Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Darlington Media Advance | Friday, May 10, 2024

Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Cole Custer and Riley Herbst answered questions from the media before today’s practice and qualifying session at Darlington Raceway.

COLE CUSTER, No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse – IT’S 10 YEARS SINCE YOUR FIRST WIN WITH THE TEAM WHEN YOU WERE IN THE TRUCK SERIES. WHAT DOES SHR MEAN TO YOU? “The truck series win wasn’t with SHR, but starting with the Xfinity Series and going from there and seeing what that’s built into since we started, I mean, it was a lot of work when the Xfinity team started and how much went into that, and seeing it get a championship last year was really rewarding. So, hopefully we can keep it going here. I think we really hit our stride in Dover and felt like we had a really fast car that could compete for a win. The rain had a little bit to do with stuff at Dover, but hopefully we can kind of keep that momentum rolling here and have a shot of winning this thing because Darlington is one of the coolest places you can ever win at. Having a Johnny Sauter throwback this weekend also would be really cool, so hopefully we can give him a good run.”

IS THERE ANY FRUSTRATION WITH NOT YET WINNING OR ARE YOU CONFIDENT WITH WHERE YOU’RE AT RIGHT NOW? “I think any driver or team expects to win. We’re obviously a little bit frustrated that we haven’t won yet, but at the end of the day I think we’re really good as a group at just continuing to grind it out and communicating how to get our cars that little bit better. I think it showed last weekend at Dover, so I know we have a great group around us and we just have to keep it rolling. If you keep knocking on the door, it will happen, so we just have to keep doing what we do. We’ve had fast cars. We just have to keep that consistency going.”

IT TOOK UNTIL PORTLAND LAST YEAR TO START YOUR CHAMPIONSHIP RUN. WHAT DID YOU LEARN LAST YEAR THAT WILL HELP FOR THE REST OF 2024? “I think just being patient. It doesn’t happen overnight. For whatever reason, we ended the season so strong last year and this year there was a little bit of a rule change in the Xfinity Series, so I think maybe just adapting to that and getting everything back going how we were, we just needed a little bit of that. I think at the end of the day what we learned last year was you just have to be patient. Eventually, if you keep working on it and keep finding the things not to do and then you find things that you need to do it will come to you eventually with how you need to get the cars. From there, you just try and execute. When you bring fast cars to the racetrack it makes things so much easier, but you just have to communicate to get those cars where you need them.”

DO YOU LIKE DARLINGTON? IS IT INTIMIDATING? “I think for me it’s usually a little bit cautious. I’ve been here, actually last year in the second race I hit the wall on lap one, so it’s definitely a place the first lap or two you just try to get your feet wet and see what the track has in store for you this weekend. It’s one of those places where you just have to know when to be aggressive and when to just take what it gives you because the first half of the race you don’t want to get yourself in trouble and then you don’t have anything for the second half. You have to be smart around here, but it’s always such a challenge. There are so many different things you can do. You have to run up against the wall with it being so slick out and it’s just one of those places you take a lot of pride in running good here.”

DO YOU LIKE IT? “Yeah, I’d say I’ve always liked it. I feel like I’ve had some pretty good races here and it’s just a place you always look forward to coming to because it is such a challenge and when you do run well here it’s really rewarding.”

WHAT’S MORE INTIMIDATING, GOING OFF IN TURN ONE AT DARLINGTON OR HITTING THAT FIRST TEE SHOT IN FRONT OF A CROWD? “Man, it’s about equal almost, I think. Coming here and knowing you have to be up against the wall, but then also going there and hopefully you don’t shank it off into the woods into somebody’s head is a little bit intimidating when you’ve never done it before. I would say those two things are neck-and-neck.”

YOU HAVE A WIN HERE WHEN DENNY HAMLIN GOT DISQUALIFIED IN 2019. HOW DO YOU PROCESS THAT? “I don’t know if I go boasting around that I’ve won at Darlington, but I take a little pride in it because it is a tough place to run and we’ve always run pretty good here. To finish second to Denny is something to be proud of here, but obviously I think it’ll be way more sweeter if you actually cross the finish line first. I’ve been chasing that here ever since then and I think whenever that happens, it’ll mean that much more.”

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Terrible Herbst Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I’ve been very fortunate to be part of a really cool family and to honor the Terrible Herbst name and the Terrible Herbst roots here at Darlington is only right and to have that bright red car is pretty cool and I’m honored to do so.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT DARLINGTON THIS WEEKEND? “It should be good. I’m excited to be back in the Xfinity car after the Cup car last weekend. I feel like we have some good tracks coming up, this and Charlotte, so I’m excited for what’s in store and hopefully we get to practice without any weather, but we’ll see how that goes.”

