MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 4, 2024) – Michael McDowell and the No. 34 team return to the Sonoma Raceway this weekend with high expectations of a strong run on the NASCAR Cup Series’ second road course of the season.

The past few races at Sonoma have been very good for the 34 crew, with back-to-back Top-5 qualifying efforts (fourth and third, respectively) and two-straight Top-10 finishes, including a seventh-place result last year.

PEAK Performance returns to the Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang Dark Horse to promote their exclusive line of PEAK products available at the over 600 Love’s Travel Stops across the country. PEAK is a leader in automotive and heavy-duty products ranging from PEAK Global Antifreeze, Final Charge, PEAK Windshield Wash, and BlueDEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid. All products can be found at Love’s Travel Stops.

The Cup Series will have practice on Friday, June 7th at 5:00 p.m. ET and qualifying on Saturday, June 8th at 6:00 p.m. ET, both televised live on FS1. The 110-lap race will be Sunday, June 9th at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX. Fans can also listen in on the action live from Sirius XM and the Performance Racing Network.

No. 34 Love’s / Peak Ford Mustang Dark Horse:

DRIVER MICHAEL MCDOWELL:

“I can’t wait for Sonoma. We want to get back into the top-five and get a good result. Travis and the team are working hard to prepare the car. Sonoma is going to be tough, especially with the repave, but I think last year we really hit on it. I really like racing this new car on road courses. I’m really comfortable in it and it has helped us.”

CREW CHIEF TRAVIS PETERSON:

“Everything we have seen says Sonoma is going to be faster, which is going to be interesting. Sonoma has always been a ‘manage your stuff, tire fall off’ road course, so it will be interesting to see how it changes the game. I believe in Michael’s road course abilities, so I think when you do something new it gives us a leg up on competition. Sonoma hit’s a wheelhouse of races that are good for Michael and good for us that we have good notes on. Hopefully we can execute well and get a win.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 4, 2024) – Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 team will make their annually trip to the Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. Gilliland’s No. 38 Ford Mustang Dark Horse will carry the fan-favorite Frontline Enterprises scheme. This will be the Canadian automotive dealership’s first primary race of 2024.

Finishing 16th at the World Wide Technology Raceway, Gilliland and the team look to build off the result as they trek through the summer stretch. This will be NASCAR’s first trip to the 1.9-mile California circuit after the repave, the first repave in over 23 years, with work finishing up in February. This will be Gilliland’s third start at Sonoma. He has a career best finish of 24th at the track.

Practice for the NASCAR Cup Series will be Friday, June 7th at 5:00 p.m. ET. Qualifying will take place Saturday, June 8th at 6:00 p.m. ET. Sunday’s 110-lap event is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be televised live on FOX. Fans can also listen in from the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM channel 90.

No. 38 Frontline Enterprises Ford Mustang Dark Horse:

DRIVER TODD GILLILAND:

“Sonoma is a fun track. I have a lot of family out there so it’s nice to visit with them and bring them to the track. I haven’t had the best results there, but I have a feeling that will change this weekend. We have speed, we just have to be better on the qualifying front in order to get the results we want. There’s a little uncertainty with how the track will change with the repave, but it will definitely be faster and have a little more grip, so it will make for a good race.”

CREW CHIEF RYAN BERGENTY:

“This weekend is going to be a lot of fun. Todd (Gilliland) has proved that he can compete in the Top-15 and Top-10 on these road courses, it just comes down to qualifying up front and staying there. I think the repave will be a huge advantage for us, a lot of the teams don’t know how the track will change in race conditions, so if we maximize our practice time and gather the most data possible, I think that will set us up for a solid result on Sunday.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

CLUB ENTRY LIST

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
POINT STANDINGS: 25th

ERIK JONES
POINT STANDINGS: 26th

CLUB NOTES

West Coast Hall of Fame: El Cajon, Calif., native Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and co-owner of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, is among this year’s five honorees that will be inducted into the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame’s class of 2024. In addition to Johnson, Cal Wells III, a 10-time Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) winner, Indianapolis 500 co-owner champion, 2023 IMSA GTD championship co-owner; and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB C.E.O. will also be inducted into this years class. The event takes place Thursday, June 6, during the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame’s induction gala, at Sonoma Raceway’s Turn 11 Club VIP/Hospitality complex at 6 p.m. local time.

Going to School: In April, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB teammates, Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek went to school at Sonoma Raceway in April through Skip Barber Racing School. The duo made laps around the track with driving instructors to help sharpen their road course skills for this weekend’s event.

JHN Past History at Sonoma: Nemechek will be making his first NASCAR Cup Series start at the 12-turn Sonoma road course. Most recently in 2023, the 26-year-old North Carolina native did have a chance to race there in the NXS where he started ninth, finished 16th, and led a lap.

Jones Past History at Sonoma: Jones will be making his seventh NASCAR Cup Series start at Sonoma Raceway this coming weekend. His first start came back in 2017. The Michigan native’s best finish at the 12-turn road course is seventh-place and has led one lap.

