in Stage 1, 19th in Stage 2); DNF – crashed hard in middle of turn 1 and 2 on lap 263 while running 14th

2018 Season – Bad

• Finished outside the top 10 in four straight races
• Finished 14th or worse in 26 of 35 races in 2018

Miami – Very Bad

• Finished 15th or worse in six career starts at Miami
• Finished 22nd or worse in five of six career starts at Miami (two DNFs)
• Started 6th, 15th in Stage 1, 11th in Stage 2, finished 15th in this race one year ago

Daniel Suarez

• Finished 36th at ISM Raceway (19th in Stage 1, 36th in Stage 2); DNF – ran into back of Matt Kenseth after Joey Logano spun on Lap 96 and the damaged vehicle clock ran out on Lap 102

2018 season – Very Bad

• Finished 28th or worse in last two races and 24th or worse in three of last four
• Finished 16th or worse in six of last eight races
• Finished outside the top-10 in 10 of last 13 races

Miami – Awful Start

• Started 10th, 14th in Stage 1, 14th in Stage 2, finished 34th in this race one year ago, his only career start at the track; DNF – hit debris on Lap 225 while running 14th and lost brakes

Paul Menard

• Finished 29th at ISM Raceway (32nd in Stage 1, 34th in Stage 2); started in the rear after going to backup car (crashed in final practice)

2018 Season – Very Bad

• Finished 22nd or worse in three of last four races
• Finished 13th or worse in seven of last eight races

Miami – Very Bad

• Finished 14th or worse in three straight races at Miami
• Only one top 10 finish in 12 Miami starts (fourth 2014)
• Started 15th, 26th in Stage 1, 25th in Stage 2, finished 16th in this race one year ago

Ryan Newman

• Finished 11th at ISM Raceway (14th in Stage 1, 11th in Stage 2)

2018 Season – Bad

• Finished outside the top 10 in seven of last eight races

Miami – Hit or Miss

• Last eight races at Miami: four Top 10s and four finishes of 12th or worse
• Finished 16th or worse in two of last three races at Miami
• Started 21st, 18th in Stage 1, 16th in Stage 2, finished 10th in this race one year ago

JIMMIE JOHNSON

• Finished 15th at ISM Raceway (16th in Stage 1, 13th in Stage 2); damaged in multi-car accident lap 269

2018 Season – Cold

• Finished outside the top 10 in four straight races and five of last six
• Last 12 races: 4 top-10s and eight finishes of 12th or worse
• Currently on a 58-race winless streak (longest of career)

Miami – Good

• Finished top-10 in four of last five Miami races (27th in 2017)
• Finished in Top 10 in 11 of 17 career starts at Miami
• Started 22nd, 32nd in Stage 1, 31st in Stage 2, finished 27th in this race one year ago

Alex Bowman

• Finished 30th at ISM Raceway (ninth in Stage 1, 15th in Stage 2); DNF – penalized for uncontrolled tire on Lap 136; collected in multi-car accident lap 269; spun in Turn 2 from 15th and hit wall with engine failure

2018 Season – Bad

• Finished 14th or worse in three straight races and five of last six

Miami – Very Bad

• Never finished better than 16th in three career starts at Miami

Winners and losers at Charlotte Motor Speedway

By Mike HembreeMay 30, 2023, 7:00 AM EDT

A look at winners and losers from Monday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway:

WINNERS

Ryan Blaney — Blaney stopped his winless streak at 59 races and gave team owner Roger Penske his second major race victory in two days. Blaney had the best car but had to fight through restarts late in the race to win.

William Byron — Byron, the winningest driver this season, barely missed getting victory No. 4. He finished second and scored his fifth straight top 10.

Martin Truex Jr. — Truex logged his third top five of the season.

23XI Racing — Bubba Wallace was fourth and Tyler Reddick fifth, giving 23XI Racing a pair of top-five finishes for the first time in a points race.

LOSERS

Jimmie Johnson — The seven-time champion admitted having problems adjusting to the Next Gen car on a 1.5-mile track. He crashed early and finished last.

Legacy Motor Club — It was a bad night for Jimmie Johnson and his team’s drivers. Johnson finished last in the 37-car field. Noah Gragson was 36th. Erik Jones placed 32nd.

Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin — Two drivers who had strong cars didn’t make it to the finish after crashing near the halfway point. Hamlin said Elliott “shouldn’t be racing next week. Right-rear hooks are absolutely unacceptable. He shouldn’t be racing.”

NASCAR Xfinity Series results: Justin Allgaier wins at Charlotte

By Mike HembreeMay 29, 2023, 11:56 PM EDT

CONCORD, N.C. — Justin Allgaier finally broke through for his first win of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season Monday night.

