NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYS
FEBRUARY 14, 2024

 WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes

Regarding the Daytona 500 pole – Is there an internal battle to try and get this next one?

“It’s one of those poles that you would like to have. I would say the Phoenix (Raceway) pole is really important as well, but this one is up there. So, it would be nice to get this one tonight to start the season off on a good foot and to just give you some momentum, really.”

Do you have inside bets with Larson or Bowman or anybody?

“No, I don’t, and honestly don’t know what their mindset is. We will just try to go out there and do the best we can to see who has the fastest car, basically. As long as I do my job and get through the gears and everything, then its just up to that.”

Did you have a good offseason and are you ready for this one?

“I feel like this offseason, I took more time just away from racing and I feel like I came back more energized, and I feel like I am more excited for what is ahead now.”

You had a great season last year and made it to the Final Four, but are there some areas you would like to see the team improve in or are there certain types of tracks that you would like to feel a little more comfortable with?

“I don’t know – just try to get a little better at short tracks. That has been the goal for us for about a year. We started to struggle at the shorter tracks in 2022, and I feel like going into this year, that has been the big emphasis – to try and get better at Martinsville in particular, but a lot of those places.”

Were you surprised last year, especially what happened in the fall race, when you went there thinking you were ready for Martinsville and it just didn’t happen?

“Yeah, I mean I was surprised. I thought we could easily run top-five or top-seven. I was anxious, though, because of our past performance, but I thought we would improve. But yeah – definitely surprised, but hopefully its different this year.”

Did NASCAR go in the right direction with some of the changes that came out of Phoenix?

“Yeah, I think so. We will see. I don’t really know because I didn’t do any of the testing, but hopefully so, yeah.”

Daniel Suarez was talking earlier today about your six wins, and he said that he brought three cars to the track that were capable of winning and you brought 20. As far as preparation, how does that translate from the race shop to get those cars to the track to get you those numbers?

“I mean, I really don’t look at it that way. I look at it that every time the guys bring a car to the track, it has a chance to win. That is the confidence I have in my team, and I never look at weekends and say – ‘man, this car sucks’, or ‘this car doesn’t have a chance to win’. It’s just fine-tuning and sometimes you win races with a third-place car and sometimes you win by being the best car all weekend. I think we had maybe two races last year where we had the best car all weekend and that was Vegas and Watkins Glen. So, yeah, it just depends, and they all come in differently.”

Did you have a lot of fun in doing the documentary on Netflix and the behind-the-scenes stuff?

“It was really cool, and I liked it a lot. I thought they did a good job editing it and really making everyone look good. It was good. I was skeptical going in of what it was going to look like, but it turned out better than I thought.”

What about Iowa Speedway? Do you like having a new track every season, like Chicago last year?

“Yeah, I do. We continue to spice it up and do new and interesting things that I think is good. Iowa is a known commodity for us; we have been there. It hasn’t been in the Cup Series, so I am excited to see how it goes.”

Ford and Toyota have new noses this year. Do you feel like you are a little bit on your back foot at an aero track like this?

“Yeah, I mean our car was good last year, so sometimes you don’t want to mess with something that is already proven and competitive. So, hopefully our car is really good this year.”

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 – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 14, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

What would it mean to win your fourth Daytona 500 this year?

“I think with each win, it puts you in a different category, right? And certainly, with some of the numbers that Richard (Petty) put up, or Cale (Yarborough), it’s hard to duplicate even in today’s type racing where there’s more cars on the lead lap and more cars in the front pack. I think accomplishments like that certainly puts you in an upper echelon of drivers that were legends in this sport, so it would certainly mean a lot.”

Does it take pressure off you coming to Daytona after previously winning a Daytona 500 or does it add more pressure on you?

“Me personally, I’d say it takes it off. There are many great drivers, certainly better than I am, that have never won this race and they deem it as a hole in their career. I think it’s a different type of racing now than what it used to be. It was a little more predictable back then because the cars were on edge and the great drafters found their way and position. It’s just a little different with the Next Gen era for sure. But yeah, having multiple wins in this certainly takes the pressure off. There’s just more to gain, not much to lose if you don’t accomplish it this year.”

Does winning multiple Daytona 500’s take a backseat to winning a championship?

“I’m not sure. By the outside views, this is the pinnacle of our sport. The championship is decided in one race just like this is decided in one race. I’m not really sure, it just depends on whose perspective it might be. But certainly, with the championship getting a smaller and smaller sample size, I view them very similarly.”

Has the role of a spotter changed over the years?

“I think that with everything being more common and similar with the equipment you run and technology you share, really the only differentiator you have is your people – your drivers, the crew chiefs and spotters. They’re the ones on the radio on race day, so any time you can find an advantage in one of those positions, certainly you’re going to be in a much better spot. Those guys are probably getting to a level where it’s more fairly priced for the good ones.”

How much of a difference does it make to have nine Toyotas in the draft instead of six?

“I mean it’s yet to be seen. I touched on it a little bit this week, but really to have our own strategy, pitting strategy, is beneficial. I was just kind of torn on what exactly working together is beneficial, and this, that and another. I think it’s in my best interest in getting back to basics, and that’s doing what I feel is best to win the race for myself. While having teammates is great and are certainly assets to use in certain situations to win races, I think sometimes it’s those who are the most selfish, that make moves for themselves, are those who win the race. Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) had no teammates last year. He won the race. We’ve certainly had our fair share of moments when we’ve had to pick between a move a teammate made versus a move someone else made, and I deemed the other person made the right move. Those lead to what I argue a more successful result for the 11 car. Still, you want to help your teammates as much as you can as you’ll need those allies throughout the race and certainly during it. But I feel, I need to personally go back to the style I had a few years ago and we’ll see what the results say.”

What has changed behind the scenes at Toyota and TRD with the addition of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB?

“Yeah, I mean all the teams are intertwined in different areas, for sure. We (23XI Racing) have an alliance with JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) in some technical stuff, some IP stuff. 23XI Racing has an alliance with LEGACY (MOTOR CLUB) with some pit crew stuff and some other efficiencies. I think they’re all kind of intertwined and certainly you would argue the Toyota teams intertwine with each other more so than teams with other manufacturers intertwine with each other. So, it certainly allows Toyota to zoom in, laser focus on the teams they have, and I think that’s resulted in some good benefits.”

