NASCAR CUP SERIES
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
GEICO 500
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 22, 2020
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
2nd RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 NOS ENERGY DRINK CAMARO ZL1 1LE
7th ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE
9th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
11th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE
12th TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 1LE
TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Ryan Blaney (Ford)
2nd Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Chevrolet)
3rd Aric Almirola (Ford)
4th Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
5th Erik Jones (Toyota)
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Pocono Raceway with the Pocono Organics 325 in partnership with Rodale Institute on Saturday, June 27, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the Pocono 350 on Sunday, June 28, at 4:00 p.m. ET on FS1. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES (Additional Team Chevy driver quotes and press conference transcripts for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jimmie Johnson):
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 NOS ENERGY DRINK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 2nd (See below for press conference transcript)
THERE WERE CERTAIN POINTS IN THIS RACE TODAY WHERE YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU HAD THE FASTEST CAR AND MAYBE YOU WERE THE GUY TO BEAT. SO, SECOND MAY BE A LITTLE TOUGHT TO SWALLOW, BUT HOW DO YOU BALANCE THAT?
“Yeah, we were so close there at the end. It was hard all day trying to break up the Penske cars and then there at the end, all the blue ovals were together. But, our No. 47 NOS Energy Drink Camaro ZL1 1LE was really fast all day. The boys brought a good one. I thought we had a shot there at the end, it just didn’t work out. But, all-in-all, a solid day. Really cool to see all the support of the fans that are here for Bubba (Wallace). That was a really special moment at the beginning of the race. We came up one spot short – we’ll go get them next week!”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 7th
“Figuring out you are a couple laps short on fuel while leading a speedway inside 15 to go is not very much fun. We took the lead there and our fuel mileage number plummeted farther than we thought it would be. We thought we were good and then all of a sudden, we weren’t good. Led a bunch and had to give up the lead to try to make it there at the end. I saved enough once I gave up the lead, but so bummed. We had such a good car and definitely had a shot at winning. It is just one of those deals. Really appreciative of everyone at Valvoline and Hendrick Motorsports. P7 isn’t the end of the world, but man giving up the lead like that is a bummer.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 9th
“Proud of our effort today for everyone who works on this Monster Energy Chevy. We chipped away at adjustments all day, having to overcome a really loose handling race car. Top-10 is a solid effort! Gotta zig instead of zag next time!”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 11th
“Well, we finished 11th today. We had a shot there at the win with about 29 laps to go and just got a push from Logano in the corner. I don’t know why it got loose there but it did. We lost our track position and then really just fought to get back from there and tried to save fuel at the same time. We pitted with two to go to get some extra fuel and we made a pretty good charge to the front there in the third lane. We had a good number of cars to the inside but ultimately finished 11th. It would have been nice to finish top 10 but we did finish a superspeedway race in one piece which is nice. I thought we had some great speed at times and great opportunities to lead the race. We just have to build on that and continue to get better. I feel like these races are always unpredictable but at the same time there is skill involved. We did a decent job of controlling the skill part we just have to keep working.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 12th
“Our GEICO Camaro was solid today. We had a strategy there at the end to save fuel to make sure we were good to the checkered. I stumbled a little bit on the final restart, but we had just enough fuel to make it. You just have to be in the right line at the right time at the end of these things. We got filed out on the bottom, but still brought home a 12th-place finish. I’m really proud of our result. We needed that and we will keep truckin’ along. I’m proud of my GEICO Germain Racing team. We are going to keep rebounding and getting better.”
BUBBA WALLACE, JR., NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 14th
NOTE: After the race, Bubba walked across the track to wave and say hello to fans in the stands.
WHAT A RUN FOR YOU TODAY! NASCAR RALLIES AROUND YOU, YOU’VE GOT FANS IN THE STANDS. HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE THIS DAY, THIS MOMENT?
“This is probably the most badass moment right here. It’s been tough. It’s been hell. Well, I wouldn’t say hell; it’s just been hectic you know, carrying this weight, this burden. I wouldn’t really say burden, either. I’m proud to stand where I’m at and carry a new face. Look at this (turns around to face crowd to ask) is this the first time you’re here? From Atlanta? (cheers from fans) That is so cool! The sport is changing.”
