Category: NASCAR Cup PR

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
THE REAL HEROES 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 14, 2020

CHAD KNAUS, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 24 AXALTA ‘COLOR OF THE YEAR’ CAMARO ZL1 1LE FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS, spoke with media via video conference to discuss safety protocols for his teams, how they have prepared for Darlington, and more. Transcript:

CAN YOU TELL US HOW MUCH TIME YOU HAVE SPENT FACE-TO-FACE WITH YOUR TEAM AND ROAD CREW AND THE TYPES OF PRECAUTIONS YOU’VE TAKEN THIS WEEK FOR SUNDAY’S RACE?
“Do you mean personally or via computer?”

PERSONAL INTERACTION
“Really none. I saw my team today for the first time. My pit crew. And I was in my car while they were doing pit stops and that was it. So, really, I haven’t been at Hendrick Motorsports. I went there three weeks ago to pick up something for my printer and other than that, I haven’t been there at all. So, no face-to-face or contact with these guys whatsoever. Everything has been on team meetings and looking at them just like I’m looking at you now (via Zoom).

SO YOU WON’T HAVE TOUCHED THE CAR AT ALL UNTIL MAYBE YOU HELP PUSH IT THROUGH TECH ON SUNDAY?
“I haven’t seen the race car at all. Nope, haven’t seen it or touched it. Nothing.”

I’M SURPRISED YOU’RE STILL BREATHING (LAUGHTER)
“That’s the recommendation by NASCAR for the traveling teams to stay as isolated as they can and try to keep everybody at the race track as healthy as we can and that’s the protocol we put into place and that’s what we’ve been abiding by.”

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT STRATEGIZING FOR THIS RACE AS FAR AS SET-UP? DO YOU JUST LOOK AT LAST YEAR’S DARLINGTON RACE AND TRY TO DO SOMETHING OFF THAT? DO YOU ASSUME THINGS HAVE CHANGED? WHERE DO YOU GO FOR A STARTING POINT?
“Well, that’s a great question (laughs). It’s not easy, man. We obviously used last year as a baseline; 2019 was a solid race for us at Darlington. We qualified on the pole. We raced really well. We lost some track position early and we kind of ran around seventh most of the day until the end when we were caught-up in an accident. So, we used that as a baseline. Obviously the Camaro was a new beast for us, so we had a really good race in Las Vegas. Our teammates had a really good run in Fontana. So we took the data from there and applied those offsets to the best of our ability and where we feel like the characteristics re going to be when we go to Darlington and kind of came up with what it was; the derivative of 2019 with a little bit of what we’ve learned so far in the mix.”

I REALIZE YOU’VE HAD TO REALLY GO BACK ON THE AMOUNT OF PERSONNEL YOU’VE HAD IN THE SHOP. WHERE HAVE YOU HAD TO CUT AND MAYBE GET A LITTLE BIT INNOVATIVE OR CREATIVE WITH SOME OF THE PROCESSES TO GET THINGS READY FOR THE RACE TRACK?
“It’s been a huge challenge and I really have to throw a lot of thank-yous and a lot of accolades to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports because it’s not been an easy process to get back in there in a very, very short period of time and get race cars ready to go to a very unique venue. Darlington is quite a lot different than any other race track that we go to, obviously. But, we’ve got staggered work hours. We’ve got blocks of people that work. We’re not really alternating days. We’re going in blocks of days to try to keep the exposure down to a minimum.

“We’re thermal testing people as they come into the facility. You see everybody wearing their masks and practicing social distancing. We’re doing all that we can to be in accordance with the CDC regulations and what the governor has put out there, to make sure we’re doing what’s right and being smart. It’s not easy. As we were chatting a little bit ago, I haven’t seen the race car. The Car Chief hasn’t seen the race cars. My guys that are going to be at the race track are basically going to show up and say, okay, hey what have we got here and let’s get after it.’ It’s all unique but it’s actually been educational for the folks that are working at the shop to make sure they cars show up at the race track with the best amount of detail that’s capable of being put in our cars. It’s been good. It’s unique for sure, for everybody, but it’s what’s necessary at this time.”

WITH NO PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING AND JUST SHOW-UP AND ‘RUN WHAT YOU BRUNG’, THAT’S NOW GOING TO BE THE CASE. CAN THESE RACES BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TEAMS TO CAPITALIZE IF THEY’RE ABLE TO UNLOAD WITH SOMETHING REALLY CLOSE, WHEREAS OTHER TEAMS MAY STRUGGLE? OR, WILL THE RACES STILL BE LONG ENOUGH THAT IT’S GOING TO BE THE SAME OLD RISING TO THE TOP MID-WAY AND TOWARD THE END OF THEM?
“I think the potential for somebody to really hit on it and have an advantage, is definitely there. Absolutely. Although, like what you mentioned, I think the best teams will still manage to work their way toward the front, either by the end of the race or by the end of this little jaunt that we’ve got going on. The best teams out there are going to learn from their experiences in the first couple of races and be able to build upon that; and the best teams have a very deep notebook. I think if you go to any venue, and you don’t think that a Kyle Busch or a Chase Elliott are not going to rumble, I think you’re just kind of fooling yourself, right? They’ve got depth. They’ve got time and tenure with their crew chief. So, they’ve got a lot to fall back on. So, I think the best teams will still be the best teams when it’s all said and done.”

AT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS, EACH OF THE FOUR TEAMS ARE TAKING AN ENGINEER EACH THIS WEEKEND. SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS ARE LEAVING ENGINEERS AT HOME TO HAVE THE EXTRA CREW MEMBER THERE TO HELP WITH THE CAR. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS FOR THAT?
“Well, it’s interesting because when you say an ‘engineer’…. For my instance, one of my engineers is very mechanically inclined. So, he can cross over and do a multitude of things. It’s not like he’s just hugging a computer, right? So, I think every team is being adjusted per their strengths and what they feel their needs are. Some times, all their engineers do is look at a computer, right? And they have no value at the race track and can do everything remotely. So, it just depends on what your strengths are and what you need. Personally, I need my engineer. I’m not smart enough to go out there and do it by myself. I have to have somebody hold my hand. These guys are very well-rounded and that’s why they’re going to the race track in case things come up. And, I feel honestly, that the preparation at the shop is what’s going to really be the key. So, we wanted to keep a good, strong, staff of mechanics at the shop with good and recent race track experience, to try to make sure that when we unload the race car that we’re absolutely race ready.”

NASCAR HAS SHARED THE FACT THAT AS PART OF THE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS, THEY ARE ASKING EVERYONE THAT COMES TO THE TRACK TO KEEP A LOG OR JOURNAL OF THEIR WHEREABOUTS AND CONTACTS, IF NEEDED FOR FUTURE TRACING. CAN YOU SHARE ANYTHING ABOUT THE TYPES OF INFORMATION YOU’RE HAVING TO KEEP A LOG OF?
“That would be very difficult for me to manage exactly whoever we’re in contact with. We’re trying to do everything we can to be in compliance with what NASCAR is asking for. And then we’re just trying to manage like, okay, we’re going to be around this group of guys. And as long as you stay with that group of guys, you really know where you’re going to be. We’re not going to do a lot of cross-talking with other teams or other officials. So, we’re really just trying to keep that pared down so that it’s easy to make that determination when it’s all said and done. I think that’s what we really have to do. And, that’s the wisest way to go about it. So, everybody’s got responsibility in this because the goal is for nobody to get sick and for nobody to have a big problem. So, we have to do our best as an industry to make that happen so we can get out there and keep racing and put on a great show for the fans and we can get our fill for the completion that we’re looking for. We’re all going to do everything in our power to do what NASCAR needs and everybody around us needs.”

