Category: NASCAR Cup PR

NASCAR CUP SERIES
PHOENIX RACEWAY
SHRINERS CHILDREN’S 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 8, 2024

 KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 ZONE CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series’ practice session at Phoenix Raceway.

Media Availability Quotes:

SPEAKING OF PIT CREWS, YOU’VE GOT THREE NEW GUYS THIS WEEK.. I THINK A COUPLE OF THEM COME FROM THE XFINITY SERIES. IS THAT A CONCERN AT ALL THAT THEY’RE DEALING WITH DIFFERENT LUGNUT SITUATIONS, AND HAVE THEY HAD TIME TO PRACTICE TOGETHER?

“I have no clue. I don’t have any idea of where guys are coming from, what their background is or what their experience is. But you led into that and gave me some of that, so thank you.

I always just kind of assume that the Cup guys were the Xfinity guys, so news to me. We’ll find out how good they are come around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.”

ANDY PETREE SAID HE TALKED TO YOU THIS WEEK. I WAS WONDERING TOO FROM AN ATHLETE’S POINT-OF-VIEW.. FOR HOW GOOD AS YOU ARE ON PIT ROAD, HOW MUCH DO YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT NOT TRYING TO DO TOO MUCH TO CARRY A PIT CREW WHEN THERE’S A CONCERN THAT YOU MIGHT LOSE A COUPLE OF SECONDS, SO HOW DO I MAKE IT UP? I’M GUESSING MAYBE WAS THAT A FACTOR IN SLIDING THROUGH, OR MAYBE NOT?

“Yeah, it was. Anytime I’m on pit road, I’m always thinking of the sheet; the statistics and the pieces of information that we have of what we try to gauge ourselves to the rest of the competition with. There’s probably five or six different sectors of pit road of things that you worry about to make sure you’re the best at all of those, and one of those is getting onto pit road; how you roll your pit road speed with your lights; how you get into the box and how you get out of the box; and how you exit pit road and how you get back up on the race track and blend.

All of those things, you want to be perfect every time. For me, I had come in the previous two pit stops before the one I slid through, where I came in way too light, and I was like – ‘OK, I’m coming in way too light’. If I’m giving up.. if it’s a half of a second, I don’t even know what it is, but I’m like – ‘OK, I’m going to make sure I hit it this time’. I hit the sign the way I needed to hit the sign and everything else. And so, that’s what happened on the next one – I came in as hot as I thought I needed to come in, and when it locked the rear tires with the brakes, it just slid and it slid two inches too far. One week, you’re two inches too short, and the next, you’re two inches too far. It’s kind of crazy.

All-in-all, just a frustrating day to have the disaster that we did on pit road of just being really slow. And then for me to slide through to kind of add insult to injury on my behalf, we otherwise would have been a top-10 finisher. That was the day we needed and we certainly lost a lot of points.”

WHEN YOU SAY ‘TOO LIGHT’, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? DOES THAT MEAN THAT YOU’RE NOT HITTING THE SIGN, OR NOT HITTING IT AS FORCEFULLY?

“Yeah, so you’re rolling your pit road speed, and then as you decelerate to come into your box, you want to go to the brake pedal once and just kind of slow down and get down to speed one constant down. The two times before that, I was coming in.. I was slowing down and I was having to get off the brake because I was too slow, and then reapply brake in order to stop at the spot that I needed to stop on. So I tried to hit that one trajectory of just straight down of deceleration, and I missed it.”

ON THE STOP THAT YOU WERE CALLED FOR PITTING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX, YOU CAN’T SEE WHERE YOUR SPLITTER IS, CORRECT? SO YOU HAVE TO RELY ON ONE OF THE PIT CREW GUYS? RANDALL (BURNETT) SAID HE COULDN’T SEE IT EITHER.

“Yeah, so typically in years past at JGR, we’d always have a system of – it’s the changer’s responsibility or a guy behind the wall.. like one of the pit crew support guys behind the wall just needs to start jumping up-and-down and waving.. like pushing back, pushing back. That’s what I did.. like when I’d stop, I came to a stop and I’m like – man, I feel a little long, but I don’t know. So I looked at the behind-the-wall guys, and the behind-the-wall guys were like moving the hose and ready to catch a tire, like that wasn’t even something that they were supposed to do. So we’ve talked about some of those things to put more responsibility on more players so we cannot have the penalty exist.

But to further Dustin’s point – like the ten-tenths on pit road.. like I’m really good at getting all ten. And when I feel like I’m in a downward position, where I’m behind and I’m going to try and get extra or more, yeah that’s led to my speeding penalties. That’s led to my sliding through the box because I know I have to makeup time on pit road myself to kind of compensate for what we’re losing when we’re stopped in the box.

I know everyone at RCR is busting their tails and working hard. I know that Ray and everybody in the pit crew department is, we just have what we have. We’ve got to work through it, and if that’s changing players around, then we have to change players around. We’ve got to find something that’s going to strengthen our front line, our defense, whatever it is or whatever you want to call those guys.. special teams. We’ve got to find the players that are going to make it roll.”

IS THERE A TIME OF THE YEAR WHERE YOU’RE LIKE – OK, LET’S SET A GROUP AND JUST LIVE OR DIE WITH THEM, OR NO MATTER WHAT TIME OF YEAR IT IS, WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP CHANGING AND PUTTING THE BEST GUYS WE FEEL WE HAVE IN THERE?

“Well I feel like you have to keep getting the best guys that you can get in there, and change positions as you need to change them. Honestly, when you get down to the nitty-gritty, you’re going to run out of players, you know what I mean? The depth chart is not very deep for guys on pit road that are the ‘excel’ group. I feel like there’s an ‘A’ group of people, there’s a ‘B’ group and there’s a ‘C’ group.. just like drivers. There’s an ‘A’ group, a ‘B’ group and a ‘C’ group. And so it’s hard to get any of those available guys from that ‘A’ group to come over to you because they’re under contract. You’re basically playing.. what is it in football.. the practice squad, you know what I mean? You’re pulling guys off the practice squad to see what you can find, and hopefully you hit one.”

LAST YEAR, YOUR TWO RACES HERE IN PHOENIX WERE PRETTY MUCH POLAR OPPOSITES. YOU PERFORMED PRETTY WELL IN THE SPRING, AND THEN IN THE FALL, YOU WEREN’T ONE OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR CONTENDERS. IS THERE ANYTHING FROM EITHER OF THOSE TWO RACES THAT YOU’RE REALLY LOOKING AT WHEN COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND WITH THE NEW SHORT-TRACK PACKAGE?

“So the first race, we struggled a little bit.. we weren’t that great. I think we did get an eighth-place finish out of it. So we got a finish out of it, but we weren’t very good. The second race though, I felt like we were really good.. we were passing cars, we were fast, we had speed, but pit road happens. I don’t know how many positions we lost on pit road here last fall, but it was bad. So I just kept trying to makeup the positions that we lost. I think we came down under a green-flag pit cycle.. we were in eighth, seventh or something like that, and we came out 12th. So now I’m trying to makeup for lost time, and then I end up spinning myself out in that long run. That again, everything kind of compounds itself and puts on top of on top of on top of your issues that you have and makes your day entirely worse.

But back to your question.. the fall race, I felt like we were competitive. I felt like we were fast. I felt like we had a shot. If we had maintained every time on pit road, I think we could actually move forward throughout the day and get positions. We just need to be able to do that. If you’re not going backwards, then that’s a hell of a day for us.”

OBVIOUSLY PIT CREWS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A ‘HOT TOPIC’ WHEN PEOPLE SWITCH STUFF. IS EVERYONE SO CLOSE NOW, THAT’S WHY THERE’S SUCH AN EMPHASIS ON PIT CREWS? LIKE THEY’VE NEVER MATTERED MORE THAN THEY HAVE NOW, IN TERMS OF PIT STOPS? OR IS THAT TOO MUCH OF A LEAP COMPARED TO THE PAST?

“I guess I feel like the difference between first and 20th is much closer than it used to be. When I had my heyday of pit crews at JGR, we were running.. let’s just say we were running 12-second stops, where the rest of JGR were running 12.5-second stops, and the rest of the competition were 13-second stops. Now, the whole field is.. if you’re not under 10-seconds, you’re nobody. You might as well not even play. You have to get to that threshold. There’s now guys that are flying.. like 8.8, 8.9-second stops is a good stop, a fast stop. 9.4-seconds is probably about average. Yeah, we’re all just looking for what we can because on-track, at times, the cars are so equal that it’s hard to pass on the track. The easiest place to pass somebody else is when they’re sitting still, on pit road. So we have to be better on pit road.. we can’t be going backwards, at least.”

AIR BLOCKING BECAME A BIG TOPIC LAST WEEKEND AFTER KYLE LARSON WAS DESCRIBING. CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH THE NUANCES OF THAT, AND IF YOU’RE THE LEAD GUY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A HUGE ADVANTAGE WITH THAT TECHNIQUE. IS THAT ACCURATE?

“Yeah, it’s way bigger with this car than it was with the old car. This car is 30 percent worse. They were supposed to make it 30 percent better, and that didn’t happen.

Who was it.. look back to the race, was it Kansas where (Joey) Logano and (Kevin) Harvick, when Harvick ran up to Logano and then Logano just air blocked him and couldn’t pass him. So there was that race, which that was the old car, wasn’t it? So it happens always, in anything. Trucks are that way. Those guys are doing it somewhat. But these Cup cars are really bad for that. You literally just go off in the corner and if you can watch your mirror and drive out front well enough, then you can just kind of let your car go where it needs to go in order to air block that guy behind you. I was doing that a little bit with (Kyle) Larson at the end of the first stage, just to try to hold him back some. I wasn’t necessarily air blocking him.. I was more so trying to confuse him of where I was running. I wouldn’t run the same line every time going back to the next end of the race track. Like I would run high one lap, I’d run middle lap. I’d run high.. I’d run low. I would say Kyle is really good at it. Joey is really good at it. Joey is really good at it running 12th, not for the lead (laughs). (Chase) Briscoe last week was an absolute disaster with guys trying to do it; pulling slide jobs and everything else. But yeah, you try to do it as much as you can when you know you have somebody to try and hold off.”

 
 

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
PHOENIX RACEWAY
SHRINERS CHILDREN’S 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 8, 2024

 KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series’ practice session at Phoenix Raceway.

Media Availability Quotes:

With the INDYCAR season starting this weekend, will you be paying attention to St. Pete and what’s going on there?

“It’s hard to.. like it’s really hard to pay attention when a lot of our on-track stuff, typically on a normal weekend, is the same as them. So yeah, when I look at results and stuff, I don’t know how well it translates to if I could look and watch every lap of the race live.

But yeah, I’ll for sure try and pay more attention to what’s going on this year, obviously with the Indianapolis 500 coming up. Again, it’s difficult to follow along as closely as even a race fan probably can.”

You did an INDYCAR test here, so when you come back in here, are you thinking NASCAR? Does any of your mind go to that INDYCAR test? What was that test like for you?

“No.. honestly driving here today, I almost forget that test even happened, just because I’m not coming here to run an INDYCAR right now. My mind has just been about the fall weekend and what I felt then. And even the NASCAR test that we had here and what I felt then.