“The deal that happened yesterday, sorry I’m not wearing my mask, but I wanted to show whoever it was that you’re not going to take away my smile and I’m going to keep on going. I’ve been a part of this sport for a really long time. I’m still kind of a rookie. I’m starting to figure this stuff out. We had a good race going today in our Victory Junction Chevrolet. But man, I know I should have won that damn race. We ran out of gas. It’s just the stars didn’t align for us complete, but all in all, we won today. The pre-race deal was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to witness in my life. From all the supporters. From drivers and crew members. Everybody here. The badass fan base; thank you guys for coming out here.”
“This is truly incredible and I’m proud to be a part of this sport. Like I said earlier, I’ve got a long way to go. And we’ll keep on trucking. Another top-15 for us. We’ll take it. And, we’ll just go on to Pocono, right? I’m still smiling. I’ve got a long week ahead of me; probably a couple of weeks. Probably a couple of months, but I’ll be ready for Pocono, though.”
RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 15th
“That was definitely a crazy day at Talladega Superspeedway in our No. 37 Kroger Chevrolet. We had nose damage early on in the race, and that caused us to use a little bit more fuel than the rest of the field during the long green flag run at the end. We got put in a position where we needed to pit early, then the caution came out after we pit. However, we had a really fast Kroger Chevrolet and were able to run in the front for most of the race and even lead a few laps, and to be able to finish P15 after the issues at the end is something, we can still be proud of. We need some positive momentum to continue turning the season around from our bad luck at the start and this is really going to help.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 REALTREE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 20th
“We’re getting closer and closer to winning one of these races. We had a really fast No. 8 Realtree Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE today, really just needed a bigger fuel cell to make it through those closing laps without having to come to pit road. We were a little bit loose today, but the car was able to suck up to others really well, which made it easier for me to work with people and show them that they can trust and work with me in return. It was awesome to get my first Cup career Stage Win, even if we had to wait out a brief rain shower for it. I think that showed a lot of people that we really strong speed today. From there, we just played it smart and stayed out of trouble to be there in the closing laps. We managed to grab the lead with about 16 laps to go. It was tough to maintain the lead and save fuel since we knew we were right on the edge of making it. I thought maybe we would make it before that final caution came out, but then the No. 11 ran out of gas or had a bobble or something. Once he ran out, my main help was gone and the No. 12 was able to slide by as we slid back. But that is how it goes at plate-racing. Timing is everything. It was just chaos on that final restart, but we gave it everything we had. All in all, it was a great day. We were in the lead with a shot at the end, and that’s exactly where you want to be. I want to thank Realtree for letting me run their Timber camo pattern on my car, and I hope they enjoyed the show.”
BRENDAN GAUGHAN, NO. 62 BEARD OIL DISTRIBUTING/SOUTH POINT HOTEL & CASINO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 21st
“That’s not the finish we wanted – 21st-place. I will take the heat. I did not do a good job on the last couple of restarts. Darren Shaw (crew chief) and the rest of the boys worked real hard on the No. 62 Beard Oil Distributing/South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet. It was trouble at the start but in the end, they got it right. I will take the blame – 21st place and not a scratch on it. The good news is it is going to be a heck of a Chevrolet for Daytona.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 MOUNTAIN DEW/LITTLE CAESAR’S CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by accident on lap 133; Finished 38th
WHAT ULTIMATELY TOOK YOU OUT FOR THE DAY?
“The splitter was in the ground a long ways and it was just dragging too much. It wasn’t getting any air to the engine, so it was getting really hot. So, it just wasn’t worth continuing.”
“I hate it. We really started the day struggling pretty bad and finally got it going pretty good, I thought, later on. Ultimately, just got in a bad spot there and went around.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by accident on lap 133; Finished 39th
“Unfortunate day for the No. 3 team. The Bass Pro Shops Camaro was pretty solid – we had to work on it a little bit. You try and race at these places and keep yourself upfront in a good position, and that’s what I was doing. Just missed our stage points twice – 11th and 12th at the end of both stages. Tried to work the middle groove there and when Chase (Elliott) got turned, I was just kind of the last guy standing when he came up the track. Unfortunately, it’s a part of these things.”