WHEN IT COMES TO THE SAFETY PROTOCOLS, HOW MUCH DIRECTION IS COMING FROM NASCAR VERSUS HENDRICK VERSUS YOUR OWN SAFETY PRECAUTIONS?
“There’s a lot of information out there, as we all know. And we’re all trying to sift through that and we’re using the best information we possibly can. Obviously NASCAR is our sanctioning body and they’ve done a lot of work to lay the ground rules we’re making sure we’re following what it is that they need to do and what they’ve recommended. We’re also doing everything we can to follow the governor’s wishes, the local governor’s wishes, and the CDC. We’re taking all of that information and providing the teams with all the equipment that they’re going to need as far as the masks and whatnot, and we’re going to go ahead and try to stick with that as best we possibly can. It’s not easy. Everybody is throwing you different information from all of these angles. We’re trying to keep it consolidated to the local and state governments and NASCAR and just honestly, using our heads a little bit.”

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CREW CHIEF IS TO MANAGE THE TEAM AND IF THEY DO SOMETHING WRONG, YOU’RE IN CHARGE AND RESPONSIBLE. TALK ABOUT THAT AS IT RELATES TO ALL YOUR TEAM MEMBERS DOING WHAT THEY’RE REQUIRED TO DO, INCLUDING YOUR DRIVER. AND WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST CONCERN IN GENERAL?
‘Yeah, it’s tough because we are ultimately responsible and we sign our name on that line, it’s tough. Jimmie Johnson always said I’ve signed my name on the wrong line. I picked the hard job, you picked the easy job, right? And, it’s a difficult thing. But we’ve been educating our guys consistently and providing them with materials that they need and trying to give them proper direction and a clear direction. There is so much information out there that it can get cluttered and cloudy really quick. So, we’re trying to be very specific about what the needs need to be and how they need to approach the weekend and putting forward protocol so it’s easy for them to follow. And look, if something happens and the guys make a mistake, it’s a mistake. And if they’re held accountable for it, look, I get it. Now if one of the guys just get out of line and is just going off the rails and not doing what we feel he should be, then that’s a personal problem that we’re going to handle ourselves. So ultimately yeah, I guess it all falls on me and I’ll deal with it.”

IT SOUNDS LIKE SOME TEAMS ARE GOING TO HAVE A CONTINGENCY PLAN WHERE THEY MAY HAVE CREW MEMBERS IN THE VICINITY OR EVEN A BACK-UP DRIVER JUST IN CASE THEY NEED TO RELY ON THEM. DOES HENDRICK HAVE A PLAN LIKE THAT?
“We’re going a good job, I feel, of that. We’ve got a complete track protocol group, and at-track-activation group, that we’ve worked with and I was a huge part of that. We’ve got some very responsible people that are working on that and we’ve got a complete list of team members we’re going to have that are prepared to go to the race track and we’re keeping dibs on and understanding where they’re at from a health standpoint and they’re in the back-up roster that’s been submitted to NASCAR already. We’re going through and have them on-the-ready. For instance, let’s say Joe Mechanic gets up on Sunday morning and he’s getting ready to drive to Darlington and he’s got a fever, he calls me and I tell Joe to stay home and we call Bob and bring him in. We call the proper people at NASCAR that this person has already been cleared and tested and we’re ready to rock and roll with this fellow. That’s how we’re doing it. I hope we don’t have to deal with that, but we like to be prepared nonetheless, in a case of emergency. We’ve dealt with everything from drivers all the way down to crew chiefs.”

WILL THE FIRST SUNDAY DARLINGTON RACE MIRROR THE SECOND? ARE YOU GOING TO BE TAKING A LOT OF NOTES AND SEARCHING FOR IMPROVEMENT FOR THE MIDWEEK RACE, REGARDLESS OF HOW YOU’RE DOING? AND, DO YOU GUYS HAVE BRANDED FACE MASKS?
“Nice to throw that one in there at the end (laughs)! We do not have branded face masks but we have some really nice face masks that we think are going to keep our guys really safe. Hendrick Motorsports has done an amazing job of really trying to be prepared in all levels. You bring up a great point. What happens if you go and you run well, and what happens if you don’t run well? Why, right? We’ve got a couple of options right now on the No. 24 car. If things don’t go the way we want them to, we’ve got a whole other package that we’re ready to put into our next race car to take to the race track. If we go and it runs well and just needs a little bit of massaging, then we just go ahead and take that race car, with the right set-up in it, and just adjust a little bit. Going from the 400 to the 300, I don’t know that it’s going to be significantly different because of the greenness of the race track that we’re going to have. It’s going to rubber-up fairly quickly, I understand that but it’s still going to be fairly green. By the time we get there and we race later in the evening, the track’s going to be a little bit cooler and the grip level will come back up a little bit. So, we’re just going to have to wait and see. If you see a car go out there and run really well on Sunday, my dime would be that he’s probably going to come back and run pretty well again on Wednesday.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with 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.

Event: Darlington I
Venue: Darlington Raceway (Darlington, South Carolina)
Format: Three Stages – Stages End: Lap 90, 185, 293
Date/Broadcast: Sunday, May 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the track this weekend at Darlington Raceway, kicking off a slate of four Cup Series races split between Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The upcoming race at Darlington on Sunday will mark the series’ first race since early March after the COVID-19 pandemic halted sporting events and impacted daily routines across the world.

While NASCAR returns to action, it will do so with tight restrictions. All of the races announced will be one-day shows, without fans in attendance. There will be no practice and qualifying will only be held for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24.

NASCAR officials have also created a comprehensive plan to ensure the health and safety of competitors and surrounding communities. The use of protective equipment is mandated, and social distancing protocols will be in place, among other alterations to event routines.

For Go Fas Racing driver Corey LaJoie, he is eager to get back to the track on Sunday, and he will do so Drydene Performance Products on board the No. 32 Ford Mustang.

Drydene products are built with ALL Technology®, Advanced Lubricity Life chemistry, to meet and exceed today’s modern automotive, heavy duty and industrial needs. Drydene offers a complete line of automotive, commercial and industrial lubricants, including engine oils, racing and break-in oils, DRF diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), transmission fluids, grease, and hydraulic & gear oils.

Drydene sponsored LaJoie and the GFR team in the Drydene 400 last season at Dover International Speedway in October, and most recently appeared on LaJoie’s virtual No. 32 Ford in NASCAR’s iRacing Pro Invitational Series.

LaJoie will make his fourth and fifth start at the historic track all within a few days, as the NCS returns for a midweek race on the following Wednesday, May 20. The first race will be 400 miles, while the second event will be 310 miles.

After Darlington, drivers will take on Charlotte Motor Speedway for its annual running of the Coca-Cola 600, scheduled for Sunday, May 24 and a 310-mile race on Wednesday, May 27.

Catch LaJoie and the Drydene team on-track at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17 by tuning in to FOX at 3:30 p.m. ET. To learn more about Drydene Performance Products, visit www.Drydene.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @TeamDrydene.

LaJoie on the upcoming weekend:
“Everyone in NASCAR has waited a long time to get back on track and I think we’re all really excited that we’re able to do that this weekend. The whole NASCAR industry has done a great job putting together a plan with health officials to help get us back to action safely. Racing with practice or qualifying would normally already be tough, but also to do so at a tough track like Darlington makes it both exciting and challenging for drivers and crew chiefs who haven’t been on track in two months. If we can run our race and unload well, we should have a good weekend with the Drydene Ford.”

LaJoie’s history at Darlington Raceway:
Starts: 3
Best Finish: 27th (2018)
Average Start: 32nd
Average Finish: 30.3

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About Our Team

About Drydene Performance Products:
For over a century Drydene lubricants have been made in America and made to last, paving the way on our highways, in our fields and on the production line. And we’re still right here today doing what we do best; helping America Get the Job Done. Drydene products are built with ALL Technology®, Advanced Lubricity Life chemistry, to meet and exceed today’s modern automotive, heavy duty and industrial needs. Drydene offers a complete line of automotive, commercial and industrial lubricants, including engine oils, racing and break-in oils, DRF diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), transmission fluids, grease, and hydraulic & gear oils. For more information, visit www.drydene.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @TeamDrydene.

