Category: NASCAR Cup PR

NASCAR Cup Series Press Release

  • Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Darlington 2

    Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Darlington 2

    Cook Out Southern 500: Darlington Raceway
    Darlington, S.C. – September 1, 2024

    AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 DISCOUNT TIRE FORD MUSTANG

    START: 11TH STAGE ONE: 32ND STAGE TWO: 26TH FINISH: 13TH POINTS: 10TH

    RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Discount Tire team rallied to a solid 13th-place in Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at the historic Darlington Raceway after battling off the lead lap for much of the event. Cindric started a strong 11th after narrowly missing out on advancing to the final round of qualifying in Saturday’s time trials. The Team Penske driver fought a tight car from the start, making his first visit to pit road on Lap 37 for four tires, fuel and an adjustment. On Lap 71, the No. 2 was docked for an uncontrolled tire penalty, swiping away valuable track position. After finishing 32nd in the opening Stage, Cindric returned to pit road for fresh tires, fuel and additional adjustments to aid the car. The 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion remained focused on the task at hand, returning to the lead lap, but slotted in 26th when Stage 2 concluded in a relatively uneventful second segment. In the third and final portion of the crown jewel event, Cindric was able to take the wave around on Lap 314, gaining a lap back. When the sixth caution of the day slowed the competition with less than 35 laps to go, Cindric was in the free pass position, jolting him back to the lead lap. As the chaos intensified in the regular season finale, Cindric was able to press forward, gaining momentum in the running order. The driver of the No. 2 ultimately recorded a 13th-place finish, demonstrating his never-give-up attitude.

    CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “From our first pit stop to our last one, it was definitely an adventure. I feel like I used that word a lot throughout the regular season. But yeah, having to come down for the uncontrolled tire penalty put us two laps down for pretty much the majority of the race. The first chance we got to do the wave we got it, and then they got to wrecking and we drove up to the lucky dog spot and got the lucky dog, leading us to a decent finish. Track position was important, and I’m happy we were able to get a solid result. It was definitely an entire race of not giving up.“

    RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/RICHMOND FORD MUSTANG

    START: 7TH STAGE ONE: 37TH STAGE TWO: 37TH FINISH: 37TH POINTS: 5TH

    RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney’s run in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale came to a very early end Sunday night at Darlington as the No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang was involved in an incident on lap three of the Southern 500. Blaney was running up by the wall in turns one and two when the No. 19 broke loose underneath the No. 24 and slid up into outside wall, collecting the Menards/Richmond Ford in the process. Despite the 37th-place finish, Blaney enters the Cup Series Playoffs fifth in the standings while defending the 2023 championship title.

    BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “It looked like [Martin Truex Jr.] got loose and I thought he was going to spin to the bottom, so I kind of gassed up, and right as I got to his outside his car kind of hooked up and shot right into me. Unfortunate timing on lap three. It stinks we didn’t get to race at all but we’ll go on to next week.”

    JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG

    START: 23RD STAGE ONE: 15TH STAGE TWO: 15TH FINISH: 8TH POINTS: 9TH

    RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano posted his 11th-career top-10 finish at Darlington Raceway in Sunday night’s Southern 500 with an eight-place result. The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford worked its way through the field in the opening stage of the regular season finale as Logano battled some early handling issues before coming away with a 15th-place finish in Stage 1. Following a four tire stop and a round of adjustments prior to the restart, Logano began to gain track position and charged into the top-10 early in the run. The 22-crew continued to go to work on the balance during a pair of green flag pit stops in Stage 2 as Logano came away with another 15th-place effort in the second segment. With just over 50 laps to go and teams needing one more pit stop to make it to the end, a trio of cautions saw varying strategies unfold as Logano was brought to pit road – the opposite call of the leaders ahead – in an effort to gain ground on those with older tires. Logano ultimately made his way up to ninth prior to the final restart with 17 laps remaining before taking the checkered flag eighth on the night. Logano enters the Cup Series Playoffs ninth in the standings following the points reset.

    LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “Starting where we were, our goal was to pick them off one or two at a time and methodically move our way through the field. We were doing that. We got ourselves into the top-10 and looking pretty good. We had some issues on pit road – I’m not sure exactly what happened – but we cleaned it back up for the end there and got a top-10 out of it, at least. Not quite what we wanted with the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang but at least we recovered and got something decent out of it. We’ll move on to the playoffs and give it a run for our money and see if we can get down to the championship four.”

    The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs opens the Round of 16 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 8. Coverage of the Quaker State 400 begins at 3 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

  • Stewart-Haas Racing: Cook Out Southern 500 from Darlington

    Stewart-Haas Racing: Cook Out Southern 500 from Darlington

    STEWART-HAAS RACING
    Cook Out Southern 500
    Date: Sept. 1, 2024
    Event: Cook Out Southern 500 (Round 26 of 36 | regular-season finale)
    Series: NASCAR Cup Series
    Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.366-mile oval)
    Format: 367 laps, broken into three stages (115 laps/115 laps/137 laps)

    Race Winner: Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
    Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
    Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

    SHR Finish:

    ● Chase Briscoe (Started 3rd, Finished 1st / Running, completed 367 of 367 laps)
    ● Ryan Preece (Started 30th, Finished 12th / Running, completed 367 of 367 laps)
    ● Josh Berry (Started 15th, Finished 31st / Accident, completed 343 of 367 laps)
    ● Noah Gragson (Started 29th, Finished 32nd / Accident, completed 343 of 367 laps)

    SHR Regular-Season Points:

    ● Chase Briscoe (17th with 571 points)
    ● Josh Berry (23rd with 460 points)
    ● Noah Gragson (24th with 431 points)
    ● Ryan Preece (27th with 393 points)

    SHR Playoffs:

    ● Briscoe qualified for the playoffs by winning the Cook Out Southern 500.
    ● This is Briscoe’s second playoff appearance.

    Victory Notes:

    ● Briscoe’s victory in Cook Out Southern 500 marked the 104th overall win for SHR. It was the organization’s milestone 70th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series victory, its first of the season and its fourth at Darlington. SHR’s total win tally also includes six non-points-paying Cup Series wins, 27 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins and one ARCA Menards Series West win.

    ● Kevin Harvick scored all three of SHR’s prior Darlington wins. The first came in April 2014 with the other two coming in May 2020 and September 2020.

    ● This was SHR’s 34th NASCAR Cup Series victory with Ford. Kurt Busch won the 2017 Daytona 500 to deliver the organization’s first win with the Blue Oval.

    ● This was Ford’s 735th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory, its sixth of the season and its second straight. Ford driver Harrison Burton won last weekend at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

    ● This was Ford’s 34th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory at Darlington and its second straight. Ford won its first race at the 1.366-mile oval on Sept. 3, 1956 with NASCAR Hall of Famer Curtis Turner. Brad Keselowski won the series’ prior race at Darlington in May when he took the checkered flag in the Goodyear 400.

