Category: NASCAR Cup PR

TRUEX DRIVES TO RUNNER-UP FINISH AT KENTUCKY
Martin Truex Jr. scores his third top-two finish at Kentucky in last four events

SPARTA, Ky. (July 12, 2020) – Martin Truex Jr. (second) and Christopher Bell (seventh) led Toyota with top-10 finishes at the Quaker State 400 at the Kentucky Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Kentucky Speedway
Race 17 of 36 – 400.5 miles, 267 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Cole Custer*
2nd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
3rd, Matt DiBenedetto*
4th, Kevin Harvick*
5th, Kurt Busch*
7th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
12th, DENNY HAMLIN
21st, KYLE BUSCH
22nd, ERIK JONES
26th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
37th, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Auto Owners Insurance Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

You came from the back to a second-place finish and nearly the win, can you talk about the closing laps?

“It was fun. I can’t say enough about the guys on this Auto Owners Camry. Everybody back at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) really went to work this week to try to get back to what we used to do here. Just hats off to the guys – James (Small, crew chief) and everybody. Just an unbelievable race car. In the end there, just a bit unlucky losing the lead to (Ryan) Blaney on that first restart by a couple thousandths and then again to the 4 (Kevin Harvick) when the caution came out. We were side-by-side. That’s kind of the way these things go sometimes. I’m really proud of the effort. Super-fast race car and feel like we’re back in the game now.”

What happened on the final restart?

“Just trying to get in line behind the 4 (Kevin Harvick) off of (turn) two there and got into him a little bit. Then got outside him because I screwed that up and went into (turn) three and I knew he was going to run me up pretty high. I was up in the loose stuff pretty good there, but I was able to hang onto it. The 41 (Cole Custer) came with a big run and I didn’t see him coming. Unfortunate, but we had a hell of a battle today. This Auto Owners Camry was really strong today obviously and really proud of that. Sometimes you lose these things that way. It was unfortunate the way we lost the lead on the restart with the caution coming out and then we about had the lead again and caution came out again. I don’t know, I guess today we were meant to be second.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 95 Toyota Camry, Leavine Family Racing

Finishing Position: 7th

Another solid top-10 after starting from the back. Talk about the run through the pack at a track that is very difficult to pass on.

“It was a very confusing day. I have moments where I felt like my Camry was really fast and I could run really good lap times, and then I had moments where – I wasn’t very good in traffic today for whatever reason. Normally, that is our strong suit is being able to pass guys, and today I really struggled with that. Obviously, I’m happy with getting out of there with a seventh, but disappointed. I wish we could have been a little bit better when we had that track position.”

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About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

SPARTA, Ky. (July 12, 2020) – Ryan Newman picked off multiple positions in the closing laps of Sunday’s 400-mile race from Kentucky Speedway, to finish 17th in the Acronis Ford Mustang.

Newman – who finished ninth at the 1.5-mile track a season ago – came to the green-white-checkered restart in the 23rd spot, but powered his way forward – picking up six positions in the closing two laps.

After rolling off 13th following the random draw, Newman ran 23rd at the time of the competition caution at lap 25. He would end stage one in 25th and was the recipient of the free pass – one of three occasions on the day – before pitting for service to try and tighten up his Acronis machine.

The South Bend, Indiana, native fired off 24th for the stage two green flag, and maintained the spot 40 laps into the run. As green-flag stops began to cycle, Newman hit pit road at lap 145 for two tires, before the caution came out a short time later at lap 154. Newman, in 24th, was again awarded the free pass. He went on to finish the stage in 23rd, where he stayed out for valuable track position.

Newman restarted 17th for the final stage, one that ran 100 laps. Green flag stops again came into play, this time as Newman ran 18th at lap 219. A yellow flag would again follow the stop, with Newman staying out but ineligible for the wave around. An immediate caution came out at lap 244, putting the Acronis Ford back on the lead lap. A pair of yellows came out in the final 20 laps, setting Newman up for the final run during the closing laps to tally the 17th-place finish.

Next up, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the 2020 All-Star Race, where Newman has an automatic bid by virtue of his win in the event back in 2002. Race coverage for the All-Star Open – which will feature teammate Chris Buescher – begins at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. The All-Star Race is set for 8:30 p.m. ET, also on FS1. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

SPARTA, Ky. (July 12, 2020) — After working his way up to 11th in the second stage of racing, Chris Buescher and the No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford team finished 20th on Sunday afternoon at Kentucky Speedway after a plethora of restarts during the races’ final laps.

Buescher rolled off the grid 13th, but slid back to 15th in the first 25 laps after battling a tight handling Ford Mustang. At the competition caution, the team elected to pit for an air pressure adjustment, fuel and tires. After restarting 20th at Lap 30, Buescher got to work and gained two positions while running top-two lap times. At lap 65, the driver was running 17th when he reported that the balance in the car was getting better. Running out of laps in the first stage to make more progress, Buescher took the green-white checkered 17th.

The Prosper, Texas native elected to pit under the stage break at lap 83 for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. After restarting 15th, the driver reported that his No. 17 Ford was tight handling on entry and getting worse. At Lap 148, the team made a scheduled green flag pit stop for four tires and fuel. Soon after getting back on track, a caution flag waved at lap 153. The No. 17 team stayed out on track during the quickie caution and earned two positions on the restart for a two-lap shootout to finish stage two in 18th.

Buescher and the team stayed out at the stage break and restarted the final stage in 14th with 100 laps to go. The driver held steady track position, toggling between 13th and 14th with reports of a loose handling car in turns one and two. When it came time for a green flag pit stop at Lap 219, Buescher was up to 11th before heading to pit road. After a standard stop for four tires and fuel, the driver got back on track and was one lap down. Fortunately, a caution flag at Lap 228 for debris resulted in the team taking a wave around and getting back on the lead lap. Buescher restarted 20th at lap 237, but a handful of cautions towards the end of the race helped him gain enough track position to restart 16th with 13 to go. Another caution flag waved with eight laps to go. Running 17th, the team stayed out under caution and restarted in the same position. After a two-lap shootout in the bluegrass state, Buescher ultimately took the checkered flag 20th.

Buescher and the No. 17 team return to action Wednesday, July 15 for the NASCAR All-Star open race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Race coverage begins at 7 p.m. EST on FOX Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

Toyota Racing – Martin Truex Jr.
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

SPARTA, Ky. (July 12, 2020) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. was made available to media via videoconference in advance of the race at Kentucky Speedway:

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Auto Owners Insurance Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Are you excited to head to Bristol for the All-Star race this week?

“It should be exciting. Doing it a little different. Bristol is obviously a great short track and always exciting racing there. I think it’s the perfect spot to have the All-Star race. Hopefully, it will put on a big show.”

