NASCAR Cup PR

"Our team showed a lot of improvement during the race today even though an 18th-place finish isn't what we wanted. The No. 3 AAA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 started off super tight in the first stage. I had a difficult time passing cars, especially in traffic."

Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Busch Beer All Harvick Ford Mustang - Finished 4th “For us, we had a tight condition and just right off the bat we struggled with getting the front of our car to turn and we really just lacked overall grip for us. It was much different in the race today than it was in practice.”

Denny Hamlin earns Toyota’s second pole position of the season for tomorrow’s race at Dover International Speedway. It’s Hamlin’s fourth-career pole position at Dover International Speedway in his 500th career Cup Series start.

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 – Qualified 2nd YOU MISSED THE POLE BY THREE ONE-THOUSANDS OF A SECOND. THAT’S TIGHT, EVEN FOR A PLACE LIKE DOVER. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU LOST THAT TIME, AND HOW WAS THE CAR HANDLING?

Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Busch Beer All Harvick Ford Mustang - Qualified 4th “I feel good after qualifying. I didn’t think that was going to be our strong suit and we got a good lap in there. Starting towards the front will be important. I think our car is really good in race trim.”

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF TALLADEGA AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU AND YOU’RE FAMILY. “Yeah, it’s very cool. It’s where RCR pretty much got everything going. My grandfather gets all the recognition for that. It’s really cool that he’s going to drive the pace car. It’s going to be special to see him out there in the Dale Earnhardt car. I know he’s pumped for that. Hopefully we get the pole so we can push him around a little bit on the track.”

HOW WAS PRACTICE? WHAT IS YOUR CAR LIKE? “It’s good. I think that we’re close. I’d like to be a little better in some areas and a little more secure, but I feel like it’s close. Chad (Knaus, crew chief) has a good feel for this place and I feel like our cars, in general, have a good feel for this place, for sure.”

A LOT OF PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU HUNG IN THERE LAST WEEK. DID YOU KNOW YOU HAD THAT WITHIN OR DID YOU SURPRISE YOURSELF? “You just can’t give up in situations like that. Obviously, I was really sick all weekend and I made life hard on myself all weekend with my share of the mistakes. I think a lot of it has to do with the race car those guys gave me and I’m really fortunate to have that.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS TRACK? “It is a challenging race track no matter what but then you throw it into the start of this round, any race in the playoffs has its own challenges but this place is tough. This is honestly probably the toughest track that we go to as far as the place changing throughout the day."

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1, met with media and discussed today’s announcement that Ally Financial has extended its contract with Hendrick Motorsports through the 2023 season, his undecided future plans, the recent progress of the No. 48 team, the upcoming race at Talladega, and more. Full Transcript: