Category: NASCAR Cup PR

NASCAR Cup Series Press Release

  • TEAM CHEVY AT TALLADEGA 2: Daniel Hemric Breakout Session Highlights

    TEAM CHEVY AT TALLADEGA 2: Daniel Hemric Breakout Session Highlights

    MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
    TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWDAY
    1000BULBS.COM 500
    TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
    OCTOBER 11, 2019

    DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 LIBERTY NATIONAL / RCR 50th CAMARO ZL1, Media Breakout Session Highlights:

    BASICALLY, HOW HAS THE SEASON GONE SINCE YOU FOUND OUT THAT YOU’RE NOT GOING BACK TO RCR AND WHAT’S YOUR GAME PLAN BEEN SINCE?
    “The game plan, from a professional side, has still been the same. The goals you set out to accomplish in February, and really dating back three years ago with RCR, those all stay the same. Just knowing that the things that have changed is knowing the outcome is going to be what it is come Homestead. I’ve got to figure out another path. Personally, you’ve had to kind of grind it out and spend what would typically be your off-days away from the race track doing just that and trying to position yourself and align yourself in a situation where you can continue on and more forward past Homestead as things go down the way they’re going to go down. But the race track stuff hasn’t really changed a whole lot. We still try to go to the race track and do our jobs.”

    YOU HAVE SUCH A GREAT PERSONALITY AND YOU’RE REALLY POPULAR WITH THE SPONSORS. HAS THAT BEEN A KEY IN YOUR SEARCH FOR A RIDE IN 2020?
    “I like to think it has. I think just do your thing and be yourself and that’s what I’ve always tried to do and I feel very grounded by the fact I think that’s why I’ve had the opportunities to get to where I’m at today. I try not to really veer too far off that course and just try to do what feels right to me and I think along the way I’ve been able to establish and build and create a lot of incredible partnerships, and even a lot a RCR that I’ve been able to be a part of over the last three years. There’s some incredible people and what will be in my eyes, life-long friendships. I feel comfortable with my time spent over at RCR and hopefully the right opportunities and windows open up.”

    WHAT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY AT THE END OF 2019?
    “If we can accomplish our goals of winning Rookie of the Year, finish as high in the points as we can, and knowing that when I cross the finish line at Homestead, I know I gave them everything I had from day one together until the checkered flag flew. There’s no doubt in my mind that I know I’ll do that, and I know they know I’ll be happy with that.”

    HOW WAS PRACTICE? DID YOU HIT SOME DEBRIS? HOW DO YOU THINK YOU’LL BE SET FOR SUNDAY?
    “It’s probably one of my most appealing races over the last stretch here, because of the success we’ve had here and our manufacturer had here back in the spring. And our speed is really, really good. We found ourselves in a situation where we were kind of controlling the speed of a lot of the cars around us, which is a good situation to be in when you’re a part of these deals. We caught a break and ran over something small that made a little hole in the tire. Luckily it went down on the straightaway and I felt it getting into the corners. We will not go to a backup car, which was very nice. We kind of put that in our back pocket as the first lucky break of the weekend and hopefully that’s a key to what’s coming.”

    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 NASCAR: Harvick and Bowyer Talladega Media Availabilities

    Ford Performance NASCAR: Harvick and Bowyer Talladega Media Availabilities

    KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang – CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE TEAMWORK AMONGST THE FORD DRIVERS HERE AT TALLADEGA? “Nobody has done it better than we had last year at this race, so I don’t think there’s really any debate on how that will work when it comes to Stewart-Haas Racing. There’s really no debate on what our four cars can do and how we did it. The commitment and the things that it took to do all that is above and beyond what many other teams have done.”

    CAN IT BE DONE AGAIN? “I don’t know. We did it once.”

    HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE RACES COMING UP? “Right now, we’re just focused on Talladega and the things we need to do here to try to take it one week at a time – to really focus on the task at hand. That’s how we race. We don’t look ahead. We constantly try to focus on the task that we need to accomplish in that particular week. I don’t have the capacity and I don’t think anybody else has the capacity to think about what it takes to do something else while you’re trying to focus on that week just because, for me, it’s not like I’m building a car, trying to prep it six weeks out It’s really just focus on that particular week and adapt to what you need to be doing when you get home on Monday.”

    ARIC’S DEAL WAS ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? “That’s good. I didn’t know it was up. That’s kind of like Rodney’s deal. I just assumed that both of those guys have been a part of everything that we’ve been doing the last couple of years and it would feel weird not to have them around. Aric is a model teammate as far as the way that things are approached and the way that you can talk to him, and the way that he goes about his business. From driver and a team standpoint, you’re definitely glad to see that Aric’s in the car again.”

    YOU WILL HAVE MORE STARTS ON SUNDAY THAN DALE EARNHARDT DID IN HIS CAREER. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT’S BEEN THAT LONG? “It should make a lot of us standing here feel old. I think as you look back and you don’t realize how long it actually has been and, you guys have heard me say this before, but in the beginning it was really hard to understand the magnitude of the circumstances the first couple years, just because you didn’t really understand much about what was going on as you got into the second year and really started to understand what happened the year before. It was already done. Sometimes you do things and then all of a sudden you get past those things and you haven’t really taken in all of the things that happen because you just didn’t understand them. Really, that first particular year we raced so much and the team protected me from so many things because we were on the road so much and didn’t have to really understand the magnitude of it, but there was no hiding from it over an off season and the next year as the expectations changed. But when you look at, like when I came in we started racing 36 races and so it happened a little bit quicker than it would have with, I don’t know what the total number of years were, but I’m sure it’s more. It’s definitely a unique number and stat and makes you think back to a lot of things. Next year will be the 20-year anniversary of my first win at Atlanta, so, I don’t know. It’s like everything went by and all of a sudden here you are and it’s gonna be 20 years later, and your 677th start this weekend. It seems like a lot of races.”

    ON THE GOOD SIDE OF IT YOU’RE STILL IN POSITION THAT 20 YEARS LATER ARE STILL IN AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMPETE TO WIN RACES AND CHAMPIONSHIPS? “I think as I look at my career, the first 13 years were at RCR and we had some great moments and great times, but after coming to Stewart-Haas Racing, winning a championship the first year, finding a crew chief like Rodney that you get along with so well and a group of guys that you get along with so well kind of change your perspective on how you look at things and the way you go about things, and having kids changed that and Keelan is so enthused about being at the race track that it makes me enthused, and I think as you look at that we’ve been fortunate to be successful. We’ve been in two scenarios that have been good for me professionally and personally and I consider myself a little bit of a late bloomer with the situation at Stewart-Haas and the championship and the enthusiasm that goes towards continuing to chase after a full season of racing, so I don’t see that ending anytime soon, I hope, and I think as you continue to be successful and with a group of people that you really enjoy being around, for me is a lot of it and obviously having my family around and now that Piper is old enough and having them at the track more, everybody is enthused about racing. We’re in a good spot.”

    WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT EARNHARDT’S LAST WIN HERE AT TALLADEGA WHEN YOU SEE IT? “I have watched it and Dale was really good at that, but much like our racing today, you can’t do that by yourself. Kenny Wallace had a big part to do with that and I think as you go back and see the commitment that Kenny had to him and the commitment that Dale had to putting that car in places that it probably didn’t fit wasn’t something that was abnormal in his shoes, so it was definitely quite the comeback to watch those two guys come through the field. I’ve seen it several times.”

    WOULD IT BE HARD TO DO TODAY? “It would be different, that’s for sure. It would definitely be different and I think as you look at I went to Richard Childress’ fundraiser on Wednesday night and the first person that I walked into was Johnny Morris and Johnny Morris is so extremely excited about driving that car on Sunday that he can’t hardly stand it, so I think as you kind of bring that car back and they had it out front at the event and you look at that car and you look at that black car with that white 3 on the side of it, it brings back a lot of moments that aren’t just about Talladega. Those were moments that happened at a number of places where you counted those guys out.”

    HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT AS AN ORGANIZATION HOW YOU’RE GOING TO APPROACH THE NEW CAR FOR 2021? “I think we’re in a fortunate position from a team owner side of things. We’ve already been through this scenario, in my opinion, once when we switched to Ford and having a strategic plan of how you’re going to race and what you’re going to do as far as the transition. I feel like we’re well positioned for that and I think as you go into that you’ve obviously seen the commitment that our owners make to giving us the things that you need. It’s an interesting transition because there’s no real transition. It’s really just everything is new. When you start thinking about that, especially when you look at the guys from like Front Row and you hear those guys talk about – most of the time they’ve never bought a new wheel. They’ve never bought a new car, and in this particular instance everybody is gonna have new wheels. They’re different. There’s no way somebody is gonna bring a set of wheels, the axels, the a-frames, and all those things are different. Really, the only thing you’re gonna take is maybe your dash and the engine package and some of the drivetrain pieces up front, but there’s really no transition because it’s all brand new. I think the most important thing is just gonna be how we understand that process and how the car functions aerodynamically and from a suspension standpoint and all those things. Understanding it will be the biggest battle.”

    WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST CHANGE IN THIS SPORT THE LAST 20 YEARS? “Safety. I think, for me, that’s how I came into this sport was during that period of the lapse of driver safety in 2001 when Dale died and the rapid progression of the way that the inside of the car and that’s the biggest that has changed because I live in there on a week-to-week basis and have seen the progression of ‘where a helmet, you don’t have to really wear gloves if you don’t want to, you don’t have to wear a full face helmet if you don’t want to,’ to today where they’re bugging you all the time to go update your concussion protocol and going to do your physicals and all those things you used to just cowboy up and not do and think that was the right way to do it. The standard of the safety side of things and it still progresses rapidly today because NASCAR pushes it. The soft walls. The helmets. The seats. I mean, a number of those things have changed and I would say outside of the car is just the engineering, the amount of engineering that goes into these cars is still going to be surprising to somebody who comes from an industry that’s never seen a NASCAR race.”

    DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE ANY ADVANTAGE OVER THE GUYS WHO HAVE FACED ELIMINATION MULTIPLE TIMES IN TERMS OF HANDLING THE PRESSURE? “I think for us it’s really just a one week at a time approach and whether you’re in a good position or a bad position it’s really not gonna be any different for us because we have been through those scenarios. I’m not gonna approach my week any differently. I’m not gonna do anything any differently. You’re gonna go and prepare the same and that’s the commitment that everybody on our team has made a few years ago was to try to Playoff race every week, try to have the preparation and mindset and if you’re not gonna finish first, get the best finish that you can. If you’re not gonna win the stage, get the most stage points that you can. Setting those expectations like that every week doesn’t really change. We don’t change how we race, ever.”

