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CHEVROLET NCS AT PHOENIX CHAMPIONSHIP: Post-Race Report

By
Official Release
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
PHOENIX RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
NOVEMBER 5, 2023

 Chastain Takes Chevrolet to Season-Finale Win at Phoenix Raceway
Chevrolet Ends 2023 NCS Season with 18 Triumphs

  • Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain took Chevrolet to victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series season-finale at Phoenix Raceway, marking Chastain’s second victory of the 2023 season and his fourth career win in NASCAR’s top division.
  • Falling just short of his second career NASCAR Cup Series championship, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team recorded a third-place finish at Phoenix Raceway to lead Chevrolet in the final points standings in the runner-up position.
  • In his first NASCAR Cup Series Championship Four appearance, William Byron capped off a career season by driving his No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 to a fourth-place finish, ending the 2023 season third in the final points standings.
  • With the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season complete, Chevrolet led its manufacturer competitors in NASCAR Cup Series wins (18), top-fives (77), top-10s (149), laps led (3,631) and stage wins (26) this season.
  • The 2023 season brought Chevrolet its 42nd NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championship; its 25th Bill France Performance Cup in the NASCAR Xfinity Series; and its 11th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Manufacturer Championship – the Bowtie Brand’s fifth time sweeping the manufacturer championship titles across all three NASCAR national series (2012, 2005, 1998 and 1996).
  • With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 851 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1
3rd Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1
4th William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the track at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on February 4, 2024.

TEAM CHEVY RACE WINNER QUOTE:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1

Finished: 1st

“For me, for everybody with Worldwide Express, to end the season like this. We lost Rob Rose (of Worldwide Express) last year, but it’s his vision that started this program. Really for Advent Health, Moose, Jockey, Kubota, all of our partners, there were some questionable times this year, and as we went, we continued to fight and prepare the same. There were some tough days and nights, and sleepless nights, but it made us even hungrier and we brought the thunder this weekend.”

Talk about racing with the championship contenders…

“That last caution saved me. We were way too tight. Phil Surgen, these boys and girls, Michael Hann, our whole sim group, General Motors’ sim group, the whole workforce of 140-plus employees at Trackhouse, came up with a way to make this hot rod turn. She turned that last run, and drove off into the sunset.”

TEAM CHEVY CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR: POST-RACE QUOTES

Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

Finished: 3rd

“(Ryan Blaney’s) car was really fast, really for the last few months especially here today. Our pit crew and pit road just really kept us in the game. We weren’t really the greatest on the track but I was hoping for pit stops because I knew the way our team executed our lights, and the way our pit crew can execute a fast pit stop, I knew that that was our only shot really to win. They did everything in their power to give us the winning job done there. A huge thank you to them. I needed to come out the leader on that restart. Ross (Chastain) got a really good start from the second row, and was hoping I could’ve got clear of Denny (Hamlin) and get the lead and have Ross (Chastain) protect behind me. I’m not really sure that would’ve made a difference, really. I was just not as good as a few guys, especially (Ryan) Blaney and Ross (Chastain) probably. It would’ve been difficult, but my team did a really good job all season. I’m extremely proud of them. We had an up and down year, and we finally put together two solid weeks in a row. I don’t know if we’ve done that all year. A huge thank you to HENDRICKCARS.COM, Team Chevy, Valvoline, Jinya Ramen Bar, everybody back at Hendrick Motorsports, the engine shop, everyone. We’ll come back next year and try to be stronger.”

Ryan Blaney made a point in his interview to talk about how respectful you and the two other contenders raced….

“I tried to take as much as I could in turns one and two to see if I could do anything just because (Ryan Blaney) was a lot faster. He was behind me a number of times during the race and never touched me, so I would say, for me and my respect level, it started with him. He raced with a lot of respect early on in the race. He always has, too. It was fun watching Ryan (Blaney), and William (Byron), and (Christopher) Bell kind of when he was still out there, us all racing hard. A lot of fun there, and congrats to Ryan (Blaney) – he’s a deserving champion. Him and his team have done an amazing job. It’s been fun to come up through the ranks with him, and now see him as a champion. Congrats to Team Penske and their whole team, and we’ll try to beat them next year.”

William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1

Finished: 4th

You dominated the beginning parts of this race. Around Stage Two, it seemed to get away from you guys.

“Yeah, once the track rubbered in, we got really tight, especially when we lost the lead. We just had a big balance shift and got tight back in second through fifth and just couldn’t gain a lot of speed through (turns) one and two, and just had to really over slow the car to get it to the bottom. That’s all we had there.

Just really proud of this No. 24 Axalta Chevy team. It’s been a great season. It stinks to come up short, but I’d like to think we’re going to be back in this position and we’re going to have more shots at it. We just have to keep working. Keep working on the short-track program for us – that’s definitely been the tough part of our season. But I felt like we brought a good car this weekend, and really until the track changed, I thought we were in the game. Just all we had there.”

What was it like racing with Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson? You guys were so close at times and you know you’re racing for the win, but also for a championship.

“Yeah, I feel like we all raced really hard. I felt like in Stage One and Two, I could kind of take Ryan’s (Blaney) lane away a little bit and get him tight. And then once he got in front of us, it was really hard to chase him back down. With (Kyle) Larson, I thought we were pretty even. We came off pit road and he did a good job the last run. They had more speed than us the last run. The last run of the race, we were pretty tight there.

Like I said, just really proud of this team. We’ve had a great season and there’s a lot to be proud of, and we’re going to keep digging hard.”

 

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.

Ryan Blaney secures first NASCAR Cup title as Ross Chastain wins at Phoenix

By
Official Release
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Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship, finishing first of the Championship 4 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway on November 05, 2023 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

AVONDALE, Ariz. – For the first time in 10 years of the elimination Playoff format, the NASCAR Cup Series champion failed to win the title race—not that it mattered one bit to 2023 champion Ryan Blaney.

When he took the checkered flag in second place in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race, the driver of the No. 12 Ford gave Team Penske its second straight title in NASCAR’s premier series and gave Ford a sweep of Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

Oh, and as Blaney was pulling away from Kyle Larson and William Byron over a 31-lap green-flag run to the finish to claim his first Cup championship on Sunday, Ross Chastain secured his second victory of the season.

