Official Release

A handling problem with the No. 78 5-hour ENERGY Extra Strength Toyota Camry in the first of the four-stage NASCAR All-Star race Saturday night prevented Martin Truex Jr. from transferring to the 10-driver, 10-lap final stage and a chance to win the $1 million prize.

RYAN BLANEY – No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion – YOU TRIED TWO TIRES AT THE END OF STAGE 2. “It’s really the only strategy we’ve got. You can’t pass anywhere. It’s not great track conditions, to be honest with you. It’s just on the bottom. We had to try something to get our average up or try to win a stage and that’s what we tried.” YOU STARTED WITH THE OPTION TIRES. HOW DID THAT WORK? “We got a few rows on the start and then things got jumbled up and we went back to where we started. That was kind of the end of it.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – Finished 2nd: WAS THE RESTART THE DIFFERENCE AT THE FINISH? “No, I think the difference. My pit crew has been awesome all year and I don’t want to take anything away from them. We came down pit road the leader and three people passed us, that was pretty much the difference there. But, in ten laps, track position is huge."

Trevor Bayne, driver of the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford Fusion, recorded a seventh-place finish in the Monster Energy NASACAR Cup Series (MENCS) All-Star Open event at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday night.

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 MOUNTAIN DEW CHEVROLET SS – Fan Vote for the All-Star Race - ON WINNING THE FAN VOTE: “It’s awesome to hear that crowd just then. That means a lot to me. I appreciate you guys voting for me. That is really cool for our team. Obviously, we would have loved to have raced our way in. I feel like every time we run this race we’ve got some sort of drama with this year and last year, but have had a shot at it tonight. We will try to move forward and give ourselves the best chance we can.”

CLINT BOWYER – No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Fusion (STAGE 1 WINNER) – WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU? “It’s big. This is a big night. A million bucks is a lot of money. We’ve got a shot at it. We’ve got a good car, our Haas Automation Ford is strong and I’m just proud to be a part of it. This is without a doubt, I think, the toughest Open. I think this is the third time I’ve had to run it and when you’ve got Blaney that qualifies really good, he’s always had speed, especially last week. Looking back at Kansas he was one of the cars to beat, so you had Chase in it too. It’s a tough crowd, so I’m proud to be in it.”

Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 21 Allegiant Chevrolet, spent both of Thursday’s practice sessions at Charlotte Motor Speedway searching for balance. The team continued to make adjustments following final practice and improved on the handling enough for Sauter to earn a third-place starting position.

Kyle Busch left no doubt as to who was the most dominant driver in Friday’s N.C. Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch led a race-high 90 of 134 laps, pulled away from runner-up Johnny Sauter on a late restart and collected his record seventh Truck Series victory at Charlotte.

In his 100th Toyota Tundra start, Kyle Busch captured his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) victory of the season in Friday night’s NC Education Lottery 200.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Caramel Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - Starting Position: 2nd - What are your thoughts on the qualifying format and your starting position for tomorrow? “It’s fun. It’s unique.'