HOW WAS YOUR CUP EXPERIENCE LAST WEEK AND HOW MANY LEFT DO YOU HAVE? “I have two more. I thought from 2500 feet not very good with a 35th-place finish. My goal on Monday was to run all the laps and learn as much as I can and be there at the end and I felt like we accomplished those goals. It’s really hard. Obviously, Cup is the premier series and I’m grateful I got to do it. Hopefully, the next time out will be a little bit better than it was at Kansas and we keep learning and progressing.”

WILL ALL OF YOUR STARTS BE WITH RICK WARE RACING? “Yes. I’ve got two more. The next one is Nashville and I don’t know after that, but Nashville is the next one.”

THEY’RE SHR-PREPARED CARS? “It’s a Rick Ware car with some SHR personnel, but a majority of it is Rick Ware Racing.”

ARE YOU FEELING THE SAME DEFICIENCY ON THE XFINITY SIDE AS THE CUP SIDE? “I don’t think so. I think at Stewart-Haas Racing in the Xfinity program I think us and the 00 have the fastest cars, or it’s a coin flip between who is fastest each week. I think our Xfinity program is really figured out and it’s switched on right now. It’s my job to capitalize on it. The Cup car, it’s not fair for me to come back and say the Fords are lacking here, here and here is meaning the driver is lacking here, here and here and just experience, so I’m looking forward to the next start and hopefully it’s better than Kansas.”

HOW DO YOU APPROACH DARLINGTON? “I think Darlington is super interesting. When people bring up Darlington I bring up COVID when I was a really green race car driver and we didn’t get any testing or practice. We had a random start and I started sixth on the outside of Justin Allgaier for my first laps around Darlington, so that’s a special memory for me and it’s extremely challenging with both ends being very, very different and the patch seems to lose grip every time we come here from the spring to the fall and the fall to spring, so I’m excited to see what it holds in practice, if we get to practice, which I think we’ll be able to. I feel like we’ll have a pretty fast car like we’ve had all year and hopefully capitalize on that.”

WHAT ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THE TRACKS EACH WEEK? “I don’t know if the track length is truly an adjustment for us, but this truly is one of the shortest Xfinity races we do with only 200 miles, so that’s probably the biggest adjustment for us race car drivers is the stages are shorter and the race length is shorter, so we have to be about it a little bit more aggressively and put it on the fence a little bit sooner.”

AS YOU LOOK AT YOUR CAREER IS IT HARD TO NOT LOOK BEHIND AND SEE SOME OF THESE YOUNGER KIDS DOING WELL? “I think this is a pivotal season for my career, honestly. These next few races are gonna be big. There are a lot of cool opportunities and big things possibly for my future, but that kind of falls back on my shoulders to perform. I think things are happening a lot sooner this year than in year’s past, so it’s gonna kind of be a sprint to the summertime and I think things are gonna start to happen a lot sooner than people anticipate.”

HOW DOES THAT NOT IMPACT WHAT YOU DO OR DON’T DO IN A CAR? “I think it’s just kind of an internal thing on the 98 team to kind of buckle down and get going because all of us are kind of looking around and seeing some writing on the walls for the inside the outside, so we want to perform the best we can and put ourselves in a good position. I know people are watching the 98 team, so hopefully we can excel when the eyes are on us.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 10, 2024

 KYLE BUSCH, DRIVER OF THE NO. 8 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1 AND NO. 7 SPIRE MOTORSPORTS SILVERADO RST, met with the media in advance of racing double duty in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Darlington Raceway.

Media Availability Quotes:

If you had not spun and you weren’t the caution last weekend, are you making decisions now to win a race, or do you have to play the points considering where you’re at in the standings?

“I would say that we would go for the win and make the decision based off of trying to get that. We were in the fourth position – man, that would have been really, really hard for us to choose only two tires with that many laps on the left. So I think we would have taken four, which ultimately would have put us a little too far back because four didn’t win, right? That would have been the call, but obviously it wasn’t the one needed to win the race. We need to think about that and put ourselves in that position had we not been the caution.”

What do you think it is about this car that has taken you awhile to get acclimated to? When you were at Joe Gibbs Racing the first year of the car, we just assumed they were not giving you the best equipment, I guess might be the fair way to say it, since you were a lame duck at that point. You had a successful season last year with three wins, and I’m just kind of curious – just from what you told us, you seem to stumble a little bit with the car, in general?

“Yeah, I mean I think the better piece that you have at the racetrack, it’s going to mask a lot of things. It’s going to make your job easier and the opportunity of going out there and getting strong finishes or wins a lot easier. Some guys have done a better job of that. We were leading, I think twice, and had engine failures in the final races of the JGR cars. And then last year, we were good out of the gate. We had some good stuff, and then as times have changed, the setups have evolved and guys have found how to make their stuff go faster. We just haven’t been able to do that.

It looked good the last two weeks. I felt like the last two weeks at Dover (Motor Speedway) and Kansas (Speedway), we were respectable; contenders and much closer. That was a nice change of pace. We were consistent top-five runners. Being a consistent top-five runner; get those top-five finishes and then that consistency will build into putting yourself in the right place, at the right time, in the end of these races to get a win.”

