Chase Briscoe is 750/1 to win at Pocono Saturday

 

CHASE BRISCOE Pocono Advance No. 14 HighPoint.com/Webex by Cisco Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: NASCAR Cup Series Doubleheader at Pocono (Rounds 18 and 19 of 36) ● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 26, and 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 27 ● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway ● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle ● Race 1 Laps/Miles: (130 laps/325 miles) ● Race 1 Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 52 laps / Final Stage: 53 laps ● Race 2 Laps/Miles: (140 laps/350 miles) ● Race 2 Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 30 laps / Stage 2: 55 laps / Final Stage: 55 laps ● TV/Radio: NBCSN / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● This weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway is a hometown race for primary sponsor HighPoint.com. The leading IT infrastructure and solutions company is based just 90 minutes east of the 2.5-mile triangle in Sparta, New Jersey. The company was founded in 1996 and serves markets in the Tri-State region and southeastern United States, with a presence in Charlotte, North Carolina, and overseas in London.   ● HighPoint.com will share the home stage spotlight with Cisco as they celebrate the debut of the latest generation of Webex by Cisco. The two will share paint on the No. 14 Ford Mustang at Pocono honoring a longstanding partnership between the two companies. When HighPoint.com President and CEO Mike Mendiburu founded the company 25 years ago, Cisco was one of the first companies he set out to partner with. Cisco has always been a leader in collaboration, and its tools give HighPoint the opportunity to provide transformative solutions that make a real difference for its customers.   ● Webex by Cisco is the leading enterprise solution for meetings, messaging, and events in the cloud and is designed for teams of all sizes. Trusted by more than 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies, Webex by Cisco powers a new way of collaborating that’s centered around the work people do, not where they do it – whether it’s in the office, at home, or anywhere in between.   ● The Pocono doubleheader follows one of the more impressive runs of the season for the No. 14 team after what looked to be a potential top-five finish in last weekend’s Inaugural Ally 400 at Nashville (Tenn.) Speedway. Briscoe ran solidly in the top-15 before the team made a call to gain track position, placing him in the lead on lap 177. Briscoe led five laps and was on track for a new career-best finish before a brake issue took him out of contention with less than 75 laps to go.   ● Briscoe will have a chance to score his first Cup Series win on Saturday and Sunday, but he already has one Sunday win at Pocono after overcoming a mountain of adversity to be the first to cross the finish line in last year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Tricky Triangle. The Mitchell, Indiana, native overcame a pit-road speeding penalty, a near-miss in a multicar accident and a late-race spin while leading to notch a total of 24 laps led en route to his fourth win of 2020 and the first home-track win for HighPoint.com.   ● And that wasn’t Briscoe’s first time visiting Pocono’s victory lane. On July 29, 2016, Briscoe won the ARCA Racing Series event to cap a string of four consecutive victories. He led all but nine of the race’s 60 laps in a dominating performance that was emblematic of his season. Briscoe drove to two more victories that year to take the ARCA championship by an impressive 535 points.   ● In his three Pocono starts outside of the Xfinity Series, Briscoe finished among the top-10 every time. He finished 10th in the June 2016 ARCA race and ninth in the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.   ● Briscoe sits 26th in the driver championship after 17 races and leads the Rookie of the Year standings by 94 points over Anthony Alfredo.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com/Webex by Cisco Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Pocono is a hometown race for your primary sponsor HighPoint.com. Talk about that. “I would love to go out and have a good showing for HighPoint.com. It was really cool to get that win last year at their home track. They’ve been a big part of my career here at SHR, coming on last year so I could run the full season and then coming over to the 14 to go Cup racing. They’re still pretty new to the sport and it’s been cool to have that support as I get settled into the Cup side of things. If we can go follow up what we did last week and keep things moving forward, it would be a great way to say thank you for everything they’ve done.”   Webex by Cisco will be joining HighPoint.com on the car this weekend, and we know they are a big name in technology. How has technology factored into your transition to the Cup Series? “Technology is so important to everything we do, but it definitely played a larger role in my move to the 14 than I expected it to. With everything that we’ve dealt with over the last year, virtual meetings became a larger part of preparation for races and, when it came time for Johnny (Klausmeier, crew chief) and I to start working together, that’s how we connected. There are so many different aspects of racing where technology comes into play and, thankfully, we have great partners like HighPoint.com and Cisco to make sure we’re getting the most out of virtual meetings or our simulator time, whatever we need to be ready to go for the next race.”   What is the key to being successful at Pocono? “Pocono is such a challenging track. Speed is important anywhere we go, but this is a place where you have to be able to adapt. Your car may be really good in one corner and maybe not so great in the other two, but you’ve got to be able to figure it out if you want to run up front. I’m excited for the doubleheader. I really enjoyed running them last year in the Xfinity Series and we were usually able to find something in that first race that we could carry over to the second day, so it’ll be nice to have two shots at showing the work the guys have been putting in.”