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

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

Toyota Racing – Erik Jones
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DARLINGTON, South Carolina (May 14, 2020) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Erik Jones was made available to media via teleconference prior to NASCAR’s return to the track at Darlington Raceway on Sunday:

ERIK JONES, No. 20 DeWalt Atomic Thank You Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

What have you done to keep physically in shape to prepare for the upcoming races?

“That’s been one of the hardest parts. In general, we all try to keep ourselves in good shape, but at the same time a lot of our workout just comes from being in the car. There’s so many muscles you can’t really work out that you use in the race car in the seated position that we’re in, and what muscles we’re using during the race. So, it’s tough. A lot of it, I hope, has been just from working around the house. I’ve been really busy here. I moved right before Atlanta and I’ve been working like crazy outside pretty much every day. Been hoping that’s going to keep me in shape and been doing a normal workout as well with that. Really, at the end of the day you’ve got to get back into the race car and get back into racing shape as well. As much as you’re in shape out of it, there’s still I believe kind of a racing shape that you have to be in as well.”

What’s your interaction been like with your crew chief Chris Gayle over the break?

“A lot over the phone. I haven’t seen Chris (Gayle, crew chief) since Atlanta which is really odd. I don’t know if I’ve ever gone that long not seeing Chris in the last four years. It’s a different normal. Obviously, the communication has been ramped up the last few weeks with them getting back to work at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) and getting obviously ready for Darlington this weekend. I’ve definitely talked a lot with him this week and last week just trying to get prepared, determine what the plan is and what the protocols are. Things we have to go through that are going to be different this weekend than what a normal weekend would bring for us. I’ve been talking to him a ton. Not only Chris, but my engineers as well. I was in the Toyota simulator on Monday just trying to get a feel for the car again. Working on what we’re going to unload with and race with. Trying to work with them as much as I can to do the things that we can to help through the weekend. It’s definitely a different communication than what’s normal, but I have been talking to them quite a bit.”

How much pressure will it be not to screw up during the first stage of Sunday’s race?

“I think that pressure if there every weekend that we’re racing, whether it’s this weekend at Darlington where we have a unique situation. We haven’t raced in two months and we don’t have any practice or qualifying, but at the same time all 40 of us are some of the best drivers in the world. We wouldn’t be in the Cup Series if we weren’t capable of being there. Obviously, you’re going to be a little bit rusty when you hop back in and I think in your mind you use caution. You can’t barrel off into Turn 1 wide open on the first lap after being on a dry run basically. The caution is going to be there, and guys are going to be trying to settle in and find their groove. Darlington is not an easy race track and especially when it’s green. It’s dusty and dirty and sandy around that area. The track is going to take a long time to get cleaned up, so I think everybody is just going to kind of take it easy until that first competition yellow and ride and figure out what their car has got and go from there. And, we know that we’re on a big stage this weekend, right? There’s not really any other sports out there. I know UFC is back, but we have a huge opportunity on Sunday to bring a new group of fans in and people that maybe have never watched NASCAR to tune in this weekend and give them the opinion to put on a good show and hopefully they say ‘Hey, this is pretty neat. I think I could watch this again.’ That’s all on our mind. The pressure is there to keep it clean and put on a good show for them.”

Can you describe the challenges of returning to the track Sunday and how do you work your way through all of that?

“It is tough. There’s a lot of things other than just racing like you mentioned during Sunday. You have to have green flag pit stops and getting in and out of pit box. All of those things. And, there’s little nuances that as the year goes on that you naturally do, and a lot of things you probably don’t think about if you’ve been out of the car this long. How the cars drive in traffic, how you navigate certain traffic situations, how to keep yourself out of bad spots. There’s a bunch of little things that you don’t always think about when you’ve been out of the car this long. You have to watch a lot of film and really try to just remember those things and what you did during that time to be competitive, but also not put yourself in bad spots. It’s not easy. I think it’s kind of like riding a bike for a lot of us, as we get going, things will start to click for everybody, and you’ll remember things you should do or shouldn’t do I guess more than that. So, I don’t know. It’s unique. None of us have been out of a car for probably this long since we started racing — however long ago that was for anybody so it’s going to be a pretty unique situation.”

Do you have a sense for what the lead up to the race will be like compared to a normal race day morning?

“It’s going to be different. I mean, that’s the easiest way to put it. We normally have such a routine, right? Every driver is a little bit different. You normally wake up, do your appearances and then come back to the drivers meeting, eat lunch, get 20 or 30 minutes to kind of relax by yourself and think about the day and what you’re going to have to do and then intros and go race. What we’ve got now, it’s going to be you all by yourself at the track, which is going to be unique in itself. I don’t know that I’ve ever just went to the race track by myself to race without either family, friends or even motorhome drivers. They’re normally there if nobody else is there. That’s going to be really unique just walking out to the grid and hopping in the car. There’s not going to be anybody by the car other than us and maybe the interior guy to help us get the window net up. So, yeah, it’s going to be odd and it’s going to be unprecedented in what we’ve always done. It’s a weird feeling. A new normal for right now and what we’re normally used to. But, hey, as long as we’re getting to race, I think most of us can manage to find a new normal for a little while.”

How confident are you that NASCAR can pull this off without anybody getting the virus and are you confident in the procedures if someone does get it?

“I feel good about it right now. Obviously, we haven’t done it yet, right? We haven’t been to the track yet to see what the protocols are like. I know NASCAR has worked – not to sound like a PR guy for NASCAR but – day in and day out the last couple of months trying to just get us back to the race track. Trying to rework on the schedule and trying to work with dates and what they’ve got opened up to get us to the race track on these dates. From my opinion, we’re doing everything we can. I don’t know what else we can possibly do to be any safer with what’s going on right now than what we are. As far as if somebody does get sick, probably above my paygrade, but I think they’ve got a plan in place for that. We wouldn’t go back racing if we didn’t have a plan in place for a situation if somebody did test positive and had been in contact with ours. I feel confident if that did happen, they’ve got something that could keep us racing. I don’t think that would shut us down by any stretch right now. It’s a day by day thing though. It’s very fluid. It changes by the day. We get different updates each day as things progress and move forward and how things are working and going. I know we’re all hoping for the best and hoping that we all stay safe and follow the protocols and nothing will go wrong. We’ll kind of have to see how it goes.”

How confident are you in how your pit crew can work together after having such a long break?

“I feel good. They’ve been able to get back in the shop and practice a little bit. It’s been very staggered with what we’ve got to do with following the social distancing polices that we’ve got in place at JGR. So, it’s been real staggered pit practice and it’s not really what they do to practice normally. Will it be rusty? Yeah. Every year when we go to Daytona the first race of the year, we’re always a little rusty, the pit crews are. And, it’s not just them, it’s us and the crew chiefs and everybody is a little rusty. These last two months have obviously been a little longer than our normal offseason, but they have got back to practice a little bit. I mean, I feel confident. Will there be slow stops and maybe some issues here and there? Yeah, but I think that will be everybody. But, I have confidence in my guys. The good thing is there’s a lot of pit stops at Darlington, so they’ve got several opportunities to go in and get it right and have a lot of practice. They’ll be rusty at first, but I feel like they’re going to get the hang of things here and get in the swing of things pretty quickly.”

How much will it matter to you during the race to not have fans in the grandstands?

“You don’t notice it really too much during the race. With us being in the race cars, obviously it’s really loud and you’re pretty tunnel vision as far as what you’re doing on the race track — what’s in front of you and what’s behind you. You won’t notice it then. At times you’ll really only notice it in pre and post-race, getting in the race car and not having any fans. Especially for the winner having your celebration. Obviously, a big part of winning the race is celebrating not only with your team but with the fans as well, so getting out and doing the interview that we’re going to do on the front stretch after the win will definitely be unique. If you’re doing a burn out, it will be unique as well. During the race you don’t notice it a whole lot but pre and post is when things will definitely be a lot different than what we’re used to.”

