Official Release

Sauter was leading with five to go before a series of cautions set up NASCAR Overtime, ultimately resulting in his 11th top-three finish of the season.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Pennzoil Ford Fusion -- Qualified 2nd “Just not quite fast enough. I hate being what, three-thousandths of a second off. I don't know what that is in distance on the race track but it can’t be much. I am proud of the effort everyone has put into this car."

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – Qualified 7th - ON HIS QUALIFYING SESSION: “Just got to that second round and was just behind and had to make two runs in the second round. That is never good. So, just my fault, I wasn’t up to speed in that first round, barely made it through and then got to that middle one and wasn’t going to make it, had to run again. Luckily, kind of figured it out and I think it was just a little too late.”

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 18 Safelite Auto Glass Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports - Is there more pressure in the playoffs? “I think there is more pressure on the table. There’s a lot more hype going into the race and a lot more heat on the playoff drivers. We have to keep on doing what we need to be doing. We have to stay close to the people who surround myself. It’s not too bad. This race is a little bit different for me because it’s my hometown. I have been here out here all week. I have those butterflies of having a lot of family and friends here. With the playoffs, this first round I think you’ll have butterflies because it’s so tricky. You have the road course and Talladega, so very diverse and unique tracks. Anything can really happen. You want to put yourself in the best situation as possible and make the most of the opportunities.”

Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 22 MoneyLine Ford Mustang, is in a battle for the final playoff spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series heading into the regular season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday afternoon. Cindric met with media members at the track Friday.

Team Penske is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Cars owned and prepared by Team Penske have produced more than 490 major race wins, over 570 pole positions and 32 Championships across open-wheel, stock car and sports car racing competition. Over the course of its 52-year history, the team has also earned 17 Indianapolis 500 victories, two Daytona 500 Championships, a Formula 1 win and overall victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. For 2018, Team Penske will compete in the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR XFINITY Series and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The team also races in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, in a partnership with Dick Johnson Racing, as DJR Team Penske.

MoneyLion, America’s most powerful and rewarding financial membership, announces its partnership with one of the preeminent teams in one of America’s most thrilling sports: Team Penske in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

ERIK JONES, No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - Can you talk about getting to the playoffs for the first time? “It’s exciting to be in the Playoffs for the first time. In the Cup Series, you want to be in contention for a championship. This is our opportunity to do it this year. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be challenging. It’s going to be a new experience."

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - Is a win at a premium right now? “I think wins are always important and I think the biggest thing now is that each round kind of has their own wildcard race if you look at it – you’ve got the Roval in the first round, Talladega in the second round and then Martinsville kind of turned into a crazy race in the third round. It’s all just going to be about trying to maintain and have a good day. If you can get top-five finishes, great, that’s going to propel us through with the amount of points we have and the point cushion we have, but wins are the ultimate. If you can get those then you’re automatically in and that’s what we all strive for.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - What could you have done differently at Indianapolis? “Nothing. There was nothing that I could have done differently. What I did to lose the lead and there was just too much grip (Brad) Keselowski ran faster than us before the caution even came out. I wasn’t going to get there but that restart allowed him to be right on us. "