Cole Custer is 250/1 to win Saturday's Cup Race at Pocono

 

COLE CUSTER Pocono Doubleheader Advance No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: NASCAR Cup Series Doubleheader at Pocono (Rounds 18 and 19 of 36) ● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 26, and 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 27 ● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway ● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle ● Race 1 Laps/Miles: (130 laps/325 miles) ● Race 1 Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 52 laps / Final Stage: 53 laps ● Race 2 Laps/Miles: (140 laps/350 miles) ● Race 2 Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 30 laps / Stage 2: 55 laps / Final Stage: 55 laps ● TV/Radio: NBCSN / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Cole Custer has not one, but two shots at continuing the success he’s enjoyed during his career at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway when he and his No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) head to the Pocono Mountains for a Saturday-Sunday NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader.   ● The 23-year-old from Ladera Ranch, California, will make career Cup Series starts 57 and 58 at the 2.5-mile triangular racetrack where he’s scored a victory and two pole positions in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and another victory in the ARCA Menards Series. In last year’s inaugural Pocono doubleheader weekend, Custer brought home finishes of 16th on Saturday and 17th on Sunday, in what were his second and third career Pocono outings in the Cup Series.   ● Custer made three Xfinity Series starts in the No. 00 SHR Ford from 2017 through 2019, never starting worse than third, never finishing worse than seventh, and leading a total of 95 laps in the three events. He qualified third and finished seventh in 2017, then qualified on the pole in both the 2018 and 2019 races, finishing fifth in 2018 and scoring the victory by .228 of a second over Tyler Reddick in 2019 after leading a race-high 58 laps.   ● In his lone NASCAR Camping World Truck Series outing at Pocono, Custer drove the No. 00 JR Motorsports entry to a fifth-place finish in the 2016 race.   ● Custer piloted the No. 00 JR Motorsports entry in both ARCA Menards Series events in 2015, leaving the June race after just 18 laps with a broken axle, but then returning with a vengeance in the August race, which he started fifth and won by a 4.991-second margin over Grant Enfinger after leading 18 laps.   ● After soldiering to a 31st-place finish last Sunday in the inaugural Cup Series race at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, where his crew spent more than 40 laps repairing a broken right-rear brake rotor, Custer is 27th in the Cup Series standings, 116 points behind the 16th and final playoff position.   ● Returning to Custer’s No. 41 Ford Mustang for SHR is team co-owner Gene Haas’ newest holding, Haas Tooling, which was launched as a way for CNC machinists to purchase high-quality cutting tools at great prices. Haas cutting tools are sold exclusively online at HaasTooling.com and shipped directly to end users. HaasTooling.com products became available nationally last July, and the cutting tools available for purchase at HaasTooling.com have proven to be even more important during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as CNC machines have become vital to producing personal protective equipment. Haas Automation, founded by Haas in 1983, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers and rotary tables and indexers. All Haas products are constructed in the company’s 1.1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California, and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets.   ● As announced during the annual Coca-Cola 600 weekend Memorial Day weekend, Custer and the team encourage fans to join Wow Wow Classic Waffles in support of Feeding America®, the largest hunger relief organization in the United States with a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs. Fans are encouraged to text HUNGER to 50555 to make a $5 donation to Feeding America®, by visiting the Feeding America® donation page on Facebook, or the donation page via the Feeding America® website. Each $1 donated helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks.

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Last year’s Pocono doubleheader weekend was a groundbreaker for the Cup Series, and there were two more added to the schedule at Michigan and Dover. How does a doubleheader change the complexion of the weekend? “It’s definitely different because you’re trying to make two plans for the same race weekend with how the track’s going to change from one day to the next, what you’re going to change with the car, and then you’re trying to adapt as much as you can right after the first race. It’s a lot of just trying to make sure you’re sticking with your notes and making good decisions from one day to the next.”   Does it make the weekend any more or less stressful? “I think it’s made it a little more relaxed going into this kind of weekend where, before, it was going to be a lot of unknowns where we’d never raced two days in a row like this without much practice and everything like that. But raced multiple times a week last year and it’s not a huge curveball for us, anymore. It just feels like another week. It’s definitely going to be a little bit tough, a little bit different, preparing the cars for two days in a row, and getting yourself ready for that. At the same time, we’ve gotten used to doing races without any practice and I think we all know how to get into a good rhythm for it.”   How does the top-20 inversion for Sunday’s race affect strategy during the Saturday race? “That’s going to be a nice position to be in if you’re fighting over that. You’re not going to try and finish 20th, but I think if you’re in that position where you’re 21st, you’re going to fight pretty hard to get that spot, so we might see some drama.”   What were your first impressions of Pocono, being one of the most unique layouts on the schedule? “It was tough. It was tricky. The straightaways are so long, it gives you a lot of time to think about how you’re going to mess up the next corner (laughs). It’s a tough place to get around because all the corners are different. I think everybody loves it because it’s a challenge. With three different, really difficult corners, it’s one of those styles of tracks you haven’t seen a bunch before. It’s a triangle and you don’t ever race at other tracks shaped like that. There’s nothing like it.”