What will be your challenge in today’s race starting from the back and have you looked at where the traction compound is located?

“Haven’t looked yet. It’s definitely not optimal. It’s going to be a challenge. This is a track that’s difficult to pass on. We’ve seen throughout the weekend that the PJ1 is definitely the preferred groove and really not much been happening on the bottom lane. I don’t know, our cars are a little different than everybody else that’s been here this weekend. Hopefully, the groove will widen out some. It’s going to be hot this afternoon so maybe that will help a bit. It’s going to be a challenge and we’ll just do the best we can with it.”

Have you used the ‘choose rule’ in other series you’ve competed in prior to NASCAR and do you have an idea of how many rows it would take to move to the other groove?

“I’ve never done it before. Honestly, I’ve been racing NASCAR long enough that short tracks weren’t even doing this back then. It’s been a while for sure. I think it will just depend on the race track and we’ll see how it plays out. Bristol is definitely a place where you can make either lane work depending on how your car is working and things like that. I think it will be pretty straightforward at Bristol. I don’t really see guys giving up rows, but definitely there’s some options there and maybe it will give you a chance to take some chances somewhere.”

How will the championship be viewed for the 2020 season?

“I think no matter what, to win a championship at this level, no matter what the circumstances, is a big deal. It would be huge for any team. It’s really hard to say it will be much different. Obviously, the challenges this year have been unique and from that standpoint, maybe there would be some extra special feelings from the crew or just the amount of work they’ve had to put in or the challenges they’ve faced.”

You just turned 40. Were you dreading that number or sad to say goodbye to your 30s?

“It really didn’t bother me much. I’m glad to be 40, I’m glad to make it another year. Not feeling 40. It’s funny, when I got reminded that it was coming up, I remembered back to when my Dad turned 40 and me thinking how old he was. Getting up there for sure, but I don’t feel 40 so I guess that’s a good thing.”

Do you feel you have a lot of years left in your career?

“You know, I really hadn’t thought much about it to be honest with you. I think I just kind of take it as the contracts come along and think about where I’m at, how things are going. Right now, I’m loving what I’m doing, I love my team and I’ve got a lot of great partners that have made it all possible. I think as long as we keep having success, we’ll just keep rolling.”

Where do you think you and your team have improved from last year to this year?

“That’s a tough question. I don’t know we’re where we want to be right now. I think last year, one of the things we struggled with was unloading off the trailer and being where we wanted to be. I felt like we always had to make a lot of gains throughout the weekends. This year, since coming back without having practice, I feel like it’s hurt us a lot. We’ve had some inconsistencies here and there and we’ve just had some bad races. It’s really not typical for us. I definitely would say we’re not where we want to be from that standpoint. We’ve had more than our share of tough luck this year as well. I don’t know, it’s been just so different. It’s really hard to compare. New crew chief this year so that’s been different as well. We really just have been missing practice a bit there. Our strength always as a team was figuring out how to get the car better between practice and the race. That was really something we really excelled at and we’ve missed out on that I feel like. Overall, I feel like we’ve been performing well. Just we’ve had a couple hiccups along the way. Last week was definitely a tough deal with the engine issue on the first lap and then getting wrecked. We didn’t even get a chance to race and it’s kind of been little things like that popping up here and there that have bit us this year.”

How do you feel about the glow lights for the All-Star race?

“I’m not a huge fan of it. I don’t know, I think it’s kind of ridiculous looking. It’s really up to what everybody wants and what the fans like. It’s not like we get to vote on it or anything. I found out just a few days ago. We’ll see how it all plays out.”

Has the importance of following the COVID protocols been discussed with the drivers from NASCAR or Joe Gibbs Racing?

“Yeah, I think everybody has talked about it. That’s part of what we’re doing here is trying to continue racing and finish out this season. It’s definitely been passed along to everybody and I think everybody is taking it seriously.”

# # #

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2020
CLINT BOWYER MEDIA AVAILABILITY

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing met with media members across the country via Zoom prior to Sunday’s race at Kentucky Speedway.

CLINT BOWYER, No. 14 Ford Mustang — WE HAVE A QUICK TURNAROUND TO WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THE ALL-STAR RACE: “It is the All-Star race. One million dollars! Say it with me. It is one of those things where you have been dreaming of the opportunity for a long time. By opportunity I don’t mean the COVID. I mean the opportunity to get this All-Star race to Bristol. I thought it was a perfect fit for the All-Star format and I am excited to get there and see it all go down.”

HOW DO YOU THINK THE CHOOSE RULE WILL GO? “I think just like anything, I think it comes down to having an issue of like something blowing up or some other issue that you can’t foresee ahead of time. We have had some dialogue about things. I talked to NASCAR and obviously having late models that race all around the country, as they travel all across the country they travel and run and will run into a certain track that will implement their rules a lot of times. For the locals and the track who needs them for the car count and to put the show on. I have seen it go good and seen it go bad, honestly. I don’t want that to be the focal point going into Bristol. It can’t just be about the cone rule. You hear drivers talk about it and I don’t want to oversell it. Can it make an impact? Absolutely. But if you oversell it, it will never hold up to the expectations of what people are expecting out of that. For the most part, I don’t see that it probably will make a difference past … I just don’t see people giving up two or three spots to stay on the outside. Possibly if you are on old tires or something like that, that is where an opportunity like that comes in. Just look at this weekend in Kentucky. I think it is a prime example. I called both of those Xfinity races and had it been that rule in place, some of those guys maybe starting second would have chosen the outside but it really wasn’t that second place car, that inside car, on the front row. If you go back and look at it, fifth place was the one that was certainly (indaudible). Can it work? Yes. Do I think it is oversold? A little bit.”

COMING HOME TO KANSAS, HOW DIFFERENT IS THAT GOING TO BE FOR YOU? “I think normal is shot for the most part for about everybody since this COVID anyway. Certainly going back home isn’t going to feel like home, no. I can’t go and have dinner with 20 people like I have been accustomed to and go back and have family and friends and people that have followed my career tailgating in the infield and go have a beer with them or whatever the case may be. I won’t be able to do that this time around. It is not going to be the same. It is still home. There is still a lot of pride in running and racing in the Cup Series of NASCAR at home at Kansas Speedway that means so much to you. That pride is still there but it is going to be different this time around, just like it has been everywhere else.”