Where do you currently feel the drivers stand with NASCAR and what progress has been made?

“I think I overestimated how much the RTA (Race Team Alliance) has a seat at the table now that I’m a part of it. I think that this whole thing is such a monopoly that you kind of get shut down in different areas – you’re allowed in some places, but not in others, that it’s very different. I do think the drivers are in a better place now in the sense that they have an unofficial association. Again, it’s only a seat at the table if you’re allowed to be. It’s not an official seat at the table. Saying that the race teams and their agreement with NASCAR is why there’s butting heads there. So, there’s only a seat if you’re allowed a seat and they’re only going to allow a seat in a few certain situations, but I do think there’s avenues to the divers being more equitable in the sport in the future.”

Are drivers in a better place than four years ago or a different place?

“A different place. I mean, it’s very different because I’ve been blessed with a very good situation my whole career. I didn’t have to go through the ranks like others had to go through. Nor big salary crunches over the course of my career like others have had to go through. But it’s just a different place. Not sure if it’s better or worse, it’s just a different place than it was, and I believe it still could be a lot better for sure.”

What do you hope to see out of Ryan Blaney now that he’s a champion and has an opportunity to have his voice amplified?

“Just hope that he (Ryan Blaney) embraces it, right? He certainly has the opportunity to be the next big star if he so chooses. You have to want to choose that life and there’s a lot of responsibility that comes along with it. I think he’s certainly enough of a veteran and enough of a young guy that’s got a runway ahead of him that he has that voice and can be very powerful within our sport if he chooses to do that. I hope he does. I think he’s going to be a huge asset to this sport. Kevin’s (Harvick) gone, I’ll be gone in a few years and Martin (Truex Jr.) will be gone in a few years. You’ve got to have that next group be willing to step up. I think Ryan definitely could be that guy if he so chooses, but if not, there’s others that maybe don’t have the stature of accomplishments that could potentially do it as well.”

Do you ever feel like it would be better for the championship to be chosen from a driver’s success throughout the entire year instead of just one race?

“It would be hard to argue the latter is correct. I would say that I do like the Playoffs. I really thought when they first implemented it you had 10 drivers over 10 weeks. Like it was the 10 best and in order to be the 10 best it was a really super elite group. Then, you’d let those guys figure it out for the next 10 weeks. Every race had such big importance. Now, there’s a win and you’re in. You can win and just go to the next round. It doesn’t matter about the performances in the Playoffs. It’s just different now. I do like the Playoffs, I just wish, if I had to change it, I think there should be a championship round. Not tie it down to one race where it could fit a potential manufacturer, driver or team. Make them work at some different types of race tracks to crown a championship. And, in my opinion, I think it could be a bump in the rating as well because you have three championship races, and they all mean the same amount. No one is going to run off and win the championship between three guys after two races. You’re still going to have that element, but it’s probably a little bit more of a fair way to do it.”

How important is the NASCAR Netflix series for new fans to learn about the personalities of the sport?

“I felt that they did a really good job of kind of encapsulating who I am as a person. I thought it was very fair to me. Personally, I thought that how the other drivers were portrayed was fair, because it’s how I see them as well and I probably know them a little bit more than the casual race fan. I thought it was all very fair and you always worry about that stuff when you don’t have any editing rights, or you don’t know how it’s going to get produced or anything like that. I thought it was a very good introduction for new fans because they also were kind of teaching you some stuff on here’s how it works, right? I think that’s the toughest part for our casual fan to latch on is that they see the cars going around in circles, they just have no idea what gets them to that point. So, there’s an even bigger element that can be told about what makes this car maybe a little bit faster than the next or this driver a little bit more talented than the other or whatever it might be. There’s still lots of stories to be told amongst a bunch of drivers that hopefully you’ll get to see in the future.”

What are your thoughts on having two speedway races to start the season this year?

“I think, to me, the points counting, stages and all of that stuff start to matter for me next week. You’re willing to lay out on the line a little bit more at Daytona because of the stakes of the Daytona 500. I won’t pay attention to any kind of stage points. I won’t be going for any of that stuff. It’s just about how can I get to the 500 mile mark first and what strategy I choose to take to get there. Sure, this race pays the same amount of points as Atlanta next week, but just from a mentality standpoint for me I will treat it differently. In how I choose to be aggressive in this race is different than what I will do at Atlanta. Because while these two races won’t give you any indication of who’s going to be good at Vegas or Martinsville or Richmond – the tracks that really are the bread and butter of the regular season championship. You certainly don’t want to get yourself in a hole over these next two races where you start to kind of panic and so you start chasing stage points and you start chasing things because you think you’re behind. There’s many more innings of this thing to be played.”

Are you worried about having two races in a row where you could potentially crash out?

“Yeah, that’s always a concern. I know that I could get unlucky. I could end up causing a wreck that I get in. It’s just part of the racing that we know. I know that we’re going to be good when we go to all those other tracks. I know what our result is going to be if we just do what we’ve always done. Yeah, there’s an element of chance in these first two that you just hope that you’re on the good end of.”

Will your take on the strategy for the 500 conflict with what you expect to hear from Toyota?

“I don’t think so. I think we’re all on the same page if I had to guess. I think that when you look at kind of history of superspeedway results, I think that Bubba Wallace has always been one that’s been contending and I have as well on these types of tracks. If we happen to be behind someone that doesn’t have the history or that kind of success, yet my result is dictated by the person that I have to push, I don’t necessarily think that’s a great strategy. So, I think that while there’s going to be plenty of opportunities for us to all work together – pitting, pushing each other by a competitor manufacturer or team – in the end you have to be selfish to win these races and certainly we realize that through results more than anything else. I think all of us will probably be on the same page as far as that’s concerned to do what we have to do to get a win. And, if we win, then Toyota wins and Joe Gibbs Racing wins.”

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Daytona 500 Media Day | Wednesday, February 14, 2024

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WITH THE NEW CAR IN THE DUEL RACES? “It will definitely be a learning experience for us. Probably the biggest thing would be just making sure the bumpers line up good and how we push each other as far as the new body stuff. Obviously, it’s a learning experience no matter what, even if it was the old we’d have a learning experience on what your car has got for the 500 and what we want to work on for practice the next day. There will be a lot to learn, lots of things, but it’ll be good. It should be fine. We’ll figure it out.”

