Category: NASCAR Cup PR

Michael McDowell
No. 34 Dockside Logistics Ford Mustang
Started: 26th | Finished: 24th

“Our car performed a lot better today compared to where we started out on Friday. It’s always encouraging to see positive gains over the course of a race weekend. Today, our No. 34 Ford started out loose and just seemed to stay that way all race long. We tried a wide variety of changes to tighten it up, but in the end we came home P24. My team fought hard on pit road and made some great pit stops. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car this coming weekend at Kansas Speedway with Love’s Travel Stops.”

Matt Tifft
No. 36 Surface Sunscreen/Tunity TV Ford Mustang
Started: 32nd | Finished: 32nd

“It definitely wasn’t the weekend we’d hoped for at the Monster Mile. We struggled all through practice and qualifying, and had to serve a pass-through penalty to start the race. The car was really tight throughout the entire race and it felt like we just couldn’t recover from the hole we were in. We tried to use this as a learning opportunity for our No. 36 Surface Sunscreen/Tunity TV Ford and we’ll take as much of those learnings as we can onto Kansas next weekend.”

David Ragan
No. 38 MDS Trucking Ford Mustang
Started: 24th | Finished: 26th

“Today was a hard fought battle for our No. 38 Mustang. We had a pretty decent car on Saturday, but we just missed the setup by a few adjustments for a day race on Monday. Our car was really tight the entire race, we made adjustments to all 4 corners, but could never get a caution to fall at the right time for us to gain a few laps back and contend for a top-15 or top-20 finish. We’ll learn from it and continue to work hard as we get ready to head to a great track of ours next weekend at Kansas and welcome Mystik Lubricants on board with us for their first race of 2019.”

DOVER, Del. (May 6, 2019) — In a Monday matinee at Dover International Speedway, Ryan Newman battled in what resulted in a track position race to finish 18th in his Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang.

“We were just off on the handling most of the day,” Newman said. “Our team worked on it and got it close a couple times, but with long green flag runs there at the end we were just too far behind to gain any ground at that point. We’ll regroup and move on to Kansas.”

Newman put his Ford Mustang 21st on the starting grid following Friday’s single-car, one round session – the first format of its type in 2019 – but had to wait a day as rain set in Sunday afternoon forcing the race to be postponed to Monday at noon.

Once the green finally dropped, Newman was lacking grip and loose as he ran 20th at the competition caution at lap 40. After a pit stop for a pair of adjustments, he restarted 18th following the yellow. The caution was displayed at lap 105 when he reported his car was still sensitive, before going on to finish the opening 120-lap stage in 19th.

The South Bend, Indiana, native began the second segment in 17th, reporting he was way tight to start. After a green-flag stop at lap 180, Newman was shown in 21st, one lap down at the end of 240 laps.

He rolled off from the same spot for the final stage, still battling for the lucky dog spot. The yellow came out again at lap 266 when the team put on a set of scuff tires and he would go on to restart 20th with 131 to go.

With 100 laps remaining he ran in 19th, and after the remainder ran caution-free, he along with the rest of the field pitted under green for the last stop. After the stops cycled, Newman was 19th with 50 to go before going on to cross the line 18th.

Newman and the No. 6 team return to action next weekend at Kansas Speedway. Race coverage for Saturday’s race begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

DOVER, Del. (May 6, 2019) – After rain postponed the Gander RV 400 to Monday afternoon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was charging forward before blowing a right front tire on his Little Hugs Fruit Barrel Ford forcing him to settle with a 33rd-place finish.

“Our Little Hug Fruit Barrels Ford started out really good.” Stenhouse said. “We worked our way inside the top 10 there in stage one before blowing a right front. It’s the story of our season. Hopefully we can turn around our luck next weekend at Kansas.”

After NASCAR returned to single car qualifying, the two-time Xfinity champion lined up in the 20th position after battling a tight machine during his qualifying laps. When the competition yellow was displayed on lap 40 for rain overnight, Stenhouse was scored in the 10th position.