Kyle Busch is 7/1 to win at Pocono on Saturday

 

KYLE BUSCH Seeing Double   HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (June 23, 2021) –  As the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway this weekend, NASCAR’s top series will be seeing double as it heads to the 2.5-mile triangle in the Pocono Mountains.    For many years, the two annual NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway had been runs five to six weeks apart. The tight window in which they’d traditionally been run didn’t give much time between trips to the Pocono Mountains for teams to make drastic changes to their cars. But when the Cup Series makes this year’s trek to the Poconos, the window of time between Saturday’s Pocono 325 and Sunday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 is less than 24 hours for the second year in a row after last year’s successful doubleheader weekend debut.     The rules require NASCAR Cup Series teams to use the same car in both events, but they’ll be allowed to work on them between races. Following the finish of Saturday’s 130-lap race, the starting lineup for Sunday’s 140-lap event will be set by inverting Saturday’s top-20 finishers, and those finishing 21st through 38th on Saturday starting from those same positions Sunday.   Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Minis Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), knows he’s fortunate enough to be able to race, and win, for 17 seasons and counting in NASCAR’s top series. Not only has he won 58 races and two Cup Series championships, he’s had his fair share of recent success at the track nicknamed the “Tricky Triangle.” The Las Vegas native won the June 2019 Pocono race and has three wins in his last seven Cup Series starts there.   For the first time ever, a timeless M&M’S favorite – M&M’S Minis – with adorn Busch’s No, 18 Toyota this weekend. M&M’S Minis are a great way to share the delicious, colorful fun of M&M’S with friends and family. M&M’S Minis are perfect to include in baked treats for the same M&M’S taste, mini style.   Busch’s recent fortunes at Pocono began after he narrowly missed a victory in June 2017. He returned for that year’s July race looking for his first Pocono Cup Series win, and he was able to deliver behind some clever strategy as well as his own smart driving. While the top competitors headed to pit road for their final scheduled fuel-and-tire stops late in the race, Busch stayed out longer than the rest. The others were clearly faster on newer tires, but Busch took advantage of a clean track to make up time and, when he was finally called to pit road, he had much fresher tires than his fellow competitors for the closing stages of the race. He eventually drove by Kevin Harvick for his impressive maiden Pocono victory. Since then, Busch has been able to grab Pocono wins in 2018 and 2019 to add to his growing resume at the Tricky Triangle.   So, as the series heads back to the Pocono Mountains, Busch, crew chief Ben Beshore and the entire team will focus on not one but two races with their M&M’S Minis Toyota, hoping to take it a giant step further with a chance to win twice during this weekend’s doubleheader.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M'S Minis Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