“That was a lot of fun. I think the package was pretty solid that NASCAR gave us. There was some good racing out there. Looking forward to going to Daytona and come back to Talladega. I feel like our speedway program is pretty decent. (Tyler) Reddick leading those laps at the end was big. So, we’ll keep working. Unfortunate finish for us – probably hurts us in the points. But Pocono doubleheader next weekend, we’ll be solid.”
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 NOS ENERGY DRINK CAMARO ZL1 1LE, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
THE MODERATOR: Ricky, we’ll go right to questions for you.
Q. Talk about the last lap. Certainly, at a couple points it looked like you found a place to get to the front. May be one of the craziest finishers I’ve seen since 1982.
RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: We didn’t get a great restart. Blaney and I didn’t get hooked up good enough. That seemed to let the outside lane get a run. It let the 4 and the 17 out front.
But what that intended to do was let me and the 12 get hooked up and get a draft from those two cars that were out front. I pushed Blaney really hard down the back straightaway. When we went into three and four, wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go. We ended up going low. Then I thought I was done. Thought I was a sitting duck. The outside lanes were coming. The 20 had a good run.
Then they started banging fenders, slowing each other down. I just kept on the throttle, was able to get close to the nose of the 12 there coming across the line.
All in all, it was a solid day for us. Our NOS Energy Drink Camaro was really fast. We lost track position, but seemed to be able to get that back pretty fast. Our car was fast. Worked well with others. I think all the blue ovals there together at the end were really tough to beat.
Q. These things are so hard to win, to be so close, what level of disappointment do you have losing by whatever it was?
RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: Yeah, it’s disappointing for sure. You work all day long, playing different scenarios out in your head, how you’re going to be the first one across the start/finish line. It does have a lot to do with all the other cars that are racing, who is pushing you, how they can push you, what moves they make.
A lot is in your control, a lot is circumstantial. You just got to keep putting yourself in those positions every race, especially on the speedways, to eventually get them to click off.
People that I worked with all race, if I had them behind me there at the end, I would have felt a little more comfortable because we worked really well together. When you got all the Fords there lined up, it was kind of tough. I didn’t feel like anybody was going to go with me.
We ended up in the bottom lane by ourselves. It ended up working out to get back to second. But definitely frustrating not to win. All in all, man, it’s still a good run for our team. We carried a lot of momentum from Daytona, bringing the same racecar down here to Talladega, it still being fast. That’s a positive. We got more speedway races to go.
Q. You were among those pushing Bubba’s car today. What did that mean to you? The Mississippi State flag, anything over the last couple weeks made you think more about it?
RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: Yeah, it was cool to see everybody pushing bush’s car there down to the front. I would say it was a Kevin and Jimmie idea that everybody jumped onboard with. Then to see all the crew members follow suit was really cool.
I think the coolest part for me was listening to the fans before the race, after the race, showing the support as well. I thought that was strong and really cool to see.
We had talked a lot about the Mississippi flag. I wore it on my belt for a long time. We did take it off. We took it off of my race suits over the past couple weeks.
Q. Someone who has had a good share of success at Talladega, describe what you thought about the new package that was run today.
RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: I thought it was great racing. You had to work really hard to form your line and really work the side draft, pushing cars, getting cars to push you. You had to work hard for it.
I thought that was great racing. I felt like everybody kept their cars in control. We had some big saves out there. I saw I think the 12, the 11, 22, myself a couple times, get pretty sideways, but gather it back in.
The third lane I felt like with this package got hurt the most. It seemed like you could get some runs going, but it would stall out pretty quick. Seemed like the bottom and middle were the way to go. It kind of took the top lane out of it, which in turn a lot of times we run single file around the top and the race can get kind of stale.
I thought overall the package was really good. I don’t think any driver is going to have any complaints about it.
Q. We’re over a third of the way through your first season at JTG Dougherty. How have you been getting along with the new team and Ryan?
RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: It’s been great. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it from the first time we went over there, sat down with Tag and Jodi and Ernie and ate dinner. I felt welcomed. I felt like it’s a family atmosphere. Also, they get the job done. Any money that comes in they put right back into our race team buying parts and equipment, making sure we can perform the best that we can perform with what we got.