    ● This was Briscoe’s second career NASCAR Cup Series victory. His first came in March 2022 at Phoenix Raceway. Both wins have come since he joined SHR in 2021.

    Briscoe Notes:

    ● In addition to this being Briscoe’s first victory of the season, it is his third top-five and seventh top-10 of the year. It is his second top-five in eight career Darlington starts.

    ● Prior to his win at Darlington, Briscoe’s best finish of the season had been a runner-up effort earned June 23 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

    ● This was Briscoe’s second straight top-15. He finished 14th last weekend at Daytona.

    ● Prior to winning the Cook Out Southern 500, Briscoe’s previous best finish at Darlington was fifth, earned in May at the Goodyear 400.

    ● Briscoe finished third in Stage 1 to earn eight bonus points and second in Stage 2 to earn an additional nine bonus points.

    ● Briscoe led four times for 29 laps – his first laps led at Darlington.

    Preece Notes:

    ● Preece earned his eighth top-15 of the season and his third top-15 in 10 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington.

    ● Preece’s 12th-place result equaled his previous best finish at Darlington, originally earned in September 2021.

    Berry Notes:

    ● Berry finished ninth in Stage 1 to earn two bonus points and seventh in Stage 2 to earn four more bonus points.

    ● Berry led twice for five laps – his first laps led at Darlington.

    Race Notes:

    ● Briscoe’s margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was .361 of a second.

    ● Briscoe was the 14th different winner in the 26 NASCAR Cup Series races run this season.

    ● There were seven caution periods for a total of 39 laps.

    ● Only 17 of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

    ● Tyler Reddick won the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship by one point over second-place Kyle Larson. But with the points reset for the 16 drivers who qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs, Larson takes over first place in the playoff standings via his series-leading four victories.

    Playoff Standings:

    1. Kyle Larson (2,040 points)
    2. Christopher Bell (2,032 points, -8)
    3. Tyler Reddick (2,028 points, -12)
    4. William Byron (2,022 points, -18)
    5. Ryan Blaney (2,018 points, -22)
    6. Denny Hamlin (2,015 points, -25)
    7. Chase Elliott (2,014 points, -26)
    8. Brad Keselowski (2,008 points, -32)
    9. Joey Logano (2,007 points, -33)
    10. Austin Cindric (2,007 points, -33)
    11. Daniel Suárez (2,006 points, -34)
    12. Alex Bowman (2,005 points, -35)
    13. Chase Briscoe (2,005 points, -35)
    14. Harrison Burton (2,005 points, -35)
    15. Ty Gibbs (2,004 points, -36)
    16. Martin Truex Jr. (2,004 points, -36)

    Sound Bites:

    “Man, everybody knows I’m a diehard Tony Stewart fan and to get this 14 car back in victory lane and, for all 320-something employees, to be able to race for a championship in their final year, it’s unbelievable. God is just so good. This group, the day that we found out that the team wasn’t going to exist anymore, we went over to the shop floor, we all looked at each other and said, ‘We’re in this till the end. We’re not going to give this up.’ We kept saying all week we’ve got one bullet left in the chamber. That bullet hit. It was like déjà vu there at the end with Kyle (Busch), with the Xfinity race here in 2020. Obviously, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it. I was sideways, counter steering, like I was in a sprint car. Yeah, this night just literally went perfect. The pit crew did an incredible job. I was crying after the checkered. I just won the Southern 500! This is a crown jewel! What makes this race so special is all these race fans. Every time we come here, it’s sold out. It’s awesome. We love you guys. Last time I won here was during COVID, I didn’t experience it with the fans. Glad that you are here and can’t wait to celebrate. Just can’t thank HighPoint.com, Mahindra Tractors, Rush Truck Centers, Rinnai, Zep, enough, everybody that makes this deal go around. We’ll go to Atlanta and try to steal another one.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    “We just got caught in a tough spot there at the end of the race. We decided to stay out and risk it on fuel and it just didn’t work in our favor today.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    “Tough way to end such a promising day. We had a great No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse and we were going to net out to have a good points day, and it was just one of those nights that you look back on in frustration because this team deserves better. Our results don’t do us justice and tonight was one of those nights. We have 10 weeks to go chase a win.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    “I saw a couple of them wreck up front, so I tried to get on the brakes. Then I saw an opening and a little bit of smoke, but I thought they were all sliding down to the bottom and I throttled up. I thought it was open and it wasn’t. Definitely a bummer. We needed to be better all day.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    Next Up:

    The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Atlanta 400 on Sunday, Sept. 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The first race in the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

  • CHEVROLET NCS AT DARLINGTON 2: Post-Race Report

    CHEVROLET NCS AT DARLINGTON 2: Post-Race Report

    NASCAR CUP SERIES
    DARLINGTON RACEWAY
    COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500
    TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
    SEPTEMBER 1, 2024

     Five Chevrolet Drivers Set for 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs

    • In a caution-filled ending to the 2024 Cook Out Southern 500, strategy from atop the No. 8 Morgan & Morgan Chevrolet team’s pit box gave Kyle Busch a fresh set of tires and prime track position to make a run for the win and a playoff berth. Ultimately falling just short of the victory, Busch led Chevrolet to the checkered flag in the regular season finale from the runner-up position. The result marked Busch’s third top-four result – and his second straight runner-up finish – in the series’ past three races.
    • In a three-way battle for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship, Chevrolet’s Kyle Larson put on a commanding performance in much of the 500-mile event. Qualifying fourth in his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1, Larson progressively made his way to the top of the leaderboard near the midway point of Stage One. The 32-year-old Elk Grove, California, went on to perform a commanding sweep of the stages and lead a race-high 263 laps en route to a fourth-place result. Falling just one-point short from claiming the regular season title, Larson will begin his campaign for his second career championship title in NASCAR’s premier series at the top of the playoff standings.

    TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:
    POS. DRIVER
    2nd Kyle Busch
    4th Kyle Larson
    5th Ross Chastain
    9th Corey LaJoie

    WITH 26 NASCAR CUP SERIES RACES COMPLETE:
    Wins: 11
    Poles: 7
    Laps Led: 2,220
    Top-five finishes: 47
    Top-10 finishes: 100

    UP NEXT: The first of three races in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 16 gets underway at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the Quaker State 400 on Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.


    CHEVROLET’S NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFFS FAST FACTS:

    · In the NASCAR Cup Series’ 26-race regular season, Chevrolet collected a manufacturer-leading 11 wins, recorded by six drivers from three different Chevrolet organizations.

    · The 2024 season marks the 10-year anniversary of the elimination-style playoff format for NASCAR’s premier series.

    Since the debut of the 16-driver playoff field and elimination rounds to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014; at least five Chevrolet drivers were represented in the playoffs each season.