What is it about you and your team that make you so good at Pocono Raceway?   “There are certainly a lot of things over the years that we’ve worked on and there are definitely things we’ve fine-tuned on and gotten a lot better at, I think starting in 2013 or 2014, and then we’ve still kept that speed ever since for the most part. We’ve run really well there. It’s a good track for us. I’ve learned a lot from my teammate Denny Hamlin who’s won there, and certainly working with Martin (Truex Jr.) and his guys has also brought on some new, fresh ideas, which help. It’s been a good track for us and hopefully we can carry our M&M’s Minis colors to victory lane there this weekend. Looking forward to having them on board with us and our No. 18 Toyota.”   How do you learn to get better at a track, like you have at Pocono?   “There are so many different ways you can do it. You can look at data, you can look at the driving technique. Talking is kind of the best resource, just being able to ask the guy, ‘Hey, when you do this, why do you do this, or what do you expect when you get into a run and you’re going this far, and tire wear, and how do you get around turn two,’ whatever it might be. Lots of different things there, being teammates with Denny (Hamlin) for this long, it’s lended itself to myself improving at Pocono and Martinsville, places like that, and him improving at places like Bristol and Charlotte from myself. It’s a good take there. And then having Martin (Truex Jr.) now, having him on board, who is really good everywhere, as well, has definitely brought a good basis to our team, as well as having our past teammates like Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards – so it’s been good.”   You make Pocono look easy, but what is still tough about Pocono even for you?   “Every time you go there, it’s a bit different. The bumps change, the characteristics change. Where the bumps are. Are they getting bigger? Are they getting worse? Is there more? That turn-two tunnel turn is always a culprit for the bumps, and the harsh winters up there really change the racetrack. Then, what happens in turn three, where the wind is blowing and stuff like that, is always kind of a convoluted piece to Pocono, and how you get through turn three versus turn one versus two. There are three distinctly different corners, there’s definitely going to be compromise.”   Do you see race two as the same as race one since they are on the same weekend, or will they be different?   “I think you will have to make some changes to your stuff. The first race, there’s only going to be the Truck Series rubber, it’s only 60 laps, so there’s just going to be a little rubber down. Then, we’re going to put a lot of rubber down with our race. Then you’ll have the Xfinity race the next day, and then you’ll have our race. Over the course of all those miles, I think the main similarities between the two days is going to be just that – they’re a day apart rather than a month apart. There’s a difference between the Pocono racetrack when it’s a month apart, but when it’s day one to day two, there are going to be big differences in day one to day two, so you have to take a lot of different things into account.”   What are the most critical adjustments you can make between each race at Pocono?   “Obviously springs, shocks, bars, whatever you can change, all that sort of stuff. Making some adjustments. Knowing how much that track changes in that first race will give you a basis to how much you expect it to change in the second race, barring any weather or other factors. If it’s 68 degrees one day and a 90 degrees on the other, there are going to be some big differences you’re going to want to adjust for and compensate for. Having a good notebook, I think, will certainly help us and our team. I think we could have a good idea of what to do with our M&M’S Minis Toyota.”

Event Overview:

Race #1 ● Event: Pocono 325 ● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 26 ● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway ● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle ● Laps/Miles: 130 laps/325 miles ●Format: 130 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/52 laps/53 laps) ● TV/Radio: NBCSN / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio   Race #2 ● Event: Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 ● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 27 ● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway ● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle ● Laps/Miles: 140 laps/350 miles ● Format: 140 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/55 laps/55 laps) ● TV/Radio: NBCSN / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Nashville Cup Series Practice 1 from Saturday

 

Nashville NASCAR Betting Preview: 2021 Ally 400

 

ALLY 400 PICKS, PREDICTIONS, ODDS

June 20, 2021

Micah Roberts
NASCAR Expert
VegasInsider.com

NASCAR is back at Nashville Superspeedway for the first time since 2011 and for the first time ever, the Cup Series will make an appearance there in Sunday’s Ally 400.

NASCAR ALLY 400 ANALYSIS

All three major NASCAR Series will be in action over Fathers Day weekend with the winner of each race getting a sweet Gibson guitar trophy. There are 14 active Cup drivers who have raced on the 1.33-mile D-shaped concrete oval in the Xfinity and Truck Series and only five active drivers have ever won with Kyle Busch leading the way with three wins. Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski each have two and Austin Dillon and Joey Logano each have one win.

Carl Edwards got his nickname “concrete Carl” by winning five Xfinity Series races at Nashville. By the way, I still have no idea why Edwards suddenly quit NASCAR a few years ago.

Another thing I don’t understand is why they call this a superspeedway. If Nashville is a superspeedway, then Talladega has to be a Super-Duperspeedway, right?

Anyway, there are lots of unknowns with the Nashville layout that has 14 degrees of banking in the turns. When I did my ratings for the week I started with the fact that they are running the 750 horsepower low downforce race package and with no data on the track itself, I used Dover’s 1-mile high-banked concrete layout and Kansas Speedway as a comparison (even though Kansas used the 550 HP package). And then infused an upgrade for all Hendrick Motorsports drivers who have won the last five races including the non-points All-Star Race last week.

It was the four Hendrick drivers that came out 1-2-3-4 in my ratings followed by Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick.

So it came as much of a surprise when I saw sportsbooks like the SuperBook and William Hill offer William Byron at 13-to-1 odds to win and Alex Bowman at 14-to-1. They have Truex, Hamlin, Busch, and Harvick all ahead of the hottest team on the planet right now. Hamlin and Harvick have no wins this season, Bowman has two wins with the 750 HP package and one of those wins was a Dover win in a race in which Hendrick drivers finished 1-2-3-4 and led 382 of the 400 laps.

