NASCAR CUP SERIES NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY ALLY 400 POST-RACE REPORT JUNE 30, 2024
Smith Leads Chevrolet With Career-Best Runner-Up Finish at Nashville Superspeedway
In a race against fuel shortage, NASCAR Cup Series rookie, Zane Smith, battled through five overtime finishes to lead Chevrolet to the checkered flag with a runner-up finish in his No. 71 Jockey Outdoors by Luke Bryan Camaro ZL1. The result marked the Team Chevy driver’s career best finish in NASCAR’s top division.
Kyle Larson, the winner of the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural appearance at Nashville Superspeedway, led the Bowtie brand to the green-flag for the 300-lap event from the fourth position.
The 31-year-old Elk Grove, California, native showed early speed in his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 – running steadily in the top-five through the first two stages of the race. Following a podium finish in Stage Two, issues on the right-rear during a pit stop at the stage break resulted in a loss of track position – putting the team in the 12th position for the start of the 115-lap final stage. Despite the pit road mishap and one of the many that fell short on fuel in the series of overtime finishes, Larson crossed the line in the eighth position.
Three Chevrolet organizations were represented in the top-10 of the final running order, with Spire Motorsports’ Zane Smith leading Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson in the eighth position and Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric in the ninth position.
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at the Chicago Street Course with the Grant Park 165 on Sunday, July 7, at 4:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS POS. DRIVER 2nd Zane Smith, No. 71 Jockey Outdoors by Luke Bryan Camaro ZL1 8th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 9th Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Busch Light Country Camaro ZL1
Finished: 33rd
Tell us what happened there from your vantage point.
“The Busch Light Country Chevy had a chance to win. It’s so cool to come back here to Nashville, the birthplace of Trackhouse, where Justin Marks moved his family and started this idea of this Cup team. And to come back and have another shot to win is absolutely incredible for the Busch Light Country scheme and all of our partners at World Wide Express, Kubota, Moose and Jockey.”
Do you think that overtime restart was fair racing?
“I’m just driving down into turn one and I knew if I hung on the 11’s right rear, I would have a shot to win.”
Describe all that unfolded here at Nashville Superspeedway from your perspective.
“Yeah, just a lot of craziness there at the end. There were a lot of cars short on fuel and we were one of them. Just a lot of mess. On the first restart, I was just trying to get Denny (Hamlin) washed off the bottom so that I could get some clean air and give myself an opportunity to win. I felt like from the second position, I wouldn’t have a chance. I just tried to run in with him and got myself really tight and into Ross (Chastain), so caused that crash. And then on the next restart, I just got out of shape and almost caused a crash there. On the third one, we ran out of fuel taking off. We just had a couple of good restarts right there at the end. Happy to get a top-10, but a little bit bummed how it transpired.”
Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1
Finished: 9th
“Really today was just another example of our season. It’s been a roller coaster ride. We struggled with short-run speed all weekend on the No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet. After the rain delay and a couple of good adjustments, I thought if we could get track position, we would be OK. We finally got it and got caught in a crash. I thought every corner was knocked off the car. Somehow, some way, the seas kept parting. We were able to have a couple of good restarts at the end and cross the line in ninth. What a weekend, but I’ll take it.”
Zane Smith, No. 71 Jockey Outdoors by Luke Byran Camaro ZL1
Finished: 2nd
If you told me one word that described your emotion, what was that?
“Pissed. I mean, obviously so happy with the result. But when you hear for like 10 laps that ‘he is supposed to run out, he is supposed to run out’, and then you see him shaking the car across the line and you just finished second, that hurts. The winning side of it hurts, but just appreciate everyone at Spire Motorsports and appreciate the strategy there. I appreciate Jockey Outdoors and Luke Bryan; having them on board here in Nashville, along with all of our other partners. It’s been a rough, rough year, but this is a great momentum booster, confidence booster, all of the above. So, hopefully we can carry this on, but it was awesome to sniff your first Cup win.”
Did you have to race any differently on that last restart thinking that Joey Logano could run out of gas?
“No, I mean you don’t ever know if you are going to have another shot at another Cup win, so you just try to execute the best you can. Nashville is so notorious for those kinds of restarts. Everyone floats up, so I just kept using the bottom there with our strategy and it kept working out. It just goes to show that everyone is just so good in the Cup Series, and if you have the track position, you can compete.”
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 | Sunday, June 30, 2024
JOEY LOGANO WINS FIVE OVERTIME SHOOTOUT IN NASHVILLE TO CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH
Joey Logano won his first race of the season with today’s victory.
The win today is the 33rd of his Cup Series career and 31st with Ford.
Those 31 wins put him 4th on the all-time Ford win list.
Today’s win is Ford’s 731st all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.
It also marks Team Penske’s 96th series win with Ford.
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW – HOW DID YOU GET 110 LAPS ON ONE TANK OF FUEL? “A lot of teamwork there. You have to give a lot of credit to our fueler, Nick Hensley, our engine department with Roush Yates building obviously some engines that could also manage fuel really well, and some guts – a lot of cajones made it happen.”
HOW EXCITED WERE YOU IN WINNING TODAY? “It’s been a hard season and being on that cut line, I tell you it sucks. It’s just not fun. It’s hard and you just want a little bit of relief of the pressure and with seven weeks to go until the playoffs it gives us a chance to breathe for a second and start just kind of working on our car a little bit differently and just sleep better, to be honest with you. I’m proud of this team and proud to be here in Victory Lane, for sure.”
YOU HAVE THE GUITAR. ARE ONE OF THE KIDS GOING TO START TAKING LESSONS? “I don’t think anyone in our family is musically inclined, but we’ve got a few cool guitars and that’s what it’s all about.”
JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Today was a tough day. We just started off really tight and couldn’t figure out the balance, but my team worked hard to get me the car I needed and we finally found it after the rain delay. We got a bunch of spots back and had a much more competitive No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. It was just chaos there at the end. We tried to navigate all of those restarts and eventually just got caught up in it. It was a bummer that we didn’t finish that well this week in Nashville, my home race, but we learned a lot. Thank you Overstock for continuing to support our race team. We will retain and head to Chicago next week fully prepared to compete for a win.”
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I was kind of the worst-case scenario the last 70 laps or so from a strategy standpoint with how it played out. We had to go back to 30th or something because of how the strategy panned out and the cautions fell and was able to drive back to 15th or so. There at the end, you don’t really expect to have three or four green-white-checkers, so we ran out of fuel taking the white flag. It definitely stinks whenever you’re in contention there. I thought on the second-to-last one I had a good shot to potentially win the race and we finished 21st or something like that. It’s frustrating but that’s part of it.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I’m proud of everybody on this BuildSubmarines.com Mustang and working hard to get back after it. It was definitely an up and down day and ended up with a decent finish, but we just had a strategy to have the fuel we needed there and it was caution after caution, so I’m definitely frustrated by all of that.”
YOU HAD A GOOD CAR. “We definitely did. We had the ability to run in the top 10 all night and got stage points and got a decent finish out of it. I’m still just frustrated. It was just chaos there at the end. I have to go back and watch what happened with everything obviously, but we just didn’t get a chance to race very much. We were in a good spot there. We had good speed after the sun went down and had tires, so just really wanted some laps.”
RYAN PREECE, No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It wasn’t very pretty, but another chaotic 10 or 15 laps there at the end and we salvaged a good day, so thank you to Stewart-Haas, Ford Performance and all of my supporters – Morton Buildings, Haas Tooling, United Rentals, RaceChoice.com, just everybody and Al Hankey Mohawk Northeast, just everybody. A day like today certainly helps a lot.”
YOU HAD A FAST CAR AND FINALLY GOT TRACK POSITION AT THE END. “I’ll take it. It wasn’t pretty. Track position was a tough thing and we seemed to always be on the other side of it, but for once when it mattered we happened to be in the right spot.”
MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Love’s/Fleetguard Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I just came off of turn four and I thought maybe something had broke in the driveshaft or something like that, but it was actually in the transaxle. Something broke and shot a hole through the side of the case. That’s not what we wanted. We were salvaging a pretty decent day, so that was unfortunate.”
RILEY HERBST, No. 15 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford Mustang Dark Horse – IT LOOKED LIKE YOU AND LAJOIE WERE SIDE-BY-SIDE. WHAT HAPPENED FROM YOUR VIEW? “I don’t know. It just felt like he was kind of over-racing me, but I had fun. It was a fun day. It was cool. I learned a lot.” HOW DO YOU FEEL AFTER RUNNING A FULL RACE YESTERDAY AND NOW TODAY? “I’m tired, but I’m OK. It’s all right. It was fun. The Cup Series is a lot of hard work and a lot of fun.”
Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
NASHVILLE (June 29, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday after earning the pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Take us through your laps during qualifying and what this pole position means for tomorrow.
“Yeah, felt pretty good about it. Seems like we’ve definitely fixed some of the things we weren’t very good with last year. Even during practice and during the race, we fell on a terminal issue with the car we just couldn’t get fixed. And it seems like that was an emphasis we worked on coming back here. All day today, that was the least of my problems. I definitely feel pretty good about it and certainly, we’re going to work on it overnight and I feel very confident we’ll be in contention tomorrow.”
Does starting on pole carry extra weight here at Nashville?
“Yeah, I mean, there’s only 35 ft from the pit box to the timing line, so it’s one of the shorter distances that we have on the pit out. So, it’s one of the tracks that carries a bigger advantage. Yeah, at this track, it means more.”
Your crew chief, Chris Gabehart, said you guys were trying something new this weekend. Can you go into what that is?
“Yeah, kick the driver in the butt and say, ‘let’s go.’ No, I don’t know. We worked on what we really fought last time. We just couldn’t fix it. We were still a top-three car, but not the best. So, we needed to work on that, and I feel like from the very first lap of practice, they certainly fixed that. Now we get to work on some other things as your car is never handling perfect, but I feel like it has the speed along with the feel it needs to.”
Do you and your family have any plans for the Olympic break? Do you have a favorite Olympic sport?
“Yeah, we’re going to go on vacation. Finally go on one. For sport, track and field is the most exciting as it’s racing. Yeah, I really enjoy that. Certainly, I’ll watch basketball and things like that. But, to me, track and field, and obviously swimming. Anything that involves racing seems to be my favorite Olympic sport.”
For the driver meeting this morning, what did you learn from the discussion on wet weather tires?
“I mean, the only insight I can give is they explained why they made the decisions they made and why they were trying to ease their way into this. I think if you make one big mistake, which I think is valid, then you set yourself back and you’re then more hesitant to make those again. I was happy with everything they explained, and certainly, there’s always room for improvement, but they’re trying to use all the facts at hand to make the right decision. I think I mentioned on the podcast (Actions Detrimental) that they did a pretty good job. In Loudon, to allow the cars to take fuel was maybe the only thing questionable. I like where they’re at with it and as teams, we’ll continue to get better with it.”
Have you seen a difference in Bubba Wallace’s attitude this weekend?
“I think he’s still probably frustrated with himself at times, the team at times. But I think he’s doing a better job not outwardly showing that. I think that comes from maturity and he’s matured. Certainly, with some guidance from the team, we’ve tried to help him and guide him through those tough times you’re always going to have. I mentioned to him this week that you have just a handful of races that we have got to get it done. It certainly means a lot to us to make the Playoffs and certainly to him to make the Playoffs. We expect that from our cars, so they know they’ve got to perform. Whenever they don’t get the results they’re hoping for each week, it does get frustrating. You either get frustrated, mad and make more mistakes or you go to work, and you get better. I think that’s the attitude he’s going to take.”
What will the Olympic break look like for 23XI Racing and its employees?
“I’m not really sure, honestly. I want my guys to get a little time off. This is the grind of the season, it’s hot, there’s not been a break for a really long time. To me, this is the toughest stretch. June, July, our schedule is the absolute worst for the teams, because there are very short weeks where they don’t get the car back until late Monday, have to turn it around and have it ready by Thursday, so it’s tough. So hopefully they’ll have some time to get a little reset and certainly, we try to give our guys as much time off as we possibly can and rotate guys in and out on the roster on a weekly basis.”
What’s your relationship with Chase Briscoe as he joins Joe Gibbs Racing next season?
“Yeah, I’ve never really had a close relationship with Chase (Briscoe). Never really talked to him much. I obviously congratulated him this week and welcomed him to the team. He’s a person I’ll certainly learn off of. I think he’s got some special skillset at certain race tracks that intrigue me and when he gets in a car that’s similar to mine, certainly I’ll use that information to make myself better. That’s what you want from teammates is to go out and challenge you.”
How will running this race in the daytime be different compared to the previous year’s races at night with the Next Gen car?
“Yeah, it’s a great question. I think the track really took a jump when it went to night the first year (2022). It seemed like the field was spread in the sense of there were really good cars and everyone else. And then as soon as it went to night, it just squished the field all together and made passing really hard. I think passing will be easier in these ridiculously hot conditions because the cars will be sliding around and really accentuate good handling and drivers that have good techniques.”
How do you describe the recent instances with Kyle Larson on-track?
“I don’t know, there are different (rivalries) for sure. I think that there’s rivalries from drivers that don’t respect each other and certainly, they have a lot of speed, but they don’t like each other and deliberately run into each other. I don’t think anyone’s deliberately running into each other. Although it does happen. I’ve certainly had my mistakes and he’s been on the bad end of those. But it comes from competition and wanting to beat him. He’s one of the guys that, it’s hard not to say the best, of our sport. I challenge myself more when I race with him and it happens often, it does happen towards the front more often than not. We know each other’s driving style and we do things around each other that combat passing each other. And that usually means those tight quarters positions. The easy answer is if you’re faster than him, just go pass him. It’s just not that easy in the Next Gen car. If you really want to hold someone back, you can. It seems like we’re doing that to each other because it’s so hard to pass the other back, and we understand track position means everything. You know, when we try to pull a slider, the other person is going to drive in there deeper and make sure you don’t have the room to clear. It’s just the technique that’s used in dirt all the time, when they go up there and slide and force the car to lift. And if they don’t lift, they make contact. And that’s just something that’s evolved in Cup Series racing the past few years, really in the Next Gen era. It’s just two guys that don’t want to let the other past.”
Will heat play a factor in the race tomorrow?
“Fatigue will play a factor tomorrow. I do believe that. Certainly, everyone’s doing everything they can to hydrate themselves, but still, some people take heat better than others. I think any time that’s a factor, it has to weigh on you some way, shape or form. So, certainty, it’ll be a factor. How big of a factor, I’m not sure.”
What went behind the decision to have Corey Heim run Nashville for 23XI Racing?
“A lot of it had to do with scheduling. With engines from Toyota, we only have certain amount of capacity and engine sets they had, so timing it out from when our other third car races and Jimmie (Johnson) running. We have a partnership with LEGACY (MOTOR CLUB) on the pit crew as well, so spacing it out so it’s not where it’s crazy, stress on the shop was the biggest reason why. We also looked at which tracks have the most pit stops, where are pit stops the most important. Where’s track position most important? Where are the most passes? And if you want to let someone’s skillset show, we picked a track we feel like you can pass and if you’re good, you can make your way to the front, and you won’t be held back by the outside factors. So, we ramped those all in that order and we landed right here.”
Any discussions on having Martin Truex running the Daytona 500 for 23XI Racing?
“Yeah, they’re ongoing and progressing. You know, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, but we’re trying to plan for the future and certainly, I’d be honored to field a car for Martin (Truex Jr.) whenever he wants to race.”
Has there been any change in your preparation due to recent on-track struggles?
“Each result was certainly different for different reasons, and certainly engines and wet weather conditions was not ideal. I don’t remember the middle 24th-place finish and what happened there, but we feel very confident no matter what. Our speed has always been there, and even though our results don’t show that, we feel very confident that every time we go to the race track, we’re going to contend to be one of the fastest cars. Then, it’s a race on ourselves to execute properly and me making sure I’m doing my job behind the wheel. Yeah, it’s a bummer going from really good points position to three in a row less than ideal results. But then, you come back to it next week and pretend like none of that stuff ever happened and you set a goal and hopefully go dominate tomorrow. It’s just how our sport is. The ebbs and flows and every team has these swells of performance of not getting the results they deserve.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 Qualifying | Saturday, June 29, 2024
Ford Performance Results: 2nd – Josh Berry 5th – Brad Keselowski 9th – Chris Buescher 10th – Austin Cindric 14th – Michael McDowell 16th – Noah Gragson 18th – Ryan Blaney 19th – Chase Briscoe 22nd – Ryan Preece 25th – Harrison Burton 26th – Joey Logano 30th – Riley Herbst 32nd – Todd Gilliland 33rd – Justin Haley 38th – Chad Finchum
JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We had a really solid practice. The car felt really good and then I was little bit worried about the short run speed, but I felt like in practice I was just getting acclimated to everything. We made some really good adjustments for qualifying and had some really good execution there, so we should be on the front row for my home race. That’s pretty cool.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was a really good start to our weekend. I’m pretty happy with that, to get our BuildSubmarines.com Mustang to the final round. We’ve talked about it a lot in the last couple of months that this was where we’ve needed the most improvement and our team did a great job after practice. We found the speed that was able to get us in the hunt. I didn’t do as good of a job on that last run as I wanted to in one and two. I was really happy with three and four, but just ultimately it was tight there. It’s a really good start to the weekend for us.”