But yeah, obviously it was really cool to run an INDYCAR around this track. It was really fast. It didn’t feel way different than the Next Gen car here either, so that was good, but you’re just going faster. We’ll see.. I mean I haven’t been on-track since then, so maybe it’ll be weird at first, but I doubt it because I race so many different types of cars all the time.”

You touched on this a little bit last week about how although the Chevy’s have dominated in terms of winning the races, the gap between Chevy, Toyota and Ford isn’t as big as it might seem. What will it take for the Chevy’s to continue to hold that dominance over Ford and Toyota?

“Yeah, I’m not sure. I think just continuing to evolve, and get your setups and stuff better. I’m not a car guy, so I don’t really know how much room there is to make the cars and stuff itself better. But there’s always stuff to be learned from every event; every wind tunnel test and anything like that. Just trying to do a good job with the data that you receive, and try to tweak and make things better, just like every team does.”

How do you plan on keeping your momentum going following last week’s win in Las Vegas?

“Yeah, I don’t know. Phoenix (Raceway) has been a pretty decent track for our team the last few years since I’ve been with Hendrick Motorsports. We qualify well, so hopefully that all goes good tomorrow – get a good start upfront, get good stage points and just keep executing. Our team has done a really good job this year of executing with the race cars that we bring. Our pit crew has been doing a great job. It takes everything to be upfront, and I think that’s how we can continue our momentum. Just continue to do what we’ve been doing and just keep ourselves in the hunt.”

You referred to the Championship race here last year. It’s going to be pretty warm here this weekend. How similar are you expecting the track conditions to be, and what are you looking for in practice?

“I’m sure the track conditions will be similar to kind of how they always are here. I think you’ll see the groove kind of move around, like it typically does. But we have a different aero package, so not sure yet how that will effect things.. if that changes the racing much or not. We’ll see.

I’m excited to just get on track here in a little while and see what it’s like with more cars out there. I did the test in December and helped, I guess as a part of the group, to come to this decision for an aero package and all that. It’s tough to judge off the six cars or whatever it was then. Now we have the full field, and we’ll get a real understanding of how it is in traffic and such.”

Looking back to the championship race, it was like ‘oh whoever is going to come off pit road on that last pit stop, it’s going to be over’. You had that and (Ryan) Blaney tracked you down.. your car just didn’t have the handling in that situation. From that sense, looking back, how do you get better or what do you tell your team and your crew chief to make sure that can’t happen again?

“Yeah, I mean the competitor in me knew that it wasn’t going to be easy.. (Ryan) Blaney had passed me every run that race. But yeah, I don’t know – our balance wasn’t where it needed to be and all that. William (Byron) and I.. I felt like we were the third and fourth-best cars in the Final Four. (Christopher) Bell had his misfortunate and all that.

But yeah, not getting too into the weeds of the balance of what my car was and what I think the balance of Blaney’s was.. I don’t know, I just felt like we needed more grip, I guess. My entry.. I remember being a little bit unstable and that didn’t allow me to kind of shape the corner how I needed to. I was just a little bit behind where I needed to be with my angle, speed and all that in the middle of the corner. I need to be better from entry to center, with balance or whatever that may be, and then that will kind of fix the exit, as well.

It was nice to do that test here in December. Bell was a part of it. Blaney was a part of it. Everyone has different things going on at a test, but it was good to come here quickly after and get to work on things. We’ll see. I know we’ve changed a few things from what we had in the fall, and hopefully it will translate to grip and speed. We’ll see.. we’ll see here soon.”

So if your car is better, how do you determine if it’s because you guys just did a better job at setup as opposed to the package fitting you? You talk about wanting grip.. there’s several ways to find it, so are you going to tell how well this is? And in this practice session.. typically I know you guys don’t often run up in traffic, but do you want to run in traffic or spend the whole time by yourself so you can figure out the car?

“I don’t think you’re really necessarily going to see anyone searching for traffic in practice, so I don’t plan on searching for traffic. But you’ll always see it.. somebody will blend up in front of you, or you’ll catch somebody that’s struggling and they’ll pull off. So you get sniffs of dirtier air. I think the way to judge how you are compared to how you were is just off of feel. You can feel when something handles a lot better. You can shape your corner differently. And then the obvious of looking at timing and scoring – seeing if you’re up on the sheet or if you’re not where you need to be. Hopefully we’re fast and hopefully we’re up there. Again, it was kind of hard to tell at the test. We were pretty bad at the test, but I don’t think we’ll be bad in real life. We’ll see when we get out there.”

When you have a performance that you had last week, do you find it difficult to maybe temper expectations going into a track like Phoenix that’s so difficult, or the expectation to replicate what you did last week?

“Yeah, I mean I think for me and probably for most drivers and teams, you quickly move on from that, so I’ve really like forgotten about it. I would say come Monday afternoon, once my meetings were done, my mind is switched to Phoenix. Sure, I’d rather win than run 20th because I would probably feel better now than I would have if I ran 20th, but I’m not thinking about Vegas of like how to replicate anything.”

As stout as your pit crew was last weekend, do you see any weaknesses right now with your team?

“No, I mean I think based off how we’ve executed the first handful of weeks, I’m happy with where all of our team is at. The race cars have been really fast. Our pit crew has been performing. I feel like the solid race I was able to put together last week.. like all that was great.

Sure, you want to get all areas better, if you can. I feel like Cliff (Daniels) does a really good job of leading our team; coaching, prepping and all that. I’m not surprised that we’re executing well right now, but I just hope that we keep it going.”

 
 

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Phoenix 1 Media Availability | Friday, March 8, 2024

Michael McDowell, driver of the No. 34 Horizon Hobby Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Front Row Motorsports, and Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske met with media members at Phoenix Raceway ahead of Cup Series opening practice. For McDowell, it marks a return to his hometown track where he seeks victory while Blaney returns to the site of his 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship-clinching win last November.

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Horizon Hobby Ford Mustang Dark Horse — WHAT DO YOU WANT TO GET OUT OF THIS WEEKEND? WHAT WOULD MAKE THIS WEEKEND SUCCESSFUL FOR YOU? “A win. Yeah, I mean, I think that’s the generic answer, right? But I mean, realistically that’s what it’s all about. You know the beginning of the season these first 10 to 15 races you’re just hyper-focused on on trying to get a win and trying to get yourself locked into the playoffs. So obviously that’s not going to happen every weekend. It’s not going to present the opportunity every weekend. So maximizing the points and making the most of every race these first five to six races are really critical and we’ve had an okay start but not a great start so I feel like we need to come out of here feeling pretty good about where we’re at.”

WITH THREE POLES FOR THE FORD TEAMS COMING IN TO THIS WEEKEND AND THE PRACTICE TIME THAT IS AVAILABLE TO THE CUP DRIVERS TODAY, IS THAT GOING TO HELP YOU GUYS DIAL IN THE CAR AND TRY TO GET THAT FIRST WIN FOR FORD THIS WEEK? “I think that this weekend obviously having this new aero package on the short track downforce levels it is good that we have a little bit of time to work through it. Obviously there was a test here in early December right? Sometime in December, but we weren’t a part of that at Front Row. We get manufacturer notes and things like that, but they’re trying different tires and different downforce settings and all different kind of situations. I think it’s important that we have a little bit of practice just to kind of learn, what this car is going to behave like with this diffuser and splitter and everything. So I’m glad that we have practice. Anytime that you have an opportunity to dial it in is good. I’ve seen it go both ways I feel like one of the things that our team does well is unload pretty close. When you have practice, the really good teams seem to dial all their cars towards the front, so it’s not always a help. But this weekend we definitely could use the practice.”

THIS PRACTICE SESSION YOU HAVE TODAY, THE ALLIANCE WITH TEAM PENSKE, ARE THERE PUNCH LIST THINGS? ARE YOU GUYS TIED INTO THEM DURING THIS? HOW DOES THIS NEW PARTNERSHIP WORK WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS 50 MINUTE PRACTICE YOU HAVE TODAY? “Yeah, definitely we’re tied in information wise and sharing that information of what we could possibly learn and try different things. But I think everyone’s pretty much on their own agenda, if that makes sense, because each team kind of has their own punch list of things that they want to try, whether it be different setups or different packages. But obviously, the more data and the more data points that you have helps you make a better decision come Sunday. But this practice is tricky because we don’t get a lot of them. And so my crew chief, he’s like, I want to try these three packages. And I’m like, I just want to tune on one and make it good. But I understand we don’t get a lot of opportunity to try different things. So we’ve got to take the opportunities when we get them. But tonight is going to be one of those difficult nights where you go through all that information, decide which direction you want to go.”

WITH THE NEW ALLIANCE WITH PENSKE, ARE YOU GUYS WORKING WITH THEM ON AS FAR AS LIKE, HEY WHAT’S IN YOUR CAR, WHAT’S IN OUR CARS, TO DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT DURING THIS PRACTICE? “Yes, I mean yes and no. We can see what they’re doing, they can see what we’re doing. We had a meeting prior to getting here on, you know, directionally what everybody’s thinking, but at the same time it wasn’t like you’re gonna do this, you’re gonna do this, you’re gonna do this, you’re gonna do this, and we’ll come together and we’ll make one package after that. I think everybody individually, each car number individually, is kind of trying what they want to try and we’ll take the notes when we’re done.”

AND WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO SEE ON SUNDAY THAT WOULD MAKE YOU SAY, OKAY, THE CHANGE TO THIS PACKAGE IS SUCCESSFUL? “Well, that’s a really difficult question because I think the championship weekend, the fall race was pretty good. I don’t know what the overall consensus was, but it was good racing and seemed like a decent amount of passing. So if it was better, that would be great. If you could run closer to cars and run like we see in Xfinity where you can run in their tracks and not lose so much. You’re always going to be at a disadvantage when you’re that trailing car, but maybe not quite as much. But I feel like the fall race was pretty good when they didn’t treat the track, when they didn’t put the sticky stuff down. I felt like we could move around and pass. So yeah, I’ll be curious to see how it drives.”

CAN YOU GIVE ME A QUICK ASSESSMENT OF THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NUMBER 34 TEAM SO FAR IN 2024? “Yeah, I think the speed has been great. I think our execution just hasn’t been very good. And that’s on me. And last week we didn’t execute well, less on me last week. But the good news is we have speed and speed makes up for a lot of things. We’ve just got to keep that speed up throughout the year and then clean up some of the things that we’ve had troubles with and I think we’ll be in a good spot to contend for wins. We’re not there today, but we might be there tonight. I’ll let you know after this practice, you know? And I think that that’s the good thing is we’re pretty close with everything. So we just have a few little areas to clean up and I think we’ll be able to put ourselves in a better position, especially as we get into the summer months.”