ALLY 400 BETTING RESOURCES

• Date: Sunday, June 20, 2021
• TV-Time: NBCSN, 3:30 p.m. ET
• Venue: Nashville Superspeedway
• Location: Nashville, Tennessee
• Distance: 400 miles, 300 laps

ALLY 400 CONTENDERS

• Kyle Larson +275
• Martin Truex Jr +650
• Chase Elliott +700
• Denny Hamlin +850
• Kyle Busch +900
• More NASCAR Futures
• (Odds Subject to Change)

HANDICAPPING NASCAR AT NASHVILLE

William Byron finished fourth at Dover after leading 21 laps and talked about how he's going to approach a new track with little experience on it.

“You’re not going to have a good feel in general going into this weekend, I think,” said Byron who is tied for the series lead with 12 top-10s. “Nashville (Superspeedway) is going to be one of those places that you just need to adapt and learn as you go. It looks like a superspeedway but it’s more of a short track with how tight the corners are. It’s going to be tough, especially with the heat. I think that this race is going to be one of the toughest places we will go this season just because we don’t have any notes on it. No one has any notes from any series, really.

“Things have changed so much since the last race there. I’m going to rely heavily on the truck race and watching the Xfinity race. I’ll use that info to hopefully learn and be able to adapt faster in our race. It’s going to be challenge but it’s good to have a new environment and the excitement around it.”

Byron is a must-play this week for anyone betting the race. He has to be part of your wagering portfolio this week as well as Bowman. They both have huge value by being undervalued by the books, most of whom use robot bookmakers. Bowman brought up the Dover angle earlier this week.

“I have tested at Nashville Superspeedway before but haven’t actually raced there,” Bowman said. “It is going to be interesting learning the track with the No. 48 Chevrolet in practice on Saturday. Our last race we ran on concrete (Dover) we were able to claim the victory, so we are hoping for the same result on Sunday in our No. 48 Ally Chevy.”

Because Nashville is a new track, the teams will get to practice Saturday and have a qualifying session on Sunday morning before the race.

In the old days just two years ago, I used to bet most of my driver matchups after practice and take advantage of books over adjusting to practices, and before that two decades ago, I used to bet driver matchups with prices that didn’t move at all after practices.

Now in 2021, post COVID-19, I feel pretty good about how the solid teams bring their cars ready to roll off the hauler with a winning set-up made at the team headquarters. I don’t really care about practice anymore and I’ve already bet, but I will pay attention to the 10-consecutive lap averages and hope it forces a bet on someone like Tyler Reddick at 40-to-1 or Austin Dillon at 80-to-1.

This will be the 17th points-paying race of the season and the 10th race using the 750 HP package. Truex won three of the first six using the package and Hendrick drivers have won four overall, including the last three.

Again, Bowman has two wins using this week’s race package including a win on a concrete track, but sure, Harvick should be favored over him. Harvick doesn’t even have a top-five finish using the 750 HP package. Robot bookmaker must be on tilt with its date set on 2020 when Harvick won a series-high nine races. Whatever, just bet it and be happy the books are offering a deal.

William Byron has seen a Top 10 result in 12 of his last 14 races, but outside the Top 10 in 2 of his last 3 races. (AP)

LARSON A HEAVY FAVORITE

As for Larson, he deserves to be a heavy favorite. Second or better in five straight races. He’s going for his third straight win. He led a race-high 263 laps at Dover last month settling for runner-up. After his All-Star win Sunday night he hit the road for a Monday night sprint race and won. He raced Tuesday night as well and finally lost. This dude loves any kind of racing. He also has a 2019 win on the concrete Dover layout and has led 880 laps in 13 career Cup starts.

Chase Elliott has eight top-fives in 11 Dover starts, including a 2018 win. He’ll be in the hunt for another Hendrick win. All the Hendrick drivers will be in the hunt for the win just like at Dover on May 16.

