NASCAR Cup Series
Bowman Gray Stadium
Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium
Team Chevy Post-Race Report
February 4, 2026

· William Byron earned his career-best Clash finish under the Wednesday night lights of “The Madhouse” – driving his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a runner-up finish in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. The 28-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native led Chevrolet to a manufacturer-leading five top-10 results – earned by four different Chevrolet organizations with Spire Motorsports’ Daniel Suarez in fourth; Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon in seventh; Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain in ninth; and Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Alex Bowman, in 10th.

· In his first start with Spire Motorsports, Daniel Suarez brought home a strong top-five finish. Securing his spot in the main event through qualifying, the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet came to life during the second-half of the race – making a quick climb through the top-10 to prove to be a contender throughout the closing laps. The 34-year-old Monterrey, Mexico, native went on to take the checkered flag in the fourth position to mark his career-best Clash finish.

· A manufacturer-leading 11 drivers representing four different Chevrolet organizations earned a starting position for the 48th running of the Clash. Picking up right where he left off, reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson, drove his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to the pole position for the twice-delayed Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. Electing the bottom lane to take the green flag, Larson took command of the field with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, in tow to pace the field in the opening laps. A quiet 40 laps around the North Carolina quarter-mile saw Larson already approaching lap traffic when the first caution of the race flew for debris.

· A short green flag run led to the second caution of the race for an incident in Turn Four. With a challenge for the lead on the restart from Chase Briscoe, the speed in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet prevailed to quickly find his way back to the top position. But it was Larson’s teammate, Byron, that became his next challenger, with the 28-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native making the pass for the top position on Lap 71 to lead his first laps of the race. Despite getting moved up to the high lane for the lead, Byron continued in a side-by-side battle with a hard-charging Carson Hocevar for the third position – going on to maintain the position to the halfway break.

· The return to the track was short-lived as a wintery mix took over “The Madhouse”, forcing the race back under red flag conditions – ultimately making the second-half of the event deemed a wet weather race. Enduring a string of cautions, the Chevrolet camp had a strong presence in the front of the pack throughout the next 100-lap run with the manufacturer seeing six drivers in the top-10 as the race reached 50 laps to go. With an abundance of cautions laps already logged, fuel mileage became a growing concern throughout the garage with the pole sitter, Larson, becoming the first driver to lose his position after a stout climb back into the top-10. Shortly thereafter, the race was once again red-flagged with 36 laps to go to allow teams the opportunity for a fuel-only stop – setting up for an all-out race towards the checkered flag.

Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 Results

Pos. Driver

2nd – William Byron
4th – Daniel Suarez
7th – Austin Dillon
9th – Ross Chastain
10th – Alex Bowman

 The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season officially kicks off at Daytona International Speedway with the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, February 15, at 2:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Post-Race Driver Quotes:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 9th

“It sure was a cold day and really cold night here at Bowman Gray Stadium. It felt great to be in the Choice Privileges Chevrolet today and it was my first race with my new crew chief, Brandon McSwain. I experienced pretty much everything out there tonight – passing cars, being bumped, spinning, a wet track for the last half. It was eventful, that’s for sure. Brandon and the guys kept working on the car all night and finally towards the end we worked our way forward to ninth. It was wild out there tonight with everything we experienced, but I’m looking forward to getting to Daytona next week for the first points race of the season. I hope it’s a lot warmer there, that’s for sure.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 7th

“What a fight all night from this No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Chevrolet team. The rain tires saved our night. We struggled on the slicks. So when the rain and sleet came. It put us back in the ballgame and we found speed there at the end of the run. I got shipped a couple times and probably should have been in the wall, but was able to save it in turns three and four. Proud of the effort from everyone at Richard Childress Racing and it’s a good start to our season.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 4th

“Very proud of this No. 7 Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation Chevrolet team. I think that the car was very, very capable of running in the top-five. In both the dry and wet conditions, I felt like we were pretty strong. There was a lot of contact throughout the race and at one point, it started to feel like it wasn’t driving as well anymore. But overall, happy to come home with a top-five. I think this was a good start for everyone on his No. 7 team.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 19th

“The entire No. 8 zone Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet team fought hard today. We lacked grip at the start of the race, but after making changes at the halfway point we were battling our way to the front. We unfortunately got caught up in on-track contact a few times tonight and are leaving Bowman Gray Stadium with a 19th-place finish, but I’m ready to turn my focus to the Daytona 500 and getting back to victory lane.”