Double Duty for JHN: For the seventh time this season, John Hunter Nemechek will run both the NXS and the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) events. On Saturday for the NXS race, Nemechek will be behind the wheel of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Safeway Toyota Supra, while on Sunday, he will pilot the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’S No. 42 Save Mart Toyota Camry XSE.

Safeway Store Appearance: On Friday, June 7 from 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. local time, Nemechek will make a Safeway store appearance to sign autographs and visit with fans. Safeway store is located at 389 S. McDowell Road, Petaluma, Calif., 94954.

Going for G.O.L.D.: Partners Dollar Tree and Family Dollar will honor store #3014 this weekend as a part of the company’s “Go for G.O.L.D.” (Grand Opening Look Daily) program. The Dollar Tree and Family Dollar primaries will highlight these stores on the deck lid of all three LEGACY M.C. entries throughout the race season. Store #3014 is located in Dublin, California.

CLUB QUOTES

John Hunter Nemechek, Driver of the No. 42 SaveMart Toyota Camry XSE:

“I feel like Sonoma with the repave that’s gonna be a lot of fun and I feel like it’s gonna be some really great racing, should be on the [NASCAR] Xfinity side and the [NASCAR] Cup side so, looking forward to going back out there — beautiful scenery, beautiful place, and a lot elevation change, it’s a really fun race track. I think track position is going to be key, I think speed is going to be key and managing your day and staying on course.”

Ben Beshore, Crew chief of the No. 42 SaveMart Toyota Camry XSE:

With several road course races on the NASCAR Cup Schedule, how much emphasis is put into this package knowing that it makes up a big portion of the schedule?

“With five road course races, we do put emphasis on this package. We spend quite a bit of time on the simulators and John Hunter has done a track day out at Sonoma in preparation for this event.”

Sonoma has new pavement down on the surface, do you see this now being a higher grip track and if so, how do you think that will affect the handling of the car vs. previous years?

“I think the new pavement will make quite a difference when it comes to handling. Previously this track was very low grip and you put a lot of emphasis on forward drive, I don’t think that will be as much of an issue now that the track has been repaved. Typically, repaved tracks have a very narrow groove but hopefully there has been enough events on the new surface that it is in good shape for this event.”

How much do you feel pit strategy will play into this weekend’s race? Is that something that is game planned earlier in the week or is that a in the moment decision based off how the race is playing out?

“We’ll have a gameplan for several different scenarios going into the weekend. We’ll have to see how much tire fall-off, if any, we have in practice and use that to adjust our game plan on Saturday night. Unplanned cautions can always alter your plan as well if you get a caution at a particular point in the race. If there isn’t much tire fall-off we’ll want to spend as little time on pit road as possible.”

Erik Jones, Driver of the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE:

Talk about your experience at Skip Barber Racing School in April at Sonoma.

“It was really valuable to go to Sonoma a few months ago with the repave through the Skip Barber Racing School. It was good to see what the track looked like and to test the grip level, and move around and try different stuff. Seeing the track at a non-competitive state with a much slower pace was really helpful. Hopefully we can transfer that over to this weekend.”

Will there be a big learning curve for those who haven’t seen the repave?

“Yes, with the repave the pace is going to be a lot higher. Sonoma was always really slick and wore out as far as road courses go so there will be a decent learning curve with this track and the pace; it’s going to be seconds faster. The layout is the same but with the pace being that much higher there will be a period you have to adapt to.”

Dave Elenz, Crew chief of the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE:

“It’s going to be very interesting going to Sonoma with the repave. Sonoma used to be so slick it was always a challenge to dial in the handling, but with this repave, there will be very little tire fall off and track position will be a big factor. There will be a lot of excited drivers trying to get track positions making for an interesting race. Erik had a preview of the new pavement when he went out there for Skip Barber, and we will see some fast laps and pace and lots of strategy as the race plays out.”

PETTY 75TH ANNIVERSARY

ABOUT PETTY 75th: The 2024 season marks a significant milestone in the history of the Petty family as they have helped define stock car racing for 75 years. Their commitment to the sport and the people who make it possible – behind the wheel, under the hood, in the back office, and beyond – has shaped the growth and success of NASCAR. Their LEGACY lives on with the countless fans, drivers, technicians, and team members they touched. Throughout 2024, LEGACY M.C. will celebrate the Petty family and share countless memories with friends and fans at race tracks across the country.

The King’s Hat: Richard Petty will appear in the Sonoma Raceway media center at 9:30 am local time on Sunday, June 9. The King’s Hat unveiling will take place at 10:15 am local at the old victory lane location between the media center and the front stretch grandstands.

RP History “The King” Richard Petty made four career starts at the track located in Wine Country. Surprisingly none of his 200 career NASCAR Cup Series wins came at Sonoma Raceway.

KP History: Of Kyle Petty’s 829 NASCAR Cup Series starts, 17 came at Sonoma Raceway.