ARE YOUR MOM AND DAD IN CHARLOTTE OR ARE THEY IN KANSAS? “Great question. They have been all over the place. Believe it or not, they are here in Kentucky camping with some friends that they met at Kentucky a few years back. The old man found a campground down the road by the casino and met a couple there and they have been in contact. They came to Nashville for the banquet and hung out with one another. They have been here the last couple of weeks at that same campground. That is what racing is all about, meeting people. Those relationships will take you the rest of your life. That is what you can take with you when you leave this thing. That is a prime example of what traveling and being on the road all these years does for you. It creates those opportunities and relationships that you make over the years and you cherish those in times like this. Everybody is longing for something to do in this. We were talking about it as a family after the All-Star race to try to find a campground over in the mountains somewhere and just camp in the bus for a couple days to try something new and not be quarantined at the house. You can’t find one, man. There is not a campground in sight.”

WILL YOUR FOLKS BE IN EMPORIA WHEN YOU RACE HERE OR WHERE WILL THEY BE? “That is a good question. Probably now that fans won’t be there I would say that my family won’t be there so there is no reason for them to be there. They stay pretty close to their grandkids.”

JUST TALK ABOUT YOUR SEASON SO FAR. YOU HAVE BEEN VERY CLOSE TO WINNING: “I don’t really see that as an issue. It is hard trying to learn one another in this format with no practice or anything else. Honestly, it is just weird. It feels like you should have an asterisk behind every finish. If we would have had practice we would have had a little different run or a different setup in the car and wouldn’t have encountered those problems. Those are all things that not having that chance to communicate and work with one another that we just don’t have and take for granted right now. It is the same for everybody. You have to unload well and my teammate Kevin Harvick says all the time that you can’t drive a slow car fast. We have had fast race cars and have led laps. We are kind of snakebit right now. I hate the word bad luck but I mean last weekend we were seventh place and pretty much had it locked up. With 21 to go, caution comes out. We pit, two laps later the caution comes out and the rest is history. We are a lap down and 17th on old tires. You are screwed. It is just the way it is right now. I have been racing long enough to know that it will flip and those runs will come back. We have some good tracks for us coming up. I gotta get through Kentucky here. This is going to be a struggle. Being able to call both of the Xfinity races I saw how those guys had their hands full. I am looking forward to the challenge tonight and getting a good run here and getting it set up. We need a good run. We need a confidence booster. My crew, Johnny Klausmeier, everyone does a great job and works their butts off. It is hard to showcase how hard they are working right now by just showing up and racing. You don’t get that run that you deserve sometimes. Prime example would have been last weekend at Indy.”

OTHER PROFESSIONAL SPORTS LEAGUES ARE TESTING THEIR PARTICIPANTS EVERY WEEK WHEN THEY COME TO THE VENUE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE NASCAR START TESTING ITS DRIVERS AND CREW MEMBERS EVERY WEEK BEFORE THEY COME INTO THE TRACK? “I think we do a good job of that and I certainly feel safe. I feel like narrowing down the amount of people that come into this garage area. The teams and everybody, we are a family. We have said it time and time again. If any organization or sanction was to be ready for a challenge like this, I knew it would be NASCAR. We are a group that travels together and takes care of each other and looks after one another. Everybody knows everybody and in a time like this when you really have to hunker down and watch each other’s backs we do a good job of that and I think it shows. How many races are we in now? We have had several races where other sanctioning bodies have maybe had one or two. We have had only one instance where Jimmie was out and that was confusion. I don’t see the problem. I think we are doing a good job. I feel safe at the racetrack and I know my peers do as well. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I feel like that is a good example of what we have going on. I think we are doing a good job with it.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THIS SEASON BEING IN THE BOOTH FOR FOX? YOU STARTED OFF CALLING THE IRACING AND CAP IT WITH XFINITY, WHAT WAS THIS CRAZY SEASON LIKE AS A BROADCASTER? “You know, I don’t really know about the rave reviews but I am just having a lot of fun. I enjoy it. I enjoy this sport. I love this sport. I am proud of this sport and proud to be a part of this sport. It has always been fun for me over the years to sell this sport to the fans or whatever the case may be. Having that access to be able to reach a fan in a different way, over the years I have just gone out to the infield and interacted with fans and got to know them and tell our story. Having Fox Sports reach out and ask that we do that has been a breath of fresh air for me. The iRacing thing was a great opportunity to do two things. I have had for a long time a partnership with iRacing and I appreciate them and being able to rise to the occasion. What a wonderful thing that landed in a world of NASCAR and motorsports’ lap. It is almost like it was built and prepared for this pandemic. Without it, I don’t honestly know that NASCAR survives and are able to turn the switch back on after we did. Bridging that gap and keeping our sponsors in the limelight under ratings that are competitive with any sport was phenomenal for all of us in the world of motorsports and in particular NASCAR. Then Fox for taking that risk. Eric Shanks called us, Jeff and I, and asked if we would be a part of it and it was a no-brainer and goes without saying absolutely. Them taking that chance and doing this for us was ultimately, honestly in my opinion, the reason we were able to come back the way we are. Furthermore, the way we called these races. There are so many layers to it. What they learned with the iRacing was being able to call those races from the studio safely, with social distancing, so many things. You can’t have one missing link in the chain. It all has to be together. You can’t have somebody show up sick. It will ruin the whole thing. The format in which we called those races is exactly how we are calling and they are calling these races now, Xfinity, Cup or Trucks for that matter. Tremendous amount was learned with, call it a mishap, but I call it an opportunity. A lot of things you are seeing right now — the All-Star race, things that we have wanted to do with our sport for a long time. Opportunities that we wouldn’t have been able to take because of courage or business or a lot of reasons that we wouldn’t have been able to go to those measures that we were able to because of COVID.”

THERE WAS A MEMO SENT OUT TO NASCAR TEAMS REMINDING THEM OF THE COVID GUIDELINES. DO YOU FEEL THERE HAS BEEN A LOOSENING OF THAT OR HOW TEAMS HAVE HANDLED THAT OR IS IT GETTING HARDER TO FOLLOW THEM? “I don’t think it is getting harder to follow. I think everybody needs a reminder whether you are at the race track or home. It is just life to get lax with things. You always need reminders. Certainly them coming out with a memo was nothing more than an opportunity. Again, I feel 100-percent safe in here. We are a family that travels together and have for a long time. We look out for each other and I think that our track record is proving itself. We are the only ones that have been doing this for 10-plus races. There are some other sanctions that are trying to start back up and make no mistake, they are starting back up following the lead of NASCAR and the job we have done. Has there been instances where we have to learn and bob and weave, absolutely. But show me anywhere in this COVID deal. There is no handbook that comes with it. You have to creat it and you have to learn from your mistakes quickly and put them to use and certainly we have done that with NASCAR.”