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 2nd

“It was just a marathon race. I feel like NASCAR did a good job with the rain conditions. I wish we would have had a practice session in the rain, just to kind of understand the characteristics a little better. It just seemed like guys were kind of using each other up. But then it started to dry up there at the end and it was fun. Overall, it was a solid finish and good start to the season for the No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet team.”

Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 18th

“It was a very chaotic race. At the end of that first run, we drove up to 12th. We had good speed in the dry conditions, but immediately when we fired off in the wet, our No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet was really fast. Once the cautions started coming out every other lap, it started to become a bit of a mess. The restarts just became really chaotic and that kind of cost us track position. We were running inside the top-seven, top-eight; just got clipped in a wreck and that kind of killed our night. We had glimmers of hope, just disappointed to come home where we did considering the day and the speed that we had.”

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 20th

“It was a good bit of fun. There were moments of brilliance and moments that weren’t. It was cool to get to the front. We were just trying to search for the grip. The wet weather conditions were very different than what I’ve raced in Supercars, just with the way the corners are and the way the rubber lays down. But then it started to come back up again and dry up. It was pretty wild.

But all-in-all, happy with our run and it’s a good way to start the season for this No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

Toyota Places Two in the Top 10 in Exhibition Race to Kick Off 2026 Season

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (February 4, 2026) – Two Toyota Camry XSE drivers finished in the top 10 in Wednesday night’s Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. Denny Hamlin was the top-finishing Toyota with a fifth-place result in the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) No. 11 Camry. His JGR teammate, Chase Briscoe, finished in sixth-place after leading 35 laps as he battled for the lead throughout the majority of the race that featured a Clash record 17 cautions.

The 2026 season will officially begin at Daytona International Speedway when the NASCAR Cup Series competes in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 15.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Bowman Gray Stadium
The Clash – 200 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Ryan Preece*
2nd, William Byron*
3rd, Ryan Blaney*
4th, Daniel Suarez*
5th, DENNY HAMLIN
6th, CHASE BRISCOE
13th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
14th, TY GIBBS
22nd, TYLER REDDICK
23rd, BUBBA WALLACE
*non-Toyota driver

FAILED TO ADVANCE TO THE MAIN EVENT

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
ERIK JONES
RILEY HERBST

Preece Claims First Career Cup Victory, Buescher 8th

CONCORD, NC (February 5, 2026) – It was worth the wait for Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing. After a snow storm blanketed the Winston Salem, NC area January 30, forcing the postponement of the Cook Out Clash from Sunday to Wednesday, the three car RFK team came to Bowman Gray Stadium with a blizzard of its own. Ryan Preece scored his first career Cup Series victory while Chris Buescher and Corey LaJoie held nothing back.

Ryan Preece #60 Kroger/Coca-Cola Ford Mustang

Ryan Preece delivered a career defining performance at Bowman Gray Stadium, charging from 18th to score his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in the Cook Out Clash. A win that validated years of perseverance.

“Two Years ago, I didn’t think I was gonna have a job,” said the Berlin, CT driver, his voice cracking as he spoke to live television in victory lane. “I thought I was going back to Connecticut, and I’m just super emotional”

Those emotions were justified after overcoming much adversity to score a hard fought win. From the drop of the green flag, Preece steadily moved forward, climbing to 16th by the first caution and confidently telling his team, “I’m coming boys.” He backed those words up, charging to 13th after passing Ross Chastain, and reaching ninth by the halfway point in the No. 60 Kroger/Coca Cola Ford continued to improve.

“I’m a quarter-mile killer. When it comes to this style of racing it’s what I grew up doing,” Preece added, following the race.

After pitting for four tires and adjustments, conditions turned ugly. Winter weather that had already delayed this race by three days, had returned. Following a mid-race break on a bitterly cold night, sleet began to fall, forcing teams onto rain tires. Calling it “pure survival,” Preece battled through minimal visibility and a slick surface. He was spun by Chastain shortly after the restart and dropped to 19th, but quickly rebounded, to surge back to eighth with 70 laps remaining.

From there, Preece put on a masterclass in changing conditions. He sliced through traffic on both grooves, high and low. His confident vow to his team that he was coming to the front came to full fruition when he took the lead at lap 143 of the 200 lap event. Although he relinquished it briefly, it was clear that he and his hard-nosed short track upbringing prepared him for this moment. After remaining the lead on lap 156, and dominating several restarts between then and the finish, Preece was sizzling hot on an icy cold night in Winston Salem.

