Toyota Daytona 500 Driver Quotes
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Daytona Media Day – February 22, 2017
Toyota driver Matt Kenseth was made available to the media at NASCAR Daytona Media Day:
Matt Kenseth, No. 20 DEWALT FLEXVOLT Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Is it a big deal there might not be any practice before the Duels?
“No (laughter). You want more than that? We had four hours the other day. Just single‑car runs. I guess a little less than half the cars ran on Sunday, too. I don’t think it’s a big deal, not really.”
Was the Clash a better indicator of what we’re going to see in the 500?
“Well, yes and no. I mean, most likely more similar track conditions, but the group is a lot smaller. 17 cars on the racetrack is totally different than 40. Honestly, when the group is smaller, the runs are different, the moves are different. Certainly I think it’s somewhat of a preview.”
Is the game plan for Toyota the same as last year, everybody in lockstep?
“Well, I mean, game plans don’t necessarily all work out. You got to have strong cars to do it. The car has to end up there, not be separated by bad pit stops or strategy, what have you. It’s hard to say. I mean, I thought we had it lined up really good in the Clash. We had all four of us in a row for a while. We just weren’t quite fast enough. The 2 (Brad Keselowski) and 22 (Joey Logano) were fast. They could pull the back car off the line all the time. The three of us couldn’t really get away. If it was going to work, I think it would have worked in the Clash better because the group is so much smaller. We couldn’t make it happen the way we could last spring. Just kind of have to see how the 150s go, see how practice goes on Saturday.”
Are the 2 and 22 the cars to beat?
“You know, I thought they were on Sunday. I don’t know what the rest of the week’s going to look like.”
Even with it being very early, do you get a sense of how the transition of Carl Edwards is going?
“No, not at all. Superspeedway racing is totally different. Haven’t been to a track where you really work on handling or feedback or stuff very much yet. We haven’t really raced yet. It’s hard to say.”
How do you see the change in format affecting the racing and how the fans view things?
“Well, I don’t know. I think a lot of it, like racing always is, there’s going to be circumstances. If you get a long run to a segment, I don’t think the racing is going to be any different at all. I feel like you race as hard as you can race throughout the day. There used to be points for lead laps, leading the most laps. Still trying to get those. Later in the year that would be sort of meaningless, if you already were locked in and had a win. This year it means more. I think the biggest difference you’ll see, again I don’t know because I haven’t seen it either, but I would think the biggest difference you’d see is if there’s a caution 20 laps before a segment or something like that. You have some cars running really good up front, trying to plan to win the race. You have other cars that are maybe real far deep in the top 10, 12th, 13th or 14th, might try to gamble on some strategy to sneak one of those segments away. I think that’s when you’ll see the biggest mix‑up when there’s a chance for it to be a strategy play.”
Q. How much does track width matter?
“I think, if anything, trying not to make this sound smart, I don’t think the width changes. I think it changes at other tracks when you pave them, like a Kansas or Michigan or something. Starts off on the bottom, as it wears, it gets higher and higher, the track gets wider and wider. I don’t know here that it matters much. I think there was a little bit of handling came into play with all the wind off of four. That tends to widen it out a little bit. I don’t think the groove is any narrower. I think it’s kind of normal plate racing.”
Q. Did you experience any handling issues in the Clash?
“You know, it hasn’t been yet. I mean, we didn’t get tires. I ran wide open the whole race. I didn’t really have any handling issues. That’s not to say you get a warm day on Sunday, you get 40 cars out there, you won’t. I didn’t have any on Sunday to speak of.”
How do the Camry race cars handle in the draft?
“Yeah, it’s hard for me to say really. I mean, I thought with the small pack on Sunday, we had all four of us in a line after I guess it would be the last restart, maybe not the very last, but we had all four of us in a line at one point toward the end. The 2 pulled us all apart, got us separated, worked his way all the way to the front and most likely was going to win the race without the wreck where him and Denny got together. I don’t know. I think if you have a strong enough car, you’ll be able to work your way up there.”
How has the transition gone with your new spotter, Jason Hedlesky?
“Not yet. Not really, no. He did really good. And he’s been around a long time. I’ve listened to him a lot. Used to scan him and Carl (Edwards) a lot. He was at Roush, I was there the whole time. Moved to Gibbs with Carl. I’ve known him for a while, listened to him, seen him work for a while. I don’t foresee that being any kind of really transition or anything, to be honest with you. I think it will be pretty seamless.”