IS THE PRESSURE OFF HERE SINCE YOU’VE WON THE 500 ONCE OR IS THERE MORE BECAUSE YOU WANT TO WIN IT AGAIN? “I don’t know if it changes it because the goal is the same no matter what. Your goal is to win it, whether you’ve won it five times or no times. It seems similar. We’ve been so close so many times since then that we’ve been leading on the last lap at some point. Last year, the caution just fell at the wrong time. If they hit that stinking button a little sooner last year, we would have won but it is what it is.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ATLANTA AND THE RACING WE HAVE THERE? “I call it kind of a confused racetrack. It doesn’t know if it wants to be a superspeedway or a mile-and-a-half. It seems like you’re wide-open all the way around it most of the time. If you’re leading, for sure, but there are other times where you’re hanging on and you’re in the back and you’re lifting and all that stuff. Honestly, it’s similar to what this place here in Daytona was like before they repaved it years and years and years ago, where it had some bumps and some character and the tires would fall off to where you had to kind of hang on and handling came into play. The same thing can happen there.”

WHAT’S IT LIKE COMING THROUGH THE OLD TURN FOUR TUNNEL? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU? “I still get excited about it, which is good. When I did that last night I said, ‘OK, I’m still excited to go racing.’ That means I’m not ready to hang it up, so that part is good. My kids, I didn’t think about this, but my kids love that tunnel so you know because you can jump out of it pretty good. You can definitely catch air, so if you were wondering if a Ford Expedition can catch air, yes it can out of the tunnel and they love it. It’s full commit, though. You’ve got to really want it (laughing).”

DOES IT MEAN A REBIRTH LIKE STARTING A NEW SEASON? “Absolutely. I don’t know if I get more excited about just the opportunity to win the 500 or just a new season. It’s probably more the new season than anything, but it’s The Great American Race. You get to line up in the biggest race that we have. To me, that’s pretty special still – 16 years into it. It’s pretty special to do it.”

YOU’VE WON EARLY IN THE SEASON. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO GET THAT FIRST WIN WITH THE FORMAT? “It’s important any time you can win these days because those playoff points mean everything. We didn’t have enough playoff points last year. That’s not the only reason why we got knocked out, but some playoff points would have kept us alive. We need to win more often and it’s nice to get one early just because it’s like, ‘OK, we’re in the playoffs.’ That’s good. That’s one box checked, but it’s nowhere near enough to really make a solid championship run.”

IS THERE ANY DANGER TO IT? CAN COMPLACENCY SET IN? “It can happen. I don’t see that happening, but it can happen. It probably depends on the team.”

WHY DON’T YOU THINK THAT COULD HAPPEN TO YOUR TEAM? “I feel like it’s important for us as members of a team to remain hungry and knowing that it’s just one race. If your goal is to win more than one race, you’re probably not happy yet and I think this is a big point of our sport is that you have to set goals that are very hard to achieve and that keep you hungry. You have to say, ‘Yep, that’s just one stepping stone to the road of what we’re trying to achieve,’ so I think that’s how you stay out of that.”

HOW LONG DOES THE STING OF LAST SEASON LAST? DO YOU FEED OFF THAT DURING THE OFF-SEASON? “You can use it a fair amount. You can find motivation everywhere. You can watch the Netflix doc and find a lot of motivation. I did that. Check. All of them. They all hurt. Every one of them hurts. It’s a great thing for our sport, but they all hurt when you’re a competitor and you watch that happen again. You’re like, ‘God, I wanted to forget that day for the rest of my life.’ You can find motivation in anything you do every day. You don’t have to look too hard most of the time.”

BLANEY SAID YOU SHARE A BOND NOW THAT YOU BOTH HAVE CHAMPIONSHIPS. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? “I think the one thing that’s kind of nice that has happened over the last two years, but more so now probably, is that we can lead as peers together. There’s not one above the other. It seems like we’re pretty comparable drivers and strong in different areas, which is good, and I think leading Penske together we can do that. That part is good. I think that helps. I’m sure from his perspective it is probably a little different. For me, I always have kind of seen him as a really, really good race car driver, so it doesn’t change much that he won one to me, but I could see in his mind it could be different. I get that.”

HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE UNTIL YOU GET A FEEL FOR THE MUSTANG DARK HORSE? “You’re gonna get glimpses, like a little touch on it here and there just depending on the track. Like the Clash, it’s too slow to understand the aero advantages or changes that we’ve made. Daytona, Atlanta somewhat, but it’s still speedway racing, and then you get to Phoenix and Vegas and you start doing those and you’ll have a better idea of where we’re at. I’m sure there is going to be some learning curve there too as well, so it might prolong that a little bit more as we try to maximize the potential out of the car and we understand the aero balance and what heights the car really wants to be at and how we can maximize all those things.”

IS VEGAS WHERE YOU WILL GET A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT YOU’VE GOT? “Vegas will probably get a piece of it. Listen, everything looks good. I’m always a cautiously optimistic person, where things may look good, but show me reality first. I kind of have to see it to believe it, so we’ll see. Like I said, there are gonna be some little nuances of the body in the car that we’re gonna have to figure out as we go along, so there will be a little bit of a learning curve even after Vegas of things like, ‘Oh, maybe it needs to be more like this.’ We’ll figure it out a little at a time. It’s harder to figure it out these days because there is no practice, so you kind of just have to race and then try something else and then race again and try something else and see if you went the right way.”

HAS RACING CHANGES A LOT AT VEGAS WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR? “Oh, yeah. The racing has changed everywhere. The way you race, the restarts, everything is different with the Next Gen car. Honestly, I think that’s why the young guys have really excelled more quickly than you would expect with the old car because all of the little nuances of the other car that we really all had figured out – that the experienced guys had figured out – got washed away, so we had to all restart together, which made it definitely a lot more challenging for us, but probably easier for them. It’s a different world. We also figured out that the cream still rises to the top at the end of the day, but it definitely washed away any advantage you earned by being here longer.”