Steadily running in the top-10, the Olive Branch, Miss. native reported that his Ford was gradually getting tighter throughout the run. After losing a few positions due to the tightness, the right front tire blew sending the Little Hugs Ford hard into the outside wall. After multiple pit-stops, Stenhouse returned to the track in the 25th position. Something was still amiss according to Stenhouse forcing him to take the first green checkered in the 30th position.

For the final two stages, Stenhouse rode out the final laps in his damaged machine taking the checkered flag in the 33rd position.

Stenhouse and the No. 17 team travel to Kansas Speedway next weekend. Race coverage can be seen on FS1 at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Austin Dillon Fights Tough-Handling No. 3 AAA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Dover International Speedway

Finish: 19th
Start: 16th
Points: 18th

Team Penske Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race Report
Track: Dover International Speedway
Race: Gander RV 400
Date: May 6, 2019

____________________________________

No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski
Start: 9th
Stage 1: 2nd
Stage 2: 5th
Finish: 12th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 399/400
Laps Led: 58
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 6th (-83)

Notes:

Brad Keselowski scored a 12th-place finish in the Gander RV 400 Monday afternoon at Dover International Speedway. The driver of the Miller Lite Ford is sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings, 83 points behind the leader.

Keselowski started ninth and worked his way into contention for a win in Stage 1. The third caution of the race on lap 117 set up a one-lap dash between Keselowski and teammate Joey Logano, who held off Keselowski to win the segment. Keselowski didn’t pit during the stage caution and took the lead on lap 124 when Logano chose to pit.

Keselowski led the next 58 laps until he made a scheduled four-tire stop under green on lap 182. He was third when the pit cycle was complete on lap 190. The No. 2 Ford Mustang was too free in the center of the corner and too tight on exit for the remainder of Stage 2. Keselowski held off Kyle Larson by inches in a battle for fifth-place when the segment ended on lap 240. He made a four-tire stop during the stage caution on lap 244 and restarted third on lap 249.

During the third and final stage, the handling on Keselowski’s Mustang grew worse. He was tight on corner exit during the final green flag run to end the race – 131 laps. He made his final stop of the race on lap 320. Crew chief Paul Wolfe made the call for four tires and a track bar adjustment but unfortunately the Miller Lite Ford was still a handful for Keselowski. He was credited with a 12th-place finish, the first car one lap down to the leaders.

Quotes: “Not the result we wanted today with our Miller Lite Ford. I was just super-tight on corner exit during that last long green flag run. We lost track position and couldn’t get it back.”

________________________________________________

No. 12 Menards/Duracell Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 11th
Stage 1: 8th
Stage 2: 7th
Finish: 15th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 399/400
Laps Led: 0
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 9th (-125)

Notes:

· Ryan Blaney finished 15th in Monday’s rain-delayed Gander RV 400 at Dover International Speedway. The driver of the Menards/Duracell Ford Mustang battled a tight-handling Mustang for much of the second half of the race. Blaney now sits ninth in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings –125 points behind the leader.

· Blaney started 11th and within the first 10 laps of the 400-lap event, he had moved into the top-10. He reported the balance of his Menards Ford was loose on entry and tight exit. During a competition caution on lap 40, Blaney came to pit road for four tires and fuel along with a wedge and air pressure adjustment. Speedy service by the Menards pit crew gained Blaney two positions on pit road, moving him up to sixth when racing resumed.

· At lap 75 of the 120-lap Stage 1, Blaney reported he felt looser and was lacking security on corner entry and he fell from sixth to 10th-place. The Menards team made wedge and air pressure adjustments during the second caution on lap 107. Blaney restarted 10th in line and gained two positions to score an eighth place finish in Stage 1. The team opted not to pit during the stage caution and restarted sixth when Stage 2 began on lap 129. Blaney told crew chief Jeremy Bullins the multiple wedge and air pressure adjustments from the two prior stops had helped the balance of the Menards/Duracell Ford.