Allgaier stretched his last fuel load over the final laps to finish in front of John Hunter Nemechek. Cole Custer was third, Austin Hill fourth and Ty Gibbs fifth. Gibbs ran both races Monday, completing 900 miles.

The win also was the first of the season for JR Motorsports.

Charlotte Xfinity results

Justin Allgaier wins NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway

By Mike HembreeMay 29, 2023, 11:38 PM EDT

CONCORD, N.C. — Justin Allgaier won a fuel-mileage gamble to win Monday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Allgaier stretched his fuel to outlast second-place John Hunter Nemechek. Following in the top five were Cole Custer, Austin Hill and Ty Gibbs.

The victory was Allgaier’s first of the year and the first of the season for JR Motorsports. He has 20 career wins.

MORE: Charlotte Xfinity results

After a long day at CMS, the race ended at 11:25 p.m. The race started Monday morning but was stopped twice because of weather before it was halted with 48 of 200 laps completed so that the Coca-Cola 600 Cup Series race could be run.

When the race was stopped, Gibbs, Nemechek and Allgaier were in the top three positions.

Gibbs won the first two stages.

Stage 1 winner: Ty Gibbs

Stage 2 winner: Ty Gibbs

Who had a good race: Justin Allgaier has had good cars in previous races but finally cashed in with a win Monday. He led 83 laps. … John Hunter Nemechek, in second, scored his fifth top-two run of the season. … Cole Custer scored his sixth straight top-10 finish. … Ty Gibbs lasted 900 miles for the day and led 52 laps in the Xfinity race.

Who had a bad race: Sam Mayer was running 10th when he spun off Turn 2. He finished 35th. … Sheldon Creed finished three laps down in 28th.

Next: The series moves on to Portland International Raceway in Oregon for a 4:30 p.m. ET race June 3.

What drivers said at Charlotte Motor Speedway

By Mike HembreeMay 29, 2023, 10:54 PM EDT

CONCORD, N.C. — What drivers had to say during and after Monday’s 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway:

Ryan Blaney (Winner) — “I might shed a tear. This has been a cool weekend. Obviously, Memorial Day weekend means a lot, growing up here watching Dad run this race for a long time. It’s so cool just to be a part of it, let alone win it. I just was able to get the lead, and that car was so good that I could kind of bide my time a little bit and then we were able to drive off. I was hoping no caution just because you never know. I know we had the car to do it, but restarts can be crazy. … You start to get to feel like you can’t win anymore when you don’t win in a while. It kind of gets hard. So just super thankful to the 12 guys for believing in me. It’s just so cool. What a weekend with (Josef) Newgarden and Roger (Penske) winning at Indy and us winning the 600. I mean that’s just so cool. That kind of snaps our winless streak right there and that’s even better. We just kept working on it all night, and I think the track took a change. I didn’t feel great at the end of Stage 3. I was kind of getting pressured by a couple guys and we had to work on our car, and it was getting cooler outside.”

MORE: Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott crash and disagree

MORE: Charlotte Cup results, driver points

William Byron (Finished 2nd) — “We just needed a little bit. Really happy for Ryan. He really deserves it. He’s a good dude. Cool to see him get a win. We just needed a little bit. I felt like there were enough restarts for him to get back to the front. He had that one pit road where he lost a few spots, and it was kind of between us and the 5 (Kyle Larson). I knew the 12 (Ryan Blaney) and 45 (Tyler Reddick) were a little bit stronger than we were. Thanks to this Liberty University Chevrolet team. The car was great tonight. Just not quite good enough. Really proud of the effort. Pit crew was phenomenal on pit road. Those guys are just high energy, and that pit stall helps.”

Martin Truex Jr. (Finished 3rd) — “It was a handful. We just battled really hard and never gave up on the car. We had some stumbles on pit road – had some issues there. We had some issues getting a flat tire with some contact leaving pit road, which wasn’t our fault, either. Just battled a lot of adversity today, but our Bass Pro Shops Tracker Boats Camry was really fast. At the end of Stage 3, I thought that we had a shot to win this thing and then we got some damage out of nowhere on the splitter, and then I got too tight. We made some adjustments to try to get us balanced back out, but it just wasn’t as fast then, and we still ran third. Just proud of everybody for the effort. We definitely had a shot at this one tonight, just didn’t get enough things to go our way and we didn’t do a good enough job on pit road. It was a fun day overall. We had just too many hiccups, too many issues on pit road with a couple of bad stops and the damage that sent us to the rear and had to come back. I thought through Stage 3 we were going to have a shot at this thing, and out of the blue at the start of the final stage, we got some damage on the splitter from debris and the car was never quite as good. … It means a lot to have all of the soldiers on our cars this weekend. I got to meet an amazing family this weekend. Really wish I could have taken them to victory lane, so it’s a little bittersweet, but overall, it’s a solid day for us.”