    Chevrolet All-Time

    NASCAR Cup Series Championships:

    42 NCS Manufacturer Championships:

    1st Chevy Title: 1958

    Most Recent Title: 2023

    Highest Number of Consecutive Titles: 13 (2003-2015)

    33 NCS Driver Championships:

    1st Chevy title: Buck Baker (1957)

    Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

    Highest Number of Consecutive Titles: 7 (2005-2011)


    TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

    ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 BUSCH RETRO CAMARO ZL1

    Finished : 5th

    Chastain on his race at Darlington Raceway:

    “For the final stage, we shorted the green flag stops the first time; netted some positions and we were fine. And then we did it again and as I was already on pit road, the caution came out. I could have kept rolling and probably stayed on the lead lap, but I wanted to try it just like Phil (Surgen, crew chief) was calling an aggressive race. I went ahead and stopped in the box knowing there was a chance that we would go a lap down. It was worth the risk. I had it off by about a quarter-lap in my head of where the No. 5 (Kyle Larson) would be. He was a lot closer than I thought.

    It’s one of those things that the staying out was a little scary in the moment, but I just kind of went through what I needed to do; get a good launch. I got clear into turn one, which I struggle to do that on equal tires, let alone the old ones. I was clear off of (turn) two still, and I was like – OK, this is going pretty good. And then new tires took over into turn three.”

    How crazy are those restarts with playoff positions on the line?

    “Actually, they were pretty calm. Back in the pack, they’re way worse. It’s brutal back there. We’re all just trying to get leverage and air on and off each other. It’s a lot nicer to be up front.”

    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 TOYS FOR TOTS CAMARO ZL1

    Finished: 15th

    “We had a fast Toys for Tots Chevrolet tonight at Darlington Raceway and the entire Richard Childress Racing team fought hard all weekend. We fell a lap down in Stage 2, but never gave up, stayed patient and raced our way back onto the lead lap. We could have had a shot there at the end. We were well within the top 10 and battling for position when a multi-car incident happened, and we ended up with damage. We lost track position pitting for repairs but fought back to finish 15th. I’m proud of this entire team.”

    KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1

    Finished: 4th

    That was a dominant performance for you. What happened at the end of the race?

    “Yeah, I think where it all kind of got crazy was when Ross (Chastain) stayed out. I had to choose the bottom on the front row. He got a good launch. I just got behind the No. 14 (Chase Briscoe) and kind of lost control of the race from then on. And then I just did a bad job on that last restart. Really, I just had the points on my mind there and really wanted to get the driver’s regular season championship there to get those bonus points. I was being extra cautious, which I don’t know if the end result was any different. But I was definitely as aggressive as I could have been with just being safe.

    But hats-off to Chase Briscoe; that’s amazing. He did such a great job all day long, all weekend long. This is a super, super tough race to win. To do it with the pressure that they had on their team was pretty amazing.”

    Looking back on a night where you were dominate, what do you think played a factor in that performance?

    “Our No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy was great. We came here with a little different package than normal, and I felt like our car was much better. Our pit crew did a really, really good job. I would have to look, but it felt like in the car, it was our best day on pit road by far. I’m proud of them. We were always able to maintain the lead and that’s what you need to do here to have a shot to win. It’s just so tough to pass.

    Just proud of my team and looking forward to the next 10 weeks. Hopefully we can make the Championship Four.”

    Not getting those extra 15 bonus points, what’s the strategy moving forward?

    “Yeah, we got them on the owner’s side, which is nice. But the driver’s side is definitely a bummer. I thought we were going to be able to get it, but I guess Tyler (Reddick) must have passed a couple of cars there at the end, and then I fell back a couple of spots. Just a bummer, but we were still able to rack up a lot of playoff points this year with the wins, as well as the stage wins. We got two more stage wins today, so that’s always good. You just have to take each week, week-by-week. You have to assess how you did the week before, where you are in points and go prepare for the next week.”

    Larson on the start of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

    “I’m excited to get the playoffs going. The first round, there’s some nerve racking tracks, but our team is doing a great job right now. We just need to bring fast Chevrolet’s to the track and take it week-by-week.”

    KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 MORGAN & MORGAN CAMARO ZL1

    Finished: 2nd

    “We needed him (Chase Briscoe) to have about three more laps on his tires, maybe. Just be a little bit more used up so I could get there. I got within his wake, and as soon as I got within his wake, I just felt my car come out of the race track and I didn’t have enough to overpower that.

    Really hate it for everybody at RCR; the effort, the work and everything that’s gone into our Chevrolet’s. I’m proud of his Morgan & Morgan Chevrolet today for being what it was. To come out second; we didn’t have much speed there through a majority of the race. We were just mired in traffic and we weren’t able to get up through there. But once we got up there; I felt like those last three or four restarts, we were going to have a shot running in the top-five. But then we had a shot for the win and just couldn’t make it up there.”

    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA GOLD FILTERS CAMARO ZL1

    Finished: 11th

    How would you describe this Southern 500?

    “Very poor. We got a gift to finish where we did.. a bunch of gifts. But yeah, obviously excited to have that one over with and look forward to getting the playoffs started. These next 10 races; they’re intense, so myself and this entire NAPA Chevy team needs to hit the reset button in a big way. We were pretty bad today, but we’ll go to Atlanta (Motor Speedway); get things rolling in the right direction and see where we end up.”

    There’s no track like this in the playoffs, so is the reset on all tracks or certain ones?

    “I’m just glad we’re not coming back here next week (laughs). Man, I have to figure something out here. It’s been a struggle. But nonetheless, I’m excited to get these next 10 races started. There are some good tracks in there for us, so I’m excited to get to those and try to make the most of the places that we’ve struggled at. I would love to tackle that this year, so we’re going to work really hard these next 10 weeks; bring everything we’ve got and hopefully it’ll be enough to get to the Championship Four.”

    ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1

    Finished: 19th

    “We weren’t very good here in the spring either. We tried some different things, but it just didn’t really work out. We’ll keep digging at it. I’m glad we get to reset. Obviously next weekend at Atlanta (Motor Speedway) is going to be a wild, so we’ll see what happens.”

    You’re back in the playoffs. How good does it feel to put this team back where I know you’ve said they deserve?

    “It feels good, for sure. We just need to go run better. We can’t do what we’ve done for the last month. We’ve had some good runs, but we just haven’t ended up with good results. We just can’t have days like this, for sure.”

    Atlanta is going to be wild, as you said. When you look at the first round, is there anything you are looking forward to? Is there a strength for this team?

    “Yeah, I mean I think honestly; the one that I circle in the first round that I’m looking forward to is Watkins Glen. I’ve been so bad there. I’ve worked so hard at road course stuff, in general, and that’s the last one that I feel like as a driver I need to check the box at. Excited to get there and be better than we’ve been in the past, and I think we’re plenty capable of doing that.”

    DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL1

    Finished: 18th

    Suarez on his race at Darlington Raceway:

    “It was an up-and-down day for the No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevy team. I thought we made the car better when the sun was out. Once the nighttime came, I thought we were actually a little bit better, and good enough to run top-15. We were already right up there in the top-10 when the cautions started coming out. It’s unfortunate, but it’s part of it. There were people staying out. There were people with new tires. It was just a little bit of a crazy situation.”

    How do you feel going into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs?

    “I feel good. I feel like our No. 99 team is strong. We’ve had pretty good momentum the last couple of months, so I think we’re ready. We’re ready to get to Atlanta (Motor Speedway).”


    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.

  • Buescher Misses Playoffs in Heartbreaking Fashion Despite P6 in Darlington

    Buescher Misses Playoffs in Heartbreaking Fashion Despite P6 in Darlington

    Keselowski 14th in Southern 500

    DARLINGTON, S.C. (Sept. 1, 2024) – If controlling his own destiny were the bottom line Sunday night at Darlington, Chris Buescher would’ve been in the right position as the 2024 NASCAR Playoffs picture was decided. However, another new winner went to victory lane, putting the No. 17 team on the outside looking in as the night ended.

    “I don’t know,” Buescher said in disbelief following the 500-mile race. “We felt like we did, for the most part, what we needed to do today. We got back in contention there at the end and got a decent finish out of it. We just didn’t quite get it done again and we’re on the outside looking in.

    “It’s just the system we’re all playing in. We had such a great year, everyone at RFK has worked so hard. We’ve been so fast. We’ve outrun so many of these cars that are gonna get to run for a championship, but that’s the system and we didn’t work it right.”

    Keselowski finished 14th in his return to the track ‘Too Tough to Tame’ where he won this spring, and now enters the playoffs reseeded as the No. 8 driver entering the final 10 races.

    6 Recap
    Keselowski began the afternoon from the 12th spot, and ended the opening stage of 115 laps in 11th, just behind teammate Buescher.

    Stage two ran caution-free for all 115 laps as Keselowski managed a 10th-place result to earn a stage point, setting up a long run to the finish as night fell on South Carolina.

    Despite a lack of cautions early, the last 50+ laps saw four yellow flags fly, reshuffling track position and strategy for the closing laps. Keselowski overcame a pit road issue in one of the breaks, and restarted sixth with 17 to go before going on to finish 14th.

    17 Recap
    Buescher and the No. 17 team did everything needed to insert themselves into the playoff picture. A qualifying effort of 10th began the weekend as Buescher locked in a heated battle with the No. 23 all race. He put the BuildSubmarines.com Ford 10th in the first stage to pick up a stage point.

    Despite a 13th-place finish in stage two, Buescher carried a seven-point buffer to the 23. He hit pit road earlier than the 23 as green-flag stops cycled early in stage three. After a yellow at lap 315, Buescher and the No. 38 were the cause of a caution just eight laps later as Buescher was forced into the outside wall.

    Buescher rallied though, ultimately coming back to restart fifth with 17 laps remaining in what would be the final restart of the night. With the 14’s win, Buescher stood as the first car out of the playoffs.

    Up Next
    Atlanta Motor Speedway hosts the first race of the 2024 Playoffs next weekend, with race coverage Sunday set for 3 p.m. ET on USA, and radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

    About RFK Racing
    RFK Racing, in its 37th season in 2024, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.

  • Toyota Racing – NCS Darlington Post-Race Report – 09.01.24

    Toyota Racing – NCS Darlington Post-Race Report – 09.01.24

    REDDICK WINS REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP IN DRAMATIC FASHION
    Five Camry Drivers Set to Compete for 2024 Cup Series Championship

    DARLINGTON, S.C. (September 1, 2024) – Tyler Reddick won the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Regular Season Championship with a 10th place result on Sunday night at Darlington Raceway. Reddick overcame fighting an illness during the 500-mile race, persevering by one point in the championship standings to earn the regular season driver’s title. Reddick is joined in the Cup Series Playoffs by four other Camry drivers, including Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr.

    Bell led all Camrys at Darlington with a third-place result. Gibbs and Bubba Wallace, who started on the pole, were involved in a multi-car incident late in the race, and both were able to continue and cross the finish line in the top 20. Wallace fell just outside the Playoff cutoff, while Truex had an incident early in the race but was able to secure the final spot in the Playoff field.

    Toyota Post-Race Recap
    NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
    Darlington Raceway
    Race 26 of 36 – 367 Laps, 501.322 Miles

    TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
    1st, Chase Briscoe*
    2nd, Kyle Busch*
    3rd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
    4th, Kyle Larson*
    5th, Ross Chastain*
    7th, DENNY HAMLIN
    10th, TYLER REDDICK
    16th, BUBBA WALLACE
    20th, TY GIBBS
    24th, ERIK JONES
    25th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
    36th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
    *non-Toyota driver

    TOYOTA QUOTES

    CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

    Finishing Position: 3rd

    How was your race tonight?

    “I don’t know. It was definitely a lot to digest. It was pretty self-explanatory there. The first two stages it went green and then the third stage we kind of had differing strategies. Some guys selected to pit early, we were on the long pit side. And then the yellow flags came, and people stayed out, people pitted, and we had differing tire strategies, and it made it really exciting. Chase (Briscoe) was awesome all night long obviously. Through stage one and stage two he was right there in the mix with them. He pounced whenever it mattered the most. I had the best seat in the house for the great shootout between the 14 (Chase Briscoe) and the 8 (Kyle Busch). And, yeah, it wasn’t meant to be for us today. Now, the real job starts.”

    DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

    Finishing Position: 7th

    Can you talk through the end of the race and what more you needed tonight?

    “Just need to be a little bit faster in the short run. We chipped away at it all day and put ourselves in a good spot. Just once we had that restart upfront it looked like we were going to kind of settle in there and run second and then with all the cautions at the end we ended up where we ended up. Overall, a decent day.”

    TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Upper Deck Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

    Finishing Position: 10th

    How were you able to maintain your focus battling illness during the race?

    “I don’t really know if I did honestly. Just things fell our way there at the end. Yeah, I started the day off feeling really, really good just kind of trying to take my time to get around Bubba (Wallace). Him and the 5 (Kyle Larson) kind of jumped us on the first cycle. I thought we had a long race and plenty of time and just man, by the end of stage one I couldn’t even really focus on what to tell the guys to do on the Upper Deck Toyota Camry. It was frustrating, man. We had that buffer over the 5 and just watched it disappear all day long. I tried everything I can to drive this car as fast as I can, it was just a real struggle honestly. I don’t have anything left.”

    What does it mean for this team to win the regular season championship and score those extra 15 points going into the Playoffs?