· A scheduled green flag pit stop on lap 182 saw the No. 12 team make a slight air pressure adjustment. His car begin to go to the tight side as run progressed but he managed a seventh-place finish when Stage 2 ended on lap 240. Blaney returned to pit road during the stage caution on lap 244 for another wedge and air pressure adjustment. Another great stop by the Menards pit crew saw them gain another spot on pit road. Blaney restarted fifth when the final stage began on lap 249.

· The race would see just one caution in the final stage, setting up a 131-lap green flag run to the end. Soon the handling on the Menards Ford would swing way too tight. Blaney fell from running inside the top-five back to 15th position. He made his final pit stop of the day on lap 322. The team made one more adjustment which improved the balance on the No. 12 Mustang. Blaney didn’t gain any more positions over the closing laps of the race and was credited with a 15th-place finish.

Quote: “It was a long day for our Menards/Duracell team. We were struggling especially with our Mustang being too tight on corner exit and couldn’t seem to get it where we needed. I want to thank the pit crew. Those guys had a great day and it seemed like they picked up positions every time we pitted. We know we have some work to do when we come back to Dover in the fall.”

________________________________________________

No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 4th
Stage 1: 1st
Stage 2: 14th
Finish: 7th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 400/400
Laps Led: 16
Point Standings (behind first): 2nd (-5)

Notes:

· Joey Logano and the No 22 Shell-Pennzoil team survived a Sunday washout and tough race conditions to score a seventh-place finish at Dover International Speedway on Monday afternoon, his eighth top-10 finish of the year. He remains second in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings, trailing Kyle Busch by just five points.

· Logano started the rain-delayed race in the fourth position and quickly jumped to second as the outside lane on double-file restarts proved to be the preferred groove. He stayed in the second spot until the competition caution came out at lap 40.

· The 28-year-old driver slipped back to third following an air pressure adjustment on the first pit stop while still battling a tight-handling Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang. He then took the lead following a two-tire stop with less than 10 laps to go to the end of Stage 1. Logano picked up the Stage 1 win, holding off teammate Brad Keselowski and earning another valuable Playoff point in the process.

· The Shell-Pennzoil Mustang began Stage 2 deep in the field, restarting in the 24th position when most of the lead lap cars chose to stay on track during the caution following Stage 1. Logano made it up to 18th position before green flag stops cycled out – no easy accomplishment considering driving through traffic in dirty air made it tough to pass. He was credited with a 14th position at the end of Stage 2.

· The third and final stage went green on lap 249 with Logano and the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang in the 13th position. Once again, track position and dirty air ruled. Logano stalled out in the 14th spot, despite saying his Mustang was handling the best it had all day long. A solid pit stop, followed by a great restart on lap 269 saw Logano jump from 10th to sixth and he begin to chase down the leaders with two fresh tires. But the final 131-lap green flag run prevented Logano from making up any other positions as the field spread out. He was credited with a seventh-place finish at the checkered flag.

Quote: “We made the most out of our day today for sure. We took a seventh-place car and won a stage, got a playoff point, and racked up some more stage points. We maximized what we could do. I’m happy with how the Shell-Pennzoil team performed. We were solid in the pits. It was a physical race out there for sure. This is one of the toughest places for a driver to race. I’m proud of my team.”

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
GANDER RV 400
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES & QUOTES
MAY 6, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
2nd ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE SMALL BUSINESS CAMARO ZL1
3rd KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1
5th CHASE ELLIOTT, NO 9 NAPA BRAKES CAMARO ZL1
8th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1
13th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
2nd Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)
3rd Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
4th Kevin Harvick (Ford)
5th Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Kansas Speedway with the Digital Ally 400 on Saturday evening, May 11th at 7:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE SMALL BUSINESS CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 2nd
A GREAT EXAMPLE OF EXECUTION. YOU STARTED AT THE BACK AND NEARLY JOINED MARTIN TRUEX, JR. IN SCORING HIS FIRST WIN AT DOVER. YOU LOOK LIKE YOU COULD GO AN EXTRA 100 LAPS
“I’m worn out. This is the physically hardest race of the year for me, for sure. We at least had a shot at it. That’s really all you can ask for. Congrats to Martin Truex, Jr. Our Nationwide Small Business Chevy was really good. Cool deal they’ve got going on. A small business owner can enter to win a $100,000, so that’s a pretty neat promotion for them. I’m still proud of (crew chief) Greg Ives and everybody on this No. 88 team. We had a miserable start to the season and we did a really good job of resetting over the off-weekend. We’ve come out strong since then.”