Inaudible..

“It definitely drives different than the old car. What that is, I’m not exactly sure. I mean it seems – when you lean into the corner and the right-front is outside the right-rear, the car is much tighter. When you get to the center off of the corner and the right-front is inside the right-rear coming downhill, it’s much looser. And so trying to find that balance of that has been difficult.. trying to get that right. But the old car didn’t have that sensation. It was easy to just make a smooth corner and have the balance stay the same the whole time, where now I feel like I’m fighting many more balance issues. And on top of fighting those balance issues by yourself, throw in the aero deficiencies that you have in traffic and now you’re just confused. You think that you’re going to expect it to do one thing, and it does something else and you lose a tenth of a second because you’re trying to garner that feel of what it is. We’re literally all grasping at half of a tenth of a second to be the best car on the racetrack. Many of our pace studies that come out after these races – two-tenths is the difference between first and 25th. So you’re literally grasping at very small gains to move yourself up that pylon.”

Is there this confusion – and I can’t related because I don’t have your experience, but is this type of confusion anything that you’ve gone through at any point of your career with different types of cars, or is this a new realm of an experience in that sense?

“No, this is all new – a new realm of confusion. I think the last time we had this much confusion was when we had the high downforce package on the Cup cars – the old Cup car where you didn’t know if you wanted to be the downforce guy or the less drag guy at the different racetracks, you know. So like, I think (Martin) Truex (Jr.), if I remember right, like they poured all the downforce on his cars and he was fast his way, and they made Denny’s (Hamlin) cars less drag and he was fast that way. So it was like – OK but which way is the way, you know? I think that was the last time I was confused. But that’s just car build stuff, not even lap-to-lap as you’re going through the turns with your balance issues and aero issues that you have.”

Looking ahead to the All-Star Race, you were the winner the one year they had the option tire. I know it didn’t work as well as everyone hoped back then, but what’s your hopes and thoughts about this idea of going back to an option tire and trying this again? What would the signs be that it works, or even if it doesn’t work, it’s still worth looking forward and moving forward on?

“Yeah, I mean I think it’s definitely something interesting. You know, I feel like – the last time, we all kind of put it on at the same time, so there was no difference in putting it on, right? So this time, I feel like we’re probably all going to strategize the same way again. Like there’s not that many different ways that you can skin the same cat to figure out how to win these races. You know, it’s no different than every Sunday, right? Every Sunday, you’re going to split the first stage. You’re going to split the second stage. You’re either going to split the third stage, or you’re going to two-stint the third stage. Like it’s spelled out.. there’s no thinking at all anymore to strategy. So like, I’ve made the suggestion years ago and they’ve skipped right over it – in one ear and out the other – of find or make a defined number at some of these racetracks. If it’s 75 laps green and you want to go 75 laps green.. when the green flag falls, we’re going 75 laps green. And if no caution comes, you throw a caution. OK and then the clock resets – we go 75 laps again, but then there’s no caution in the last 50, 25 or whatever laps. So that throws some strategy into things, and that would give the crew chiefs, if we had option tires at all these other races, like – hey, do we want to run the option tire for 75 laps here? Will it make it 75 laps, that’s another question.. you know, and how all of that would look. That would definitely throw some more options into these races, where right now, it’s all the same, man. It’s so cookie-cutter that it’s all the same.”

Regarding the 75 laps – you’re potentially going to have natural cautions..

“You start over.. the clock starts over, right? It’s kind of like the caution clock, except it’s just laps. It’s defined by laps. So you start the race green and you go 75 laps. If there’s no natural caution, you throw one, right? And then if there’s a caution at lap 50, once it goes green again, you’re going 75 green again, you know? But at least there’s not a set and defined pit strategy at that point, in my opinion.”

A lot of talk recently about the future of the engine in the Cup Series.. abandoning pushrod V8’s and bringing in some kind of hybrid technology. Is there optimism that maybe that could get the horsepower back up like a lot of drivers, including yourself, have advocated for over the past few years?

“Sure.. just depends on what they build it to, you know? There’s plenty of engine opportunities that are out there. There are superchargers. There’s the electrification piece that could be used. I’ve heard that ours would only be under caution and not used under green, so what is the horsepower that we would utilize under green? Could it happen that overhead cam engines come to the Cup Series and they’re less than 650 horsepower.. boy, that would be a detriment (laughs). Definitely we would advocate for more, it’s just a matter of who’s going to listen.”

When you spun out there at the end of the race last weekend, was that just pushing too hard or did something happen?