READ MORE HERE.....TOP-5 FINISH PREDICTION ON VEGASINSIDER.COM

Kevin Harvick is 12/1 to win 2021 Ally 400 at Nashville

 

KEVIN HARVICK Nashville Advance No. 4 Monster Jam/Grave Digger Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing     Event Overview   ●  Event:  Inaugural Ally 400 (Round 17 of 36) ●  Time/Date:  3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 20 ●  Location:  Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway ●  Layout:  1.333-mile, concrete oval ●  Laps/Miles:  300 laps/399.9 miles ●  Stage Lengths:  Stages 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps ●  TV/Radio:  NBCSN / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio   Notes of Interest   ●  Introducing Grrraaaaaaaave Digger! That’s right, one of the most decorated Monster Jam trucks in the world will be represented in the inaugural Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway… and we have Keelan Harvick to thank for it. Keelan wanted to give his dad, Kevin, the most awesome Father’s Day gift ever, so the eight-year-old organized a surprise for his dad – a Grave Digger paint scheme on Kevin’s No. 4 Ford Mustang. It turns out the iconic paint scheme featured on the 12,000-pound, larger-than-life truck that rides on enormous 66-inch BKT tires transfers well to a sleek and fast Stewart-Haas Racing-built Ford Mustang. The No. 4 Monster Jam/Grave Digger Ford Mustang is sure to turn heads this Father’s Day weekend – in the stands and on the track as drivers do a double-take when they see Grave Digger looming large in their rearview mirror.   ●  Fans in Nashville who want to see the real Grave Digger only need to wait a month. Monster Jam visits Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville July 17-18. There are three events – two on Saturday at 1 p.m. CDT and 6:30 p.m., and one on Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased by clicking here.   ●  It’s been 10 years since NASCAR last competed at Nashville Superspeedway, and it was an Xfinity Series race on July 23, 2011 that was won by Carl Edwards. The NASCAR Cup Series has never competed on the 1.333-mile oval, but Cup teams tested there extensively back in the day when it was fashionable to race on Sunday, test somewhere on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then fly to the next Cup race on Thursday. Harvick, now in his 21st year of Cup Series competition, has logged many laps in a Cup car at Nashville Superspeedway despite the track never hosting a Cup race until this Sunday’s inaugural Ally 400.   ●  Harvick has, however, raced at Nashville Superspeedway and performed incredibly well. In four career Xfinity Series starts at the track, Harvick has two wins – April 15, 2006 and April 3, 2010. He finished third on June 10, 2006 and recorded his worst finish, seventh, in his first Xfinity Series race at Nashville Superspeedway on April 14, 2001. It all gave Harvick an average finish of third. He also had a lap completion rate of 100 percent, running all 900 laps available to him, and he led 123 of those laps.   ●  Harvick also made one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Nashville Superspeedway. It was on April 2, 2010 when he finished second to Kyle Busch.   Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Monster Jam/Grave Digger Ford Mustang    So how does a Monster Jam truck – and not just any Monster Jam truck, but the Monster Jam truck of Monster Jam trucks – rank as a cool Father’s Day gift, and a surprise Father’s Day gift from your son, Keelan? “It’s THE monster truck. Loud noises, big engines, big wheels, big tires, fast racecars, and to have that be a surprise, it’s surprising to me because of the fact that it’s with Grave Digger and everything, the history, that goes with that truck. But it doesn’t surprise me that it’s something related to a car and tying it in to what we do. This one caught me off guard, though, because I had no idea that any of this was happening and, to have my 8-year-old son be able to pull that off and know more about it than I do makes me feel like I’m a little bit left out. So we’re going to have to talk to somebody.”   How many times have you been to Monster Jam and what is it about those events that resonates with you and Keelan? “We have been to Monster Jam. We went to Charlotte. We went to Atlanta several years ago. We’ve been to a few of them. For Keelan and I, racing is a legacy, you pass it on from one generation to the next. And the same thing has happened with Grave Digger and the drivers of that truck. What we do, you see generations of families that have had their fathers, their sons and their sons move on through the ranks of racing. It’s something that you grow up around and are a part of and you learn to love the sport. And when you’re around it, you understand it’s a family sport and, for me, that’s the best part of it – that it’s something we can do together.”   When Dennis Anderson, the patriarch of Grave Digger, was behind the wheel of his Monster Jam truck, he was crushing cars. That doesn’t typically work too well in a stock car. How are you going to live up to Grave Digger’s legacy? “You’ve got to set yourself apart from everybody else, right? The best way to do that for us is to run faster than everybody else, so hopefully we can have this No. 4 Monster Jam/Grave Digger Ford Mustang doing what it’s supposed to do and running fast – scare them right off the track. They’re all going to be jealous because I get to drive Grave Digger’s car.”   You last competed at Nashville in 2010 during a NASCAR Xfinity Series race. What are your expectations when you roll back in there in 2021? “I didn’t ever go to Nashville without the expectation of winning. It was one of our best racetracks throughout the years and we’ve always had good success there and always enjoyed the racetrack itself. I’m looking forward to Cup finally going there. I know that facility was built to entertain having a Cup date and I can’t believe it’s taken this long because Nashville is such a great area for us as a sport. I’m excited to be there because we have just a ton of fans. Obviously, it’s the home of Hunt Brothers Pizza, as well. So there’s just a lot of good things that are happening when we go back to Nashville.”   In addition to Xfinity Series racing at Nashville, that track was the go-to track back when you had unlimited testing. Outside of the Xfinity Series, how many testing miles do you think you have at Nashville? “Not many in the last little bit, but there was a period of time that we spent a lot of time at Nashville. We developed a lot of the coil binding in the front and rear springs there and at Milwaukee. When Nashville was built, I actually was part of the very first tire test – the first time that anybody was on the racetrack. Obviously, I’ve had a little bit of a layoff there, but from the very first moment I’ve been a part of that racetrack.”   Talk about those days of unlimited testing, where after a three-day race weekend, you’d go test for two or three days somewhere, oftentimes at Nashville. “Really, we can go back to 2000. I did all the testing for Dale Earnhardt as we went through the year. So, we would go race and then we would go to a racetrack, whatever racetrack that would be, and I also did my own testing. We probably did four or five tests – I think at that point they could only do seven tests in the Cup Series – and then I had all my tests that you could do in the Xfinity Series. But you could also go to any racetrack that wasn’t on the schedule, and at that particular point, Kentucky wasn’t on the schedule, so we spent a lot of time at Kentucky developing stuff for Dale and the Cup program. But for the most part, we did, midweek, probably 20-25 tests a year as we went through the season, and most of them would be two-day tests. And that’s what you did. You were never home. You tested all the time. When you had a problem, you just went somewhere and tested. Whether it be Greenville-Pickens or Caraway or VIR, Milwaukee, it didn’t matter, you could go to any racetrack if it wasn’t on the schedule. Through the years they just changed that because we would spend so much time at the racetrack. We would test on different brands of tires and different series of cars, and we would do whatever it took. But, for the most part, you probably spent 20-25 two-day tests away from what you did on those three-day weekends.”   Do veterans like yourself who have actual, on-the-ground experience at Nashville have a leg up on those who have only driven Nashville on a simulator? “I don’t think so. Some of the younger guys haven’t been there before, but with all the information and all the technology that we have in today’s world with the tire test already happening there, the information is already spread through all the manufacturers. They’ll have all that stuff plugged into their simulators and have the track measured and do all the things that they do. I think there are a lot of guys who grew up even after I started a decade later, they were still racing there, so a lot of guys have experience at Nashville and I don’t think there will be a huge advantage.”   Technology advances quickly. Can you just go out onto the track there at Nashville and start ripping around, or do you need to see what’s it’s like after a 10-year absence? “The good news is it’s concrete, so it’s always had what I always called the sidewalk hop, like if you’re riding your bike or your skateboard over the sidewalk. And I think as you go through the weekend, a lot of those little cracks and things start to fill in with rubber, so hopefully the tire will actually lay some rubber on the racetrack because that was always the biggest thing there, getting the racetrack rubbered up. Once the racetrack rubbers up, it becomes much better to race on because the groove just becomes so much wider. It’ll be interesting to see if we race on the track as it is, or if we race on the track with PJ1 sprayed on it somewhere.”   No. 4 Monster Jam/Grave Digger Team Roster