BACK-TO-BACK SECOND PLACE FINISHES FOR YOU AND YOU’VE ALMOST SCORED TWO WINS IN A ROW. WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR THE CONFIDENCE DEPARTMENT? NOT ONLY FOR YOU, BUT FOR THE ENTIRE TEAM?
“It would be better if we had a trophy, right? But, we needed this, for sure. Talladega is a speedway and it’s a lot of luck involved. But to come here to, in my opinion the hardest race track we go do, and run like that from the back of all things, was pretty special. I’m just proud of everybody at Hendrick Motorsports for all the improvement we’ve made over the last year or so and we’re going to keep it going.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 3rd
YOU FINALLY BROUGHT IT HOME IN THE TOP 5 WITH A THIRD PLACE FINISH. YOU FINALLY DELIVERED WITH WHAT YOU EXPECTED OUT OF THIS CAR. DESCRIBE YOUR DAY
“Oh, yeah, we ran inside the Top 5 all race long. We fought tight early-on, with our Credit One Bank Chevy, but we freed it up and got it to where I felt like I was pretty good. And in the last run there, after cycling through green-flag stops, I was really loose and got stuck in traffic and then was just looser in the dirty air. So, I had to just make sure I hit the bottom lap after lap to hold (Kevin) Harvick off. So, it was good to finally have a clean race. I don’t think we’ve had a clean weekend all year long. And we’re 11 weeks into the season. So, it’s good to finally get a clean day, like I said, and thanks to our race team. Our pit crew did a good job today as well. It was a nice day.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 5th
YOU WERE THE POLE SITTER AND YOU LED A LOT OF THE RACE. YOU HAD A GOOD FINISH, DIDN’T WIN, WHAT HAPPENED THERE AT THE END? “Yeah, we just fell off there at the end of that second Stage. That was the time of the race that we needed to be controlling it and not falling back. Just a bad time to have a bad half of a run and that is kind of what happened. So, we were fast, just not fast enough when it really mattered.”

YOU HAD A GOOD RACE CAR, BUT IT SEEMED LIKE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HARD FOR A NUMBER OF YOU TO CATCH MARTIN TRUEX JR.?
“Yeah, he was really good there at the end for sure. His car came on about the time I felt our car was starting to fall off. And hey, that is what pays.”

HOW DID YOU LOOK AT THE RACING BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH TALK ABOUT HOW IT WOULD BE WITH THIS PACKAGE?
“It was a tough race for sure. It was a very physical event, a lot of corner speed, which is hard on us for sure.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 8th
TELL US ABOUT HOW THE RACE PLAYED OUT FOR YOU GUYS? “Yeah, we had the strategy deal where we took two tires and got some Stage points. And then we had to start at the back, and ultimately we were clawing our way back the whole race. We finished behind the 22, and we both started in the back, which was unfortunate. The guys brought a really fast car that was a lot of fun.”

COMPARE IT HOW IT RACED LAST YEAR VERSUS THIS YEAR
“It was really hard to pass. Coming from the back the one time, it took me the whole race to get back there. The 22 and us worked our way back from wherever we were at the end of Stage 2, and then it took another 130 laps to kind of get any farther. That was unfortunate, but he could run the top which is nice.”

YOU SAID IT WAS HARD TO PASS, IS THAT THE PACKAGE HERE?
“I don’t know. It might have just been me, but it was hard to pass anyone on the bottom and really defend significantly on the bottom. I don’t think I passed many guys on the bottom all day, if we were both running bottom/bottom. If they ran up a car length, I could get enough air that I could. But the only passes I made really all day were on top.”