The Kroger family is one that I’m proud to be a part of. My mom has shopped there for 35 years so far and continues to shop there. Now having NOS Energy Drink onboard with us, it’s been a good chemistry from the top down, including our partners. I’ve enjoyed it so far.
We’ve got fast racecars. We have had some mistakes that have cost us, some on my end, some on the car’s end. We’re in there together, trying to clean everything up, trying to make sure we put our best parts forward. We’re looking forward to the rest of the year.
Q. Did you get a sense today at all of the actual fans that were in attendance?
RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: It was nice to hear them before the race. It wasn’t dead quiet like I said just a little bit ago. Chanting ‘Bubba’ at the start, pretty special to be able to hear that. I think those fans were glad to be here.
When Bubba took the lead, when he got to the lead, came down the front straightaway, we were only two‑wide at that point. I looked at the stands, watched all the people jump up and cheer. That was pretty cool.
Those are things that we haven’t had in a long time. I know those fans got to see a great race because we battled hard all day long.
Q. You mentioned not wearing the belt buckle. Would you say that was a decision based on a learning experience or because of the realization of something other people might feel towards it?
RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: You never want to do anything to offend anybody on purpose. Obviously not being on purpose. It’s our state flag. I’ve always been proud to be from Mississippi. I’ve always supported or wore the flag on my belt for a long time. I’ve never really thought of it offending anybody.
Obviously with everything that’s going on in the country, with the rebel flag, learning really how it offends so many people, I don’t intend to do that. That was just the way for us to make sure, myself and JTG and our partners, that we wanted to take initiative to take that off before we felt like somebody wanted us to have to. We just wanted to be proactive and make sure we got that off and didn’t offend anybody going forward.
Q. We’ve seen the moves you were making throughout the day. When you’re making those close‑call moves, how much are you weighing the risk versus reward?
RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: For me, you just got to put yourself in position. For the longest time we weren’t sure if the rain was going to come. We wanted to get stage points. I feel like I have a style of drafting that when I get in different lanes, when I’m leading the lanes, I feel like I can pull that lane to the lead. I think it showed for the longest time the Penske cars were lined up on the bottom. Nobody could seem to get alongside of them. Myself, the 18, I think maybe the 95 or 41 was behind them.
I felt like my technique and aggressiveness on the side draft, along with Kyle Busch’s aggressiveness and pushing, got us back to the lead. Ultimately ended up getting us 10 points and winning the stage.
For me, you always want to keep your track position. There were a couple times I got in the back. It was difficult to make passes when they’re two‑ and three‑wide to get back to the front. You have to wait and let it chill out. For me it’s always trying to get back to having good track position.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks so much for your time, Ricky. Have a great week. We’ll see you for the doubleheader at Pocono.
RICKY STENHOUSE JR.: Thank you.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
THE MODERATOR: Jimmie, thank you for taking the time. Not that you’re the specific spokesman for rallying the drivers for this stirring moment, but I know you had a large hand in what happened prerace. Start off with the emotional moment to start the race pushing the 43 to the front of the field.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, I’m obviously very proud of our sport, the drivers and crew members that wanted to stand up today and stand next to Bubba Wallace. That’s really the moral of this story.
A lot of people reached out to me in the morning with ideas, wanting to do something like the video we made a few weeks ago. I certainly have been involved in playing a role in trying to help organize, get things executed and done.
This is really a driver initiative. Many drivers chipped in. Kevin Harvick had the idea of pushing Bubba’s car down the front stretch to the front of the field, have the teams follow. I’m happy to play a role in it. I want to. I know I need to.
I feel like to see the garage area stand up as they have, as well, in the last few weeks, then again today, is just sending a very strong message. I’m very proud of our sport.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll take questions for Jimmie.
Q. Was there ever any doubt in your mind you were going to do something today regardless if the other drivers were going to join in?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, I went to bed early last night, was up early. I saw what was going on or what had happened. Like everyone, just couldn’t believe what I was reading.
Early on this morning I mentioned to the driver group that I was just going to go stand with Bubba at his car during the national anthem. If anybody wanted to meet me there, I was going to stand with him and be there. When that seed was planted, the group really started coming up with ideas. Everybody wanted to get involved.