“Yeah, so I had smoked the tires. I had gotten really loose about six laps prior to that, and I was running the top and I was just barely hanging on. And then I went to the bottom and I found a little bit of pace around the bottom, and that’s when I got by Kyle Larson. And then, I don’t know if it was a lap or two later, I just kept trying to maximize my speed, knowing that we were falling off and I didn’t want to lose any more positions to anybody behind me. I just over pushed it. I came in and they said the whole right-rear was just feathered, and Kyle’s right-front was corded, splitting and unraveling. We both just smoked our tires. I think it’s a little bit weird that he smoked a right-front and I smoked a right-rear. I would think opposite of that, right?”

Inaudible..

“It could be just the balance that you had at that particular time of the race. Like we had been trying to free up the second-half of the race and I felt really neutral. And honestly that whole run, like I felt like I was trying to stay under the tire and not over push because it was going to be one of our longest runs to end the race. When the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin) and the No. 17 (Chris Buescher) were racing really hard for the lead and I was in third, I was just like – you guys burn your stuff up… you guys do what you have to do. This is fun.. I’m going to watch for a second and you’re going to come right back to me. And so I was just hanging out.. like I didn’t even want to get in the fray. And then I don’t know, it was about 15 laps later and I wasn’t getting any closer to them. I started slipping in different ways and I’m like – hmmm alright.. I’m not going to get a payoff for trying to take care of my tires here (laughs).”

Is running the Truck Race fun for you? Do you like doing that kind of stuff when you can these days? Can it help with what you do on Sunday? And also, this year with the “Throwback Weekend”, they’re celebrating grassroots racing and things like that. How important is that still to get that path from when you’re running around as a 10 or 11 year old to making it to the big series?

“I enjoy the truck stuff. It’s a lot of fun for me. It’s still the same group of people on my truck that I worked with last year at KBM, so thanks to the Spire Motorsports guys for giving me the five races they did this year to get out there and get some track time. For here at Darlington (Raceway), I think it’s – I wouldn’t say you need it, but it is helpful to just kind of get out there to learn and build a comfort with the fence; where you’re at, how close, the speed and just getting the feel for that. So being able to do all of that tonight with the truck and then get into a Cup car tomorrow, I think you’ll fire off a little bit faster, you know? Beside that, I don’t know that you learn much more than that. Just the comfort of where the wall is.

And then you look at the grassroots effect and all of that – that’s what drives our sport, really. I mean it could be driven from the top down, of course, with the Cup Series and everything that it is. But there’s obviously a dream that these younger guys and gals have to make it to the top and they want to get there one day and they come from the grassroots level. For support that certain companies put into the grassroots levels, I’m grateful of that. It’s really neat that Brexton has the companies that he has that are helping him. And then of course too, with others across the country – I know the Toyota dirt program has been very instrumental in a lot of those drivers coming up into here and getting here. You see a little bit more of Chevrolet on some of the stuff, as well too, with grassroots racing and the dirt stuff, so that’s been fun to see. But yeah, it’s always cool to have the “Throwback Weekend” in Darlington. Excited about seeing some of the schemes out there.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway… In 143 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has eight wins, all by Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt claimed the checkered flag in 1986 (spring), both races in 1987, 1989 (fall), another sweep in 1990 plus spring events in 1993 and 1994. RCR drivers have 26 top-five and 48 top-10 finishes at the historic South Carolina speedway.

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at The Lady in Black… Richard Childress Racing is looking to find Victory Lane for the first time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington Raceway. Austin Hill owns the most recent top-five result, a second-place effort in the September 2023 event. The Welcome, N.C. based team has 13 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes.

Catch Saturday’s Action… The Darlington 200 will be televised live Saturday, May 11, beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Watch Sunday’s Show… The Goodyear 400 will be televised live on Sunday, May 12 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on FS1. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Darlington Raceway… Austin Dillon has made 15 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway, posting a career-best second-place finish in September 2020 when he missed Victory Lane by a narrow margin over Kevin Harvick. Dillon also had a fourth-place finish in 2017. Dillon has made four appearances at The Lady in Black in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, securing his best finish of fifth in 2012. The 2011 NASCAR Truck Series champion has two starts at the track in the Truck Series, earning his best finish of fifth in August 2010.

Throwing It Back… Dating back to 1998, the long-standing partnership between Bass Pro Shops and RCR began with an associate sponsorship on Dale Earnhardt’s No. 3 Chevrolet. In that year’s NASCAR All-Star Race, Earnhardt drove a special gold Bass Pro Shops design, which served as the inspiration for Dillon’s Camaro that will hit the banks of Darlington Raceway for this weekend’s annual NASCAR Throwback event.

About Bass Pro Shops… Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations, and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops united with Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations, and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit http://www.basspro.com/.

Meet Dillon… Dillon is scheduled to appear at the RCR Merchandise Hauler in the Fan Zone at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 12 at 11:45 a.m. ET. Stop by to meet the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet and get new merchandise to wear on race day.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

400 miles at Darlington Raceway is grueling. How do you stay focused?

