MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
CAN-AM DUEL AT DAYTONA 1
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES
FEBRUARY 23, 2017
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA CHEVROLET SS – RACE WINNER
TAKE ME THROUGH THOSE LAST FEW LAPS, VERY LITTLE HELP AND YOU HAD A LOT OF GUYS WITH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE BREATHING DOWN YOUR THROAT, WHAT WAS IT THAT YOU HAD TO DO TO KEEP THEM BEHIND YOU?
“I just had a lot of steam under the hood really. I think was the biggest thing. The temperatures tonight being kind of cool it really suited our car well. Just a great way to start the season. I know it’s just a Duel win. We wished it counted towards the Playoffs. We would rather it be on Sunday, but at the same time it means a lot to me. It means a lot to our team. It means a lot to NAPA and having this car in NAPA colors tonight. I appreciate all our partners, Chevrolet, Hooters, Kelley Blue Book, Mountain Dew, all the folks that make it happen for us. We are excited about Sunday. I have a great car.”
YOU ARE THE FIRST ONE TO GATHER ANY POINTS FOR THE REGULAR SEASON HOW IMPORTANT WAS THAT?
“To be honest with you we didn’t say one word about points before the race. We just kind of set out and wanted to race, not ride around. I think sometimes you ride around and you don’t know what your car is like and if it’s going to be the way you want it for Sunday. And you can also get yourself in trouble riding around. We took chances and it worked out, so excited for Sunday.”
LAST YEAR, YOU ALMOST BEAT YOURSELF UP TOO MUCH OVER WHAT HAPPENED ON THE RACE TRACK DURING YOUR ROOKIE SEASON. WHERE DID YOU IMPROVE THE MOST THAT IT SHOWED TONIGHT?
“Oh, man we had such a fast NAPA Chevy tonight. I didn’t think anybody was going to help us there at the first part of the race and I had a couple good pushes to get us out front and our spotter did a great job on the roof making sure he was calling the lanes correctly and we were able to get back in front. Just want to thank our partners and the Hendrick engine shop. They had some steam tonight at it was apparent.”
ALAN GUSTAFSON (CREW CHIEF) NEVER MENTIONED POINTS. IT WAS ALWAYS SAVE THE CAR. THERE’S A LOT OF RISK VERSUS REWARD, BUT YOU EARNED SOME GOOD POINTS LOOKING AT THE BIGGER PICTURE.
“Yeah, to be honest with you, we weren’t even thinking about that. So, that’s great. I’m excited about that. But really, I’m just more excited about how this thing ran tonight and keeping it in one piece. It’s a great way to start the season for us. I know it’s just a Duel win and it doesn’t count towards a win in the playoffs, but it still means a lot to me and it means a lot to our team. And like I said, this is a great way to start the season.”
JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA/MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 2ND
YOU FINISHED 2ND AND YOU TOLD THE GUYS THIS CAR IS A LOT BETTER THAN THE CLASH CAR. WHAT, TO YOU, MAKES A GOOD DAYTONA 500 CAR?
“Well, our Cessna/McDonald’s Chevy sucked-up really well. I went home (after the Clash race) and watched a lot of video on Monday, of some of the cars I thought were really good, to see how they were getting runs and how they were doing restarts. And, this car just had a little more speed in it and was able to suck-up a lot better than our other car. The balance was a little bit better. Obviously running at night helps some of that. But, I don’t know. When you have a bad car, when you get hung out, you go to the back or you go to the mid-pack. And I got hung out a couple of times and I was able to maintain and come back in at around fifth. So, it’s a really good car. I’m proud of our guys and glad that it’s still in one piece and we can go back and watch now.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 COTTONELLE MEGA ROLL CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 16TH
WHAT WAS YOUR IMPRESSION OF TONIGHT’S RACE?
“I am glad it was clean. That was my biggest worry was coming into this one and tearing up our Daytona 500 car. I’m glad to get out of here without a scratch on it. We can take the Cottonelle Mega Roll Chevrolet to the next one, which is the big one, the one that means something. Unfortunately, didn’t get any bonus points out of it, but was pretty happy with what we got. It’s a little bit better than the Clash car and feel like it will be a fine race car. I’m learning a lot at these speedway races. I used to think they were a little more luck than they are. I’m starting to study more now and it’s getting better.”
PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 MENARDS/PEAK CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 20TH
WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT ACCIDENT AT THE MID-POINT OF THE RACE?
“Not really sure. We had a good run and I think the No. 18 (Kyle Busch) kind of came up to shoot the middle and I was kind of side drafting and we just came together. I’m not really sure what happened. Good run with the Peak/Menards Chevy, it was tight, but fast all day long. We could get some momentum, just couldn’t do much once we got towards the front. I’m proud of my guys. Shook some rust off from the off-season. We will be ready for the (Daytona) 500.”
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