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Our car was decent. I struggled a little tighter in practice and thought it was good to be able to get to the second group. I was really happy with my lap, but it still looks like it’s probably gonna leave me 10th. That was a solid job by everyone on the Discount Tire Ford today and we have to go back it up tomorrow.”
NASCAR CUP SERIES NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY MEDIA AVAILABILITY QUOTES JUNE 29, 2024
William Byron, Driver of the No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Nashville Superspeedway.
Media Availability Quotes:
Where do you see things right now? You’ve obviously had such a hot start to the season. You guys were putting in good finishes, but are looking to get back to victory lane. Is this kind of the summer solstice for you, or do you feel optimistic with the tracks coming up?
“Yeah, I mean we’re certainly trying really hard. I feel like we’re preparing harder than we ever have. You know, I think we’ve just been a bit across the board, all over the board, with results. But if you look at the speed that we’ve had, Sonoma (Raceway) comes to mind as a race where we had top-three or four speed, but never really got to show that because we had a flat tire early and then got in that wreck with everyone in turn 11.
I just look at the results as a bit frustrating because we’ve been all over the board. But Iowa (Speedway) was a really good race for us.. finishing second. I feel like we just have to be able to show up week in and week out and put together those consistent weekends; communication-wise, effort-wise and limit the mistakes and just see where we are. We’re trying to climb the points ladder.. that’s important this time of year. Try to get as many bonus points as we can for the playoffs because there is kind of that seeding through the regular season standings. So I just feel like if we can get that stage win, race win or advance up the ladder in the points, that’s really what the goals are right now.”
It’s been a Hendrick Motorsports versus Joe Gibbs Racing year. What sets those two organizations apart from everyone else?
“I don’t feel like the gap is that big to the rest of the field, but I just feel like the Hendrick and Gibbs teams, for the most part, do a really good job executing races. If you look at the people, drivers and crew chiefs – everybody working together and making sure they’re minimizing the mistakes on the weekend to maximize your result. I feel like that’s what those teams do well and that’s what shows up in the results.”
Hendrick Motorsports just re-signed with Valvoline to extend that long-time partnership. Talk about what that means for the No. 24 team.
“Yeah, it means a ton because for me, growing up as a race fan, Valvoline was just one of those sponsors in racing that was iconic. You would always associate it with good teams and good drivers. I’m very proud to have their colors on the car for eight races this year and then six for the following years coming up. It just means a lot to me because it shows me that our team is doing the right things and companies like Valvoline are able to come onboard to support a race team like ours. It’s pretty cool.”
You’ve got a win on the Indianapolis oval. We’re going back there in a couple of weeks for the 30th running of the Brickyard 400. What does that mean to you being back on the oval for such an iconic race?
“You know, I always value Indy, whether it’s on the road course or the oval. But I think I speak for a lot of drivers for the fact that I feel like the oval is what we really want to be on. That’s kissing the bricks and all that emotion that comes with that, I think on the oval, is a big deal. Never got the chance to do it on the road course like I wanted to. I feel like we have been working really hard to be good on the road course, and honestly, it was one of our better tracks. But I think the oval would be just as good or better. So it’s just one of those places where for me, like Charlotte – when I go to it, I want to do really well. Probably just because of the prestige of the place itself.”
The heat this weekend, it might be one of the first really hot weekends. How do you get ready for it? What’s it going to do to the track? How is this race different than maybe the last several?
“Yeah, it’s just a lot of preparation during the week. I’m sure everyone trains a little differently, but yeah just hydrating and training; all of the things that your body needs to do better. That’s really kind of what’s on display this weekend, so it’ll be a true test for all of us. I think the weather kind of backs off a little bit tomorrow, so it won’t be as bad as today. But certainly, you have to do a good job internally to manage that stress; make sure that you’re able to make good decisions through the heat and everything.”
After Brickyard, you’re going to have 21 days between Cup races. What do you plan to do with yourself then, and are you going to pay attention to the Olympics? If so, are there any particular sports that catch your fancy?
“Yeah, I have a trip planned with my family, so that’ll be fun. I’m looking forward to that. But other than that, just try to really reset. But also it’s a chance to work and get better for the homestretch there. Definitely going to take that time to reset mentally and recharge, but still kind of work on the physical side and also the mental side to make sure that we’re ready. Anything that our team needs to do a better job of collectively, I think we’ll talk about that during those weeks and just try to come up with a good plan. And then you go into that home stretch where that’s what matters, right? Everyone knows that the playoffs and the end of the season is what we all race for, so I think we’ll go into those weeks to prepare for that.”
On watching the Olympics..
“Yeah, for sure. I like swimming, so I’ll watch a lot of the swimming. Definitely pay attention to that and maybe some of the other sports, as well.”
How much is that break needed, not only for you guys, but for the teams and everyone involved in the sport?
“Yeah, I mean I think I’ve heard Brad (Keselowski) talk about it, but I think we’re one of the few sports that doesn’t really get much of a break. You look at Formula 1 and how many races they have and a lot of other sports out there – it’s a very grueling schedule for everyone in the industry. I think it would be smart to kind of revisit all those things and see what the best approach is for the future. It’s definitely a good, much needed, break for a lot of the teams. It gives people the chance to reset and there’s probably a little better product because everyone’s probably got a little more energy in their interviews and things like that as we go down the stretch.”
Did you play a sport in high school? I think we’ve said football was your thing, but did you do something beyond that?
“Yeah, so at my high school, you had to play two sports. I raced once I was through ninth grade, so I wasn’t able to play football anymore, but I swam in high school. That kind of kept me busy during the winter when I wasn’t racing as much. I enjoyed it. So yeah, just something that I could relate to watching and kind of enjoy watching.”
You mentioned before that you guys put a lot of emphasis on road courses. How much have you put in for Chicago since that race last year?
“Yeah, I mean not really much, yet. It’s kind of week-to-week for this deal. I feel like all of the focus as been Nashville. And then yeah, when we get into this week, there will be a lot of preparation for Chicago. It wasn’t our best race, but we had some bright spots. We’ll definitely kind of lean on some of our teammates there. I feel like our Sonoma stuff will probably translate OK to there. We’ll obviously make some modifications from that to go to Chicago, but I feel like we just have to get a feel for the track this week; look at some onboards and things like that.”
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
Toyota Racing – Christopher Bell NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
NASHVILLE (June 29, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was made available to the media on Saturday prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Would you prefer wet or dry conditions at Chicago next weekend? How technical is the track?
“Yeah, I think at this point, I’d probably prefer the rain. Going into the Chicago street race, we had a really good practice and I was looking forward to a dry race. And then the wet, and when we started the race, we just took off and were really good. The track is very, very technical, very high risk and high reward. I think it’s turn four, which is a very fast section of the race track, gets very tight and you have to push hard there to make some lap time. And I don’t know the turns very well, after we come through that half-circle on the backside of the race track, that’s another section that’s super fast, super rough. Really easy to throw it into the wall there. The race track is filled with a lot of very high risk, high reward corners and you want to do good, you have to push the car hard and be right on the edge.”
You’re very humble, but will you admit how good your skills were to get that victory last weekend?
“Well, I will say our package is very good there (New Hampshire). Obviously, Adam (Stevens, crew chief) has been doing a good job giving me what I need to be successful. It goes hand-in-hand. I’m not going to win without Adam and he has won without me, but it goes hand-in-hand. I will admit it’s a good race track for me, but my car’s really good there.
What do you feel you need to improve on here at Nashville?
“I don’t know. I felt really good with the old car, whenever we came here, but both races with the Next Gen car, it’s been pretty hit or miss. Last year, looking back at it, some times in the race, I had speed where I was capable to be with the frontrunners, so that leaves me optimistic about today. But, yeah it’s just a track we don’t have a lot of time on, nobody has a lot of time on. So, hopefully we can make improvements on it this year.”
Why do you feel Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports are so strong this year?
“I don’t know. Obviously, it’s two of the premier teams in the sport and they’ve got really good people at Hendrick (Motorsports and Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) and it’s showing. I think once the Next Gen came out, there was a lot of parity in the field as no one knew what the car liked as far as setups and stuff like that. And as we’ve gotten deeper in the Next Gen era, you’re starting the see the cream rise to the top again.”
Having multiple wins already this season, how does that help you build towards the Playoffs?
“Oh my gosh. We’ve been trying to work towards this the last three years. It feels very rewarding to have Playoff points in the bank right now. We’ve got a great opportunity to get more. This is what everybody wants in the regular season, to get out of here with a lot of Playoff points. It feels much different from what we’ve had in the past, that’s for sure.”
Have you figured out what made you so strong in the wet weather conditions last weekend?