    HAS IT CHANGED AT ALL SINCE THE START OF THIS FORMAT? “There’s really nothing that’s nerve-racking for me anymore. I feel like we’ve been through it and I feel that anxiety and anticipation and nerves on a week-to-week basis because I look at more of letting those guys down on my car on a week-to-week basis because they’ve put so much into the preparation that it would be hard to sit with yourself knowing that they prepared that car to come to the race track and win by putting everything that they have in the car. Whether you do or don’t, you need to do the best that you can and that’s just really been the approach that we’ve taken since the last three years. I guess that kind of started, I mean there was so much anxiety the first year just because it was the first year of Stewart-Haas and things changed, and as we got into the second year I felt like the second year went better than the first year and you don’t win the championship. Having all of those rollercoaster of emotions it doesn’t have stability in the way that everybody is mentally to go up and down like that, so when everything is as stable as it can be, you have to approach it the same every week.”

    WHAT’S IT LIKE WHEN YOU’RE LEAVING A TEAM IN TERMS OF MEETINGS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO? “I think once somebody is leaving a team, you’re not invited to the meetings anymore. I think you try to keep as much information as you can as close as you can while still trying to keep that car competitive and that driver as involved as possible in the happenings of whatever is going on. You want to try to have things as competitive as possible, but you also start to protect a number of things as you get towards the last two or three months. It just depends when you know.”

    DO YOU GET MORE CLOSE TO THE VEST WITH WHAT YOU SHARE? “I don’t even think about it. It’s all out there anyway with all the SMT data the things that are out there anyway. It’s all out there and one of the things that keeps this sport competitive is that we all park about five feet from each other and then at the end of the year everybody wants to make a little bit more money and they start changing teams around and the next thing you know that guys knows what that guy did and it all moves around. It all evolves so fast and changes so much that I’ve learned if you just tell the truth nobody thinks you’re telling the truth and it all works out anyway.”

    SEVEN GUYS WENT OVER 203 MPH TODAY AND DENNY ALMOST WENT 205. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE SPEEDS YOU’RE RUNNING? “That’s why I don’t even look at them anymore (laughing). I was in that same group where Denny got that run and we just got a good run on the pack, so I think if they were concerned about the speed they would have probably tried to fix it after the first race here and it doesn’t seem like anybody was really concerned with it. I don’t know what changed, but I think they’ll probably be over 200 miles an hour most of the day.”

    BLOCKING HAS BEEN AN ISSUE HERE AND MORE WRECKS HAVE HAPPENED AT THE FRONT. DO PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE CLOSING RATES AND HOW TO PROPERLY DO THAT? “There’s been many evolutions in racing and blocking is one for me that I’ve had to evolve with, but blocking is a part of our sport now on a weekly basis. It’s not just here. I mean, you see it at the mile-and-a-half race tracks. You’re just gonna have wrecks blocking. Sometimes you’re gonna make a bad move. It’s just something that’s a little bit newer in the pace of the car that’s approaching you and the style of block and how you throw it, but we’re gonna wreck from a block because it’s just become part of what we do.”

    CLINT BOWYER, No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil Delvac 1 Ford Mustang – WHAT’S IT LIKE WHEN A DRIVER IS LEAVING AN ORGANIZATION? “When I left RCR it was a lot of mixed emotions. It was emotional. That was a place that put me on the map when you really think about your life and gave you your opportunity. All the while you’re excited about your new opportunity, but it was hard to leave the folks behind that I’d grown to call my friends and family and everything else. It’s no different than leaving anything in life, I would think. If you’re a kid going to a different school or anything else, it’s part of the business but it is tough. When you’re on the road with somebody as much as we are it’s no different if a media member or anybody else leaves it’s a part of you leaving.”

    WHAT ABOUT THE MEETING PART OF IT? “First of all, that would be the best thing one could ever tell me anyway is you’re no longer wanted in this meeting. Meetings suck.”

    IT SEEMS YOU’VE BEEN ON THE BUBBLE FOR 10 WEEKS. HOW DO YOU KEEP IT FROM BEING OVERWHELMING? “Everybody has strong suits and I know that. I know that that’s one good thing that I have is you can keep it serious and keep it down to business and stay focused, but you’ve got to make sure that you keep it light-hearted and make sure that the people around you are having fun and not freaking out because nobody can make sound decisions, whether it’s in the car or on the box or in the pit stall changing those tires as fast as those guys have to do it. Nobody can work under that pressure if they’re mentally not in a good place and on the positive side of that. This weekend everybody keeps asking and calling me, ‘Hey, man. What do you think about this weekend?’ Sponsors and all I’m like, ‘Honestly, I’m looking forward to it.’ I like this. I like being able to go to a race and have it figured out one way or the other. Everybody is freaking out over this race because it’s worthy of that. It’s all on the line here this weekend. We’ve seen it time and time again. When you’re under this set of circumstances in the Playoffs, whether it was the old format, the Chase format or this three races and you’re out deal, this is a pivotal race. Anytime you’re gonna put a restrictor plate race, it’s a 50-50 deal. I tell everybody all the time we’ve got about a 50 percent chance of winning or flipping 17 times. I mean, it’s just one or the other, but at least I’ll know when I wake up Monday morning. Even if it goes down and you end up on the back side of that, I was talking and wrecked out, you still get up and work your ass off Monday morning and all week long to prepare to go after it because you never know what’s gonna happen at a track like Kansas either. You’ve always got to stay focused on the task at hand. I like this time of year. It comes at a good time for me, not that I’m burned out, but I’m just tired of chasing that same old rabbit. The rabbit is damn near dead. We need a new rabbit and when the Playoffs start you’ve got a new rabbit and it’s shiny and healthy and runs like hell.”

    WILL YOUR FRIENDS AVOID YOU NEXT WEEK AT KANSAS IF YOU’RE STILL ON THE BUBBLE? “If you’re out, they do. If you’re out, it’s funny. When you suck nobody wants to hang out with you. When you run better everybody wants to hang out with you. That is life.”

    WHY DO YOU THINK YOU’RE SO GOOD WHEN IT’S ALL ON THE LINE? YOU KIND OF ENJOY THAT? “I don’t know. I think everybody’s personality is different. I actually work better under that because I focus more and not that you don’t otherwise, but it just keeps you sharp, it keeps you honed it. I like that adrenaline rush. I like knowing that it’s all on the line. It’s do-or-die time. It’s fun to get up in the morning. We left 45 minutes early. Lorra is like, ‘Hey, did you say we only had to leave at 10:30?’ We pulled in at like 9:50 and like, ‘I’m ready. Let’s go.’ I was ready to go to Talladega. I’ve got a lot of friends here. This infield, I went over and took some pictures of that. Holy cow. What an awesome job for a lot less money I’ve seen spent at other places. I dig it. I enjoyed every part of it. Obviously, navigating around the garage once we figured out how to get on the race track, which anytime something is new you’ve got to figure it out, but being able to go in there and it reminds me of club level seating at a Chiefs game or something, where you can go and kind of get out of your seat and go in and still keep an eye on the game with the big screen TVs everywhere – pull up to a bar and share a laugh with somebody else or maybe somebody’s got one of your favorite driver’s shirt on, maybe they don’t. Maybe they’ve got that other guy and if they do maybe you heckle them a little bit and get your burger, get your beer and watch the race – walk over and see the cars the guys are working on. I mean, I walked right up and watched my guys working on the car with the fans this morning. They did a good job with it. I was proud of what I saw this morning.”

    AND THEY KEPT THE IDENTITY OF TALLADEGA. “I think they nailed it. I think it’s perfect. It’s not overdone. It’s not overthought. A lot of times in big business like this it’s overthought. I think they did a good job. I like it.”

    DO YOU LIKE THIS KIND OF RACING AND DOES ATTITUDE MAKE A DIFFERENCE? “It’s a mindset. You’re either gonna come in and it’s gonna bother you or it’s not. I do believe on these tracks like this you’ve got to keep putting yourself in position. If you put yourself in position and you get wiped out, it’s the nature of the beast. I do believe that it’s no different. Brett, my spotter, always says if you watch him play blackjack – the tide’s coming in or the tide’s coming out. And the last few times it’s been going out. I think it’s time to come back in. That’s what I texted him this week. ‘The tide’s coming back in this week, you watch.’ And I believe that.”

    YOUR 500TH START THIS WEEK. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? “I love what I do. I just love the people. I’ve always loved people. I grew up, my father owns a towing business. You’re always out meeting people and when you meet them people they’re not necessarily in the best of moods or the best of situations. They’ve either wadded their car up or the damn thing has let them down, or they’ve had a flat tire, run it out of gas, something. You’re always helping somebody out of bad situation, but nonetheless I was always in and out of truck shops. You talk about a perfect fit with Rush Truck Centers. That’s literally what I grew up doing. I remember being a little kid and pulling into a Peterbilt shop with my old man with one on the back of it and rolling into a truck shop and getting that thing fixed and unloading it. You’re always around people, so when you come to something like this it’s like a candy store for me. All the fans and interacting with them, whether they like you or hate you it’s still fun, it’s still a fun interaction. Coming to a track like Talladega nobody does it better. I love Fridays, the schedule is finally conducive to this style of racing, where it doesn’t really matter about practice or anything else. Qualifying, she’s pretty easy. Everybody goes out and enjoys themselves, enjoys the infield, enjoys fans and has a good time, and all of a sudden Sunday comes around and have a good time.”

    DID YOU THINK YOU’D EVERY REACH 500? “No. I didn’t even know. You read that and you’re like, “Hmmm, I’ll be damned.’ Five hundered starts, that’s a lot of them, and then you read like I think Kevin just had his 600th or something, so it’s not that bad. It’s a long time, though – a lot of races, and it’s something to be proud of, to stay relevant enough and to stay in equipment for that long for 500 races is something that any driver or any individual that’s in a sport for that long, compared to about any other sport that’s a long time to be in a professional sport.”

    HAVE YOU BEEN IN DISCUSSIONS YET WITH FORD IN TERMS OF A GAME PLAN FOR SUNDAY? “Of course we’re gonna work together. We’re gonna work together and make sure that a Ford wins.”