HOW HAVE YOU HAD TO ADAPT AT VEGAS? “Some of the big things are just understanding the bumps down in one and two. What’s OK and what’s too much. Even three and four a little bit there. Restarts have changed drastically than how we used to restart there to what it is now as a driver, and really just the balance of where the car goes on the long run compared to what it used to be is different too. The details of where the car goes on the long run and all those things is quite a bit different.”

WHY ARE THE RESTARTS SO DIFFERENT? “Mainly because the body doesn’t have skew in it anymore. The skew changed a lot of things.”

WHO DECIDES HOW TO SETUP THE CAR IF YOU FEEL SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THE ENGINEER DATA SAYS? “I do to answer the question because I’m in the car. Data can show us certain things, but it can’t show everything, so it’s probably different for every team, but, for us, I’m very involved with the engineers and the decisions that we’re making and why we’re in a certain place. A lot of times the data can be misinterpreted because you’re driving a car a certain way because your car can’t do a certain thing or vice versa – because your car is really good at something else and that’s why you’re driving your car that way and that’s why it looks a certain way. So there are a lot of times that the driver has to be involved in dissecting the data to have a clear read on that, so it’s pretty complicated. A lot of times you need an engineer, but you also need kind of a race savvy person too to go through it all together, and I feel like we have a great team with all of that for sure.”

WHAT KIND OF THINGS DID YOU SAY TO BLANEY LAST YEAR DURING HIS CHAMPIONSHIP RUN? “We talked a few times a little bit and we helped as a team a lot, just helping them with their setups and things like that. Once we were knocked out it was, ‘OK, what do we do to help the 12 win?’ That was where we were at. They did the same for us the year before and it’s the least we can do. You’ve got to do what you can to return the favor, so that’s how it works.”

WAS IT HARD TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING TO WRITE FOR THE JOURNAL? “No, it wasn’t. It was actually really easy because I know him so well. I went up to the second page. I had a lot to say. Sometimes I wrote in the thing and didn’t have much to say, but this time I did.”

HOW AMAZING IS IT THAT WHAT’S ON THE PAGES OF THAT JOURNAL HAS NOT GOTTEN OUT? “I love that part. Honestly, I was talking to Jimmie about it at the Fox shoot the other day and it’s so cool that he started that and it’s the best-kept secret in our sport. There are no secrets in our sport, like none. You figure them all out. We have one on you guys and you know it’s there and that’s the best part about it is you guys know it’s there but you can’t see it. Is it real or not? Maybe we’re screwing with you the whole time and it’s not even a thing (laughing)? It’s just cool. It’s really special for the champion to receive that book, but to have the privilege to read back years and years. Imagine how cool it’s gonna be 20 years from now or 30 years from now. It’s just badass. It’s a little nerve racking when you have it because you don’t want to be the guy that something happens to it, you lose it. I was thinking when I was writing in it and I put everything away because the last thing you want is to ruin it. It’s a special thing. We should have it documented somewhere or backed up somewhere just in case. That’s what we should do. It’s probably a good idea, but it’s cool. It’s really neat.”

WHAT IF THIS HAD STARTED WHEN RICHARD PETTY WON YEARS AGO? “I wish it was. It would be the neatest thing in the world and maybe some day it gets published. It will be a huge deal. I don’t think it’s big enough right now to do that, but it is really cool to see the personal letters to the next champion. That’s all it is and some of them are short. Some of them are really short and some of them are really long. It’s cool. It’s kind of neat.”

ARE YOU OVER LAST YEAR. IT SEEMED LIKE HAD NO FUN AT ALL? “I did not. You’re right. No fun. I’m over it. I was over it in Phoenix, but it is what it is. Sometimes you have an off year and unfortunately we had that. Not everything was bad. We still did a lot of things really, really well. Our team still executes races as good or better than anybody. We can make our car finish a lot better than where it runs more times than not, so that says a lot about our team, so if you pair that with speed, that’s where we become dangerous again. Hopefully, we can find a little speed here, which I think we will. I feel pretty confident that we will. More times than not after a really bad year we’ve come back pretty hard, so I’m hoping that happens again.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYS
FEBRUARY 14, 2024

 RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 JTG DAUGHERTY RACING CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes

The purse this year for the Daytona 500 is a record. How transformative can that be to you and your race team?

“Yeah it’s definitely beneficial for both. Monday aside, we’re here to get into Victory Lane and get the trophy and all the accolades that go with it. On the money side, it takes a lot of money to make this sport go round and this race team. My wife and I are redoing our bathroom, our bedroom and now the nursery. So it would go a long way. It’s kind of already spent! I hope we win.”

After winning this race last year, what were the emotions like coming back through the tunnel? Does that win take away pressure or does it add to it?

“It’s really cool coming back to defend. Not many people get the opportunity to come back here as the defending champion of the Daytona 500. It’s something that I definitely recognize and definitely appreciate and look forward to that challenge of defending it. On the other hand it probably takes a little pressure off. We all put so much pressure on this race from the time we start. I ran my first Daytona 500 in 2012 and had been trying ever since then. Once you finally get it, I feel like you’re a bit more relaxed on the racetrack. You’ve already got one accomplished. Over time, it does seem like it makes it easier… not just the Daytona 500 but if you look at other races in other motorsports… for me the Chili Bowl Nationals, the Knoxville Nationals, the Kings Royal… it seems like once somebody wins that once, it seems like it is a trickle effect and you’re able to win it multiple times. I’m hoping we can make that happen this weekend.”

With your history in the race, what does this Daytona 500 mean to you?

“It’s our biggest race of the year. I’ve started this race every year since 2012 and as a full-time Cup Series driver since 2013. You want to kick your season off on the right foot. I’ve had really good runs, and even if you don’t win there are ways to kick off your season really strong down here. Winning last year changed our whole outlook of our season and our perspective. Then just the race itself, last year being the 65th running of the Daytona 500 and looking at the list of names that have won this race, and then talking to past champions that never won this race who would trade a championship for a Daytona 500. That kind of puts in perspective of how big this race is. Trying to win it is very difficult. It means a lot and it’s meant a lot to my career in the last year, and I look forward to hopefully adding to that.”

