Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
HighPoint.com 400 Qualifying | Saturday, July 22, 2023
Ford Qualifying Results:
4th – Kevin Harvick
6th – Joey Logano
9th – Austin Cindric
13th – Brad Keselowski
14th – Ryan Blaney
15th – Michael McDowell
18th – Chris Buescher
26th – Harrison Burton
27th – Aric Almirola
28th – JJ Yeley
29th – Chase Briscoe
31st – Cole Custer
34th – Ryan Preece
36th – Todd Gilliland
KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light Peach Ford Mustang – HOW WAS YOUR DAY TODAY? “It was good. We had a good practice and a good qualifying session and a good starting spot, so we’re off to a good start.”
HOW IS YOUR CAR IN RACE TRIM? “Good. I think we ran eight, nine or 10 laps straight there and felt comfortable with the car and then quit a little bit early to get it cooled off, so we’ll just go race tomorrow and see what happens.”
YOUR LAST TIME AT POCONO. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? “Pocono is just a unique race track. For me, it’s been one of my favorite places to come to as I’ve been at SHR and even at RCR. We’ve had some good times and good runs here, and so it’s always one of my favorite parts of the year and times of the year to come up, especially when it’s 75-76 degrees and the rest of everything we’ve been doing is burning hot, especially since we’ve gone to one race and seen the infield and the campers and the crowd. It’s always been a great area for fans, for us and it’s like all the rest of the racetracks that we go to. It’s something I’ve been prepared for and, for me, I’m enjoying the last times going to the racetrack and hearing all the stories and the fans and everything that comes with it.”
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO WIN TOMORROW? “We want to win anywhere.”
WOULD IT MATTER IF YOU MAKE THE PLAYOFFS ON POINTS OR WITH A WIN? “Oh, yeah. Mentally, a win is always better, and I think for us we’ve been close a few times with just things not going right on the days that the cars have been the fastest. We just keep plugging along and keeping our head down and grinding away like we always do and hopefully you hope that cycle of fortunes turns on the day when your car is fast and if it’s not on a day when your car is fast, you hope that you’re in the right spot at the right time. But, yeah, winning would be better.”
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Libman Ford Mustang – “I’m satisfied, but never happy. It’s certainly good to get a good pit selection, solid starting spot, make it to the second round. I feel like we probably would have done some other adjustments and probably could have done a better job on my lap the second round. I definitely went for the overdriving side of things in the first round and got it in, and then probably left a little on the table underdriving the second round. Overall, it’s a solid performance for our Menards/Libman Ford Mustang and hopefully we can carry it on for tomorrow. We need some good results.”
DOES HAVING THE NXS WIN HERE IN 2021 GIVE YOU EXTRA CONFIDENCE? “Yes and no. It doesn’t change the fact, I mean when I’m racing against guys that have won here seven times like Denny, one Xfinity win probably doesn’t amount up to much, but it’s a track that I’ve always liked and certainly a track that I feel like you have to approach maybe a little bit differently given three corners to screw it up or get it right, instead of having two. It’s a track I’ve always loved coming to.”
HOW MUCH OF AN ADJUSTMENT HAS THIS SUMMER BEEN COMPARED TO A YEAR AGO WHEN YOU ALREADY HAD A WIN? NOW YOU’RE FIGHTING FOR A PLAYOFF SPOT. “Not necessarily a different approach, but different circumstances. Certainly, a win is the most important thing in the Cup Series. It doesn’t matter if you’re me or anybody else, so whether if you’re already above the cutline, if you’re already advanced in, everybody wants to win as much as the next guy. There’s probably some percentage chance I can point my way in, but a win is definitely gonna make our life a lot easier. Now, have we run well enough to think that we deserve that or can walk into every weekend thinking that? Probably not. It has been a different year in that standpoint for us, so having solid results. We need some base hits, but we’re also running out of time.”