  • TEAM CHEVY AT TALLADEGA 2: Ty Dillon Breakout Session Highlights

    TEAM CHEVY AT TALLADEGA 2: Ty Dillon Breakout Session Highlights

    MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
    TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWDAY
    1000BULBS.COM 500
    TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
    OCTOBER 11, 2019

    TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1, Media Breakout Session Highlights:

    YOU HAVE A STRONG SUPERSPEEDWAY PROGRAM. TALK ABOUT YOUR OVERALL THOUGHTS COMING IN HERE?
    “Yeah, we’re kind of in a points position where we have 48 or so points to the one in front of us and 80 or so behind us. So, we can kind of do what we want to do in a sense. But you look back at our races, we’ve really ran well at superspeedways and our average finishes are good here. That’s all been with the same mindset; not an overly-aggressive mindset, but finishing the race. We have a really fast car that I’m really happy with. Our GEICO Camaro was doing everything I could ask for, and a little more, in practice. I’m pumped for that. I never have a plan for these places, I just kind of go off of my feel and instinct. I’m very much of an instinctive driver, so I just kind of let it go how it goes on Sunday.”

    YOU’VE ALSO DONE A GOOD JOB OF COMPLETING ALL THE RACES ALL SEASON. HOW BIG IS THAT FOR YOUR TEAM AND ORGANIZATION?
    “Michael McDowell and I were talking about that last. When we have 50 employees compared to 400 that these top teams have and we don’t have quite the money the other teams have, it is important that you aren’t putting your team behind. If you’re a young gun going out and crashing a bunch of cars for a team that needs to continue to build, you’re not going to build a program. You’re going to be put behind and you aren’t going to be able to put a good product out there consistently. The more consistently I can bring home clean cars, the more we can make them faster week by week. It’s definitely a slower process for our team than it is for other teams just because of the dollar number and the number of employees in general. When we can have a year where we can complete 99% of the laps, we get better and we’ve done that.”

    TALK ABOUT YOUR PAINT SCHEME THIS WEEKEND.
    “Yeah, it’s the 50th anniversary for this car. I asked my grandfather, “Why the green? Why 13?”. He said my luck was so bad in my career at that point that I needed to do everything that was superstitious to see if it would turn it around. He said it did from that point on. So, this is the car that turned it around for him. I think the green is so ugly that it looks cool (laughs) is the way I would explain it. I think it looks really cool out on the track, with just the throwback. It’s pretty fast today. If we win the race, we might be green for a lot longer.”

    HOW DO YOU LOOK AT KANSAS?
    “I see it as a track that, when we were there the first time, we were still exploring this package and what we needed as far as more grip and more speed. I think we kind of landed on a good idea of what we need for our program to be good at the 1.5-mile tracks moving forward. We finished 11th at Michigan, we ran good in Vegas and we are starting to build some momentum. I think Kansas is going to be a good place for us.”

    DID YOU GET A CHANCE TO DEBRIEF WITH AUSTIN (DILLON) AFTER THE RICHMOND TEST?
    “Yeah, I just talked to him right before first practice for about 20 minutes. He is really excited about that car. It’s totally different, there are so many things different about it that I’m like, ‘That’s going to happen? They are going to do this with that car?’. I would have no clue what that look or feels like. He said it was crazy and a whole lot different. It’s exciting for our sport. Our sport needs to continue to grow and evolve. That is the kind of steps we need to take in all aspects of the sport. I think the tracks need to take that kind of growth step. I think television needs to take that step in growth. I think the teams and NASCAR, in general, need to continue to move in that direction for the sport to continue to thrive.”

    “All he told me is that it stops really good, it turns really good, it feels lighter and faster. Just some different little things and some new unique aspects that I didn’t even know were things on the car they are working on trying. It’s all still in a development stage of a car, but it sounds exciting. I think it’s going to be a lot of good things for the sport.”

    I HEARD AUSTIN (DILLON) SAY IT DRIVES LIKE A RACE CAR. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO A RACER?
    “I think just where the car reacts more to driver input and driver ability. If the car when you get there is at a certain speed, your chances are minimized hugely. I think what he means by that is when it’s in the driver’s hands, it gives the driver more opportunity to show what he can showcase. That’s exciting for all of us.”

    THE WAY CHEVROLET REALLY DOMINATED HERE IN THE SPRING USNIG THE MANUFACTURER ALLIANCE, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU GUYS WERE DOING IT AGAIN IN PRACTICE. IS THAT HARD TO DO OR HARD TO PLAN?
    “Yeah, we’ve had great leadership kind of leading the charge on this, from Chevrolet and Jim Campbell. I think the first time around was going to be the easiest time to make it all work. I think the more we do it, the harder and harder it is to get everyone cooperating in the same way because everyone starts getting a little bit selfish sometimes and wants to peak out to see what they can do leading the pack. Maybe it didn’t perfectly work for their situation the first time around, maybe they were the car at the back of the pack that dropped off and had to battle the guys behind him the whole time. But when we can stay committed as a group is when it really works. I give us a ‘B’ for what we were trying to accomplish in first practice, but we are going to have a meeting again and hopefully get some things straightened out and be strong again. Like I said, we have great leadership from Chevrolet and hopefully all the teams will be on board to make the right calls and do it again.”

    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.

  • TEAM CHEVY AT TALLADEGA 2: Chris Buescher Breakout Session Highlights

    TEAM CHEVY AT TALLADEGA 2: Chris Buescher Breakout Session Highlights

    MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
    TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWDAY
    1000BULBS.COM 500
    TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
    OCTOBER 11, 2019

    CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE CAMARO ZL1, Media Breakout Session Highlights:

    WHAT DO YOU THINK IT’S GOING TO TAKE FOR YOU TO WIN HERE AT TALLADEGA?
    “Survival. No crashes. Not for us, anyway. A good start. We are trying to figure out how to put both of us Buescher and Ryan Preece) in the best position at the end of the race. I think in the spring, we were in a really good spot. We were pushing Ryan and we got turned and it ruined our day but he was able to go up there and finish third, I think. So, we were in the right situation, just unfortunately you get turned around by someone. If you get rid of that part of it and put ourselves in that same position we presumably could have had a shot to win by having teammates there and they would have pushed when it came down to the end.”

    A LOT OF TIMES TALLADEGA COMES DOWN TO HAVING TEAMMATES AND FRIENDS HELPING.
    “Yes, it does.”

    DO YOU HAVE ANY STRATEGY? TONY STEWART ALWAYS USED TO HANG IN THE BACK AND LET THE CRASHES HAPPEN.
    “It’s changing a little bit. A lot more people are getting on board with it and then also, a lot of people are being a lot more conservative until the end. So, we’re coming to the end and there’s still a full field out there and then you’re trying to pass 40 cars versus planning on 20 wrecking out or being damaged. So, it’s a little harder to do that now. There’s still a lot of argument to be made for it and it’s definitely something to look at every time we come. We do feel like we have better speed in our cars this week.”

    DENNY HAMLIN SAID THAT RACING NOW, THE DRIVERS ARE GETTING YOUNGER AND THE INFORMATION IS GETTING BETTER AND THAT’S WHY A LOT OF THEM ARE WINNING AND PROGRESSING WELL. WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ON THAT? THE INFORMATION GETS BETTER AND BETTER WITH EVERY RACE
    “We definitely have a lot of info. I guess there’s a case to be made for it. I’m a little older than a lot so for me, I have no problem with getting rid of every bit of that SMT stuff and I did just fine with growing up without all that and could do it again. So, that probably does help at times. But sometimes, it also hurts if you’re trying to do stuff that you’re not used to or maybe not be your driving style. It can lead you down some wrong paths. Yeah, with all the information that we do get, a lot of it comes down to as simple as getting pictures of cars quickly throughout the race weekends and all that. That helps (with) just being able to get feedback and figure out what bumps are doing. So yeah, there’s a lot available to us and we’re able to make good use of it. But, at the same time, I remember a lot of racing without having any of that; and you’ve got to figure out how to drive these race cars (laughs).”

    HOW MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE DO YOU SEE IN THE RULES PACKAGE AT THIS POINT OF THE SEASON?
    “I think you come with a little better-informed decision. Whereas, at the beginning of the year, you’re kind of guessing at what you were looking for. For us, we stuck to a game plan and that probably cost us a good amount of qualifying speed, but worked really good, consistently. Now it’s been a matter of how to get a better qualifying without hurting the race side. And, that’s hard to do. The main thing that we’ve been looking at is just how to get drag out of the cars without sacrificing downforce. A lot of the this, coming back to the aero-side of things, you put yourself in the best spot to be ready to go during the race without giving away too much during qualifying.”

    WHAT’S IT LIKE IN THE FINAL WEEKS OF BEING WITH JTG? ARE YOU STILL INCLUDED IN THE MEETINGS, ETC.? WHAT’S GOING ON THERE?
    “Yeah, all good. It’s business as usual. We’ve been working hard at trying to finish out the season. We have six races left and there’s a lot of work left to be done. I’m still in on all the meetings and trying to figure out how to go faster and to give good feedback and how to make sure that everybody knows we’re putting in the effort to have a really good end of the season. We’ve had a really good year. So, that’s been awesome. Ryan has been able to build a lot of speed and comfort into a lot of these race tracks he’s been able to go to for the second time. We’re definitely getting to the point where we can start sharing a lot more. Not that we couldn’t all along, but it’s starting to overlap a little better. And that’s helpful as well. It just brings the whole ship up. So, it’s been good. We’re still working hard and still racing.”
    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.

  • TEAM CHEVY AT TALLADEGA 2: Alex Bowman Breakout Session Highlights

    TEAM CHEVY AT TALLADEGA 2: Alex Bowman Breakout Session Highlights

    MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
    TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWDAY
    1000BULBS.COM 500
    TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
    OCTOBER 11, 2019

    ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE / AMAZON ECHO AUTO CAMARO ZL1, Media Breakout Session Highlights:

    HOW DID YOU FEEL IN PRACTICE?
    “Yeah, we were OK in practice. We didn’t get off of pit road very well there when we were out with our Chevy teammates, we were just a little slow getting up to speed. We worked on our height a little more after that and I think we got some speed dialed into the car. So, I think we should be pretty good.”

    HOW MUCH DID THE CHEVY’S WORK TOGETHER AND DID THEY HAVE THE ‘COME TO CHEVY’ MEETING?
    “I haven’t been a part of any meetings yet, but I know obviously there has been a lot of talk and everyone is communicating well. We’ll try to get a bow tie in victory lane.”

    CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE GROWTH OF THIS TEAM THIS SEASON? YOU GUYS HAVE REALLY COME A LONG WAY IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
    “Yeah, for sure. We started the season pretty poorly and then had a couple of good months. We kind of slumped again for awhile and, now, we are stringing some good finishes together. We just need to work on consistency is really the biggest thing, but I think everyone on the team is working really well together and do a really good job of working together.”

    GIVEN HOW YOU FINSIHED LAST TIME HERE AT TALLADEGA AND THE LAST COUPLE OF RACES, YOU HAVE TO FEEL CONFIDENT IN YOUR MOVES AND CONFIDENT IN WHAT YOU’RE DOING.
    “I think the speedways are really the only places where you can’t look at past finishes as an indicator of how you’re going to run when you go somewhere. I think some guys are really good at speedways and others seem to not be. But running second here in the spring isn’t necessarily a guarantee that we’re going to run well here this time.”

    WAS THERE A SPECIFIC TURNING POINT FOR THIS TEAM?
    “I don’t know that there was a huge turning point, we just know we have to run well right now. For some reason, with this team, myself, and Greg (Ives), when the pressure gets turned up, we seem to thrive in that environment. We’re definitely doing well right now and bringing really good cars to the race track. It’s all working out really well.”

    HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GOING INTO KANSAS?
    “I can’t wait to get there. I feel like I gave that one away in the spring. I know the car we are talking there is really good. That’s one of my favorite race tracks, regardless of everything. I’m looking forward to getting there, it puts on a great show. It’s probably the best place to showcase our current rules package, so I’m looking forward to it.”

    YOU’VE BEEN IN THE PLAYOFFS NOW A COUPLE OF TIMES, YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH ELIMINATIONS. IS IT ANY DIFFERENT HANDLING THE PRESSURE NOW? DO YOU GET USED TO IT?
    “No, I mean I think it’s about the same. I can’t sit here and say that I enjoy the high-pressure situations and that it makes me feel good. But, for some reason, I tend to thrive in those high-pressure situations. So, I’m just trying to use it to my advantage as much as I can. I think from last year to this year, the pressure is about the same. We just had a good first round instead of a really poor first race in the round of 12 last year. This year, we have a legitimate shot I think.”

    AFTER KANSAS IN THE SPRING, DID YOU KNOW IMMEDIATELY WHAT PREVENTED YOU FROM WINNING? OR WAS IT WHEN YOU WENT BACK TO REVIEW THINGS THAT YOU HAD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING?
    “Yeah, we had all of those cautions at the end, and some guys took tires and we stayed out. So, that didn’t help us, we were on much older tires than the guys we were racing. But I went to the bottom behind a lap car, lost the nose and had to left. That gave Brad (Keselowski) the opportunity to get by me. He was a little faster than we were at that point, just based on him being on four tires. But I would have liked to put up a better fight than I did, for sure.”

    HAVE YOU ALWAYS THRIVED UNDER PRESSURE?
    “I don’t really get a lot of pressure aside from racing, so I don’t know. I guess I’ve never really realized I thrived under pressure in racing until the last couple of years. But it’s part of it. I don’t necessarily enjoy the pressure, but for some reason, we tend to run well with it.”

    WITH THE RECENT SURGES LATELY, IS IT LIKE A FEELING OF ‘I BELONG HERE’?
    “Yeah, I mean I think we belonged to be in this round and move on before that. But I think we are definitely stating it and doing a really good job of showing people that.”

    YOU’VE HAD A LOT OF MOMENTUM THIS SEASON. DO YOU FEEL LIKE TALLADEGA IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE TRACKS TO RACE AT?
    “No, I don’t think any driver ever comes here and says it’s their favorite track to run at. There’s a high probability of crashing and hitting stuff pretty hard. But the stress level around speedway racing is just really high. You can’t control your own destiny and I feel like race car drivers like to be in control. This is a place where you’re just not. Obviously, it puts on a great show for the fans and that’s always really cool to see. It’s not a bad place by any means, but it’s just probably not my favorite race weekend.”

    YOU PUT UP SOME BIG NUMBERS IN PRACTICE. ARE YOU FEELING THAT LEVEL OF SPEED?
    “It really doesn’t. But I think in the race maybe, but practice with the smaller packs, you can’t really tell you’re going that much faster. Obviously, the bumps in turn three have gotten quite a bit bigger over the new tunnel. So, that’s a little different. Other than that, it just feels like a normal speedway.”

    WITH THE PACKAGE, AS A DRIVER, DOES SPEED MATTER ANY MORE?
    “I think regardless, you’re having to drive the cars wherever you go. There hasn’t been a race where we’ve been easy wide open all day, even with the 550 package at the intermediate tracks, you’re still driving them. It hasn’t changed them as much as you would think. They are still just as difficult to drive.”

    THE PAST FEW WEEKS, ALL FOUR HENDRICK CARS HAVE LOOKED REALLY GOOD. HAS THERE BEEN ANY CHANGES IN COMMUNICATION AMONGST THE FOUR TEAMS?
    “Not really. I think everything has been business as usual. I feel like the four of us communicate really well pretty much all the time. Over the last year and a half, we’ve definitely really merged everything together a little bit more and everything has gotten a little more close-knit, just with how the race shops work. Instead of it being the 9/24 and the 48/88 building, it’s all kind of one deal now. That happened quite a while ago, so other than that, we’re business as usual.”

    WITH SO MUCH ON THE LINE, DO YOU ANTICIPATE A MUCH DIFFERENT RACE THAN IT WAS HERE IN THE SPRING?
    “No, I think it’s going to be a pretty similar race. With speedway racing, there’s always someone willing to be aggressive and there’s always someone willing to push the issue. The people that are doing it may change, but I feel like it will look like a similar race to what we’ve had at the last couple.”

    WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN THE SPRING THAT YOU CAN APPLY TO THIS WEEKEND?
    “Not much has changed, the cars drive really similar. The cars drove similar from last year’s speedway package to this year’s speedway package, they just get up to speed a little quicker and probably a little faster overall. It’s really just a lot of the same.”

    HOW AWARE OF THE POINTS ARE YOU DURING A RACE?
    “Any awareness I have is coming from my crew chief, just because there’s so much going on all the time. I think this is a race that you’ll be able to see when someone gets a lot of stage points or goes and wins a stage. Other than that, probably not going to pay too much attention to it until we get to next week.”

    DON’T YOU HAVE TO TRUST A LOT IN THIS RACE?
    “Yeah, for sure. I think that’s why we see the teams work together and the manufacturers work together because when you know you can trust somebody, there’s definitely strength in numbers.”

    ARE YOU FEELING GOOD ABOUT THE WEEKEND?
    “I think so. I was a little disappointed about our first run, honestly. I know we’ll get a little more speed in it and be just fine.”

    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.

  • TEAM CHEVY AT TALLADEGA 2: Kyle Larson Press Conference Transcript

    TEAM CHEVY AT TALLADEGA 2: Kyle Larson Press Conference Transcript

    MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
    TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWDAY
    1000BULBS.COM 500
    TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
    OCTOBER 11, 2019

    KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1, met with media and discussed his expectations for Sunday’s race at Talladega and the benefits of teamwork, the challenges of racing at Martinsville, his impressions of the 2021 car test at Richmond by Austin Dillon, and more. Full Transcript:

    WHAT CAN YOU AND THE TEAM DO AT MARTINSVILLE TO GET BETTER? WHERE DO YOU STRUGGLE? IS IT SIMULATOR TIME OR WHAT EXACTLY CAN YOU DO TO RAMP IT UP?
    “Honestly, I’ve tried the simulator before and for me, it just messes me up more than anything; for that place, just because the brakes don’t feel as similar as they do to my real car. So, I don’t know what else to do to get better. I look at more data leading up to that race than I do for any other track. At track, I try really hard to be better and I haven’t gotten any better. So, I don’t know. I’m sure each time we go there with a different set-up, hopefully this time we’ll hit on something.”

    LOOKING AT TALLADEGA SPECIFICALLY, THE BUZZWORD BACK IN THE SPRING WAS CLOSING RATE. COMING BACK HERE FOR A SECOND TIME WITH THE SAME PACKAGE, AND PRACTICE LOOKED JUST ABOUT AS CRAZY AS IT WAS IN THE SPRING, HOW MUCH DOES KNOWLEDGE OF SOME OF THE CLOSING RATES IN THE DRAFT MAKE THIS A LITTLE EASIER WHEN YOU WERE GOING IN BLIND BACK IN APRIL?
    “We got to race Daytona also, with this package. So, I think we understand it a little bit more than the first time around here earlier this season. We got a little bit of drafting there in practice, at least for the one I was in. The Chevys stayed in line. I don’t think we’ll even we’ll draft in the next practice. I won’t get to go out there and bob and weave until the race. But, yeah, the closing rates are definitely a lot higher and it seems like people’s cars handle a little bit better than our old package, so I think that’s why you see much more aggressive style plate-racing now. Well, I guess this isn’t plate-racing anymore, but yeah, it’s just aggressive.”

    CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH THE SENSATION OR WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND PRIOR TO ENDING UP ON YOUR LID IN THE SPRING HERE? HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THAT MOMENT?
    “I don’t know. Let’s see. I came off (Turn) 2 and I think William (Byron) or somebody had gotten sideways and gotten into me. I was just preparing myself to hit the wall head-on. I’ve done that a lot. You just try and brace yourself and hope it doesn’t hurt. And then, all of a sudden I started feeling my car kind of come up and I was just hoping that it was going to get down before I hit the wall. And, you’re just sliding and flipping. I knew I was close to the inside wall and close to the fence and all that, so I was just hoping I wasn’t going to flip into the fence because then who knows could happen after that. I don’t know. I’ve flipped a lot so it was more different than flipping in a Sprint Car because you’re going do much faster and it just happens longer. But, it hurt equally as bad as a Sprint Car, so it just took longer.”

    YOU FINISHED EIGHTH AT KANSAS IN THE SPRING. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’VE LEARNED WITH THE INTERMEDIATE PACKAGE THAT WILL HELP YOU THERE?
    “I think we could go there and win. I think our cars are better there than they were a year ago, and I feel like Kurt (Busch) and I were both really fast then. I always look forward to going to Kansas, but especially a daytime race helps me out. So yeah, we should be good; hopefully. You never really know what to expect until you get there, but I’m looking forward to it.”