    “It’s huge for us. It’s a bummer, man. This has been one of my best tracks and we just had an all off night. I hate that. Like I said, I hated to use that buffer up that we had coming in here, but this is what this team is kind of all about. I feel like this is the worst night we’ve had in months and months speed wise, and I still finished 10th, and it was an all-out struggle for us. Just really proud of everybody on this team standing behind me. I couldn’t give great feedback, and it was just really, really hard to focus and keep it out of the wall there all night. It’s a shame we gave some points up. I felt like this is a race we could win, but it’s really nice in year two for me here at this team and year four of this team to get the regular season championship like we did.”

    BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

    Finishing Position: 16th

    What happened during the second half of the race for you?

    “We just were back and forth on our U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry. We were a little too loose, a little too tight. And the caution a couple laps on tires where we stayed out, I don’t know if that was the deciding factor or not. I was so tight there and got back there in traffic in a spot we hadn’t been all day and got caught up someone else’s mess. It’s unfortunate. I hate it for our guys. Hats off to the 14 (Chase Briscoe). I thought I did something yesterday, they one-upped us and showed up when it was game time so that’s pretty bad ass so congrats to them. Man, just wasn’t good enough for 16th this year. I hate that. It stinks saying that, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort for all of us on the 23 car. Best of luck to the 45 (Tyler Reddick) and hopefully a Toyota wins.”

    TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

    Finishing Position: 20th

    Can you believe you were able to make the Playoffs after being involved in an incident late in the race?

    “Not really. That was really unfortunate. I was really confused at it. Tried to get wrecked in (turns) three and four and then went and got finished off. I don’t know what was going on. That was unfortunate. I wish we could’ve ran better. I really love this track and have so much fun racing here. My car was so good. I wish we could’ve finished better but most importantly we made the Playoffs and that’s what we came here to do. We accomplished that so I’m very happy to be able to make it.”

    Are you relieved that you made it into the Playoffs?

    “Honestly, it’s good to get in. I really just wanted to win this thing. It’s great that we made it in. We tried to get wrecked that whole entire lap and then they pretty much finished us off down there which is unfortunate. I would expect different, but I don’t know what was happening with 30 something to go. It was unfortunate. It’s frustrating because I really love this place.”

    MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

    Finishing Position: 36th

    What happened to take you out of the race?

    “Clearly me. Yeah, it was all my fault, all my doing. I got a run on the 24 (William Byron), and went to the inside and thought everything was going fine and the car just took off and I ran into him. Obviously, that was on me. I hate it for my guys, Bass Pro Shops, Toyota, everybody. We had a phenomenal race car, and I know this is like the longest race of the year – just a dumb mistake on my part.”

    Did it surprise you that the car slid as much as it did?

    “I was definitely surprised. I didn’t expect – obviously that I’d drive into one that deep. I thought I was going to be fine side-by-side. It just took off on me and I hit the 24 (William Byron) so that’s obviously on me. I hate it for my team. You hate to make a mistake that early in the race. All my fault. I hate it for my team, I hate it for (Ryan) Blaney. I apologize to his guys. Just caught me by surprise and just a stupid mistake. Inexcusable.”

    About Toyota

    Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

    Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 12 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 13th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 29 electrified options.

    For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

  • Briscoe Gives Ford Manufacturer-Most Six Playoff Mustangs with Southern 500 Win

    Briscoe Gives Ford Manufacturer-Most Six Playoff Mustangs with Southern 500 Win

    Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
    NASCAR Cup Series
    Cook Out Southern 400 | Darlington Raceway
    Sunday, September 1, 2024

    CHASE BRISCOE WINS SOUTHERN 500, CLINCHES FINAL PLAYOFF SPOT

    • Chase Briscoe drove his No. 14 Ford Mustang Dark Horse to victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday night.
    • The win clinched the final playoff spot for the No. 14 team in the regular season’s crown jewel finale.
    • Ford now has the most drivers in the 16-driver playoff field of any manufacturer, with six.
    • Tonight’s win is Briscoe’s second career Cup Series victory.
    • This marks Stewart-Haas Racing’s 34th win since joining Ford.
    • Tonight’s win is Ford’s 735th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.

    FORD FINISHING RESULTS (UNOFFICIAL)
    1st – Chase Briscoe
    6th – Chris Buescher
    8th – Joey Logano
    12th – Ryan Preece
    13th – Austin Cindric
    14th – Brad Keselowski
    17th – Todd Gilliland
    21st – Harrison Burton
    27th – Justin Haley
    28th – Michael McDowell
    31st – Josh Berry
    32nd – Noah Gragson
    34th – Kaz Grala
    36th – Timmy Hill
    37th – Ryan Blaney

    CHASE BRISCOE No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    Finished: 1st

    POST-RACE INTERVIEW

    HOW MUCH OF THIS WAS FOR YOU AND HOW MUCH FOR THE EMPLOYEES AT SHR? “Both. Last week was the most embarrassing week I ever ran in my life and I told Richard, I said, ‘I don’t even want to talk about it. I promise you, I will make it up to you next week.’ Man, everybody knows I’m a diehard Tony Stewart fan and to get this 14 car back in Victory Lane and for all 320-something employees, to be able to race for a championship in their final year, it’s unbelievable. God is just so good. It’s like deja vu again with Kyle with the Xfinity race here in 2020. Obviously, I didn’t know if I was gonna be able to do it, but I just can’t thank HighPoint.com enough, Mahindra Tractors, Rush Truck Centers, Renai, everybody that makes this deal go around. We’ll go to Atlanta and try to steal another one.”

    WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT YOU AND THE ENTIRE 14 TEAM THAT YOU NEVER GAVE UP OR QUIT ON EACH OTHER? “This group, the day that we found out that the team wasn’t gonna exist anymore, we went over to the shop floor and we all looked at each other and said, ‘We’re in this until the end. We’re not gonna give up.’ We kept saying all week that we had one bullet left in the chamber and that bullet hit.”

    KYLE BUSCH WAS CHASING YOU DOWN. WAS THAT THE HARDEST YOU’VE DRIVEN IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE? “Yeah. I was sideways. Countersteering. I felt like I was in a sprint car. Yeah, this night just literally went perfect. The pit crew did an incredible job and I was crying after the checkered because I just won the Southern 500. This is a crown jewel and what makes this race so special is all you race fans. Every time we come here it’s sold out. It’s awesome and we love you guys. The last time I won here was during COVID, so I didn’t get the experience with the fans, so I’m grateful you guys are here and I can’t wait to celebrate.”

    CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    Finished: 6th

    HOW WOULD YOU SUMMARIZE YOUR RACE? “I don’t know. We felt like we did, for the most part, what we needed to do today. We got back in contention there at the end and got a decent finish out of it. We just didn’t quite get it done again and we’re on the outside looking in. It’s just the system we’re all playing in. We had such a great year. Everyone at RFK has worked so hard. We’ve been so fast. We’ve outrun so many of these cars that are gonna get to run for a championship, but that’s the system and we didn’t work it right.”