“Man, (the emotions) all hit me. I feel bad for Roush Yates Engines right now because that thing is bouncing off the chip pretty hard,” said Preece. “I’ve got to thank Ford, Ford Racing and everybody there with all the support they give us. As far as emotions go, when you work as hard as I have, I hate talking about it because I hate getting emotional about it, but it’s not just the Clash – winning means everything to me. I’ve put a lot into it.”

Chris Buescher #17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang

Chris Buescher fought through changing track conditions and constant cautions Wednesday to earn an eighth place finish in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. Starting eighth, Buescher moved to seventh by lap 20 and that the car was capable of running both the high and low lanes. He took advantage of the maneuverability, passing Christopher Bell to move into sixth by lap 40

As the race progressed though, handling shifted and the No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford became too loose, and Buescher to slip back to 16th by the halfway point. During the planed mid-race break, Crew chief Scott Graves brought him to the garage area for four tires and air pressure adjustments to tighten the car, reminding Buescher to stay patient with still 100 laps remaining.

The event turned chaotic when sleet and snow began falling, forcing teams onto rain tires. In the mixed conditions, Buescher clawed back into the top 10 late, running as high as seventh before late restarts shuffled the field. He avoided damage in several incidents and ultimately finished eighth in one of the most unpredictable races ever contested at Bowman Gray.

“Long night,” said Buescher. “Overall, we had decent speed. It fell off really hard with all the rain and ice. It was chaos out there. So, everything‘s a little worse off for the wear. I’m happy for Preece and the 60 bunch. That’s pretty cool. It was neat for them to pull it out with all those conditions.”

Corey Lajoie #6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang

It was a valiant effort by Corey LaJoie. Substituting for Brad Keselowski, who is recovering from a broken leg suffered in December, Lajoie took the wheel the No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang at the Cook Out Clash. After qualifying outside the top 20, LaJoie was forced to race into the main event through the 75 lap Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), where only the top two finishers advanced.

Starting fourth, LaJoie settled into a rhythm and went to work on the bottom line and began charging forward. Lajoie moved within eye shot of the final Clash qualifying spot when he passed John Hunter Nemechek for third. Still one more spot was needed and Lajoie approached it with bold aggression, chasing down AJ Allmendinger for the final transfer spot, taking second on Lap 62.

The coveted transfer spot though would not come easy. A side by side battle with Austin Cindric, where the two would exchange crossover moves, from the ourside lane to the inside, ensued during the closing laps. The second position swapped hands multiple times but LaJoie ultimately finished third, just short of advancing, after a determined and physical run.

“It was like a game of chess at 50 miles an hour. You wanted to be the guy on the inside obviously, but you don’t want to pass the guy because then he had the opportunity to get back to you,” Lajoie explained. “I came up a little bit short. It was exciting. It was fun to be in the fight. I hadn’t been in a fight like that in a long time.

About RFK Racing 

RFK Racing, in its 39th season in 2026, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit https://www.rfkracing.com/ and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.

RICK WARE RACING
Cook Out Clash
Date: Feb. 4, 2026
Event: Cook Out Clash (non-points race)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Bowman Gray Stadium (quarter-mile, asphalt oval)
Format: 200-lap Feature with a 23-car field
Event Winner: Ryan Preece of RFK Racing (Ford)

Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Evel Knievel Museum Chevrolet

● Qualified 27th to start seventh in LCQ. (Only the top-20 cars in practice/qualifying advanced to the Clash.)

● Finished 15th in LCQ. (Only the top-two finishers, and highest driver in 2025 final points standings, advanced to the Clash.)

● Note: Ware was spun early in the 75-lap race.

“I feel like compared to 2025, it’s a night-and-day difference with the program, the speed in the car. Really didn’t get a chance to get far into the race before we got spun. I wish we could’ve had a shot to try to race our way in. We were a few spots shy of making it in and qualifying but, either way, I’m really proud of the 51 Chevrolet bunch and looking forward to putting a fast car on the racetrack in Daytona next week.”

Race Notes:

● Ryan Preece won the Cook Out Clash by 1.752 seconds over runner-up William Byron.

● All but one of the 23 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Bowman Gray is the country’s longest-running weekly racetrack.