YOU HAVE TO BE EXCITED ABOUT GOING TO COTA. THOUGHTS ON COTA AND HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THEM MOVING THE RESTART LINE? “I am excited about COTA. Just in general, it’s our first opportunity back at a road course and felt like we had one of the strongest packages at the road courses. Obviously, updates for that as well as far as rules go. So there will be a few things to jump through, but I don’t think it will be anything terribly different. Moving the restart and giving ourselves a little bit more opportunity to not be nine wide going into turn one, I’ve been on the good side of that and I’ve been on the bad side of it. And what’s tough is for a competitor, you just want the fastest car and the fastest driver and the fastest team to win a race, right? As a fan and as probably for y’all, you want to see action and excitement and cautions and crashes. So the package and what we see, I feel like there had to be a little bit of a compromise and I think that this is a good compromise, that you’ll still have action but not nine wide going down in there and you know making a mess of a day so I hope that it all gets a little bit tidier but these end of the races restarts are always wild so it’s a part of it.”

SO FOR YOU COMING BACK TO PHOENIX, PERSONALLY, HOW MUCH DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO HAVE A GOOD FINISH AT YOUR HOME TRACK? “Yeah, it’s obviously really important. I mean, every weekend’s important, but it’s nice when you run good in front of your hometown. This hasn’t been a strong track for me and for us in the past, but I feel like we turned that corner last year, especially with our short track program. And we were able to get a top 10 here, which for us was a big day, because this had been one of those tracks that we’d struggled at. So we made good gains last year, and we want to keep that up this year and put ourselves in contention. So it’s fun. It’s good to have a strong day. I probably don’t think about it too much as far as the hometown thing, because I’m thinking about points and trying to get a win, and every week counts. But it’s nice when you have a good day.”

AS THE ORGANIZATION HAS GROWN AND DEVELOPED, OBVIOUSLY YOU’VE HAD SITUATIONS WHERE YOU’VE WON AND SITUATIONS HAVE TOP FIVES AND TOP TENS, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE MAYBE THE NEXT STEP, AND MAYBE PART OF THIS IS THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH TEAM PENSKE, IS THE CONSISTENCY OF TOP 15 FINISHES. AND I THINK THAT’S PROBABLY LIKE ONE OF THE NEXT STEPS FOR THIS TEAM. IS THAT HOW YOU SEE IT AND HOW YOU GET THERE? OR IS THAT TAKING TOO BIG OF A LOOK AND IT HAS TO BE MORE RACE BY RACE AND LET IT BUILD UPON ITSELF? “I think that I’d probably look at it a little different. If you look at, and don’t quote my stats, you’ll have to look them up. But 2022, we had 12 or 13 or 14 top 10s, right? So that’s a decent number of top 10s as far as being there consistently. And the next year, I think we had 12. And then last year, we had a little bit less than that, but last year we had more speed. So speed is what puts you in contention to win races, but that consistency that you talked about is really important too. I think that if you look at, we’ll just use Joey Logano as an example, even last year when they didn’t have all the speed, somehow at the end of the races they’d still be fourth, fifth, sixth, they just do an incredible job of executing and getting top ten. So I feel like the next logical step for us is having more top five speed because even if it’s not every weekend, if you have ten or fifteen weekends that you have top five speed, you’re going to win a race somewhere. Somewhere you’re going to get it right, you’re going to execute, get it all right, and you’re going to win a race. And winning a race, there’s such an emphasis on that in our series because it gets you in the playoffs and all the things it does. So for me, it’s more about having those days of top five speed than it is having top 15 speed throughout the entire year, if that makes sense. I think they go together for sure, but I think just having more of that top five speed is what’s going to allow us to contend for more wins.

SINCE YOU MENTIONED LOGANO, OBVIOUSLY YOU’VE BEEN FORD TEAMMATES FOR A LONG TIME SO I’M SURE THERE’S INFORMATION SHARING OR AT LEAST SOME CONVERSATIONS HAVE TAKEN PLACE OVER TIME, BUT AS YOU KNOW THE ABILITY TO BE A BIT STRONGER AS THE RACE GOES ON, THIS RELATIONSHIP NOW, HOW CAN THAT HELP YOU GUYS TO GO THROUGH THAT? IS IT MORE OPEN DOOR AND KIND OF TAPPING HOW THEY DO IT? “There’s so much that goes on as far as just data analysts and engineers going through who did this well and who does this well and the adjustments and how the track changes, and how the car changes versus track changes versus traffic, and so much of that information, we can see it and we can get it, we just don’t have people to process it all. So being able to lean on them a little bit more for that engineering support of processing that data will help us have a better understanding of trends, of how the track’s trending, how the race is trending, and so that part of it for sure will help when you talk about getting better throughout the races and making the right adjustments and how the track changed and how the rubber went down and all those things. We know it, we watch it, we see it, but there’s teams of people that analyze just those types of things. So being able to lean on them more on that technical side for sure will help us to make better game day decisions and changes. But all that, like I’ve been talking about, is going to take a process of being able to go through the information, understand it, and then apply it, obviously. And so it’s still early, but I feel like even this week, this week we made really big gains at home, at the shop, on how well we were able to utilize the information. So we’re making gains, and I think it’ll get better and better every week.”

LAST YEAR ON ROAD COURSES YOU WERE AMONGST YOU KNOW ONE OF THE BEST AND IN PARTICULAR WHEN WE DIDN’T HAVE STAGE BRAKES, AS A DRIVER WHO IS GOOD AT ROAD COURSES, WOULD YOU PREFER TO NOT HAVE THE STAGE BRAKES AS OPPOSED TO HAVING THEM AND DO YOU THINK THAT BENEFITS THE BETTER DRIVERS AND THE FASTER CARS? “I think last year was a perfect storm for us as far as the no stage breaks and the amount of speed that we had because the fastest car won those races. And this year that’ll look different. It’ll look different because if you want to win a stage, you absolutely have to sacrifice your race finish. I mean, you do. That’s not really even up for conversation anymore. You’re not going to drive back through the field. And so you have to make a decision before you ever get to COTA. Are we going to go for stage wins or are we going to try to win the race? Obviously we’re going to try to go win the race. So we know we’re giving up potentially 10 to 20 points on the table to make sure that we have a shot at winning those race. Then you get spun with three to go and you leave the day 30th with one or two points. So you absolutely compromise your race with those stage breaks on real courses. I understand it’ll probably create more excitement for the fans and for the people that are watching and we’re trying to entertain. But for me, selfishly, stage breaks are awful. I really dislike them. I’d rather just qualify up front and lead every lap and there not be any caution. But I don’t think the fans like that as a show.”

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RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse — WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WITH THIS PRACTICE SESSION TODAY WITH THE NEW PACKAGE? “I was able to be a part of the test with this package in December and I learned a little bit from that but I think mainly right it’s nice we have 50 minutes and a few sets of tires. I think what you’re looking for just all right how’s what’s the balance shift you know single car maybe try to get in a little bit of traffic kind of see how the balance of your car shifts compared to the old package. I mean honestly in December there were little things here and there that I think it did better. It wasn’t light at the end of the tunnel. It wasn’t the save-all, but hopefully it’s in the right direction. But yeah, just seeing what balance is from the fall to now, I think teams are looking forward to that. If you can get around some traffic too, I think that’s going to be what you’re going to see some guys doing, especially probably at the end of practice when they kind of start fine-tuning their stuff.”

YOU WERE HERE IN DECEMBER, BUT COMING BACK HERE TO PHOENIX AFTER WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP LAST YEAR, DO ANY SPECIAL EMOTIONS KIND OF SPARK ON YOUR WAY BACK IN HERE? “Not really. Not now, anyways. It was nice coming here in December because it was very soon after the championship, so that kind of sparked a little bit of memories for me, but not right now. Just another race, new year.”

SO, WITH THE NEW PACKAGE AND PRACTICE, DO YOU KNOW EVERYTHING THAT’S IN, LIKE, JOEY’S CAR? DO YOU KNOW EVERYTHING THAT’S IN AUSTIN’S CAR, AND DO YOU EVEN KNOW STUFF ABOUT WHAT’S IN THE FRONT ROW CARS, NOW THAT THEY HAVE AN ALLIANCE WITH YOU? “We have decent ideas about what’s in Joey and Austin’s and Harrison’s car and mine, how we compare the two. As far as the Front Row cars, I don’t know. I mean, that’s outside of my pay grade, really. I’ve always tried to have an idea of kind of where our three or four cars are at just so you can compare because that’s the drivers we meet with. So that’s something I’ve always tried to pay attention to. The Front Row cars, it’s nice to learn from them. It’s been nice kind of playing off each other. But yeah, I don’t know about their stuff.”

YOUR LAST SEVEN STARTS IN PHOENIX HAVE RESULTED IN THE TOP 10 FINISHES, OBVIOUSLY 2023 IS THE CUP SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP. WHAT ABOUT PHOENIX AND THIS RACEWAY HAS ALLOWED YOU TO KIND OF ACCOMPLISH THIS? “I don’t know, for whatever reason, I’ve always enjoyed this place and it fits whatever we do as a company. It’s funny, like certain tracks drivers talk about, well, it kind of fits our mindset as a company of how we set up our race cars and what’s successful for us. And it’s really weird how those things just kind of work. You see it with the 5, it’s been great at Vegas for a few years, and that’s a track that works for what they do. It is kind of in the same way for our group. Like, it’s just kind of worked with how we prepare our race cars, our mindset on setups. Me as a driver, I like it. So hopefully that continues. Hopefully we can be as strong as we’ve been here the last couple of years. You never know how you’re going to unload compared to everybody else or what everyone else has found or if you’ve done your homework enough to improve. It just kind of works for us and hopefully that trend continues.”

YOU KIND OF ALLUDED TO THE FACT THAT THE CHANGE IN THE PACKAGE IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION BUT MAYBE NOT SIGNIFICANT. AS A COMPETITOR, ARE YOU COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND AND EXPECTING THE SAME PLAYERS FROM THE FALL RACE TO BE GUYS THAT YOU’RE RACING AGAINST UP AT THE FRONT? “No, I never really try to go in the weekends expecting who’s gonna be good. I think it can be a toss-up any week, right? So I really try not to get too focused on that. I try to just focus on my deal and how we can be our best. Then whoever’s fast in practice fast in practice and then you kind of focus on those guys and looking at their data seeing what they’re doing and where are they good. I never really come into a weekend like I think these are the five drivers that are gonna be good just because you never know. I mean it could be — there’s 25 teams at least out here that can be up towards the front and especially with the new rules package, you don’t know, even though it’s not wildly different, you never know who’s going to be going to be good.”

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GET OUT OF THIS PACKAGE THIS WEEKEND? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO FEEL? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE? THE NEW TIRE AND THE AERO SHOULD GIVE YOU MORE GRIP. BUT WHAT IN ADDITION TO THAT DO YOU WANT? “I think the biggest thing that when we mess with rules packages like this, and the goal for this package was being better in traffic. That’s the whole thing. The cars are going to drive how they drive by themselves, and we’ll deal with it and adjust for that, but how do they do in traffic? That’s the biggest thing. That’s the only gripe that you hear of drivers is, oh, they’re terrible in traffic. We’ve got to get that better. So hopefully, just we end this weekend and everyone kind of agrees that it’s a step in the right direction. You just hope to improve little by little on that side of it. So hopefully this one is a little better from the driver’s standpoint when we get in the race. If the trailing car can be a little bit closer to the car in front of them and just not get as tight and just lose so much ground. So that’s the goal. Hopefully, it’s achieved.”

THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF TALK THIS WEEK. YOU’RE ONE OF OBVIOUSLY THREE FORD’S TOP 20 IN POINTS. DO YOU FEEL AFTER LAST WEEK THAT THERE’S A BIG COMPETITIVE GAP BETWEEN YOU GUYS AND THE CHEVYS AND THE TOYOTAS OR IS IT JUST A PRODUCT OF THE FIRST TWO DRAFTING RACES? “It’s kind of hard to tell. I thought all the Fords were really strong in Atlanta and Daytona. Even though one of us didn’t win, I thought we were all really strong. But then last week, Joey sat on the pole, which was encouraging. We didn’t qualify great, but we raced okay. I didn’t think we had a winning car at all last week. I thought we maximized our day running third. Whereas the fall race at Vegas, there was like one or two runs in the race. I was like, I think I have a car that can win if we can kind of just get up there. So I think we just got our work to do, you know, with the new car and hopefully we can fine tune it to where it needs to be. I obviously would have liked to be, have been a little bit more competitive last week as far as racing for the lead. But not many guys race the five for the lead. Hopefully, as we get running this car, this week will be a big test to say, okay, where’s our short track program at with this new car, and if we really need to get to work or if we’re a little bit closer than what we think. It’s early to tell. You’ll get a really good idea here in the next month or so of where you stand and if you’re in trouble or you’re not.”

THIS TRACK STATISTICALLY IS ONE WHERE SPEED AND QUALIFYING TENDS TO BE A GOOD PREDICTOR OF PERFORMANCE IN THE RACE. DO YOU PAY ANY PARTICULAR MORE ATTENTION TO QUALIFYING HERE THAN SAY ANOTHER TRACK WHERE IT’S NOT THAT IMPORTANT? “I agree with you that qualifying is pretty important here. It’s kind of hard to make some ground up. We pay attention to it a lot and qualifying hasn’t been our strong suit the last year or so, at least in our camp, at least in the 12 group. But we’ve always raced pretty well. I always would prefer a car that races forward, but you always want to start better. You never want to start 15th. But we started 15th here last year in the fall and we were able to race up towards the front, so you just never know. I always feel like it’s easier, you can tell more from qualifying to the race here of who’s going to be good or not. Like other places, mile and a half, you never really know. You’ve seen cars qualify really good at mile and a half and then struggle in the race really bad. Martinsville is kind of the same way. I always look at Martinsville. I feel like the cars who qualify in the top couple rows of Martinsville, they never raced very good. Here I feel like it’s a lot more consistent with qualifying in the race. So we’ll see, we’ve tried some new stuff this weekend to try to get one lap speed out of it and hopefully we can tune it up for qualifying because it’s not fun starting 15th here you have your work cut out for it just makes it harder to start your day off and pit stalls are not as good so that is something we really pay attention to.”

RYAN PREECE
Phoenix Advance
No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Shriners Children’s 500k (Round 4 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 10
● Location: Phoenix Raceway
● Layout: 1-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 312 laps/312 miles (502 kilometers)
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 125 laps / Final Stage: 127 laps
● TV/Radio: FOX / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Ryan Preece and his NASCAR Cup Series counterparts head to Phoenix Raceway this weekend for the Shriners Children’s 500k NASCAR Cup Series race. Sunday’s 312-lap contest around the 1-mile oval debuts a new short-track rules package, as Preece’s No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing will be outfitted with a simplified rear diffuser and a higher rear spoiler compared to last year’s specifications. The aim is to put more of the race in the driver’s hands, where nuanced throttle control will be key to maintaining grip and managing tire wear. The updated package is a welcome one for Preece, who honed these exact traits on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour – NASCAR’s oldest division and the only open-wheel series sanctioned by NASCAR. Preece won the Tour championship in 2013 and properly leveraged that title and his 26 Tour victories into additional opportunities across NASCAR’s top-three national touring series – Craftsman Truck, Xfinity and Cup.

● The Shriners Children’s 500k will mark Preece’s 10th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Phoenix. The best of his previous nine outings came last year in his first season with Stewart-Haas. Preece finish 12th in the March race and 14th in November’s season finale.

● Outside of the NASCAR Cup Series, Preece has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix with his best result being a fifth-place drive in November 2018.

● Joining Preece this weekend at Phoenix is United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE: URI), the largest equipment rental company in the world. United Rentals has an integrated network of 1,449 rental locations in North America, 13 in Europe, 27 in Australia and 19 in New Zealand. In North America, the company operates in 49 states and every Canadian province. The company’s approximately 24,700 employees serve construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners and others. The company offers approximately 4,700 classes of equipment for rent with a total original cost of $19.3 billion. United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the Barron’s 400 Index and the Russell 3000 Index®. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. Additional information about United Rentals is available at UnitedRentals.com.

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Phoenix isn’t necessarily a short track as it’s a mile in length, but it features qualities that are similar with its minimal banking and relatively flat straights. What approach are you and the team taking into this race?

“I feel like last year, our strength as a company was at the short tracks. Phoenix falls under that category to us. In the last race at Phoenix, I felt like we had a top-15 car. My hope for this year, with the improvements that have been made, is that we can continue to take steps forward and consistently be where we want to be on performance. We’re excited for the short tracks coming up and want to kick off the first one by running a clean race with a car that is able to do everything right.”

Stewart-Haas has been historically strong at Phoenix. Does that bring added motivation to you and the No. 41 team this weekend?

“I think it has to add motivation. We’re going to know exactly some of the gains that have been made with the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse body, as well as some things that we need to work on as a team after Las Vegas. All of us were able to have good days at Phoenix last year, so we expect them to be even better this year with some the updates that have been and made to the cars.”

Cars will run a simplified diffuser and a higher rear spoiler. How will the changes impact the racing at Phoenix?

“It’s pretty much a reset from what we experienced last year. The cars will be so much different. The effects that it will have on the racing at Phoenix is kind of an unknown until we hit the track this weekend.”

This is your second season with Stewart-Haas. How has the dynamic evolved now that you’ve had more than a year to get to know the team and for the team to get to know you?

“I feel like there has been more time to develop communication, to figure out exactly where we need to be balance-wise, and then to determine what we’re all happy with and what makes it feel like home. It’s the same team and same group of people as last year, so it definitely helps in developing those relationships, which are important to help us go out and capitalize on strong runs.”

No. 41 United Rentals Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Ryan Preece

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Crew Chief: Chad Johnston

Hometown: Cayuga, Indiana

Car Chief: Jeremy West

Hometown: Gardena, California

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen

Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Engineer: Scott Bingham

Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Spotter: Tony Raines

Hometown: LaPorte, Indiana

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Devin Lester

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Rear Tire Changer: Kevin Teaf

Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons

Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: Kapil Fletcher

Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Fuel Man: Dwayne Moore

Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Joe Zanolini

Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Interior Mechanic: Robert Dalby

Hometown: Anaheim, California

Tire Specialist: Matt Ridgeway

Hometown: Carrollton, Georgia

Engine Tuner: Jimmy Fife

Hometown: Orange County, California

Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues

Hometown: Santa Clarita, California

Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer

Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania

This weekend’s Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway will offer Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Draiver team their first at-track experience with NASCAR’s new short-track aero package. The first three races of the 2024 season were held at different types of tracks, with Daytona and Atlanta offering superspeedway drafting, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway a more traditional intermediate-track race.

Phoenix’s one-mile oval is treated by race teams like a short track despite being longer than traditional shorter tracks such as the half-miles at Bristol and Martinsville.

Also new this week is the primary sponsor. The No. 21 Mustang Dark Horse will carry the colors and logos of Draiver, a technology-based company that connects independent drivers with companies needing to move vehicles.

“We’re excited to have a new sponsor on the car with Draiver this week,” said crew chief Jeremy Bullins.

“Our Mustang Dark Horse looks great in their colors, and we will get a longer practice this week to get the set-up dialed in.

“It’ll be interesting to see how the new short-track aero package affects the racing.

“Hopefully we can make the most of it.”

Burton told reporters that he too is anxious to try out the new package.

“The cars certainly might drive worse, which is going to be fun for us,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be crazy different, but it’s definitely going to be a little bit less grip and more to manage.”

He predicts the change will be appreciated by drivers and fans alike.

“It should make the racing a little bit better, so I’m excited for that,” he said. “I’m excited to get out there and feel what it’s like.

“I know there’s been some testing done with that package, and from what I saw it looked like a good time to drive it so I’m excited.”

Burton also said he’s anxious to visit the Arizona track and its surroundings.

“I love Phoenix,” he said. “It’s a cool area, cool race track, cool fan base, so its always fun to go out there.”

Practice for Sunday’s 500-kilometer race is set for Friday from 3:05 p.m. to 3:55 p.m. local time (5:05-5:55 p.m. Eastern Time).

Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday at 12:10 p.m. local time (2:10 p.m. Eastern).

Sunday’s 312-lap race is expected to get the green flag just after 12:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. Eastern) with TV coverage on FOX.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 60 and 185.

ABOUT DRAIVER
Draiver is a market-leading on-demand vehicle delivery company offering elevated delivery solutions and experiences. Through best-in-class AI logistics software and a vetted, insured driver marketplace, the company moves cars faster, and more efficiently, to improve bottom lines for global fleet and rental companies, OEMs, large automotive groups, and single location businesses.

The company’s expertise has enabled rapid expansion to three continents, where the platform moves over 6,000 cars a day through an elite network of 20,000 drivers. The company’s full suite of services is available throughout North and South America, and their software solves logistics needs for large automotive companies in Peru, Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Peru and the GCC.

Draiver’s mission is to redefine the standard of excellence in vehicle delivery and offer unmatched opportunities for the gig economy in a people-first environment. Follow Draiver on Twitter, LinkedIn and www.draiver.com.

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway… In 139 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has scored six victories, led by Kevin Harvick with four wins (a sweep of both races in 2006 plus the fall races in 2012 and 2013). Ryan Newman was victorious in the 2017 Spring event. Dale Earnhardt won in 1990 to claim his ninth victory of the season enroute to his fourth of seven Cup Series championships.

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Phoenix Raceway… RCR has three NASCAR Xfinity Series wins by three different drivers at Phoenix Raceway: Elliott Sadler (2012), Clint Bowyer (2007) and Kevin Harvick (2006). The victory by Sadler ended a 91-race winless streak, while Bowyer led the most laps (120 of 200) on the way to the Winner’s Circle. The win by Harvick was one of nine victories he claimed on the way to his second Xfinity Series title with RCR.

Catch the Action on Saturday… The NASCAR Xfinity Series Call 811.com Every Dig. Every Time. 200 at Phoenix Raceway will be televised live on Saturday, March 9, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Follow Sunday’s Action at Phoenix Raceway… The NASCAR Cup Series Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway will be televised live on Sunday, March 10, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Morgan & Morgan Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Phoenix Raceway… Austin Dillon has 20 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix Raceway to his credit, earning two top-10 finishes. He earned his best finish of eighth in November 2018. In his most recent appearances at the track, Dillon finished 16th (Spring) and 12th (Fall). He has 11 starts at the 1.0-mile oval in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with a career-best finish of second in November 2016. Dillon has three top-10 finishes and one top-five finish in three starts in the NASCAR Truck Series at Phoenix Raceway.