In a fierce battle for the title against 2021 champion Kyle Larson, Blaney edged ahead of the Hendrick Motorsports driver on Lap 292 and secured second place behind Chastain, who grabbed the top spot from Denny Hamlin after a restart on Lap 282.

Chastain crossed the finish line 1.230 seconds ahead of Blaney, whose elation wasn’t dulled one iota by the runner-up result—given the bigger prize he won by finishing second.

“Unbelievable year, unbelievable Playoffs for us,” said Blaney, who won last week at Martinsville to advance to the Championship 4 with Larson, Byron and Christopher Bell. “To win back-to-back Cup titles for (team owner Roger) Penske, that’s so special. Having my family here, winning my first Cup title, I got emotional in the car. I’m not a very emotional guy.

“You never want to count yourself out. I mean, I think in the summer we were struggling a little bit, but we never gave up. We just went to work. I’ve said that all week, like, this group goes to work, and they figure out problems. That’s why they’re such an amazing group to be with, with the Team Penske folks, ’cause they just put their head down and do the work, accept the challenge.”

Bell fell out of the race on Lap 108, but Blaney, Larson and Byron came home second, third and fourth. Blaney’s margin over Larson at the finish was 2.243 seconds. Though Larson beat Blaney off pit road during the final caution for Kyle Busch’s spin in Turn 3 on Lap 275, Larson couldn’t hold off Blaney’s superior car.

“Yeah, his car was really fast,” Larson acknowledged. “Really the last few months. Yeah, especially here today. Our pit crew and pit road really kept us in the game. We weren’t the greatest on the track, but I was just hoping for pit stops ’cause I knew the way our team executed… the way our pit crew can execute a fast pit stop, I knew that was going to be our only shot really to win.

“They did everything in their power to give us the winning job done there. Huge thank you to them. I needed to come out the leader on that restart. Ross got a really good start from the second row. Was hoping I could get clear of Denny and get the lead, have Ross kind of protect for me behind me.

“I’m not sure if it would have made a difference.”

Byron took off from the pole position and won the first 60-lap stage wire-to-wire but not without a challenge from third-place starter Kevin Harvick and a charge from Chastain, who was eighth on the grid to start the race.

Over the final three laps of the stage, Byron used the high line through the corners to hold off Harvick, who finished second. Chastain was third after 60 laps, 0.584 seconds behind the stage winner at the green/checkered flag.

First off pit road from stall one, Byron opened a lead of more than a second after the break. Larson, Blaney and Bell all improved their positions on pit road and soon were running fourth, fifth and sixth with Byron in the lead and Harvick and Chastain in front of them.

On Lap 86, Bell made a deft pass of Blaney for fifth. Lap 93 brought a dramatic change at the front of the field, as Harvick surged to the outside of Byron in Turns 1 and 2 and cleared him down the backstretch. Byron dropped another spot to Chastain and traded third with Blaney, who secured the position on Lap 107.

“Once the track rubbered in, we got really tight,” Byron said. “Especially when we lost the lead on track, we just had a big balance shift and got tight back in second through fifth, just couldn’t gain a lot of speed through (Turns) 1 and 2, just kind of having to really over-slow the car, get it to the bottom.

“That’s all we had there.”

On Lap 108, Bell’s race fell apart. Complaining of brake issues, he crashed hard into the outside wall in Turn 3 when his right front rotor exploded and was eliminated from the race in 36th place, leaving Blaney, Byron and Larson to battle for the championship.

“Well, I mean that was my first time I’ve ever exploded a rotor in my career,” Bell said after a mandatory trip to the infield care center. “So, yeah, I was surprised, but early on in the race I had a little bit of brake fade, and the second run it just kept getting worse and worse. I don’t know. Just obviously a disappointing way to end.

“It stings to not have a shot at the end of it, obviously. We were all four really close, and we all four showed strengths at different times.”

Bell’s accident caused the second caution and provided a welcome opportunity for pit stops and adjustments. After the subsequent restart on Lap 117, Chastain passed Harvick for the lead and stayed out front for 54 consecutive laps until Buescher passed him for the top spot on Lap 171.

Buescher pulled away to win the second stage, which ended on Lap 185. Byron finished fourth and held the edge in the championship battle over Blaney in sixth and Larson in seventh.

As the laps counted down, however, the race came to Blaney.

Chastain led a race-high 157 laps to 95 for Byron. Harvick finished seventh after leading 23 laps in his final season as a full-time driver NASCAR Cup Series driver.

“We built a team here at Stewart-Haas Racing,” Harvick said. “We built so many things from the bottom up. I think the hard work is something that people recognize. As you guys have seen through the week, I’m a pretty emotional person. I’ve just done a really good job of hiding that.”

For his part, Chastain enjoyed competing against Harvick in his final race almost as much as he enjoyed winning.

“Racing him early in the race was bucket list, little kid in me,” said Chastain who won for the first time at Phoenix and the fourth time in his career. “Racing that 2005 (NASCAR) game, I drove as the 29 GM Goodwrench car (Harvick’s first Cup car with Richard Childress Racing). Now I’m driving a Chevy for GM to Victory Lane, a Camaro.

“I am beside myself that we were able to do that. That last caution we were really tight. It saved us. (Crew chief) Phil Surgen and this group at Trackhouse, all of our GM support staff, sim staff, everybody came up with a way to make this thing turn, and we drove off into the sunset.”

NASCAR Cup Series Race – NASCAR Cup Series Championship
Phoenix Raceway
Avondale, Arizona
Sunday, November 5, 2023

            1. (8)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 312.

            2. (15)  Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 312.

            3. (4)  Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet, 312.

            4. (1)  William Byron (P), Chevrolet, 312.

            5. (9)  Chris Buescher, Ford, 312.

            6. (2)  Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 312.

            7. (3)  Kevin Harvick, Ford, 312.

            8. (6)  Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 312.

            9. (19)  Michael McDowell, Ford, 312.

            10. (5)  Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 312.

            11. (16)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 312.

            12. (21)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 312.

            13. (28)  Aric Almirola, Ford, 312.

            14. (12)  Ryan Preece, Ford, 312.

            15. (31)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, 312.

            16. (20)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 312.

            17. (23)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 312.