    IT’S TOO EARLY IN THE DEVELOPMENT IN THE 2021 NEXT GENERATION CUP CAR, BUT AUSTIN DILLON TURNED THE FIRST REAL-TIME LAPS AT RICHMOND EARLIER THIS WEEK. HOW MUCH DID YOU MONITOR THAT AND LOOK AT THE CAR? ARE THERE CERTAIN THINGS IN THE CAR THAT ARE IMPORTANT THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE ADDED OR THE WAY IT WOULD DRIVE?
    “I didn’t monitor that really, at all. I was busy this week so I didn’t follow-along with how it went. I know he texted. There are a lot of us drivers that he texted and said it was fun to drive. I honestly don’t even know what all is in that car or off that car or just any of the changes that have been made. I’m going to drive whatever NASCAR produces. It doesn’t matter to me. There were some cool, unique things on there that hopefully make the cars handle a little bit better in traffic and things like that. I don’t know if it’ll work or what. I’m anxious to get my own laps in it, in the future. I’m sure that’ll be some time next year. So, we’ll see. Change is good, sometimes. The car definitely looks more modern. So, maybe that’ll probably make some older fans upset but hopefully attract some newer fans, too.”

    WE SAW A LOT OF TEAMWORK BY CHEVROLET IN THE SPRING TO KIND OF TURN BACK SOME OF WHAT FORD HAD BEEN DOING IN TERMS OF THEIR DOMINANCE HERE? DO WE EXPECT THE SAME COME SUNDAY IN TERMS OF MANUFACTURERS WORKING TOGETHER? IS THAT HARD TO DO, THOUGH, WHEN YOU’RE OUT THERE IN THE HEAT OF A PACK?
    “When we were here at Talladega, early in the year, it was just RCR and Ganassi and Hendrick working together. So, there was just eight of us. And I felt like we were able to kind of control our race. And then at Daytona, we had more Chevys committed and I felt like it made it a little bit tougher to do, just because the line was longer. So, it was harder to stay committed to the guy in front of you if you were 14th in line, or something. I don’t know how many teams we’ll have committed to it this weekend, but it is nice, either way; whether it’s eight or all of us, it is nice to know you have commitment from the other guys around you.”

    YOU MENTIONED YOU TRIED OUT THE SIMULATOR AND IT DIDN’T HELP YOU FOR MARTINSVILLE. ARE THERE ANY OTHER TRACKS WHERE YOU’VE USED THE SIMULATOR AND IT HAS BEEN HELPFUL?
    “Yeah, I think anytime I’ve been there and done like a road course, it helps with more elevation kinds of things and stuff like that. But, it’s tough. Chevy and Pratt & Miller are still developing it and trying to make it better and more realistic. So, it’s not where it needs to be but every time we go in there, we try to give our input to make little changes to make it better. But yeah, I would say road courses are probably the ones I benefit the most from.”
    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.

  • TEAM CHEVY AT TALLADEGA 2: Chase Elliott Press Conference Transcript

    TEAM CHEVY AT TALLADEGA 2: Chase Elliott Press Conference Transcript

    MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
    TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWDAY
    1000BULBS.COM 500
    TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
    OCTOBER 11, 2019

    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA NIGHT VISION CAMARO ZL1, met with media to discuss the past success of manufacturers working together, how he handles the pressure of the Playoffs, the importance of stage points for the overall Playoff picture, and more. Full Transcript:

    WHEN WE WERE HERE IN THE SPRING, YOU HAD LED A CHEVY CONTIGENT THAT REALLY TEAMED UP AND WORKED WITH THE MANUFACTURER ALLEGIENCE TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN FOR YOU GUYS. SAME GAME PLAN IN EFFECT THIS WEEKEND? IS THERE ANYTHING DIFFERENT WITH THE PLAYOFFS BEING ON THE LINE THIS WEEKEND?
    “Yeah, I think it will be really similar from all fronts and I’m sure all manufacturers will be kind of doing the same thing. The Playoff picture is obviously important to some of the guys in each respective group, I suppose. The manufacturers are going to see it as they want the manufacturer to do well and they see that being better than anything else. I think you’re going to see more of those games being played this weekend. I thought we did equally as good of a job at Daytona as we did here in the spring, we just had some things go our way here in the spring and they didn’t in Daytona. So, it goes to show that even though we worked well together and that we all did a nice job, it’s not always going to work. No guarantees, for sure.”

    YOU’VE BEEN IN THE PLAYOFFS SEVERAL TIMES. YOU KNOW THE PRESSURE OF THE CUT LINE. DOES IT GET ANY EASIER TO HANDLE OR ANY WORSE TO HANDLE? DO YOU JUST GO RACE AND TRY NOT TO THINK ABOUT IT?
    “I think as you get put in bad positions throughout the Playoffs, really and truly your situation just becomes clearer as to what you have to do. Especially, when you get in the hole early, it just becomes very evident that you have to go do a really good job the next two weeks to make it through. Obviously, we don’t want our season to be over after Kansas, so we have a lot of emphasis on these next two weeks. I’m going to do the best job I can do, my guys are going to do the best job they can do, and we’ll see where it ends up. It don’t necessarily get any easier, I just think the way these rounds go, sometimes you’re frustrated. I’m sure the first thing everyone wants to say is ‘Dang, I hate the way these rounds are when you have a bad race’. At the same time, the next thought needs to be, ‘Well, we should have won more races in the regular season and it wouldn’t matter’. So, you have the opportunity to make it not matter and I think that’s the thing you have to keep in mind that this deal started in February and you had an opportunity to give yourself a buffer. Luckily, we had a little bit of one. Like I said, I think you just have to go do your thing and it will either work out for you or it won’t, one of the two.”

    I KNOW BEFORE YOU’VE SAID THAT IN A PERFECT WORLD TO YOU, NASCAR GIVES YOU THE RULES PACKAGE AND YOU JUST DRIVE IT. WITH THAT BEING SAID, HOW MUCH DID YOU MONITOR AUSTIN (DILLON) AND RCR’S TEST AT RICHMOND? WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE CAR AND ARE THERE CERTAIN THINGS YOU WANT THAT CAR TO BE IN TWO YEARS?
    “To be completely honest with you, I didn’t pay much attention to it. I saw a picture of the car. I saw the wheels were really funky looking and they looked like they improved about forty years. Really, outside of that, I don’t know. I don’t know what the cars drive like. From Austin (Dillon)’s reaction from his post on the internet, it didn’t really look like he was just mind blown that it drove that much different. Like I said before, whatever it is, it will be the same for everybody, what the starting point is, and whatever manufacturer does the best job of creating a body from the new set of rules and the teams taking advantage of however we end up structuring the builds. There’s always going to be somebody trying to get an advantage. I know that there are going to be standardized parts, but that just means there’s going to be an advantage somewhere else. So, whoever does their homework the best in trying to cut those corners and push the rules as far as you can, is going to be the person to win. The people that are scared of that probably won’t.”

    IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE FOR TALLADEGA TO GET MORE INTENSE RACING, JUST BECAUSE IT’S THE PLAYOFFS? DO YOU SENSE OR FEEL WHEN YOU COME BACK HERE IN OCTOBER THAT’S A LITTLE MORE AMPED UP?
    “Yeah, I definitely think it is. I guess the good news is that at least you have another race after this one to determine the rest of your time if you have a bad day here on Sunday. So, I think it would be even more so if it was the final race. At least it’s in the middle and if you crash on Sunday, we pretty much know we have to go win Kansas. I think beyond that, if we don’t crash, we’ll assess our points beyond there. We’ll try to keep from crashing.”

    WITH THIS PACKAGE, OBVIOUSLY YOU HEAR SO MUCH ABOUT THE BIG RUNS AND HOW MUCH IT COMES FASTER. HOW MUCH HAS THAT CHANGED BLOCKING AND WHAT KIND OF AN ADJUSTMENT IS IT TO THE RUNS WHEN YOU COME BACK TO PLACES LIKE HERE?
    “Yeah, there’s definitely a fine line. I guess it just depends on how bad you want the spot and how scared you are of that person turning around if they do get to you. Some of those runs are coming so fast, I certainly wouldn’t pull up in front of some of them. When you’re in position, there are going to be times where you might have to pull up in front of something that you wouldn’t want to or don’t feel comfortable doing. Like I said, I think it depends on the situation we’re in. If you make it to the end of the race, that’s certainly the time to do that or whatever point in the race that you think is determining the players. It seems like that point in these events is getting pushed back further. I’ve seen some guys kind of get up in front about halfway, maybe a little further than halfway, and they kind of control the rest of the race. You get all those late-race cautions and it’s hard to get back around that guy. Whatever point that intensity amps up and whatnot, sure you might see more aggressive moves than what you would like to be making. But like I said before, it just depends on the situation you’re in, where you’re at, if you can afford to crash, and who’s in the race still and who’s not.”

    YOU MENTIONED KANSAS NEXT WEEK, YOU’RE PRETTY GOOD THERE. WOULD YOU FEEL CONFIDENT GOING IN THERE HAVING TO WIN?
    “Yeah, I would feel as confident going in there as anywhere. If that’s the case for us next week, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. We do have an opportunity here that I don’t want to completely toss the opportunity here. I know it’s a toss up and anything can happen, but it is an opportunity and they still award points at this race and they still give out a sticker on Sunday. So, we’d much rather have that than have to be in a bad position next week. We’ll focus on that when we get there and see where we are. If that’s the case next week, yeah sure we’ll go do our best. If that’s what we have to do, then that’s the mentality we’ll have.”

    HOW MUCH DOES A POSITIVE ATTITUDE ABOUT COMING HERE HELP SOMEBODY LIKE YOU? THERE ARE STILL SOME DRIVERS THAT DON’T LIKE THIS KIND OF RACING AND I WOULD ASSUME IT WOULD BE A SPOT WHERE YOU, WHO SEEMS TO HAVE A VERY POSITIVE ATTITUDE ABOUT IT, WOULD FEEL LIKE THIS IS A WELCOMED SPOT FOR YOU TO TRY AND COME GET A VICTORY AS OPPOSSED TO OTHERS WHO SAY THEY HAVE TO JUST TOLERATE IT AND GET THROUGH.
    “Yeah, I think we all have a level of just tolerating it. When you hit something really hard multiple times, you don’t enjoy that and nobody does. At the same time, that’s part of it and I don’t really know what you do about that. We’re going really fast, we’re in an enclosed circuit and there are walls on the outside and inside. The odds of you hitting something at some point I’d say are pretty good. I just think we have to take it for what it is and like I said, it’s a toss up whether you make it through the race on Sunday. But somebody is going to make it through the event, somebody is going to get the win, and somebody is going to get the points that come along with it. You would certainly rather that be your team than watch somebody else. I just think you have to keep that in mind as much as you may not enjoy it, that’s the reality of it.”