BROADCAST INFO
SONOMA RACEWAY
SUNDAY, JUNE 9TH @ 3:30 PM ET

ABOUT OUR PARTNERS

ABOUT SAVE MART: California’s Central Valley covers approximately 18,000 square miles, bounded by the Pacific Coast Ranges to the west and the Sierra Nevada to the east. One of the most celebrated agricultural regions in the world, this is California’s single most productive area, providing more than half of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States.

In the heart of this rich and fertile region lies the city of Modesto, where, in 1952, Nick Tocco and Mike Piccinini opened the first Save Mart grocery store. Enjoying deeply rooted relationships with the area’s farmers, ranchers, and producers, Tocco and Piccinini saw the value in offering the bountiful fresh and local products available at farm stands throughout the valley in a convenient, modern grocery store. And equally important to Nick and Mike, at prices that families could afford. Celebrating local growers and providers long before “farm to fork” became an international trend, Save Mart was born.

Mike’s son, Bob Piccinini, took over leadership of the Company in the early 1980s. By then the chain had grown to include multiple locations in the Modesto area plus surrounding communities. When a wave of store closings swept the region, Save Mart bucked the trend with additional acquisitions and the opening of its first FoodMaxx stores. Customers continued to flock to the stores, attracted by the winning formula of fresh, local, quality and value.

In 2007, the Company purchased a 128-store chain in Northern California and rebranded the stores as Lucky supermarkets, “rescuing” the once prominent Lucky name in the San Francisco Bay Area market.

Kingswood Capital Management LP, a California-based privity equity firm, acquired The Save Mart Companies in early 2022.

Today, The Save Mart Companies serves nearly 200 communities across California and Nevada and is headquartered in the heart of California’s Central Valley. The Company has been an essential business for 72 years with Save Mart, Lucky, Lucky California, FoodMaxx, and Maxx Value Food stores, distribution centers and a transportation facility employing more than 13,000 team members.

ABOUT DOLLAR TREE, INC.: Dollar Tree, a Fortune 200 Company, operated 16,622 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces as of October 28, 2023. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. To learn more about the Company, visit www.DollarTree.com.

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice “Maury” J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. The CLUB competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series fielding the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE of John Hunter Nemechek, the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE of Erik Jones, and the No. 84 limited schedule entry for Johnson. LEGACY M.C. also competes in the Extreme E Series. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty “The King” serves as CLUB Ambassador. With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level. To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ on Facebook, X, Instagram and at www.LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com.

Race Notes

Sonoma Raceway
Toyota/Save Mart 350
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Sunday, June 9 at 3:30PM EDT
FOX | PRN | SiriusXM
Team Notes

• Kaulig Racing has made four NCS starts at Sonoma Raceway.
• Along with a best finish of sixth, the team has earned two top 15s and three top-20 finishes.
• So far in the 2024 NCS season, Kaulig Racing has earned four top 10s, 12 top-20 finishes and led 36 laps.

AJ ALLMENDINGER

“I always look forward to racing at my home racetrack. It’s going to be a new challenge with the repave but I’m excited to run both the Cup and Xfinity car this weekend.” – AJ Allmendinger on Sonoma Raceway  

No. 16 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

• AJ Allmendinger has made 12 NCS starts at Sonoma Raceway and has led 65 laps and earned three top-10 finishes.
• So far in the 2024 NCS season, Allmendinger has made four NCS starts, led nine laps and earned two top-10 finishes.

DANIEL HEMRIC

“Sonoma is such a fun track. There will be some unknowns for everyone with the recent repave, but I’m looking forward to it. It’s also a big weekend for Cirkul, so hopefully we can put on a good show for them.” – Daniel Hemric on Sonoma Raceway  

No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

• The Toyota/Save Mart 350 will mark Daniel Hemric’s second NCS start at Sonoma Raceway.
• Hemric earned a top-15 finish in the 2019 Toyota/Save Mart 350.
• So far in the 2024 NCS season, Hemric has earned two top 10s, seven top-20 finishes and has led 14 laps.

 
Race Details

Sonoma Raceway
Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 250
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Saturday, June 8 at 8:00PM EDT
FS1 | PRN | SiriusXM
Team Notes

• Kaulig Racing has made three starts at Sonoma in the NXS, all coming in last year’s inaugural event. The team led two laps and earned one top-five finish.
• On road courses in 2024, Kaulig Racing has earned one win, four top-10 finishes, and led 52 of a possible 125 laps.
• So far in the 2024 NXS season, Kaulig Racing has one win, five top fives, 13 top 10s, and 75 laps led.

JOSH WILLIAMS

“Sonoma is super fun. The scenery is great out there. I’m looking forward to the repave, and I think the track is going to be super fast and slick. I think we can get some good notes from SVG and AJ and get a solid run going.” – Josh Williams on Sonoma Raceway  

No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet Camaro

• Josh Williams has raced at Sonoma once in his NXS career. After qualifying 22nd there in 2023, he retired early due to a suspension failure.
• Williams finished seventh at Portland International Raceway, making it the second-straight week he achieved his best finish of the season (previously eighth at Charlotte Motor Speedway).
• Williams sits 18th in the NXS points standings with three top 10s and 10 laps led.