“I mean yeah, we debrief every Monday, so we’ve had plenty of time to talk about it at this point. You know, it’s not one thing in particular, just putting the previous experiences to use of what we did at North Wilkesboro when we put on the wet weather tires and what we did at Richmond when we put them on. And then everyone executed really well. My pit crew did a great job in the dry, they didn’t take us out of it, they did a great job when we went to the wet tires. Adam and the engineers did a great job making sure the car balance was good and I was able to keep it out of the wall. Yeah, it was just a perfect weekend of execution.”
How much has your season outlook changed with your recent performances?
“Yeah, I mean it just goes to show that it can happen at any point. Before Charlotte, I think I had like six (Playoff points) and then at Charlotte, we were able to win the race and win a couple stages and get up into the teens. It doesn’t take much to get a big boost in the Playoff points. Hope we can keep stacking them up and that’s what we’re here for. Yeah, it feels nice to finally be running like how this 20 car should be running.”
What is it about Nashville that suits you so well?
“I mean the package is really good for the JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) cars and we run the intermediate package here. While it’s smaller than a normal mile-and-a-half, it basically is a concrete mile-and-a-half. It’s like a Dover and (Las) Vegas, Kansas, Charlotte mixed together. Those were all good places for JGR and our cars suit this race track.”
One Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief said they’re trying something new this weekend. Does that apply to all of the team’s cars?
“That’s a good question, and honestly, I have no idea. I’ll let you know here in an hour or so.”
What will you do during the Olympic break? What Summer Olympic sport would you want to compete in?
“What’s that sport called, bobsledding, right? Oh, summer sport, got it. Well, bobsledding, I’ve always been intrigued by bobsledding. I don’t know. But yes, I’ll be paying attention to the (Olympic) sports and taking it easy. I don’t have a plan yet, but I’m sure I’ll find something to do.”
About Toyota
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Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.
NASCAR CUP SERIES NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY MEDIA AVAILABILITY QUOTES JUNE 29, 2024
Ross Chastain, Driver of the No. 1 Busch Light Country Camaro ZL1, met with the media in advance of racing double duty in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series at Nashville Superspeedway
Media Availability Quotes:
Ross, this track was sort of your breakthrough finish in the NASCAR Cup Series with a runner up finish in 2021. Now that you’re the defending winner here, what does this track mean to you and your career?
“Yeah, it’s wild. This town means a lot for our team, so to start there – this is where Justin (Marks) moved his family and had this idea of Trackhouse, and he put it all into motion. Ty (Norris) moved over and they created this idea of this Cup team and how it would change the sport. At that time, when they were in their first year of operation, we ran second with Ganassi. And then to come back and finish fifth and first with Trackhouse here, it’s been great. There’s been some good parties at Tootsies after these races, I can tell you (laughs).”
You have the second-highest average finish in the series this season. What do you think has allowed you guys to run so consistently, but at the same more, what do you feel like you need to contend for more top-fives and wins?
“Just a little bit more speed. When we make a lap, whatever lap time it is right now, if it could be a half-tenth quicker. Just a little bit of balance; a little bit more turn and a little bit more rear grip on entry. Whatever it is, front grip on exit, rear grip on exit.. just start and finish of each lap, there just needs to be a little bit more and that puts us in that next group.
Now, the entire sport is trying to do that. It doesn’t matter if you’re leading, you want to be that half-tenth better. If you’re 30th, you want to be a half-tenth better. For us, I feel like we’re a really consistent 10th place car. A good restart, we’ll go to sixth, and a bad restart, I go to 14th. So yeah, it’s just a little bit.. it’s just crumbs now is what we’re looking for to get that top-five. And then you see it, with top-fives, then you win. You put yourself in position.”
With you’re career, you’ve kind of had to fight your way numerous times. Now, you’re in a more stable position. With what the people at Stewart-Haas are going through, from a driver’s perspective, how much of an impact does that have week-by-week on the track.. has you’re preparing and considering different moves you might make on the track?
“There’s nothing else to really do on-track. I mean you can’t drive into the corner any harder. You can’t have a better restart. You can’t make any more lap time. In my experience, I was a lot more social in those times. At events, like I knew different industry things were happening and I was out. At the lower levels of Truck and Xfinity, and back in the pack Cup, I was trying to go to lunch where I knew the crew chiefs went, and I would stop by the shop and just pop in. A lot of those Truck and Xfinity teams, the doors aren’t locked.. you can just walk into the shops. I probably shouldn’t say that out loud, but like during the day – if you’re there and you’re not supposed to be there, they’ll ask you to leave. But as a driver that was bouncing around from team-to-team, I would go in a half-hour or an hour before lunch and talk to somebody I knew at the shop. Try to get to the crew chief or the general manager and be like – oh you’re going to lunch.. let’s go. I had nothing going on and obviously I’m looking for a job, so that was my mentality back then. It changed.. obviously I never walked into the CGR shop or anything like that. Like of course I wanted to drive there years before I did, but you can’t get in. Yeah, on-track though, they’re not able to do anything more. We’re all trying every race. I’ve obviously got a long-term contract, and I’m not driving into the restart easy by any means.. I’m looking for a gap.”
Chevrolet has won every Cup race that’s been here. Is that just a coincidence, or is that something that’s really been Chevrolet’s program?
“It’s no coincidence. Yeah, from the Gen-6 car to the Gen-7, we’ve came here and had speed. We haven’t led all the laps by any means. There’s been other people that have led laps and have looked like they were going to be stronger, but at the end of the races, we’ve really came on strong. We saw that last year – when it went to nighttime, our car really came alive. In 2021, it was a day race and we were really strong at the end. There’s just a lot of nuances about this track and this race that feel like a mile-and-a-half, until you get to the corner and then you’re heavy braking; downshifting where it feels like a Kansas (Speedway) or what Kentucky (Speedway) used to be, where you carried a lot more speed. But that little bit of distance out of the track – I haven’t ever actually done the math, but it feels like it’s only in the corners. The corners feel tighter, so we’re slowing down a lot more.
But yeah, no coincidence though, for sure.”
Is there one corner or spot at the Chicago Street Course that appears more difficult than others?
“How many turns are there.. 20? Then 20 of them (laughs). I swear, I didn’t have a comfortable corner there last year. I just couldn’t get comfortable.. like I wasn’t right off the bat and it never came throughout the race. So yeah, looking for a lot more there and just being comfortable with it. I’ve had a year to wrap my head around what that was like; those concrete cannons between the walls. Yeah, all were difficult.”
Have you been able to lean on SVG at all, just to kind of pick his brain on how you might improve your game there?
“Yeah, we’ve spent a lot of time together.. a lot of time running. The guy is huge into running, so if I want time with him, I’ll go run and we’ll meet. Him, Nick Sanchez and I, we just go run and talk and then usually we’ll start running fast enough that I’ll run out of air to talk with and I have to use it to breath (laughs).
Yeah, it is.. it is. He’s just such a great guy and he’s got little tidbits here and there. And then there’s just so much data we can look at, so I can learn just as much hearing from him as I can looking through his stuff; how he made speed compared to me. And it’s confidence.. a lot of it is confidence. It’s intentionally placing the car where he wanted to place it, and I was trying to place it kind of between the walls and he was placing it at the wall; maximizing left and right. Easy to say it, but really hard to do it.”
About Chevrolet
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Nashville Media Availability | Saturday, June 29, 2024
Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, has four top-10 finishes in the last six races and currently sits 73 points below the cut line. He answered questions about his recent hot streak as well as expectations for tomorrow’s race.
JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AT YOUR HOME TRACK HERE AT NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY AND HOW DID IT GO THURSDAY? “It’s exciting to be back here in Nashville. Obviously, growing up here I came here as a kid to watch races, so I’m excited to be back here in the Cup Series. I think the way we’ve been running it’s encouraging that we can come and have another good race. Thursday night was a lot of fun. I wish I would have run a little bit better. We moved forward throughout the race and got to fifth, but just needed to be a little bit faster and have a little bit better track position to compete for the win. It was my first time there and my first time working with that group and I had a lot of fun. It was fun to go back there and race and to see a lot of people. Hopefully, we can go back and do that again.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT MAINTAINING THE PACE YOU’VE SHOWED OF LATE? “Obviously, yeah, we’ve had good pace the last couple of weeks, but really the last couple of months have been a big step in the right direction. Even earlier in the year we saw potential in several races, but we weren’t able to put the whole piece together. I feel confident in our group. I think our cars are handling well. I think they’re faster. I’m getting more comfortable and getting more used to Cup racing in general. I feel like as we go through this summer stretch this should be another good opportunity for us to run well and there are several other tracks coming up too that I feel good about.”