            18. (17)  Joey Logano, Ford, 312.

            19. (22)  Carson Hocevar(i), Chevrolet, 312.

            20. (7)  Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 312.

            21. (11)  Ty Gibbs #, Toyota, 312.

            22. (10)  Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 312.

            23. (24)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 312.

            24. (26)  Chase Briscoe, Ford, 312.

            25. (18)  Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 311.

            26. (25)  Harrison Burton, Ford, 311.

            27. (34)  JJ Yeley(i), Ford, 311.

            28. (33)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 310.

            29. (35)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 310.

            30. (14)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, 309.

            31. (29)  Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 308.

            32. (32)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 308.

            33. (36)  BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, 306.

            34. (30)  Ryan Newman(i), Ford, 305.

            35. (27)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 301.

            36. (13)  Christopher Bell (P), Toyota, Accident, 108.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 108.827 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 52 Mins, 1 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.230 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 4 for 27 laps.

Lead Changes: 18 among 8 drivers.

Lap Leaders: W. Byron (P) 1-92;K. Harvick 93-111;W. Byron (P) 112;K. Harvick 113-116;R. Chastain 117-170;C. Buescher 171-188;W. Byron (P) 189;R. Chastain 190-240;M. Truex Jr. 241;D. Hamlin 242-251;C. Briscoe 252-253;R. Chastain 254-257;R. Blaney (P) 258;R. Chastain 259-260;R. Blaney (P) 261;R. Chastain 262-276;W. Byron (P) 277;D. Hamlin 278-281;R. Chastain 282-312.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Ross Chastain 6 times for 157 laps; William Byron (P) 4 times for 95 laps; Kevin Harvick 2 times for 23 laps; Chris Buescher 1 time for 18 laps; Denny Hamlin 2 times for 14 laps; Ryan Blaney (P) 2 times for 2 laps; Chase Briscoe 1 time for 2 laps; Martin Truex Jr. 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 24,4,1,23,5,17,19,43,20,12

Stage #2 Top Ten: 17,1,4,24,19,12,5,23,6,43

Ty Gibbs named 2023 Cup Series Rookie of the Year

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Mike Biskupski for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Ty Gibbs has officially been named the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year.

The 21-year-old Gibbs from Charlotte, North Carolina, capped off his rookie Cup Series season with Joe Gibbs Racing, his grandfather and championship-winning team owner Joe Gibbs’ team, in 21st place during the season-finale NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 5, despite starting in 11th place, but settling in 18th place in the final driver’s standings with 771 points.

Gibbs’ inaugural presence in the Cup Series occurred during the second half of the 2022 season, when he drove the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota TRD Camry entry at Pocono Raceway in late July as an interim competitor for Kurt Busch. The move was made after Busch, the 2004 Cup Series champion, wrecked while qualifying for the main event and suffered concussion-like symptoms that would prevent him from returning for the remainder of the season and lead to his retirement. The move also occurred as Gibbs was competing on a full-time basis in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing and contending for the series’ championship. Despite starting at the rear of the field due to a driver change, Gibbs finished 16th in his Cup debut.

Ultimately, Gibbs would compete in the next 14 Cup Series events of the 2022 season. He initially competed his first five events in 23XI Racing’s No. 45 entry, where he notched his first top-10 career result at Michigan International Speedway in August after finishing 10th. Once the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs commenced, 23XI Racing swapped rides from their two-driver lineup that resulted with Gibbs piloting the No. 23 entry formally piloted by Bubba Wallace, who contended for the owner’s championship in the No. 45 entry. In nine starts in the No. 23 Toyota, Gibbs recorded a 15th-place result at Darlington Raceway in September and a total of three top-20 results. He was replaced by Daniel Hemric for the season-finale event at Phoenix Raceway in November after Gibbs did not participate due to the death of his father, Coy Gibbs.

Ten days after winning the 2022 Xfinity Series title, Gibbs was officially named a Cup Series competitor for JGR as he would pilot the No. 54 Toyota TRD Camry led by Chris Gayle, who won the Xfinity title with Gibbs during the previous season. Piloting the No. 54 Toyota TRD Camry, Gibbs commenced his rookie Cup season by finishing 25th during his first Daytona 500 attempt. Four races later, he notched his first top-10 result of the season after finishing ninth at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. He backed up his strong finish at Atlanta by finishing in the top 10 during the following three events at Circuit of the Americas, Richmond Raceway and the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course before finishing no higher than 13th during his next nine starts. Despite achieving his first two top-five career finishes of fifth place, a total of six top-15 results in an eight-race span from July to August and remaining in contention to make the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs, a late multi-car wreck and a 35th-place result in the regular-season finale at Daytona in August derailed Gibbs’ hopes of making his first appearance in the Playoffs as a title contender.

With his Playoffs hopes for this season evaporated, Gibbs commenced the 2023 Playoffs with respective finishes of 21st and 14th before notching a strong performance at Bristol Motor Speedway during the Playoff’s Round of 16 finale, where he led 102 of 500 laps and settled in fifth place. Two races later, he notched a career-best fourth-place result during the Round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. He then recorded respective finishes of 34th, seventh and 18th throughout the Round of 8 before capping off his rookie Cup season in 21st place during the season-finale event at Phoenix.

With his accomplishment, Gibbs became the fourth different competitor while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing to achieve a Cup rookie title, a feat that includes Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. He also became the fourth different competitor from North Carolina to achieve a Cup rookie title within the previous six seasons and the first Toyota competitor to win the rookie title since Erik Jones made the last accomplishment in 2017. Gibbs is also the first competitor to win the Cup rookie title a year after winning the Xfinity title since William Byron made the last accomplishment from 2017-18.

Photo by Chad Wells for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Gibbs’ lone rival for this year’s Cup rookie title was Noah Gragson, who competed in 21 of the first 22-scheduled events for Legacy Motor Club before he was suspended indefinitely from NASCAR competition and released by LMC in early August for violating a section highlighting member conduct within NASCAR’s rulebook.

With the completion of his first full-time campaign in NASCAR’s premier series, Gibbs is set to return for a second Cup Series stint in 2024 with Joe Gibbs Racing as he will continue to compete alongside teammates Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr.