After the drivers had a short period of time conversing, I understood that team managers and crew chiefs caught wind, they wanted to be involved. Within a short period of time, there was a plan in place. Of course, NASCAR was behind whatever we wanted to do 100% in support of that. That’s really the details leading into what happened today.
Q. How would you describe the feeling of the drivers? Are you shocked? Angry? Pissed off more than ever to do something? How are you all feeling emotionally over this?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: For me, I feel like I went through all of those emotions. When I woke up this morning, read the news, anger, pissed off, all of that. My blood was boiling. I could not believe that that had happened.
As momentum built and the awareness of the statement the garage was going to make, how many people reached out, how many people wanted to be involved, it shifted to just great pride for our sport.
From when I woke up, I was up early this morning, went for a bike ride, I was probably up at 5:30, saw the news, from 5:30 to probably 10:30 everything took place. My emotions just followed that from complete and total anger and disbelief to then just great pride of our sport, how we were going to support that.
Q. Did you skip the bike ride?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: No, I got up and did the bike ride. Did a lot of thinking while I was on it.
Q. You mentioned the driver group chat that’s been used to organize today and the video. Has it been more vocal since this started? How important is it to make your message very clear?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: The driver chat has been around for a while. At times it’s been useful. Other times there’s content on there that, I don’t know, just gets in the way, stuff that people aren’t interested in. With what has gone on in the last few weeks, interest has been high, people have been paying attention, people have been engaged.
But I can go back to when we first started the driver council, this chat being established. There are times it’s been extremely effective to find the voice of the drivers. The lesser items, they just make noise, get in the way.
The chat has been very useful. The chat also starts one‑off text messages or phone calls. Brad called me this morning, Joey called me this morning. It’s really a good starting point to get something out there if it’s car related or what we’ve been dealing with the last few weeks. It’s been highly effective.
Q. Can you give us a sense of what it felt like as you walked with the car? For people watching, it was a powerful image to see. Was there any type of particular emotion or thing that went through your mind as you did something that’s never been done in the sport before?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: I think after seeing some of the photos the first rain delay, I noticed the magnitude and impact of what we did as a group today. When we all gathered at the racecar, not everyone responds in that chat, so I knew that a lot of drivers wanted to come, but I didn’t know how well‑attended it would be.
I also knew that teams wanted to show their support, as well. Until we started walking and I could see every driver there, looked back and saw each team jump off the wall and fall in line. Then to go back to the rain delay, first thing I did was looked at the phone and saw the photos. To see how many people were on pit road showing their support for Bubba, that warmed me up tremendously.
It was hard to really know it in the moment. We’re obviously out there on the grid, without fans in the stands, it’s a much different environment. As I looked over my shoulder, as I saw the photos afterwards, realized the power of that statement and how many people were involved.
Q. What has it been like the last few weeks to be so socially active? Years past probably not as much so for various reasons. Is this what the sport is going to be now, more and more people be more active going forward?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: When I look back, it depends on the topic. When the driver council was intact, there were things to discuss, report back to NASCAR on, every driver has stepped up and been involved. Then things cooled down. Maybe the topics aren’t as relevant or as big in some regards. Things kind of slow down.
The driver group has really helped shape the rules package that we have, race formats. As we’ve gotten into social issues of recent times, the unity there and the willingness for everybody to be involved has been quite impressive.
I’m not surprised because we have been able to be social and help guide our sport in the past. Certainly, this is something new for a lot of us. I do commend their courage and everybody’s willingness to listen and grow and to stand up like we did today.
Q. How difficult was it to have the emotional moment on pit road, then go the 500 miles of Talladega?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: For me it was such a moment of pride that I shifted out of the dark place I was this morning and the disbelief that I had, shifted into a moment of pride. Whoever did what they did is hopefully watching and realizes that not here, not in our sport. It switched to a far different emotion than I really even anticipated. There was just great pride involved.
I know it was tough on Bubba. He was quite emotional at different points. I think he probably had a harder transition from what was taking place on pit road to firing the engine and going to work than myself for sure.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you for your time, Jimmie, to tell a great story. Have a great week. We’ll see you in Pocono.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Awesome. Thank you, everybody. See you soon.
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
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