Going into 2024, what has changed in your mindset compared to when you stepped into this building a year ago?

“A lot has changed. 2022, there were a lot of issues; speed being one of them throughout the 2022 season. Coming into 2023 and Media Day at the 500, I was pretty upbeat and pretty positive and liked the direction of our program. It was mine and (crew chief) Mike (Kelley)’s first race back together and first season back together in a long time. So I felt really strong about that. But you don’t ever really know until you get out on the racetrack and see those changes. We made a lot of changes that offseason to our racecars and felt we were going to be better. We set out goals to start the season last year, and we accomplished all those. We set more goals this offseason. It’s definitely coming back as a champion, and this Media Day is totally different. I felt really strong about where our race team is. We made big strides from 2022 to ’23; it’s going to be tough to make those big strides again but it’s all about taking steps forward, and we’re prepared to do that.”

You mentioned new goals for this year. Can you elaborate on those?

“Our sport, to make the playoffs, is all about points. Obviously wins are wins and lock you right in. We have an idea of how many points we’d need per race and what we need to average over the first 26 races to make the playoffs. Those are the goals that we are setting. Last year we set a goal, and we accomplished that. Even without our win, we felt that if we did X amount of points per race, we’ll be in the playoffs, and we were able to accomplish that. This year we set a different goal of more points than we did last year per race, and that’s what we are looking at.”

If you had to sell yourself to someone who is picking guys to make the playoffs, what would you say the strong points are for the season looking ahead?

“Luckily I don’t really care if they pick us or not. In all honesty, I just feel like we are making strides in the right direction. In ’22, we were the 32nd-placed car at Gateway. We really focused on those types of tracks, and we went back there last year and ran in the top-six to top-seven the whole race but got crashed there late at the end. So we picked a few races this offseason to really focus on. I feel like we had enough speed at a lot of races last year to get the job done that we needed to do to make the playoffs. Some mistakes on the team side and my side of just not being clean enough throughout the race, whether it be pit road, speeding, restarts, you name it. Especially toward the end of the season. I feel like at the end of the season we had better speed than where we finished. I think I’d rather surprise people and bust their playoff bracket that they made today.”

Inaudible.

“Obviously the speedways are where I always feel comfortable. There will be some mile-and-a-half tracks that I think we’ll perform better on and we’ve always performed decently on. Bristol… I want to win Bristol so bad. We get two shots at the concrete now this year. That’s one that I definitely have circled. The way these races are, any of us can win at any given moment. These cars are getting closer. If you look throughout the qualifying sessions last year, the field just kept getting tighter. It was kind of frustrating for us in some aspects because we would close the gap to the leader but would stay in the same position. That’s just everyone getting tighter and tighter. Give any of us some track position, and we have a shot at winning. It’ll be about executing and coming up with the right gameplan throughout the race.”

What are you curious to see tomorrow in the Duels?

“I’m curious to see if I speed on pit road because I think I’ve sped on pit road the last three years in the Duel. We had our last meeting yesterday, and they all looked at me. For a lot of people, I think you saw the 48 last year was super aggressive in their qualifying package and qualified on the pole but was unable to really race it. For us, we were able to race but you only have half the field. It’s tough to get double-file. It’s more about executing on and off pit road with your groups of people and your manufacturers. So I think it’s a really good practice session for the 500 in that aspect. Knowing that normally you get one other drafting session from practice that you’ll have maybe one big drafting session and then all of a sudden you’ll have just five or six cars. For me it’s a good opportunity to get back in the groove of speedway racing and figure out what your car is doing. I’m assuming that everyone else has made changes as well to qualify better. So I’m interested to see how those changes affect our racecar in the draft and what changes we’re going to need for the 500. We know where we were last year in the Duels and what changes we made to go into the 500. Then we know what we did for qualifying this year. That’s one of your best scenarios to figure out how your car is going to be Sunday.”

What is the challenge of remaining a playoff team as a single-car operation?

“The old-style cars and the rules changes that would be made in the offseason definitely affected the smaller teams like ourselves, especially over a period of time. Now I feel like the parts and pieces as a whole really aren’t changing. We’ve got some underneath stuff that it’s not drastic for anybody by any means. We started 2022 with this car, and I felt like we were comparable to a lot of good race teams. But you saw a lot of mistakes, a lot of people were trying to figure things out, you saw a lot of blown tires… there were all these different issues that people were struggling with. As the season went on in ’22 is when we kind of started slipping away and is ultimately what made us feel like 2022 was a fail because by the end of the season we were really scratching our heads trying to figure out how they’re going so much faster. In ’23, we got more aligned with Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet and felt like we took a huge step forward. Now I feel like a lot of the info we have and the information that we’re gathering and not many rule changes… there’s no major parts or pieces that you’re going to bolt on your car or build or design yourself to go faster. Now that we know that these are the parts in the toolbox, it’s all about continuing to put them together the right way. I think we have enough data points now, and everybody is just closing in. I think we closed five-tenths away from the pole here in the second race, and position-wise I don’t think we were any different than we were at the 500. But we were eight-tenths off at the 500, so we’ve closed that gap but everyone is getting faster. I don’t think the leaders are getting further away. I think everyone is just getting closer. You see it within the organization. If you hit it this much better than your teammate, it seems like it shows really big on the racetrack. We’re all just looking for those little things. I think this car overall is better for us smaller teams in the grand scheme of things as far as trying to catch up. We’re not trying to design anything ourselves. We’re focused on the tools in the toolbox and the parts that they give us.”

How much confidence does it give you in your career that you’ll always be a Daytona 500 champion?

“It’s nice. The only way to make it better is to win another one and win a championship. For me it was definitely a huge accomplishment for our race team. There are a lot of people at our race team that have been in this sport for a long time and some never had a win in their whole career. It was really cool to bring that back to our race team and all our partners. We had a big blow-out summer party at the house and brought the families over and their kids and just enjoyed it and soaked it up last year. 2024 is a new season. We’ll remember those good times, but we have to make some more.”

What can you guys in the Chevy camp learn throughout the Duels just in terms of how each car reacts to pushes or takes pushes?