SEEMED LIKE NOBODY HAD ANYTHING FOR TRUEX ANYWAY
“I am not really sure. We were kind of with him at the end of Stage 1 and then got in the back. So, I really don’t know for sure.”

TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 22nd
“We didn’t really know what to expect coming into this weekend but speeds here were incredibly fast. It made the racing a lot more challenging in some ways, but we made it through with a good, clean race. My Twisted Tea team worked hard all weekend to get our Camaro ZL1 where we needed it to be. We went back and forth on the balance throughout the day, but I ended the race feeling pretty good about everything. I wish we could have cracked into the top 20, but I’m proud of the progress we’ve made as a team at this track. This was a solid race for us and a good day to keep 2019 going in a positive direction.”

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.

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
GANDER RV 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 3, 2019

CHASE ELLIOTT PUTS CAMARO ZL1 ON POLE AT DOVER

DOVER, Del (May 3, 2019) – For the sixth time in his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) career, Chase Elliott will lead the field to the green flag in Sunday’s Gander RV 400 at Dover International Speedway. It is the first pole at the famed track known as ‘The Monster Mile’ for the driver of the No. 9 NAPA Brakes Camaro ZL1. In single-file qualifying, Elliott ran a fast lap of 21.692 seconds, 165.960 mph.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver captured the 25th pole for Chevrolet at the 1-mile concrete oval, which also marks its 705th in NASCAR’s premier division, and the sixth pole for the Camaro ZL1 thus far this year.

Starting alongside Elliott will be teammate William Byron, behind the wheel of the No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1, to make it an all-Chevrolet front row for Hendrick Motorsports.

Kyle Larson qualified third in his No. 42 Credit One Bank Camaro ZL1 for Chip Ganassi Racing, and Hendrick Motorsports team member, Alex Bowman, was fifth in his No. 88 Nationwide Small Business Camaro ZL1.

Seven-time MENCS champion, Jimmie Johnson, who is an 11-time winner at Dover in a Chevrolet, will start 12th in his No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 for the 400 lap/400 mile race.

Joey Logano (Ford) qualified fourth to round out the top 5 starters.

FS1 will telecast the 400-lap Gander RV 400 live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, May 5. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA BRAKES CAMARO ZL1, met with media following qualifying and winning the pole for the Gander RV 400. Full Transcript:

TALK ABOUT YOUR LAP AND WHERE YOU THINK YOU GOT THE EDGE OVER WILLIAM?
“I felt like I got a little tight in one and two and I was afraid that it wasn’t going to be good enough. But the car had a really good three and four. I haven’t seen the data yet so I really don’t know. If I had to guess, it would be that. I could be wrong because when I guess, I am usually wrong. But it was a great lap, I appreciate the effort, and it’s been a great week. Things can go south a lot quicker than they can go good. It’s just a starting spot, but we will try and take advantage of it with that good pit box on Sunday.”

DO YOU THINK THE MAIN REASON FOR THE SPEEDS SLOWING DOWN WAS THE WEATHER, FROM THE FIRST PRACTICE?

“Yeah, the sun is out now and shining and it was pretty hot. It was overcast and foggy all morning. When the sun comes out and all these other guys had practice all day, so its going to rubber down. When it rubbers down, its going to lose grip. That is just kind of part of it and luckily we were able to get a good one down before it got rubbered up too much.”

EVERYONE AT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS SEEMED TO KEEP THEIR SPEED. DO YOU THINK THAT IS A GOOD SIGN FOR SUNDAY TOO?
“I hope so. Its better than the opposition. In the end, it’s just a starting spot but I haven’t had many poles, so we are definitely going to enjoy it. Good Fridays are better than bad ones. Having a good pit box at this place is……they are all important…. but at this place for sure. I think track position is going to be key so hopefully we can use it to our advantage.”