    WHAT IS THE APPROACH TO THE FINAL 10 RACES AND WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS NOW? “It’s not on my mind yet. We had a lot of things figured out. That’s not it now. We’ll get back and digest this one a little bit. It’s such a shame, but another great run for our BuildSubmarines.com Mustang. It’s another great finish here at Darlington, but just not enough with another new winner and, yeah, just crazy. I’m definitely gonna think back on different times throughout the year and we’ll figure out how to do better next time.

    HOW DO YOU SUM UP THE EMOTION? “It’s frustration and disbelief all together.”


    RYAN PREECE, No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    Finished: 12th

    “We just got caught in a tough spot there at the end of the race. We decided to stay out and risk it on fuel and it just didn’t work in our favor today.”

    JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    Finished: 31st

    “Tough way to end such a promising day. We had a great No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse and we were going to net out to have a good points day, and it just was one of those nights that you look back on in frustration because this team deserves better. Our results don’t do us justice and tonight was one of those nights. We have 10 weeks to go chase a win.”


    RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Richmond Water Heathers Ford Mustang Dark Horse

    Finished: 37th (Retired early due to accident on lap 2)

    ARE YOU OKAY AND WHAT HAPPENED? “Yeah, I was hurt for a little bit, but I think I will be okay. I am alright. I saw Martin (Truex Jr.) get loose, and I thought he was going to spin to the bottom, so I kind of gassed up to get around him, but it was just terrible timing. He overcorrected, and we were just right there. Gosh, I hate wrecking on lap 2. It is one of those things where you think he is going to spin to the bottom, but his rear is hooked up but he just came up. I hate it for everyone at Menards and Ford. Our car was great and I just didn’t get any laps. Hopefully, next week goes a little bit better.”

  • Toyota Racing – NCS Darlington Pole Quotes – Bubba Wallace – 08.31.24

    Toyota Racing – NCS Darlington Pole Quotes – Bubba Wallace – 08.31.24

    Toyota Racing – Bubba Wallace
    NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

    DARLINGTON, S.C. (August 31, 2024) – 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace was made available to the media on Saturday after winning the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Southern 500 race at Darlington Raceway.

    BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

    How much confidence do you have for tomorrow’s race after getting the pole for Sunday’s Southern 500?

    “Yeah, you look at us coming in and being on the bubble – 21 points out with a ton of pressure and I think the pressure just switched. We’re not here to mess around. I showed up with a more open and calmer demeanor – more free and relaxing demeanor, but at the same time I don’t want to be messed with. So, it’s a fine balance you’re got to walk. I appreciate the team. We unloaded – we did some changes to the car in the spring race, and it just wouldn’t give me the right read going into qualifying. So, I told Booty (Barker, crew chief), ‘Hey, I need to be this to have a good qualifying run’ and here we are. Just everybody on the 23 car and everybody back at AirSpeed. Both cars just showing up with speed at Darlington for the Southern 500 is super cool. I’ve been close here I think once or twice in qualifying, so to finally pull it out, it’s like ‘Wow! We’ve got it!’ With all that being said, the elephant in the room — tomorrow is a whole different day and I’m excited to see what tomorrow offers.”

    What kind of confidence does checking the first box give you to having a good run to make the Playoffs?

    “Yeah, for sure. To be honest with you, I was pretty mad after practice and not being on top. I set the expectations pretty high, and we were sixth and I was like ‘God almighty! Alright, I wanted to make a statement,’ and I didn’t do that. So, I had to make that up in qualifying. It’s good to be where we’re at. It’s so hard at this level, right? 17, I don’t know where he qualified – he’s top 10. But there’s no free lunch. That’s one of Bootie’s (Barker, crew chief) many sayings – one of his favorites. Everything you do, there’s no free lunch. There’s nothing guaranteed on the other side. I’ve said this a couple weeks ago after Richmond, it’s going to be a dog fight to the very end. And I think that’s what makes us drivers all great is we’re excited to show up and compete and put it all on the line for our team, our sponsors, our people that work on these cars. We get to do that tomorrow here in Darlington. Yeah, the confidence is there. I get to get humbled here in next few hours going back to racing Legends cars here against Keelan (Harvick). So, yeah, I’ll tell him I got a Southern 500 pole, and he doesn’t.”

    Is there a rhythm here that you’ve started to pick-up on here?

    “Hell no. I pounded it off the fence in round one and two. It just so happened to work. Where we’re at now is so data driven. Denny (Hamlin) talks about that a lot. How much we dive into data. It took me a while just to get onboard with that, but knowing how much vital information there is inside of all that data – now you can get a little too much into the weeds and so you’ve got to pick and choose. We’ve been really good here in qualifying and we’ve also given up a really good race car trying too hard from what I’m hearing from data and just not getting back to the basics. So today, I’ve determined that Darlington is probably one of the, if not the hardest places to qualify. Just the way you have to approach practice to the qualifying trim, it’s totally different. For example, Kansas the first couple laps in practice you’re damn near wide open. In qualifying, you’re wide open, so it’s close. Here you’re finessing and practicing and then hey, good luck. It all goes back to JR and our analytics group. They do a really good job of feeding us the right information that translates to on-track performance.”

    What was the battle between the head and the throttle pedal there?

    “So, I’m sitting there, and I remember coming here a year ago, right and we were pretty good in practice and JR is like, ‘Hey, you need to be deeper on entry.’ And I’m like, okay, and I went out in qualifying, and I said, ‘Here’s deeper’ and we were 18th or whatever and that’s not what I meant. You have to understand, and you have to dive into what that actually means. We came here in the spring and my car was okay and I made a move to the bottom in (turns) three and four – not the bottom but the middle and that gave up our pole time. So, here we had a goal to make sure you run the fence in (turns) three and four and right before qualifying I looked over an email with our analytics stuff and I said, ‘Okay, I got on the gas right here in the spring so I’m going to do that.’ It’s a little bit hotter. Track temps up, grip’s not like it is in the spring, and it caught me by surprise. It’s tough. It’s tough to go out – I mean, (Kyle) Larson ran a 43 or 44. I don’t know – it was close. And so, I thought I definitely gave some up especially through (turns) one and two in the second round, but the first round was just perfect.”

    Do you think you’ll gain enough stage points to make it a battle on points?

    “Yeah, anything can happen we’ve seen. Look at last week, right. Anything can happen so we have to run our own race. It makes it a lot easier for us. Having that first pit stall and as long as long as we execute and make the right calls, be great on pit road then — all I want is every single person a part of this team, including myself, is to go to bed tomorrow night saying, ‘We did whatever we could. We did all we could.’ And maybe it was good enough, maybe it wasn’t so that’s the lottery ticket we’ll find out tomorrow after the race.”

    Is racing a Legends car doing all that you can or just a distraction to keep your mind off Sunday’s race?

