NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
COCA-COLA 600
TEAM CHEVY POST-PRACTICE NOTES & QUOTES
MAY 28, 2021
NASCAR CUP SERIES PRACTICE AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: TEAM CHEVY TOP-10
1st AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE
2nd ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1 1LE
3rd KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 METROTECH CAMARO ZL1 1LE
4th ERIK JONES, NO. 43 PETTY’S GARAGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE
6th DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 CAMPING WORLD CAMARO ZL1 1LE
7th TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1 1LE
8th RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 COTTONELLE CAMARO ZL1 1LE
9th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
NCS TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 IN DRIVER STANDINGS: POST-PRACTICE MEDIA AVAILABILITY HIGHLIGHTS:
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
THE WHOLE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS STABLE IS FAST ONCE AGAIN. DO YOU GUYS FEEL COMFORTABLE AS AN ORGANIZATION FOR SUNDAY?
“Yeah, our first run there was really loose. It was kind of normal Charlotte where you unload too free, but we got it really good by the end and we were able to kind of run the same lap times for a long time that last run. I feel like we do a good job adjusting. It’s kind of our first chance to work on the car, Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) and I together, so it’s awesome to have some time to do some things and actually influence the car. I thought by the end there, we were really, really good. I need to see what the lap times were like, but the car was good. I think we’ll be in good shape; we just have to execute. It’s such a long race and the track and the car changes so much.”
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE TIMING OF THIS PRACTICE WITH THE TRANSITION FROM DAYLIGHT TO NIGHTTIME BEING SO IMPORTANT?
“Yeah, it’s critical. I feel like everyone talks about the daytime. The daytime is usually tighter and then it frees up as the night goes on. I feel like it’s honestly just a guessing game of trying to just be decent at the beginning to have something to work with in the later part of the runs and the later part of the race. It’s really where you need to be good. You can kind of give up a little bit at the start, just to stay in the top-five or 10, and be able to have something at the end.”
YOU’RE THE CHARLOTTE KID RACING THIS WEEKEND. WHAT DOES THIS RACE WEEKEND MEAN TO YOU SPECIFICALLY?
“Yeah, it’s awesome. I love being here. I feel like every time I run this race track, it feels like déjà vu. I kind of come out there and just feel like I’ve pictured this track so much with memories and watching cars go around here, so it’s very easy for me to understand it. That’s what I love about it. I love coming here every year. I love the fact that all the crew guys are at home. Everyone is a little bit more upbeat. It’s exciting and it’s cool where we are in points to have a really good garage stall and reward the guys for all their hard work.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 METROTECH CAMARO ZL1 1LE
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS LOOKS GOOD AS A WHOLE. WHERE DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHERE YOU’RE AT GOING INTO THE WEEKEND?
“I feel good. We just kind of stuck to our game plan; not make too many ins and outs and confuse ourselves on cycled tires and balance. So, we just did one 20-lap run and then did a mock-qualifying run. I think we have to work on our car a little bit in race trim, but I think we’re in the ballpark.”
IT’S A LONG RACE. DO YOU THINK ABOUT ANYTHING? DO YOU RELAX A LITTLE BIT? HOW DOES THAT CHANGE?
“I don’t know. It’s only an extra 100 miles. I didn’t get to run it last year, so I don’t really remember what my mind is like during the race. For me, I’ve struggled in this race. So, if anything, I feel like I focus even more during this race to try and figure out what I need when it does go from daytime to night. I’ve always been really good here in the sun and then when it goes to nighttime, this place for some reason, I don’t have a good feel for it. If anything, I feel like I focus and try harder here than I do other places. Hendrick Motorsports has a really good package for this place and they’ve had a lot of success, so I think it will be different this year.”
HOW BENEFICIAL IS IT FOR YOU GUYS TO HAVE PRACTICE?
“I don’t know. Honestly, with how good we are, I would rather not have practice. I feel like with where we’re at in the No. 5 car, we’ve probably got more to lose with a practice session in just getting confused, Going out there and making a run; coming in and making a change; going out there and being on cycled tires and it doesn’t drive like you’d like. And then you freak out and throw big adjustments at it. We stuck to our game plan today and just did one 20-lap run. We’ll look at our notes and see what little adjustments to make. There’s room to be gained, but more often than not, I feel like if anything with my history, we dial ourselves out in practice.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE
WHAT’S IT BEEN LIKE AROUND THE OFFICE THIS WEEK WITH THE RECORD SORT OF HANGING RIGHT THERE?
“Yeah, it’s an important thing to Mr. Hendrick and he’s made that very apparent over the last couple of years. I think when your leader cares about something that much, we all care about it equally as much and we want to achieve that for him. I’m glad last week went the way it did. Anytime you can put a company in the same sentence as Richard Petty Motorsports is a special thing and he should be very proud of that. There’s been a lot of people over the years that have had a lot larger contributions to the number than myself, but I look forward to what’s down the road. I hope we can knock the record down for him and hopefully keep it for a long time.”
INAUDIBLE
“Yeah, I think it’d be great. It’s everyone’s back yard here for almost all the teams. But, for sure. I think it’s kind of the same as any race win. They’re all too hard to get to pick and choose when and where and I think the boss knows that as well as anybody. If we can knock down that barrier as a company, I think we’d be happy to do it wherever.”
WITH YOUR HISTORY WITH TREY (POOLE, SPOTTER) RACING LEGEND CARS, DOES THAT MAKE IT FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH HIM COMING IN AS YOUR SPOTTER?
“Yeah, he’s been around our team for a long time. Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) likes how he goes about spotting in the road course races that he’s done. Having some history racing I think is a good thing in a spotter to have. It’s just different being in the car versus just watching, so he has some experience. He’s been watching this stuff forever, so he knows how it works. Like I said before, he knows what’s important and what’s not. Obviously, he knows me very well. He just fits into our group and he knows everybody. That goes a long way when you’re trying to fill a role quickly like that.”
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