NASCAR Cup PR

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang – “We got off a little bit and just kind of aborted on all the changes we made and went back to how we started practice, where we felt the most confident about what we had for qualifying. I’m proud of all the guys on this Stars and Stripes Smithfield paint scheme on our Ford Mustang.

MARTIN TRUEX JR, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker / USO Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - Qualifying Position: 14th - We were talking about the fine balance between the grip of the race track going early and what it’s going to get when it gets later and how much speed cars will pick up because of that."

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang – CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THIS WEEKEND AND SALUTING THE MILITARY? “Honestly, this is some of my favorite times of the year to be able to do that, especially when you come here for the Coca-Cola 600 and what this weekend really means. It’s a good reminder for us because I think a lot of times we think of Memorial Day Weekend and if you’re in this industry sometimes you think of three really big races that are happening this weekend, but, for me, I think it’s a good reminder and Charlotte does a great job, the speedway here does a great job, at reminding all of us how we get to do that safely."

MARTIN TRUEX JR, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker / USO Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - Do you feel like other teams are catching the JGR and Penske cars in performance? “I think it’s a little bit hit and miss for everybody I feel like from what I can see. It certainly has been for us. For the 19 team, we’ve been really good at places and off at places."

HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CHAOS THIS NEW PACKAGE BRINGS WHEN EVERYBODY IS SO CLOSE TOGETHER AND PEOPLE ARE MAKING BOLD MOVES AND YOU’RE SIDE-DRAFTING AND GETTING INTO EACH OTHER. HOW DO YOU MANAGE RISK VS. REWARD? “It’s kind of trial and error. You can find out things and moves you can make and feel confident in it and make it work. It’s all pretty relative."

HOW DISAPPOINTED ARE YOU BEING BETWEEN WIN NUMBER ONE AND EVENTUALLY GETTING WIN NUMBER TWO? “It’s hard. You never think it’s going to be easy going to the next level, but you always want it to be. You want to be able to go out and have success."

YOU’VE HAD GREAT SPEED FOR MUCH OF THE SEASON, BUT NOW WITH THIS ALL-STAR WIN, DOES IT FEEL LIKE THE MONKEY IS OFF YOUR BACK TO BUILD SOME MOMENTUM? “I hope so. I felt like we’ve had decent speed."

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1 met with media and discussed the progress of the No. 24 team, his success in making the All-Star race last weekend, how he entered the sport and how that differs compared to others, and more. Full Transcript:

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – WHAT DOES THIS WEEKEND MEAN TO YOU WITH IT BEING MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND? “The Coke 600 is a big race in our sport. Is it 60 years? Wow. Not only is it on Memorial Day Weekend, which I think means a lot to us and to the sport.

With an exciting weekend of racing ahead at Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR today will recognize the industry’s pioneers of diversity at the 12th annual NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards hosted at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.