“We always have a long, hot race at Darlington Raceway. Keeping hydrated is key leading up to the event, and working out in the gym and running laps on the simulator helps me maintain focus during 400 miles. I am looking forward to racing at Darlington. This is one of my favorite tracks. I have finished second here in the past, so we want to improve on that. We need to qualify well on Saturday because track position is extremely important and a good pit stall can make the difference in the race.”

Do you enjoy racing at Darlington Raceway?

“I enjoy racing at Darlington Raceway. It’s challenging. The track gets slick and wears tires quite a bit. The key to Darlington is trying to race the track and not the competition.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 zone Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Darlington Raceway… Kyle Busch will make his 25th NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington Raceway on Sunday afternoon. The Las Vegas native scored his first victory at the historic track in 2008, coming in just his fourth start at the egg-shaped speedway. During that win, Busch led a race-high 169 of 367 laps and crossed the finish line over three seconds ahead of second-place Carl Edwards. Entering this weekend’s event, Busch has recorded six top-five and 14 top-10 finishes at Darlington Raceway. He ranks third overall among current drivers in laps led at Darlington (899).

Did You Know? Busch is the youngest NASCAR Cup Series race winner in the 74-year history of Darlington Raceway. Busch was 23 years, 0 months, and 8 days old when he captured the checkered flag at the South Carolina speedway in 2008.

The Points Chase… Entering Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway, Busch holds the 12th position in the Cup Series driver championship point standings, 17 markers outside the top-10.

Welcome zone™… The latest innovation from ITG Brands, zone is the next generation of nicotine pouches that delivers a superior tobacco-free experience and outperforms competitive products where it matters most. Available in 6mg and 9mg strengths and 7 flavors, zone pouches are made with top shelf ingredients and high-quality materials to provide extra soft comfort, longer-lasting flavor, and immediate nicotine intensity. zone’s pouches are carefully crafted and designed to meet the needs of adult nicotine consumers, providing the best experience from the first pouch to the last. For more information, visit zonepouches.com.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

Has the Next Gen car changed how you race at Darlington Raceway?

“I don’t know that it’s really changed the race a whole lot at Darlington Raceway. I think we’ve always kind of had trouble passing there to begin with, because the track is so narrow and it’s really, really tough to pass regardless. The Next Gen car has definitely created more gaps between the cars so it is harder to get to the back of the guy in front of you.”

Do you still have the same approach with keeping the car off the wall and staying out of trouble?

“It’s changed a little bit with the ability of being able to lean up against the wall and be closer to the wall with the body, because the flange fit body allows it to flex in and flex out. But the car is still very brittle with the components to it. You can bend a toe-link pretty easy.”

How challenging is entering pit road off the track between Turns 3 and 4?

“Pit road entry in the middle of Turns 3 and 4 is not really that bad. You just have to know where it’s at. Experience is obviously the best key. You’ve got to maintain that slowing down time up on top of the racetrack and then the turning down. You’re only running between 45 and 50 laps on tires versus years ago when you’d run 60 or so. The tires are old and worn out and they feel bad, but they’re not as bad as they could be.”

Do you enjoy the challenge of racing at Darlington Raceway?

“I do feel like Darlington has its own unique challenges and those challenges are pretty fun. It kind of gives to that old school nature of NASCAR but yet still has its own unique differences between any of the other one-mile or mile-and-a-half racetracks that we go to.”

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro SS at Darlington Raceway… Jesse Love will make his inaugural run at Darlington Raceway this weekend during the Darlington 200. The rookie driver’s first-ever laps at the track “Too Tough to Tame” will take place during NASCAR Xfinity Series practice on Friday evening.

Points Check In… Love currently sits in the fourth position in the Xfinity Series driver championship point standings. The rookie is 40 points behind teammate, Austin Hill, who sits in third. The 19-year-old has had a constant hold on the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points standings since the start of the season and sits in the first position, 124 points ahead of second place Shane Van Gisbergen.

Supporting Our First Responders… The No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet will sport their iconic red-and-white design at Darlington Raceway, but there will be a little something extra. As a way to honor those who protect the community, the rear TV Panel will feature “Trusted to Protect First Responders” under the Whelen logo. Whelen products are all proudly manufactured in America and Whelen is committed to protecting first responders with reliable products that keep them and their communities safe.

About Whelen Engineering… Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.

JESSE LOVE QUOTES:

How do you prepare to race at a track you haven’t seen before?

“The simulator helps a lot; I utilize that as a good tool and talk to my crew chief and my spotter. I talk to my teammate, Austin Hill, and my friends who have been there before. I also watch a lot of film.”

Darlington Raceway is one of the toughest tracks on the NASCAR circuit. Is it intimidating for you to go out there without any time on the track?

“At Darlington Raceway you have to use driving techniques that I feel I am pretty good at: running the wall, sliding around, being free and doing a lot with your feet because of the corners and how Turns 1 and 2 are built. I feel it’s not a big disadvantage for me and I’ll be able to fire off pretty well there.”

