NASCAR CUP SERIES
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
CRAYON 301
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
JULY 17, 2023
Larson Leads Chevrolet with Podium Finish at New Hampshire
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
3rd Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1
9th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Club Camaro ZL1
TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
- Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
- Joey Logano (Ford)
- Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
- Kevin Harvick (Ford)
- Brad Keselowski (Ford)
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Pocono Raceway with the HighPoint.com 400 on Sunday, July 23, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Club Camaro ZL1
Finished: 9th
“Our No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Club Chevy team fought really hard today. We didn’t have the greatest balance, but when the track changed, the car came to us a little bit and we were able to make something out of it with strategy and having a good Chevy on the long run. It was a good fight.”
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1
Finished: 3rd
What more did you need at the finish?
“Overall, it was a great race for the No. 5 Valvoline Chevy team. Honestly, I’m not sure how much work we had to do to the car. I think we were pretty good the whole race. The initial start didn’t work out and we just got stuck on the bottom. At the end of Stage One, we were able to work our way up, and then Stage Two went well. The Final Stage went good, as well. The No. 19 (Martin Truex Jr.) was the class of the field – he definitely had the car to beat. I was hoping that maybe we could get to second. It looked like his car was so good that he didn’t have to run all the way up the race track. So I was hoping if we ever got to second, we could get a shot. But it seemed like he adapted well and was able to hold off Joey (Logano). It would have been tough to get by him.
All-in-all, I felt great about my car. I think we probably had overall a third or fourth-place car, and we ended up third with it. Thank you to HENDRICKCARS.COM, Chevrolet, and to Valvoline for being on the car as a primary this week, and everyone that helps us get out on the race track each week.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Lenovo Camaro ZL1
Sidelined by damage sustained after making contact with the wall in Stage One.
Finished: 36th
We knew you were struggling, but it was weird to us. Was there something on the track?
“No, I’ve been lacking right-rear grip the whole time we’ve been here. Just couldn’t get the right-rear feel in the race track. You’re just going along trying to keep it under you as much as you can. It was getting late in the run, and I was trying a different line and it was just too high. I didn’t like to be that high on entry. I couldn’t give it wheel and have the right-rear stick with the lateral grip that you need.
Hate it for our No. 8 Lenovo Chevy team. Our Chevy stuff was a little off this week, at least for us anyways. We’ll get back to it at Pocono (Raceway).”
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Camaro ZL1
Finished: 19th
“Today wasn’t our day in New Hampshire. We struggled really bad in traffic all day and just couldn’t get the right adjustments to help the handling of our No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevy. We’re definitely disappointed with our run today but we’re moving on to Pocono.”
Justin Haley, No. 31 Campers Inn RV Camaro ZL1
Finished: 17th
“We struggled the most in traffic in our No. 31 Chevy and lacked stability in the right rear. Track position was key, which made it hard to make too many adjustments for fear of losing that track position. We fought hard on that last run, and I feel like we got the most we could out of the day. Overall, I do feel like we learned quite a bit this weekend at a place that is usually one of my weaker tracks. Time to get back to work. “
Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1
Finished: 11th
“It was an up-and-down day for the No. 43 Allegiant Chevy team. Just started out way deep in the field and had to work our way forward. We got our Chevy better throughout the day. We had one bad run, but fortunately we ran long and ended up on the good side of it. We got some track position there with the late yellow that got us back up in the top-15. We restarted 20th and came home 11th there, so it was a good run for what we had. We’ve been getting better the last few weeks; we just have a little ways to go yet. We need to get the balance a little better. I think our speed is getting there, we just have to figure out the balance and I think we’ll be in a good spot. Thank you to Allegiant and Chevrolet. We’ll keep rolling forward.”
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 SLAM! Foundation Camaro ZL1
Finished: 16th
“It was a rollercoaster day for the No. 99 SLAM! Foundation Chevy team. In the beginning, we had track position and we were able to defend ourselves pretty decent. But once we lost track position and we lost the balance of the car a little bit in Stage Two, we just couldn’t recover. It seemed like we had some issues with the right-rear on the pit stops that cost us a lot of track position, as well. My pit crew is one of the best out there and I know that they’re going to figure it out. I’m pretty sure it was a mechanical issue and it wasn’t their problem.