 
AJ ALLMENDINGER

“I always look forward to racing at my home racetrack. It’s going to be a new challenge with the repave but I’m excited to run both the Cup and Xfinity car this weekend.” – AJ Allmendinger on Sonoma Raceway  

No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet Camaro

• AJ Allmendinger has made one NXS start at Sonoma Raceway in 2023 with Kaulig Racing. He led two laps and earned a runner-up finish.
• So far in the 2024 NXS season, Allmendinger has earned three top five and seven top-10 finishes. He has led 32 laps and currently sits sixth in driver standings.

SHANE van GISBERGEN

“I’m really excited to get to California and back in our WeatherTech Chevrolet. We had a great weekend out in Portland and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do on Saturday in Sonoma. I have some things I need to clean up on my end, but I think we have another great shot for a win this weekend. I appreciate everyone at Kaulig, Trackhouse, Chevrolet and WeatherTeach for giving me this opportunity. I’m having a blast!” – Shane van Gisbergen on Sonoma Raceway  

No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro

• Coming off his first-career NXS victory last weekend at Portland International Raceway, Shane van Gisbergen heads to Northern California this weekend looking for back-to-back wins in the No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.
• With their win in Portland, Van Gisbergen and his Kaulig Racing team have secured a spot in the 2024 playoffs.
• This weekend in Sonoma, the familiar WeatherTech livery will once again make an appearance on the three-time Supercars champion’s Chevrolet.
• Van Gisbergen and his No. 97 team currently sit 14th in the driver standings heading into the weekend at Sonoma.

About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

RYAN PREECE
Sonoma Advance
No. 41 Caymus Vineyards Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Save Mart 350k (Round 16 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 9
● Location: Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway
● Layout: 1.99-mile, 10-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 110 laps/218.9 miles (352.3 kilometers)
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 30 laps / Final Stage: 55 laps
● TV/Radio: FOX / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Ryan Preece will make his 20th career road-course start in the NASCAR Cup Series when he takes the green flag for Sunday’s Save Mart 350k at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. The driver of the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing finished 23rd in his most recent road-course start on March 24 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. Preece’s best road-course result is ninth, earned on Feb. 21, 2021 at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Road Course.

● The Save Mart 350k will mark Preece’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series start at Sonoma. Preece earned his best Cup Series result at the Northern California track last year when he finished 13th.

● Preece’s best NASCAR Cup Series finish at Sonoma was preceded by a victory. On Friday of last year’s NASCAR race weekend at Sonoma, Preece competed in the ARCA Menards Series West race. He dominated from start to finish, winning the pole and leading twice for a race-high 50 laps, including the final 32 tours around the 1.99-mile, 10-turn road course, to take the victory by a commanding 9.675 seconds over runner-up Sammy Smith. It was Preece’s first ARCA victory and the first ARCA win for Stewart-Haas.

● Joining Preece for that victory at Sonoma was Bonanza, a California Cabernet Sauvignon created by Chuck Wagner of Caymus Vineyards. The wine’s name is inspired by the “bonanza” of the great state of California, where diverse vineyard land that produces delicious Cabernet can be found. Preece got to enjoy the fruits of his labor quite literally. From his race-winning chalice in victory lane, Preece sipped on Bonanza, soaking in the moment amid TV interviews and photographs.

● Caymus Vineyards is back with Preece at Sonoma, this time on Sunday where the iconic wine producer will adorn Preece’s No. 41 Ford Mustang. The Napa-based winery’s paint scheme pays tribute to its recently released 50th vintage of Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. After serving as an associate partner last year, Caymus Vineyards expanded its role with Stewart-Haas in 2024. The family-owned and operated winery has a season-long presence on the lower-rear quarter panel of the No. 41 Ford along with branding on Preece’s firesuit. And at all NASCAR Cup Series races, guests of Stewart-Haas enjoy Caymus Vineyards’ lineup of wines, most notably, its renowned Cabernet Sauvignon, at the team’s trackside VIP hospitality area.

● Chuck Wagner and his late parents, Lorna and Charlie Sr., opened Caymus Vineyards in 1972, starting off with 240 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon. Based at its original “home ranch” in Rutherford, California – deep in the heart of Napa Valley Wine Country and just a 45-minute drive north of Sonoma Raceway – Caymus Vineyards remains a hands-on family affair. In addition to their famed Cabernet Sauvignon, Chuck, Charlie and Jenny Wagner make a range of white and red wines, each with a character all its own. Said Preece about partnering with Caymus Vineyards: “Representing Caymus Vineyards and Bonanza last year at Sonoma allowed me to see just how hands-on the Wagner family is when it comes to their winemaking. It’s impressive, and it’s something I can really appreciate. I’m hands-on with my racecars because I want them to be the very best. They have the same mindset at Caymus. That’s why they’re a great partner for our race team.”

