Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Hollywood Casino 400 Qualifying | Saturday, September 9, 2023
Ford Qualifying Results:
7th – Michael McDowell
11th – Joey Logano
12th – Brad Keselowski
13th – Chris Buescher
17th – Ryan Blaney
18th – Austin Cindric
20th – Kevin Harvick
25th – Aric Almirola
26th – Chase Briscoe
27th – Cole Custer
28th – Ryan Preece
29th – Harrison Burton
31st – JJ Yeley
32nd – Todd Gilliland
MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 FR8Auctions.com Ford Mustang – “Just like every weekend, just a lot of hard work. I’m proud of everybody at Front Row. We’re fighting hard. We got ourselves in a hole at Darlington, so we know our backs are up against the wall. We all know – I know – how important track position is. I mean, I risked it all in qualifying. I know a lot of people did, but that was everything I had – plus some. Just thankful that I have a great car, have it stick, and we’ll have a good starting spot for tomorrow. Just trying to stay alive in this Playoff.
OVER THE LAST COUPLE DAYS AND IN TODAY’S QUALIFYING, IT SEEMS LIKE WE’RE GETTING A LOT OF BRUSHES AGAINST THE OUTSIDE WALL. IS THAT A CONCERN HEADING INTO THE RACE? “This place, especially right now in qualifying, is such high-commitment, because you’re entering almost wide-open right against the wall and not pulling it down much. It’s nerve-racking laps here in qualifying. I watched that Tyler Reddick in-car from Darlington last week – he must’ve hit the wall 17,000 times. So, I think I’ll be less concerned about the little brushes up against the wall tomorrow. Just seeing how much he was able to bounce off the wall and not have any toe-link problems or anything like that. But just like anything, there’s going to be a limitation of hitting something too hard.”
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang – “The balance was too tight in four. We were trending okay right before that – just got too tight. We’re not quick enough, and we need to go to work. I think on the restarts, everyone is going to be really aggressive with each other. So, you just hope that you’re in the right place at the right time on these restarts, pick the right lanes and do the right things. We’ll study that stuff tonight, and we’ll try to make our car faster as well. If we have both, we’ll be all right.”