By The Numbers… According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Dillon ranks fifth among all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in Average Speed Late In A Run at Phoenix Raceway. He ranks ninth in Green-Flag Passes.

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AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

What are your thoughts on Phoenix Raceway?

“Phoenix Raceway is a tough short track and one of those places where you hit it or don’t. In the last few years, Phoenix has seen changes and I think it’s made the track more challenging and that makes it fun for drivers. It could be a good place for the No. 3 Morgan & Morgan team.”

Where do you see yourself now in the sport, and where do you see yourself in five years?

“I feel like I’m at a place where I need to step up and take that next step, to try and get to a multi-win season and go further than I’ve ever gone in the NASCAR Playoffs. My ultimate goal since I’ve got to the Cup level is to be the first guy to win a championship at all three levels. That is still where my head is at. I’ve been able to see a lot of changes throughout my career, starting when Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Dale Jr. were in the NASCAR Cup Series and I got to race against those guys. Now, we’re experiencing a whole new car, a new racecar, new style of racing, so I’m going to try and do my best to put myself and my name back in that top tier of guys. Last year was one of those years where you just got kicked and kicked, and I was wondering when it was going to end. This year is a fresh start. Everybody is excited to go, my family, everybody being at the track to support us, so it’s going to be a good year. I just want to put myself where I feel I can be, and that’s in that top tier. I’ve been there before, and I want to be a multi-win guy at the Cup level.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 zone Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Phoenix Raceway… Kyle Busch will be making his 38th career Phoenix Raceway start in the NASCAR Cup Series start this weekend. Busch has three wins (2005, 2018, and 2019) along with 12 top-five finishes. The Las Vegas, Nev., native is the youngest winner in track history (20 years, 6 months, and 11 days). He is tied with Ryan Newman for most pole positions all-time at Phoenix (4). Busch has 26 top-10 finishes, the most among active Cup drivers at the 1.0-mile desert oval. His average finish of 10.946 is best among active drivers and he has logged a top-10 in 70.27 percent of his starts. The driver of the zone Chevrolet is also the all-time lap leader at Phoenix (1,190).

Points Update…Busch is sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 23 points behind the leader.

Did You Know?… Busch has led at least one lap in all three Cup Series races this season (58 total laps) and is one of just seven drivers to complete all 727 laps.

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KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

Is there a fine line at Phoenix between hitting the setup and running well versus being really off the mark?

“Phoenix has always been a tricky track to hit the proper setup and making sure that you are fast. Kevin Harvick has had a really good time of being able to hit that ever since the repave at this track where I feel as though I might have been better at the old surface but have still seen success in Trucks, Xfinity and Cup winning races.”

How does having the practice session on Friday change your strategy for the weekend?

“Anytime you’re able to get a little bit more practice should allow you time to dissect the car and make the necessary changes that you think you need as a driver to be able to have a good race car. I felt like we had a pretty decent race car there last fall when we had the added practice and if it weren’t for getting set behind on pit road, we would have had a pretty good race.”

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro SS at Phoenix Raceway… Jesse Love will make his inaugural Xfinity Series start at Phoenix Raceway this Saturday. Despite making his maiden voyage at the Arizona speedway behind of the wheel of the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet, the 19-year-old has completed over 1,000 laps at the one-mile track. Love has one NASCAR Truck Series start at Phoenix Raceway, earning a fourth-place result (2023) in just his third series event. In addition, Love has seven starts in ARCA Menards Series competition at the facility, posting a best finish of second (2022) and three top-10 results.

ROTY Leader… Through three races, Love continues to lead the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings. After a competitive outing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Menlo Park, California native extended his lead to 36 points over second-place Shane van Gisbergen.

About Whelen Engineering… Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.

Meet Love… On Friday, March 8 at 4 p.m. local time, Hill and his RCR teammate, Austin Hill, are scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Midway at Phoenix Raceway. Stop by to meet the RCR Xfinity Series driver lineup and purchase new gear.

JESSE LOVE QUOTE:

Talk about your relationship with new crew chief, Danny Stockman.

“I could talk about Danny Stockman for a long time. Anyone who knows him, knows how good he is. Anyone who knows him, knows how high strung he can be, because he’s so intense. I think his intensity has woken up part of the shop, and he focused on building a really great team around us on the No. 2 team. To start the season with the speed that our Whelen Chevrolets have had, it speaks to how good our cars are and how good Danny is at building fast race cars. There are small things that crew chiefs can do right now to make speed, and I still feel like it’s being conservative to a point. Danny has been awesome to work with so far, but so have all of the guys on this team. Everyone is working so hard. I’m looking forward to having a bad night one race to see how Danny and we as a team react to that, since we are pretty much the same.”

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro SS at Phoenix Raceway… Austin Hill has four career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, earning a best finish of seventh twice (both 2023 races) while piloting the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. In addition, Hill has five NASCAR Truck Series starts at the Arizona speedway, notching one pole (2019) and one top-10 result (2021).

Top of the Standings… Through three races, Hill remains the Xfinity Series driver championship points leader. The 29-year-old holds a 22-point lead over second-place Chandler Smith.

Did You Know? Hill is one of four drivers who currently hold the longest active streak (three races) for top-10 finishes at Phoenix Raceway.

About Bennett Family of Companies… McDonough-Ga. based Bennett Family of Companies is a woman-owned, Women’s Enterprise Business Council (WBENC) certified, diversified transportation and logistics company. Through its 14 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Bennett has 4,625 drivers/owner-operators, over 1,000 employees and 600 agents located across the United States. For more information, visit www.bennettig.com.

Meet Hill… On Friday, March 8 at 4 p.m. local time, Hill and his RCR teammate, Jesse Love, are scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Midway at Phoenix Raceway. Stop by to meet the RCR Xfinity Series driver lineup and purchase new gear.

Following the autograph signing, on Friday, March 8 at 5 p.m. local time, the Winston, Georgia native is scheduled to participate in a question-and-answer session at the Fanshield Infield Stage located behind Victory Lane at Phoenix Raceway.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:

You are returning to Phoenix Raceway, after what was one of your best runs at the track since joining RCR. What is the outlook heading into the race this weekend?

“I thought we had improved on our package last fall when we went back to Phoenix Raceway for the season finale. That should allow us to have a solid starting point when we hit the track for practice on Saturday morning, and we can fine tune it from there. There isn’t a lot that we can take from these first three races and apply to Phoenix, but I do think there is some knowledge with the new slits in the rear glass that can be applied. Our Bennett Transportation & Logistics team has good momentum as a team with three straight top-five finishes, so hopefully, we can keep that rolling.”

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
POINT STANDINGS: 16TH

ERIK JONES
POINT STANDINGS: 15TH

CLUB NOTES

Leaving Las Vegas: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB drivers Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek battled through windy conditions at Las Vegas Motor to a 14th-place finish for Jones and a 22nd-place finish for Nemechek.

Double the Fun: Nemechek led 99 laps on his way to earning his 10th career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He will look to make it back-to-back wins in Phoenix when he straps into his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra for the fourth time this season. For the second consecutive race, both of his cars will share the same primary partners, Safeway and Albertsons.

Kenseth and Johnson know Phoenix: LEGACY M.C. co-owner Jimmie Johnson and competition advisor Matt Kenseth have visited victory lane on several occasions at Phoenix Raceway. Johnson won four times at this track in his career (including Nov. ’07, April, ’08, Nov. ’08, and Nov. ’09). Kenseth has won twice in Cup (first in 2002 and later in Nov. ’17), in addition to one Xfinity Series win in Nov. ‘06.

Phoenix test-ed: Jones had the opportunity to test LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s first Toyota Camry XSE in December during a closed test at Phoenix Raceway. With just a few weeks to prepare a car, the No. 43 team tested different aero and tire build combinations with the task of improving NASCAR’s short-track package.

Jones’s first win: Jones earned his first career NASCAR Truck Series victory at Phoenix Raceway in 2013 and backed it up by winning again in 2014. With an average start of 1.3 and an average finish of 3.7, Jones started on the pole or won the race in all three of his Truck Series starts.

ASU homecoming: Kellen Mills, jackman of the No. 43 team, returns to his home track this week as a Mesa, Arizona native. Before joining the “over the wall” crew, Mills played defensive end for Arizona State University’s football team in the early 2000s and was an all-state fullback at Mesa Mountain View High School before joining the Sun Devils. After college Mills moved to North Carolina and has been a pit crew member for the last five years.

MAJOR accomplishment: Earlier this week, Kenseth joined an elite group of athletes as he completed the Tokyo Marathon with a time of 3:06:52. With the completion of this race, Kenseth earned his sixth and final “major” to complete the famed “Six Star Medal”. Upon completion of the race, runners are inducted into the “Six Star Hall of Fame” as a nod to their hard work and dedication to over 150 miles of running.

Another Hall of Fame: Johnson will head back to the beach on Monday, March 11-12th for the 36th Motorsports Hall of Fame of America’s (MSHFA) annual Induction Celebration presented by Toyota Racing. MSHFA’s Class of 2024 features past and present motorsports stars including Austin Coil (Drag Racing), Scott Dixon (Open Wheel), Earl B. Gilmore (Historic), Jim Downing & Dr. Robert Hubbard (Technology), Bud Ekins (Motorcycles), Johnson (Stock Cars), Paul Newman (At Large), John Surtees (Sports Cars) and Phil Walters, aka “Ted Tappett” (Historic).

CLUB QUOTES

John Hunter Nemechek, Driver of the No. 42 Safeway / Albertsons Toyota Camry XSE:

“I’m looking forward to the longer practice sessions in the No. 42 Safeway /Albertsons Toyota Camry this weekend and also another weekend of double duty. With Erik testing out here in December we have some good notes to go on as it will be my first time in this car on the track at Phoenix.”

Ben Beshore, Crew chief of the No. 42 Safeway / Albertsons Toyota Camry XSE:

On full-length practice sessions:

“I think it will be good for us, it’ll give John Hunter some more laps. We’ve got a new aero package, so it should give us some opportunities to try some different packages in practice and work on the car a little bit more than what we can on a normal condensed weekend.”

Erik Jones, Driver of the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:

Will anything from the test translate to the race weekend?

“I think the test that we got to do in Phoenix was good, it was our first-ever time with the new Toyota Camry XSE and getting used to that. We worked on a lot of aero packages and tire options during those days. We all settled on an aero package and tire that we thought would be better for racing at the short tracks and road courses going forward. So, we will get a chance to try those out this weekend with a full field, but having notes on that is really beneficial. We were able to work through a lot of different setups and packages with that aero package to see what it liked and didn’t like. Hopefully, we can apply some of that this weekend and start off strong.”

Dave Elenz, Crew chief of the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:

On the Phoenix test in December:

“It’s nice that we had the opportunity to test at Phoenix Raceway with the new rules package. It looked like it raced a little bit better than the other packages that we had out there. I am excited to see what it brings to the race and even more excited that we have a little bit of a head start on what the setup is going to be. Hopefully, we can unload a little bit better than we have been and show our speed right away, rather than delaying it until the race.”