All-in-all, we were expecting more, but with how many issues we had, we’ll take it.”
TEAM CHEVY RACE HIGHLIGHTS:
STAGE ONE:
· Making his 200th career NASCAR Cup Series start, William Byron and the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 team led Team Chevy to the green flag from the seventh-position in the rain-delayed Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
· The first caution of the day fell just short of the competition caution on lap 29. Varying strategies throughout pit road, crew chief Rudy Fugle called Byron in for a two-tire stop. Picking up five positions in the race off pit road, Byron took a front-row spot for the restart on lap 34.
· Byron quickly powered his Chevrolet to the top position on the restart – recording his first career laps led in NASCAR’s premier series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
· Byron went on to lead nine circuits around the 1.058-mile oval, ultimately driving his No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 to a second-place finish in Stage One.
· Team Chevy Stage One: Top-10
2nd William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1
8th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 SLAM! Foundation Camaro ZL1
· At the end of the opening stage, Kyle Busch made contact with that wall, resulting in right-front damage. Taking his No. 8 Lenovo Camaro ZL1 to the garage to evaluate the damage, the team was unable to make repairs, forcing Busch’s early departure from the race.
STAGE TWO:
· During the stage break caution, Byron brought his Chevrolet to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The second car off pit road, Byron took a front-row starting spot for the beginning of Stage Two.
· Running steady in the top-three for the beginning laps of Stage Two, Byron reported to his team that he was fighting tight conditions in his Chevrolet – falling to the 11th position while the team approached the green-flag pit cycle.
· Meanwhile, Kyle Larson had worked his way up to the top-five prior to making a green-flag pit stop on lap 129. Crew chief Cliff Daniels called Larson to pit road for four tires and fuel, re-entering the field in the tenth position.
· Upon completion of the green-flag pit cycle, Larson regained a top-five running position with 25 laps remaining in Stage Two – holding onto the position until the third caution of the day fell on lap 163.
· Under the yellow, Larson was called to pit road for right-side tires only – gaining three positions on pit road to take a front-row starting position for the restart with 17 laps to go in the stage. Larson took the lead on the restart – leading six laps before settling into the second position before taking the green-white checkered flat to end Stage Two.
· Team Chevy Stage Two: Top-10
2nd Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1
7th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
FINAL STAGE / POST-RACE NOTES:
· With many competitors staying out during the stage break, Daniels opted to bring Larson down pit road from the second position for four tires, fuel and an adjustment – taking the green flag in the 15th position for the start of the final stage.
· Among those opting to stay out during the stage break included Austin Dillon – starting the final stage from the ninth position in his No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Club Camaro ZL1.
· As green-flag pit stops cycled through for those that did not pit during the stage break, Dillon progressed to the top of the leaderboard – taking the lead with 50 laps to go. Dillon continued to pace the field until bringing his Chevrolet to pit road for a scheduled stop on lap 257 – taking four tires, fuel and a small adjustment.
· Running in the 22nd position following his green-flag pit stop, the caution fell with 31 laps to go. With the team’s pit strategy, Dillon was able to stay out for track position – taking the inside front-row position for the restart with 24 laps to go.
· Among those coming to pit road, Larson brought his No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 to pit road for right-side tires – taking the fourth position for the restart with 24 laps to go.
· After a set of cautions in the closing laps of the race, the eighth and final caution of the day fell with 13 laps remaining. Third in line at the choose cone, Larson was the first to take the inside lane – leading the field to the green flag with nine circuits remaining.
· Going green to the end, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 team led the Bowtie brigade to the checkered flag in the third position – his seventh top-10 finish in 13 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
· With 20 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races complete, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (12), top-fives (48), top-10s (88), stage wins (17) and laps led (2,255).
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and 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.