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About Toyota

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

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

Denny Hamlin
#11 “Thank You FedEx Team Members” Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Race Info:
Race: The Real Heroes 400
Date/Time: May 17/3:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 293 laps/400 miles
Track Length: 1.36 miles
Track Shape: Egg-shaped oval
2019 Winner: Erik Jones

Express Notes:

Virtual North Wilkesboro Recap: Denny Hamlin took a fast FedEx “Delivering Strength” Toyota to Victory Lane at virtual North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway, bookending the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series with wins. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s other win in the iRacing simulator series came in its first race, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, on March 22. Hamlin used a bump-and-run pass on Ross Chastain to take the lead with only eight laps remaining in the race, the last event on the virtual platform before the NASCAR Cup Series returns to at-track racing this weekend. Hamlin was the second-fastest qualifier for the 160-lap race on the historic short track, but he lined up ninth after the top 10 was inverted for the start. An early collision with John Hunter Nemechek resulted in damage that required Hamlin to use his “fast repair” reset and knocked him outside of the top 20. The driver of the #11 gradually worked his way back up through the field and led 24 total laps throughout the day.

Darlington Preview: Live NASCAR racing is back, returning to “The Track Too Tough to Tame” this weekend in Darlington. The series heads to South Carolina for Sunday’s 400-mile event on the egg-shaped oval. Hamlin is a two-time winner at the track, taking the checkered flag in 2012 and 2017. Hamlin owns seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 14 career races at Darlington, leading a total of 562 laps. Hamlin will look to return to a physical Victory Lane following his win in the last eNASCAR Pro Invitational event.

FedEx “Thank You” Paint Scheme: For Sunday’s event at Darlington Raceway, the #11 car will pay tribute to the 475,000 FedEx team members who are working to deliver shipments around the world safely and securely during the COVID-19 pandemic. A special “Thank You” FedEx paint scheme will recognize all the FedEx team members who are working hard to deliver critical medical supplies and equipment to the healthcare community as well as basic goods to people at home.

Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Darlington Raceway
Races: 14
Wins: 2
Poles: 1
Top-5: 7
Top-10: 11
Laps Led: 562
Avg. Start: 8.8
Avg. Finish: 7.8

Hamlin Conversation – Darlington:

Looking ahead to Darlington this weekend, how are you feeling about getting back out on the track?

“I can’t wait to get back to real racing now. I have to thank FedEx, Coca-Cola, Toyota and everyone from iRacing that kept us going over the past two months, giving fans some races to watch. Also, have to say thank you to FOX for everything they did broadcasting these races. It’s been a lot of fun. I can’t wait to see you guys in the real world starting next week.”

How are you preparing to get back into a real racecar?

“I’ll definitely be running some laps on the simulator this week to get reacquainted with Darlington. I’ve also had a lot of good conversations with my crew chief, Chris Gabehart, to make sure we’re as prepared as we can be. And I’m probably physically in the best shape of my life with all the time I’ve had to work out here at home. So, I’m eager and ready to get back in the car. We’ll be looking to get a good finish in our ‘Thank you FedEx team members’ Toyota for the nearly half a million FedEx team members who are working hard to keep delivering these days.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
THE REAL HEROES 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 14, 2020

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, spoke with media via teleconference to discuss getting back to racing at Darlington, his new teammate Matt Kenseth, and more. Full Transcript:

REGARDING THAT TURN ONE MOMENT WITH NO PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING. WILL IT BE DIFFERENT OR WILL YOU TREAT IT LIKE ANY OTHER RACE?
“It will be exciting to say the least. When I ran the Indianapolis 500 a few years ago, everybody was hyped up and going three-wide into turn one. It’s because the whole month of practice, preparation, and drafting, you are only doing it with a few cars at a time. This will be the same thing for us. It’s a group of cars, group of professionals, all barreling down into turn one with months of built up anxiety and excitement. Everybody knows it. Everybody can feel it. And I hope everybody uses their best judgement because we all know there is going to be a competition caution for everybody to check their settings with the front splitter, cambers, and the set-up balances. My approach is that we all need to drive down there at an 80% level and then ramp up our percentage of aggressiveness as the race moves forward.”

HOW DIFFERENTLY DOES DARLINGTON RACE IN THE DAYTIME VERSUS THE NIGHT THIS TIME OF YEAR AND WITH THIS PACKAGE?
“You know, each of our upcoming races are all going to be in different time slots and the track grip levels are going to be very different than what they have shown for patterns in the years past. For this race, I want everybody to look at how bleached-out the asphalt will look when we turn on that broadcast on Sunday. You are going to look and go, ‘wow, I don’t even recognize the racetrack’, and that is because there has been no track activity. No Xfinity Series, no Trucks, and nobody that put any kind of rubber down from the practice sessions. So, the whole thing will be a whole different look. It will get built up with rubber and it will be slicker in the daytime and turns 1 and 2 will have the sun beating down on it hard. And looking at the weather forecast, it’s going to be in the upper 80s. So, this will be a big challenge right off the bat. It’s a 400-miler, everybody’s physical level will be tested, mental level, and then adjusting to track conditions. This on a scale of 1-10 is a 9.5 to start off with.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE ALL EYES ARE GOING TO BE ON NASCAR THIS WEEK TO SEE HOW IT GOES OFF THE NEXT 10 DAYS AND DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT COULD BE A TEST FOR ALL PROFESSIONAL SPORTS LEAGUES?
“I feel like this is a genuine opportunity for many different reasons. All sports fans, NASCAR fans, the drivers, and the sanctioning body – we are all looking forward to it. At the end of the day, we are hopeful that this is a light at the end of the tunnel that people can see. It is a beacon that is shining out there saying this is a professional sport with competitors and millions of dollars in TV and team sponsorships that create a sense of balance. Something that says, ‘if they can do it, we can do it’. But other sports have many other hurdles that they have to overcome. For us, it’s exciting that we have our chance to go out there and compete. Whether it is a stage to stand on or not, you have to block out all that pressure. I am looking forward to trying to grab that first checkered flag in two months.”

HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR NEW TEAMMATE (MATT KENSETH) WILL DO WITH NO PRACTICE AND THE NEW SITUATION FOR HIM?
“Yeah, I think Matt Kenseth is up for the challenge. It’s a unique set of circumstances for him, as well as everybody. For Matt to not be in a car for a longer duration than most of us, it will be different with a new team and new communication over the radio. He has gone through the steps with Ganassi and with Chevrolet in the simulator to make some laps and hear his crew chief on the radio and to do things in the virtual aspect. But again, nothing translates to the real thing in feeling the G forces and being out there with the competitors. He has the option to start in the seventh-place position, or wherever the random draw goes for the top-12 in points. So, there is that question of whether he wants to drop to the back and kind of ease into it. But Matt is a champion, a true professional, and I am excited to work with him as we move forward.”

DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO GET BACK ON TRACK AFTER 9-11 AND KIND OF THE EMOTIONS THAT FOLLOWED THAT AND THE FAN REACTION?
“That is a loaded question and a great question. With 9-11 and having that moment for our country to be attacked in a terrorism-type of setting, there are some similarities to that in this current day, but everybody wanted to go back to the track and I swear, everybody was wearing red, white and blue. There was no other color and the grandstands were packed. The electricity was beyond. That moment is going to be similar, but it’s going to be an empty set of grandstands. It’s going to be all eyeballs and spirits watching through the FOX network. We will be able to feel that, but we will have a whole different set of feelings and circumstances around us as teams, as sponsors, and as drivers when we get to the track on Sunday. But we know that everyone is going to be looking at us through that camera lenses, and that is what we saw in 1979 with everybody having travel issues and everybody being snowed-in on the east coast. With all those eyeballs watching, it transcended our sport. That happens over time. I think the 9-11 thing happened instantaneously and this one has been a two month break in racing action. But yes, we are not going to have our fans at a full capacity right now at the track, it will be through the television. It’s a blend. It’s a big moment, but at the same time, time will tell what this will do with our sport and how we are able to create a little bit of normalcy for the fans that tune in on Sunday.”

DO YOU THINK HAVING MATT KENSETH AS A VETERAN TEAMMATE YOU TWO TOGETHER CAN PUSH GANASSI TO THE NEXT LEVEL?
“Oh absolutely. I think that is one of the reasons for the decision, to go with Matt Kenseth, a past champion. For us to have been teammates years ago, that already helps us cross over a bridge that sometimes you
need to spend time on. His work ethic, his drive and also the chance here for this opportunity is to use his experience and his wisdom to help a whole new group of guys on that 42 car. Those are the things that I did with the 1 car and it’s a matter of raising the bar for everybody. So, yes, Matt is going to look for that opportunity to do it when there is the right time to implement certain things. For the two of us, I hope quicker rather than later we get in this sync, side-by-side, pushing as well with General Motors and what we can do with Chevrolet, to make Ganassi a winner week in and week out.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
THE REAL HEROES 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 14, 2020

MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE, spoke with media via teleconference to discuss his anticipation to returning back to racing, how he has been able to prepare for his first race back, the challenges that come with racing at Darlington Raceway, and more. Transcript:

WHAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SETUP OF THE CAR WHEN YOU GET THERE? YOU HAVEN’T BEEN IN A CAR SINCE THE END OF 2018. HAVE YOU GUYS DISCUSSED WHAT SETUP YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO USE?
“Chad (Johnston) assures me it’s going to be perfect (laughs). I mean, yes and no. I leave that job to him, the engineers and everyone here at CGR. They’ve ran really well at Darlington in the last two years, so I’m thinking they’re probably not going to veer too far off of that. I think you’ll run those first thirty laps and you’ll get kind of the extended caution there to be able to make some small adjustments and go from there. So, I don’t think it’s really different from what they ran there last year or maybe even the year before.”

JUST CURIOUS, HOW MUCH TIME HAVE YOU SPENT IN THE SIMULATOR TO PREPARE FOR THIS WEEKEND?
“About fifteen minutes or so. There are a lot of good things about it, but it’s still not exactly the racecar. I’ve been doing as much as I can, as far as being prepared, looking at data and reading notes. Going to the simulator was one of those boxes that I wanted to check. So, I did go over there to drive it and make a few runs at Darlington to just kind of drive it, feel comfortable and all that stuff. I didn’t really spend an extended period of time there because, in my mind, it’s still not like driving the racecar. There are a lot of things that are very similar, but a lot of things that are different as well. I did spend a little bit of time there, but not a lot.”

WHEN YOU ROLL OFF AT DARLINGTON AND THINK ABOUT THE FEEL AT THE START OF THE RACE, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? HOW DO YOU THINK IT WILL LOOK? IT COULD BE A LITTLE BIT CRAZY OR MAYBE NOT. HOW DO YOU INVISION THIS ALL HAPPENING?
“Well, I don’t know, we’ll have to see where everyone starts. Nobody has been in a car in a while; certainly, it’s been longer for me. I think the biggest difference for me, also, is that I haven’t driven these racecars or for this team. So, there are a few more unknowns. I’m not sure how exactly everything is going to feel and all that kind of stuff. There is certainly a little bit of anxiety for those first few corners to kind of get rolling and get used to things. At the same time, everybody is going to be ready to pounce. Restarts are very important, track position is very important and you always want to get what you can get when you can get it. So, I don’t expect people to be taking it real easy or maybe giving you a bunch of extra room or anything like that. You certainly don’t expect any kind of special treatment. You know everyone is going to be out there ready to pounce on whatever spot they can, so you just have to be smart. Especially for me, just be smart and get through those first bunch of laps to get in a rhythm, get a little bit of room to move around, breath, get kind of acclimated, and go from there.”

DRIVERS ARE BEING TOLD TO STAY IN THEIR MOTORHOMES. SO, I WAS CURIOUS, DO YOU HAVE A MOTORHOME OR WILL YOU HAVE TO DRIVE DOWN AND STAY IN YOUR CAR?
“I was just planning on driving my car down for the first bunch of weeks, but I heard that as well. I know they are trying to keep everybody kind of by themselves as much as they can and away from a bunch of other people. I still own my motorhome. I was hoping to sell it, but didn’t, so thankfully I still have it and I’ll have that there to have somewhere to hangout for a while.”

KURT BUSCH WAS JUST ON THE LINE AND SAID THAT HE HAS PLANS TO HEAD TO THE RACE SHOP AND TALK TO HIS CREW CHIEF. I’M CURIOUS IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN TO THE SHOP IN PERSON OR HAVE PLANS TO DO THAT BEFORE HEADING TO DARLINGTON?
“I haven’t met with Tony (Raines), my spotter, yet. I met with Chad (Johnston) a bunch of times. I’m actually at the shop right now and was just meeting with him and Chip (Ganassi) when I ran upstairs here to make this call. So, yeah, I’ve been over here a fair amount. Like I touched on before, it’s different with the shifts and there aren’t a lot of people here at the same time. I was actually just going through all the final details for the car for Sunday, just making sure everything was good and going through all that stuff to get ready.”

YOU STARTED RACING AT DARLINGTON IN 1997. AT WHAT POINT IN YOUR CAREER DID YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH DARLINGTON AND ALL THE CHALLENGES IT PRESENTS AS A DRIVER? HOW DIFFERENTLY DOES THIS TRACK RACE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SPRING COMPARED TO LATE IN THE EVENING AT THE END OF SUMMER?
“Things change rapidly. I think Darlington and, when Rockingham was still on the schedule, those tracks down there in that part of the state with all the sand and the environment seem to change more than most tracks that we go to from year to year. Darlington has obviously changed a lot during the years. There has been a re-pave in between there and certainly keeps getting bumpier and all that kind of stuff. But I think the cars, setups, rules and all that stuff seem to change probably faster than a lot of the tracks change. So, it’s a little different every time you go down. I don’t know that I have a good comparison for a day race in May compared to a summer race in September. It sounds like it’s going to be the first hot day of year on Sunday. It sounds like it’s going to get up to 90 degrees the last time I looked and that’s about the same that it usually is when we’re down there Labor Day weekend. I don’t really anticipate it being that much different at the start of the race, but it’ll certainly still be light by the end of the race. So, I think the end of the race will be different than the second one. I think it changes a little more at night. I think it picks up speed and changes balance just a little bit.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO SHOWCASE YOUR SKILLS GOING FORWARD AND MAYBE SETTING UP A FUTURE FOR RACING BEYOND THIS YEAR?
“Right now, I’m not really looking too far beyond Sunday, to be totally honest with you. Certainly, the learning curve is going to be steep. I know being out of the car that long, starting with a different team and piling on top of not being able to practice for the foreseeable future, or testing and anything like that, is going to be very challenging. But, I’m really excited. I have to admit, I’m just as excited as I’ve been to go racing in many, many years. So, I’m really looking forward to getting to the track. I really like this group of guys, the cars look nice, the Camaro looks like they’re really fast, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity, I just know that it’s going to be a big challenge. I’m going to have to work hard and do my best to try and take advantage of the opportunity.”
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with 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 (NCS)
Thursday, May 14, 2020
EVENT: The Real Heroes 400 Media Availability

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Duracell Ford Mustang – WHAT DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE LIKE AT THE START OF THE RACE ON SUNDAY? “I think it’s going to be a little tough jumping back into the swing of things after, I think I counted, 62 days off it will be and jumping in at probably the most difficult track that we go to and just lining up and racing, so that will be tough, but I feel like everyone will be pretty responsible getting going, being smart. Even though it’s not a super-long race, you’ve still got time to work on your car, especially at the competition caution. They’re giving a lot of time to kind of make wholesale adjustments if you need them, so I feel like everyone will take it easy for the first little bit, but, honestly, the muscle memory of everybody is pretty good, so once you get one run in and things like that I think we’ll be back to normal.”

