NASCAR Cup Series

That’s how Clint Bowyer kicked off the final portion of Tuesday’s 35th Annual NASCAR Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. Bowyer certainly had an extra pep in his step and showed off his charismatic personality, both of which were sorely missed during a tough 2016 season.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch spoke with media during Tuesday afternoon’s segment of the 35th Annual NASCAR Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. Below are some of Busch’s comments from his media availability.

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion – HOW ARE THINGS GOING? “Everybody is doing good. We had a great winter and enjoyed our time off. We came home January 8th and flipped that switch back on to get back in race mod. It has been fun to go to the shop and walk around and see everything that is going on. There is a lot going on with the switch to Ford and I think that is definitely a lot of motivation for the year to make that right. It has been fun so far.”

During Monday's announcement by NASCAR regarding the format changes for 2017, everyone from fan to competitor to media member was ready to fly into an outrage. Solid evolutionary changes have not been the sport's bread-and-butter in recent years, although some changes have since been accepted, like the Chase playoff format and the "Lucky Dog" rule.

CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 COTTONELLE CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Charlotte Media tour and discussed moving to a new team, his expectations for 2017, and what he learned from 2016 on the racetrack. Full transcript:

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATEPILLAR CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Charlotte Media tour and discussed the format change, racing at the newly repaved Texas Motor Speedway, and the education program he and his wife run for youngsters. Full transcript:

Monday’s NASCAR announcement about the new format for NASCAR Camping World Truck, XFINITY and Monster Energy Cup Series season was not only unusual, but might just be the most extraordinary thing that’s happened to the sport since the announcement that the championship would be based on the last 10 races of the season—the Chase.

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Charlotte Media tour and discussed his opinion on various aspects of the new race format, on seven-time champion, Jimmie Johnson, and on Carl Edwards’ stepping away from the sport. Full transcript:

TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Charlotte Media tour and discussed his thoughts about his first full season, being a member of a single-car team, and competing on a limited schedule in his Modified program. Full transcript:

Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) announced today that the "Fresh From Florida" campaign will return for their fourth season with Aric Almirola and RPM. Through the partnership, Almirola, who is Fresh From Florida himself, will drive the No. 43 Fresh From Florida Ford at Talladega Superspeedway (May 7) and the No. 98 Fresh From Florida Ford at Daytona International Speedway for both NASCAR XFINITY races, as well as Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 4), Talladega Superspeedway (May 6) and Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 27).