Bubba Wallace (Finished 4th) — “It started on Friday. We didn’t get through tech. We are trying to push all we can get, and didn’t happen, so bad pit selection really set us back all day. I knew it would be a grind. I need my pit crew to know that as well – they made a couple mistakes – but they rebounded. We were playing the cards that we were dealt. I’m super proud of this Dr. Pepper Toyota team. Just continuing to make strides and continuing to show up and be a part of the factor. Just makes you think – if you were that close on the final restart, or closer, what could have happened. It looked like the 12 (Ryan Blaney) was lights out all day. About time he got him one. I thought he was done washed up (laughter).” (On confrontation with Aric Almirola) Yeah, we were just frustrated on how we raced each other. We were in Stage 2 of the Coke 600. I finished fourth and that’s a good day for our team.”

Tyler Reddick (Finished 5th) — “We had a great car. We were really, really strong there. Just made a lot of mistakes – we kind of went to the bad side of it on that one strategy in the second stage. We had a million cautions because we just kept crashing. We got behind there and we had to fight to get our track position back after that and we did. We got to the 12 (Ryan Blaney), and just being too aggressive, got sideways and hit the wall, and front there, hit the wall about 10 more times and pretty much took all of the life out of the race car. We had a fantastic car. We just couldn’t get around the 12 (Ryan Blaney). We were way faster than he was for most of the day. I tried to take our time, because it’s obviously a 400-lap race, but yeah, made a few mistakes along the way and then I knocked the fence down and then every time we did, we lost a little speed in our Jordan Brand 23XI Toyota. So yeah, fifth.”

Kyle Busch (Finished 6th) — “Coca-Cola 600s are normally up-and-down, so we definitely had an up-and-down day. But the guys fought hard all race long and made some good repairs. We made a lot of good adjustments. There were a couple that we had to go back on, and then go back on again. But all-in-all, just proud of everyone on the No. 8 Alsco Chevy team. Our car wasn’t as fast as we wanted on the fire-offs there – we wanted the long run to finish. Even though we hadn’t been good on the long runs all night, we adjusted for that, but we just didn’t get it. We’ll take a good solid effort and top-10 finish.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Finished 7th) — “I feel great. I got up and did the ‘Murph’ workout this morning. My trainer wasn’t too thrilled about that, but went ahead and did that, and then came out here and ran 600 miles. Our No. 47 Kroger/Coca-Cola Chevy was so good all night. We just fought some track position every now and then, and then the No. 8 (Kyle Busch) fenced us there. I felt like we would have had a top-five if it wasn’t for that. But all-in-all, it was a great Coca-Cola 600 for us. It was what we needed after last week at the All-Star Race. We kind of got beat up there a little bit. But it’s cool to get another top 10. This team is doing a lot of good things.”

Chris Buescher (Finished 8th) — “It was a really strong day. Our Fastenal Mustang was really good. We got hit on pit road and definitely took a decent amount out of us, so I’m upset about that, but at the end of the day it was a good recovery. We kept digging back and it’s cool to have this camo paint scheme up front for a lot of the day, but I want to do more.”

Austin Dillon (Finished 9th) — “We never gave up all night, and it feels like we passed more cars than anyone else all race long in our Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevrolet. It was a hard-earned top-10 finish. We started this year’s Coca-Cola 600 deep in the field – 33rd — after practice and qualifying were canceled due to weather, but I knew that we would have a chance to be in contention at the end because this is the longest race of the year and there are plenty of laps to work our way forward. It was challenging, though. Pit road was tight for us today, and it felt like every time we gained positions we would pit and get trapped in our box and lose everything we worked so hard for. We never gave up and to finish in the top-10 is a testament to the tenacity that this No. 3 team has. We were just too tight at the end to advance any further, but I think we showed how hard we are willing to work. Today is about our heroes who served and made the ultimate sacrifice. I’m thankful that I can do what I love, which is race, because of them. Thank you to the families of Navy Seal Mark Crampton and Army soldier Rusten Smith for allowing us to recognize them.”

Zane Smith (Finished 10th) – “I am so happy, as happy as could be, really. I was worried when we didn’t take tires there and were running really good and had a really good day. It just worked out, so just a great job by this whole 38 Boot Barn FRM team. We got our Mustang better and better every single stop and that’s so cool. We run on half the budget, if that, than a lot of these guys, so to finish top 10 in our sixth start at the Coke 600 is really cool. It’s been a rough three weeks for me. The Cup Series is a different level and obviously I’m trying to prove I belong here and it’s just an outstanding run. Ryan does an outstanding job and it’s so cool to finish this race, but better yet with a top 10.”