WHAT IS THE TEAM STRATEGY RIGHT NOW? ARE YOU GOING FOR STAGE POINTS, RACE WINS? WHAT IS THE PLAN WITH 10 REGULAR SEASON RACES LEFT? “Aside from the obvious of winning the race each and every week. Right now it is about getting back into the damn 12th place. Gosh it has been tough. Since Talladega. We were in 12th. Would have been just fine. Look at my teammate Aric Almirola and myself. He was 13th and I was 12th at Talladega. I got wrecked on the last lap. He finished third and I was like, “no big deal, we will race it out’. We were within striking distance of others too. He sat on pole the next week and won two stages and put 50 points on me in three races where we have been starting 21st, 22nd or worse and struggling and started digging ourselves out of a hole. Just that difference in that one spot and one particular race that is a wildcard race at Talladega. No excuses or anything else but it is just a prime example of how quickly things can change in this world. That shoe can be on the other foot and it will be. The biggest thing is we need to get back in the top-12 if we are going to continue to go down this drawing position because those guys, since then they have been on fire. I don’t know who is drawing for them but they have been top-five each week and we are around 13th or whatever it is. We gotta get back into that top-12. That is the item number one here at Kentucky. We do that, we start knocking down solid finishes and settle into those single digit finishes and the rest will take care of itself.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
QUAKER STATE 400
PRESENTED BY WALMART
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JULY 10, 2020

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference and discussed how the season has been thus far, points-racing, the upcoming Kentucky, All-Star, and Texas events, and more. Full Transcript:

AT KENTUCKY THIS WEEKEND, WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST THOUGHTS AND CONCERNS? WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST QUESTION MARKS?
“Really, for us, I just think watching the Xfinity race last night and seeing how dirty the track was. I think, honestly, just kind of watching again tonight, actually, and seeing if the groove widens-out to how we want it to. I think it seemed like the PJ1 was pretty dominant in that upper lane, really just the lane off the bottom, so hopefully the bottom is there for us. I know that we carry more throttle than the Xfinity cars, so I feel like we’re a little less susceptible to the JP1 adding that much grip for us. So, maybe the bottom will have some more grip for us, and we can run side-by-side.”

WHEN YOU’VE HAD TWO XFINITY RACES AND A TRUCK RACE AT A TRACK, WHAT KIND OF A SPECTATOR ARE YOU TO WATCH THOSE RACES? DO YOU PAY ATTENTION TO ALL OF THEM? HOW MUCH CAN YOU PICK-UP FROM THEM?
“For me, honestly, I pay attention to them quite a bit. I think there’s a little bit you can take away from both cars. The Xfinity car has less downforce, significantly, than our car. So, typically sometimes they run against the wall at a certain track, we might not be as susceptible to running against the wall to make lap time as they are, but I definitely watch their cars because of the quality of competition to see where they run, what lane works on a restart, and things of that nature. And then, I watch the Trucks because our aero package is probably more similar in some ways to their cars. So, I’m watching what lanes go in the restarts and what lanes get dragged back with side-draft and things of that nature. So, there’s a little bit to learn. It’s definitely cool having them before us on the weekend, especially with no practice. If we’re the first thing on track for that weekend, it’s a little bit concerning just to kind of know what you’re going to do and how you’re going to respond.”

YOU’RE MID-WAY THROUGH YOUR THIRD SEASON AND YOU’VE HAD YOUR SHARE OF SUCCESS ON THE CUP CIRCUIT, BUT A WIN HAS BEEN ILLUSIVE THUS FAR. IS FRUSTRATION BOILING UP AT THIS POINT?
“A little bit. It’s definitely easy to get frustrated with the fact that we haven’t won. I think that at this point, just with our progression we had last year, at this point we would have thought we’d have a few more late-race chances at it. I think we’ve had some cars on some days that were capable of winning. But, to be honest with you, we’ve had six or seven issues this year that have really been no fault of one thing or one individual, but we’ve just as a team, we’ve just not executed in those situations. We’ve had flat tires and different issues. Those were some of our best races and some of our best chances to win and unfortunately, those kind of got washed away for us. But honestly, we just try to continue bringing the same speed and we know if we can bring that same speed that we’ve had on those weekends when things did go wrong, we’ll give ourselves a shot to win. So, yeah, we expect to win. We hope to win soon. We’ve just got to continue to bring the speed to do it and hopefully execute those moments.”

IN WHAT AREA DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS HAVE IMPROVED UPON THE MOST COMPARED TO LAST YEAR? THIS IS YOUR SECOND YEAR WORKING WITH CHAD KNAUS (CREW CHIEF).
“I think honestly, last year towards the end of the year, a lot of the things that we needed to do to run well and compete for wins were there. In some of the performances in the Playoffs I thought we had a very encouraging Playoffs; there were quite a few races there where we were running in the top five or competing very close to the leader, or the top three. I think, going into this year, was kind of more of the same. Unfortunately, when you have adversity, some of those weaknesses and some of those areas to improve are exposed. So, I think we’ve learned through the adversity that we’ve had this year. Our pit crew has improved. I think that was an area that we needed to improve at the beginning of the year, and we made some changes and things to improve that. So, I think we’re there now. We just have to keep ourselves in a good points position and then, get toward the Playoffs and hopefully turn that speed and potential into there so we can maybe go farther than the Round of 12 like we did last year.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON WAS CLEARED TO RACE. WHAT ARE YOUR OVERALL THOUGHTS ON HOW QUICKLY HE WAS CLEARED AND IF THAT’S A BIT OF A CONCERN? AND, DOES IT REALLY EVEN MATTER THAT HE IS CLEARED AND BACK BECAUSE THE DRIVERS ARE SO DISTANT AT THE TRACK ANYWAY AND NOT IN CLOSE QUARTERS?
“To be honest with you, no, it doesn’t concern me because of all the protocols that NASCAR has in place. And really, none of us as drivers, are even close to each other. I think what Jimmie’s message was, was just keeping your circle tight and close and following the health and safety protocols that are in place (like) wearing your mask, social distancing, and the things that everyone has told us to do. If you follow those, I think you’re going to be in good shape. So no, for me, I just try to get the right amount of rest and the right amounts of nutritional things that are going to help me be better. And, I’m just trying to stay healthy this way. So, I’m just trying to go out there and do the best I can on the health-side and keep myself in a position where I don’t affect my race team going into this Playoff stretch.”