What would you consider a good day at Darlington Raceway? How will you measure your success there?

“Just having a shot to win the race would be a good day. There’s a lot of things you can’t control, but we need to put ourselves in position to win, get some stage points, have a good qualifying effort and be there at the end with a shot to win. That’s all we can ask for. If we do that, it will be a successful day.”

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro SS at Darlington Raceway… Austin Hill has made five career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Darlington Raceway, earning a top-10 result in each event. Last fall while piloting the No. 21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet at the historic South Carolina track, the Winston, Georgia native posted his best finish of second. Hill has also competed in three NASCAR Truck Series races at Darlington, posting a best finish of third in 2020.

Celebrating 50 Years of Trucking… In celebration of the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR and 50 Years of Trucking for Bennett Family of Companies, Hill and his Bennett Transportation and Logistics team are honoring the companies’ roots with a design that resembles a beloved truck from the 1980’s. The classic blue and white scheme will feature gold keyline accents to commemorate Bennett’s golden anniversary.

About Bennett Family of Companies… McDonough-Ga. based Bennett Family of Companies is a woman-owned, Women’s Enterprise Business Council (WBENC) certified, diversified transportation and logistics company. Through its 14 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Bennett has 4,625 drivers/owner-operators, over 1,000 employees and 600 agents located across the United States. For more information, visit www.bennettig.com.

Meet Hill… On Saturday, May 11 at 10:30 a.m. ET, Hill is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Fan Zone at Darlington Raceway. Stop by to get your No. 21 gear and have Hill sign the items purchased.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTES:

What makes Darlington Raceway so difficult?

“Darlington Raceway is a tough place to get around. Tire wear is a big issue there and we always see a good amount of tire fall off. You have to make the decision of how hard you are going to push at the beginning of a run or how much you are willing to fall off at the end of a run. It’s always a game of chess to position yourself around other guys who may have made the same decision as you. How hard are they pushing right now compared to me. You want to stay under the limit of the tire and not overstep the right front or right rear to burn it off too early. I personally love to race on any tracks that have an old, worn-out surface where you see a lot of tire fall off. You see a lot of strategies play out differently. It’s a very unique racetrack that no other racetrack can mimic.”

Would you rather be better in Turns 1 and 2 or Turns 3 and 4?

“In racing, your car is never going to be 100% perfect. Drivers will always complain about something, whether the car is too tight, too loose, or doing something that we don’t like. For me, when I go into Darlington weekend, I focus on how my car is driving in Turns 3 and 4. I hope I can just get through Turns 1 and 2 but be really strong on the other end. Everyone gets through Turns 1 and 2 fairly decent. You can move your line around to make up speed. But in Turns 3 and 4, you have to turn really well and have drive on exit with how tight the overall corner is. When you see guys who win races at Darlington, I feel like they are really strong in Turns 3 and 4.”

21-year-old racing prodigy heads to Nashville to race No. 50 in honor of the Mobil 1 brand and its 50th anniversary

Huntersville, N.C. (May 10, 2024) – 23XI Racing, in collaboration with Mobil 1 and TRD (Toyota Racing Development) USA, announced today that Corey Heim, 21-year-old racing prodigy, will compete in the No. 50 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry XSE in the NASCAR Cup Series event at Nashville Superspeedway on June 30. The No. 50 Camry, a third entry for 23XI, is racing at select Cup Series races this year as part of a larger global celebration for the Mobil 1 brand to commemorate its 50th anniversary. The car returns to the track after competing at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in March with sportscar racing star Kamui Kobayashi behind the wheel.

“I’m very thankful for this opportunity I’ve been given by Mobil 1 to compete with 23XI in Nashville,” said Heim, who is ranked the top Cup Series prospect by FOX Sports. “Through my time with Toyota, I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people, including those from Mobil 1. We have seen this season how strong 23XI’s Camrys have been, which makes me even more excited to get behind the wheel in Nashville. I’m putting in the effort to be prepared for this opportunity and cannot wait to get on-track with the No. 50 Mobil 1 Toyota team in a few weeks.”

In 2023, Heim claimed the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series regular season championship and is currently a seven-time winner in the Series. He will make his first Cup Series start at Nashville where in two previous Truck Series starts, he has one top-five finish. Heim’s consistency has been impressive since joining the Truck Series full-time in 2023, earning top-10 finishes in 27 of his 30 starts in the Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. The Toyota Development Driver has also delivered in select starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Sam Hunt Racing, including leading the most laps in team history before finishing fourth at Richmond Raceway in March. While the race at COTA featured the motorsports legacy of Mobil 1 with a world-renowned driver in the No. 50, the race in Nashville highlights the Mobil 1 brand’s commitment to continue growing that legacy and being ready for what’s next.