The NASCAR Cup Series competitors and teams enter an off-season period before returning to action at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Busch Light Clash on February 4, 2024, with the event’s broadcast time to occur at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. This event will be followed by the 66th annual running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, which will occur on February 18, 2024, and officially commence a new season of Cup Series competition. The Daytona 500’s broadcast time is slated to occur at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

Toyota Racing – NCS Phoenix Post-Race Report – 11.05.23

By
Official Release
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

BRAKE FAILURE ENDS CHRISTOPHER BELL’S CHAMPIONSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Ty Gibbs Wins Cup Series Rookie of the Year

CHANDLER, ARIZ. (November 5, 2023) – Christopher Bell’s championship hopes ended in the middle of the second stage after a brake rotor failure caused contact with the wall in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series season-finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Martin Truex Jr. was the highest-finishing Toyota in sixth while Ty Gibbs earned Rookie of the Year honors in his first full Cup Series season.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Phoenix Raceway
Race 36 of 36 – 312 miles, 312 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Ross Chastain*
2nd, Ryan Blaney*
3rd, Kyle Larson*
4th, William Byron*
5th, Chris Buescher*
6th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
8th, DENNY HAMLIN
10th, BUBBA WALLACE
21st, TY GIBBS
22nd, TYLER REDDICK
36th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem – DEWALT Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 36th

What happened to take you out of the championship race early?

“Well, I mean that was my first time I’ve ever exploded a rotor in my career. So, yeah, I was surprised but early on in the race I had a little bit of brake fade and the second run it just kept getting worse and worse. I don’t know. Just obviously a disappointing way to end. I’m super, super proud of this 20 team and all of our partners at DEWALT and Rheem. To be in the Final 4 is something we’re really proud of.”

Was there any sign of it yesterday in practice?

“Not from my standpoint in the car. No.”

Are you disappointed to be out of the race so early?

“Yeah, I mean it stings to not have a shot at the end of it obviously. We were all four really close and we all four showed strengths at different times. I think it’s going to be a great championship race and whoever wins is going to be well deserving.”

Was there any warning what was happening before you hit the wall?

“Yes, I did have brake fade. In the first run of the race, I did have some pedal fade and I think that was run two – it got worse and worse.”

How do you summarize the season after the rough day today?

“I’m very proud of the effort put forth by our team to get to the Championship 4, but I do feel like we left a lot on the table at various races throughout the year. I’m excited about the future. We haven’t reached our potential yet.”

About Toyota

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

Over the past 65 years, Toyota has assembled nearly 45 million cars and trucks in North America at the company’s 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, the company’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

Through our more than 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.), Toyota sold more than 2.4 million cars and trucks (more than 2.1 million in the U.S.) in 2022, of which, nearly one quarter were electrified vehicles (full battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell).

CORVETTE RACING AT BAHRAIN: Recapping the Rookie Test

By
Official Release
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Final laps for Corvette C8.R in the hands of Corvette Racing

SAKHIR, Bahrain (November 5, 2023) – The championship-winning No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R turned its final laps in the hands of Corvette Racing on Sunday as part of the annual FIA World Endurance Championship Rookie Test, with two drivers new to the mid-engine GTE car having the opportunity to sample it the day after the Eight Hours of Bahrain:

· Antoine Doquin: Nominated by the WEC following an LMP3 championship in the Asian Le Mans Series and a strong showing in the European Le Mans Series’ LMP3 category

· Timur Boguslavskiy: GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup champion in 2023 and GTWC Europe Sprint Cup runner-up in 2020, 2022 and 2023

Corvette Racing and program management used Sunday’s pair of sessions to test and evaluate each driver for potential future opportunities with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which will begin competing next year in the WEC, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Fanatec GT World Challenge America.

In the next garage over from the C8.R, Corvette Racing’s Nico Varrone received the opportunity to test Cadillac Racing’s Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercar a day after his GTE Am championship season closed. Varrone won three times this year with Corvette Racing – including the 24 Hours of Le Mans – and teammates Ben Keating and Nicky Catsburg, who also turned his final laps in the C8.R on Sunday.

Varrone, who drove for the first time with Corvette Racing at last year’s Rookie Test, will be part of AWA’s GTD full-season lineup in the WeatherTech Championship as the team transitions to Z06 GT3.R with two entries in 2024, starting with the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January.

NICKY CATSBURG: “To me, the best thing about today was to look at my teammate Nico and see how he did in the Cadillac Hypercar. We all have high expectations for him, so it’s very cool for him to get this opportunity. For me, it was nice to turn my last laps in this car before it goes into Ben Keating’s garage! That’s always a pleasure. I loved this car right from the start when I first drove it four years ago. It always has been a car that suited my driving style and I always felt comfortable in it. On one hand, I feel like next year’s Corvette GT3 car is going to be similar so it doesn’t feel like a final goodbye. I enjoyed today as much as I could and see if I could help the rookies out a little bit.”

NICO VARRONE: “Bahrain continues to be very special to me! I have been dreaming of the opportunity to drive a Hypercar, but I thought it would never come so early in my career. It has been great. It’s a different car, full of power and in the top class of endurance racing. The high-speed corners with the aero was really nice. Braking was a little bit difficult, of course, and it was one of the main things. But it was so nice to drive!

“GM is like a family. At Le Mans and this season, we shared a lot of time and space together. You get to know everyone, even if it’s just saying hi. It was quite relaxing rather than coming into a new place. They were all very nice, I have to say. It was great. I’m really thankful to the entire Cadillac team, to GM, to Laura (Wontrop Klauser, GM Sports Car Racing Program Manager), Christie (Bagne, Corvette Z06 GT3.R Program Manager) and many others. This is an opportunity I will never forget.”

ANTOINE DOQUIN: “That was really, really fun and I enjoyed that a lot! Thank you to the WEC and Corvette Racing for the opportunity. This was my first time in a GTE car, and I absolutely loved it. It’s a GT3 car but 10 times better without ABS, so it’s all about the braking. It was a very good day but very tough with tire management. The track is quite tough for a stint with the tire degradation. I learned a lot and know now how the Corvette team works. I’m really happy and we will see what the future brings us. I would love to be with Corvette. There is such a great atmosphere with the team and the mechanics. I have been with them for two days, and they are very, very kind… always funny and always with a smile! A big thanks to all of the team from the mechanics to the engineers for this moment because I really loved it.”