CAN YOU WIN BEFORE THE PLAYOFFS START? “I think so, yeah. We’ve led laps at Iowa. We were in contention on a late restart obviously at New Hampshire. I’m not saying that I feel like we’re expected to or should win, but I think we can. I think our cars are getting competitive enough. It might take the right sequence of events, I guess, but we keep finding ourselves in this position, sooner or later something is gonna happen.”
IS THERE SOMETHING FROM YOUR END THAT HAS MADE THE INTERMEDIATES A LITTLE EASIER AS TIME HAS PROGRESSED? “I think back the first one was Vegas. That’s a tough intermediate in the Next Gen car. We learned a lot throughout that race. We actually found ourselves knocking on the door of the top 15 to the end, but definitely got considerably better and learned a lot. We kind of took that to Texas and had the same experience. We got better throughout the race. Me and the 47 made contact into one and I wrecked, but we were right outside the top 10 there, too. And then I think we were able to put all that together for Charlotte with practice and qualifying a little bit better. We stayed in the top 10 or 12 the whole race, so I think the intermediates, that’s probably where SHR as a whole needs to be better or has needed to be better in the last couple of years. But I think the big thing there is just adapting the car to how I like to drive it on the intermediate versus what Kevin did. I think the short tracks I just hop in and go with what he runs. The intermediates hasn’t been quite the same and it took us a little bit to figure that out and once we started figuring it out, the speed came and the results came, so hopefully we can continue that on this week.”
HOW DO YOU PREFER TO DRIVE ON THE INTERMEDIATES COMPARED TO KEVIN’S STYLE? “It could be a number of things. Obviously, they have a different body, too. The body update could be different, but it just seems like that I need the car to be tighter mostly getting into the corner is what I’ve noticed to what Kevin drove, but obviously there’s an offset with the aero side of things with the body, too. It’s kind of a combination of all that, I feel like, but pretty much the early intermediates we would be too loose to start the race, be too loose in qualifying. When we would tighten it up, I would go fast and it’s like once we started figuring that out, that was kind of where we got to and really each one of them we’ve gotten better and better.”
DO YOU FEEL MORE OPTIMISTIC NOW THAT YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A SPOT IN THE CUP SERIES THAN YOU WERE A MONTH AGO? “Yeah, I feel good about having a spot in the Cup Series next year. I feel like our results have been really strong the last couple of months. I don’t really know other than winning a race at this point is the only thing left that I can do. We’ve finished in the top five. We’ve ran up front. We’ve led laps. We’ve showed the potential that we can do, so I think that’s been a big confidence boost for me. I really think that whole situation, at least for myself and our team, you find a lot about yourself when your back is against the wall and everybody is performing at a really high level, the highest probably we ever have, and we’re fighting together and I feel like opportunities will come.”
DO YOU THINK YOU AND RODNEY WILL BE ABLE TO STAY TOGETHER NEXT YEAR WHEREVER YOU END UP? “I agree with his side of things. We’ve had a ton of discussions, all kinds of different things. Some days you feel like it’s more possible than others. I would love to stay with Rodney. I know he feels the same way, but I really can’t say for sure. I think time will tell. There’s been some opportunities out there where maybe that’s possible. There are some other opportunities where we’re not as sure if that’s possible, but we’re gonna keep trying to provide results on the track like we have been the last couple of months. Having races like we had at Iowa and last week at New Hampshire, I mean, that’s the biggest audition there is. We’re working together well and the way I look at it, it’s no risk. It’s turn key. You plug us in there and put the right people around us, we’re gonna run like we do now.”
YOU WILL GET TO RUN THE INDY OVAL FOR THE FIRST TIME. IS THAT AS EXCITING OF A PROSPECT FOR DRIVERS OF YOUR GENERATION AS IT WAS IN 1994? “Yeah, for sure. I’m super excited for that. I definitely think we should be on the oval. Like a lot of us grew up watching the Brickyard 400, the Indy 500, I think it’s gonna be really exciting to go back and get on the oval. Hopefully, the Next Gen car races well there. I feel like it will and it’s gonna be a lot of unknowns going back there for the first time, but it’s definitely something that we’re all excited for.”
ONCE YOU GOT TO THE POINT WHEN YOU GET TO THE CUP LEVEL AND YOU ARE FACED WITH THIS KIND OF A SITUATION, DO YOU FEEL YOU’RE HANDLING IT BETTER NOW THAN AS A KID STARTING OUT IN LATE MODELS? “Yeah, for sure. I think that obviously my years of racing short tracks and the maturity I gained throughout that process and working with that group only prepared me better when I got to the Xfinity Series. I think at this point I can’t say that I thought we would be in this situation again when I signed to drive the 4 car right at about a year ago. I think that I’m at my best when my back is against the wall and I have to go out and perform. I think we’ve seen that time and time again, and I welcome that and accept that. I feel like I deserve a spot racing on Sundays. I think I’ve proved that, and I think that most definitely my journey to get here for sure prepared me for that moment and I’m ready for what’s next.”
THIS MIGHT BE THE HOTTEST WEEKEND OF THE SEASON. HOW WILL THAT AFFECT THE CAR AND YOU? “This is always, I feel like, the first real hot race that we go to, so we’re all preparing for that accordingly – just making sure to stay hydrated and everything. I think the track itself, I guess it’s unfortunate in a way, but I feel like the track puts on really good racing when it’s hot. It lays down a lot of rubber. The groove widens out. I just know that it’s uncomfortable for the fans. Hopefully, we can maybe find a compromise there, but, like I said, we’re professionals and we train and prepare for this and I don’t foresee any issues.”
IS THERE A BITTERSWEET ELEMENT IN THE FACT YOUR PERFORMANCE HAS TAKEN OFF THE LAST 6-8 WEEKS AND THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO MOVE TO ANOTHER TEAM, AND IS THAT THE REASON OF THE FOCUS OF THE PLUG AND PLAY ELEMENT AS A GROUP MOVING TO A NEW TEAM? “I think there’s a number of layers to that question. For me, I spent a decade racing late models and working on my own race cars and racing with the same group. I know how important it is having the right people in place and people that you can work with and perform with at a high level. I physically put my own hands on my own race cars and built my own race cars and worked with these people that helped me learn and be a part of that. Sometimes guys get up here and think it’s all me, me, me. ‘I can drive that car better than this guy.’ I have a pretty good understanding that it takes everybody to do this and all the guys that are great at this – Kevin for example – always talked about how strong that group is and it’s true. I’m living it right now, so I think I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t fight for them too in this. It would be easier for me to come up here and say it’s all about me, but it’s not. Rodney does a great job. Cheddar does a great job, all of our engineers, everybody on that team does a great job and just circumstance led us to being in this position – that we’re all looking for work at the same time. For me, and those guys would say too, their number one goal is they want to see me drive a Cup car, but I just felt that I needed to – I guess not necessarily fight for those guys because they’re all great at what they do and they’re gonna find work and be successful wherever they go – but there’s still part of me that, yeah, that I want to try to stay with some of those guys if I can. I’m just not sure if that’s gonna be possible, but I felt like at least I know regardless of how this works out that I said what was on my heart and tried to fight for it, and I think that will help me sleep at night.”
GENE HAAS IS KEEPING ONE CHARTER. ARE ANY OF THE DRIVERS CURRENTLY AT SHR IN THE RUNNING FOR THAT? “Throughout that whole process we heard the rumors of what was going on and whether there was gonna be one charter kept, two charters kept. We read all that stuff on the internet just like all of you and that’s where I’ll leave that. I mean, I read it on the internet, so I assume that I’m not a candidate for that ride and I’ve had no communication there. I’m happy that Gene is staying in the sport and continuing that on, and I’m really thankful for the opportunity that I got to come race at Stewart-Haas, but obviously there are things that have happened that they required to make a change and I respect them for that. I’m thankful for the opportunity that I got and we’re gonna move forward in our own directions.”
Riley Herbst is pulling double-duty this weekend, driving his usual No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the NASCAR Xfinity Series while also competing with Rick Ware Racing in Sunday’s Cup event. He stopped by the infield media center to talk about both events before practice got underway.
RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING FUN IN NASHVILLE THIS WEEK? “Yes, not this weekend. Usually, it’s a nice, fun getaway to get down on Broadway, but with it being super hot and running the Cup race as well I’m staying close to the racetrack and not going downtown because it might be a slight problem. We’re staying close to the racetrack this week.”
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS SEASON? “I think it’s super interesting, to be honest with you, because last week was actually our first back-to-back top 10 of the year, which was a big surprise to me. That just kind of showed how fast we are to get stage points and be sixth in points, so I feel like if we could finish where we’ve been running, I felt like we would probably be first or second in points, but we’ve had awful finishes. It just shows how much speed we have because last year we finished really bad and we were really bad in points, but this year we’re finishing bad and we’re still pretty high in points, so that just means we have to execute and put everything together and I think we can close in on the gap.”