“This year has been off to an incredible start as we continue to celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary with strong racing talent like Corey Heim,” explains Rob Shearer, Director of Global Sponsorships and Marketing Services, on behalf of Mobil 1. “He continues to prove himself on track as he grows with his career and proves his commitment to the love of racing. Nashville is such a great market for the brand, and we are proud to partner with 23XI Racing for another event for the No. 50 Toyota. Drivers and racing fans know that quality products can help them and their team get the most out of their engine, and we are proud to add another driver to our motorsports legacy in the NASCAR Cup Series.”

Heim holds a NASCAR Cup reserve driver position with both 23XI Racing and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and was called into action to substitute for Erik Jones last month. While Heim will be racing the No. 50 Toyota at Nashville, fans can expect to see the No. 50 – a nod to Mobil 1 and its 50-year heritage – competing at three total events this season. Together with 23XI and TRD USA, Mobil 1 will continue to bring fans a season filled with memorable races and experiences to further deepen its commitment and relationship to the sport.

“We are excited for Corey to join the 23XI team in Nashville as he helps us celebrate our partners at Mobil 1 and its 50th anniversary,” shares Steve Lauletta, President of 23XI Racing. “Corey is undoubtedly an up-and-coming star, and we look forward to working with him as he prepares to race at Nashville. Mobil 1 has a history of working with some of the best young talent in racing, and I can’t think of a better person than Corey to drive the No. 50 Toyota at Nashville.”

“Our partnership with Mobil 1 continues to grow as we near two decades of collaboration,” adds Tyler Gibbs, general manager, TRD USA. “We are thrilled this relationship is giving Corey the opportunity to compete for 23XI Racing in Nashville. Throughout his time as a Toyota Development Driver, Corey has continued to grow as a driver in both the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series as he pursues excellence in his race craft with diligent work in the simulator, film study and through his training sessions at the Toyota Performance Center. He has truly earned this opportunity with Mobil 1 and 23XI, and we look forward to watching him compete against the top drivers in the sport.”

About Mobil 1

For 50 years, Mobil 1 has been trusted by drivers to keep their engines running longer. Our products combine the latest technology and innovation to exceed the toughest standards of vehicle manufacturers and tuning shops—so consumers can get the most out of their time behind the wheel, both on the road and on the track. Turn every day into an adventure with Mobil 1, the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand. Learn more at www.mobil1.us or and follow @Mobil1Racing on Instagram and X. Join us. For the love of driving.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands, and directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America (more than 49,000 in the U.S.).

Over the past 65 years, Toyota has assembled nearly 47 million cars and trucks in North America at the company’s 12 manufacturing plants. By 2025, the company’s 13th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

Through our more than 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.), Toyota sold more than 2.6 million cars and trucks (more than 2.2 million in the U.S.) in 2023, of which more than one quarter were electrified vehicles (full battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell).

About 23XI Racing

23XI Racing – pronounced twenty-three eleven – was founded by NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin in 2020. With rising NASCAR star Bubba Wallace selected to drive the No. 23 Toyota Camry, the team made its NASCAR Cup Series debut in the 2021 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Wallace made history on October 4, 2021, when he captured his first career Cup Series win, becoming just the second African American to win in the Cup Series, and earning 23XI its first-ever victory. 23XI expanded to a two-car organization in 2022 with Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry. With a win at Kansas Speedway in May of 2022, Busch earned 23XI the team’s first-ever playoff berth. 23XI currently features the lineup of Bubba Wallace in the No. 23 Toyota Camry and Tyler Reddick in the No. 45 Toyota Camry. In 2023, both Wallace and Reddick earned spots in the NASCAR Playoffs. The team operates out of Airspeed, a state-of-the-art facility in Huntersville, N.C. that opened in January of 2024.

JUSTIN HALEY | KAZ GRALA
Darlington Advance

Event Overview

● Event: Goodyear 400 (Round 13 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 12
● Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
● Layout: 1.366-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 293 laps/400.2 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 108 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Justin Haley, Driver of the No. 51 NC Fraternal Order of Police/CMPD Tribute Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● Sunday’s Goodyear 400 will mark Justin Haley’s seventh NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. While several of his competitors will honor the grassroots of motorsports with their respective racecar paint schemes, Haley’s will honor four heroes who gave their lives making a difference in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community.

● On Monday, April 29, 2024, law enforcement officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police department (CMPD) were attempting to serve a felony warrant when a suspect opened fire from inside the house. Four heroes were mortally wounded – CMPD Officer Joshua Eyer, NC Department of Adult Corrections Investigators Samuel Poloche and William “Alden” Elliott, and Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks, Jr. – while four additional officers were injured.

​The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #9 Foundation has established a fundraiser to honor the fallen officers. All donations made will be split equally between the four families of the fallen officers to help with necessary expenses. Haley and his family will match donations made through the end of Sunday’s race.

● Haley’s two best Darlington finishes came in the two most recent May races at the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval. In May 2022, he charged to a third-place finish from his 29th starting position. He followed that up in May 2023 with an eighth-place run.