PETTY 75TH ANNIVERSARY

The 2024 season marks a significant milestone in the history of the Petty family as they have helped define stock car racing for 75 years. Their commitment to the sport and the people who make it possible – behind the wheel, under the hood, in the back office and beyond – has shaped the growth and success of NASCAR. Their LEGACY lives on with the countless fans, drivers, technicians and team members they touched. Throughout 2024, LEGACY M.C. will celebrate the Petty family and share countless memories with friends and fans at race tracks across the country.

Happy Birthday Mrs. Petty! Lynda Petty was born on March 6, 1942, in Guilford County, North Carolina. She would have been 82 this year.

Petty history in Phoenix: “The King” Richard Petty made five starts at Phoenix Raceway toward the tail end of his career from the inaugural race in 1988 to 1992. Kyle Petty made several starts at the 1.0-mile track, including a best finish of third in 1993. In 2008, Kyle made his 829th and final Cup Series start at the track. Adam Petty made one Xfinity Series start here back in 1999, where he finished in 38th.

King’s Hat: This week’s “King’s Hat” statue will feature a unique theme for Phoenix Raceway. Many signature cacti will line the brim of the cowboy hat as a reflection of Phoenix Raceway’s logo along with blue and yellow design accents. Fans can find the “King’s Hat” located throughout the race weekend in the midway/fan zone located near Gate 3.

Kyle Petty Charity Ride: Announced last week, the 28th annual Kyle Petty Charity Ride is planned to kick off May 4-10 as 150 motorcycle riders will make the trek from South Dakota to North Carolina. The ride began in 1995 and has benefited Victory Junction, a camp that was created by Kyle in honor of his late son, Adam Petty.

BROADCAST INFO

PHOENIX RACEWAY

SUNDAY, MARCH 10TH @ 3:30 PM ET

ABOUT OUR PARTNERS

ABOUT DOLLAR TREE, INC.: Dollar Tree, a Fortune 200 Company, operated 16,622 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces as of October 28, 2023. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. To learn more about the Company, visit www.DollarTree.com.

ABOUT SAFEWAY: In 1915, M.B. Skaggs, an ambitious young man in the small Idaho town of American Falls, purchased a tiny grocery store from his father. M.B.’s business strategy, to give his customers value and to expand by keeping a narrow profit margin, proved spectacularly successful. By 1926 he had opened 428 Skaggs stores in 10 states. M.B. almost doubled the size of his business that year when he merged his company with 322 Safeway (formerly Selig) stores and incorporated as Safeway, Inc. Two years later, M.B. listed Safeway on the New York Stock Exchange. M.B. did not let the difficulties of the Great Depression dilute his pioneering focus on value for customers. In the 1930s, Safeway introduced produce pricing by the pound, added “sell by” dates on perishables to assure freshness, nutritional labeling and even created some of the first parking lots.

M.B. Skagg’s value vision still drives Safeway, though on a dramatically larger scale. Today, Safeway operates as a banner of Albertsons Companies, one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States. With both a strong local presence and national scale, the company operates stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners. Albertsons Companies is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2017 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the company gave nearly $300 million in food and financial support. These efforts helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities and veterans outreach.

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice “Maury” J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. The CLUB competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series fielding the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE of John Hunter Nemechek, the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE of Erik Jones, and the No. 84 limited schedule entry for Johnson. LEGACY M.C. also competes in the Extreme-E Series. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty “The King” serves as Club Ambassador. With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level. To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ on Facebook, X, Instagram and at www.LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com.

Phoenix Raceway

Sunday, March 10, 2024
1-Mile Oval
3:30 PM ET
Location: Avondale, Arizona
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series race (4 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM, PRN

5 KYLE LARSON

Age: 31 (July 31, 1992)

Hometown: Elk Grove, California

Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels

Standings: 1st

No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media in the Phoenix Raceway media center on Friday, March 8, at 2 p.m. local time.

JACKPOT IN VEGAS: Last Sunday during the 267-lap race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson led a race-high 181 laps en route to his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2024 season and his 24th career Cup Series win. He won both stages and captured the maximum available points at Las Vegas to move into the points standings lead.

ONE OF TWO: Last October, Larson led a race-high 133 laps and won both stages before capturing the victory at Las Vegas. He is one of only two drivers to win both stages and triumph in consecutive races at one circuit.

DOMINANT PERFORMANCE(S): At Las Vegas last week, it marked the fifth time the Elk Grove, California, native won a race for Hendrick Motorsports when leading more than 65 percent of the laps in a race. Based on percentage of laps led, Larson has five of the eight most dominating wins in the Cup Series since the start of 2021.

WEST COAST WINNER: Larson’s seven wins on the West Coast place him third among active drivers in that statistical category and tie him for eighth on the all-time list. Six of those victories have come at Hendrick Motorsports, with one occurring at Phoenix Raceway. In the 2021 championship race, Larson led a race-high 107 laps, including the final 28 circuits, following a clutch pit stop to secure the Cup Series title.

DOUBLE: Larson completed 172 laps in an IndyCar test at Phoenix earlier this year. In May, Larson will compete in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. HENDRICKCARS.COM will be the primary sponsor on both entries as the 31-year-old attempts to complete all 1100 miles (#Hendrick1100). See the livery for the two races here and learn more about his attempt here.

DOUBLE DOUBLE: Larson’s eight top-five finishes and 12 top-10s at the 1-mile track are tied with Las Vegas for his most at a track. In addition, he has started in the top 10 in his last eight Phoenix starts, tied for his longest top-10 starting streak at all tracks. Over the past six races there, the 31-year-old driver ranks third in laps led (311) and points scored (209) among those entered in Sunday’s race.

TOP OF THE BOARD: Larson’s 205 laps led through three races in 2024 are his most ever led through the first three races of a season – the sixth time a Hendrick Motorsports driver has more than 200 laps led through this point. In fact, Larson leads all drivers in 2024 in laps led (205), stage wins (two), stage points (47), race points (118) and laps raced (407) in the top five.

CLIFF’S NOTES: No. 5 crew chief Cliff Daniels and Larson have teamed up for 17 wins since Larson joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2021 – the third-best total among active driver and crew chief pairings. Daniels and Larson have accomplished those wins in 103 races, while the best active combination has posted 19 victories in 176 starts.

MEET & GREET: Race fans can stop by JINYA Ramen Bar’s central Phoenix location (5120 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ, 85012) on Saturday from 5-6 p.m. local time for a meet & greet with the 2021 Cup Series champion. JINYA, a contemporary Japanese dining establishment with over 60 restaurants in North America, is the Official Restaurant partner for Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team.

VALVOLINE ON BOARD: Valvoline will make its first of three appearances this year as a primary sponsor of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Phoenix. Its other primary races will be Sonoma Raceway (June 9) and the Chicago Street Race (July 7). Valvoline Global is a worldwide leader in automotive and industrial solutions, with sales in more than 140 countries. Established in 1866, the company’s heritage spans over 150 years and includes the world’s first branded motor oil. To learn more, visit www.valvoline.com. See every angle of the No. 5 Valvoline Chevy here.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT

Age: 28 (Nov. 28, 1995)

Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia

Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia

Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson

Standings: T-6th

No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

LAS VEGAS LOOK BACK: Chase Elliott and No. 9 team qualified 11th for last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 28-year-old driver finished 15th in stage one and advanced to sixth to end the second segment, earning valuable stage points. The Hendrick Motorsports driver continued to log laps inside the top 10 in the final stage before ultimately taking the checkered flag in the 12th position. Following Las Vegas, Elliott and the No. 9 team are tied for sixth in the Cup Series points standings.

WINNING MOMENT: Elliott has one win at Phoenix Raceway, which he captured in the 2020 season finale to secure his first Cup Series championship. The six-time National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver started the race at the rear of the field and maneuvered his way to the front, leading a race-high 153 laps en route to the victory.

PHOENIX 411: The driver of the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will make his 16th Phoenix Cup Series start on Sunday. In his previous 15 races at the track, he’s amassed one win (November 2020), five top-five finishes and eight top-10s. Elliott has paced the field for 546 laps at the 1-mile oval, which is his second-most on active tracks. Since the start of 2020, he has led 390 laps at Phoenix, the second-most among active Cup drivers in that span. Additionally, the 2020 Cup champion’s average start of 6.53 at the track is his second-best on active tracks, only trailing Sonoma Raceway (6.43).

EVERY MILE A MEMORY: In 56 Cup starts on tracks measuring 1 to 1.37 miles in length (Darlington Raceway, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix and WWT Raceway), Elliott has earned four wins. His first came at Dover in 2018, followed by his championship-winning performance at Phoenix in 2020. His two most recent victories came in 2022 at Dover and Nashville. Accompanying his wins are 22 top-five finishes, 29 top-10s and 1,246 laps led across those starts.

THE GREAT GUSTAFSON: On Sunday, Alan Gustafson will call his 39th Phoenix race as a Cup Series crew chief. In his previous 38 starts there, the veteran team leader has collected four wins, 12 top-five results, 24 top-10s and 977 laps led. Gustafson’s four wins are tied with NASCAR Hall of Famer and Hendrick Motorsports vice president of competition Chad Knaus for the second-most by a crew chief at Phoenix and came via four different drivers: Kyle Busch in 2005, Mark Martin in 2009, Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon in 2011 and Elliott in 2020. Coincidentally, Gustafson has visited victory lane at the track with both the youngest driver (Busch at 20 years, six months and 11 days of age) and the oldest driver (Martin at 50 years, three months and nine days of age).

DYNAMIC DUO: Elliott and Gustafson are in their ninth season together and are currently the longest active driver and crew chief combo in the Cup Series garage. The duo is ranked second among active pairings with 18 points-paying victories. Gustafson and Elliott earned their first Cup Series title in 2020 and the team captured the regular-season championship in 2022.

COMING HOME: No. 9 team fueler John Gianninoto, who grew up in Tucson, Arizona, will compete in front of his home crowd this weekend. Gianninoto graduated with honors from Catalina Foothills High School and was an offensive lineman for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas football team – earning his first letter in 2007 and becoming a team captain in 2010. In 2012, he participated in the NFL’s Carolina Panthers training camp before signing with Hendrick Motorsports that September. Gianninoto set a Guinness World Record in 2018, teaming with Sunoco for the most vehicles refueled by an individual in one hour (148).

KELLEY BLUE BOOK IS BACK: This weekend is the first of two primary races for No. 9 team partner Kelley Blue Book. In addition to this Sunday’s race, the Cox Automotive brand will be the primary partner on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Cup Series playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway on October 6. Get a look at all the angles of the 2024 scheme here.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 26 (Nov. 29, 1997)

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle

Standings: 4th

No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

WINNING WAYS: William Byron’s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season is off to a career-best start thanks to his win in the prestigious DAYTONA 500. Last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Byron’s car suffered an overheating issue due to a trash bag on track that derailed his run, but he was able to persevere and secure a top-10 result. Even with the bad luck, Byron is one of six drivers to finish in the top 10 in two of the three events this year. He now sits fourth in the 2024 Cup Series points standings – the highest he has ever been at this point in the season (his previous best was 13th after three races in 2021). He has 11 Cup Series wins, with 10 coming since the start of 2021 – second to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson (18).