Primary Team Members   Driver: Kevin Harvick Hometown: Bakersfield, California   Crew Chief: Rodney Childers Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina   Car Chief: Robert “Cheddar” Smith Hometown: Whitewater, Wisconsin   Engineer: Dax Gerringer Hometown: Gibsonville, North Carolina   Engineer: Stephen Doran Hometown: Butler, Pennsylvania   Spotter: Tim Fedewa Hometown: Holt, Michigan Over-The-Wall Members   Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois   Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith Hometown: Concord, North Carolina   Tire Carrier: Jeremy Howard Hometown: Delhart, Texas   Jack Man: Stan Doolittle Hometown: Ninety Six, South Carolina   Fuel Man: Evan Marchal Hometown: Westfield, Indiana Road Crew Members   Mechanic: Richie Bean Hometown: Bradford, Vermont   Tire Specialist: Jamie Turski Hometown: Trumbull, Connecticut   Engine Tuner: Robert Brandt Hometown: Mobile, Alabama   Transporter Co-Driver: Rick Hodges Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina   Transporter Co-Driver: Stephen Mitchell Hometown: Woodville, Ohio

Hendrick Motorsports Driver quotes for Nashville Superspeedway

Kyle Larson (5/2), driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on getting up to speed at Nashville: “I’ve tested there before – a couple times in an Xfinity car and I think once in a Cup car. It’s a track where very few drivers have any experience. We will have practice and qualifying before this Sunday’s race, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of getting up to speed quickly. This team and Hendrick Motorsports as a whole have been strong on intermediate-type tracks this year, so I hope we can have another strong finish in the Valvoline Chevrolet.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on past experience at Nashville: “The most relevant things to pull from my previous experience there and Kyle’s testing experience there is the nuance of the track. It’s a really unique track geometry. It’s sweeping into turn one but then gets tight off of turn two. We know the track is going to be temperature sensitive. Knowing that will help us, but we don’t have a pure setup or race strategy standpoint. We don’t have any data points to go off of.”