Next Up:

The official start of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season begins with Daytona Speedweek Feb. 11-15 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Daytona 500 qualifying takes place at 8:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 11 with live coverage on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Only the top-two positions will be locked into the 68th Daytona 500. The rest of the field will earn their respective starting positions in the Duel – twin 150-mile heat races that set the remainder of the Daytona 500 field. The Duel gets underway at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12 with live coverage on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Daytona Speedweek then culminates with the Daytona 500 at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15 with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Last Chance Qualifying Race — The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium
Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Josh Berry won the Last Chance Qualifier race while Austin Cindric outbattled Corey LaJoie for the second spot after a spirited side-by-side battle over the closing laps. Berry and Cindric will compete in the Clash Main Event at Bowman Gray Stadium

JOSH BERRY, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WAS YOUR MUSTANG GOOD ON THE LONG RUN? “Yeah, I feel good about it. Honestly, we just struggled a little bit on the restarts, cold temperatures, locking the left-front there and got it locked up a little bit under AJ and washed him out, but once we were able to settle in and get some heat in the tires I felt good about our car. I think we can make a few small adjustments and make it a little bit better, but obviously you don’t have great track position starting in the back. It’s a long night when you don’t make this race, so I’m glad we were able to put both of our cars in.”

YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE STARTING IN THE BACK FOR THIS RACE. HOW DO YOU GAIN SPOTS? “I think it’s gonna be a little bit different. It definitely seems like there’s more fall off. We obviously saw it stretch out a good bit right there, so just managing the tires probably early in the run and just trying to stay patient. We’re still at the Madhouse.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Freightliner Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “That was about as fair as that could have gotten for an LCQ. I appreciate Corey racing hard. Obviously, we advanced in, but it’s a long road ahead starting last with scuffs for the final here, but happy to get the Freightliner Ford Mustang in the show here and enjoy round two here at Bowman Gray. This is a very cool place. I was happy with how the car held on for a long run. I kind of had to save my stuff after I got punted out of the way early, so it seemed to play out reasonably well. I’m glad it went as long as it did. It was fun and a good way to get started.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN OVER THOSE 75 LAPS THAT YOU CAN ADJUST ON? “Definitely some of the wear characteristics of the tire. It’s the same right side tire and I feel like that definitely dominates a lot of the characteristics, so I think some of the same from last year. We talk about adding horsepower, but I don’t think I got full throttle the entire race there, except for maybe when emotions got high. Past that, it was pretty interesting to try to manage. Hopefully, we didn’t get too much damage there and we’ll try to have a good final here.”

COREY LAJOIE, No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was like a game of chess at 50 miles an hour. You wanted to be the guy on the inside obviously, but you don’t want to pass the guy because then he had the opportunity to get back to you. I came up a little bit short. It was exciting. It was fun to be in the fight. I hadn’t been in a fight like that in a long time. Kudos to the 6 team. They’ve had a lot to deal with over the offseason. I know Brad is watching at home. He’ll be ready to go next week, but it was really cool to get in this 6 car system to knock the rust off. Unfortunately, we’ll be watching the show from the couch, but we’re really prepared and I feel really good about next week.”

HOW EXCITED ARE YOU TO BE IN THE 99 MUSTANG NEXT WEEK? “It’s gonna be without a doubt the best opportunity I’ve had at the 500. We’ve been close with some other opportunities too in the last couple of years, so maybe this is the year. Nonetheless, we’re gonna have some strength in numbers with our RFK group next week and I’m just ready to get out of the snow, get south to Daytona where it’s nice and warm, and we’ll see if we can go sneak out a Harley J. Earl trophy.”

TOYOTA RACING – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (Feb. 4, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Bob’s Discount Furniture Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

How are you doing after everything that has happened this offseason?

“I’m doing good. It’s hard to believe I’m going to be in the Clash in a couple of hours. I’ll have some rust. Didn’t get much of an offseason, obviously. No vacations, no fun stuff, anything like that. Just back on it now. I think getting back in a racing certainly will just put me back into a routine more like I’m used to.”

How have you handled this roller coaster you’ve been on the past few months?