Alex Bowman (Finished 12th) — “It doesn’t feel very good at the moment, but about what I was expecting. There was no pain in the car really, but now that I’m out, I feel it a little bit. Just proud of my No. 48 Ally Chevy team. We had a really fast long run car. Obviously the short runs were what we needed, but we were just too tight for that. We got stuck on pit road – every stop, we came in like 10th, but lost spots coming out. But that wasn’t on my guys, it was just pit stall selection. We’ll move onto Gateway. Hopefully we’ll get to qualify there, have a good pit box and just go have a normal day.”

Ryan Preece (Finished 13th) — “What a night. We battled all night long. Some of those cautions just did not work in our favor at all, but we had a good car and just needed track position and clean air. We made strong adjustments throughout the night, and my crew was on it. I think we had a top-10 car. We’ll take 13th after a day like that, and it’s definitely the momentum our team needed. Those top 10s and top fives are coming, and I’m looking forward to St. Louis.”

Justin Haley (Finished 15th) — “We fired off tight today, but the No. 31 team made some great adjustments and had good pit stops. We made it as high as eighth and thought we would get a top 10 there but just got shuffled at the end. A top 15 is not a bad day, but our car was by far the best car we’ve had all year. We made some major gains today as a team.”

Joey Logano (Finished 21st) — “Tough night for the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang team. We struggled with the balance and unfortunately couldn’t miss the late accident and got damage. So happy for Team Penske, Josef and Ryan on a weekend sweep.”

Aric Almirola (Finished 25th) — (On confrontation with Bubba Wallace) “It was early in the race, and I felt like he ran me all over the racetrack and then when he got by me he shot me the bird, so I just went by and asked him why you shot me the bird. I felt like I gave him a lot of room and a lot of respect and he started mouthing off and saying a lot of bad things and cussing at me after he shot me the bird, so I just wasn’t gonna take that. I think it’s squashed. I got my point across. I let him know it’s not acceptable. He’s not gonna cuss at me and shoot me the bird. It was a good night, honestly, for our Smithfield Ford Mustang. It’s Memorial Day and such an honor and privilege to race on Memorial Day. We were running 10th there with 20-something to go and got caught up in that restart wreck in the middle of one and two and got a lot of heavy damage that really killed the race car after that. I hate we didn’t get out of here with a top 10. I felt we certainly had a top 10 race car, got loose on a restart early and hit the right-rear toe link, we fixed it, got two laps down, got all of our laps back and drove from the back to the top 10. I’m really proud of the effort and the fight, not the result, but we certainly fought hard. We’ll go get ready for Gateway. That was a really good racetrack for us last year.”

Austin Cindric (Finished 31st) – “You’re patient for 550 miles; why be patient for the last 40? I probably could have helped myself there by not drifting up the racetrack and knowing my own strength and weaknesses. It’s just unfortunate to get so close to the end of this race and not being able to finish it last year and the same with this year. I felt we had a lot of positives from today – some really good pit stops. We had good speed at times, but just having to put the whole race together as a team. I definitely made some mistakes today and unfortunate not to be able to finish it off.”

Erik Jones (Finished 32nd) — “We had a fast No. 43 U.S. Air Force Chevy, but nothing to really show for it. Appreciate the U.S. Air Force and their support. Just hate that we had the radiator issue, but hopefully we’ll go to Gateway with the same speed and have a good day.”

Chase Elliott (Finished 34th) — “The 11 (Denny Hamlin) ran us up into the fence there. Once you tear the right-side off these things, it’s kind of over. I hate it. I thought our No. 9 NAPA Chevy was getting better. It was nice to be making some gains there throughout the race. Our pit stops were really good. We had some pretty good fortune to get up towards the front there. I was just trying to get to mile 600 and have a shot, so unfortunately failed to do that again.”

Denny Hamlin (Finished 35th) — “I got right-rear hooked in the middle of the straightaway (referring to his collision with Chase Elliott). It’s a tantrum, and he shouldn’t be racing next week. Right rear hooks are absolutely unacceptable. I don’t care. It is the same thing that Bubba Wallace did with Kyle Larson. Exact same. He shouldn’t be racing. It’s a tantrum.”

Noah Gragson (Finished 36th) — “Bummer day for the No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevy team. We made it through the first stage clean. Something went through the radiator. We replaced the radiator and the motor blew up. Just frustrating. Thank you to Black Rifle Coffee Company and the Menusa family for coming out here. Wish we could have had a better run for them, but it was an honor to have Sgt. Menusa on the windshield. It makes this weekend all worth it. Wish we could have given him and his family a better run, but we’ll try again at Gateway.”

Jimmie Johnson (Finished 37th) — “I just didn’t know we were put in that three-wide situation. There were a bunch of us cars that were wrecked and just trying to limp it home. Unfortunately, I ended up in a situation I wasn’t aware of and got turned around. It’s a bummer for the No. 84 Club Wyndham Chevy team.”

WINNERS

LOSERS

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