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 Caymus Vineyards Ford Mustang Dark Horse

You had a great weekend at Sonoma last year, winning the ARCA Menards Series West race on Friday and scoring a top-15 finish in the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday. What are your thoughts as you head back to Sonoma this weekend with Caymus Vineyards joining you for the Save Mart 350k?

“I like Sonoma. I played a lot of video games growing up, and Sonoma just happened to be one of my favorite racetracks in the games. Who would’ve thought 20 years later it would turn out to be one of my favorite road courses that we go to on the actual schedule? It’s certainly a place that I enjoy racing at.”

You said earlier this year that you channel your short-track experience for road courses. How is short-track racing and road-course racing similar?

“Sonoma is pretty different in general since it wears tires out, so you can compare it to managing your tires on the short-track side. Keeping your tires cool has been important there in the past. Of course, going to Sonoma this year with the repave could change that a bit. Braking is also a big part of road-course racing, like it is at short tracks.”

Sonoma offers a change of pace, as it’s been nine races since the NASCAR Cup Series last visited a road course. Is it refreshing to get out of the oval-only mindset and turn left and right for a weekend?

“I would say it’s nice to go to a road course. Sonoma is somewhere that we can hit reset and use it as a track to gain momentum.”

The entire Sonoma layout has been repaved. Does that help you in the fact that even though you’re competing against other drivers who have a lot of experience at Sonoma, it’s kind of a brand new track with the new pavement?

“Sonoma has always been a place I’ve enjoyed. I don’t think you can look at it as a completely new track, but none of us drivers will really know what the surface is going to bring until we hit the track on Friday. You’ll either roll off the truck good or not so good. Hopefully, we won’t have to make a lot of changes, but that’s just something we’ll have to do if we think we’ve missed it. I’m pretty hopeful we’ll show up with a good balance because the dynamics of the track will be the same, just with a new surface.”

When you’re at a newly paved track, how aggressive are you in finding the grip level? Do you try to sneak up on it or are you aggressive from the get-go because track time is so limited?

“I think you have to be aggressive right out the gate. New pavement means more grip. Track time is limited, and if we miss it on the setup, we’ll have to be that much more aggressive to find the limits and what works balance-wise before practice wraps up on Friday.”

How important is qualifying at road courses? Has it become a bit like Formula One, where track position is so precious that in order to finish up front, you really need to start up front?

“I certainly don’t think qualifying is as important for us as it is in Formula One. There are a lot of things in Cup that make our field and competition so close. Formula One is a really different series, but I think we’ve also seen that qualifying holds a lot of value pretty much everywhere in our sport, not just the road courses, because all of the teams, manufacturers and drivers are right there together. For us, qualifying is an area that we’re still working to improve and, hopefully, we can turn things around this weekend and find a good starting spot at Sonoma.”

No. 41 Caymus Vineyards Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Ryan Preece

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Crew Chief: Chad Johnston

Hometown: Cayuga, Indiana

Car Chief: Jeremy West

Hometown: Gardena, California

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen

Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Spotter: Tony Raines

Hometown: LaPorte, Indiana

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Devin Lester

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons

Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: Sherman Timbs

Hometown: Indianola, Mississippi

Fuel Man: Dwayne Moore

Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Road Crew Members

Front End Mechanic: Joe Zanolini

Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Interior Mechanic: Robert Dalby

Hometown: Anaheim, California

Tire Specialist: Matt Ridgeway

Hometown: Carrollton, Georgia

Engine Tuner: Jimmy Fife

Hometown: Orange County, California

Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues

Hometown: Santa Clarita, California

Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer

Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Sonoma Media Availability | Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the NASCAR Cup Series, is coming off a victory on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway. He answered questions from the media about what that win means to him and his team while also looking ahead to this weekend’s event at Sonoma Raceway.

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS? “It’s been great. Obviously, it’s a short turnaround, probably shorter than most weeks with Sonoma and cars having to leave this morning. My guys didn’t have much time to turn around and we had to do the whole car yesterday, so we got all the families of the guys on my team together, pit crew, road crew and went out and had dinner last night. We went and did the win donuts that I would traditionally do at Roush Yates it’s just been a while. I went to the engine shop this morning. We’ll have our happy hour as a team during lunch today, so all great things. There is definitely still a pulse on it. It’s a pretty big moment for us and a lot of momentum for the team.”

BRIAN WILSON INDICATED THAT THE CREW CHIEFS PLAN AND STRATEGIZE THE UPCOMING RACES EARLY IN THE WEEK. ARE YOU AWARE OF WHAT THE STRATEGY IS GOING INTO THE RACE? “At the end of the day, I do whatever he says. I feel like we have a good enough relationship that if I have input, I’ll give it. Otherwise, he’s the one that’s dealing with all the information as far as seeing it all in real time as it’s happening. I feel like a turning point in that race was some of those cars staying out on those really old tires, being able to still make somewhat competitive lap time or at least make it hard for guys with four tires to go by, and I really feel like that somewhat diverted some of our strategy to maybe something more aggressive as to what we did. Obviously, we only stopped a handful of times in the race and we had good enough cars to do so. I didn’t have a whole lot of fall off or a whole lot of balance migration throughout the run, so the car was super predictable and it just opens up a lot of windows and I felt like we had a top three car and I felt like our strategy was top tier as well.”