“Everyday is a new challenge. Certainly priorities definitely shifted in the offseason, just doing non racing stuff. I’ve had a day at the race shop since Phoenix. It’s just going to take a little while to get back into the swing of things. I’ve been doing my work the last twenty something years and this is a kind of a good warm up to that. Certainly has not been an easy offseason by any means. I’m sure I’m in a different headspace than most of the competitors that have been rip roaring ready to go racing the last month or so. I’m probably in a different spot than that. I would appreciate a few more months, but I don’t have that but we’ll just kind of see how it goes. Got some unfortunate news that I re-tore my shoulder that I had from 2024. I’m going to go into the season the way I was before there. I don’t think that it ever healed properly, there were just some issues. Kind of a little after the season it was nagging me a bit and took a little fall at my mom’s house going through all the rubble and stuff. It didn’t feel right and got it scanned and they said it had re-tore again.”

Is surgery an option at this point with the season starting?

“I could, the option was just do it now and miss the first three or four months, or just tough it out and do it the first day of the offseason and that’s what I’ll do.”

Can you give us any update on how your Mom is doing?

“She’s getting better. She’s actually down in Florida with some family this week. She’s definitely getting better physically and mentally certainly will take some time. She’s getting in a better place.”

Sounds like you were a key voice in the playoff format changes. Are you satisfied with the changes?

“I am. Seems like the bulk of the offseason was from what I could see, was NASCAR undoing some of the direction they had gone the last decade or so, which are all good things. I feel like the Chase is a very good compromise for all the stakeholders and I certainly feel like if anything, it’s a benefit for your top competitors who are the challengers week in and week out. It will reward them during the regular season and reward them in the playoffs giving them a little bit of a head start. Certainly more of a head start of what the Chase had back years ago. So while it is the old Chase, you actually have more motivation to perform well in the regular season because of the gap it will give you to start that 10 races a little more than previous. I do feel like it’s a really good balance of everything. Without a doubt there will be no question of the validity when we come down to the end and we see who is first. While it can come down to one last restart at the end of Homestead, it’s still going to be a body of work you put in over the first nine and-a-half races up to that point. I don’t think any one restart will define it even though it might determine who the champion might be, it’s still going to be the two or three most deserving guys when it comes down to that final race. I’m certainly happy to see where it ended up and I’m in full support of it.”

What do you want to see this year from Riley Herbst to show he’s taken a step forward in his growth?

“We got to see better performance, for sure. Where the 35 was running last year was not up to what we expect. We signed a multiyear agreement with Riley because we want to see where it goes in the second year. I want to see gain in performance and needs to be challenging into the top-10 and top-15. That’s where we expect our cars to run. The more experienced guys in Tyler (Reddick) and Bubba (Wallace), they need to be competing for race wins more often as well.”

How do you expect JGR will fill the void with Chris Gabehart no longer there?

“It’s a little different. I’m used to having Chris (Gabehart) there. But we also have the experience of Wally Brown that’s been in that role as competition director in many of the heyday years of JGR and their performance. I think he can step in there and do the role. He never left, he was always in those competition meetings so he can just kind of pick up that quarterback role. I think that he got to observe some things that Chris Gabehart did last year that he can refine. Even he admittedly said that I think that was a good direction and pick up from where he left off. So I’m confident that JGR can have so much depth within the race team that they can find a way to make it work.”

Charlotte Motor announced they are moving away from the Roval and back to the Oval for their fall weekend. How do you feel about the change and that there will now not be a road course in the Chase?

“I don’t think it’s a secret that it’s all positive from me on these types of changes. Bigger sample size, less road courses, given my history, so those are all positive for me. But beyond myself, we need to talk about the sport and the racing in the NextGen car, especially the mile and-a-half tracks, have been it’s strength. I was part of that battle with (Ross) Chastain and (William) Byron in the 600 and just a fantastic race that nobody could hold the lead. You get out in the lead and your car would handle terribly, but when you were in second, it was actually better. That racetrack is too good of track. If you have any track that’s going to have multiple races at the same venue, same track, Charlotte would be one that you would think would be at the top of the list. Good to see that come back. I think it’s going to be on the fans to make sure you show up and support that. I think the drivers for the most part are certainly supportive of the change back to the oval. It’s what we are, we are oval racing. I definitely appreciate the changes we made over the last few years in the road courses and the different venues like Charlotte or the Chicago Street Race, which I thought was a positive for our sport. We look like we’re heading back to more of our roots, which is a I think a good thing.”

Can you talk about the importance of having the Clash here at Bowman Gray Stadium?

