NASCAR CUP SERIES
CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS
ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE GRAND PRIX
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT
MARCH 23, 2024

 Byron Claims Pole Position at Circuit of The Americas
Four Camaro ZL1’s Qualify in Top-10

• William Byron drove Chevrolet to its first NASCAR Cup Series pole of the season at Circuit of The Americas – posting a best-lap of 129.636 seconds, at 94.696 mph, in his No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 in the final round of qualifying.
• The pole marks Byron’s second NASCAR Cup Series pole at Circuit of The Americas, and his 13th career pole in 222 starts in NASCAR’s top division.
• Byron’s pole marked Chevrolet’s third pole win in the NASCAR Cup Series’ four races at Circuit of The Americas.
• The feat marked Chevrolet’s first NASCAR Cup Series pole win of the 2024 season, and the manufacturer’s 744th all-time pole win in NASCAR’s top division.
• Four drivers from three different Chevrolet organizations posted a top-10 qualifying effort, with Byron leading Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie in fifth, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain in sixth and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott in ninth.
• FOX will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on Sunday, March 23, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER
1st William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1
5th Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Gainbridge Camaro ZL1
6th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1
9th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1

William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 – Pole Win Media Availability Quotes

You had the track record last year. I think there were 28 drivers in qualifying this year that broke it. You held onto it in the first round and then won the pole. Can you describe the differences between running the qualifying laps this year with the new pavement compared to last year?

“Yeah, so the areas that they repaved have quite a bit more grip as we got the tire rubber kind of rubbered in and got the race track to where it was kind of peak grip level. I feel like it took probably the first five to eight laps for everyone to make for the track to keep getting faster, and probably for us to understand where the grip level is on the race track to push. I feel like we got to a spot where we understood the race track more. I think my biggest thing, or my biggest concern, is just turn eight and how the dirt is there. It’s definitely difficult to get through that corner. Wish that was a little bit better to make the race track flow a little bit nicer, but I feel like the added grip in some areas was nice and a little bit smoother. I don’t think it will really change the race any. I think the braking zones and the passing zones will be the same. It should be a pretty exciting race.”

Is there anything you feel like should change.. should they put curb in overnight in that area, or say what they’re going to do with track limits in that area?

“I would like to see a curb, maybe where the grass starts there.. just maybe right there on that edge. That would probably be the best solution. I think we should do something. Like track limits.. I don’t know, it’s really tough to police through there. It’s very difficult to see that area, so I think kind of having something that can not allow us to go there and risking damage.”

Talking about track limits, in general.. how do you balance the line of pushing through the esses to maximize your laps times, while also not ending up with that penalty where you end up having to make a pass through? How do you balance where that aggression is?

“Yeah, I feel like through the esses, the track limits is very appropriate because it’s easy to understand through there. Obviously, you have a lot of paint inside the curbing, but you can really kind of tell where you are on the race track there. So I feel like track limits through the esses is great. We’ve gotten used to it. The rules have been the same now for three years, I think.

I think we’re doing a good job with the rules and everything to police that, and everyone has kind of stayed within the box. I didn’t ever get any laps disallowed, and hopefully don’t get any tomorrow.”

What’s been the best advice you’ve gotten from Max Papis, who’s coached you in the past when it comes to racing at the road courses?

“Yeah, I mean it’s just an evolution over time. Going out to the carting track this week, and just honestly, it’s been my first normal week since the Daytona 500.. just being able to be back home; be in my rhythm and kind of my cocoon and be able to focus on driving the race car. I feel really happy with how the week has gone. I feel very fresh going into this race, so I’m excited for that.

Yeah, our preparation is kind of the same that we normally do for road courses.”

We saw a lot of guys locking-up going into turn one. Some said it was tires, some said they might have been pushing too hard. Is that something that you foresee being an issue on race day?

“I don’t know. It seemed like once we understood that was the limit, it seemed like things got better there. I don’t know.. I haven’t looked at my turn one’s to see if I was giving up time, but I wasn’t locking up as I went through the rounds there. So I feel like at first, it was really prevalent because the bump there and the subsequent bumps, kind of as you get to the apex, is definitely rough. If there’s anywhere that I thought they would repave, I thought it would be there because turn one is very rough, but it creates some character. And on the restarts, it’s very tricky. We’ll see how that all plays out, for sure.”

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix | Saturday, March 23, 2024

Ford Performance Qualifying Results:
11th – Austin Cindric
13th – Justin Haley
20th – Chris Buescher
23rd – Kaz Grala
24th – Ryan Preece
26th – Todd Gilliland
27th – Michael McDowell
28th – Ryan Blaney
29th – Harrison Burton
31st – Josh Berry
32nd – Chase Briscoe
35th – Joey Logano
36th – Brad Keselowski

39th – Noah Gragson

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Discount Tired Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Qualified 11th)

HOW DIFFERENT IS IT OUT THERE WITH THE REPAVE SECTIONS? “Not a whole lot different to be honest. I mean they’ve repaved, probably like the third or fourth time they’ve done some paving updates here. I think each time it hasn’t been a whole lot different. So, yeah, not too bad.”