FOLLOWING THAT TALLADEGA WIN, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO HAVE THAT ALL HENDRICK FRONT ROW?
“It is great, but not only having an Hendrick Motorsports front row, but a Team Chevy front row. After all the Chevy work last week this is nice. So hopefully we keep going in the right direction. But again, Fridays are Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays are very different. You are just trying to go fast for two laps. We have a lot of work left to do this weekend but I am excited that we could get our NAPA Brakes Chevy on the front row and we will go to work.”

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.

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
GANDER RV 400
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES & QUOTES
MAY 3, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Brakes Camaro ZL1
2nd William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1
3rd Kyle Larson, No. 42 Credit One Bank Camaro ZL1
5th Alex Bowman, No. 88 Nationwide Small Business Camaro ZL1
12th Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
2nd William Byron (Chevrolet)
3rd Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
4th Joey Logano (Ford)
5th Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)

FS1 will telecast the 400-lap Gander RV 400 live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, May 5. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA BRAKES CAMARO ZL1 – Pole Winner
YOU WON HERE IN THE FALL AND NOW YOU’VE CAPTURED YOUR FIRST POLE AT DOVER. WHAT WERE THOSE TWO QUALIFYING LAPS LIKE FOR YOU?
“Super fast. The corner speeds are just so high. There’s just a lot more throttle through the corner than what I feel like we’ve been carrying. But it was a lot of fun. Our NAPA Brakes Chevy was good right there. It’s always nice. This place can either be a lot of fun in qualifying, or it can be a handful. Today was one of those fun ones. Team Hendrick 1-2 (William Byron qualified 2nd) was awesome, Chevrolet power and everybody that contributes to our car has been working hard. Hopefully we can back it up on Sunday.”

LOOKING FORWARD TO SUNDAY WITH THE HIGH SPEEDS AND NEW PACKAGE, HOW MUCH OF A CHALLENGE IS THAT GOING TO BE FOR YOU PHYSICALLY?
“It’s going to be a really tough race. So, you’d better eat your Wheaties these next couple of days and hydrate, because I think Sunday is going to be tough, especially if the sun is out like it is right now. Just a big thanks to all my guys. The No. 9 team has been working really hard and all of our group. We have a good group. We’ve just got to keep after it and hopefully stay where we start on Sunday.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 – Qualified 2nd
ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT
“I feel like the early draw probably hurt us a bit, just with more rubber on the track from the Xfinity practice. Hopefully that doesn’t hurt too bad

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 – Qualified 3rd
“It’s tough only getting one shot at it. Well, two shots and two laps. But, I felt like I ran harder and smoother and better my second lap but I went a little slower. I was surprised by that. I wish I could be on the pole right now, but I’m pretty happy.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 – Qualified 12th
HOW WAS YOUR RUN?
“It is so early in the rundown it is really hard to tell where that is going to net, but we are sitting P3 now and there is still half the field to go. Unfortunately I don’t have anything good for you. It felt good in the car and it’s tight from where I am forward, and I am third. We will just see how it unfolds as the session rolls on.”

DID THE TRACK CHANGE ANY?
“We went a little slower but based on feel I didn’t think that it lost much at all. I ran a .50 in practice and ran in .0 here so it was a half second slower. Which doesn’t feel like it because you are running so fast.”

ARE THE ELEMENTS THAT MADE YOU GOOD HERE BEFORE STILL THERE WITH THIS NEW PACKAGE OR NOT?
“No, the way the track races is still the same. The things that I look for with my feet and my hands while driving the car, is still the same. The tools we have to make the cars go, the way the rules work, that whole element is different. But its still that same feel that I am looking for to try and place the car.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AAA CAMARO ZL1 – Qualified 16th
HOW WAS YOUR LAP? “We just missed it a little bit. I think a tenth would have put me in the top-12. If we had that, I think that would have put us where we were competitive. The car seems like its got a lot of speed, so we just have to go to work and get our car handling a little better. It was a big swing from this morning to this afternoon with the heat. So, it was hard to hit but I felt like our guys did a pretty good job of keeping the car decent for us.”

