Tag Archives: Stewart Haas Racing

Kenseth Battles to Front for Win at New Hampshire

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In a race that saw many of the usual suspects go into hiding in the closing laps, Matt Kenseth battled to the front of the field from the 18th starting position and pulled away after a late restart to win Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Winning for the second time this season and for the third time at the Magic Mile, Kenseth crossed the finish line 1.982 seconds ahead of Tony Stewart, who solidified his position in the top-30 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings – and in the Chase – with the runner-up finish.  Continue reading →

Upcoming Kentucky Test Adds New Variables to Lower-Downforce Equation

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Photo - Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images

For more than a third of active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers, there will be no rest for the weary.

One driver from each Cup organization is eligible to participate in a test of newly repaved Kentucky Speedway on Monday and Tuesday. The test is a continuation of NASCAR’s proving-out process for a new lower-downforce competition package earmarked for 2017.

Last year, as the sanctioning body solidified the rules for 2016, races at Kentucky and Darlington were used as benchmarks for the progression toward lower downforce for the Cup cars. This year, in selected events, NASCAR is taking an additional 500 pounds of downforce and 125 pounds of sideforce away from the cars by chopping the size of the spoiler, reducing the surface area of the splitter, tapering the rear deck lid fin and eliminating rear axle offset. Continue reading →

Tony Stewart Seventh in Strong Weekend at Michigan International Speedway

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Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Credit it to a good car or a lower downforce package, one thing is for sure Tony Stewart was all smiles Sunday afternoon following a season-best seventh place finish in the 48th annual FireKeepers Casino 400.

The Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner and driver qualified a superb third on Friday afternoon and was able to transform the speed into the 200-mile race Sunday afternoon, running as high as third, but eventually finishing seventh. Continue reading →

Truex’s Luck Turns with Dominating NASCAR Sprint Cup Win in Coca Cola 600

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The heartbreak kid survived 600 miles without another broken heart.

Instead, Martin Truex Jr. broke records in Sunday night’s victory in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a race in which the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota set new standards for domination.

Truex led 392 of 400 laps, most ever in NASCAR’s longest Sprint Cup Series race. He spent 588 of 600 miles at the front of the field, most ever in a single race in NASCAR history.

And when it was over, Truex had his first victory of the season, the fourth of his career and an all-but-guaranteed berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Perhaps more important, Truex erased a litany of crushing disappointments that continued into this season and ruined potential winning efforts at Texas, Kansas and Dover. Continue reading →

Kevin Harvick To Remain At Stewart-Haas Racing With Long-Term Contract Extension

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Photo - Getty Images

Photo – Getty Images

Put the rumors to rest, 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick isn’t going anywhere.

Despite consistent chatter that Harvick was leaving Stewart-Haas Racing at the end of the 2016 Cup season, the team announced Thursday afternoon a long-term contract extension for Harvick to remain as the driver of the No. 4 car in a new multi-year agreement. The length of the contract was not specified.

The Bakersfield, California native joined SHR after a lengthy stint at Richard Childress Racing in 2014 and his impact with the organization was not influential but immediate. In his first season driving the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, Harvick scored eight poles, won five races and led a whopping 2,137 laps en route to his first Sprint Cup championship. Continue reading →