WITHOUT PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING WILL THE START BE A DISADVANTAGE FOR YOU AND TOOD SINCE YOU’RE STILL TRYING TO LEARN EACH OTHER? “Maybe a little bit. I feel like a lot of people will be at disadvantages, just having the type of track it’s going to be, it’s going to be a green race track, so the track will change a lot throughout the day. As far as me and Todd go, I feel like we’ve communicated great right off the truck at every track this year the first run of practice and I just kind of look at it like that. It’s just a little bit different scenario because we will be racing people, but at the end of the day you’ve got to be able to quickly tell them what it’s doing to go work on it, so I don’t feel like it’s anymore of a disadvantage for us than anybody else out there with no practice time.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL AS FAR AS THE PROCEDURES NASCAR HAS PUT IN PLACE WITH A TEMPERATURE TEST AND NO COVID-19 TEST? AND ARE YOU COMFORTABLE IF SOMEBODY GOT SICK THE SPORT COULD STILL GO ON? “That’s a tough deal. NASCAR has been doing a good job of putting some pretty good procedures in place to make sure everyone is healthy before we even get into the race track, and then throughout the weekend in quarantining the crew, the spotters, the drivers, the over-the-wall guys. I think they’ve done a pretty decent job at it. We’ve got a call with them tomorrow about some final procedures that are going on, which I’m looking forward to, but I feel confident in NASCAR. We have to be really careful and safe, and I feel like everyone has been doing the best that they can in making sure that you don’t get sick and then expose other people, so I’m confident in the procedures that they have put in place for us and, hopefully, everyone is healthy and nothing happens in that way.”

WHAT IS YOUR RACE DAY ROUTINE GOING TO BE LIKE? “I don’t think it will be really any different, whether you’re driving to the track being by yourself. My family sometimes come to them, but my procedure won’t be any different. You just get in the car on race day and you drive to the track. The only thing different, obviously, is no practice or qualifying and not being able to go in the garage and not seeing all your guys. That’s gonna be a little bit different. The first time I’m gonna talk to them will be on the radio, so that will be a little bit different, but you’ve got to take it in stride. You’ve got to understand what they’re trying to do and be safe, but as far as my routine goes it’s gonna be different, but you try to make it as normal as possible in getting yourself ready to go.”

HOW MUCH COMMUNICATION HAVE YOU HAD WITH YOUR CREW CHIEF? “I’ve been talking to Todd a good bit. We have a big group chat with all our team, trying to give everyone updates and see what everyone has been up to and how their families are doing and things like that, but we actually were able to go to the Ford sim last week. It was very cautious the way we did it. I felt like we did a good job of limiting people there and people in certain rooms, but it was nice to be able to talk to them in person from a distance for a little bit there at the Ford sim, but I think it’s been fine. Obviously, it’s different not being able to go into the race shop, a lot of people haven’t been in the race shop in two months. I went to the shop yesterday to sit in my Darlington car and we did it outside and it was me and one other person. We were all facemasked up and making sure you were really safe, but I didn’t step foot in the shop. That’s the way they have it right now, so it’s been a little odd but the communication has been the best it can be.”

ARE YOU CONCERNED OR DO YOU THINK OTHER DRIVERS ARE CONCERED ABOUT ALL THE GOING BACK AND FORTH FROM DARLINGTON AND CHARLOTTE ABOUT SPREADING THE VIRUS? “I’m not really concerned if we stay safe, if we’ve been doing what we’ve been doing these past two months of being kind of locked in and quarantined – just being smart about it. With the way it’s gonna go on Sunday, I’m gonna get to the race track that morning, sit in my motorhome, and then when it’s time to go out there I’m walking right to my car and when I’m done I’m walking right back. There’s gonna be really limited contact and I feel like everyone is doing a lot of things to try to make sure everyone is safe, not only at the race track of testing everybody, but in our shop every day this past week. When guys go into our race shop they test them just to make sure that they’re OK to be around a limited amount of people. I’m not concerned. I feel like we’re gonna do the best we can to try to make sure nothing spreads like that, but I don’t think the back and forth should cause a huge issue because I think everyone is gonna be pretty separated in their cars, on their personal vehicles and things like that. You can only hope. That’s what you hope for. At the end of the day, you just have to be smart about everything and be as safe as you can. NASCAR has been doing a good thing, I think, to keep it that way.”

WHERE ARE YOU NOW? YOU’RE OUTSIDE AND IT LOOKS NICE. “I’m in my yard. If I’m in my house I don’t have any reception, so I have to step outside whenever I do calls. I’ve got the perfect quarantine setup. I’ve got a decent amount of land over here north of Mooresville. My dog has been happy I’ve been home a lot, but just trying to figure out new things. I’ve been at dad’s shop a little bit. He’s got this new business building trailers that I’ve been helping him out with. Around here I’ve got a decent amount of acres, so it keeps me busy just doing different little projects and things like that. It’s been the best that it can be, but it’s been nice to finally count down the days here and weeks to finally get back racing. You miss your crew guys. That’s your second family and I miss seeing all those guys and their families. It stinks. I won’t be able to see half of them for a while, but it’s the best you can be.”

WITH NO PRACTICE IT’S GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE. DO YOU FEEL ANY EXTRA PRESSURE TO NOT MESS THIS OPPORTUNITY UP? “Like I said before, I think everybody is gonna be pretty cautious to make sure that doesn’t happen. There are gonna be a lot of eyes on our sport and a lot of eyes that haven’t watched our sport maybe before. I feel like it goes back to the iRacing deal and seeing all the people that maybe never watched or new eyes that haven’t watched racing before or them watching the iRacing thing. I feel like when we’re gonna come back we’re one of the very, very few sports that are back and a lot of people are gonna be watching, so it’s gonna be a really big day on Sunday to make sure we put on a good show, not do anything too bad like going into turn one and wrecking 20 cars. I feel like we’re all professional enough not to do that. It’s a long race. Everyone know what’s at stake of making not only NASCAR look good, but making our sponsors look good as well. They’re going through hard times just like everybody else with their companies, so it’s really big that they’ve stuck with everybody and it’s really important to give them a good showing, too. There’s always that possibility. That’s the random factor where you never know what can happen, but I feel like at the same time all of us are going to be very courteous to one another, especially getting going, and making sure we don’t do anything foolish early on to make it look really bad. But I have confidence in the whole field. They’re all really good drivers and I think we’ll be ready to put on a good show.”

WHAT CHALLENGES ARE THERE GOING INTO RACE MODE WITH NO PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING? “I think with all the simulation and technology we have nowadays, you go back and look at last year’s setup and cars and things like that, it’s the same package we ran last year so I feel like you can take that information and kind of transfer it over and say, ‘OK, this is how we started the race. This is how we ended the race, so let’s go somewhere in between.’ Or what you think you’re gonna go. Todd and my engineers have been working really hard on the sim stuff. Ever since we figured out Darlington was gonna be our first race they’ve been working non-stop, really via the internet to kind of work on simulation and things like that. It’s not like back 20 years ago when there really wasn’t any of that, so I feel like you have a little bit better idea just from the technology side of kind of how you need to be. Now saying that, you could always be way off. You never know what could happen as far as your setups, your track temp or your tires or things like that, but I feel like you can get it fairly close – you would hope at least – just because of all the technology and all the work that those guys have and just looking back at previous races and data and things like that.”