YOUR TEAM RELEASED YOUR PAINT SCHEME FOR THE ALL-STAR RACE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NUMBER BEING MOVED? AND, YOU PROBABLY WON’T HAVE THE UNDERGLOW, BUT ARE YOU INTERESTED TO SEE HOW THAT LOOKS IN THE ALL-STAR RACE?
“Yeah, first on the underglow, I think we’re going into the fast and furious and I think maybe we can have some pre-race excitement with that. It should be pretty cool. I think definitely the kids and people my age are going to enjoy that, to be honest with you. It’s going to be something different. So, I’m kind of excited for the underglow idea. As far as the paint schemes go, and as far as our scheme with Axalta, it’s the sea glass that we ran in the Duel and the Daytona 500. We won the Duel, so that was cool. Hopefully it will bring some good luck for us there. It’s different, having the number in that position. I can’t say that I’m really fond of it yet. It’s just such an adjustment for me. I’ve always been used to looking at the number on a race car, especially the No. 24, and seeing it in a certain spot and seeing the paint scheme in a certain way. There’s going to be a lot of adjustment for that. I’m not really sure where that’s going to go after the All-Star race, but it’s worth a shot, I guess. Axalta always brings great paint schemes, given the objective of it, so I’m looking forward to it.”

NASCAR IS NOT TESTING THE DRIVERS. OTHER SPORTS ARE TESTING THEIR ATHLETES. FORMULA 1 IS TESTING ITS DRIVERS. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE NASCAR DO REGULAR, STANDARDIZED TESTING FOR HEALTH CHECKS?
“Well, I think it’s really up to them. It’s really kind of their sandbox, I guess you could say. I really don’t know. It’s our job as drivers to follow their protocols. Yeah, I see other sports doing the testing and I think I’m not honestly educated enough on the testing to know what the right approach is. So, I can’t really speak on that. But I think NASCAR is doing a good job with us. The drivers are doing a good job following, very closely, which is kind of nice because we’re out there to race, not to chat and stuff on the race weekends. So, while we’re there at the race track, we’re kind of in our own bubble, which I think has worked out pretty well.”

WITH 10 RACES TO GO IN THE REGULAR SEASON, HOW MUCH ATTENTION ARE YOU PAYING TO POINTS?
“I brought this up to somebody recently. I think that as a driver, you pay attention to points when you’re not running well and when you don’t feel like you have the car capable and don’t feel like things are going your way, maybe, for whatever reason, if it’s not a great track for you as a driver, you might look at points more so in those weekends. But if you’re running well, and your car is fast and your team is doing what they need to do and you’re doing what you need to do, you’re not really worried about the points. So, after Indianapolis, the speed that we had to win Stage 1 I wasn’t worried. I was just kind of trying to do damage control after the race to see hey, did we lose a lot of points because we crashed. But, fortunately we didn’t, really. I think we’re 14th in the standings. So, if we go to Kentucky and do our jobs and have speed there, I think it will further us from that gap to 16th. You know, it is a little unique this year because you’ve got Daytona as the final race before the Playoffs and anything can happen there. But you probably don’t want to be close to that bubble, but we’re not worried about points. We’re just trying to perform. And we know if we perform how we need to, it’s going to take care of itself.”

WITH THE ALL-STAR RACING MOVING TO BRISTOL THIS YEAR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THAT RACE MOVE AROUND TO OTHER VENUES? IF SO, WHICH TRACK WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE NEXT?
“Yeah, I think it’s a great idea. You know, logistically, I don’t really know the rights and the way that things play out as to who has the rights to the All-Star Race, parse, but I think logistically it’s a good idea. Not every track is worthy of an All-Star Race, though. I think there are probably five or six that are definitely worthy in terms of capacity and excitement level of the race track that it generates. Bristol definitely comes to mind. I could think of a road course possibly being very cool for an All-Star Race, just for the way that you can race and the braking zones and passing that might open-up because of it. So yeah, a place like the Roval would be cool, maybe the road course at Daytona might be cool. I just don’t really know. Bristol seems like the perfect place, to be honest.”

IT IS ONE RACE AT A TIME, BUT YOU’VE HAD SOME GREAT SUCCESS AT, WITH A COUPLE OF TOP-10’S AND IF YOU COUNT THE IRACING, A THIRD ONE. HOW MUCH DO YOU ENJOY TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND THE EXPERIENCE AT FORT WORTH?
“Texas has been a good track for us. Last year, I think we finished sixth in the first race. We were running really well. I think we were running third and I think we got trapped a lap down in the Fall race. But it’s a good track for us. It’s probably not our best track, but it’s up there. I think it’s just a precision race track. It’s kind of one-groove. It’s widened to two grooves with the PJ1 going down recently. So, I think it’s a strategy race. It’s a restart race. It’s kind of where you’ve got to be on your toes and be able to be efficient with passes and lapped cars and stuff like that because it is kind of narrow. Yeah, I think it’s one that I look forward to. I think we’ll have speed there.”

ON THE FEW OCCASIONS WHERE YOU’VE STARTED TO SEE SOME FANS AT-TRACK, UNLESS SOMETHING CHANGES, THEY’RE GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO HAVE 50% CAPACITY AT TEXAS. HOW NICE WILL IT BE, OR HAS IT BEEN, ON THE OCCASIONS WHEN YOU’VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE FANS RETURN TO THE SPORT THEY LOVE?
“Honestly, the two places we’ve had them were Talladega and Homestead. Homestead was not really noticeable, but Talladega, I think there were 5,000 fans there, and it was different (with) the cheers after the race and before the race. Everything of that nature was really cool. So yeah, I think it brought a different atmosphere to Talladega and hopefully that’s similar in Texas. I don’t know how that’s going to be, but hopefully it juices us up a little bit and gives us something to be excited for. It’s been weird before and after when you get out of the car and there’s nothing really going on and it’s dead silent.”

LUCK HAS REALLY NOT BEEN ON YOUR SIDE THIS SEASON. AS A YOUNG DRIVER IN SEARCH FOR YOUR FIRST POINTS-WIN AT THE PREMIER LEVEL, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO SHIFT OUT OF THAT BAD-LUCK STATE, WHETHER IT BE PREPARATION OR ROUTINE?
“To be honest, I don’t really think about it that much. When adversity would hit me at the beginning of my career, it really affected me toward the next week and I would really kind of race differently because of it; maybe more conservative or more aggressive, trying to make up for it. Whereas now I feel I just don’t look at it and I don’t really pay attention to the bad fortune that happens. It definitely frustrated me a lot the day of the race, and really maybe even carries over until the next morning, but that’s really it. Once we get past the next morning, it really doesn’t affect me anymore. And that’s been a difference for me. I think that’s just maturity, probably, and the race team and myself. So, yeah, it’s something that you just block out of your mind once it happens, but definitely the most frustrated I am is definitely that night after the race since I’m definitely not a happy camper. So, it just takes time to get over that, but once you do, it’s on to the next week.”
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
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Toyota Racing – Chris Gabehart
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

SPARTA, Ky. (July 10, 2020) – Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief Chris Gabehart (Denny Hamlin) was made available to media via videoconference in advance of the race at Kentucky Speedway:

CHRIS GABEHART, crew chief, No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Are you to the point yet where you can get six cars prepared for a three week stretch?
“Yeah, we used to take backups to the race track every week not that long ago. The most difficult part would be taking – getting backup road course cars prepared, because backup intermediate and short track cars are a different story. Those comprise the majority of your car pool, whereas road course cars you don’t run – we are not a primary road course series – so we have plans along the way to go one direction and then changing and having to bring a backup road course car would throw a wrench in the spokes, but again, these are tough times for all of us. NASCAR and the race teams, media and TV, and people – it’s hard on all of us. So, as long as we get enough lead time to know what the rules are, we will work it out.”