Have you chatted much with Jason yet?
“You know, I hear he likes to tell a lot of stories about his ARCA days. I haven’t really heard any yet. So I don’t know. A lot of times I think drivers make good spotters, and crew chiefs at times, too, because they’ve been in a car, kind of know what you’re going through. Especially I think kind of a spotter, they kind of know what it feels like when you’re in that certain spot in a corner, probably know that either you want to hear this or you don’t want to hear that. I think that helps.”
What is it about the mindset where all the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers work together so well?
“Well, last year we had really strong cars for the 500. Once we got lined up, we knew if we didn’t start trying to race each other until the end of the race obviously, most likely the field wasn’t going to pass us. We kind of wanted to see what it was going to look like on Sunday. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough speed even with the four of us to hold off the rest of the guys working their way up there. Especially the 2 and 22 were really strong. They’ve been really strong at the speedways the last few years. I don’t know. I mean, when it comes down to trying to win, everybody is going to do what they think is best for their own respective team, for themselves. You’re always going to do that, but yet if you can try to stay together and stay in position, especially if you’re lucky enough to stay in position in the front, it usually turns out better for everybody at the end of the day.”
Do the bigger teams have an advantage at superspeedway races?
“No, I think somebody’s chances of winning would be the speedway race is their best chance. If they have a car, there’s no way they know they’re not going to win it. Charlotte, if things line up right, things go their way, they get in position, these are the kind of races they can win. All cars are so close to the same speed. The draft is a great equalizer. I think it gives people opportunities that they wouldn’t typically have them.”
Are super teams going to be the future of NASCAR?
“That’s not really a question I can even answer because I’m not really on the ownership side, really see how any of that works. I think that the multi‑car teams have been part of this sport for a long, long time. I think there’s some that get bigger, some that get smaller. I remember there was a time I was at Roush, he had five of his own teams, plus three satellite teams. Eight cars we were really working on. Couldn’t finally have a room big enough to have a meeting. Now they’re down to two. There was a time when Hendrick was big with Haas, they split. Now we seem to be getting bigger, including the Furniture Row car. I think it ebbs and flows a little bit.”
What do you think about the accomplishment by Jimmie Johnson last year and is trying to break the record this year?
“Yeah, I mean, I think the last three years, those championships kind of got to be grouped by themselves in a way. I know a champion is a champion. I think there’s preChase, there’s Chase, then the new format they started three years ago. I think those three are all quite a bit different. They take different things to win it. Obviously everything lined up for him really well at Homestead. He had a great year last year to get there. Had a lot of good fortune that last race. He ran good. So you can never count them out. They’ve been championship contenders since the day they got together, which has been a lot of years now. What they’ve been able to do through all the rules changes, format changes, car changes, really as close as the competition is, what they’ve been able to do is pretty amazing.”
Do you talk about the numbers that are sagging, what you think about what should be done?
“No. I mean, I can only speak for Matt, for myself. I don’t. I mean, I got three little kids running around, my wife. The last thing we do night and sit around and talk about TV ratings and attendance. We’re talking about like Papa Troll, princesses, important things like that. Not really, no. I mean, the driver council probably does. I’m sure they work on it a fair amount. I haven’t really been involved in any of that.”
When you to retire someday, what is your post driving life going to be?
“I’m going to do whatever I want (laughter). I don’t know what that is.”
No idea?
“No. I’m pretty sure I won’t be hanging out at racetracks. I’ve done that for a lot of years. I enjoy doing it now. I’m not sure I would enjoy it if I’m not driving. My youngest is only two right now. Obviously my girls aren’t most likely going to be real old when I’m done racing. I’m planning on spending time with them.”
PTA meetings?
“No. Maybe basketball practice, gymnastics. I don’t do gymnastics, the girls do. Snowmobiling.”
You had kind of the lion’s share of bad luck last season. With the Chase format, you were able to overcome that. Do you think that’s still feasible under this new system?
“Yeah, I mean, I haven’t put a bunch of thought into it honestly. I mean, the better you run, the more you’re up front, the better it’s going to work out for you, like it always has in racing. At the end we ran pretty well. I think we had Phoenix pretty much under control, just got a super late caution, got wrecked on a restart unfortunately. Didn’t work out for us. But we ran pretty well when we needed to. Sort of an up‑and‑down year.”