TIMUR BOGUSLAVSKIY: “This was my first ever in a Corvette, and I like it quite a lot. I have tested three cars in my life, and this is more like a prototype than any GT3 car I have tested – a proper racing car. I enjoyed how the team works and you can see immediately why they have so much success. With the car, I feel I was struggling with the brakes because I am normally driving with ABS. To go to a car without it, you have to change your style and you are going to be inconsistent. At the end of the day, I don’t think I did a bad job. This track is not easy. Overall this was a great feeling and I hope to continue to work together again with Corvette in the future.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in nearly 80 countries with nearly 2.7 million cars and trucks sold in 2021. 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.

The Elite Rise of Christopher Bell

By
Quinn McCullough
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AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 02: Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 DEWALT Toyota, speaks to the media during the NASCAR Championship Media Day at Phoenix Raceway on November 02, 2023 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Heading into the championship finale weekend for NASCAR’s three main touring series at Phoenix Raceway, Christopher Bell is looking to win his first career Cup Series Championship. Bell won the Truck Series Championship in 2017 and this year, he is the only playoff driver for Toyota after Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., and Tyler Reddick were eliminated from contention.

The Oklahoma native drives the No. 20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing and has six wins in his Cup Series career. This is his third year at JGR after leaving the now-defunct Levine Family Racing and he has been tearing it up in the Cup Series.

Along with his six wins in his Cup Series career, he has two Championship 4 runs in the Playoffs as well as 10 poles and 62 top 10’s. This year Bell has shown immense speed at various types of tracks.

Before arriving in NASCAR, Bell was an established dirt track racer and still is today. He has raced in the World of Outlaws Series and many other dirt track series across the United States. He won this year’s Bristol Dirt Race which will be the final Bristol Dirt Race since NASCAR turned Bristol back to a paved track.

With his mastery of different types of race cars and race tracks, he has developed a diverse craft of racing skills and abilities. The key for Bell in the Championship Race is whether he can stay consistent and get the win.

Make sure to tune in to the race and all the action on Sunday on NBC at 1 p.m. CT.

Sweet Soars To Victory at World Of Outlaws World Finals

By
Official Release
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Brad Sweet celebrates his fifth consecutive World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars championship in spectacular fashion, taking home the win in Saturday's season-ending event at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. (CMS/HHP photo)
  • Ricky Thornton Jr. (World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models), Brad Sweet (World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars) and Matt Sheppard (Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds) won feature races in Saturday’s World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte
  • Sweet (World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars), Bobby Pierce (World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models), and Sheppard (Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds) celebrated championships
  • Fans can buy tickets for upcoming speedway events, including Speedway Christmas presented by Atrium Health, by visiting charlottemotorspeedway.com

CONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 4, 2023) – Brad Sweet called his victory in Saturday’s World of Outlaws World Finals “a walk-off homer” at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Sweet celebrated his fifth consecutive World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars championship in spectacular fashion, after he passed race leader Rico Abreu with two laps to go and held on for his 11th win of the year and his first at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

While the bottom groove earned Sweet another trophy, he opted for the high road when he was met with mixed reactions from the crowd.

“I guess I finally made it, now that I’m getting booed,” Sweet said. “When you get cheers and boos, that means you’ve made it, I guess. I’m just happy to be here in front of this large crowd. I’m happy we were able to get our NAPA Auto Parts car in Victory Lane. We’ve been trying here for a long time.

“With the points, you’re always so conservative but tonight, I was able to be conservative on the bottom. I just kind of snuck by Rico there at the end and held him off coming to the checkered.”

Sweet won by 0.759 seconds over Abreu, with Logan Schuchart, Brent Marks and Tyler Courtney rounding out the top five.

Abreu, Marks, Courtney and Sweet scored heat race victories.

“Super” Matt Sheppard punctuated his Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds championship in style, winning Saturday’s season-ending feature by 0.92 seconds over Jimmy Phelps and Mat Williamson – Sheppard’s chief rivals throughout the year.

Mike Mahaney and Max McLaughlin completed the top five.

“To win this Saturday-night finale in front of this huge crowd, that caps everything off in style,” Sheppard said. “I don’t think I’ve done that since 2016. … You always feel good in clean air here. I was kind of watching the lapped traffic in front of me and watching the lap counter. We got into (traffic) pretty heavily there at the end, and I was really happy to see that checkered flag fall. Two out of three (World Finals wins) ain’t bad. We’ll take it.”

Sheppard, Williamson, Tim Fuller and Anthony Perrego won heats.

Ricky Thornton Jr. scored his second World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models win in as many nights on Saturday. Thornton beat Mike Marlar to the checkered flag by 1.121 seconds after he took the lead at the race’s halfway point.

Chris Madden finished third with Dale McDowell fourth and Garrett Smith fifth.

“I had a really good start and got to sixth or fifth right away,” Thornton said. “I saw the top was working pretty good and I figured if I was going to have a shot to win it, I was going to have to (run the top line). A pretty awesome night. An awesome weekend, really.”

Madden, McDowell, Marlar, Smith, Cade Dillard and Daulton Wilson claimed heat wins.

WORLD OF OUTLAWS NOS ENERGY DRINK SPRINT CARS

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 49-Brad Sweet[2]; 2. 24-Rico Abreu[4]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart[5]; 4. 19-Brent Marks[3]; 5. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[7]; 6. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[9]; 7. 2-David Gravel[21]; 8. 41-Carson Macedo[8]; 9. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[10]; 10. 21-Brian Brown[1]; 11. 5-Spencer Bayston[16]; 12. 1A-Jacob Allen[15]; 13. 15-Donny Schatz[13]; 14. 13-Justin Peck[6]; 15. 83-James McFadden[25]; 16. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[23]; 17. 2MD-Cap Henry[12]; 18. 69K-Justin Henderson[18]; 19. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[20]; 20. 8-Cory Eliason[14]; 21. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[11]; 22. 1T-Tanner Holmes[17]; 23. 99-Skylar Gee[19]; 24. 9-Kasey Kahne[22]; 25. 7S-Robbie Price[26]; 26. 42-Sye Lynch[24]; 27. (DNS) 20G-Noah Gass.

SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 9S-Matt Sheppard[1]; 2. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[2]; 3. 88-Mat Williamson[8]; 4. 35-Mike Mahaney[4]; 5. 8H-Max McLaughlin[11]; 6. 19-Tim Fuller[7]; 7. 4*-Anthony Perrego[3]; 8. 111-Demetrios Drellos[12]; 9. 26-Ryan Godown[10]; 10. 25-Erick Rudolph[5]; 11. 12-Darren Smith[14]; 12. 33-Louden Reimert[19]; 13. 99L-Larry Wight[6]; 14. 21A-Peter Britten[15]; 15. 5H-Chris Hile[18]; 16. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[9]; 17. 2-Jack Lehner[13]; 18. 27J-Danny Johnson[25]; 19. 5-Tyler Siri[17]; 20. 70A-Alex Payne[21]; 21. 215-Adam Pierson[29]; 22. 91D-Billy Decker[20]; 23. 2A-Mike Gular[16]; 24. 91-Felix Roy[28]; 25. 54-Steve Bernard[22]; 26. 14-CG Morey[30]; 27. 28-Michael Trautschold[26]; 28. 66-Corbin Millar[27]; 29. JS98-Rocky Warner[24]; 30. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[23].

WORLD OF OUTLAWS CASE CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT LATE MODELS

Feature (50 Laps): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[10]; 2. 157-Mike Marlar[5]; 3. 44-Chris Madden[3]; 4. 17M-Dale McDowell[2]; 5. 10-Garrett Smith[6]; 6. 32-Bobby Pierce[11]; 7. 9-Nick Hoffman[9]; 8. 97-Cade Dillard[1]; 9. 20-Jimmy Owens[16]; 10. 40B-Kyle Bronson[7]; 11. 49-Jonathan Davenport[19]; 12. 18D-Daulton Wilson[4]; 13. B5-Brandon Sheppard[25]; 14. 16-Ben Watkins[12]; 15. 0-Scott Bloomquist[14]; 16. 79-Donald McIntosh[23]; 17. 39-Tim McCreadie[13]; 18. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[17]; 19. 1T-Tyler Erb[22]; 20. 96V-Tanner English[26]; 21. 25-Shane Clanton[27]; 22. 8-Brian Shirley[18]; 23. 93-Carson Ferguson[24]; 24. 76-Brandon Overton[8]; 25. 19R-Ryan Gustin[15]; 26. 57-Zack Mitchell[21]; 27. 22-Chris Ferguson[20]; 28. B1-Brent Larson[28].

MORE INFO:

Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway and get the latest news by following on X and Instagram, becoming a Facebook fan or downloading the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

Stewart-Haas Racing: NXS Race Report from Phoenix

By
Official Release
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STEWART-HAAS RACING
NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

Date: Nov. 4, 2023
Event: NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship (Round 33 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Phoenix Raceway (1-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Note: Race extended two laps past its scheduled 200-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Champion: Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Race Winner: Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: John Hunter Nemechek of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

SHR Race Finish:

● Cole Custer: Started 7th/Finished 1st; Running, completed 202 of 202 laps
● Riley Herbst: Started 9th/Finished 4th; Running, completed 202 of 202 laps

SHR Points:

● Cole Custer: 1st with 4,040 points
● Riley Herbst: 13th with 904 points

Championship Notes:

● This is Custer’s first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. He finished runner-up in the standings in his most recent fulltime seasons in the series in 2018 and 2019.
● This marks the second time Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has won an Xfinity Series championship. Custer delivered the owner’s title in 2018.
● This marks the seventh Xfinity Series championship for Ford and its second in the last four years after Austin Cindric won in 2020. Ford’s other champions include Greg Biffle (2002), Carl Edwards (2007), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2011-12), and Chris Buescher (2015).
● Ford’s Mustang brand has earned a drivers’ or owners’ championship in all but three seasons since joining the Xfinity Series in 2011.

Victory Notes:

● Custer’s victory marked SHR’s 25th Xfinity Series victory, its fourth of the season and its first at Phoenix.
● This was SHR’s 101st overall victory (69 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series wins, six non-points-paying NASCAR Cup Series wins, 25 Xfinity Series wins and one ARCA Menards Series West win)
● This was Custer’s 13th career Xfinity Series victory and his 12th with SHR.
● This was Custer’s third victory of 2023 and his first win in eight career Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix.
● Custer led four times for a race-high 96 laps to increase his laps-led total at Phoenix to 140.
● Custer’s margin of victory over second-place Sheldon Creed was .601 of a second.

SHR Notes:

● This was Custer’s 14th top-five and 21st top-10 of the season. It was his third top-five and sixth top-10 at Phoenix.
● This was Custer’s sixth straight top-12 at Phoenix.
● Custer finished second in Stage 1 to earn nine bonus points and he won Stage 2 to earn 10 more bonus points.
● Herbst earned his 10th top-five and 17th top-10 of the season. It was his fourth top-five and sixth top-10 in nine career Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix.
● This was Herbst’s fifth straight top-five. He finished fourth Oct. 7 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval, won Oct. 14 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, finished second Oct. 21 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and finished fourth last Saturday at Martinsville (Va.) Raceway.
● This was Herbst’s second straight top-five and third straight top-10 at Phoenix. He finished seventh in the season finale last November and fourth in March.
● Herbst’s fourth-place finish equaled his previous best finish at Phoenix, earned on three separate occasions (March 2021, November 2021 and March 2023).
● Herbst finished 10th in Stage 2 to earn one bonus point.