WHAT’S THE FEELING LIKE COMING INTO THE TEAM MEETING THIS WEEK AS A WINNER? “It’s no different. I feel like this week is unique because Sonoma has got the repave and there’s a lot of unknowns with that, so how do you gather as much information, as much data, how relevant is the information and the data that you have on Sonoma towards what are you doing, and then how do you utilize the 50-minute practice session in an efficient way. When it comes to the process in relation to winning the race, I think it makes our Gateway debrief somewhat shorter than maybe a more difficult race as far as like, ‘Hey, what do I want for next time?’ We had a super competitive car and kind of just looking for small knobs to make it even better and go over why things went well versus last year’s previous events, other cars in the field. We definitely make good notes because you want to come back there and do that all again as a team, but as far as the process itself, winning and running that well it’s a validation of the process that we’ve put together as a team if we’re able to put a fast car on the racetrack, make the right decisions in the race car. That is enough for us to be at the top level on a good day.”

WHY IS IT YOU’RE ABLE TO NATURALLY ACHIEVE SUCCESS ON ROAD COURSES? “It’s hard to say. I feel like track to track it certainly changes. I feel like Sonoma and Watkins Glen are probably two of the hardest road course races to go into as a new guy. I mean, there are so many laps and so much experience from the traditional Cup Series field of drivers, but, otherwise, I think the game has honestly changed in the last five or six years when it comes to road course racing. There’s been a lot more races on the schedule and a lot more guys that have put much more of an emphasis on their preparation and how to go about that the right way to be prepared and to compete at a high level in those races. Obviously, you get the Street Course and a guy like SVG comes in, who is an absolute stud, and it’s no surprise he ran extremely well and had a shot to win the race, so I think as far as it relates to me, in the Cup Series I would say 2021 with the older car was probably a little bit better for me on the road courses than the Next Gen car. I feel like we’ve had some good races, but we haven’t had great races and I feel like in some ways it’s somewhat of the expectation, but I feel like you can never underestimate your competition. There are some pretty talented guys in the field and it’s definitely hard to separate yourself.”

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE XFINITY PROGRAM COME BACK TO PENSKE? “I think from a team standpoint we have certainly found different ways to continue to add depth to the race team. That’s what the Xfinity program really is for, whether that’s developing drivers, developing crew members or developing pit crew athletes. That’s what those programs are really good for, but obviously from my perspective driving on the racetrack, it’s 50/50 for me. I feel like some guys might feel differently, but, for me, when I did double-duty races in 2021 it was really difficult just because, and even then with the cars being as similar as they were, where as right now they’re not very similar at all. You listen to Chase Elliott talk about how different that Xfinity car felt to him after years of not running that style of car, I feel like that’s very much the case. In 2021 when I did double-duty races, I put everything into my racing and my preparation and I was exhausted on some of those weekends just because I want to get 100 percent out of it. I don’t want to leave anything on the table with as many people and at least for my process it was certainly a lot. I definitely wouldn’t want it to be a distraction, but I also wouldn’t want to not maximize an opportunity and really good car, so I would say I’m probably 50/50 on that and probably on the lower end of guys who would want more track time, but, otherwise, it’s kind of whatever you’re prioritizing at the moment.”

OVER THESE LAST TWO YEARS HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU THOUGHT BACK TO YOUR DAYTONA 500 WIN AND TO FINALLY GET BACK TO A CELEBRATION LIKE THAT THIS PAST WEEKEND? “Yeah, definitely meaningful. Obviously, a very different type of celebration, not necessarily – get the races out of the picture, just kind of the timing in my career very early on in the Cup Series. I think both wins I wouldn’t say came as a surprise, but I definitely wasn’t the favorite going into the race by any means for either of them. I think what makes this past weekend special is just in a lot of ways I feel like with the group of guys that I’m with and the team that I’m with it’s kind of a different experience in general. One of the coolest things about winning the Daytona 500 was a lot of my guys on the team, on the 2 car at that time, had been trying to win that race for decades and to be able to deliver that to those guys and to see that kind of joy. And then on the flip side this weekend there were a lot of guys on my car that that was their first-ever Cup Series win, and to be able to deliver that and I know I’m referencing in relation to how other people are experiencing it, but it is what makes this special for me. I said it after Daytona and I’ll say it again, I know what winning means for me. I know the excitement, the relief, the satisfaction that comes with that for me, Austin Cindric. But to kind of see what it means for other people that I get to see often, but never get to see that excited often is pretty special for me.”

IT SPEAKS TO HOW HARD IT IS TO WIN IN NASCAR, SO IT PROBABLY MAKES YOU APPRECIATE IT EVEN MORE. “Absolutely. It’s definitely worth soaking up every moment.”