    STAGE POINTS, WE TALK ABOUT IT ALL YEAR LONG. WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOUR SITUATION NOW, THE STAGE POINTS IN THE SPRING RACE WERE NICE TO HAVE, BUT NOT CRICTICAL TO HAVE. HOW DOES THAT HAVE AN IMPACT? ARE STAGE POINTS IN APRIL AS IMPORTANT TO YOU GUYS? HOW IS THAT GOING TO FACTOR IN SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOR YOU GUYS?
    “That stage win in April was just important then as it is now. Getting that point can be the difference between us making it or not. Yes, I think they are all important. At the time, you may not think so. Now, I wish we would have won the first stage too because we would be six points back instead of seven. All those things add up and definitely for us right now, the stage points are going to be critical. The manufacturers all working together obviously means there are a lot of Chevrolet’s in numbers, a power in numbers there for sure. That can also work against you. I could be in the back in the Chevrolet line and not get any points, and the top ten Chevrolet’s be there and get points themselves. It’s a tough balance, I don’t know what you do about that. You try to put yourself in the best position you can, be sharp and just try to minimize mistakes. From there, you just kind of let it unfold as it is. If we all make it to the end like we hope we can, we’ll go race for the win and see how it goes. But definitely for us, stage points are crucial. I don’t think we’re in a position where we have to win right now to make it through this round. I think we’re really close. Don’t get me wrong, I’d much rather win than be stressing about stage points. But I don’t think we’re too that point yet. If we can have a good day on Sunday, I think that would really help. Who knows, we’ll see.”

    THIS WEEK ON MICHAEL WALTRIP’S PODCAST, BUBBA POLLARD SAID THAT YOU WERE SOMEONE THAT HE LOOKS UP TO, YOU ARE ONE OF HIS HEROES AND HE DOESN’T THINK EVERYONE HAS SEEN THE FULL LEVEL OF YOUR TALENT YET. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU TO HAVE SOMEONE SO RESPECTED IN THE SHORT TRACK SCENE TO SAY THAT YOU ARE ONE OF THEIR HEROES?
    “I feel like he is one of my heroes. Obviously, those were very kinds words for sure from a guy that I really have looked up to for a long time. I remember losing some really tough races to him over the years. Bubba (Pollard) and I raced each other a lot, so that means a lot coming from him for sure. Anytime I feel like somebody you raced against, a competitor of yours along the way, shows that kind of respect, it definitely means a lot to me. I feel like the feeling is very mutual. I’ve always looked up to him, I’ve always enjoyed how he’s gone about his business, his dad, his mom and his family and how they’ve gone about racing and how they’ve continued to support racing, even though some things they don’t agree with or good and bad times. People like him are crucial in that world. I would love to see him have a shot in doing things maybe in the NASCAR world or whatever. Definitely cool to hear, I enjoyed my time racing with him. I would love to race with him some more in the short track world and just see how different it is. I had a conversation with him actually over at the short track here this spring and he was just telling me how different it was from when I came through; how the racing has changed and how the dynamic is different. As a racer, that really interests me. I’d love to see that as some point. It’s very kind and I appreciate it. Feeling is very mutual, he’s one of my heroes for sure.”

    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 NASCAR: Almirola and Stenhouse Talladega Media Availabilities

    Ford Performance NASCAR: Almirola and Stenhouse Talladega Media Availabilities

    Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
    Friday, October 11, 2019

    EVENT: 1000Bulbs.com 500, Talladega Superspeedway

    ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Racin’ for Bacon Ford Mustang – YOU HAD SOME NEWS WITH SMITHFIELD EARLIER THIS WEEK. “We announced our continuation of our partnership with Smithfield, so I’m excited about that. They’ve been a great partner of mine for eight years, going on nine years now, so I’m really proud of that relationship that we’ve built together and it’s been a lot of fun. I feel like I’m certainly part of the Smithfield family and they’ve been a fantastic partner. I’m excited to continue that relationship and continue to provide success on and off the race track for them.”

    DO YOU FEEL YOU’VE GOTTEN EVERYTHING OUT OF THIS OPPORTUNITY AT SHR? “As a competitor you always strive for more. That’s just the nature of the beast. I think probably with your job you still want to accomplish and do more. Nobody is just satisfied with status quo, so I think that’s across the board for race car driver to journalist to anybody else. You always want to achieve and accomplish more. If not, then go find something else to do. But for me, I’ve been excited and happy with the results that we have achieved. Last year was a great year for us for it to be my first year with the company, have the success that we did, and to finish fifth in the point standings. That was really, really good and something that we were very excited about. And then obviously take that and we set the bar a little bit higher and then this year we haven’t achieved those similar results and we haven’t had the year that we had last year and that’s just part of this sport. You look at a seven-time champion that you would automatically say he’s gonna make the Playoffs and he didn’t. You look at Joey Logano a couple of years ago he missed the Playoffs and then turns around the next year and wins the championship, so there are a lot of ups and downs in this sport. Last year was a good year for us and then this year has been an OK year, but certainly not the year that we had hoped or wanted. But we’re looking forward. We’re gonna continue to strive for more success. That’s what we do as competitors and as just human beings. You want to continue to move the needle.”

    ARE YOU SURPRISED YOU HAVEN’T WON MORE THAN ONCE? “I think it comes with time. I think it’s just part of it. It’s hard. If it was easy, everybody would do it. I think it’s not easy. There’s nothing given to you. You have to earn it, so I think for us as an organization, as a race team last year we were in position to win several races and we capitalized on one. This year, we quite honestly haven’t been in position to win as many races.”

    BEFORE SMITHFIELD RENEWED WERE YOU WORRIED ABOUT KEEPING YOUR RIDE AND NOW THAT THEY HAVE DOES IT ADD MORE STABILITY? “Yeah, having a sponsor in this day and age is pretty critical, so, yeah, I think it’s extremely important to have the support and the backing. But I felt confident about my relationship with Tony and Gene and Brett and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing. I never really felt concerned. I felt like they wanted me to be there. I wanted to be there, so it was just a matter of dotting all the I’s and crossing all the t’s, so we were able to get that done, which was nice. I think, for me personally, I have really enjoyed my time at Stewart-Haas Racing. They’ve been great to me and I’ve enjoyed getting in fast race cars and running up front and competing and making the Playoffs two years in a row and being one of those teams that’s consistent in a Playoff-contending team week in and week out.”

    IS THERE A GAME PLAN FROM FORD OR SHR COMING INTO THIS RACE? WILL TEAM ALLIANCES BE A KEY FACTOR IN THIS RACE? “I think when the race comes you’ll see it before the race. You’ll see it in practice. It’s just the way that this type of racing has gone. There’s strength in numbers in the draft. You watch practice and you watch one car go out there by itself and it’s gonna go a lot slower than two cars together, and two cars is gonna go slower than four cars and four cars is gonna go slower than eight cars. It’s just the way the draft works, so there’s strength in numbers and getting everybody aligned and organized and willing and wanting to work together is the challenge. I think Ford in the past has done a great job at that. I can’t remember the exact number. You guys probably have all the stats and the data, but Ford for the last little while has dominated restrictor plate racing, and we’ve done that through collaboration and fast race cars, so we finally gave a couple up, but I still think that we have extremely fast superspeedway cars and if we do everything right and put ourselves in position and work together that we can take a Blue Oval to Victory Lane.”

    HAVE YOU HAD A STRATEGY MEETING OR ANTICIPATE DOING THAT? “I anticipate we will. We typically do.”

    WHAT DID YOU SEE FROM THE 2021 CAR FROM PICTURES YOU’VE SEEN OR THINGS YOU’VE HEARD? “I knew they were doing the test, but I haven’t heard any of the feedback, and I haven’t seen any of the pictures. I honestly can’t comment on it. I haven’t paid attention to any of that. I’ve just been focused on what we have going on and trying to close out the year strong. Surprisingly, I don’t spend a lot of time reading the news. Sorry, guys.”

    IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT THAT CAR TO FEATURE? “I think the biggest thing as a race car driver is when you step into a race car you want to know that if you’re race car is faster than the car in front of you that you have the ability to drive up and pass it. From the time I was a kid racing go-karts through racing stock cars as a teenager that’s what makes racing exciting is when you have a faster car that you can go up there and pass the guy or girl that you were faster than. So I think that has been a little bit of a challenge and so I hope that car in 2021 will be better in that direction to where when you have a faster car and you’re running the person in front of you down by two-tenths or three-tenths a lap that when you get within a few car lengths of them that you can still maneuver your car and drive around them.”

    CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW THIS TRACK CHANGED IN THE SPRING FROM PREVIOUS TALLADEGA RACES? “It is important to have a good handling car at the restrictor plate races, but you have to have a fast car first. You can have a good handling car and it be slow and you just can’t make the moves and be as aggressive, but, at the same time, on the flip side of that, you can have a really fast car that’s really trimmed out that doesn’t drive very well, and when you have your hands full with the handling, you can’t put yourself in as vulnerable positions because your car just moves around a lot more and takes up more race track, so there is certainly a fine line and a balance between having your car trimmed out for speed and making sure that you get the car driving good because in order to be successful at these race tracks, you have to be aggressive, you have to make bold moves, you have to put your car in positions that are uncomfortable and if you’re gonna put yourself in an uncomfortable spot, you want your car to be driving good.”

    DID YOU NOTICE HANDLING CAME INTO PLAY MORE LAST TIME THAN THE PAST? “I honestly don’t remember. I don’t think so. I didn’t think so. I thought that it drove pretty easy, to be honest. I thought handling wasn’t much of an issue at Talladega, which is typical for what we see. Daytona, handling is certainly a little bit more of a factor, and then the night races usually when it cools down it’s not as big of a deal. It just depends. It’s very dependent on the tire that Goodyear brings. If it starts laying a lot of rubber down and you struggle to run on top of the rubber, cars start moving around, and then just how hot it is. If it’s 60 degrees, it’s a big difference from if it’s 85 degrees. That plays a key factor as well.”

    GOING TO KANSAS FOR THE SECOND TIME WITH THIS PACKAGE. HOW HAS IT CHANGED? “I think as you see we started going back to these race tracks and I personally feel like the field and the gap continues to narrow. The teams get smarter going back to these race tracks for a second time and you start to see the competition continue to get closer and closer because everybody starts to hone in on what they need to be successful at that track. When we went there the first time with the brand new rules package there was a lot of guessing going on and now teams are starting to develop a notebook and some ideas on what they need to do at that specific race track to be successful, so I just feel like the competition continues to get closer and closer as we go back to these race tracks a second time.”