“The good news is the other manufacturers have made theirs easier to push people, so if they’re behind you I guess you feel a little more comfortable about that. I’m sure they’re probably a little nervous. Everyone is so equal when it comes to getting four or five cars in line. I feel like speed-wise is already really close. To me, there’s a lot of differences made in the drivers who are driving the racecars… when to push, how to push and what your line is doing. I’ve got friends in different manufacturers that I’ve worked really well with over the years and a lot in the Chevy camp that I’ve worked well with. For me on the Chevy side, we’re focused on what we need to do to make our Camaros fast. I feel really good about where we’re at. I think we’ll have more speed than what we had last year, which is never a bad thing.”

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 – Jimmie Johnson
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 14, 2024) – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver Jimmie Johnson was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

What was the motivation to join the Extreme E series?

“I think anything that we do as a company in any form of motorsports that we compete in, I intend on it coming back, somehow or some way to benefit our Cup program. NASCAR is our core product, and I think there are many opportunities in Extreme E to reach a new fan base, reach new partners. There’s some new technology coming out in 2025 with those vehicles that happens to align very well with Toyota and their vision of sustainable forms of energy to race with in the future, so there is a lot of layers to it. I think in ’24 they have a smaller schedule. It is easy for us to get in and get our feet wet and see and decide what we want to do for ‘25, but really excited for the opportunity. Going to lean on Travis Pastrana and Gray Leadbetter to jump in pretty late in the game. Gray’s there and Travis will be there soon. He had some obligations to wrap up, but I’m really excited to go get dirty again. It’s been a long time since I’ve been either off the ground or upside down, and I think both things could happen in Extreme E.”

How does the sponsorship work in that space?

“It’s a similar process and I’m trying to understand that landscape better. I can say with my time in the UK the last six or seven months, that I’m just impressed with the amount of fandom around all forms of motorsports, and the corporations that are active in European racing and the amount of interest in what’s going on over here in the States. So, I’m definitely taking advantage of my time in the UK and try to network and expand, and time will tell if it really comes together, but car culture and motorsport fandom in England is impressive.”

You are in the unique position to be a NASCAR Hall of Famer that can win a race. What does that mean to you?

“It’s a good question. I didn’t realize that. I truly am in this race, the nine races this year – will see what comes about for next year, because I just want to race. Of course, I want to win. Of course, I want to add to the win list and the other aspects of what I’ve been able to do in the sport, but that’s not why I’m here. That goes with saying – that when I put the helmet on – I want to win. That’s just how I’m wired. I’ve shared the reasons why I’m out there. The purest of all is that I just love driving. I love racing. I’m excited to be here for those reasons.”

Is your schedule based on sponsorship and is nine the number of races?

“Nine is the number. I was kind of around the 10 number, but for Toyota and my team and what we can do, nine seems like a great number for this first year. Partnerships really did dictate that. I had an open race or two to pick, and I chose Dover and Las Vegas, because I have so many other mile-and-a-half tracks on the schedule, so I thought I’d throw those two in as well.”

Is the second year a pivotal time for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB?

“I don’t know. I physically wasn’t around a lot last year for obvious reasons, but I was still heavily involved and when you look at the partnerships, and Toyota coming on board, I’ve been quite active on the revenue or marketing side of the business. I think we’ve made some great hires in our executive leadership group on the corporate side. We are making some huge strides there. We’ve basically doubled in size in a few short months, so there is a lot of growth, but my involvement has been pretty steady and consistent. It has been really impressive to watch everyone work so hard. There are really so many men and women working countless hours to help us make a huge step forward this year. I think this year, I hope, that we do make a huge step forward and everyone can see it and it’s noticeable. After that, I think after that it becomes incremental. It is going to be tough to chip away at the people at the top and the people that we want to race with and race with on a consistent basis.”

What do you do to knock the rust off with a part-time schedule?

“It’s very little. It’s just the way things play out and work out for all of the teams. I’ve been in our simulator a little bit just to work on pit road and get those reps in place. I ran a couple of single car laps around here, which really doesn’t do much for you. I feel like I’m well prepared for qualifying and my shifting locations and kind of the technicalities of that, but then the Duel is that opportunity to knock the rust off. It’s been since May since I’ve been in a Cup car. I did do some vintage car racing, but a much different animal than wheeling one of these cars around.”

What have you seen of the change of Denny Hamlin through the years and what has been the constant?

“His commitment to his craft. He’s had that from the early days. When we were competitors, it was hard – we still are – but the Toyota family does offer a layer of being on the same team. I’ve spent more time chatting with him on his perspective on many things here recently than I have in all of the years that we were truly competitors on the track. He was nice enough to give me a lift down here today, so we got to chat some more. The competition aspect – everyone is kind of in their own lane – but he was always committed to always growing his skill set and I know he studied my work at Martinsville for many years. Next thing you know he was the guy I had to beat at Martinsville, and watched him kind of evolve and always have that mindset to work and hone his craft, and then spending time today talking to him about the ownership side, and his new building opening up and their vision on where they are going and how involved he is – I’m able to see more of that. He’s constantly evolving and trying to recreate himself as a driver or as a business man.”

When see the role that Denny Hamlin is willing to take now, what do you think about that?

“I think that speaks to part of his evolution. He has his podcast. He is very opinionated and is very honest about his opinion and has certainly been honest about where his motivation is coming from with those boos. It’s not easy to do – I think when I watch, I see an authentic Denny (Hamlin) responding in that way. He’s not making it up and it’s not bothering me, and he goes home and it’s really bothering him – I really think it is fuel for him. I don’t think that Denny Hamlin that showed up in ’05, ’06 – somewhere in there wasn’t at that point. It’s tough to be at that point early in your career, but his evolution has led him to this place.”

Has anything changed in your desire to compete?

“There are aspects of it – the grind of it, certainly wears on me. I know that is why I didn’t extend to run INDYCAR and sports car last year. I had an opportunity to do so, but the commitment it takes to run a full-time season in any championship, I just knew that I didn’t have that amount in me to run 17 INDYCAR races and a handful of sports car races. But the desire to drive and to race and compete and to have the nerves in my stomach, or butterflies, the focus that racing requires, I truly long for it. There are aspects of it, I think we all know it being on the road, there are certain aspects of it that you wish weren’t there, but to truly do the job. I love it. I’ve chase it my whole life. To put in the context of a musician or something, it’s like asking a guitarist to put down their guitar at 48 or 45. Even stick and ball pro sports, late 30s is when most of them have to hang up the cleats. When you spend your lifetime doing your passion for a job, and then you have to put it away, it just doesn’t seem realistic to me. That’s the thing I keep chasing.”