WILL YOUR QUARANTINE BEARD AND MUSTACHE STILL BE AROUND ON SUNDAY OR HAS TEAM PENSKE RELAXED ITS RULES? “I was waiting on that. I was gonna give it a shot and I have a video with Advance Auto Parts today that me and my dad are doing. My dad specifically told me that if I had my moustache he would not do it, so I have to shave it. He said, ‘I’m not sitting next to my son, who looks 10 years older than me.’ I was like, ‘Well, I was just trying to make you look younger, dad.’ He didn’t buy that, so it will not be there, unfortunately. Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Thursday, May 14, 2020
EVENT: The Real Heroes 400 Media Availability

Ford drivers Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney and Ryan Newman are holding media availabilities today in advance of Sunday’s The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway. Ford Performance is planning on providing transcripts of all sessions and will send them out when completed.

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light #YOURFACEHERE Ford Mustang – HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU WITH PIT CREW COMMUNICATION? “I’m not really concerned about it at all. For us, we’ve had a lot of conversations and meetings about how things were going to flow. Obviously, things are a little bit different with the amount of people and where people are, so our main source of communication comes from Rodney and Timmy Fedewa, who is my spotter. Those are really the only things that I hear communication from during the race, so the rest of it is kind of up to them, but as far as my responsibilities and who I hear will be exactly the same as it always is.”

WILL YOU JUST UNLOAD WITH WHAT YOU RAN LAST YEAR AT DARLINGTON? HOW WILL YOU APPROACH THAT? “You obviously don’t know what condition you’re really kind of facing just because of the fact that Darlington last year went into the night. This time it will be a relatively warm day in the sun most of the day, so Darlington is a very sensitive temperature track, so I think you kind of have to evolve as the race evolves. You look at last year’s stuff, you look at the evolution of the cars as we’ve gone through the off-season and the first part of the season knowing that you at least get to race on the same tire that you had last year, so you take those common trends, you take the things that we needed to do differently from the last race and try to blend all those things together, and then just know that most likely you’re not going to hit that target of making the car drive perfectly and being able to have adjustments in either direction. It will be a little bit tricky adjusting on your car at the beginning of the race just because of the lack of rubber on the race track. It’s a race track that really evolves as the rubber gets on the race track and last year it was tough to drive on top of the rubber, so you really had to find different spots on the race track to move around. As we always do, we want to have a versatile car that can run high or low and do things that you normally do, but I think the biggest goal in this instance is to just not be in right field, try to get yourself in the ballpark and be able to adjust on it so you don’t have to have a rebuild and a reboot. A few days later you can do that, but you can’t do that during the race, so we’re trying to be solid through these first several races so you don’t shoot yourself in the foot and have to try to reboot in the middle of a race because that will be tough, but you’re definitely gonna have to make changes and evolve with the race track as it changes.’

THE ROUTINE FOR YOU WILL BE DIFFERENT NOW. WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE WEIRDEST THING FOR DRIVERS TO ADJUST TO? “For me it’s just gonna purely be the interaction with not being able to have the interaction with the people, and communication will just be drastically different. How much you’re around people, how close you are to people and things of that nature. I’ve started races with no practice. We went through 911 and had a race cancelled and had things different, but this is just so drastically different that you just have to approach it drastically different with an open mind to know that there are gonna be things — before you even get there you have to know that there are going to be things drastically different than the way it was before and just not be frustrated with things that don’t go right, things that are different. The routine is different. It’s not as different as Darlington as it’s going to be when we actually do start traveling further than somewhere we can drive because it is a race that we drove to, for the most part, back and forth each day and it is a race that is typically hot, it’s a unique race track, so there are a lot of things that aren’t completely outside of the box, but the people and your interaction with people is just a lot different, has been a lot different – not being able to go to the shop, not being able to have meetings face-to-face is just not normal, and part of the thing that I think we’ve all learned through all this is just your interaction with people is something that you just kind of took for granted and I think as you look at in now that’s the part that you’re missing the most. So there’s a number of things that are different, but that’s the part that is different for me because we talk through so many things so well as a group, and you won’t have that.”

WHAT ARE YOU MOST CURIOUS ABOUT THIS WEEKEND? “I think as you look at the world and you look at the way that things have changed over the last seven or eight weeks, you see a lot of changes in procedures, you see a lot of changes in the way that we’re preparing our race cars and the way that the guys work at the shop in shifts. I could sit here and just go on and on about the way things are different, so I think for me it’s a different frame of mind that everybody is in and I think as you look it’s a much different situation than 2008, 2009 when we went through the financial crisis that we were in. A lot of things changed when we came out of that and a lot of the things, a lot of the teams, a lot of things in the sport – businesses – everybody operated a lot differently for the most part as we came out of that. To me, the same thing is going to happen here. You’re going to operate differently. I think, obviously, as we go through the screening getting into the race track, the screening during the week, all those things I think everybody expects right now because you’re seeing different businesses go back to work and the screenings that they’re doing that are required are just – that’s the way it is right now – but I think with all the meetings that I’ve been a part of at home and iRacing and the way that the teams are functioning there’s going to be some things that come out of this situation that are permanent and what those things are will start this weekend. I don’t really know what it is or what they will be, but I think this weekend will be the start of a process that you kind of have to look around and say, ‘You know what, that wasn’t a bad idea. We did it out of necessity to go in this race track and race and put on a show, but is that something we can carry forward?’ And I think that question is going to be asked a lot as we do things going forward.”

AS SOMEONE WHO REPRESENTS ATHLETES IN OTHER SPORTS ARE YOU AWARE THAT OTHERS WILL BE WATCHING TO SEE HOW NASCAR DOES IN THIS FIRST STEP? HAVE YOU HAD ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT FROM OTHERS? “Obviously, the eyes are on the sport, but we’ve already been through this – the UFC has already been in the ring. Our fighter, Donald Cerrone has already been through the screening processes and we had Dana White on my Happy Hours radio show a couple weeks ago kind of explaining the thought process and why they didn’t go sooner and how the UFC and their world put all the pieces together in order to put their fighters back in the ring. Obviously, they already had a fighter test positive and how they worked through that, so there has been some things that have already happened from the KHI Management side of things and how it was dealt with on the UFC side of things. So we’ve already seen it with one of our athletes first-hand, so I think as you go into this weekend, obviously, our competitors and our crew guys and everybody who is at the race track needs to remind themselves when they leave their house that the world is watching and our country especially is watching and we need to make sure that we make all the right moves and when you look at the procedures and the precautions taken so far by NASCAR, our teams and just understand that there’s a personal responsibility that comes with each one of us to make sure that that goes as well as possible. There are going to be a lot of things that are right and there are gonna probably be some things that are wrong, but I think that’s one reason that everybody is as cautious as they can be leading up to this race and trying to make sure that we cover all our bases to make sure that we do it as well as we can. So it’s obviously not a normal situation, but I think our sport is much different than other sports as far as the interaction between the competitors and the way that things function, so with every driver and every person in that garage being treated like they have the virus and being compartmentalized and doing the things that it takes to keep our sport safe. It’s not a locker room full of guys that are getting ready to go throw a ball around or have to have that interaction with each other on a weekly basis, so it’s a little bit different, but from our side of it we’ve already seen it work and I think our sport has done a good job to prepare us for this. We’ve got 40 guys that need to make sure that they take it seriously from a driver’s side and a whole garage that will do the same. I think we’ll do that.”

UFC OBVIOUSLY DID TESTING BEFORE THEIR EVENT. ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THE FACT THAT NASCAR IS NOT TESTING AND ONLY DOING A TEMPERATURE CHECK ON TRACK ENTRY? “Well, I’m not gonna get punched in the face by anybody else or be put in a head lock or be directly in contact with any of my other competitors, so I think it’s a drastically different situation and I think when you look at the guidelines of entry and exit and temperature checks during the week, and all the logs and things of where people are and who they have interaction with, I think we have done what we need to do from what fits our sport the best. It’s just a much different situation than other sports that actually have human to human contact and have to be in each other’s face and things of that nature.”