    SO YOUR DEAL MATCHES YOUR DEAL THROUGH 2020? “I’ve talked to Brett and Tony and all of them and they just asked me not to talk about the terms of our contract. They said we typically don’t do that.”

    WE’VE SEEN WRECKS AT THE FRONT OF THE FIELD NOW. WHY? “I think it comes from the runs coming faster than they used to come. We’re used to being able to block the runs because the runs didn’t come as fast. They were slower so you could anticipate the run and move to block it. Now, the runs come a lot faster and so if you are not very, very quick with your move, you end up slightly behind and then you get hooked in the bumper and the flip side of that is track position is so important in trying to stay up front and keep your track position and put yourself in position to win the race, you know that you need to be in the top four to six when it gets down to the end of the race, so you try to do everything you can to stay up front and by doing that you have to take risks, you have to try to defend your track position and by defending your track position sometimes you throw a late block and you cause a big wreck, and I think we’ve seen that.”

    WHAT DOES YOUR PAST SUCCESS AT TALLADEGA MEAN FOR YOUR PREPARATION THIS WEEK? “I think it means that Smithfield might give away a million slices of bacon this week. I don’t know. Last year, that was a lot of fun. We have run really well at Daytona and Talladega. Last year was a lot of fun. We won and gave somebody, I think his name was Joe, and his family in Oklahoma free bacon for the rest of their life. So Smithfield has come back this year and upped the ante and they’re gonna give a million slices of bacon away to 10 lucky winners at Racing for Bacon Giveaway.com. That was a sponsor plug, by the way. Talladega has just been a good place for us and for me in particular. Even when I drove the 43 car Daytona and Talladega have been good to me, so I don’t know what it is. I don’t know why. I can’t put my finger on it, but something about it. I enjoy it. I know a lot of drivers come to these races and dread it, and I actually come here and I enjoy it. I like it. I think it’s fun to be an inch apart from 39 other drivers and going 200 miles an hour and it’s crazy and wild and I embrace it.”

    DOES THIS PLACE RACE DIFFERENTLY IN THE PLAYOFFS? “I don’t know. I think it changes the dynamic for maybe a couple of drivers. I think a couple of drivers that feel like they have a decent points cushion they’re probably more likely to be conservative and maybe ride around at the back and try not to get in a wreck and try not to put themselves in position to have a 30th-place finish or a 38th-place finish by getting involved in a wreck, so probably changes for those guys. But I would say guys who are close to the cutoff line or out, or guys that already have won and locked in that don’t really have anything to lose, or guys that are not currently in the Playoffs, I don’t think it races any different for them. It’s really the same. You have to be aggressive and it’s gonna be crazy like it always is and you’re gonna have to do everything you can to have a fast race car that drives good and try and keep some track position all day.”

    RICKY STENHOUSE JR., No. 17 Sunny D Ford Mustang – WHAT HAS BEEN THE INTEREST IN OTHER TEAMS IN YOU THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS AND COULD THIS WEEKEND PLAY A BIG ROLE IN YOUR FUTURE? “I don’t know if you can say my whole future depends on a race here at Talladega. You can easily win one. You can easily lose one, but us and my team right now are putting a lot of emphasis on this. I just want to get another win for a group of guys that I’ve worked with for a long time, and I know we’ve got a good shot at it. Brian and the guys always bring a really good car here. Jimmy has been working tirelessly on this and Doug always gives us great horsepower here to get the job done, so for us and the 17 team that’s what we’ve been focused on, that’s what I’ve been focused on. I let my team off the track, not at Roush, but agent-wise, kind of handle everything beyond that and what we’re gonna do for next year and the options and just try and figure that out. It’s not a quick process by any means. We’ve talked to different teams and just trying to wait and kind of see what direction we go, but, for me, obviously since the week of Charlotte it’s just trying to put solid weekends together. I thought we did a good job at the Roval for that being not a great track for us. Dover last weekend, we showed that we had decent speed at times. I felt like we kind of performed as well as we could, and so that was really kind of our main objective with how everything played out. We did the best we could I felt like. Here at Talladega I feel like I’m gonna give it all I’ve got and try to get another win for my guys. It’s the last shot that I get to put Sunny D in Victory Lane and I’ve got a great relationship with them obviously on the track, off the track. I hang out with them a lot, so it would be cool to get them a victory here this weekend.”

    HOW DOES THE MANUFACTURER COOPERATION WORK AND CAN WE EXPECT MORE OF THAT THIS WEEKEND? “I think us at Ford have done a great job at that. I think we won seven, eight, nine in a row – whatever it was – and it was all working together. It was having some meetings together and just understand what the whole objective is for the day and that’s really the big thing – what’s the objective and what’s the best way to accomplish that? So I feel like us and the Ford teams were really on the front side of that and really working together and showing that it can pay off and then at times since then I feel like other manufacturers have done a good job. It makes it tough now trying to guess when to pit, when is the right time to pit, getting a draft from the cars that stayed out, what’s the fastest route to pit under green and get back out there. So that’s something they’ve continued to look at – teams, manufacturers, all together. It’s created a different dynamic a little bit. You can’t just get yourself in the outside lane and start leading the race and then all of a sudden need to get down to the bottom lane to pit, so there’s a lot of strategy that goes into it.”

    WHAT’S IT LIKE INTERACTING WITH YOUR TEAM AND TEAMMATES WHEN YOU’RE MOVING ON NEXT YEAR? “Charlotte, I decided I was not gonna go. It probably wasn’t a good week for me to go to my competition meetings. Since then, I call and give them feedback and let them know how my race was going, and then also we have meetings on the weekend, so like last week at Dover I went to them and just still trying to gather all the information that I can to make our team better for that weekend, and then again turn around and doing it the next week. There’s definitely meetings I’m not allowed to be in anymore?”

    WHAT KIND? “The way it worked at Roush is we have competition meetings, individual team meetings, and then we’d have a big competition meeting with the Front Row guys and everybody, and then after that it would be kind of an engineering-based meeting of what we’re working on, what’s coming down the pipeline, and that’s just things to keep us drivers engaged and focused on what we were working on, so those are the ones I can’t be in.”

    DOES IT FEEL WEIRD NOT GOING? “No, I’ve got a lot more free time on Mondays.”

    WHAT ABOUT KANSAS NEXT WEEK? “I think we’re definitely looking forward to going back to Kansas. We’ve always ran well there I felt like my rookie year we had a chance to win. We led 50 or 60 laps the first time we went, so it’s been a good race for us in the past. Earlier this year, being able to battle with the 9 and 88, take the lead there, it gives us some confidence that the package that we had was good, but it was still fresh in the season. So I feel like the package, team to team, has evolved a lot and what you need in your race car to be fast at Kansas will be different than what we had there in the spring. Brian feels good about what we’re taking to the race track. It will be different than what we had there in the spring and we’re gonna see if we can’t do a little bit better of a job. We didn’t really manage the end of that race very well and gave up definitely a top-five finish, but, all in all, we’re excited to get back there for sure.”

    IS THIS THE MOST LIMITED YOU HAVE BEEN IN TERMS OF ABILITY TO DRIVE AND PASS CARS ON THE TRACK? “Restarts are definitely key at Dover. Dover has been a tough track to pass on in general for a little while, I feel like. This package, I would say, has made it a little more difficult. I did not get tight last week behind people. I was really loose, so my car got looser. I felt like if we could tighten it up, we would be able to run the top a little bit better. I felt like the 88 team did a really good job of getting their car set up to maneuver around the track and make passes other than just running the bottom, so I feel like they showed it could be done if you get everything right. I feel like every time a package is new when it continues to evolve and everybody gets their cars faster it always makes things a little bit more difficult to get the job done. I wouldn’t say every race track is harder to pass on. It’s definitely situation limited.”

  • Rick Ware Racing to honor Talladega Superspeedway legend in 1000Bulbs.com 500

    Rick Ware Racing to honor Talladega Superspeedway legend in 1000Bulbs.com 500

    TALLADEGA, Ala.: Don’t adjust your eyes, it’s not NASCAR Throwback weekend.

    However, Sunday afternoon’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 at the famed Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway was the perfect opportunity for Rick Ware Racing to honor a track legend.

    When Austin Theriault circles his No. 51 JACOB Companies Ford Mustang in Sunday’s NASCAR Playoff race, his paint scheme will look familiar.

    If you have ever attended a NASCAR race at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, you’ve probably seen the iconic gold semi-tractor with gray stripes hauling a giant American flag speeding towards the start-finish line as the National Anthem is being played.

    A custom Talladega tradition, there is no greater display of American pride than in those few moments leading up to the start of the race.

    The iconic pre-race salute was started in 2001 by racing legend John Ray Sr., shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the tragic passing of Dale Earnhardt Sr.

    Ray along with Talladega Superspeedway Chairman Grant Lynch searched for an idea to boost the moral of the nation and a devasted fan base that had endured a year of tragedies. The answer was found in the 18-wheeler of Ray Sr. and the mutual love and respect for the United States of America.

    From that point on, a Talladega tradition was born.

    “It was 2001, we just had the 9-11 attacks and Dale (Earnhardt Sr. had also passed away earlier that year,” said Ray who resides in nearby Eastaboga. “I had a crazy Idea to run my rig out on the track with an American flag attached to the back. It started off as a tribute to the country and to Dale.

    “I never thought it would become the heart-felt moment that it has over the past some-odd years, but I’m glad it has become a tradition that means so much to the fans and the Talladega family.” added Ray.

    “It represents such a sense of pride that we all share together as a nation and as a community. It is my honor and privilege to do it.”

    Lynch said Ray’s unique idea has turned into a monumental staple at Talladega.

    “Johnny’s flag idea really turned out to be something very unique to Talladega,” he said. “It has become one of the most Iconic National Anthem traditions in sports. I’ve seen others try things similar, but here at Talladega we have the biggest flag on the biggest track, and I think it can be copied, but can never be duplicated.”

    On Sunday, Theriault’s JACOB Companies Ford Mustang will carry the same look as Ray’s quintessential 18-wheeler for 188 laps.

    “When Bryan at RWR sent me the rendering and asked me what I thought, I told him to make it happen,” offered Don Perry, president of JACOB Companies. “That truck and the gigantic American flag are a big part of the Talladega experience. They are a tradition at Talladega and I am proud to have Jacob Companies on this car that is paying tribute to John Ray and his idea to start this wonderful tradition.

