Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Cook Out 400 Qualifying | Saturday, July 29, 2023
Ford Qualifying Results:
8th -_ Kevin Harvick
11th – Ryan Preece
13th – Brad Keselowski
16th – Todd Gilliland
18th – Michael McDowell
20th – Chase Briscoe
22nd – Harrison Burton
23rd – Joey Logano
24th – Aric Almirola
25th – Ryan Blaney
26th – Chris Buescher
30th – Austin Cindric
32nd – Ryan Newman
35th – JJ Yeley
BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang – WHAT ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING RUN? “It was OK. I think 13th is where we’re gonna end up. I’d like to be in the top five in our group, but we’re not terribly far off. I don’t know qualifying for this weekend, I don’t think it’s as important as it normally is. The cars with the way they’re running here, short-run speed versus long-run speed, you really need that long-run speed, so we’ll see what shows up in the race.”
IT’S SO HOT OUT THERE. WHAT IS IT DOING TO THE TRACK? “There’s less grip and more emphasis on tire management and all of those things. It will be a different race here than it was in the spring, for sure.”
WHAT HAPPENED ON THURSDAY NIGHT IN THE SRX RACE WITH KYLE BUSCH? “I’m not entirely sure yet. Obviously, we had some kind of contact and spun out. It’s a shame because I was having the best run I’ve had in that series yet. I was able to drive to the lead and pass all those guys and I felt really good and the next thing I know I was spun out. It seems like every time I run those races I keep getting spun out, so it’s frustrating but it was good to be able to run up front and be fast and leading laps.”
YOU HAVEN’T TALKED TO KYLE? “No. I’ve got to run today. I’m worried about this weekend.”
WHAT KIND OF IMPROVEMENTS CAN YOU MAKE FOR TOMORROW? “I felt like we had a top-five, top-10 car for most of the race this spring and we had a shot there at the end and some things didn’t go our way with the pit strategy and so forth, but I feel like we’ll have a similar weekend here. We don’t necessarily have the short-run speed that we’d like to have. We had really strong short-run speed in the spring race, but it appears at the moment we might have the other side of that. There are so many variables that it’s hard to say how the race will play out.”
IS THERE A REASON FOR THAT SHORT-RUN SPEED? “We’re just working on the race car and you find different things here and there and you take what you’re given.”
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HERE AT RICHMOND? “We always love coming to Richmond. It’s been one of my best track and certainly when you think of NASCAR and you think of tracks that they’re known for this is one that comes to mind. Richmond with a great crowd and big energy and short track racing, but I think this is kind of a quintessential NASCAR track for us.”
