NASCAR Cup PR

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1, met with media and discussed the recent progress of the No. 48 team, his approach to racing at the Brickyard in order to transfer to the Playoffs, the shortened weekend schedule, and more. Full Transcript:

Clint Bowyer, No. 14 Rush Ford Mustang -- YOU TALKED A FEW WEEKS BACK ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER A COMPLETE RACE. WAS DARLINGTON A STEP FORWARD? “I think Darlington was a snapshot of our capabilities. I have said it time and time again, when we race to our capabilities we are a single digit car.

RYAN NEWMAN, No. 6 Acorns Ford Mustang -- WHAT IS YOUR TEAMS PLAN GOING INTO THE WEEKEND? “Just to perform and enjoy it. There are a lot of teams that would like to be in our situation. There are a lot of teams better than our situation but there are a lot that would love to be fighting for a playoff berth. We will do what we can to be the best we can with the Acorns Ford and enjoy the race. It is home for me. Lots of friends and family and I get a chance to run the Silver Crown car tonight at IRP. There is a lot going on. That is just part of it. I definitely enjoy it.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights: REGARDING LAS VEGAS SURFACE AND TIRES “I don’t know about saving because its kind of hard to save in general really anymore. Either you are good enough to push hard all the time, or you are probably not going to be very good."

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights: HOW DO YOU LOOK AT THE CUTOFF, THE PLAYOFFS AND HOW YOUR FOCUS WILL CHANGE? YOU RACE ALL THE TIME SO YOU’RE PROBABLY ALWAYS FOCUSED? “Yeah, that’s good for me. I race a lot so I’m always focused on racing and the next race."

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights: HOW ELATED ARE FOR THE PLAYOFFS? “I’m excited. I don’t really know what to do or what to expect or anything."

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang -- IS YOUR DAUGHTER PRACTICING TO KISS THE BRICKS AGAIN? “Well, she remembers last time for sure. It is great to be back here. As soon as I pulled through the tunnel I thought about last year. It was so cool to win here. It was really special for me."

Roush Fenway Racing heads to the most famous speedway in the world this weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) ends its regular season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the Brickyard 400. RFR has 17 top-five finishes at the 2.5-mile track dating back to 1994, the first year of competition for NASCAR.

Chevrolet drivers have won 17 of the 25 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including an amazing streak of 12 years (2004-13). Career Team Chevy driver Jeff Gordon, who won the inaugural event in 1994, leads all drivers with five victories on the 2.5-mile oval. In that first race, Gordon led seven different times for a total of 93 laps, including the final five. Gordon won the pole the next year and finished sixth.

There have been 25 race trophies awarded this season – 25 opportunities to lock in a Playoff berth – but for the four drivers on the bubble, the last two Playoff positions will depend on their outing in Sunday’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard powered by Florida Georgia Line at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).