Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Auto Club Speedway | Production Alliance 300
Saturday, February 19, 2022
FORD FINISHING RESULTS
1st – Cole Custer
9th – Riley Herbst
10th – Ryan Sieg
15th – Joe Graf Jr.
18th – Kyle Sieg
COLE CUSTER, No. 07 Production Alliance Group Ford Mustang — FINISHED 1st
START/FINISH LINE INTERVIEW
“Man, that was just an awesome car. That thing was a rocket ship all day. I can’t thank Bobby Dotter enough and everybody who was involved on this car. It was unreal how fast we were. Production Alliance Group, this is awesome. It is his race, the Production Alliance Group 300 and we got him in victory lane. I can’t thank Dale Sahlin enough. It is awesome to win at home and I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW
WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU HAD THE THIRD GREEN-WHITE-CHECKER TO GO THROUGH? “I just knew we needed a good push and we were starting to get the timing of it but the last one we kind of got separated a little bit and I was a little nervous because the 23 had new tires. This thing was a rocket ship all day. I can’t thank Production Alliance Group enough and everyone that worked on this car. It was an honor to drive it today and it is awesome to win at home.”
IT SEEMED LIKE YOU HAD A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN THIS CAR ALL DAY: “Yeah, it was awesome. I could move around how I wanted to and we got a little too loose one of those runs but we put it back and it was a rocket ship again. It is an honor to drive that kind of race car because you don’t get them too often.”
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO WIN IN YOUR HOME STATE LIKE THIS? “It is huge. Getting my second win here, I came to this track when I was five years old, so it is pretty amazing to come here and win at your home track. I have always loved coming to this place and I hope we keep coming here in the future.”
RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford — Finished 9th
IS THAT ONE OF THE HARDER EARNED TOP-TEN FINISHES YOU’VE HAD? “Yeah, it is just frustrating because I feel like we were really fast on long runs but we just couldn’t really fire off. Once we got about 20 laps into a run I felt like we were a top-three car for sure. It is good to get top-10’s and that was our goal at the beginning of the year so we will keep stacking them.”
YOU HAVE HAD BACK TO BACK GOOD RUNS AT TWO VERY DIFFERENT TRACKS: “Yeah, last year our first two races were DNF’s and this year the first two races are top-10’s so I think that kind of speaks for itself on that matter and we gotta go get another one in Vegas.”
COLE CUSTER POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE
START US OFF BY TAKING US THROUGH THE RACE FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE: “We had a super-fast car all race. The guys did a great job. For me, I was a little rusty and it had been like two and a half years since I have been in an Xfinity car on an oval. I had to get my bearings in practice and they made great adjustments. When you have that great of a car you are just trying not to mess it up. To win in your hometown is just really special.”
WHY DID YOU RUN THIS RACE? WAS IT PART OF THE ALLIANCE OR JUST AS A CONFIDENCE BOOSTER? “A little bit of everything I guess. It definitely helps SHR a little bit and gives them another data point of things to look at. Also, it is my home track and also a big part of it was Production Alliance Group. This is his home race also and he really wanted to win at his race and that was really cool to make that happen. It was awesome to have that all come about with Bobby Dotter and I am just really stoked to be back in here.”
DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING TODAY THAT YOU CAN APPLY FOR TOMORROW? “Yeah, I think a little bit. You can look at the lines and which ones worked and didn’t and which lines are worked in. At the end of the day, they are really different race cars though. The package has gotten closer with the horsepower and downforce amount, so it isn’t a huge jump back to back. Those Cup cars are on the edge as we saw today so it will be an interesting race tomorrow.”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO GET BOBBY DOTTER HIS FIRST WIN? “It was awesome. Bobby is obviously a racer through and through and has been doing it a really long time. To get him in victory lane was awesome. He is the greatest guy to see around the garage and he was stoked in victory lane. It is really cool to have that all work out.”
THIS IS YOUR SECOND WIN HERE, WHAT HAS ALLOWED YOU TO BE SO SUCCESSFUL AT THIS TRACK? “First, it takes fast race cars. That car I drove today and the car I drove in 2019 were amazing to drive. But at the end of the day, I think I have always had a good comfort level here and have always liked the worn-out faster tracks which unfortunately we don’t go to many of those anymore. It is awesome to be back here and I hope they keep this track the way that it is.”