NEXT GEN DUO: Since the Next Gen Cup Series car was introduced in 2022, Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle have a series-leading nine wins. The duo leads Hendrick Motorsports teammates driver Kyle Larson (eight wins) and crew chief Cliff Daniels (seven wins).

SIMILAR IN SIZE: This Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway will mark Byron’s 44th start on tracks 1 to 1.37 miles in length (Dover Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix and WWT Raceway). In his previous 43 starts, the 26-year-old driver has collected two pole awards, two wins (one each at Phoenix and Darlington in 2023), 10 top-five finishes, 19 top-10s and 535 laps led.

VENTURING TO THE VALLEY OF THE SUN: Heading to a track where he has found success in multiple NASCAR national series, Byron will return to Phoenix for the 13th time in his Cup career. This time, he is the defending spring race winner. Across his 12 Cup Series starts at the 1-mile oval, he has two top-five finishes, seven top-10s (tied for his most at a track with Kansas Speedway), 186 total laps led (his fifth-most at a track) and three stage wins (his most at a track). Making eight appearances at the desert track since the start of 2020, Byron has led 171 laps (the fifth-most by a driver) and has six top-10 finishes (tied for the third-most with Larson). In fact, in the four Next Gen races at Phoenix, Byron leads all drivers in points earned (184) and laps run in the top five (917) while running the third-most laps (1,150) in the top 10.

RUDY’S PHOENIX PERFORMANCE: Going to Phoenix for the seventh time in his Cup Series crew chief career, Rudy Fugle has one win (March of 2023), two top-five finishes, four top-10s with 171 laps led in those previous six races. Aside from his Cup Series starts, Fugle has 11 national series starts under his belt at the Avondale, Arizona, facility, with eight coming in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Fugle has four pole awards in those Truck Series races and has led his drivers to pace the field for 471 laps. While Fugle has only one Truck Series win at Phoenix, he also has two runner-up results, four top-five finishes and six top-10s. In 2016, Byron and Fugle dominated the truck race, leading 112 laps before an engine failure resulted in a 27th-place finish.

DOUBLE DUTY: Byron is pulling double duty at Phoenix this weekend. In addition to Sunday’s Cup Series race, he’ll drive the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday afternoon. This will be the first race for the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy in 2024 and the first of four Xfinity Series races for Byron this season.

MCSWAIN MANIA: For Byron’s four Xfinity Series races, No. 24 lead engineer Brandon McSwain will climb on top of the pit box and the Phoenix race will mark his debut as a crew chief. The duo worked together in the Xfinity Series when McSwain was a race engineer at Hendrick Motorsports affiliate JR Motorsports, collecting four wins in Byron’s 2017 championship campaign. They also have two Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix together, where Byron started on the front row and finished in the top four in both races, including a victory ahead of the title race in November. Since 2019, McSwain has been an engineer on Byron’s Cup Series team.

RAPTOR® TOUGH: For the first time in 2024, Byron will sport his new RAPTOR® paint scheme that will run the majority of the season on the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. RAPTOR® is a durable protective coating designed to tolerate the toughest climatic conditions and can be applied to a wide range of items, including truck beds, lawnmowers, outdoor furniture and more. With 16 pre-mixed colors available, it’s easy to personalize anything you want to protect. RAPTOR® is available at local paint distributors, auto parts stores and online retailers. For a better look at Byron’s new No. 24 RAPTOR Chevy, click here.

48 ALEX BOWMAN

Age: 30 (April 25, 1993)

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Resides: Concord, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Blake Harris

Standings: 13th

No. 48 Ally Best Friends Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

LEADING LAPS: Last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron led multiple laps each at the 1.5-mile intermediate Nevada track. Bowman led from the front of the field for three laps, accruing 26 laps led at the venue to date. The 30-year-old driver heads to Phoenix Raceway this weekend, where he holds his personal record for most laps led in a single race. In November of 2016, he led 194 circuits at the 1-mile venue.

AT HOME IN ARIZONA: The Tucson, Arizona, native has made 17 NASCAR Cup Series starts at his home track. Bowman earned his first Cup Series pole position at Phoenix in November of 2016, subbing for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and finishing in the sixth position. Last spring, he finished ninth as Hendrick Motorsports placed all four of its cars in the top 10. In total, Bowman has two top-10 finishes and has completed 95.2% of his laps attempted. On West Coast tracks, Bowman has two wins (Auto Club Speedway in March of 2020 and Las Vegas in March of 2022), tied for seventh among active drivers with teammate Byron.

“PAW-SOME” PAINT SCHEME: On Tuesday, Ally Racing and Hendrick Motorsports released a new “paw-some” paint scheme. This weekend, Ally will boast co-primary sponsor Best Friends Animal Society, sporting a pet-themed scheme for a fourth straight year for the spring race at Phoenix. This colorful scheme will also be on track at Pocono Raceway on July 14. View all angles of the No. 48 Ally Best Friends Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 here.

FAST CREW: Speed and consistency on pit road is crucial in the sport’s premier series. Last weekend in Las Vegas, the No. 48 Ally Racing pit crew tied with one other competitor for the fastest median pit stop time (9.39 seconds) out of all 37 entries. The five-man crew is composed of Andrew Bridgeforth (rear-tire changer), Jacob Conley (fueler), Brandon Grier (tire carrier), Allen Holman (jackman) and Donnie Tasser (front-tire changer).

SHOWING SUPPORT AT SHELTERS: Since 2021, Bowman and Ally have supported Best Friends. For this season (and since the beginning of the 2022 campaign), the pair are committed to a combined weekly donation of $4,800 to a Best Friends network partner local to each weekend’s race. Phoenix’s beneficiary is Heidi’s Village, which fosters a community where animals are treated with respect, dignity and compassion. You can see the shelter’s animals available for adoption here.

ALLY AT THE TRACK: Ally will have a special set-up for NASCAR fans in the fan zone at Phoenix. Guests will be able to spin the “Victory Wheel” for a chance to win “Bowman Bucks” to exchange for cool prizes. For the first time since the 2024 DAYTONA 500, visitors can also enter in person to win a Hendrick Motorsports 40th Anniversary Edition Chevrolet Camaro street car through Ally’s “Win Your Wheels fueled by HendrickCars.com” sweepstakes. Not at the track? Enter at Ally.com/sweepstakes/nascar. The sweepstakes will end on Sept. 20, 2024.

BEHIND THE WHEEL WITH BOWMAN: This Sunday, Bowman fans can ride along and #Rally48 from the driver’s seat by tuning into NASCAR’s in-car camera on the No. 48 Ally Best Friends Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Visit nascar.com/drive to experience a driver’s perspective during the race.

HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /

2024	All-Time	Phoenix
Races	3	1,348	55
Wins	2*	303*	13*
Poles	0	246*	15*
Top 5	3**	1,235*	56*
Top 10	4	2,116*	102*
Laps Led	240*	79,997*	3,530*
Stage Wins	3*	101	7

*Most **Most (tie)

FABULOUS 40: In 2024, Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Among the categories that the Rick Hendrick-owned organization holds the NASCAR Cup Series record for are all-time wins (303), poles (246) and championships (14). With William Byron’s win in the 2024 DAYTONA 500, the organization has now won at least one race in each of the last 39 seasons. Kyle Larson’s win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway marks the record 31st consecutive season that the team has won at least two times.

LEADERS IN THE FIELD: Entering Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports is three laps led away from 80,000 circuits out front in the sport’s top series. To date, the organization’s 79,997 laps led is a distance of 105,321 miles. The team’s first laps led came by Geoff Bodine in the same race he went on to win at Martinsville Speedway on April 29, 1984. Across 35 different tracks, 29 drivers have led laps in team history with vice chairman Jeff Gordon atop the board at 24,936 laps led. Click here for a look at laps led and wins by track, year and driver.

XFINITY RIDES AGAIN: This weekend marks the first of 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series races for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro with primary sponsorship from HENDRICKCARS.COM. Byron will be behind the wheel for the first of his four races in the ride, while No. 24 Cup Series lead engineer Brandon McSwain will be the crew chief for those races. Chase Elliott (two races), Larson (two races), Alex Bowman (one race) and Boris Said (one race) will also compete in the entry and 2014 Xfinity Series champion crew chief Greg Ives will be the pit boss for those races.

EDGE OF SEVENTEEN: Since its return to the Xfinity Series in 2022, Hendrick Motorsports has made 10 starts across the last two years. In those races, it has accumulated three pole positions, three runner-up results, six top-five finishes and seven top-10s. The No. 17 carries special significance to the Hendrick Motorsports family as it is the same number Ricky Hendrick drove and won with in the Truck Series. In its history, Hendrick Motorsports has earned one Xfinity Series championship (2003) and 26 race wins in the series.

RULES PACKAGE DEBUTS: The Cup Series race at Phoenix marks the first time that the 2024 short-track package will be on track. The package includes 2023 short track/road course splitter stuffers, no engine panel strakes, a three-inch spoiler (was previously two inches), a simplified diffuser and simplified diffuser strakes. This will be used at all upcoming tracks 1 mile or shorter as well as road courses, with the exception of Bristol Motor Speedway and Dover Motor Speedway. Teams will have an extended practice of 50 minutes on Friday, March 8, to shake down the new package.

BAKER’S DOZEN IN THE DESERT: The Rick Hendrick-owned organization has a series-best 13 wins among nine drivers at Phoenix. Jimmie Johnson tops the board with four, followed by Gordon with two victories. Kyle Busch, Byron, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Elliott, Terry Labonte, Larson and Mark Martin have each tallied one triumph at the 1-mile track for the team. Elliott and Larson’s wins came in the 2020 and 2021 championship races. The organization also leads the way in poles (15), top-five finishes (56), top-10s (102) and laps led (3,530) at the Arizona venue. The team’s six straight wins at Phoenix from 2007 to 2009 are the longest such streak for the organization and the third-longest streak (of one team winning at one track) in Cup Series history.

SPRING REWIND: In last year’s spring race at Phoenix, Hendrick Motorsports dominated the event as the team earned the win and led 265 of the 317 laps run. Byron notched the victory as he got the better of Larson in an overtime finish. Larson scored the pole position and led a race-high 201 laps. In addition, Bowman and Josh Berry (filling in for an injured Elliott) notched top-10 finishes as all four cars placed in the top 10. This was the 28th and most recent time that the team had all four drivers finish in the top 10 of a race.

PARK IT ON THE POLE: In the last six races at Phoenix with qualifying, the Concord, North Carolina-based team has taken the pole position on four occasions. Last year, the squad swept the top starting spot in races at the 1-mile track with Larson starting first in the spring and Byron lining up from the front in the title race. Entering this weekend, Hendrick Motorsports is four poles away from 250 in the Cup Series.

SETTING THE STAGE: Larson’s two stage wins at Las Vegas put Hendrick Motorsports at 101 stage wins, which is tied for second among all Cup Series teams. Elliott leads the team with 37, followed by Larson (34), Byron (21), Bowman (six) and Johnson (three).