Can you kind of expand on your thoughts on practice?

“I think like everything in the sport it’s going to evolve. I think what’s exciting to people in our sport when they see rule changes is the uncertainty and the unknown that comes from them, but our jobs as race teams – especially at the top level – is to adapt and optimize. You’ve not seen the effects of that yet by any stretch of the imagination because adapting and then optimizing to a world where there is consistently no practice or qualifying is one of the bigger hurdles that the competition side of our sport would have ever had to have jumped. It’s not something you will see optimized overnight by any stretch. I think it will continue to evolve for the rest of the season, and you’re only starting to know what that looks like in reality by the end of the season and maybe even into next year as teams continue to adapt and optimize under that new climate. I think that we have to be really hesitant to make any knee jerk decisions here. There are a lot of variables going on in this time, and at the end of the day, my job is to figure out how to put the best product on the racetrack but I can tell you it’s two very different paths dependent on the scenario where we practice or the scenario if we don’t.”

Does the lack of practice favor the bigger teams or the smaller teams?

“Yeah, that seems to be the popular opinion – that it helps the smaller teams narrow the gap. I think what you are seeing right now is a little bit of organized chaos. In that, yes this is a world where the big teams don’t get that practice optimization and the small teams – and I’m using loose quotes here, I think there is a lot of talented people in the Cup garage – but the smaller teams hit it a little bit better and therefore race a little bit better, but again, you have seen optimization yet. I think the optimized product will look very different. I think the teams with the most resources will continue to get better in this climate.”

You have been with Denny Hamlin for about one and a half seasons. What has been the most eye-opening thing about your driver? Has something changed since you became his crew chief?

“Well, it’s a little bit hard for me to comment on who he was before I got here. Certainly, from a crew chief – driver perspective, so it’s a little bit different for me to comment on any change that may have occurred, but what I like most about our relationship is just the trust that we have with one another to do each other’s jobs. Denny does not get in the way of what myself and the engineers and the race team feels is best in terms of putting the racecar on the racetrack to have our best shot to win, and we trust in him to do his job no matter the scenario. We certainly work together to optimize both situations, but at the end of the day if he showed up this weekend and the right side tires were leaning outwards and the left side tires were leaning inwards, he would look at it a little strange and get in it and go race because that’s what he thinks his team needs for that weekend to make the car fast. Vice versa, we stand behind our guys, so there is a lot of comfort in that. That only works if you have success to go along with it. You certainly start out trusting each other and believing one another, but if the results don’t come that trust can erode away because you are not getting the results. Well clearly, we’ve been getting them, and it makes it easier to lean on each other and believe in each other. Even coming off of a tough weekend like we had in Indy, we clearly had the win in the bag there at the end and just didn’t have air in the right front tire long enough to get it done.”

As this race goes green, what are the biggest questions in your mind?

“Well Kentucky Speedway is a track that continues to evolve. These repaves, and certainly the new approach we’ve taken with the type of aggerate that we use for repaves at Texas and Kentucky are where you are seeing that evolution. The tracks are changing a lot, year after year. A lot quicker than the old repaves say of Michigan and Kansas, so you are seeing it evolve. I think you saw a peek of that last night in the Xfinity race, where the traction compound was clearly dominant. Whereas, when the pavement was a little newer – even a year ago – the lanes were a little more even. I think that’s the thing the teams have their eyes on the most right now is will that lower lane start to produce an option or will the traction compound continue to be dominant. The other thing is Goodyear brought a new tire trying to evolve with the racetrack. It’s the same tire we ran at Las Vegas. There is heavier left side wear trying to give us a little more grip, but that left side wear will definitely change pit strategy.”

Jimmie Johnson tested positive for COVID but has been cleared and will be back this weekend. To not have your driver would be tough, so have you talked to Denny and reminded him to be careful?
“Other than say exactly what you said, Claire, I don’t think there is anything else that can be reiterated at this point. Certainly, I’m sure the owners and the sponsors are chiming in with their drivers just the same, so there is really no scene in beating a dead horse. It’s just a great reminder for everybody that it seems like we are in a highly contagious environment and the virus can sneak in your back door and you not even know it. Obviously, on a personal note for Jimmie, I’m just gutted for him. What a fantastic career he’s had, and he’s literally started every race that he ever sought to start since his career began. I personally would have wanted nothing more for him than to have seen that through all the way to the Phoenix race. Really gutted for him and his team, but Jimmie is such a true professional that he’s going to handle it with the most class possible and I’m looking forward to seeing him race again this weekend in Kentucky.”

Has the uncertainty of not knowing what the schedule was affected your preparation?

“It definitely does. There’s two parts to that. One is it is a lot harder to get into a rhythm when one weekend you are racing twice in the same weekend, and the next week you don’t race again till Sunday, but then there’s a Wednesday race thrown in there and then you race the next Sunday as well, and then there’s a Thursday race coming up with Kansas, and then your off the final weekend, so there’s just not how these race teams are set-up to operate traditionally. So, you can’t get into any type of rhythm or routine or it’s much more difficult to because your rhythm really depends on the week where in the past you would work as a race team Monday through Wednesday, you load up the truck, it would go to the next racetrack and the next week, you would start all over again. That rhythm has been difficult, and then on top of that, NASCAR – I can’t imagine the details of everything that they are having to go through to get the race schedule set in stone and it’s a constantly evolving environment, so what they may have thought was stone, two weeks later isn’t, and they are having to change with that. Obviously as you see with Watkins Glen and the Daytona Road Course – the most obvious current example. So on the race team side, yes, it makes it really difficult to figure out what is coming but again in this sport – more than most – I think the competitors have been trained to be agile and adaptive because whether it is rule changes or the schedule changes or COVID19, one thing that racers are constantly used to at this level is change and it’s how you deal with it is how you typically put yourself at the front of the field.”

Do you go into the shop and if so, how quarantined do the shop people have to stay from the road people?

“Yeah, so I think every organization handles it a little bit different. We as crew chiefs have been in the shop and so as our road crew, but it’s on a very limited basis. We kind of stay put up here in the office area, and only go down as needed and vice versa. If my car chief needs to come up and ask questions, he does that. We are definitely doing a good job of wearing the masks and social distancing, all the proper protocols from that point of view, but our group currently does typically work from the shop.”

