NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
COKE ZERO SUGAR 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 25, 2023
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway. Media Availability Quotes:
HAVE THERE BEEN CONVERSATIONS AT TRACKHOUSE ABOUT DRAFTING AND HELPING YOUR TEAMMATE?
“I am there for my amigo all the time man. We have already had those conversations and have had them with GM and Chevrolet, and we know the bigger picture of the bowtie and what is important. We can do a lot of good for the 1 car and help people where we can. Tomorrow night will be a key moment to do that.”
WHEN WERE THE CONVERSATIONS WITH GM AND WHAT WAS SAID IN THERE?
“Monday, and just getting everybody together to talk and just hear what people’s plans are and philosophies. There are a million ways you can go about this race. I know for me, and I can’t speak for anybody else, but my mind kind of sways with the wind on what I think is going to work. You look at statistics and the history of it and you can read it one way, and you can read it the complete 180 of what is successful here. It was just getting us in a room and hearing everybody out.”
HOW DO YOU BALANCE THE NEEDS FOR THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION AND ALSO YOUR PERSONAL AMBITIONS TOO?
“Personally, I am in Darlington already. I don’t hate to stay it because it’s the truth. We have put effort in, and we think we have a car that can go and be competitive and play the race out as it comes. I have learned to not come here with any grand plan, but yes, if there is a stage point or a win, then I am going to go for it. I have said it before and I plan on being backwards in the grass at 200 miles an hour and if I don’t hit anything too hard and I can get back to pit road, with minimal damage to the bottom of the car, I will still have a shot to win. So, I don’t get upset when stuff happens at these places anymore. I used to be so on edge through the Truck Series and then I heard an old veteran say that and it made a lot of sense, and it made my weeks leading up to these races a lot easier. So, mentally, we have already been preparing for Darlington.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL BEING A PART OF THIS PRESSURE COOKER PLAYOFF YEAR AFTER YEAR? DO YOU ENJOY THAT?
“I actually do think about that because I was a fan, and I did follow the points whenever it was five points for a position and season-long points. And you got points for being last and you have all this other stuff. And now it’s easy to see over the past weeks we have fallen from being the points leader, to being 100 points out now. I don’t think with 11 races to go we would have a realistic shot to win a championship. So, I love it because it gives us a real shot. It gives Chase (Elliott) a shot, Alex (Bowman) a realistic shot and guys that are hundreds of points back and have missed races, would never have a shot. So, I love it because it allows for me to have a shot. I have had the points lead, lost it, and given up over a 100 points. We wouldn’t have a shot without it.”
IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS YOU HAVE ONE TOP FIVE AND THREE TOP TENS. IN THE PLAYOFFS, THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE ENOUGH AS YOU KNOW. WHAT IS YOUR LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE THAT YOU GUYS CAN PICK IT UP FROM HERE?
“Yeah, I see the stats and we have looked at it. We looked at it with GM just this week of just how the season played out compared to last year and its just a very glaring thing when you look at finishing position. But there is a lot more to be said for average running position and I am not finishing where we are running. The pace can be argued (that it) was better last year, but running position was similar. There are a lot of things and details that you can dig into and see, and we just did that this week. Honestly, it made me feel okay because I know where we can be better. I know that I can be better at finishing these races and I have got to tell you that I was a whole lot more nervous sitting up here last time I was at this desk announcing our contract extension and new contract than I am right now going into the playoffs. That is a really cool feeling. Those were nerves and pressure for another reason in getting it out and another worst kept secret, second worst kept secret that we had this year. I had more pressure sitting up here then than I do now with Darlington, Kansas and Bristol coming up this month.”
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS RACE AND IS IT DIFFERENT THAN THE DAYTONA 500?
“I think Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) was just up here and he argued that it set his playoff field in February. And he got to win the Daytona 500. That is nothing to not look at in coming here in February and it’s a great reminder for everybody that you can just set your season to a permanent win for the year if you win the Daytona 500. That is a lifetime achievement like Ricky was able to accomplish. But here, what do I expect? I expect all of it. I expect everything, all the highlights we are going to see, all the highlights we know. I don’t expect a ton of cars to be running at the end and that probably may be the only thing I can confidently say I expect. Everything else I can expect – all of it. For me, I can only control my variables. Things I can directly control are saving fuel, getting on and off pit road, staying with my group that we pit with the best I can, staying in the pit stall long enough while Brooke our gas man fuels the car to get the right amount of fuel in it each stop, so we don’t have to take more fuel late. Those are the things that I can control.”
WHAT DID YOU LEARN LAST YEAR IN GOING THROUGH ALL THE PLAYOFF ROUNDS AND GETTING ALL THE WAY AS FAR AS YOU DID IN THE PLAYOFFS THAT YOU CAN TAKE WITH YOU THIS SEASON?
“Yeah, a lot. I learned a lot and learned a lot about myself and our group at Trackhouse. Because I had questions of if we could step up. There were some similar comments to what Jeff said last year about some stats that were looking a little lower. And we went to those races like Darlington, and we were fast, and we did what we needed to do. We kept air in the tires at the Texas race where everybody was blowing tires. My group did everything right not to blow a tire. We weren’t the fastest car, but we did the things we needed to do to survive and advance. Survive and advance. Its no different now and I can’t let the Nashville win or everything that has happened since the playoffs last year affect the fact that I know we need to just go week by week. And then the Roval haunts me. That wreck, partway through that race, should have taken us out. We were by some gift given another chance and we took full advantage of it in that Round of Eight. So, minimizing those mistakes. We did so good those other nine races and the Roval stands out as the one, and I got away with it. But yeah, all that plays into the count. There is a corner that I won’t crash at, at the Roval this year. I have worked really hard, not saying it won’t happen, but in turn two at the Roval, I should go slow enough through there this year that I won’t crash because that could have been really bad.”
GIVEN WHAT YOU EXPERIENCED AT DARLINGTON IN THE SPRING, WHAT WILL YOU CARRY FORWARD NEXT WEEK THAT WILL BE DIFFERENT?
“What happened in the spring, caused me not to win and I don’t like to lose. So, I am not going to do that again, but I am still going to go race. And (Kyle) Larson and I have had some great battles this year. We were side by side a couple of times late in the race at Watkins Glen and then at the end of the race it wasn’t me that was running into everybody at the end. I was watching my camera laughing. The rear-view camera. Because I was like, ‘yes, it’s not me. It’s them’. So, I did have some sleepless nights afterward. So, I learned a lot from that too and talking to Mr. Hendrick was some really cool conversations and he was great, and he had some great advice. I live by some of the words that he was nice enough to give me that early morning we talked. I will never forget that conversation, good or bad. I don’t like the reason that it came about, but I liked that talk and I listened. I have taken what he said to heart, and I am better for it.”
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