Toyota Racing – Riley Herbst
NASCAR Xfinity Series Quotes
LAS VEGAS (February 21, 2020) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Riley Herbst was made available to media at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
RILEY HERBST, No. 18 Monster Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
What do you expect out here in Las Vegas?
“I expect to learn. I expect to for our 18 Monster Supra to have good speed. I have been here before in a truck and Xfinity car, so looking to carry on that experience and hopefully to run towards the front.”
What are the Xfinity cars like at Las Vegas?
“It’s pretty cool because the Xfinity cars you can move around a lot. As you can see, last year, Kyle (Busch) had to race his way up through the field quite a few times so he got to use the fence and kind of showed his hand to everybody. Then, in the Fall race last year, people started going to the fence earlier and earlier. I think you’ll see tomorrow, I think you’ll see a lot of people go to the wall early.”
Is Las Vegas a tough track for you?
“I liked it. It kind of reminds me a little bit like Kansas. I’ve liked these two tracks – they race well and put ono a good show for the fans as well.”
How much do you lean on Kyle Busch?
“I lean not only on Kyle (Busch), but my other teammates and Christopher Bell. We kind of wear out their phones and pick their brains, me, Brandon (Jones) and Harrison (Burton) with how young we are and we’re trying to get better every day.”
Have you done anything here being it’s your hometown?
“I got to come home a few days early, so I was getting caught up with my family. We went to dinner the last few nights. Now we’re focused on racing.”
What will practice look like for you?
“We’re going to wait a few minutes just because we’re out in the desert and the dust settles super, super fast. Going to let the track brush off a little bit and then we’re going to go out and record some laps. It’s kind of a weird situation. I’ve never been in one of these one hour, 20-minute practice session, so we have to use our time wisely. We also have to communicate very well. We only get one set of tires, so it’s going to be a bit of a challenge, but we’re looking forward to it.”
How important is the one practice session?
“It’s huge. Like I said, we only have one so it’s now or never to get it dialed in. We have qualifying tomorrow morning and hopefully we’ll get to qualify and race tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.”
Do you feel pressure being a local driver?
“Last year, when I ran the truck and Xfinity races, I felt pressure up here when I came home. Now I’m relaxed and having fun and pretty loose. I got to see my friends and family, so I’m out there like a normal weekend.”
Do you feel you can step in and be one of the dominant vehicles in the series?
“We definitely have the team. I have Dave Rogers on top of the pit box and he’s one of the best in the business. We have the team and the cars to win. Everybody has put the pieces together and we have what we need and now it’s my job to go and capitalize on the opportunities that we have because people have left the series.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.
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