Good to have you back at your home track. What would it mean for you to win at Kentucky Speedway and do you stay in touch with the people from St. Xavier?

“I do a little bit. The alumni association did a story on me last year that I thought was incredibly flattering. I don’t view myself as any different than anybody else that came from there, but they cared enough to write up a really nice article on me which was awesome. As far as winning in Kentucky, it would certainly mean a lot. Like I said before, my roots at Kentucky Speedway really go back to the old Blue Oval Speedway back in Louisville where I grew up, just four minutes down the road from. The ownership – that owned Louisville when that track closed down built Kentucky Speedway – it no longer is in that ownership group – but I know the linage from a child. So, when I go back there, all of that is tied together in my memory, so it definitely makes it a different race track than all the rest for me.”

Looking towards the All-Star Race, what do you feel as a team you need to do better at Bristol this time around?

“Yeah, well Bristol is another one that I look forward to get back there for a little redemption. We won the fall race last year and were inside of 12 to go from winning this one. We felt like we had it in the bag, as well. Denny (Hamlin) was just trying to stretch his lead a little bit to give us some buffer in lap traffic and stepped over the line as it’s so easy to do in Bristol and got in the fence and ultimately, that was the end of our race. So, I know Denny will be hungry to win the All-Star, get back to Bristol and sort of get back on the right foot. We’ve had really good cars there lately, and the All-Star at Bristol is going to present a lot different feel than it does at Charlotte. We need to be the first team to capitalize on that because it’s going to be much different race.”

There will be different rules (cone rule, lighting); what are your thoughts on that?

“I think the cone rule is neat. You won’t see the finished product I think because it will take everybody a little getting used to in terms of logistics of how to make it work as smoothly as possible, but I think the underlying sentiment is a good one. I think it certainly depends on the racetrack onto how much it would shake things up. But, hey, at the sport’s top level all of these guys know how hard it is to pass. I think in the end what you will see is everybody’s going to try to get as close to the pace car as possible. The first two or three rows might look a little different – I should say the first four or five positions – dependent on the choices, but after that I’m pretty sure these drivers will be trying to get as close to the pace car as possible.”

It seems that the 11 team is a step ahead of the other teams at Joe Gibbs Racing. Is there something that is aiding that?

“It’s hard for me to speak towards the other teams, but I will certainly say that our group it feels like it’s a very refined process. It’s not an accident that we’re running the way we are. We do the same things every week. We are very meticulous with details, and right now that chemistry is working, but again, it’s so much about adaptability. The next change is going inevitably come, whether that is a rule change or practice comes back or an organization will all of a sudden find some speed, and we are forced to start chasing that organization or the race lengths change or whatever it may be. We are going to go to the ROVAL in Daytona and all of those variables produce change that could affect that chemistry but right now our group is just hitting on all eight and really paying attention to all of the details. I think it’s showing for sure.”

# # #

About Toyota

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Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Event: Quaker State 400
Venue: Kentucky Speedway (Sparta, Kentucky)
Format: Three Stages – Stages End: Lap 80, 160, 267 = 400.5 Miles
Date/Broadcast: Sunday, July 12 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1

Corey LaJoie and the No. 32 Go Fas Racing team head to Kentucky Speedway this weekend with their focus on rekindling a string of top-25 finishes after their Brickyard 400 showing ended prematurely.

The 28-year-old will have a familiar livery on his Ford Mustang on Sunday when the NASCAR Cup Series makes its 10th visit to the Sparta, Kentucky track. Keen Parts, a Corvette parts supplier, will bring back its traditional gray, black and orange paint scheme that was run last season.

Tom and TJ Keen, owners of Keen Parts, are based in Cleves, Ohio, less than one hour from Kentucky Speedway and consider this race to be their home race. The Keens been sponsoring the team and have been close friends with Team Owner Archie St. Hilaire and General Manager Mason St. Hilaire since 2014.

LaJoie has made two appearances at the 1.5-mile track in the NCS, in addition to a NASCAR Xfinity Series start and a NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series start in 2014.

In 2013, The North Carolina native led 40 laps in the penultimate race of the ARCA Menards Series season en route to the checkered flag at Kentucky Speedway, scoring his third win in the series.

While LaJoie and the No. 32 team are ready to take on 400 miles in the Bluegrass State on Sunday, they’re also hoping to win the fan vote to compete for $1 million in the NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway next week. Fans can cast their ballots daily by visiting NASCAR.com/fanvote.

The Quaker State 400 will be broadcast on FS1 at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 12.

LaJoie on the upcoming race weekend:

“I’m looking forward to getting to Kentucky with the CorvetteParts.net Ford Mustang. I’ve won there in the ARCA series so I have confidence rolling into this weekend. [Crew Chief Ryan] Sparks and the entire Go Fas team have done a great job getting the cars prepared during this stretch with no practice. I’m excited for what should be a really solid weekend. It is not going to be the same at the track this weekend without Tom and TJ Keen there at their home race, so we’ll have to put on a good show for the Keens on television!”

LaJoie’s Cup history at Kentucky Speedway:
Starts: 2
Best Finish: 28th (2019)
Average Start: 29.5
Average Finish: 29.5

Looking back on the Brickyard 400:
Corey LaJoie and the Trump 2020 team started the delayed Brickyard 400 from the 31st position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. By the competition caution, the GFR driver had raced his way to 26th, shortly before being collected in a lap 15 incident on pit road. The No. 32 Ford suffered too much damage to continue its run in the crown jewel event, relegating the team to a 39th-place finish. The GFR team will reset and rally back at Kentucky Speedway.

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About Our Team

About Keen Parts/CorvetteParts.net:
Corvettes are all they do, so whether you’re looking for a complete interior for your vintage ’58 Corvette or a performance accessory for your ’09, they have the Corvette part you need and the expertise you want. For your Corvette exterior, they got you covered bumper-to-bumper. They even have emblems, moldings, grilles, bumpers and brackets, fiberglass, exterior trim and weather stripping. For the interior, they have steering wheels, seats, dash pads, consoles, carpeting, door panels, seat belts, interior trim and fasteners. Under the hood, they’ve got it all from air cleaners to exhaust systems, air conditioning, radiators, and valve covers all the way down to the decals and correct fasteners to bolt it all back together. For more information, please visit www.corvetteparts.net
or call 1-844-Tom-Keen.

About Go Fas Racing:
Go Fas Racing (GFR) currently fields Ford Mustangs in the NASCAR Cup Series for driver Corey LaJoie. Located in Mooresville, North Carolina, GFR has competed in the NASCAR’s premier series since 2014; fielding cars for some of NASCAR’s top drivers, including past champions. To find out more information about our team please visit www.GoFasRacing.com.