CAN YOU SHARE WHAT YOUR PLAN PREFERENCE IS FOR NEXT YEAR? “I think there’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes, but it’s not really just RIley Herbst it’s Monster Energy as well. The biggest thing is trying to see what’s right for me, what’s right for Monster Energy. I have really good people around me with Josh Jones and Kevin Harvick trying to guide me in the right position and I’m gonna lean on their experience. I have last year and I’m going to again this year and there’s a lot of options on the table, so we’re looking forward to everything and hearing everybody out.”
ARE THOSE CUP OPTIONS? “It’s all three series.”
AT KANSAS IN THE CUP CAR IT TOOK YOU TIME TO GET UP TO SPEED. WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST HURDLE IN THAT RACE? “Truthfully, I don’t think I ever got up to speed at Kansas. It was pretty dismal, so we’re looking for hopefully a little bit more competitive pace this weekend at Nashville, but they just drive so different. It’s just completely a 180 and it took me a while to wrap my head around it and I still don’t think my head is fully wrapped around it, so the main goal is to just be a little bit more competitive and try to find some more pace.”
CAN YOU GIVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT THE ISSUE WAS AT KANSAS? “The tire patch is so much bigger. The steering is way different than a Truck and Xfinity car. The aero balance is just crazy. The throttle pedals, they’re not hanging pedals, they’re mounted on the floor. It’s just small things that you wouldn’t think are huge, but when you grow up doing something one way and then you hop into something and it’s completely different, it’s really hard for people to adjust – at least for me – but I’ve been doing a lot of homework and hopefully we’re gonna be a little bit better this week than we were at Kansas.”
IS A GOOD XFINITY RIDE BETTER THAN A MEDIOCRE CUP RIDE OR IS JUST GETTING TO THE CUP SERIES AS FAST AS POSSIBLE A BETTER ROUTE? “At least for myself and my sponsor it’s important to be in competitive rides. I think that’s the easiest way to learn is to surround yourself with good people and put yourself in good equipment. That’s first and foremost, so I think that’s going to be our priority for us this offseason, where we land, is to be in a ride that’s extremely competitive whether it be in any three series.”
DO YOU FEEL ANY ADDITIONAL PRESSURE LIKE EACH RACE IS AN AUDITION NOW? “I don’t, honestly, and the reason why I tell you that is because I feel like I’ve surrounded myself with good people. If we go out and have a good run tomorrow and Sunday in the Cup car I don’t think that solidifies anything and if I go out and do what I did at Kansas I don’t think that solidifies anything either. It’s just about learning. It’s about completing all the laps and it’s about becoming a better race car driver.”
IS YOUR PAST SUCCESS HERE A REASON WHY YOU CHOSE THIS RACE TO RUN CUP? “No. I didn’t really get much of a choice. It was kind of what my crew chief, Davin Restivo wanted me to day, what Greg Zipadelli wanted me to do, what was available at Rick Ware Racing, so it was a mix of accumulation and at the end they gave me a list of a few racetracks and I got to pick. It wasn’t like ‘Ooh, in January, Nashville.’ It wasn’t really like that.”
NASHVEGAS IS A NICKNAME FOR THIS AREA. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT BEING A LAS VEGAS NATIVE? “I think it’s cool. Obviously, being from Las Vegas I don’t think anything compares to the strip and what Las Vegas has to offer. I feel like it’s the greatest city in the country by any means. I have had a lot of fun on Broadway and hopefully I can come back here and have some more fun.”
YOU WERE THIRD AND SECOND HERE, SO YOU HAVE ONLY ONE PLACE LEFT TO GO. “I hope so. It would make things a lot easier if we were able to win. I feel like that’s the small piece we’re lacking this year from being a true Championship 4 contender is just our playoff points are a little bit smaller than we’d want at this time in the season, but I think our pace-wise and our team that’s our mentality and I feel like if we can get a win here early in the season, then we can go chase some more stage points and put ourselves in a deep, deep playoff hunt.”
THE 51 HAS HAD SPEED. DO YOU HAVE ANY HEIGHTENED EXPECTATIONS COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND? “I feel like Justin has done a really good job. Him and his crew chief, Chris, have done a really good job together, but I don’t think that really puts anymore pressure or expectations on myself today and tomorrow just because he’s been at this quite a long time and my goal is simple, it’s to complete all the laps and get as much experience as I can for whatever may happen in the future.”
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Nashville Media Availabilities | Saturday, June 29, 2024
Riley Herbst is pulling double-duty this weekend, driving his usual No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the NASCAR Xfinity Series while also competing with Rick Ware Racing in Sunday’s Cup event. He stopped by the infield media center to talk about both events before practice got underway.
RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING FUN IN NASHVILLE THIS WEEK? “Yes, not this weekend. Usually, it’s a nice, fun getaway to get down on Broadway, but with it being super hot and running the Cup race as well I’m staying close to the racetrack and not going downtown because it might be a slight problem. We’re staying close to the racetrack this week.”
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS SEASON? “I think it’s super interesting, to be honest with you, because last week was actually our first back-to-back top 10 of the year, which was a big surprise to me. That just kind of showed how fast we are to get stage points and be sixth in points, so I feel like if we could finish where we’ve been running, I felt like we would probably be first or second in points, but we’ve had awful finishes. It just shows how much speed we have because last year we finished really bad and we were really bad in points, but this year we’re finishing bad and we’re still pretty high in points, so that just means we have to execute and put everything together and I think we can close in on the gap.”
CAN YOU SHARE WHAT YOUR PLAN PREFERENCE IS FOR NEXT YEAR? “I think there’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes, but it’s not really just RIley Herbst it’s Monster Energy as well. The biggest thing is trying to see what’s right for me, what’s right for Monster Energy. I have really good people around me with Josh Jones and Kevin Harvick trying to guide me in the right position and I’m gonna lean on their experience. I have last year and I’m going to again this year and there’s a lot of options on the table, so we’re looking forward to everything and hearing everybody out.”
ARE THOSE CUP OPTIONS? “It’s all three series.”
AT KANSAS IN THE CUP CAR IT TOOK YOU TIME TO GET UP TO SPEED. WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST HURDLE IN THAT RACE? “Truthfully, I don’t think I ever got up to speed at Kansas. It was pretty dismal, so we’re looking for hopefully a little bit more competitive pace this weekend at Nashville, but they just drive so different. It’s just completely a 180 and it took me a while to wrap my head around it and I still don’t think my head is fully wrapped around it, so the main goal is to just be a little bit more competitive and try to find some more pace.”
CAN YOU GIVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT THE ISSUE WAS AT KANSAS? “The tire patch is so much bigger. The steering is way different than a Truck and Xfinity car. The aero balance is just crazy. The throttle pedals, they’re not hanging pedals, they’re mounted on the floor. It’s just small things that you wouldn’t think are huge, but when you grow up doing something one way and then you hop into something and it’s completely different, it’s really hard for people to adjust – at least for me – but I’ve been doing a lot of homework and hopefully we’re gonna be a little bit better this week than we were at Kansas.”
IS A GOOD XFINITY RIDE BETTER THAN A MEDIOCRE CUP RIDE OR IS JUST GETTING TO THE CUP SERIES AS FAST AS POSSIBLE A BETTER ROUTE? “At least for myself and my sponsor it’s important to be in competitive rides. I think that’s the easiest way to learn is to surround yourself with good people and put yourself in good equipment. That’s first and foremost, so I think that’s going to be our priority for us this offseason, where we land, is to be in a ride that’s extremely competitive whether it be in any three series.”
DO YOU FEEL ANY ADDITIONAL PRESSURE LIKE EACH RACE IS AN AUDITION NOW? “I don’t, honestly, and the reason why I tell you that is because I feel like I’ve surrounded myself with good people. If we go out and have a good run tomorrow and Sunday in the Cup car I don’t think that solidifies anything and if I go out and do what I did at Kansas I don’t think that solidifies anything either. It’s just about learning. It’s about completing all the laps and it’s about becoming a better race car driver.”
IS YOUR PAST SUCCESS HERE A REASON WHY YOU CHOSE THIS RACE TO RUN CUP? “No. I didn’t really get much of a choice. It was kind of what my crew chief, Davin Restivo wanted me to day, what Greg Zipadelli wanted me to do, what was available at Rick Ware Racing, so it was a mix of accumulation and at the end they gave me a list of a few racetracks and I got to pick. It wasn’t like ‘Ooh, in January, Nashville.’ It wasn’t really like that.”