HOW DO YOU THINK IT WILL GO PHYSICALLY HAVE TO RACE AT A TRACK LIKE DARLINGTON TWICE IN JUST A FEW DAYS TIME? “The thing that I can tell you is the first hot race of the year is always kind of a wakeup call for all of us as we’re in the car. It definitely gets your body’s attention and at this point, for me, I’m used to heat training during the summer months and with all my outside training we do that in the hottest part of the day outside. You also wind up in racing shape as you go through the season, but that first hot race always gets your attention. I think this weekend is definitely going to be warm. Everybody not having been inside the heat of the race car is definitely gonna be the hardest thing to deal with on the first race. As you go into the second race it’s really just gonna come down to how you feel, paying attention to your hydration and the things that you’re going to need leading up to this weekend, through the race weekend, and just really get back into that recovery mode as fast as you can on Monday morning. The thing about it is everybody should be fresh. As you look at it, we were still pretty early in the season and then you have eight weeks or so that we had a break, so your body should be fresh and able to tolerate it, but it’s gonna catch up to you pretty quick if you get behind as you go Sunday-Wednesday, Sunday-Wednesday, Saturday-Wednesday. It’s a lot, but I think as you look at it, it’s also something that most of us have done before. A lot of times you race 300 miles on Saturday and 500-600 miles on Sunday in the Cup car and the XFINITY car, so I think that part of it will be fine. Obviously, the Wednesday races are in the evening so the heat will be less of a factor than it probably will be this weekend, so definitely just have to keep up with it, but you will have some sore muscles and necks and shoulders and things as you go through this first one.”

HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS WE COME AWAY FROM THESE FIRST FEW RACES WITHOUT ANYONE TESTING POSITIVE FOR THE VIRUS? “I don’t know that that is probably the actual goal of everybody is to obviously not have anybody test positive for it, but I think with the way that everything is laid out if somebody is tested positive for it, I think there’s a good plan in place to know where they’ve been, who they’ve been in contact with and the precautions that have been put in place to kind of build those walls so that if it does happen you have a good firewall built of trying to keep the people who have been exposed to it quarantined and the procedures that have been put in place are there to be able to deal with that, so I think it’s something that could happen. I don’t know that it’s definitely not a make or break situation. I think building in the possibility of that happening and the plans and in the procedures and understanding that that could happen before we get started was built into everything, so I can’t tell you whether it’s going to happen or not, but I can tell you that the plan is in place in case it does happen to make sure that we take the precautions that we need to keep it from spreading as much as possible.”

When Matt DiBenedetto travels to Darlington Raceway for Sunday’s resumption of the NASCAR Cup Series season he’ll be doing it much like old-school race fans have done over the years.

Due to conditions placed on the event because of concerns of spreading COVID-19, DiBenedetto and his fellow drivers will drive themselves to the track and basically quarantine themselves until they strap in for the start of the 400-mile race.

Just as old-school fans who packed a picnic lunch and fired up the ol’ hotrod for the trip to NASCAR’s original superspeedway, DiBenedetto plans to take his favorite street ride – a blue 2020 Ford Mustang GT – and a cooler full of goodies prepared by his wife Taylor.

“I’m going to enjoy driving down there,” DiBenedetto said, adding that since he doesn’t have a motorcoach, he’ll hang out in and around his Mustang before he takes the wheel of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang. “I’ll eat a couple of sandwiches and do some stretching to be sure I’m ready to race.”

For Sunday’s race, and three of the next four Cup races, there will be no practice and no qualifying – just line up and race. The starting field for Sunday will be set by a modified random draw. The No. 21 team, which is ninth in Cup points, will join the other teams in the top 12 in points for a draw for the top 12 starting positions. The rest of the field will be set in a similar fashion.

DiBenedetto said he’s not worried about the entire field barreling off into Turn One at the Track Too Tough to Tame without a single lap of practice.

“Call me crazy, but I think that will be pretty cool,” he said. “It’ll be a fun opportunity to fire off cold turkey, especially at Darlington, one of the toughest places we go to.

“It’ll be a neat story that we can tell the rest of our lives.”

DiBenedetto said he believes his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang will be in the ballpark, handling-wise, when the race starts. The team has data from previous races to use in setting up the car.

“I have so much confidence in my team,” he said. “They are so good.”

He did say that he expects the competition to be stiff, even at the start of the race.

“People will give each other some room, but they will still be pretty aggressive,” DiBenedetto said. “With the higher downforce package we’re running, passing cars in dirty air is difficult.

“Starts and restarts are where you make up the most ground.”

DiBenedetto has made five career Cup starts at Darlington, with a best finish of eighth in his most recent appearance there.

Sunday’s race, the fifth of 2020, is set to get the green flag just after 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time with TV coverage on FOX.

About Motorcraft:

Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

About Omnicraft:

Omnicraft is part of the Ford lineup of parts brands: Ford Parts, Motorcraft and Omnicraft. Omnicraft is the exclusive non-Ford/Lincoln parts brand of premium aftermarket parts. With over a century of parts heritage to build upon, Omnicraft provides excellent quality and fit and is a preferred choice of professional automotive technicians. To find out more about Omnicraft, visit www.omnicraftautoparts.com or contact your local Ford or Lincoln Dealership.

About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center

Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine vehicle maintenance including tire repair and replacement with a Low Tire Price Guarantee and a full menu of automotive services including oil and filter, brakes, alignments, batteries, and shocks and struts on all vehicle makes and models. Service is performed by certified technicians at more than 1,000 locations worldwide while you wait, and no appointment is necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Wood Brothers Racing

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

The No. 32 Ford Mustang of Corey LaJoie will sport a new look when the NASCAR Cup Series returns this weekend at Darlington Raceway for the first race since early March. Drydene Performance Products will be on board LaJoie’s Ford, debuting an all-new red and white scheme for the 400-mile event.

Drydene offers a complete line of automotive, commercial and industrial lubricants, including engine oils, racing and break-in oils, DRF diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), transmission fluids, grease, and hydraulic & gear oils. Drydene products are built with ALL Technology®, Advanced Lubricity Life chemistry, to meet and exceed today’s modern automotive, heavy duty and industrial needs.

“I’m glad we were able to take Drydene from virtual North Wilkesboro Speedway to another classic real track in Darlington Raceway,” said driver Corey LaJoie. “I’ve gotten to know Drydene as a group and a brand over the last couple of years and I love representing them. We’re all really excited to get back to the track after a few months off and I’m ready to get back after it!”

The company has sponsored LaJoie and the Go Fas Racing team in the past at Dover International Speedway and most recently on the virtual No. 32 in the iRacing Pro Invitational Series.

“Drydene is proud to expand our support of Corey LaJoie and the Go Fas team,” said Dave Klinger, President of Drydene Performance Products. “Corey is always an exciting driver to watch and he’s a huge asset to Team Drydene. Like the rest of America, we can’t wait to see Corey and the sport of NASCAR make a safe return to the track at Darlington.”

Through the first four events of the season, LaJoie has one top-10 and sits 23rd in the standings.

For more information on Drydene Performance Products, visit www.Drydene.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @TeamDrydene.

Tune in to FOX at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 17 for NCS action from the historic Darlington Raceway.

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About Our Team

About Drydene Performance Products
For over a century Drydene lubricants have been made in America and made to last, paving the way on our highways, in our fields and on the production line. And we’re still right here today doing what we do best; helping America Get the Job Done. Drydene products are built with ALL Technology®, Advanced Lubricity Life chemistry, to meet and exceed today’s modern automotive, heavy duty and industrial needs. Drydene offers a complete line of automotive, commercial and industrial lubricants, including engine oils, racing and break-in oils, DRF diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), transmission fluids, grease, and hydraulic & gear oils. For more information, visit www.drydene.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @TeamDrydene.

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

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