Sound Bites:

“I thought it was over. I mean, I went from first to third and I was able to shift the car all night and the Doug Yates horsepower worked out and pulled me off the corner. I can’t believe we won that thing after going back to third on that (last) restart, but I can’t say enough about these guys. I mean, we started the year off and it was a struggle and we kind of had to dig deep with each other and really talk about how to get better. To see how much this group has grown through the year and to be a part of something, I knew I wanted to work with JT (crew chief Jonathan Toney). I knew that he was the guy that could make it happen and I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else. I just can’t thank Gene Haas enough. He’s given me opportunities and I wouldn’t be here without him. I can’t thank him enough, and Ford Performance, Haas Automation, everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing. It’s awesome to bring one back to Stewart-Haas right now. It means the world. Being so close a couple times this year and how the last few years have gone, I mean, these guys still believe in me and have given me really fast racecars and just digging all year. We did such a great job just getting better and better every week. These guys just brought a rocket ship tonight. It’s a very proud moment winning this championship with these guys. I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else.” – Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the 2024 season opener on Feb. 17 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The race begins at 5 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Toyota Racing – NXS Phoenix Post-Race Report – 11.04.23

By
Official Release
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NEMECHEK’S STRONG RUN AT THE CHAMPIONSHIP NOT ENOUGH IN PHOENIX
Sammy Smith claims Rookie of the Year title with a top-10 finish

AVONDALE, Ariz. (November 4, 2023) – John Hunter Nemechek won the first stage, led five times for 66 laps and was in contention for the championship on the final overtime restart before suffering a tire issue and finishing 28th to end up fourth in the final championship standings.

Sammy Smith (ninth) and Kaz Grala (10th) led Toyota with top-10 finishes in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. Smith clinched the Rookie of the Year title with his ninth-place finish, while Grala set career-highs in top-10 finishes for himself and his team – Sam Hunt Racing – with his ninth top-10 run of the year.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Phoenix Raceway
Race 33 of 33 – 200 miles, 200 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Cole Custer*
2nd, Sheldon Creed*
3rd, Justin Allgaier*
4th, Riley Herbst*
5th, Sam Mayer*
9th, SAMMY SMITH
10th, KAZ GRALA
22nd, MYATT SNIDER
28th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
34th, CONNOR MOSACK
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

SAMMY SMITH, No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 9th

How was your race?

“Yeah, it was okay. We got the pole and had a good, okay first stage. Just struggled with the balance. Came in, sped. That was my fault. Went to the back, kind of made our way up slowly and was looking forward to that next pit stop because the guys were doing really good, but had the fire and had to start over and actually had to go through the field. It was an okay day, just thank you to everyone at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) and Toyota for these last couple of years and looking forward to the future.”

KAZ GRALA, No. 26 Ruedebusch Toyota GR Supra, Sam Hunt Racing

Finishing Position: 10th

Can you take me through tonight and your first season with Sam Hunt Racing?
“We really haven’t had the best of luck, but we’ve had speed. This last third of the year, we’ve been a top-10 car every single race, and a handful of those we’ve had taken away for various crazy reasons – accidents, mechanical, just general bad luck. We have had that speed. We’ve been competitive. We’ve raced with the good cars every week here lately. I think that has shown how strong we are. Sam Hunt Racing has come a long way throughout the season. I’m proud of everyone here. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with everyone. It was a great year. Glad to be full time in my first time in the Xfinity Series, and I think we can leave this year being proud of a lot. Nine top-10’s, and two top-fives, but probably should have been a whole handful more than that. Really, really good year.”

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 20 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 28th

What happened on the final restart?

“I just drove down in and it didn’t turn. I don’t know if we had a right front start going down or what exactly it was. I just drove in and it didn’t turn. Man, I hate it for our guys, hate it for Toyota and TRD. Our Toyota GR Supra was really, really fast. You drive down and it doesn’t turn and that’s not a very good thing. Once we got in the fence there off of (turn) 2 it hurt the right sides even more. I think we had a right rear start going down as well. It sucks to end up where we finished. Had a really strong effort all day. I’m proud of this whole 20 crew – I’m proud of this whole group. Just sucks to end our season this way, but overall, a really successful season for this 20 team and Joe Gibbs Racing. I was proud to be behind the wheel of this 20 car all year. Seven wins is a lot to be proud of. One race doesn’t define us as a group. It’s really just another race. If you win, you come out the champion. That’s what we told ourselves all week and it almost happened. Overall, I’m really proud of this group. I’m proud of myself. We put ourselves in contention and that’s really all you can do. Our car was as fast as Xfinity 10 G on that restart. I needed it to turn a little bit better and the results might have been different.”

At what point did you lose track of the race car a bit?

“Just keeping up with the race track at night. The 00 (Cole Custer) got better the second segment of the race. To start the third stage, we were better at the beginning of it, towards the middle of the run and then late in the run he kind of came on. We started coming back at the end there with 30 to go before we pitted. Just ever-evolving race track, always changing, trying to stay on top of adjustments. Like I said, proud of the effort from this team. I’m proud of myself. Nothing to hang our heads on this for sure. We gave it a hell of an effort. Made it to the Final 4. We had a shot on the final restart. It sucks but looking forward to next year and I’m looking forward to getting in the Cup car.”

What happened after you cleared Cole Custer on the final restart?

“I got a hell of a jump. I cleared him in (turn) 1 and then when I got to turn 1 it didn’t turn. I’m not sure what was going on or what happened. Had a heck of a jump and had him cleared. When the front tires won’t turn it’s not good. I’m not sure if that’s on me. I’ve got to go back and look at some data or if we had a right front going down or what. Man, it sucks to end our season this way but overall, we had a really successful season. I’m proud of the effort from this 20 crew and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing. I’m proud of the effort, I’m proud of myself. We put ourselves in contention and just came up short. One race doesn’t define us. I feel like the season showed what we can do, and we were able to execute all year. Just sucks to end it this way.”

Are you frustrated to end the season this way after seven wins this year?

“I’m still smiling. It’s frustrating to end the championship run that way to not come out the champion when we felt like we were the best car all year. Overall, a really solid effort by us. Seven wins is nothing to hang your head over. We won a lot of races this year, we led a lot of laps, had a really good average finish. Overall, just a really solid year. I’m proud to be behind the wheel of this 20 car this year. Heck of an effort for the whole year of 2023.”

About Toyota

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

Over the past 65 years, Toyota has assembled nearly 45 million cars and trucks in North America at the company’s 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, the company’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

Through our more than 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.), Toyota sold more than 2.4 million cars and trucks (more than 2.1 million in the U.S.) in 2022, of which, nearly one quarter were electrified vehicles (full battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell).

