SPONSORED: Big wins, deep playoff run highlight SHR’s 2017 season

Stewart-Haas Racing displayed dominance in another successful run as a premier team in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2017, and one of the constants was Mobil 1's support in keeping the cars in tip-top performance shape. Since partnering in 2011, engineers from ExxonMobil and Stewart-Haas Racing have formed a close working relationship to boost the lubrication technologies of all of SHR’s vehicles. Mobil 1 motor oil reduces frictional loss in the engines to maximize fuel mileage, increase horsepower and turn more RPMs. Kurt Busch got the team off to a sensational start by winning the season-opening Daytona 500. A last-lap pass gave Busch his first victory in the "Great American Race" and led to an emotional -- and memorable -- reaction by crew chief Tony Gibson, a Daytona Beach, Florida, native. Busch's No. 41 Ford surged to the front when more than half the cars in an 11-car lead draft ran short on fuel. But thanks to Gibson's deft calculations and Busch's and spotter Tony Raines' ability to work together and navigate around the rear view mirror falling off the banged-up car, Busch captured the checkered flag in NASCAR's signature event. In addition to maximizing fuel mileage that was key to Busch’s win, Mobil 1 motor oil reduces rolling resistance, which contributes to increased acceleration on restarts and allows the car to reach top speed. "There is nothing predictable about this race anymore, and the more years that have gone by that I didn't win I kept trying to go back to patterns that I had seen in the past," Busch said. "My mirror fell off with 30 laps to go and I couldn't even see out the back. And I thought that was an omen. Throw caution to the wind. "It just got crazy and wild, and I am so proud of all the drivers at the end. We put on a show for a full fuel run, and nobody took each other out and it was one of the smartest chess games I have seen out there." Busch's victory jump-started SHR's season, one in which it was making the switch from Chevrolet to Ford as the team's manufacturer. The win proved that all the hard work back at the shop during an extra busy offseason paid off, and Mobil 1 motor oil had a hand in squeezing every bit of fuel mileage out of the No. 41. In the season's second race, SHR nearly made it back-to-back wins as Kevin Harvick's No. 4 Ford led 292 of 325 laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Harvick eventually finished ninth, but the message was clear that SHR was hitting on all cylinders during the manufacturer transition and would be a force for the rest of the season. Harvick proved this by winning in June at Sonoma for his 36th victory in the Monster Energy Series. The No. 4 Ford had to endure a long green-flag run from the end of Stage 2 and got the job done with the help of Mobil 1 reducing engine temperatures to increasing engine efficiency. Harvick's teammate Clint Bowyer finished second to hammer home a big weekend for SHR in California's wine country. From there, the season took several exciting turns but ultimately wound up with Harvick and Busch in the NASCAR Playoffs. Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers had one of the most feared cars at the end of the season with the No. 4 winning at Texas and advancing to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Meanwhile, Busch set a speed record in winning the pole at Texas, marking another big weekend for SHR. Ultimately, Harvick and Busch fell short of their goals of winning a second championship, but turning ahead to 2018, there is a lot to look forward to for SHR, including new energy from driver Aric Almirola, who recently joined the team. Here's a snapshot view of the 2017 season for Stewart-Haas Racing: Kevin Harvick No. 4 Ford Wins: 2 (Sonoma, Texas) Top fives: 14 Top 10s: 23 Poles: 4 Notable: Harvick won poles early in the season at Atlanta and Texas and then again at Charlotte before breaking through for a win at Sonoma. Harvick won the pole at Darlington, which set up a strong playoff run that included a win in the Round of 8 at Texas. Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers had the No. 4 humming in the playoffs and were a strong championship contender, but the team finished fourth at Homestead-Miami Speedway with eventual champion Martin Truex heading to Victory Lane. Harvick finished third in the final driver standings. Kurt Busch No. 41 Ford Wins: 1 (Daytona 500) Top fives: 6 Top 10s: 15 Poles: 1 Notable: Busch began the season with the aforementioned Daytona 500 victory that came when several teams didn't calculate their fuel mileage as well as the No. 41 team did and ran out of gas as Busch drove off with the win. The victory put Busch in the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Busch also had top-five finishes at Pocono, Bristol, Darlington and Richmond as he entered the playoffs on a hot streak. However, he could not get past the Round of 16 and finished 14th in the final standings. Busch ended the season on a high note by winning the pole at Texas in record speed (200.915 mph). Clint Bowyer No. 14 Ford Wins: 0 Top fives: 6 Top 10s: 13 Poles: 0 Notable: In Bowyer's first season with SHR he had his most top-10 finishes in three years and his most top-five finishes in four seasons. Bowyer's top fives came at Auto Club (third place), Bristol (second place), Sonoma (second place), Daytona (second place), Watkins Glen (fifth place) and Martinsville (third place). With such strong finishes and near-misses, Bowyer appears destined to drive to Victory Lane in 2018 in his second full season with SHR. Danica Patrick No. 10 Ford Wins: 0 Top fives: 0 Top 10s: 1 Poles: 0 Notable: Patrick's final full-time season with SHR featured an average starting position of 22.1, a career-best mark. The highlight in finishing a race was a top-10 showing early on at Dover. Patrick also led laps in the Coca-Cola 600, one of NASCAR's crown jewel races. Patrick said farewell to fans in an emotional sendoff at Homestead-Miami Speedway but will return to race in the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500 in 2018 for another team. Aric Almirola No. 10 Ford in 2018 (stats for No. 43 car in 2017) Wins: 0 Top fives: 3 Top 10s: 6 Poles: 0 Notable: Almirola comes over to SHR for the 2018 season after six full seasons with Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola missed seven races last season with an injured back suffered in the early Kansas race. Before his injury, Almirola had top-10 finishes in the Daytona 500 and at Richmond and Talladega. After returning from injury, he finished his season strong with top-10 showings at Talladega, Kansas and Phoenix. That combination of success on a variety of tracks and teaming up with SHR should lead to momentum carrying over into 2018.