HOW ABOUT THE NEW QUALIFYING FORMAT?
“I love single car qualifying. It’s cool, but it puts a lot of pressure on the driver because everyone is watching you.
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.

Toyota Racing Post-Qualifying Report
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Dover International Speedway – May 3, 2019

TOYOTA STARTING POSITIONS
1st, Chase Elliott*
2nd, William Bryon*
3rd, Kyle Larson*
4th, Joey Logano*
5th, Alex Bowman*
8th, DENNY HAMLIN
13th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
15th, ERIK JONES
17th, MATT DIBENEDETTO
22nd, KYLE BUSCH
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Qualifying Position: 8th

How was your qualifying lap?

“Pretty good. I thought it went well for us considering the draw that we had. I was pretty happy — qualifying there in the top-10 at least gets us a good draw for next week’s qualifying. We’ll battle from there. It’s just a starting spot and you really don’t know what you’ve got in race trim until tomorrow morning. We’ll go to work on that and see where we end up.”

Does the potential of a weather change play a factor in your mind for the race setup?

“I know it will change it, but it’s kind of up to the team to make the adjustments for the weather. That’s their cup of tea so they know what they’re doing. They always gauge for these types of things. I thought we did a really good job adjusting our car today from the cloudy, cooler conditions to the sunny, warm ones we have this afternoon.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR, No. 19 SiriusXM Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Qualifying Position: 13th

How was the qualifying run?

“Not what we hoped for. Track conditions changed a lot from practice. I thought it would be a good change for us. Car wouldn’t change as well as we need it to. It really hurts you here. This place is so fast and you are in the throttle so much. You really have to have your car balanced right. As soon as I got in the middle of the corner, it started getting tight. I couldn’t get the throttle down like I needed to, so my speed suffered from that. We will work hard on the SiriusXM Camry tomorrow, and see what we can do for Sunday.”

Do you prefer this type of qualifying or no?

“I really do not have an opinion either way. It is our job to try to figure out how of everybody. It definitely feels different. We have went six years doing three rounds and trying to figure out what you have to do to be good to just make it through the first round, be a little better in the next round and lay it down in the third. And now it is back to ‘Alright boys, get out of the motorhome — come out here and go 80s at Dover.’ It is a lot different. It is a lot more pressure. I think it makes people a lot more nervous this way. You can’t say, ‘Oh we screwed up — let’s go make another run at it.’ What you got is what you got. The first time out is what you have for Sunday as a starting spot, so it is definitely tough.”

ERIK JONES, No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Qualifying Position: 15th

How was your qualifying lap?

We got hurt a little bit; we had to wait for the break. Track just changes a lot here when it sits, but it was an okay lap. We will probably qualify top 15, but this Sport Clips Camry has speed. We will kind of see how it goes tomorrow.”

Do you favor group qualifying runs or do you like the single car?

“I like it. I would rather just go out and do it like this. It is a little more stress free going out like this; it puts a little more pressure on you to not mess up. You only have two shots. It is fun; it is what we get paid to do.”

MATT DiBENEDETTO, No. 95 FDNY Foundation Toyota Camry, Leavine Family Racing

Qualifying Position: 17th

How was your qualifying lap?

“We got a rough draw going out first, but it is okay. The track was kind of slick, but I forgot how fun it was to do the old-school single car qualifying. You get a lot more nerves, because every eye in the place is watching you. That was fun. I forgot all about this; it has been so long.

Do you like single car qualifying more than the group qualifying?

“Yeah, you know I am an old school guy. I like everything, all the eyes, all the pressure. Everything is on you to lay it all down and get the most out of your car. You are not worried about crazy stuff like getting blocked; you can just focus on your lap. The hard work shows up. We got the unlucky draw of going first; I am not going to lie, that is a big disadvantage. But that is part of it. I like it; I love it. It’s fun to go back to it.

How much has the track changed since this morning?