SAME RULES AS LAST YEAR WHEN IT COMES TO TRACK LIMITS. ARE YOU GOOD WITH THE WAY NASCAR IS DOING IT? “I think for the esses it makes complete sense. I don’t see a better way of going about it in the esses. I think hindsight 2020, I think we could have probably discussed some better options for turn eight. Obviously we don’t have a lot of time to do much else, but there’s dirt everywhere. I feel like you don’t see cars in the second round go faster, or rerunning and going faster because it’s so dirty through there. And why that’s different from last year is hard to say. It could be the same dirt, could be different dirt, it looked really soft. I think we just need like a Martinsville style curb there and then that just completely eliminates that. I think the rest of it makes complete sense.”

OR JUST MAYBE MORE GUYS RUNNING THAT AREA BECAUSE THERE’S OBVIOUSLY SPEED THERE IF YOU’RE RUNNING THERE AND KICKING DIRT UP? “There’s more speed to go through the dirt than there is to actually miss the racing line. So you might as well just drive through the dirt and not care about anybody else. That’s the reality of trying to make quick lap times. It’s going to be worse tomorrow because you’re not going to be able to see very well behind other cars.

We had a caution for it last year, which is why I know they had concerns about it. I’m sure we all watched last year’s race and went, ‘oh everybody’s doing it so I need to be doing it too’.

THE LAST COUPLE RACES HAVE BEEN A STRUGGLE COMING TO COTA. IS IT A RELIEF COMING TO A ROAD COURSE? “I take that kind of as an insult to be honest but it’s nice to have a race weekend right after a bad weekend that’s the beauty of this sport. You get to go again. From having tire issues last week and getting wrecked out on the fourth lap of the race I don’t think it’s very representative of what we’re capable of as a team and it certainly hurt us in points and I’m certainly looking forward to tomorrow.”

HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP TODAY OVERALL WITH THE 2 CAR? “I should be driving right now if I’m being honest. I’m frustrated not to be in the second round. I felt like we had the car capable. Obviously we missed it by like two hundredths or whatever. Both laps I had guys screw up in turn one, go off in front of me and have to re-merge. Yeah, its just unfortunate. We had top ten speed, still plenty of speed and plenty of opportunity to execute a good race tomorrow. That’s really what we need. Obviously there’s some cars that are extremely competitive right now and I feel like we can be one of them in the mix at race pace.”

WHAT CONSTITUTES A GOOD DAY FOR THIS TWO TEAM TOMORROW? IS IT MAXIMIZING STAGE POINTS OR IS IT MAXIMIZING FINISH? “I don’t think you can do both. You know, with the stages back, I don’t think you can run competitively and expect to win or expect to get a good top ten finish without crazy wrecks on restarts, without flipping stages. That game is definitely in play again as far as having a good finish and not having good points. It falls down to what’s important to you and I think those decisions will be made some people make their bed pretty early in stage one.

THE RESTART ZONE WAS PUSHED BACK THIS YEAR. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? “I think it’s a good move. I think honestly it could be even further back just because if the leader did wait all the way to the end, I think you can get six or seven rows clear. And if I’m being honest, the top six or seven rows were the ones usually making the moves to try to advance their position and then it just creates a massive stack, and the car is out of line, and the back half of the field just wrecks into it. So my hope is that everyone realizes the leader just needs to go early to create that separation, which is why they moved the restart zone back. It should be interesting to see how it plays out tomorrow.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS
ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE GRAND PRIX
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 22, 2024

 SHANE VAN GISBERGEN, NO. 16 WEATHERTECH CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of racing double duty in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Race at Circuit of The Americas.

Media Availability Quotes:

Shane, we’re here at COTA for the first road course race of the 2024 season. Can you walk us through how it feels to be running on a road course again, and how you’re feeling about your season, so far, now that you’ve had a few races under your belt?

“Yeah, it’s been pretty cool preparation this week.. very different again to be turning right. Yeah, it’s pretty exciting. I’m sick of the simulator and ready to drive a real car. But yeah, just excited to see what it feels like. The Xfinity car is going to be a big challenge, and then the Cup car kind of feels a bit more normal. But yeah, going to have to relearn it again.

I’m excited. The season has been going well, so far. The results are pretty above where I thought I’d be, so yeah it’s been pleasantly surprising. I’m just really enjoying myself.”

When you were here in Supercars, you didn’t run the full course, did you? Can you explain what’s different in the Xfinity and Cup car here versus a Supercar?