Stay up-to-date on Corey LaJoie:
To get live updates during the race weekends follow @coreylajoie on Instagram and Twitter. Make sure to give Corey a “like” on Facebook – “@CoreyLaJoieRacing”. For a detailed bio and updated in-season statistics, please visit www.coreylajoieracing.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Friday, July 10, 2020

COLE CUSTER, No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang – HOW HAVE YOU HANDLED ALL THE CHANGES GOING ON DURING THE FIRST PART OF THE SEASON? “There’s definitely been a lot of learning, for sure. I think, obviously, these cars are a lot different than what the XFINITY cars were, so trying to wrap your head around that and figure out how to perfect every little thing, whether it’s restarts or passing or how to work traffic or pit road, just anything about it you’re trying to make sure you’re getting 100 percent out of it. Without practice that’s obviously made it a little bit tougher, but I think we’ve adapted as well as we can and it’s just trying to, now I feel like we’re at a good point where we’re putting it all together and starting to get close to where we can kind of perfect all those little things, but you’ve got to do it on a consistent basis and I think we’re getting to that point.”

HOW CHALLENGING IS IT BEING A ROOKIE THIS SEASON WITH ALL THAT HAS HAPPENED? “It’s always gonna be challenging being a rookie, but, at the same time, it’s probably been a little bit tougher this year because you don’t have practice, we didn’t have rookie testing. The cars are a big difference from the XFINITY cars, the Cup cars, so there are just a lot of differences that you’ve got to work through and it’s hard to do that when you don’t have the practice time and stuff like that. Like I said, I feel like we’re in a good spot and I think we’ve gotten to the point where we started to figure all that stuff out, it’s just being consistent with it and starting to perfect it that little bit more.”

YOU START 29TH AT KENTUCKY. WHAT WILL THAT BE LIKE TO GET TO THE FRONT? “I feel like I’ve already spent hours trying to figure that out. It’s definitely gonna be a tough race. Watching the XFINITY race last night, the PJ1 was just so dominant. It looks like it’s gonna be a really dominant top lane kind of race, so that makes it a little bit tough to pass, but, at the same time, the track is gonna be changing throughout the whole weekend, so it’s hard to tell exactly what our race is gonna be like yet. So you’re trying to work through all the different possibilities in your mind of what our race might look like, but, overall, I feel like it’s gonna be a track position race. You’re gonna want to try to get towards the front on restarts and on pit road, and from there you’re just trying to run a solid race without having mistakes.”

WHAT IS THE CHARACTERISTIC OF KENTUCKY AS YOU KNOW RIGHT NOW? “Right now, it’s how the PJ1 changes is huge. It’s gonna change a lot through the weekend and that changes how you work traffic, how you can make passes, which lines you want to run on the short run and long run, so that PJ1 is extremely important in how they put it down. Obviously, it seems like it’s a little bit different every single time they put it down, so it’s just trying to figure that out and make sure you’re getting 100 percent out of it.”

IS THIS RACE BEING IN THE DAY GOING TO BE A CURVEBALL FOR YOU GUYS? “For sure. We’ve definitely talked about it a lot. It’s something that you definitely see a difference in the track, I feel like, when it’s day and when it goes to night, so trying to figure out how you want to adjust your car to kind of a slicker track is gonna be pretty important. And also the biggest difference is we don’t have all the practice sessions before the race to work in the track. You saw that last night with the XFINITY race, there was dust all over. The bottom lane was not worked in very well, so it’s gonna take a little while for that bottom lane to work in, so we’re gonna see how worked in it is by the time we get to our race.”

WAS IT A NEW EXPERIENCE FOR YOU AT INDY PUSHING A TEAMMATE TO THE WIN? HOW NERVEWRACKING WAS IT? “At that point, my best shot was to push Kevin and that might have got me in a better position to try and maybe make a move to try to win the race also. It’s definitely nervewracking. I mean, you’re coming to that line and you’re like, ‘I’ve got to do this right. This is important right here. We need this.’ So I’ve been in those situations before where you’ve got to push people if you’re running up front in the XFINITY cars or the Truck Series or whatever it is, so you have experience doing that kind of stuff, but doing it at this level puts that much more pressure on it and you’re at the Brickyard 400 so you want to make it happen. It was definitely nervewracking, but it was something that we were able to kind of control those nerves and make sure that we do our jobs right.”

IS THERE ANY LESSON YOU CAN TAKE FROM YOUR XFINITY EXPERIENCE AT KENTUCKY AND APPLY TO THE CUP LEVEL? “There’s a lot of differences, honestly, but, at the same time it’s still the same track. It’s a really edgy racetrack because it’s new pavement, it’s a repave, so the tires are a little bit harder. The track takes a little bit of time to get worked in and you have that PJ1, so you’re able to take things from the XFINITY car – what lines kind of worked there and how it changed throughout the weekend – so basic characteristics with the track you’re able to kind of carry over, but, at the same time, the feel in the car is completely different and how you work traffic and things like that.”

DOES HAVING A TALENTED ROOKIE CLASS INSPIRE YOU TO DO BETTER? DOES THAT HEALTHY COMPETITION HELP? “I think so, for sure. I think it pushes all of us to be better because we all want to compete against each other and make sure we’re not falling behind too much. I think it’s just a matter of you still have to focus on yourself most of the time. If you’re focused on other people, you’re not gonna be making yourself better and working on your own problems, but, at the same time, it does push you to make sure you’re pushing yourself as much as you can.”

HAS THERE BEEN ANY DIFFERENCE RACING AT THE CUP LEVEL WITH SHR? “It’s still the same race team. It’s still Stewart-Haas Racing and I feel like we’re a pretty laid-back team that’s kind of a little bit old school, but it’s a different level. There are a lot more competitive cars. People have a lot more experience, so it’s just a matter of trying to get used to all that stuff, but at the core of it I feel like we’re the same race team.”

WHAT DO YOU THING ABOUT THINGS LIKE THE UNDER GLOW LIGHTS AND CONE CHOOSE RULE FOR THE ALL-STAR RACE? “I think it will be cool. Honestly, I think the cone choose rule for restarts will be interesting. It puts the driver’s hands in it more, where somebody is gonna take that chance of going in the other lane or things like that. I think that’s gonna be really interesting. The under glow lights, that’s something that’s pretty cool just to look at, but, overall, I’m pumped up about it. I think we ran pretty good at Bristol before. We unfortunately got wrecked, but I think we can go there and have a strong run and hopefully make it through the open and try and win that thing. I’m looking forward to it.”