“It was a lot slower. I ran a 21.60 in practice, and right there 22.1. Which I did get loose coming to green, so I kind of wrecked my first lap, so we could have been a little better, maybe. Like a tenth. With the sun out, concrete race tracks are super sensitive to rubber, so it slowed down a lot. I had to adjust my pace quite a bit.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Pedigree Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Qualifying Position: 22nd

What do you think makes this track so difficult to conquer?

“When you have good race cars, it makes things a bit easier and right now we’re kind of struggling with that. We just don’t necessarily have the feel I’m looking for and what I need to be able to go out there and make fast lap times. We’re off a little bit so we’ll try to get better tomorrow.”

Do the dramatic corners make it even more critical for the handling to be good in your car?

“Absolutely and this place is pretty physically demanding. It’s very aero-sensitive so when you’re starting in the back like we are, it’s not a good place to be, but we’ll have our work cut out for us. Hopefully, our pit crew will do a good job and they can help me out on pit road. Then we can get ourselves to the front.”

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
GANDER RV 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 3, 2019

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Highlights:

ON THE ROLLOVER ACCIDENT LAST WEEKEND AT THE END OF THE TALLADEGA RACE
“I’m just thankful that the chassis and all my safety equipment held up good.”

NASCAR SAYS THE THEORY IS THAT YOUR CAR WAS DAMAGED AND CHANGED THE AERO OF IT BECAUSE IT WASN’T LAUNCH AND IT WASN’T A HIT THAT SENT IT. IT WAS DAMAGE THAT THEN CHANGED THE AERO AND THEY ARE TRYING TO REPLICATE THAT. COULD YOU SEE ANY OF THAT IN THE VIDEO?
“Well, I would have had damage on the left side. So, maybe it affected the aero some. I don’t really know. I’m not an engineer by any means. It looked like the right rear started to come up and that’s when the air got underneath the car and had it launch. So, like I said, I was not expecting it to do that at all.”

WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT IT AND YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT NASCAR STUDIES THESE THINGS, APPARENTLY THE HIT BY THE NO. 24 (WILLIAM BYRON) SET THE BLACK BOX OFF. SO THEY HAVE THAT. AND THEY ALSO HAVE THE PHOTOS. WILL THEY KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOU ON THIS?
“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of confidence in NASCAR. I’ve been involved in some big crashes. It seems like with any crash I’ve been in or that other drivers have been in, they’ve made improvements from them and made the cars safer and all that. So yeah, they have a lot of smart people in the safety area of their business. I’m confident that they’ll look at it and make improvements from it.”

YOU LOOKED AT IT FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY?
“The in-car video, yeah.”

WHAT DID YOU THINK? WAS IT SCARY TO YOU?
“It makes me feel like I’m really tough (laughter). Yeah, it’s pretty crazy how much everything stretches. My seat belts, my harness, everything stretch with an impact like that. So, I stretched far enough that my head hit the steering wheel a little bit. And with each tumble, just the jolts that my body went through was pretty crazy to see. And then you slow it down and look at how the chassis is flexing when it makes contact with the pavement, it’s pretty incredible. We’re driving heavy vehicles. So, for it to hold up as well as it did was pretty amazing.”

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT PRACTICE TODAY?
“I feel good. We came here and tested a few weeks ago. In the past I’ve struggled in Turn 3 with it (the car) bouncing really bad. I feel like we made it a little bit better in the test. And then coming back here today, it was a lot better in Turn 3. My car had a lot of grip. Everybody was pretty fast. My car felt really good and it was a lot of fun. That was probably the most fun practice I’ve had in a while.”

YOU MENTIONED ON MRN THAT THIS PLACE REMINDS YOU OF LAWRENCEBURG SPEEDWAY. WHAT IS THE REASON BEHIND THAT?
“I said Lawrenceburg when it’s hooked-up. Just like qualifying in a winged car at Lawrenceburg, you’re hauling ass (laughter). And here today, in practice, it’s cooler and you’re hauling ass. It’s just got a ton of grip and you just have to have a lot of confidence and commitment to carry a lot of throttle, and be smooth, too, at the same time. So, just how crazy it is and the banking and the shape of the track kind of felt similar.”

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

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