    “Hell, I got my ass kicked. You were there. It was bad. I didn’t need you to confirm that. I love racing Legends cars. I haven’t been in one in over five years and it’s totally different now. It’s more frustrating not being able to jump back into it and being as competitive as I was, but on the other side of that I’m a competitor. I’ll make everything a competition, right. I bet I can write a better article than you. It’s just a competition thing – it’s kind of a joke but I’m going to make it a competition. But it’s just that side of it is just competing and having fun with it all and being around the kids there. It was funny, we were talking about qualifying in the Legend car and I said, ‘Y’all ain’t got nothing on qualifying at Darlington.’ And I was giving them just a little flavor of the difference between groups what you have to do in the car and I’m glad I told them somewhat of the truth because it ended up working out today. Just going over there and racing Legends cars and having fun. When is our writing competition (laughter)?”

    About Toyota

    Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

    Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 12 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 13th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 29 electrified options.

    For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

  • Chase Briscoe Qualified 3rd to Lead in Southern 500 Qualifying

    Chase Briscoe Qualified 3rd to Lead in Southern 500 Qualifying

    Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
    NASCAR Cup Series
    Southern 500 Qualifying | Darlington
    Saturday, August 31, 2024

    FORD QUALIFYING RESULTS
    3rd – Chase Briscoe
    7th – Ryan Blaney
    10th – Chris Buescher
    11th – Austin Cindric
    12th – Brad Keselowski
    15th – Josh Berry
    21st – Justin Haley
    23rd – Joey Logano
    24th – Harrison Burton
    29th – Noah Gragson
    30th – Ryan Preece
    31st – Michael McDowell
    33rd – Todd Gilliland
    35th – Kaz Grala
    37th – Timmy Hill

    CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Qualified 3rd)

    “It was a really good job by our guys. We were not that great in practice. We were really tight but we got on the other side of it. We are pretty free now, which is a little nerve-wracking for tomorrow. If we can get it somewhere in the middle, I will feel really good about it. I was surprised that lap was third. I am kind of kicking myself because I feel like I definitely could have put it on the pole, but we will see what we have for tomorrow.”

    RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Qualified 7th)

    “The second round wasn’t as good as I had hoped for. I thought our race pace was really strong though, so that is something to look forward to. Starting in the top 10 tomorrow is not too bad. Like I said, I feel good about the race tomorrow, so we have that to look forward to and hopefully we can move forward come race time.”

    CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Qualified 10th)

    “The first round I thought we did a good job, the team did a good job of making adjustments for the second round. We were working hard to try to make three and four better because we left a lot on the table there but then I ended up messing up turn one a little bit. It is still a good start for us.”

  • Toyota Racing – NCS Darlington Quotes – Tyler Reddick – 08.31.24

    Toyota Racing – NCS Darlington Quotes – Tyler Reddick – 08.31.24

    Toyota Racing – Tyler Reddick
    NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

    DARLINGTON, S.C. (August 31, 2024) – 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick was made available to the media on Saturday prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway.

    TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Upper Deck Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

    What does the Southern 500 mean to you and what is your outlook?

    “The regular season has kind of flown by – the whole year kind of has. The break, everything else, I don’t know, it feels like we just got going. Yeah, it’s been a nice climb out of the gutter for us as the year has went on. Just some really solid finishes have helped us close the gap and get to where we are currently today. But, yeah, really excited for this weekend. This is a race that means a lot to me. I feel like it means a lot to a lot of these drivers and it’s one that I’ve ran second and third a few times in to this guy over here (Kyle Larson) to the left. We’ll try and get one spot better this weekend, but we’ll probably be racing around each other a lot tomorrow night.”

    Are you focused on racing your own race or how can you win the regular season championship?

    “I feel like at a place like Darlington it’s hard to because I mean it’s just, you’re kind of racing the track, right? There might be an option to mix up the strategy in the stages, but I think we all have a pretty good idea of what the best strategy is going to be. It’s tough here. I feel like you go to some of these other tracks – Michigan is a perfect example – where you’re more worried about fuel than tires. I think it’s easier to do it, but here it’s just a race where you’re running against the track all night like. Certainly, it could go that way, but I feel like if we both have solid nights then we’re in a pretty good place unless we just have a disastrous night.”

    Have you seen your car yet and what are your thoughts of having those iconic sports superstars on it? Are you old enough to know who Wayne Gretzky is?

    “Yeah, Wayne Gretzky, man, that’s pretty crazy. I mean you don’t have to be very familiar with hockey to know about Wayne Gretzky. I remember seeing the car in the shop like last week and saw Michael (Jordan) on the hood and I quickly went to the gym or whatever and a couple days later I took a closer look at it, and I realized that Tiger (Woods) and Wayne (Gretzky) were on it too. Yeah, just adding to the pressure of the weekend so it’s find with me.”

    What’s it like to have your bosses face on the hood of your car?

    “Better take care of the hood. Better take care of it!”

    What are your thoughts on starting the Playoffs at a track like Atlanta?

    “Hopefully make it past lap two and it should be a better day (laughter). Yeah, it’s just one of those speedway races – again it’s one that you could see a mix-up on strategy and everything. Yeah, we’ll just cross the bridge when we get there. Certainly, that first round really has the opportunity to get out of hand for a number of teams. Just try to manage the race the best we can when we get there.”

    Which races in the Playoffs do you consider ‘wild card’ races?

    “Atlanta can be. We’ve seen some pretty chaotic finishes there. Just stack ups can happen at a bad time and take out a lot of cars. Watkins Glen, I feel like is a bit more straight forward. It seems like the tire we’re going to go with is going to be much different than we’re used to. So, I mean, it’s very possible with that it takes a little bit different formula than what you’ve seen in the past to win there so that has the potential. I think with a place like Bristol, if it remains like it did in the spring then yeah it could just be totally wide open there as well. It has all the potential to be a real disaster if you’re not careful.”

    What are your thoughts on NASCAR returning to Rockingham?

    “Yeah, I feel like it if it wasn’t for my first start K&N start at Rockingham, I don’t know if I’d be here, honestly. So, yeah, the track has been good to me, well was good to me in the K&N car. My truck start was a little less than desirable. I think we got spun out on like lap three or so. It’s always been a fun track. I’ve got a good understanding of faster races tracks are kind of like racing there way back when. It’s cool to see it back on the schedule, for me, it’s a place that kind of changed my life. It’s great to see it back.”

    Will you be thinking about manufacturer-specific drivers coming down to end of tomorrow’s race with the Playoffs on the line?

    “I mean, places like this you’re just running your own race. You’re thinking about yourself, you’re being selfish and not really thinking of anybody else. A speedway, that’s where it gets a little more complicated. But, yeah, at a place like this you’re just trying to win the race. For us, we’re in the Playoffs right, so if we go out there and win it keeps anything crazy from happening. But, yeah, it can get a little tricky as we saw.”

    Do you look closely at the schedules when NASCAR first releases them?