What do you think the perception is going to be when you roll off in a Toyota tonight?

“Everybody has just been so kind on Twitter, I’m just going to have a standing ovation out there.”

What do you recall about this race in 20 years when Dale Earnhardt Jr. won?

“I don’t know. It was my first real trip to the transporter to meet Bill (France) Jr. and Mike Helton. Mike showed up with a VHS tape and put it in about an hour after the race had finished. I had to stand up in the hallway with (Greg) Zipadelli and (Tony) Stewart and (Chad) Knaus and myself, just glaring at each other – no one really wanting to say anything. It was really uncomfortable. That’s honestly what I remember most about that race. I’m glad Dale (Earnhardt, Jr.) had a good time and was able to win. There with what happened to his father, I recall the magnitude of the win.”

What has the transition process to Toyota been like?

“It’s been overwhelming in the greatest of ways. The amount of data that we have. The tools that are included with that, tools that we need to design and create. We literally had to hire software coders to create the tools that we need because this is a new system, new software for us and we have a lot of responsibilities on our side to receive all of this information, but it has been a great journey, a great partnership. We are thankful that they believe in us, and we look forward to taking a big step forward that I mentioned earlier. We know it is going to be tougher as we go here, but it is truly a partnership, and we are very thankful for it.”

You’ve won this race twice. Does that take the pressure off coming in here?

“For my 19 consecutive years, I’ve wanted to win. It added more pressure to win again. It is the only race that you can win that bestows a title on you, so it is the single largest race that we have. The biggest resume builder. It might be the opportunity to get you in the hall of fame. There is so much that hinges on the Daytona 500 for our sport.”

How does not having a guaranteed spot change your perspective going into the race?

“This will be my third time going through it. My very first Daytona 500 I had to go through and (Chad) Knaus brought a killer car down here and we won the pole, which made life very easy. Last year was quite nerve wracking. We assumed we didn’t have pole speed, and then the whole guessing game on will we outrun the other non-chartered cars, and here we are again. I do feel like I have less stress on me this year, than last, but when I’m standing on the frontstretch and watching cars go by and see the lap times, I’m sure that will ramp back up, but it is a serious moment. We really hope that we can put our best foot forward here in qualifying and be one of those fastest two cars, and not have to worry about anything else.”

How do you contrast the two things of being the race that has the most eyes on it, but it may not take the most talent or skill to get the win?

“It is tricky as we all know. The thing that I see in recent years is just how important track position is and that doesn’t mean that the big one won’t happen and somebody that wasn’t at the front of the field or someone that was being more cautious setting themselves for a good finish or a chance to win – that still can happen, but I feel now more than ever that people are now racing every lap. I didn’t necessarily ride here, but I would in Talladega – trying to protect championship points for the Playoffs. It wouldn’t necessarily win me the race, but I could run top-five and I could hold court with whoever I was racing against or sometimes pull out on them because they were caught up in the big one, but there is nobody who can race that way anymore. It’s not possible, and the way this car drafts – the last car in the group has the most downforce on it. There is less aero benefit of being back there than ever before. Everybody is afraid of being the last car in line, so it really does create a racing environment versus in other years.”

Is there anything about Toyota psychologically that is different or distinct compared to what you are used to?

“I’ll touch on that. I have to start with that the way we race today is much different than my last year in 2020. The demand that is on the manufacturers today – they really control data, and the progression of the technology is different. All of the years that I was at Hendrick, Hendrick really led all of that. Of course, GM helped, but there was less of a technical demand on GM, and it was much more of a marketing relationship, not all marketing but Hendrick did the heavy lifting on the technology. It is so different now, so it is tough for me to compare, because I am with Toyota now and the manufacturers are required to provide so much, so it’s not true apples-to-apples comparison, but the thing that really stands out to me spending time with Toyota like I have is why they have the specific car count and their laser focus on the teams that they have and how they can provide and their philosophy behind that. It really is amazing, and we are fortunate to be on receiving all of the rewards on that. It is very tough to be in that and the family and the partnership, and we are there and I can see how special that is now that we are in there.”

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Daytona 500 Media Day | Wednesday, February 14, 2024

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW MUCH DO SIM SESSIONS HELP YOU WHEN YOU HAVE TO GO TO NEW TRACKS, LIKE IOWA THIS YEAR? “I feel like when we go to places like in Iowa or Chicago street course, something like that, you don’t really have the ability to use all of the sim time and those tools to really set up. It starts to come down to more of your racing knowledge. So, makes it a challenge for everybody, and I do enjoy that. Iowa, I’m really excited about. That’s a track I’ve been hoping we’d go to for a really long time. So, really, really pumped that that one worked out. I got to race Xfinity and ARCA there and had an absolute blast. It was pretty rough back then, and that was almost 10 years ago. ago so I’d imagine you know some of the the touch-ups are probably needed at this point to get it smoothed out.”

THE REPAVE THAT THEY ARE DOING THERE, ARE YOU OKAY WITH THAT? “I never like repaves in general but it’s understandable that it was probably in need. Like I said it was really rough back then I know it was starting to to crumble and come apart a little bit that I remember. There were already patches, so as much as I hate it, yeah, I can see where it’s probably necessary.”

YOU HAVE THREE TOP-FIVE FINISHES IN THE 500. YOU WON HERE IN AUGUST. DO YOU FEEL LIKE A FAVORITE GOING INTO THIS WEEK? CAN ANYBODY REALLY FEEL LIKE A FAVORITE HERE? “I don’t know what the feeling is on it from anyone else I guess, but for us, I know we’re going to have a chance to win this thing. There’s not a doubt in my mind. With all three of our cars. So in that sense, I’m confident that we will be able to do that. We’ll be able to contend. There’s a luck factor when you come to these races. You gotta be able to survive some of the things that are outside of your doing and every one of these things, there’s always that accident that happens somewhere near you that you just narrowly get through. And I’ve heard the,, you make your own luck comments through the years and I don’t buy into that here. Not fully. There’s a certain amount of control you can, but there’s a certain amount of luck when it comes to some of these speedway races. We need a little bit of luck on our side, but outside of that I know that we have the talent behind the wheel for all three of our cars. I know we’re going to have a speed, like I said, and we’ve studied, we’ve made a game plan, we’ve tried to run through all the scenarios that we can predict, and we’re prepared for that.”

