MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
GOBOWLING AT THE GLEN
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 3, 2019
CHASE ELLIOTT PUTS CAMARO Z1 ON THE POLE AT WATKINS GLEN
Watkins Glen, NY (August 3, 2019) – Returning to Watkins Glen International after capturing his first-career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) win in 2018, Chase Elliott will lead the field to the green in Sunday’s GoBowling at the Glen. Chase Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 secured the top position in qualifying with a fast lap of 69.287, 127.297 mph. It was the 15th pole for Chevrolet in history at the 3.4-mile road course.
Elliott’s feat also marks the 11th pole of the 2019 season for the Camaro ZL1, and 710th pole for Chevrolet in NASCAR’s premier series.
Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports Racing teammate, William Byron, qualified second in his No. 24 Hendrick Autoguard Camaro ZL1. Kyle Larson supported Team Chevy’s strong qualifying run by securing the fifth starting spot in his No. 42 McDonald’s Camaro ZL1, giving Team Chevy three in the top five starting order.
Rounding out the top five qualifiers was Kyle Busch (Toyota) in third and Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota) in fourth.
NBCSN will telecast the GoBowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International live at 3:00 p.m. ET Sunday, August 4th. Live coverage can also be found on NBC Sports Gold, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT:
SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR SUNDAY’S RACE? DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE A BETTER CAR THIS YEAR THAN YOU DID LAST YEAR WHEN YOU WON?
“In practice, it’s so hard to tell. But today, I felt like throughout practice we were able to go and have decent pace for a handful of laps and I felt like we need to work on our long run pace. To me, that’s the biggest question going into to Sunday. That’s really important in a race is to have long run speed. Hopefully we have that. Obviously qualifying well is a big thing here. I think it’s going to be a hard thing to do to pass those top five or six guys. So, just to be amongst that crowd is key. Having a nice pit road selection to pick somewhere by yourself and try to eliminate as many mistakes as possible is the goal. Hopefully we can hold on to our track position and just have a really good day. That would be nice.”
WHAT HAS MADE YOU A BETTER ROAD COURSE DRIVER?
“I really don’t know. I feel like for one, our cars have gotten better, which is the biggest piece of that puzzle, I would say. And then as you go, you work with your engineers and working with Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) I think you learn kind of what works for you and what doesn’t over time. So, you hope you don’t regress as time goes on. I really don’t know. I’m not sure. But I don’t necessarily think it’s me. I don’t necessarily I did anything different today than I did my first two trips. You hope that you’ve gotten better as time goes on, but I can’t say my approach was really any different. So, yeah, I just think the combination of cars getting better and us working together more hopefully, is what’s helped us get a pole today.”
DID YOU WATCH THE XFINITY RACE TODAY? AND DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU PICKED-UP ANYTHING FROM THAT THAT YOU CAN USE TOMORROW?
“I watched the majority of it. I was having a hard time getting it on my TV and it was kind of going in and out. But, yeah, I saw the Kyle (Busch) was really fast and felt like he was like the class of the field. He had, it looked like, twice as much pace as everyone else. He passed his way all the way up to the lead before he had his issue. So, that was the biggest thing I learned from that event.”
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.