NASHVEGAS IS A NICKNAME FOR THIS AREA. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT BEING A LAS VEGAS NATIVE? “I think it’s cool. Obviously, being from Las Vegas I don’t think anything compares to the strip and what Las Vegas has to offer. I feel like it’s the greatest city in the country by any means. I have had a lot of fun on Broadway and hopefully I can come back here and have some more fun.”
YOU WERE THIRD AND SECOND HERE, SO YOU HAVE ONLY ONE PLACE LEFT TO GO. “I hope so. It would make things a lot easier if we were able to win. I feel like that’s the small piece we’re lacking this year from being a true Championship 4 contender is just our playoff points are a little bit smaller than we’d want at this time in the season, but I think our pace-wise and our team that’s our mentality and I feel like if we can get a win here early in the season, then we can go chase some more stage points and put ourselves in a deep, deep playoff hunt.”
THE 51 HAS HAD SPEED. DO YOU HAVE ANY HEIGHTENED EXPECTATIONS COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND? “I feel like Justin has done a really good job. Him and his crew chief, Chris, have done a really good job together, but I don’t think that really puts anymore pressure or expectations on myself today and tomorrow just because he’s been at this quite a long time and my goal is simple, it’s to complete all the laps and get as much experience as I can for whatever may happen in the future.”
Nashville Superspeedway Sunday, June 30, 2024 1.33-Mile Tri-Oval 3:30 PM ET Location: Lebanon, Tennessee TV: Fox Event: NASCAR Cup Series (19 of 36) Radio: SiriusXM, logo
TOP OF THE WORLD: With his fourth-place finish Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson moved into a tie with teammate Chase Elliott for the NASCAR Cup Series points lead following his league-leading eighth top-five finish of 2024. The Elk Grove, California, native also has a series-best eight stage wins this season and has accrued 23 playoff points, the most of any driver.
TENNESSEE BYWAY: During his 10-win 2021 Cup Series championship season, Larson started fifth and led 264 laps en route to victory at Nashville Superspeedway. The driver of the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet is one of two competitors to finish in the top five in each of the three races at the Tennessee track, including a fourth-place result in 2022 and a fifth-place finish one year ago. Larson’s 3.33 average finish is his best at any track (minimum of three starts).
I’LL TAKE THE CHEVY: With eight races to go in the regular season, the 31-year-old Larson has led 755 laps, which is 105 more than anyone else. He also leads the Cup Series in pole positions (four) and is tied for most wins (three).
I DRIVE FASTLY: In just his fourth year driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Larson has already accumulated 20 points-paying race wins, which rank him third in team history. He trails only NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (93) and Jimmie Johnson (83) in victories for the organization, which has won Cup races with a record 20 different drivers.
THIS ONE’S FOR MY CREW: The No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM team holds the eighth-fastest average four-tire pit stop time in 2024 at 10.974 seconds. Larson’s pit crew consists of Blaine Anderson (front-tire changer), R.J. Barnette (tire carrier), Brandon Harder (fueler), Brandon Johnson (jackman) and Calvin Teague (rear-tire changer).
MY KINDA PARTY: Special edition home race hats are back! This weekend marks another “home” race weekend for the No. 5 team. For every HENDRICKCARS.COM home race this season, there will be an exclusive hat that is only available for sale on the trackside merchandise haulers, or available to win on HENDRICKCARS.COM. Less than 100 of each limited-edition hat will be made available to the public. This week’s Nashville-themed hat can be found here.
GET YOUR SHINE ON: The Nashville market is home to three Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships. Customers can shop at three different showrooms or at one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s other 90 dealerships nationwide. In shopping from the convenience of home, consumers can select the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HENDRICKCARS.COM.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 28 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 1st (tie)
No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
KEEP ON: With the NASCAR Cup Series now 18 races into the regular season, Chase Elliott is tied with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson for the points lead. His 9.61 average finish – a career best for the driver at the 18-race mark – leads the series, and his average starting position of 11.33 ranks fourth. Elliott’s seven top-five finishes are tied for second-most on the year, and his nine top-10s are tied for fifth-most.
SUCCESS: Elliott has finished all 18 points-paying races inside the top 20, making him the first driver to do it since Ricky Rudd in 1991. His father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, also accomplished it in 1988. Chase Elliott’s lowest result this season is 19th, which matches Bill’s worst finish through 18 events in 1988. Elliott has completed all but one lap this season, which is the best mark since Kurt Busch finished every lap through the first 18 races of 2016. The 28-year-old driver’s only performance not on the lead lap occurred at Bristol Motor Speedway where he still drove to an eighth-place finish.
GUITAR TOWN: Elliott is a previous Cup Series winner at Nashville Superspeedway. In June 2022, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native led the final 39 laps at the 1.33-mile oval to earn his second win of the season. It started a string of five consecutive top-two finishes, which included three victories (Nashville, Pocono Raceway and Atlanta Motor Speedway). Across his first three starts at Nashville, the 2020 Cup Series champion has led 56 laps, spent the second-most laps inside the top 10 (779) and captured two top-five results, including the 2022 victory. Elliott also has a triumph at another Music City venue, winning the All-American 400 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in 2013 when he was just 17 years old.
EVERY MILE A MEMORY: In 61 Cup starts on tracks measuring 1 to 1.37 miles in length, Elliott has four wins. His first came at Dover Motor Speedway in 2018 and was followed by his championship-clinching performance at Phoenix Raceway in 2020. His two most recent victories on a track of this length came in 2022 at Dover and Nashville. Accompanying the quartet of triumphs are 23 top-five finishes, 30 top-10s and 1,287 laps led across his starts on this track type. In five races on this variation of track in 2024, Elliott’s best finish is fifth (at Dover) and top start is first (at New Hampshire Motor Speedway).
CONCRETE DREAMS: On concrete tracks in NASCAR’s premier series, Elliott has three wins (Nashville in 2022 and Dover in 2018 and 2022) with two coming in the Next Gen race car – the second-best mark in the Cup Series.
FAST AS YOU: The No. 9 crew ranks first in average four-tire pit stop time (10.604 seconds) through the first 18 races of 2024. In April at Texas, the squad knocked out the fastest four-tire stop of any team this season with a time of 9.076 seconds. The 2021 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew award-winning group has remained the same since 2018 and is comprised of Chad Avrit (rear-tire changer), Jared Erspamer (tire carrier), John Gianninoto (fueler), Nick O’Dell (front-tire changer) and T.J. Semke (jackman).
LOTTA BOOT LEFT TO FILL: Veteran crew chief Alan Gustafson is in his 20th season atop the pit box in the Cup Series, all with Hendrick Motorsports. On tracks measuring 1 to 1.37 miles in length, he has 11 wins with four different drivers, including Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Kyle Busch and Elliott. His most recent victory on this track type came with Elliott at Nashville in 2022, and his first was with Busch in 2005 at Phoenix. In 138 Cup races on this track variation, the Ormond Beach, Florida, native has 47 top-five finishes and 72 top-10s with more than 2,500 laps led.
IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW: NAPA Auto Parts is on board the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway. The Atlanta-based company was also the primary sponsor for Elliott and No. 9 team’s win at the Tennessee track in 2022. In fact, the longtime Hendrick Motorsports partner’s livery has adorned Elliott’s Chevrolet in 13 of his 19 career Cup Series victories.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 26 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 7th
No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
RECORD YEAR: William Byron’s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season started off hot with three wins (currently tied for the most) including his first career DAYTONA 500. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has six top-five finishes (tied for fifth) and is tied for the second-most top-10s (10) so far. He has the best average starting position (9.28) and the sixth-best average finish (13.22). After 18 races, he is seventh in the 2024 Cup Series standings with 16 playoff points.
I WALK THE LINE: Sunday’s race at Nashville Superspeedway will mark Byron’s 49th start on tracks 1 to 1.37 miles in length. In his previous 48 starts, the 26-year-old driver has collected two pole awards, two wins, 10 top-five finishes, 20 top-10s and 537 laps led.
THE NASHVILLE SCENE: With three Cup Series starts at Nashville, Byron’s best showing came in 2021 when he qualified fourth and raced to a third-place finish. He has one other start at the 1.33-mile oval, also coming in 2021, in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, where he qualified 10th and was running up front before suffering a mechanical issue just past halfway.
STAND BY YOUR MAN: Crew chief Rudy Fugle also has three Cup Series starts under his belt at Nashville, all with Byron and the No. 24 team, with a best finish of third in 2021. The Livonia, New York, native has three other starts at Nashville, including two in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2010 when he recorded one top-10 finish and two top-15s. He earned a 16th-place result in Truck Series in 2011.
BOOT SCOOTIN BOOGIE: After 18 races in 2024, the No. 24 pit crew continues its success from last year. The five-person team ranks second for the fastest average four-tire pit stop (10.764 seconds). The No. 24 over-the-wall crew consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler).