    “I’m just excited for another road course. I finally get to go to Mexico too so that will be cool. Yeah, I think I’ve been like to Cancun or something I don’t know, it doesn’t really count. Real Mexico, I’ve never been to so I’m excited about that. Outside of that, I mean we try to just think ahead, look ahead at what we need to be focused on for the Playoffs next year. Outside of that, other than seeing only one off-weekend, that’s the only thing I think we really think about.”

    Is there more calmness heading into Darlington as the regular season finale compared to Daytona that is more of a wild card race?

    “I mean, yeah, I was kind of hoping that Daytona was going to go a little better. Coming to a place like this, I’d say it’s pretty much in our control. It’s in mine and it’s in his (Kyle Larson) right? That’s how we go out and run our race will decide it. A place like Daytona, it’s just when you’re fighting the cutoff or if you’re fighting for that regular season championship, it’s so stressful because there’s so many things that can happen out of your control.”

    About Toyota

    Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

    Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 12 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 13th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 29 electrified options.

    For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

  • CHEVROLET NCS AT DARLINGTON 2: Kyle Busch Media Availability Quotes

    CHEVROLET NCS AT DARLINGTON 2: Kyle Busch Media Availability Quotes

    NASCAR CUP SERIES
    DARLINGTON RACEWAY
    TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
    AUGUST 31, 2024

    Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Morgan & Morgan Camaro ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series’ practice and qualifying session at Darlington Raceway.

    Media Availability Quotes:

    A lot of speed on Richard Childress Racing the last few weeks, really since the Olympic break. What do you attribute that to?

    “Just a lot of hard work and everybody really pulling together, and you know, a few changes personnel-wise behind the scenes, but really just, you know, great effort and great work really coming together. A lot of that’s been from April to May timeframe of just conversations of processes and procedures that we need to improve on and work on and we’re starting to see the fruits of that labor now.”

    Do you see this weekend as one where you may have to just take chances or do a crazy strategy if you don’t have the flat-out speed?

    “Yes and no. I don’t know that you can really get a whole lot done here because of all the fall off and tire wear and things like that. If you have a three-lap run, do you stay out? I don’t predict you’re gonna be able to hold them off very long so unless it’s a green-white-checker which in that case you’re probably gonna get a few as we tend to do this day and age so I don’t know that you’ll be able to see a whole lot of different strategy play. We’ll just have to have some outright raw speed and go get ‘em.”

    Does Parker Retzlaff owe you or anybody at your organization either an explanation or an apology for maybe not doing enough in other people’s eyes last week for you?

    “Not me, but I don’t really know him all that well so I don’t know what sort of business relationships there are behind the scenes. Once upon a time when I owned a Truck Series team, we had other teams that we helped and we supported and we gave parts and pieces and resources and different things too. I don’t know how all that stems for his relationship with Beard behind the scenes. So yeah, not to me. He didn’t owe me nothing.”

    Why not?

    “Well, we have our Chevrolet team meetings, our key meetings, key partner meetings before the race and he’s not in one of those. So if you’re not in one of those, then you should not be relied upon as a key partner to need to push and know the game that needs to be played. So that’s how I look at it.”

    Flashing forward a little bit to the start of next year going to Bowman Gray for the Clash. Your boss man Richard has a long history there’s where you got his start. What do you think about going to Bowman Gray, such a historic place? Have you ever been over there?

    “I have never been no, I’ve never been on the premises. I’ve seen a lot of highlight reels from over there so I will have to call upon a driver coach, probably Burt Myers, to give me some pointers about what to do and what to look out for and how to get around that place. Him and I are pretty close and been friends for a long time. He seems to be a champion over there and knows how to get around there well.”

    Obviously you hope to win this weekend and make the playoffs but if you don’t do you feel better about being able to keep your consecutive season streak alive given that you’ve had the speed, you’ve been knocking on the door, do you feel more optimistic about that happening now between now and the end of the season?

    “No, I mean, you want to go out there and contend every week, but getting wins is a whole different story. So, for us to be able to capitalize on our good runs, like last week, we just missed and didn’t execute well enough in those final moments to get the job done. Anything can happen. You’ve got to live it out until the end and we’ve got 11 more weeks to get it done. It would certainly be nice to get it done here in Darlington and put that story to rest but also put ourselves in the playoffs and have a shot to continue to build on this momentum that we’ve had with RCR and our stuff getting better to take our Chevrolets far into the playoffs.”

    You haven’t been in this position on the outside of the playoffs at this point very often in your career. Has there been any frustration? How have you kind of kept your mindset moving forward to take advantage of every chance that you can?

    “Yeah, the whole season’s been frustrating. Every week, it just kind of seems like, okay, what’s next? But that’s something that we can’t change. Chris Buescher just said it beforehand, you know, there’s a lot of things and a lot of questions that we have for ourselves and answers that we might not be able to answer exactly right now as to how our year has gone, but that’s in the past, and you know you can use that as a distraction or a motivation tool, and we’ll look to try to make that as a motivation tool. We did not run well here in the past. This race in the spring we did not run well, but we don’t come in this weekend holding our heads low and thinking that we’re gonna not run well again. We put our heads to paper and try to figure out why and said we’re gonna go there with the best piece we can and try to kick their butt and get a win.”

    Looking at the recent talk with Kyle Larson and Max Verstappen, what’s your take on would it be harder for a good NASCAR driver to go to F1 and do well or harder for a good F1 driver to come here and do well?

    “There once was a time when Lewis Hamilton and Kyle Busch were the dominant guys and this conversation never happened so I’m jealous, frankly. But maybe it didn’t happen because I didn’t bring on the conversation myself. I would say that you have seen guys do better going from our realm to the other one. I don’t know if it’s a pure downforce thing or not, but those guys seem to just drive pure beyond the limits of the car and the car will take it and they can stick. Over here you have to have a lot more finesse and so you just kind of see guys not understand the finesse part and where the grip is without just going over it. To answer your question in short, I would say Kyle’s probably got a better shot than Max.”

    You just said that last Saturday you didn’t execute well at the end of the race. What could you have done differently?

    “Nothing. That’s the terrible part about restrictor plate racing. The two guys behind me seemed to be a bit out of control and when you go back and look at SMT data they were dilly-dallying around off of turn two, getting squirrely and not holding their steering wheel straight, not holding their gas pedal down and they were slow. The guy that was on the outside with the run with Harrison and Parker, they were wide open, steering wheel straight and they drove right by us. So, I guess I was blamed for not pulling up in front of the 21 off of two, but the runs were equal when I was watching and re-watching, when I was watching in my mirror and remembering it as it happened. The 20 was getting to me as fast as the 21 was getting to me and when the 20 was bumping me, that’s when the momentum of the outside with the 21 and the 62 took off. If I would have turned to get in front of that, I would have wrecked. There’s no way in protecting that. So unless I come off a turn two and just go to the middle and block the 21’s lane, then who’s to say that we don’t get squirrely and the 20 goes right by us on the inside. Monday morning quarterbacking is the worst thing you can do. So it is what it is.”

    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.