MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
KC MASTERPIECE 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 11, 2018
WILLIAM BRYON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1, met with members of the media at Kansas Speedway and discussed his progress thus far in his rookie season, coming to Kansas, the site of his first Truck Series win, the outlook for the rest of the season and many other topics. Full Transcript:
KANSAS IS A SPECIAL PLACE TO YOU IT WAS THE HOME OF YOUR FIRST NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES WIN BACK IN 2016. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT THIS TRACK AND HOW YOU PLAN TO APPROACH TOMORROW NIGHT’S RACE:
“Yeah, this place is always special to me. I kind of remember going through what I did in the Truck Series and really up to that point I hadn’t really run for a win it was my fifth truck start. I was just really excited to come here and felt like we were going to have a good day and then the truck drove well in practice and then I just remember racing with (Matt) Crafton for the lead for 30 or 40 laps and then passing them and having Kyle Busch kind of coach me through that and some of the things we talked about there was really cool. It was just a special night. I was still in high school and still trying to figure out if I was going to race for a living and see if that made sense for me or if I could do it, had the talent to and that was my big breakthrough to have that. It was a lot of fun and I definitely hold a special place in my heart for this place.”
WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE AT IN TERMS OF YOUR FEEDBACK RIGHT NOW AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU NEED OUT OF THE CAR?
“I think I’m pretty close. I feel like I’m running close to where my teammates are and that is always really a reference point for how you are performing. I feel like I’m right in the middle of them sometimes. I feel like Richmond we were probably the best of our cars and I was really excited about that. That has probably been the only race that has been the case, but overall, I think that I am able to run with them and if I can do that and continue that progression once we do get the speed that we need we will all be that much better. I think that is my biggest reference point and I feel like Atlanta and some of the race that if we miss it a little bit, it was a big miss for me. Now, if we miss it like, I feel like we missed it a little bit last week it’s top 15 and it’s still competitive. I think the misses are a lot better and then the makes are top five hopefully like Richmond if we could just finish that off.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL IN TERMS OF WHERE YOU ARE NOW VERSUS WHERE YOU WERE THE FIRST FEW RACES OF THE SEASON?
“Yeah, the first few races are a big shock for anyone that I feel like is coming in the Cup Series. It’s a relatively new team for us so we are all trying to figure each other out. You have one test session that is so different from the race track and the Cup Series is so competitive, so tight. How I describe it is in the other series you have one or two cars from each organization that are going to be competitive and then here you have four. If you have four of those guys then you are going to be that much below that if you miss it. It’s just exponentially that much harder, but I feel like when you do have good days that shows just like it would in any other series. I think that I’m learning that process.
“The beginning of the year was a big shock especially Atlanta and some of those places, but now we are just getting a lot closer and that is allowing us to run closer to the top 15. I feel like the worst finishes for us have been the superspeedways. We have lost a lot of points there, but I think we are 17th in points and that is solid. Hopefully, we can get in the top 16 here soon.”
IT SEEMS LIKE IN THE TRUCK AND XFINITY SERIES IT TAKES ABOUT 12 RACES AND SOMETHING CLICKS. HAVE YOU SEEN THAT PROGRESSION HERE AT THE CUP LEVEL? WHAT IS GOING TO BE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES AS YOU APPROACH THE SUMMER STRETCH?
“Summer has normally been the best results for me. Normally, May is a really good month for me, so looking to start that off strong here. Dover was pretty solid. I feel like the May tracks are really indicative for what the rest of the year looks like with the 1.5-miles. Charlotte is a race track that is very similar to Kentucky and other places. I feel like the summer has always been the area where we start to hit on what we need in the race car and I think that is my confidence in the team and then showing them that I can produce with what I get in the race car. I think we are starting to get that feel that I want and it is just kind of around the corner, I guess.”
IS THE TEAM LOOKING AT PERFORMANCES OR ARE THEY LOOKING AHEAD AND TRYING TO GET THAT PLAYOFF CONTENTION?
“I think for me I want to run as solid as I can every week to get ourselves in a position to make the Playoffs. It’s a very difficult thing to do is make the Playoffs. I think that gives you a lot of purpose for your season. Obviously, a rookie season, you can do whatever you want with it. It’s kind of your chance to learn and either show what you can do or just make some maybe rookie mistakes and figure it out. I think that I have learned from that and I’m going to take risks, but also try to position myself the best I can for the Playoff stretch because you want to make those last 10 races count and I feel like our equipment is only going to get better with the new Camaro that we have. The longer the season goes I think the better we are going to get.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT KEVIN HARVICK VS. KYLE BUSCH RIGHT NOW?
“From what we see on the team side I think Kevin (Harvick) has a lot of speed especially over the run. I feel like both of those guys are just really smart in knowing what they need in a race car and knowing how to get that out of their team. That is where you see their leadership come into play. That is how you see them be so competitive every week. Obviously, they are very talented in the car, but I think their leadership outside of the car and describing what they need in the car to be fast. Their team just molds themselves around that and they have a lot of smart people on their teams. So, I think that Kevin (Harvick) seems to be by far the fastest right now, but Kyle is always very consistent and that is just how he is.”
Connect with Team Chevy on social media. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TeamChevy; follow us on Twitter @TeamChevy; and follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/teamchevy
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.