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – Cole Custer Wins NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Championship Race | Saturday, November 4, 2023

COLE CUSTER WINS FIRST NASCAR Xfinity Series CHAMPIONSHIP

  • The third time was the charm for Cole Custer, who won his first series championship after finished second in his previous two attempts.
  • This marks the seventh NXS championship for Ford and second in the last four years after Austin Cindric won in 2020.
  • Ford’s other champions include: Greg Biffle (2002), Carl Edwards (2007), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2011-12), and Chris Buescher (2015).
  • This marks the second time Stewart-Haas has won an NXS championship with Ford after Custer delivered the owner’s title in 2018.
  • This continues a streak that has seen Mustang win a driver’s or owner’s championship in all but three seasons since coming to the series full-time in 2011.

UNOFFICIAL FORD FINISHING RESULTS
1st – Cole Custer
4th – Riley Herbst
15th – Brett Moffitt
18th – Ryan Sieg
27th – Joey Gase
30th – Timmy Hill
31st – Joe Graf Jr.
36th – JJ Yeley
38th – Kyle Sieg

COLE CUSTER, No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang – CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY LANE INTERVIEWS:

THREE-WIDE OFF OF TURN ONE ON THE WHITE FLAG LAP AND YOU WON IT. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN IT LOOKED LIKE THE RESTART WASN’T GOING TO GO YOUR WAY? “I thought it was over. I mean, I went from first to third and I was able to shift the car all night and the Doug Yates horsepower worked out and pulled me off the corner. I can’t believe we won that thing after going back to third on that restart, but I can’t say enough about these guys. I mean, we started the year off and it was a struggle and we kind of had to dig deep with each other and really talk about how to get better. To see how much this group has grown through the year and to be a part of something, I knew I wanted to work with JT. I knew that he was the guy that could make it happen and I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else. I just can’t thank Gene Haas enough. He’s given me opportunities and I wouldn’t be here without him. I can’t thank him enough, and Ford Performance, Haas Automation, everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing. It’s awesome to bring one back to Stewart-Haas right now. Man, I’m gonna enjoy this. I’ve been waiting to hear Wayne on the radio for a few times now, so I’m pumped.”

WHAT DID YOU HAVE TO PROVE PERSONALLY WITH COMING BACK TO XFINITY IN THIS CHAMPIONSHIP RUN? “You get knocked down a little bit and you just want to prove that you can go out there and do it. I think these guys have just really always believed in me all year and I just can’t thank them enough for giving me really fast race cars and still believing in me when things weren’t going great.”

HOW ABOUT THAT FINISH? “That was crazy. Having it three-wide there at the end. I can’t believe we went from third to first there when we dropped back. Man, it was such a fast car. JT and all the guys did such a great job. I can’t thank everybody at the team. When things weren’t going good the last few years and them still believing in me coming back, I just can’t thank everybody enough. It’s a very proud moment winning this championship with these guys. I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else.”

WHAT ABOUT THAT FINAL RESTART WITH ALL FOUR CONTENDERS BATTLING? “I thought I lost it on the frontstretch. I thought it was over, but just how it worked out I was able to downshift it pulling up off the corner and get a good angle going into three and I can’t believe it all worked out. I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ve been so close here a few times and to have it all work out is just amazing.”

YOU CAME BACK TO THE XFINITY SERIES TO RUN FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP AND YOU’VE DONE IT. “It means the world. Being so close a couple times at this and how the last few years have gone, I mean, these guys still believe in me and have given me really fast race cars and just digging all year. We did such a great job just getting better and better every week. These guys just brought a rocket ship tonight and I’m so proud of everybody.”

PRESS CONFERENCE

MARK RUSHBROOK, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports

IT’S BEEN A GOOD WEEKEND FOR FORD. YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE PAST TWO NIGHTS? “It’s been a fantastic weekend so far. It all comes down to this, a long season of racing across all three series and have the championship weekend here. We came in with one driver in each and so far it’s worked out pretty well. Great teams, great drivers, great racing and I’m so proud of what we have in terms of those teams, those drivers to come here and battle, especially the racing tonight. Listening to Justin and John Hunter about how clean the racing was and the respect that was out there and it was a joy to watch.”

ANTICIPATION FOR TOMORROW NIGHT? “I’m a little nervous now that you asked me, but what Team Penske has done through these playoffs and Ryan Blaney and the team, what they’ve done, especially at Homestead-Miami and Martinsville and the strength that they’re carrying there’s certainly a lot of optimism, but we know it’s a long race. We know there’s three other great playoff drivers in there and we’re just looking forward to a good race.”

SHR HAS HAD A TOUGH SEASON IN CUP, BUT NOW THEY HAVE THIS IN XFINITY. HOW SHOULD THOSE FANS FEEL AFTER TONIGHT? “The great thing about Stewart-Haas is they are a team full of racers. Everybody in that shop wants to win. Every team goes through ups and downs, for sure, and different phases in it, but what has been built at Stewart-Haas – when they came to Ford they were only a Cup team in 2017, and with the vision of Joe Custer and the leadership there to build the Xfinity program and to have the strength that they have there, especially watching Riley run some really strong races through the latter part of the season, it’s a strong program. They’ve got good people there, good racers there, and Cole’s got great experience and he dug pretty deep tonight. He got up on the wheel and got it done, so that’s gonna be a point of pride, I think, for the entire shop at Stewart-Haas and help them through this process.”

RILEY HAS BEEN TURNING IN ON LATELY AND AM RACING IS GROWING. WHERE IS FORD AT WITH ALL OF THIS YOUNG TALENT COMING UP? “It’s a good time for the sport, for sure, and, like you said, the strength inside Stewart-Haas with Riley winning in Vegas a few weeks ago and having several strong weeks since then, I think, is a good sign for the Stewart-Haas Xfinity program and we’re excited with what AM Racing is building – the program that they’ve run this year and the plans for next year and seeing all of that come together and, really, their commitment to build that program. We’re proud to be a technical partner with them to help them with that success.”

I SHOULD CLARIFY, THE PARTNERSHIP SHR HAS WITH THEM. HOW IS THAT LOOKING SO FAR AND WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE IN 2024? “An efficient way to go racing, especially in Xfinity, is to have one strong team and to have technical partners off of that and, again, the effort that’s been put into the Stewart-Haas Xfinity program, they’re commitment to it and also commitment to growing it through that kind of extension, it works really well.”

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