Chase Elliott (15/2), driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on how he is preparing for Nashville Superspeedway: “My preparation for this weekend is really going to revolve around the test that I’ve had at Nashville in the past. I actually had a test with the 24 team in 2013, back when Jeff (Gordon) was driving with Alan (Gustafson) and (engineer) Tom (Gray) and a lot of our same group that we have now. I’ve spent some time talking about that and just some of the tendencies that I remember from the racetrack. I feel like the rules have changed, the cars are different, and Cup has never raced there to look back at a ton of races. Maybe watching an Xfinity race or something, but I think a lot of it is really just going to be more from the test for me, personally.”

Elliott on being nominated for an ESPY: “It’s just an honor to be considered for an ESPY. I haven’t been doing this stuff near as long as guys like Lewis (Hamilton) and Scott (Dixon). I’m not sure I even belong on the same list as them, but it is such an honor to be there and be considered. Regardless of how it works out, I’ll certainly always be appreciative of being considered for something like that.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on testing at Nashville Superspeedway: “We were lucky to have been able to test at Nashville Superspeedway when he tested for Hendrick Motorsports back seven or eight years ago. There may be a couple things that we can apply, but that test just gives us a rough baseline to know what drove decent back then, but things are so much different now. We have different tires, aero package and hopefully we are smarter than we were in then (laughing). Having that test definitely helps; it’s better than starting from square one with nothing.”



William Byron (13/1), driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the challenges of racing at a new track: “You’re not going to have a good feel in general going into this weekend, I think. Nashville (Superspeedway) is going to be one of those places that you just need to adapt and learn as you go. It looks like a superspeedway but it’s more of a short track with how tight the corners are. It’s going to be tough, especially with the heat. I think that this race is going to be one of the toughest places we will go this season just because we don’t have any notes on it. No one has any notes from any series, really. Things have changed so much since the last race there. I’m going to rely heavily on the truck race and watching the Xfinity race. I’ll use that info to hopefully learn and be able to adapt faster in our race. It’s going to be challenge but it’s good to have a new environment and the excitement around it.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his experience at Nashville Superspeedway: “Nashville is a tricky place. It races like a short track and has short track features, but it also has the characteristics of a mile-and-a-half track. That’s going to be your biggest issue; finding a setup that balances that line perfectly. You want it to handle similar to how it would at a concrete short track like Dover but also handle well, aero-wise, like a mile-and-a-half. While we have limited notes across the board, we do know that it will also be a very temperature-sensitive track, as well. There’s going to be a lot of obstacles to overcome, but I think with William running the truck race and us having a practice session on the Cup side, we’ll be as prepared as we can be. I’m excited to get back to Nashville and see what we can do as a team.”



Alex Bowman (13/1), driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on competing at Nashville: “I have tested at Nashville Superspeedway before but haven’t actually raced there. It is going to be interesting learning the track with the No. 48 Chevrolet in practice on Saturday. Our last race we ran on concrete (Dover) we were able to claim the victory, so we are hoping for the same result on Sunday in our No. 48 Ally Chevy.”

Bowman on Ally hosting its first entitlement race: “This is a huge weekend for our partner Ally. It is their first entitlement race, and they have a lot of fun things planned for the sold-out crowd coming out to Nashville. We have a fun, neon paint scheme designed by Dale (Earnhardt) Jr., and I will have a new helmet that Bernard Pollard and Greg (Stumpff) from Off Axis Paint and I designed. It would be really cool to be able to bring home the Ally 400 trophy on Sunday with so many great people from Ally in attendance.”

Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his experience at Nashville Superspeedway: “Nashville was always a fun track. You used to be able to test at the speedway all the time and it was always a lot of fun. I remember testing when it was 40 degrees out and you were shivering and wondering how the tires were holding up. Then there were times where you would test and it would be extremely hot out. We have been to Nashville Superspeedway a lot, just not with this configuration. We have been around this track with rental cars multiple times to try to dry the track, so hopefully I can study from some videos I have of that. It is going to be a fun track.”