    “We have had some really good paint schemes this year on the Jacob Companies No.51 and this one is definitely one of the best. I’m excited to see how that gold flake design looks like out on the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway.”

    Team principal Rick Ware added, “Shawn Magee, who has designed some great looking cars for us this season, sent our general manager, Bryan Clodfelter this idea about a month ago. When Bryan brought it to me in my office, I had pretty much the same reaction as everyone else who has seen it.

    “As soon as I saw it I knew we had to do this. We sent it in to NASCAR and they approved it and I am very proud to be able to do this tribute for the Ray family. This truck is iconic, not only just to Talladega but to all NASCAR fans.”

    Theriault, the 2017 ARCA Menards Series champion will make his fifth career Cup Series start on Oct. 13. In one prior start at the famed Alabama race track, he finished fourth during his championship ARCA season after starting fourth.

    The 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season continues with the 1000Bulbs.com at Talladega Superspeedway on Sun., Oct. 13 at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC, the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio NASCAR Channel 90.

    For more on Rick Ware Racing, please “like” them on Facebook (Facebook.com/rickwareracing) or visit WareRacing.com.

    Rick Ware Racing is on Twitter. Follow them @RickWareRacing.

    About JACOB Companies:

    JACOB Companies (jacobcompanies.com )is a multifaceted nationwide construction firm with a focus on construction, development, management, design-build and technology services. Jacob Companies provides clients with a wide range of services in general contracting, construction management, design build, architectural and structural precast erection and a broad spectrum of technology, installation and information transport systems including structured cabling, low voltage, network service delivery and wireless solutions.

    JACOB Companies specializes in High Rise Structures, Universities, Hotels, Automotive Dealerships, Athletic Facilities both Professional and Collegiate, and Parking Structures.

    JACOB Companies is dedicated to serving and supporting its clients and the communities in which it operates by providing superior customer service, innovative solutions and a collaborative approach while generously supporting local and national organizations through sponsorships, donations and in-kind commitments.

  • RCR Event Preview – Talladega Superspeedway

    RCR Event Preview – Talladega Superspeedway

    Richard Childress Racing’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Talladega Superspeedway … Richard Childress began his driving career at Talladega Superspeedway in 1969 and is in a tie for the most all-time car owner victories at the storied Alabama-based race track with 12 wins. Dale Earnhardt visited Victory Lane nine times, while Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer swept the 2010 events at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Bowyer added to the Welcome, N.C.-based organization’s total by claiming RCR’s 100th Cup Series win when NASCAR’s senior series visited the facility in October 2011. In 178 starts, RCR also has 5 pole awards, 43 top-five, 71 top-10 finishes and has led 1,843 laps of competition

    RCR in the MENCS … In 2,981 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 51 pole awards,108 wins, 489 top-five finishes and 1,074 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 16.3. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, six NASCAR Xfinity Series titles, two Truck Series titles and one ARCA Menards Series title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series.

    A Celebration of 50 Years … Help Richard Childress Racing celebrate their golden anniversary at RCR Fan Day at our campus in Welcome, North Carolina on Friday, October 25. The unique, one-day event will include driver/owner autograph sessions, panel discussions with key personnel, a kids’ interactive area, pit crew demos, military interaction, shop tours and even a hauler parade to help send off our teams as they head to Martinsville Raceway. Follow RCR’s social media channels for updates regarding Fan Day and all 50th Anniversary events.

    Interactive RCR … For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR’s corporate Twitter page – @RCRracing – along with the RCR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team Twitter page – @RCRCup, and driver Twitter pages @austindillon3, @TylerReddick and @DanielHemric. Information about the 15-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and at www.RCRracing.com along with official driver pages –  http://www.facebook.com/austindillon3 and www.facebook.com/DanielHemric.

    Catch the Action … The 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will be televised live Sunday, October 13 beginning at 2 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    This Week’s American Ethanol/RCR 50th Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Talladega Superspeedway … In 12 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Dillon earned his best finish at the 2.66-mile track in April 2016 when he finished third. His best finish in four NASCAR Xfinity Series Starts is also third. He has two starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, earning a best finish of seventh in October 2011.

    Delivering Performance On and Off the Racetrack … Austin Dillon races on Suoco Green E15 fuel made with 15 percent American Ethanol. Ethanol is the most effective and least expensive source of octane available and it also burns cleaner and cooler than gasoline. All those factors mean that ethanol helps drive peak engine performance whether you’re in a racecar or on your way to the grocery store. And, ethanol helps keep our air cleaner and our environment healthier by reducing toxic and greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more about why ethanol is the smart choice for your engine, your wallet and our environment at americanethanolracing.com.

    Some of the Most Rewarding Things in Life are Earned … Austin Dillon has a passion for cars both on and off the race track, which is why he recommends having the GM BuyPower Card® in your wallet. With the GM BuyPower Card®, Cardmembers can earn toward the purchase or lease of a new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle. Cardmembers receive 5% Earnings on their first $5,000 in purchases each year, with 2% unlimited Earnings on purchases after that! In addition to using Earnings towards saving on a new GM vehicle, GM® and Capital One® just announced that the GM BuyPower Card® will now allow cardmembers to redeem their Earnings towards statement credits for qualifying purchases of vehicle care and GM extras. These qualifying purchases include customer-paid Certified Service, parts and accessories purchased at authorized GM dealerships and eligible GM subscription services, including certain OnStar® and Connected Services plans as well as SiriusXM® subscriptions. With the GM BuyPower Card®, there are no limits to how much you can earn. Learn more about the GM BuyPower Card and redemption options by visiting  http://bit.ly/BuyPowerCard .This is a paid partnership between Capital One and Austin Dillon.

    A Touch of Gold … The No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will feature gold livery this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway in a nod to RCR’s 50th Anniversary.

    Meet Dillon … Dillon is scheduled to participate in a Q&A session at the Team Chevy Stage at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 13 at 9 a.m. Central Time.

    AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
    Talk about Talladega Superspeedway and the history that track has for Richard Childress Racing …
    “Talladega Superspeedway is very cool because the track is very important to the history of Richard Childress Racing. It’s where RCR pretty much got everything going. My grandfather gets all the recognition for that. We’re going to celebrate that history when he takes part in pre-race ceremonies this weekend. It’s going to be special to see him out there in the same No. 3 Chevrolet that Dale Earnhardt Sr. drove to victory lane at Talladega. I know he’s pumped for that. Hopefully, we get the pole so we can push him around a little bit on the track.”

    Do you look forward to superspeedway races like Talladega Superspeedway?
    “Yeah, I really enjoy it. All the Chevrolet cars work really well together at these plate tracks. It’s given us two shots to win. I feel like as a company, we’ve been really close. We thought Daytona was going to be our shot to get into the Playoffs. Obviously, we wrecked right before the rain came trying to hold the lead. It will be fun and I’d love to get out there on the speedways and try to make it happen. It always gets interesting.”

    Talk about how much it helps to be able to work with your Chevrolet teammates at a track like Talladega Superspeedway …
    “Well, I think it’s great having a guy behind you that you can trust. With a Chevy behind you, you know you have a little more freedom to look out the front. When you’re not looking out the back, it’s a good thing. I think that’s what has happened at some of these races in the past where you’re constantly trying to guard who’s behind you because you don’t know if they are going to stay with you or not. When you have a teammate behind you that you know will follow you wherever you go, it definitely gives you that confidence to make moves and put yourself in a good position.”

    Do you remember your first time racing at Talladega Superspeedway? What was your first impression?
    “Man, it’s big when you get out there. I remember being in a truck for the first time, drafting, and seeing a guy stick his hand out the car waving like ‘let’s go’ to push him. I was like ‘how is he taking his hand off the wheel right now?’. I was so gripped up and intense because we were going so fast. But as you start relaxing, you get more comfortable and flowing at that place and it’s fun.”

    Can you take more chances at places like Talladega Superspeedway since you’re not in the Playoffs?
    “Yeah, you definitely try. You try and put yourself in a place to have a shot to win because it goes a long way going into next year.”
    Daniel Hemric and the No. 8 Liberty National/RCR 50th Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Talladega Superspeedway … Hemric will be making his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Talladega Superspeedway during this weekend’s 500-mile event. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native started fifth and finished fifth in his first start at the 2.66-mile speedway in April.

    About Liberty National Life Insurance … Founded in 1900, Liberty National Life Insurance Company is licensed in 49 states and headquartered in McKinney, Texas. Liberty National provides life and supplemental health insurance to middle-income Americans through individual and worksite sales by captive, contracted insurance sales representatives. Liberty National has local, independently operated offices throughout the United States. Its Agents and Managers actively participate in numerous charitable outreach initiatives throughout the year. Liberty National has more than 3.7 million life and supplemental health insurance policies in force (as of 9/18). For more than 40 consecutive years, Liberty National has earned the A+ (Superior) Financial Strength Rating from A.M. Best Company (as of 7/18). Every year since 1995, Liberty National has been named to the Ward’s 50 Life-Health List (as of 7/18). For more about Liberty National, please visit our website at LibertyNational.com.

    A Touch of Gold … This weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, Liberty National is celebrating RCR’s 50th anniversary with a special gold-colored wrap scheme on Hemric’s No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

    Meet the Driver … Hemric is scheduled to take part in a fan Q&A session in the new Talladega Garage Experience on Sunday, Oct. 13, starting at 10:15 a.m. local time.

    DANIEL HEMRIC QUOTES:
    You had a fifth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in April, but it is still a wild-card race. What is the key to success at a track like Talladega, where anything can happen?
    “The dynamic of speedway racing over the last three races has really changed with the manufacturers working closely together. We ran fifth there earlier this year, and I feel like that was the first all-in Team Chevy effort in a superspeedway race. That plan was executed to a near perfection, as we put a Chevrolet in Victory Lane and had six of the top-10 finishing positions. I’m sure you will see a lot with each make and manufacturer again this weekend. Whenever we go to the superspeedways, RCR and ECR Engines bring a lot of power and we know we’re going to have really strong race cars. We just have to make right adjustments and put ourselves in a position to capitalize. If you can cycle to the front early in the race you have a good shot at maintaining that throughout the day. You have to have good pit stops and do all the things you can do to keep that track position all day. We were fifth there earlier this year, so hopefully we can improve on that and go for the win. This is our last race with Liberty National as the primary partner on the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the year and they have added some gold to the scheme to honor RCR’s 50th anniversary. They’ve been a great partner all year and we are looking to go out on a high note with them this Sunday.”