WEST SUCCESS: Of the last 23 races on the West Coast, 11 have resulted in victories for Hendrick Motorsports. Larson has six wins, while Byron and Bowman have each scored two victories and Elliott has one. The team’s 45 wins on the West Coast are the most in the series by 22 over the next highest team. In the past four full seasons, the organization has won at least two races out west.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what improvements he is looking for at Phoenix Raceway: “There are some things we have talked about (as a team) to make us better this weekend. We weren’t as fast as we needed to be last November to win the title. We’ll work on getting more speed out of the car so we can hopefully battle for the win on Sunday.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what he hopes to see this weekend at Phoenix: “We’re looking forward to getting back there. We had a good test in December with a few things about this new aero package, so a lot to learn this weekend. We need to execute a good practice and hopefully learn some things to do — maybe a few things not to do — to get the car dialed in. Last fall, obviously, we weren’t where we wanted to be — we just didn’t have the longer pace that we needed as compared to some other guys. So just trying to find the right balance of the short and the longer pace. If we execute a good practice, get a few good adjustments and keep learning on the car through the weekend, we should be in a good place Sunday.”
​

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on goals and expectations in 2024: “I kind of just look at things internally, I guess, more than anything and we have high expectations of ourselves. I have high expectations of myself, personally. I want to perform better than I’ve been before. I want to meet my own expectations on the job that I think I’m capable of doing. I think we have a really strong team and I want to make sure we’re capitalizing on having a good group of people. So, for me it’s really about that.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Phoenix: “We have a new aero package. I don’t think any of us really know what to expect from how the car’s going to drive. I’m sure it’s going to be, you know, regular old Phoenix (Raceway) and you’re going to want to have security on entry through the corner, turn the center good and have a good drive off. But you just don’t know with the new aero package what’s going to be the premium and what’s going to be the biggest struggle. So, we’re just trying to prepare the best we can. The tire is different, too. I’m looking forward to the extended practice.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the importance of Friday’s practice session at Phoenix: “Phoenix (Raceway) is a track that I feel like we have really improved at. It was a track that we struggled at until the Next Gen car was introduced. Since then, we have really tried to work hard on our short-track package and improve it. I know this weekend will be a new aero package that was tested in the offseason, so practice will be crucial on Friday. Our teammate (Kyle Larson) was a part of that test. We’ll use those notes as a good starting point for when we unload”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the new short-track package: “It’s looking like there will be more side force, which will let the car run a little bit more yawed out. The drivers should be able to drive a little bit more aggressively and not spin out. That’s what it seems like even though it’s still low downforce despite a three-inch spoiler. There should be more over-the-top air force but less under-the-car air force. Overall, though, it will still be pretty similar to the last race.”
​

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Phoenix: “We are super excited to have Best Friends back at Phoenix (Raceway). It’s always exciting to run the pet-themed schemes and it will definitely be a busy weekend with Ally and their activation in the fan zone. I look forward to trying to go for a good run there. It’s been a while since we had a great day at Phoenix. Hopefully, we can change that this weekend.”

Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on preparing for the new short-track package: “I think most teams and manufacturers have a lot of questions heading into this weekend at Phoenix (Raceway) with the new aerodynamics package. The (Hendrick Motorsports) No. 5 team tested there late last year, so we have some decent data to look at. Having that 50-minute practice will be key for us to have a shot to tune the car in relative to our normal short practice weekend. We look forward to that and Alex (Bowman) has had some good runs there earlier in his career. For us, any change in the package is a new opportunity to help exploit that.”

JUSTIN HALEY | KAZ GRALA
Phoenix Advance
Event Overview

● Event: Shriners Children’s 500k (Round 4 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 10
● Location: Phoenix Raceway
● Layout: 1-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 312 laps/312 miles (502 kilometers)
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 125 laps / Final Stage: 127 laps
● TV/Radio: FOX / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Justin Haley, Driver of the No. 51 Fraternal Order of Eagles Ford Mustang

● Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Rick Ware Racing (RWR), returns to Phoenix for his seventh NASCAR Cup Series start at the track with long-time partner Fraternal Order of Eagles (F.O.E.). Haley and F.O.E. have a long history of success in NASCAR. His first Cup Series victory, at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in July 2019, was in the black-and-yellow F.O.E-branded No. 77. In all three of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins, Haley was behind the wheel of an F.O.E. entry for GMS Racing.

● In six Cup Series starts at the Phoenix mile oval, Haley has a best finish of 17th earned in March 2022. He also owns two top-five and four top-10 finishes in six NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix.

● Nearly half of Haley’s 13 Cup Series top-10 finishes have come on intermediate tracks. In 44 starts on tracks more than a mile in length and less than 2 miles, Haley has two top-fives and six top-10s.

● The Fraternal Order of Eagles is an international non-profit organization uniting fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice and equality, to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills and promoting peace, prosperity, gladness and hope. The F.O.E. donates more than $10 million a year to local communities, fundraisers, charities and more. As part of its philosophy, the F.O.E. gives back 100 percent of monies raised in the form of grants. Fundraisers are conducted for eight major charities, including kidney, heart, diabetes, cancer and spinal cord injury funds, a children’s fund, memorial foundation and the Golden Eagle Fund.

Kaz Grala, Driver of the No. 15 N29 Capital Partners Ford Mustang

● Kaz Grala, driver of the No. 15 N29 Capital Partners Ford Mustang Dark Horse, will make his 11th NASCAR Cup Series start and first at Phoenix when he takes the green flag Sunday in the Shriners Children’s 500k.

● Grala’s most recent start at Phoenix was the November 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series race, when he started 24th and powered to a 10th-place finish for Sam Hunt Racing. He has five Xfinity Series starts at the track with two top-15 finishes, as well as two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts with a best finish of fifth in 2017.

● Last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Grala drove his N29 Capital Partners Ford Mustang Dark Horse to a 31st-place finish after running inside the top-20 in Stage 2. The RWR Ford Mustang Dark Horse showed plenty of speed, running top-10 lap times late in the final 102-lap stage, but a brush with the wall in the last 10 laps ultimately dropped Grala outside the top-25.

Rick Ware Racing Notes

● This week sees RWR competing across four different motorsports disciplines – NASCAR, NHRA, AFT and IMSA – in two different time zones.

● Of course, RWR has its two NASCAR Cup Series entries – the No. 15 with Kaz Grala and the No. 51 with Justin Haley – in the Shriners Children’s 500k on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.

● NHRA Top Fuel driver Clay Millican begins the 2024 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season in Gainesville, Florida, at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals Thursday through Sunday. A three-time event winner for RWR in 2023, Millican competed in the PRO Superstar Shootout Feb. 8-10 exhibition event in Bradenton, Florida, where he set fast time in the first round of qualifying with an elapsed time of 3.688 seconds and a speed of 336.49 mph. He then remained atop the leaderboard and secured the No. 1 qualifying position before advancing all the way to the final round of eliminations.

● The Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) season kicks off Thursday and Friday with a doubleheader at Daytona. RWR looks to add to its AFT win total with Briar Bauman in Mission SuperTwins, and Kody Kopp and Shayna Texter-Bauman in AFT Singles. Bauman and RWR took home two wins in 2023.

● After a podium finish in the season-opening race of the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge LMP3 class Jan. 20 at Daytona, RWR’s Cody Ware is back in his Ligier JS P320 for two races this weekend in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Ware will have a shot at two more podiums as he will race twice on Saturday with two 45-minute races around the 1.8-mile, 14-turn layout on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.

● Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age six when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver seat and into fulltime team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that fields two fulltime entries in the NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the LMP3 class of the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX), where RWR won the 2022 SX2 championship with rider Shane McElrath.

Justin Haley, Driver Q&A

There’s a new short-track package that will debut at Phoenix. How are you feeling about it now that you’ve had a couple of races under your belt in the Ford Mustang Dark Horse?
“Luckily, I tested the new short-track package last year at Richmond and I’m excited for it. I feel like Phoenix is the track it’s meant for, so we’ll see how it goes. We’ll have a long practice there, so it’ll be good to have that time to work with the team a little bit more and try out more than we’d be able to in the shorter sessions. I think what I’m most looking forward to is kind of being on the same page as other teams when we unload. Typically, we’re going up against those bigger teams that have all the data they could need but, in this case, we’re all starting with the same thing, so it might give us a fighting chance to start.”

You ran well on the short track at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in February. Does that have you looking forward to more of the short-track races that are coming up?
“I’m not quite sure. The track we raced on in L.A. is so unique. It’s tough to know what is going to happen at some of these places before we get there. In years past, I really favored the intermediate tracks because that’s where the last team I was with was strongest, and I feel like knowing what works best for a team is really the deciding factor as far as where I’m excited to go. Last year, RWR did really well at New Hampshire, so they’ve had good results on short tracks and I think we’ll be able to use some of that. Things are still coming together, so I don’t know that we can focus too much on the type of track we feel is best for us. We’ll get there eventually, but right now it’s all still about the little things that we can improve on each week.”

There are still a lot of things being worked through with a new team, new manufacturer and new car. How do you manage your expectations from week to week?
“The Cup Series is ultracompetitive, and obviously we’re all racing the exact same car nowadays. Week to week I feel like you do have to manage your expectations, which I think I’m pretty good at. Going to a smaller team, you have to realize the tasks that you’re taking on – you’re not signing with a mega team. But it’s been a lot of fun and I feel like I thrive in this environment. It’s the environment I’ve been in my entire career. I enjoy the process of going to the racetrack and running well, especially this year with RWR. Every time we’ve gone to the racetrack and been competitive, when I go back to the shop and all the crew guys are really amped up and excited and thankful that you’re driving that racecar to the front. It’s been cool to see and to show these guys that have been at RWR for a long time that their hard work and passion and effort can pay off. That we can run up front and be competitive has been pretty cool to see.”

Kaz Grala, Driver Q&A

A twist to the usual weekend schedule is a 55-minute practice session on Friday at Phoenix. How does that extra time on track benefit you and the No. 51 N29 Capital Partners team?

“Additional practice definitely helps close the gap for teams like ours, so I’m looking forward to having some time to work on our Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Phoenix. Limited practice puts an emphasis on simulation and your notebook from prior races, so for a smaller team like ours that’s new to a lot of these resources, it’s hard to unload and be exactly where we want to be. The longer session will give us some time to dial in our car for the race, but also to build our notebook with adjustments we can use at future events.”

While Phoenix is technically an intermediate track, it races similar to some of the short tracks you’ll visit later in the year, and you’ve had some decent runs on short tracks in the Xfinity and the Truck Series. Does that experience give you a little bit of confidence going to some of these tracks for the first time in the Cup Series?

“I grew up racing at short tracks and road courses, so I always feel a little more confident coming to tracks with more tools in the driver’s hands. The last time I raced a Truck at Phoenix was a top-five finish, and the last Xfinity race I did there was a top-10, so I feel good about my preparation for this weekend. Hopefully we can make the most of it and grab another great finish for RWR.”

It’s hard to judge progress early in the season, but now that you’ve been on a track other than a superspeedway, how do you feel things are progressing with RWR?

“I’ve been pleased with our speed so far at RWR. We have the pace to move forward through the field and contend for top-15 finishes, so it all comes down to details and execution. There is a lot of ‘new,’ still, at the team and certainly for myself, but when we hit our stride and reach our full potential, I believe we can run in the front half of the field.”