“I can just tell you why it’s good for the teams. One, it’s a good warm up for them to get their race weekend routine going. It’s close to home, so there’s not a big haul travel wise for the race teams. For the drivers like myself, I don’t think I would like to barrel it off at Kansas right now into the turn 1 for the first laps of a new season. Short track is good for the drivers and is a good warm up. This is a racetrack that is embedded in the NASCAR roots with making the move here. We were doing the short track thing in LA and I thought that was very good event, it’s more feasible and economically viable for the teams to be here close to home on a very similar racetrack. You are also kind of giving back to the short track community up here in Winston.”

What does your timeline look like getting back to the gym and into the SIM to get ready for the season?

“I wish I could predict the future and tell you, but I just don’t know. I certainly give my team the preparation that they deserve as the leader of the team. There’s no way I could actually show up this week and face my team and not be prepared, so I’ve done as much as I can to be prepared given the amount of time that I got and given all the stuff I have going on. But they know once I get in that car, they never have questioned that I’m capable of going out there and competing and giving them their best opportunity to win. That’s ultimately my job is to get the result that the team that’s been preparing all offseason while I’ve been doing other things is give them a shot to reap the benefits and rewards of their hard work.”

How do you feel about the leadership change within NASCAR with Steve O’Donnell at the top?

“I don’t know too much of the ins and outs of it as far as how does the role change for O’Donnell as opposed to what it was before. We’ve only had one team owners council meeting. I overall, left there feeling the direction and vision they got for this upcoming season is good. I’m certainly a believer in the direction they are going. Ultimately, the results will be shown by our TV numbers and our people in the stands, if it resonates with them or not. Overall, I feel as though the sport got a good reset point at the end of last year and now we are going into this year the team owners are in a better position for the long term than where they’ve ever been before. So now it’s just a matter of can we get this sport back into prominent relevance in the sports market, and I think that’s their focus as well.”

Can the relationship between the industry and NASCAR improve moving forward?

“Yeah, hopefully. That’s the goal. We all use it as a reset, we need to think more holistically and trying to make it better as opposed to maybe criticizing this and that. Holistically, are we heading in the right direction? One moment might not be exactly how we want it, but is it generally heading the right way. I think that’s the way we need to look at it. Like I said, I’ve looked at the inner strategy of NASCAR of what they put out to us to get back to where we were, and I think it’s the right strategy. This is not going to be something that we’re going to see right away, it’s something that could take time within the garage. The proof will be in the pudding that the sport and the teams have said they wanted to do for the last decade. While it is more collaborative or was more collaborative than it was in the 1990’s, it’s still nowhere nearly as collaborative as other sports are. When I talk to Curtis Polk and many others that have been in other sports and even other owners who have had interest in other sports, their ownership meetings are totally different. They are all figuring out, how are we going to create more revenue? Here’s what we are thinking about doing. Where us, we’re just so cutthroat on what’s best for our team and this team doesn’t like this splitter and this team doesn’t like this transaxle. It’s all dumb stuff that gets talked about that doesn’t push the sport forward. We have to talk about things that are going to grow the sport collectively and everyone has to get on that same page. Hopefully that starts January 1 of this year.”

In the past you’ve had trouble lifting your shoulder. Is it about the same as it was in the past?

“I don’t right now. If you can look into a crystal ball, as the year goes on it just kind depends on making sure I’m doing the things out of the car. Keeping the range good and keeping the strength good to kind of get to that November date where I can work on it and get it fixed again. It’s limiting the things I like to do and that’s not going to be a priority during the season, unfortunately. I’m going to miss out on a lot of the fun things, but I can’t do some things I like to do simply because that aggravates it and it causes the tear to get worse. It’s kind of hanging on currently, but still has a few parts and pieces hanging on that I need to keep intact for the full year.”

Has your perspective on life changed since the last race in Phoenix last year until now?

“Yeah, I think certainly it’s different. The easy thing for me to say is poor me, but I still have a fantastic life, a great family. A lot of people go through tragedies. A lot of people go through what happened. What happened to me in the offseason was highly publicized, but there’s probably tons of stories that have happened to other crew members that happened this offseason and during the season that nobody knows about. Everyone has their times where they have to go through tough moments. I think those are building moments for your character and how your respond to it. This season for me could go one of two ways and I think not much of a middle road. It’s going really one way or really the other way. It’s up to me which was I decided to turn. Right now my focus is keeping this thing on the right track and spending these last couple of years accomplishing everything that I want to before my career is over.”

About Toyota

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