“Yeah, so we raced here in 2013. At the last bit of the esses, where there’s a double-right, we turned left and did like a little chicane with a jump and joined the backstraight, so I missed those corners out the back. But really, the surface is very weathered in a lot of corners. It looks a lot more slippery now than it did back then, apart from obviously the parts where they just resealed. So yeah, it’s going to be interesting to feel what it’s like, but I think these cars will drive very different to the Supercars then.”

You mentioned the simulator.. how much additional preparation have you put into this weekend, given it’s the first time that you’re pulling double duty?

“Yeah, I guess just double.. and then I did a little bit at Trackhouse on the static simulator, just going back-and-forth, mainly on the gear shifting. Just going from sequential back to the H-Pattern, just to not make mistakes. We’ve seen guys do that in the past. But I think the gears and the shift points are quite different, so should have any problem there. But yeah, it’s not going to be easy.”

In January, you told some of us that this was all new.. it was fun and great. Is it still that.. is it still fun for you?

“Yeah, I love that at the moment, it’s something different every week, and I’m just learning so much. Every stage in every race, so far, I keep getting better and get to the end of the race and go, ‘oh I wish I could start that again knowing what I do now’. The second-half of the year is going to be good, going back to the tracks I already know. But yeah, just the preparation is so intense when it’s something you don’t know. Especially this week doing both classes, having to watch two races and two sets of onboards and understanding the cars, is probably going to be the biggest thing. I had a good chat with Marcos Ambrose last night, and he said the Xfinity car will be unlike anything I’ve ever driven.. the way it brakes and the way the rearend works. He said it’s probably similar to the Cup cars he was racing, so hopefully those things help and helps me speed up the learning process.”

When you signed on for this season, were these some dates that you had circled from the get-go?

“I don’t know.. I was more excited about the ovals because it’s learning. I just know that I’ll be good here at these tracks. I’ve got great teams and two awesome WeatherTech Camaros. I’ve got great equipment and there’s no excuses to not do well at these races. I’ve still gone hard with my preparation, but really the ovals are my focus. That’s what I have to learn to make sure I’m ready when I’m in the Cup Series next year. These weekends, I just have to make sure I have fun and do well.”

How are you getting along with AJ Allmendinger, so far? You guys are probably going to be head-to-head on these road courses this year. Are you looking forward to those battles?

“Yeah, it’s been really good, so far. We haven’t had too many races on-track, but everything I’ve asked him, he’s been open. He’s obviously at the top of his game and pretty impressive in those cars, and on the road courses here, as well. I’ve learned a lot from him, watching him on the simulator. I look forward to battling him on track, too. Hopefully we push each other forward and try to beat everyone else before we beat ourselves.”

Does this track remind you of any of the tracks that you race in Australia? Also, do you guys think you’ve exceeded your expectations this season in the Xfinity Series?

“Just the track limits are crazy here. It’s so new to me to just open the wheel, mid-corner, and drive off the track. So that’s taken a lot of adjusting to get used to that mindset. I was practicing not cutting on the simulator.. they changed the rules about not being able to cut the corners, and then I saw today they’ve gone back on it. So yeah, it’s pretty interesting the rules here. We normally have big curbs, so we kind of cut the corners. I think it would be a bit difficult, especially when you’re following someone closely, to be able to judge the curbs. So that will take a bit of learning, but yeah just watching the races, it’s crazy that guys are off the track more than they’re on it. That’s the normal here, I guess. But yeah, it looks fun.”

You walked the track with your dog and Chris Rice today. Did you learn anything today when you walked the track?

“Just how different the track was from 10 years ago. The surface looks really different, and then obviously looking at the back few corners, which I hadn’t seen before. And you just forget how much elevation this place has. Like walking up turn one, you’re puffing straight away.. like it’s really steep. Yeah, I had forgotten that. The TV never gives it justice.. even with the backstraight, how much elevation there is there. It’s a really cool track.”

Can you go into more about the racing you did here 10 years ago with the Supercars.. how that’s kind of differed and what changes there are?

“Yeah, so when we came here, we did four sprint races. I think they were 20 laps, or something like that, of the short tracks. So that’s the biggest thing.. the race length. I think Sunday’s race is probably three or three-and-a-half hours. That’s probably the toughest thing.. how long these races go for. And then the stages, understanding that.. deciding, in Xfinity especially, when to go for stage points or when to pit. That’s kind of new to me, as well. Understanding how that works. I think that kind of rules the race and where you end up placing. I have a lot to learn and understand that. But yeah, probably just driving.. try to follow someone and learn how much track you can use.”

Now that you’re running the full-time Xfinity schedule, you’ve got superspeedway, short-tracks, longer ovals, intermediate tracks, road courses. Does having every weekend be different.. does that mess with the rhythm for someone that’s just starting to do this?