I RUN TO YOU: On Wednesday, Valvoline Global, a worldwide leader in automotive and industrial solutions creating future-ready products and best-in-class services for partners around the globe, announced it has expanded and extended its strategic partnership with 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports through 2029. The brand will increase its presence on Byron’s No. 24 from three primary sponsorship races annually to eight in 2024 and six in the 2025-2029 seasons. This weekend’s race at Nashville Superspeedway will be Valvoline’s third appearance as the primary sponsor of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in 2024. Established in 1866, the company’s heritage spans more than 150 years, during which time it has developed powerful brand recognition across multiple product and service channels. Valvoline ranks as the No. 3 passenger car motor oil brand in the DIY market by volume. For more on the Valvoline extension news, click here.
48 ALEX BOWMAN
Age: 31 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: 12th
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
FAST CAR: Going into Sunday’s event at Nashville Superspeedway, Alex Bowman ranks 12th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, 144 markers behind the leader. With eight races to go in the regular season and six playoff spots left undecided, he ranks 14th in the playoff standings, 59 points above the cut line. In 2024, the 31-year-old driver has secured four top-five finishes and 10 top-10s, with nine in the last 14 races. It is his most top-10 finishes through 18 races in a season.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: This weekend NASCAR takes on Nashville Superspeedway, the largest concrete-only track on the Cup Series schedule. Bowman has won on a concrete surface before, going to victory lane at Dover Motor Speedway in 2021. On Sunday, he will make his fourth Cup start at the 1.33-mile oval in the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. For the third year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. designed the team’s scheme for the Ally 400 (2021, 2022 and 2024). This year’s special scheme pays tribute to the city’s culture with bright colors, stars, musical notes, vinyl records, guitar picks and more. Check out all angles of the new look here.
ALLY 400: After hosting several NASCAR Xfinity Series and Truck Series races, Nashville Superspeedway sat dormant for 10 years until 2021. Ally helped bring racing back to the Music City four years ago with the inaugural Ally 400. Nashville acts as an intersection for motor sports, culture and music, and Ally invites fans to visit the track this weekend for the first-hand experience. The Ally fan zone space will feature a roll-a-ball, victory wheel, an No. 48 Ally show car, a Hendrick Motorsports 40th anniversary street car, “Bowman bucks” and more. Luke Combs will serve as the honorary pace car driver, and new Ally Financial CEO Michael Rhodes will wave the green flag for Sunday’s race.
48TH START FOR BOWMAN AND HARRIS: Sunday will mark the 48th Cup Series race together for the driver and crew chief of the No. 48 team. Bowman has been the full-time driver for the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet since Jimmie Johnson retired in 2021. He was paired with Greg Ives until he retired as a full-time crew chief in 2022. At the start of the 2023 season, Blake Harris was hired to lead the Ally Racing team. Now in their second season together, the duo has earned one pole position, seven top-five finishes, 18 top-10s and led 87 laps.
TEAMMATES IN THE FAN ZONE: On Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson will join Bowman in the Nashville fan zone at 11:30 a.m. local time for a joint appearance. Ally and Hendrick Automotive Group have teamed up to celebrate Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary by giving away a 40th Anniversary Edition Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE through the Ally “Win Your Wheels fueled by HendrickCars.com” sweepstakes. Fans can enter to win at Ally.com/sweepstakes/nascar. The sweepstakes will end Sept. 20, 2024.
THE RIDE: Check out views from the driver’s seat of Bowman’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend. Fans can ride along for Sunday’s 399-mile competition by tuning into NASCAR’s in-car camera on-board. Visit nascar.com/drive to experience the behind-the-scenes perspective.
NASHVILLE HUMANE ASSOCIATION: Since 2024, Bowman and Ally have teamed up to support Best Friends Animal Society and its vast network of partners. Every race weekend, the pair donates a total of $4,800 to help homeless pets. This weekend, the charitable donation will go to the Nashville Humane Association. If you’re in town for the race, check out the animals available for adoption at the shelter located 40 miles west of the track. Not ready to adopt? Visit their website for further details on how to help save a life by donating, volunteering or fostering. Learn more about the new Best Friends “Bring Love Home” campaign here.
REBUILDING IN THE COMMUNITY: Ahead of the race weekend, the No. 48 team made a trip to the outskirts of Nashville to volunteer with Rebuilding Together, a local non-profit that restores, rebuilds and provides critical repairs at homes of low-income residents. Bowman, his Ally Racing crew and retired NFL player Bernard Pollard visited Trinity Community Commons to assist with improving garden areas and building tables, benches and shade structures. Racing is the team’s passion, but giving back to communities where they race helps them “do it right.”
FUELING THE PIT CREW: The Ally Racing pit crew ranks 10th on pit road for the best average four-tire stop this year (10.986). The five-man No. 48 crew is composed of jackman Allen Holman, tire carrier Brandon Grier, front-tire changer Donnie Tasser, rear-tire changer Andrew Bridgeforth and gasman Jacob Conley.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS /
2024
All-Time
Nashville
Races
18
1,363
3
Wins
7*
308*
2*
Poles
5*
251*
0
Top 5
25*
1,257*
6*
Top 10
38*
2,150*
7*
Laps Led
1,175
80,932*
334
Stage Wins
10
108
1
*Most **Most (tie)
THE NASHVILLE SCENE: Hendrick Motorsports has won two of the three races held at Nashville Superspeedway since it was added to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2021. It also leads all organizations in top-five finishes (six) and top-10s (seven) at the 1.33-mile tri-oval.
CELEBRATING 40: In 2024, Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The team holds the all-time NASCAR Cup Series records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), wins (308), pole positions (251) and laps led (80,932). This season, it leads all Cup organizations with seven points-paying victories through 17 races.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on previous results at Nashville Superspeedway: “Nashville (Superspeedway) has been a good track for us. We got the win in the inaugural event and have backed it up with a couple more top fives. We’re heading into the weekend with the hope the HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet will be up front in contention for another victory there.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on previous results with two different types of race cars: “Nashville is definitely a fun and unique track. We enjoy going there, but it’s been a bit of a struggle in the Next Gen era. We’ve been able to pull off a few good finishes with making good adjustments to the car during the last couple of races. We haven’t unloaded quite as fast as we would have liked, so we have done a lot of work to hopefully be quicker off the truck this weekend.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Nashville: “I look forward to going to Nashville Superspeedway. It’s obviously a really cool town and market to be in, and the track’s been really racy the last couple of years. There are a lot of different lines to choose from and, overall, it’s been super solid.”
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on returning to Nashville: “I’m looking forward to going to Nashville. I feel like overall it’s been a good track for us. There’s a lot of lanes and good opportunities for passing. I’m optimistic about the weekend. The team has really good chemistry right now and we all work well together. We all just want to go and perform our jobs at a high level. I think we have an opportunity to go there and get some good stage points and hopefully be there at the end with a shot at the win.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how the temperature will play a factor this weekend: “I think a big factor this weekend will be managing the heat. The first time we raced at Nashville (Superspeedway) with the Next Gen, it was a lightning delayed night race, and then last year was a scheduled night race. Now we’re going there during the day where it’s been super hot. You’re going to have a low grip situation in the car, and it’s going to be hot in the car and for the guys working on it. It’s just an added element when most of our notes are from racing there at night, and we should be done well before that this time if we don’t get any weather.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how Nashville Superspeedway compares to other intermediate tracks: “I think now that we’ve raced at Iowa (Speedway), that’s going to compare a lot to racing at Nashville (Superspeedway). You’ll probably use the brakes more there, but you’ll still have a bit of grip to work with. The track is fairly flat, though. From an aerial view it looks like it has a lot of banking, but it’s pretty flat compared to Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) or Charlotte (Motor Speedway). You don’t have as much banking to hold onto you entering or exiting the corner. You have a tighter turn radius, so it’s harder to turn in the center. It really does have a lot of the characteristics of Iowa, so that’s a positive after we just ran there a couple weeks ago.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway: “I’m excited to get there. It’s been a rough place for us the past couple of years, but I feel like the places we have historically struggled at we are getting better at. Like New Hampshire (Motor Speedway), we’ve fought hard for a long time and last weekend we had a pretty good run going there compared to the past couple of years before our issue. I think Nashville can be really good, and I always look forward to all that Ally has going on at and around the track for this race specifically.”
Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his 48th start with Alex Bowman and expectations for the weekend at Nashville Superspeedway: “If it’s our 48th start this weekend at Nashville (Superspeedway), then we definitely need to add a win to the column together. The Ally 400 is a big race for our team with Ally as the primary partner on our No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro. I think we’ve got a lot to build on this year from similar intermediate tracks so far. It’s going to be hot and slick out there. We’re looking forward to getting out on track in the Music City.”