HOW VALUABLE IS IT TO HAVE DAVID (RAGAN) IN A THIRD CAR HERE THIS YEAR? “David, first off is a good friend and someone who mentored me a ton coming in and helped me get into this world professionally so it’s so cool to have him as a teammate on the racetrack. I think that’s gonna be a lot of fun. Secondly, he’s extremely good at speedway racing. I don’t think he gets enough credit for it. But it is very calculated. He studies very hard for these to the point where has been in contention to win this race several times throughout his career. So having a veteran speedway or veteran race car driver, one that really does so well superspeedway racing and having him here with us. I’m pumped for that too. And obviously got to race that one into the show. I feel like qualifying should be in good shape but it’s going to be a good source for all of us to be able to have another friend on the track.”

DAVID ISN’T THE ONLY GOOD SPEEDWAY RACER. HAVE YOU LEARNED MORE ABOUT THAT CRAFT SINCE YOU HAVE HAD BRAD (KESELOWSKI) AS A TEAMMATE? “Yeah, for sure. I finished well speedway racing through Xfinity by being smart and surviving and having a little good luck along the way Somehow and when it got to my rookie season in Cup we crashed every single one of them. And not small crashes, like highlight reel crashes for a long time. That was what I got to see of myself on the commercials for superspeedway races. So certainly turned a corner from that but it has taken knowledge from those that are very good at it like Brad did to come to these places and study and figure out how to approach it. He’s very analytical in what he looks for everywhere we go, but it’s certainly been something that’s helped me understand what we’re after when we come to plate races. I think that it’s helped me really buckle down and understand that they can be enjoyable. I didn’t used to enjoy superspeedway racing for a long time. My career just didn’t care for it. I’ve gotten to the point now where it may not be my favorite, but I really do enjoy these. I’ve understood that there is that little bit of luck factor in there. And with that, just understand that is what it is. But having fast race cars has made it a lot more fun for me.”

DO YOU GO IN EXPECTING OVERTIME? “As of lately, yeah. I think, unfortunately, I think we’re crashing at the end of every superspeedway race right now, and not typically small crashes, so I think you have to game plan it. Statistically, I think you have to plan on it. We’ve played back the fall race even and talking about things we could have done different, maybe should have done different. Obviously, it worked out fine, but what if, right? What if that caution comes out at a different time? What if we’re not in the right scenario? What if we’re split apart? At that point, the one that went exactly right for us, we’re still ripping it apart trying to figure out what could have been better, what could have been worse. It’s the level of excitement or just impatience, it’s jacked up right there at the end. And that’s led to a lot of little mistakes that have created big big crashes.”

WHEN YOU AND BRAD AND I GUESS IN THIS CASE DAVID TOO ARE LOOKING BACK AT VIDEOS OF THIS RACE FROM THE PAST AND FIGURING OUT THINGS LIKE THE ANALYTICS, BUT EVEN LOOKING AT THOSE IT’S NOT EQUAL FOR ALL THREE OF YOU GUYS RIGHT? ONE OF YOU MIGHT WORK BETTER WITH SOME OTHER DRIVER THAN THE OTHER ONE TONIGHT. DOES THAT COME INTO PLAY WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THINGS? “Yeah, certainly manufacturer alliances have been a whole lot more prominent in the last five or six years maybe. Another thing to that is our Ford bumpers line up very well with other Fords and that’s enabled us to be very aggressive pushing where we’ve watched our competitors try it and not be able to successfully. So while yes, through the years, Brad and David probably have people in mind that they’ve worked well with that may not be just our little core group that we’re talking about, but it’s hard to work with the other manufacturers in some of those ways if that’s who they have in their mind. That is something to keep in mind for us as we’re going through it is I think you’ve got to look hard for Ford teammates.”

HOW MUCH DOES THAT LEVEL OF TRUST OR DISTRUST ENTER INTO YOUR MIND AT THE VERY END WHETHER THIS GUY IS GOING TO HELP ME OR DUMP ME? “I would not have wanted anybody else behind me last fall here, pushing as hard as we were pushing in the corner. If it had been anybody else I don’t think it finishes the way it does. We’re probably turned around backwards. We worked together all day long. We knew how to push each other, and how to connect well. We had that level of trust. I fully expected Brad to pull out of line there at the end and I think given the opportunity and some kind of momentum or run I think he would and we’d have ourselves a heck of a battle of the line. We’re not gonna wreck each other and we’ve talked that yeah the pushing is a big part of it you got to do it and it’s risky and you know at some point it’ll bite us and that’s just kind of understood it’s nothing intentional we are doing it for the best intentions for both of us but it’s hard to do and it’s hard to do correctly.”

HOW DO YOU BEGIN TO DESCRIBE TO SOMEONE THAT YOU CAN BE LEADING THE DAYTONA 500 GOING INTO TURN FOUR HAVING THIS ANTICIPATION OF EXHILARATION AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT CAN END UP WHERE YOUR HEART GETS RIPPED OUT OF YOUR CHEST? “Yeah I’ve I’ve not made it quite that far around to where it’s changed right there for me. It’s changed two or three laps to go a couple of times and it’s hard to imagine it hurting worse than that. So I’m sure it does. We’ve had some scary moments there through the years too and it just happens in an instant and it’s just tough. You’re racing for a Daytona 500 win, it is our biggest race of the year when we’re all trying to knock the cobwebs off, so that’s a little tricky in itself, but it certainly creates some big moments. It’s hard. It really is. We’re all competitors. We’re all trying to win, and things are going to happen. I’d love to think that nobody’s out there intentionally wrecking those, but they’re being aggressive and pushing it for what they believe is an opportunity to better themselves for what they believe is an opportunity to better themselves. It can change in a heartbeat here.”