● In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Haley has posted five starts with one top-five and five top-15 finishes from 2021 to 2023.

Kaz Grala, Driver of the No. 15 N29 Capital Partners Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● Kaz Grala will make his first Cup Series start at Darlington in the No. 15 N29 Capital Partners Ford Mustang Dark Horse that is designed to honor the 1969 Bud Moore Ford Mustang Boss 302 driven by Rufus “Parnelli” Jones in the original SCCA Trans Am Series. The Ford Mustang Boss 302 was Ford’s answer to the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 both on the street and on the track, created to compete for the SCCA Trans Am championship. On May 11, 1969, Jones battled through rain, sleet and snow at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn to win the four-hour, 11-minute, 104-lap, 344.24-mile Trans Am season opener. It was the first victory for the Boss 302. Jones collected a second win July 6, 1969, at the 3-mile Donnybrook International Speedway in Minnesota, now known as Brainerd International Raceway.

For the 1969 season, Jones finished first or second in six of the 11 races. The Bud Moore team recorded DNFs in the other five events.

As the 1970 SCCA Trans Am season began, Jones returned in the Bud Moore-engineered Ford Mustang Boss 302 for the 1970 Trans Am season with his sights set on contending for the championship. Meanwhile in California, the Ware family was busy preparing for Johnny Ware’s Trans Am debut. After completing SCCA road-course training, the father of RWR team owner Rick Ware made his first start in the final event of the 1970 season – the Mission Bell 200 at Riverside (Calif.) Raceway. The elder Ware qualified 23rd in a field of 35 cars and finished 15th, seven laps down to race-winner and 1970 SCCA Trans Am champion Jones.

● Grala also spent time in the Trans Am Series on his way to NASCAR’s premier series. In 2022, he competed in the Trans Am Series TA class at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington and Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. He won the pole in his debut at Mid-Ohio and set a track record, then followed that up in the next event at Road America by winning the pole and leading every lap en route to the win.

● In two NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Darlington, Grala has a best finish of ninth, earned in the May 2023 race.

Rick Ware Racing Notes

● The Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) tour is back on track at Ventura (Calif.) Raceway this weekend. Mission SuperTwins rider Briar Bauman is looking for this first podium of the season and sits fourth in the standings three top-five finishes in the first four events. AFT Singles rider and two-time champion Kody Kopp holds a 17-point lead in the title standings thanks to a pair of wins and a pair of runner-up finishes through the first four races.

● Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age six when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver seat and into fulltime team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that fields two fulltime entries in the NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the LMP3 class of the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX), where RWR won the 2022 SX2 championship with rider Shane McElrath.

Justin Haley, Driver Q&A

Talk about how special your paint scheme for this week is.

“I’m honored to represent the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police and their efforts to honor the fallen heroes of the CMPD and the U.S. Marshals. These men and women put their lives on the line to protect and serve their communities knowing there’s a day when they may not return home. I’m proud to carry them with me at Darlington and to help their families as they move forward through these difficult times.”

There has been steady improvement out of the No. 51 camp. How tough will it be to take that next stop into the top-15 at a track like Darlington?
“I think it’s definitely possible. There has been a lot of progress made and we just keep taking it a little further each week. Darlington is a difficult track in and of itself. The track is so unique and it takes a lot of focus for a driver to drive the car into the corners correctly. It’s just a physically demanding track. Certainly not as much this weekend as when we come back for the Southern 500, but there’s a reason it’s known as being ‘Too Tough To Tame.’ The older surface presents another challenge for teams as the tire fall-off is so quick there, so you really have to take advantage of those first few laps because, after that, it all comes down to just how good the car and driver are. It can be one of the most difficult tracks for us, but also one of the most fun tracks we go to.”

Kaz Grala, Driver Q&A

You’re back in the No. 15 and taking on another track for the first time in the Cup Series. What have you learned in your two Xfinity Series starts there?

“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is it’s just as tough as you are led to believe. You can have a great day and think you’ve got it figured out, only to show up the next race and have your hands full. Darlington is definitely one of those unique tracks with its two different corners and it can be difficult to navigate. Still, these Cup cars handle so differently from the Xfinity cars. I feel like I’ve done a good job learning and adapting quickly, but at a track like Darlington, I’ll have to get up to speed fast.”

You’ll be running the Parnelli Jones 1969 Trans Am tribute paint scheme. What do you think about the red-and-black livery?
“It’s really exciting to run this paint scheme for my throwback. It’s such an iconic Ford paint scheme and Parnelli Jones was one of those racers who did it all. He dipped his toe in what seemed like every different motorsports series – Trans Am, NASCAR, IndyCar, Sprint and Midget cars, off-road racing. And then he turned around and became a team owner and won the Indy 500. We just celebrated the 60th birthday of the Ford Mustang and now we’ll get to continue the celebration by honoring a car that was created to outperform in the motorsports world. Hopefully we can do it justice.”