“No, the variety has been good. I just wish I got more laps at Las Vegas, but I really enjoyed Phoenix. I had some great battles with people. There was one guy.. Anthony Alfredo, we had an awesome battle where we were two-wide for so many laps. It was bloody annoying because we were the same speed and I couldn’t get away from him (laughs). We were slowing each other up, but it was so much fun just racing with each other. We had an awesome race. So yeah, that kind of stuff, I’m really enjoying. Learning other guys and how they race, and mostly everybody has been pretty good.”

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.

Toyota Racing – Ty Gibbs
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

AUSTIN, Texas (March 22, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs was made available to the media prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

You lead the series with four top-10s. What does that say about you?

“It’s been great. It’s just been really good. My team has been doing a really good job. We are working really well together. I’ve been having a lot of fun racing in the Cup Series. It’s really cool.”

What was the breakthrough for you with road courses?

“To be honest with you, it started on sim racing with my buddy, Austin Green. He’s actually in the Xfinity Series race this weekend for his first time. We would always do those join sessions together and practice. It could be in any different car. It could be dirt racing, asphalt racing, ovals or road courses – we were always really fast, and he was always just a little bit better than I was, so that is what helped me. Studying it and then having off-seasons to do something else, and not having to race all of the time – I think those are all things that I can say led to my success on road courses. It was the Xfinity Series, not the Cup Series yet. We are still working on that.”

Do you feel like you are closer to finding the success that you have been looking for at this level?

“Yeah, kind of. We’ve been really strong. I feel like last year, we were really good at the road courses. Indy – we were really fast, but we never got a caution again. We’ve been really good at the road courses, just have to hit it right, hit the right thing and then hopefully that will lead to more success.”

What are your thoughts on the new restart zone?

“Yeah, it should definitely help, but at the same time, we are all funneling down to one small corner in a way. It’s really wide, but we are all turning to the left and that is kind of the tighter side. It should help, but I don’t think it is going to be the saving grace – just the nature of the race.”

How was it to race in conditions like last weekend?

“It was definitely different. I don’t know if that was the fix to it all. We had tire fallout, but it was more of the tires falling apart than you’re losing time from overdriving it. You would have stickers, cords and then blown tire. It was just three stages. You would have a little falloff from the stickers, but it was just really different. It was just more saving and it reminded me of Dover in 2021, with General Tire when we had blowouts there – and I just kind of did the same thing. Just drive slow and manage.”

How does it affect your confidence?

“I don’t really feel like it affects my confidence. I just feel like I work hard every week and I love racing, and I try to go after it every weekend. If I can’t, I try to finish the best I can.”

What is your relationship like with Chris Gayle with this strong start to the season?

“It’s really great. I work really well with them. Chris Gayle – he has been my crew chief since 2021. He’s been working with me for a minute. I feel like we have a good connection, also my engineer – Kyle Abrahims – he’s also been with me and Chris Gayle since 2021. We’ve all been working really good together and we are going to keep hammering down.”

What’s it like for you to be riding high with the strong start to the season?

“It’s really cool. I’ve been going to Bristol since I was a young man. I’ve been there a lot, so to be able to lead laps like I did last year in the night race is really cool. It’s a place that is really special to me. It is fun to come run laps there, but at the same time, we are working hard and having fun. We are going there to do the best we can, and if we can’t do the best we can, then we are looking to finish the best that we can.”

Did you need a pep-talk after Bristol?

“Chris (Gayle, crew chief) really cares a lot about me and about the racing and about the team. He is really supportive, and he wants to win as much as I do, every single weekend. It is one team. It is not just me that deserves to win. He does too. We are just one big team, and I definitely can use a pep talk here and there to keep me back in shape. I feel like I’m pretty solid besides that.”

How much more do you feel like you have this year when you go to your best tracks versus last year?

“I think just having more experience has really helped. Bristol – I’ve had a lot of track time with ARCA, K&N and I did some late model stuff there. It is helpful to have experience there. I feel like it would be a lot different if we had more practice like they did years ago. You just have to use the valuable sim time you can, study and go after it.”

Last few years, Joe Gibbs Racing has been very strong. How do you describe the dynamic at the team right now?

“First of all, we need to give all of the thanks to Joe Gibbs Racing aero department, alongside with Toyota. The new Toyota Camry XSE body – they’ve just done a great job with it. They’ve worked really hard on it, so it is great for all of them. Our team is great, and I have great teammates – they all have different characteristics, which is really cool, and I think that is really helpful with a team. We all come from pretty different backgrounds, so it’s a good atmosphere there and in our meetings on Monday, I can tell we all want it. All of the great feedback is just going to help us get better and better.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.