CAN YOU SHARE MORE ABOUT WHAT IT’S FELT LIKE OR WHAT STANDS OUT ABOUT THINGS PEOPLE HAVE SAID OR HOW YOU’VE FELT SUPPORT THE LAST COUPLE OF SEASONS? “I certainly spend a lot of time at the race shop, so the shop-based guys are pretty used to seeing me, whether it’s just walking through the facility going to the gym every day or obviously being around the car and being around the team. It’s definitely a community of people that put a lot of work in and obviously don’t get to see the other side at the racetrack, but it’s just appreciated. I don’t expect anyone to be excited or happy about a poor performance or anything like that. I don’t think anyone is, but the support that I’ve received from the team, from top to bottom throughout this stretch of 85 races if you want to call it has been unwavering. I’ve always been a person that says other people’s opinions don’t matter, but the people that are putting in the hard work and that are part of my team, those are the only opinions to me that matter and to have that support even through the tough times shows the type of character of the people that work here and to have that belief in me is awesome. It’s appreciated and it doesn’t go unnoticed by me and it’s definitely a motivator.”

WALT SAID AFTER THE RACE THAT THROUGH ALL OF THIS YOU HAVEN’T LOST YOUR PASSION FOR RACING. FOR YOU, WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE THESE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS LEARNING TO RACE AT THE CUP LEVEL AND GO THROUGH THESE UPS AND DOWNS WITHOUT LOSING THAT FIRE? “That’s exactly what it is, it’s growth. You’re trying to find the next level yourself. You move up from the Xfinity Series to the Cup Series and you see it in other professional sports. I watch a lot of football and you see it with college players going into the NFL. That performance can or cannot translate depending on how you adapt, and the Cup Series field is extremely talented and to be able to separate yourself in today’s day and age is more of a challenge probably than ever in some ways, but otherwise I want to be on that level. I want that challenge. I don’t want to just be satisfied with what I’ve done. How do you take advantage of the opportunity that you have because that’s all it really comes down to, so whether if that’s defining my process throughout the week or with my guys or what I look at or what’s important or how do I utilize my teammates as resources – all of the things that make Cup Series racing different than what I’ve done in the Xfinity and Truck Series, and any other type of racing that I’ve done, how do I adapt to that with the things that I’m not necessarily comfortable with because I think you have to find yourself uncomfortable. You have to have difficult conversations with the people that matter. If you’re just reinventing the wheel to reinvent the wheel because you don’t feel good about how things are going, you’ve got to do everything with a purpose and I feel like I’ve turned over a lot of stones to get to where we’re seeing some progress with me and my group. That’s what it takes, I think.”

WHAT, IF ANYTHING, DO YOU LEARN BEING IN THE BROADCAST BOOTH THAT YOU AREN’T LEARNING ON THE TRACK, AND WHO HAD THE IDEA FOR THE BOW TIE? “As far as the broadcast booth side, I certainly enjoy it. I would say being in the booth has definitely been my favorite role that I’ve been assigned. I’ve done pit road and done the studio and I’ve done the booth and the booth is definitely the most fun because it’s live sports. That’s how you have to consume sports is live. That’s half the reason why I feel like we have live television is because of live sports, and to be part of that live action and talk about things as they’re happening is a lot of fun and I really enjoy that, and I enjoy watching that. So, that part for me has been fun. I’ve watched a lot of races from the spotter’s stand and I would say that’s a pretty similar experience for me as far as what I can see, so I do find that very valuable, and as far as the bow tie, I have always not cared about being a little bit different, but I probably got a bow tie before this, but it definitely solidified the deal when I was in band class I played the tuba and a regular tie was gonna get in the way of playing all the notes and picking the thing up and down and not pulling on your neck, so I wore a bow tie and have worn one ever since. That’s pretty much all I’ve ever owned. It’s funny because it’s just enough out of the norm that literally everybody picks up on it and asks me about it and it’s definitely become a thing, so I guess it’s fun to do something a little different.”

YOU TALKED SUNDAY ABOUT HOW IT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO BE TOP 10 AT TEAM PENSKE. HOW DO YOU PREVENT THAT FROM BEING DISRUPTIVE? “I think it depends on the day whether it’s breaking me down or not, but it’s how do you react and adapt to adversity. I think that’s what really high performance is all about, whether adversity is really low – someone’s adversity could be at my high and trying to define that and move that bar up, I think, is what it’s all about. I feel like I’ve been a pretty mentally strong person. I’ve had to learn a lot in a short amount of time in a lot of different situations in race cars. I’ve worked with a ton of different people. I feel like I’m a pretty adaptable person in a lot of ways, but it’s what it takes. Past that, I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way of how to do it. Everybody’s experiences are different, but how bad do you want it? That’s really what it all boils down to and how important is it to you? I think I alluded to on Sunday that this is by far the most important thing that I have going on and it’s how I want it.”

IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE YOU’VE GONE A YEAR WITHOUT WINNING, SO WHAT IS THE ADJUSTMENT IN TERMS OF NOT WINNING AND EITHER RESETTING GOALS OR UNDERSTANDING WHERE YOU ARE AND LOOKING AT IT THAT WAY? “I think you bring up a great point that made 2023 pretty difficult for me is just numbers on the board. To your point, that is the first year since 2011 that I haven’t won a race. That’s a long time. That’s a really long time and whether if it’s just one or two a year or multiple or whatever it is, I commish art work every year to send out to all of my supporters, family, friends, it’s kind of a collage of all the race cars I drove. I started it back in 2015 when I was racing in IMSA and Rallycross and stock cars and to kind of just illustrate, literally, the different experiences I got to do throughout the year. Usually, the centerpiece of this artwork is the most prominent race win I have, and last year I called my guy, Steve, and I’m like, ‘Dude, I don’t even know what to do. This is a tradition. Everybody expects this every year and I want to do this, and I want to have these to line them up throughout my career, but I don’t even know what to put in the center of this.’ I did the Bristol Dirt Race because it was different and it was going away, so we put a dirt NASCAR Cup car because that’s as weird as last year felt for me and that’s just what we did because I ran well in the heat race. That’s all I’ve got. From a goal-setting standpoint, look, I didn’t expect to get into the Cup Series and go out here and win a ton of races right away against some guys that have been doing this for over a decade. I’m definitely a realistic person, but I definitely expect myself and the level in which I prepare for these races, I would say the hardest thing over the last handful of years for me to do, and a lot of it is a weekly self-check for me because there is a different way to prepare for a race, to prepare if you’re gonna run from 10th to 25th versus 10th to first, whether if that’s studying restarts, how different drivers driver, what decisions to make in traffic. Those are the types of things that my preparation has had to be a much wider spectrum of preparation because the racing is so different throughout the Cup Series field. This past weekend, there were cars that raced that race that I never saw the entire weekend. Usually, I see the entire field at some point or the other, and it’s been difficult for me going into race weekends to convince myself that I need to prepare to watch every single restart of how to win every single restart in every scenario, the same way that I would going into every single Xfinity Series race going into the race knowing that, you know what, there’s a chance I’m not gonna be racing for the win here, but I need to be ready for that opportunity. There are weeks where you’re finishing 25th three weeks in a row where it’s hard to sit here and realistically think you’ll just go in there and need to use this information, but some of it is just about not being lazy and that’s how you have to challenge yourself because it’s kind of depressing watching some of those things thinking that you’re not gonna have to use it, but it’s necessary and that’s the mindset that I’ve forced myself to have is to be prepared for those moments and this weekend is honestly proof of that process for not just me, but my team. That’s what I feel like I project onto my race team is to be prepared for that, know that we have that opportunity and it’s good to be surrounded by, whether if that’s two championship teams right next door to our setup plate or even IndyCar program or an IMSA program. We have enough greatness surrounding us to know that we have all those ingredients. Obviously, it hasn’t been the best year for our Cup program as a whole, but you have to be ready for those opportunities and do what is necessary to take advantage of that.”

AS YOU TALK ABOUT STUDYING RESTARTS AND DIFFERENT THINGS IS IT AS MUCH ABOUT JUST BEING AROUND TEAM PENSKE AS LONG AS YOU HAVE BEEN THAT YOU ARE SORT OF A RACING VERSION OF A GYM RAT? “I certainly think that my expectation for myself and the people around me, the people that I work with, is absolutely that. I ask a lot of the people that I work with and I ask a lot of myself, and I do feel like I don’t know anything different when it comes to performance and how to get the most out of every opportunity other than what I know, and what I know is what happens at Team Penske. There’s no other way around it, really. I don’t have any exposure to anything else. That mentality has helped me in other forms or racing outside of racing for Team Penske, but it is absolutely the mentality and the culture that flows through the shop. From that perspective, yes, absolutely, there’s no way I could disagree with you, but at the same time, everyone has bad days but I definitely don’t want to define myself as a 25th-place driver as I talk about all this because I know that’s what I’m not, and I know I bring a lot more to the table with that, but those weeks are definitely the toughest because I know that with what I do and what we do as a team, so it’s difficult to try and overcome that some days.”

HAVE YOU SEEN THE PICTURES OF THE REPAVE OF THREE AND FOUR IN IOWA, AND HOW WILL THAT CHANGE THE RACING? “I actually haven’t seen the photos of the repave in Iowa. I know they were going to pave over the patchwork in three and four that’s been there for a little while, so obviously new pavement is gonna add grip and you’re gonna have to run through it. I think it all just kind of depends on how wide it is. Even at North Wilkesboro that’s an extreme example with an extremely old surface. You would put your tire literally on the freshest piece of asphalt and that would be the racing line no matter what track shape or geometry would tell you is the correct racing line. It’s where the grip is, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a favored spot on the racetrack just because of that, but, otherwise, I think we’re all really excited about going to Iowa.”