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

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Peak Ford Mustang Dark Horse – IS THIS RACE THE HOLE IN THE RESUME RIGHT NOW? WHAT WOULD THIS MEAN TO ADD A 500 RING TO YOUR LEGACY? “I feel like I’ve been close to this thing a couple of times. I had a good shot to win it a couple years ago and it just didn’t work out. When people ask me that, I mean, that’s the dream deal. You win the championship and then turn right around and win the 500. The last person to do it was Dale Jarrett in 2000 I think someone said, so it’s about time someone maybe does it again. We’ll see. You just try to learn from experiences from previous races here and figure out, ‘Hey, what did we do well to put us in a spot to win? And what decisions did I make that kind of kept us out of victory lane?’ And you just hope to find yourself in those spots again and try to make the right decision, so we’ll see. You just try to be rolling at the end of it and hopefully you’re there, but I’m excited for it. It should be great and try to add the 500 onto RP’s Rolex 24 that he got not too long ago here.”

DO YOU GO INTO SUNDAY EXPECTING THERE WILL BE OVERTIME? “Honestly, it’s not something I think about. If there is one, I’d like to make it to overtime. That’s one of the biggest parts, but, yeah, I think you’ve seen that a lot here recently. That’s just a product of it. You get down to the last handful of laps and people are shoving super hard. You have people shoving hard in wrong places and you cause big wrecks. That’s just what it is, so I wouldn’t say I expect overtime. Like I said, it’s not really something I think about, but it’s something that seems to be a normal thing now.”

DO YOU GO BACK AND WATCH VIDEO OF THE FINAL 10 LAPS FROM PREVIOUS 500 RACES? “Yeah, I look at it all. For example, I watch through the couple weeks leading up to this race I watched last year’s 500. I watched ‘22’s 500. I watch each summer race from here the last couple of years, and then I watch even some Talladega races, just drafting tracks, just trying to see scenarios. I usually look at other places I look at my scenarios and that’s just me and my spotter do that work of like what did we do well, what did we do poorly. Even the finishes here it’s like, what move did this guy make at the end of the race last year and in ‘22 that got him the win, so you try to study all that. You never know. There are a million, trillion situations that can pop up, but you just try to figure out that maybe there are some similarities to this situation that you might find yourself in and you just try to dump all the stuff into your brain that you hope to subconsciously pop up if you are in that position and it worked out for those guys who ended up winning the race.”

THE MUSTANG DARK HORSE NOSE IS DIFFERENT. DO YOU FORESEE ANY CHANGE IN HOW THE CAR WILL PUSH OR BE PUSHED IN COMPARISON TO LAST YEAR? “It’s shaped a little bit differently, but it’s hard to tell. You can look at it as much as you want. You can test it in the wind tunnel as much as you want. You can make your assumptions, but until we get out there in the Duels tomorrow night it’s hard to tell. Until you actually have somebody pushing you down the frontstretch, pushing you down the backstretch, getting pushed, pushing somebody else, you just don’t know. That’s the best way to test it. I’ve always been a field tester. That’s the best way you’re gonna find your data, but I think it’s hopefully fairly similar. I thought that’s what made the Fords so strong at these speedways was our ability to push and take pushes from obviously fellow Fords, but other manufacturers as well, so hopefully we still have that strength and I think we will.”

ARE THERE ANY DIFFERENCES IN HOW YOUR TEAM IS APPROACHING THIS YEAR COMPARED TO OTHERS? “I think it just builds confidence in our whole group. It’s not only me, it’s everybody on our team having confidence in knowing that you can do things that you believe in. I think everybody believes obviously that you can win the championship, but until you’ve done it, you don’t know if you can do it, so that knowing part, I think, is really a strong thing to have and I think our group is really good at accepting that and holding their heads up high. You never want to be cocky, but confidence is really important to have and I think our group is embracing that very well, so I’m really happy they get to experience that, too.”

WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO BE THE GUY WHO FINISHES SECOND IN THIS RACE? “I remember it. I remember every little detail of how you run second. Drivers obviously remember it. You remember the ones you lose. The ones that sting I feel like you remember those even more. You remember every little detail about them, so, yeah, we’ve run second here twice. I feel like I’ve had a great shot to win it maybe two or three other times and it just hasn’t played out. I try to take those as things like running second or close to winning this thing and not doing it, but I always try to take things from it as, ‘OK, we did a really good job of putting ourselves in a spot to win this race. What can I do and what can we do as a team to try to change the outcome of that?’ Great, you get there, but you’re just gathering data and previous experiences and I think that’s nice. Someone told me that this is my 10th Daytona 500, which is crazy. I’ve been lucky to have some good runs in it, so you just try to get all of that stuff that you’ve learned and try to change it. You do all that stuff and you could get wadded up on lap two and it goes for nothing, but you just try to take all of the info and experience that you can and, hopefully, you’re in a spot to where you can use it. That’s all you ask for is a chance to use this stuff that you’ve learned and apply it, and that’s the biggest thing. Hopefully, we can try to get it done, so we’ll see.”

WHAT IS THE ONE DETAIL OR ONE THING THAT STANDS OUT THAT HAUNTS YOU? “I look at the two that I vividly remember the most. We ran second in 2017 to Kurt and that was a weird one. I couldn’t have done anything different. We got strung out. Guys were running out of gas. I couldn’t get there. But then I look at 2020 when we ran second and me, Denny and Ryan were racing. Yeah, I mean I look back and it’s easy to Monday quarterback the thing and be like, ‘We’ll just make a different move.’ It’s hard to make those decisions in that moment. You’re trying to process a million thoughts in a millisecond and you have no time to think about them, process them, apply them. You’re doing it off of action and sometimes you make the wrong choice. Obviously, I would have liked to do something different in 2020. I would have like to choose a different lane. And then in 2022 I had a great shot to win it pushing Austin and, yeah, it was the same thing. I thought I waited until the correct moment to make sure one of us won the race, but I just wish I would have made a different move. Like I said, it’s easy to look back on those things now and you never know how that leader is gonna react. You never know where they’re gonna go. You’re guessing as well as them of guessing where you’re going, so you just look at those little things and sometimes I try not to get too bent out of shape about them. I try to just learn from them like, ‘Alright, maybe if you’re in this spot again, do something different and then move on.’ I try to not let it eat at me, those tough ones, so just those little things and gathering experience. Or, maybe you’re known for a certain move and maybe you do something different. You try to keep people guessing, so you’re just always trying to change up things and those close ones it’s easy to say what you should have changed up, but you can’t change them up at that race, you just try to do them for the future.”

WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR VOICE CARRIES AND WHAT IMPACT DO YOU HOPE YOU CAN MAKE OUTSIDE AND INSIDE THE SPORT NOW THAT YOU HAVE THIS POSITION AS A CHAMPION? “There are multiple sides to that. There’s opportunities outside of the sport, I feel like, that are important to do and I got to do a good amount of them in the winter. There are a lot of them coming down the pipeline for this year that I’m really excited about to grow the sport outside of the racetrack and its inner workings, but then also in the sport I feel like your voice does have some – I think people trust you and believe you a lot. It’s really funny. You do something like win a championship and now people maybe listen a little more to what you’re saying. It’s like, ‘OK, maybe it’s a little different.’ But I do think it’s important, for me, I’ve never been one to always raise my hand and speak up with anything that’s on my mind. If I speak out on something that’s really important to me, and I really have a strong feeling about it. I’ve always thought that less words used the right way is better than a lot of words used for nothing, so I think that’s something I might do a little bit more is maybe bringing up things that I think are important for this sport and bringing them up more, whether it’s internally with NASCAR or if it gets to doing them externally in the public, then maybe I have to, but I’m never gonna be one to have a voice just to have a voice. It has to have a purpose, and then I think I need to pay attention a little bit more to issues going on because I’ll probably get asked about them more because you are a champion and people are gonna ask, ‘What do you think about this and that?’ So, i probably need to pay attention more to those little details so I know what I’m talking about if I do get asked about that stuff, but I think using your voice when it’s an important time to do that, to where you have some weight behind it, is something I’ll try to utilize this year.”

IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIFIC YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE OF WHAT’S COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE? “There are a few things we’re working on. They’re in the early stages though.”

HOW MUCH HAVE YOU AND TIM SAT DOWN STARTED BREAKING DOWN FILM FOR SUPERSPEEDWAY RACES? “I’ve been excited to work with Tim Fedewa. It was great to have him at the test in Phoenix. It was great to have him at the Clash. He did a great job, but this is obviously a whole other deal and we’ve spent a lot of time looking at film, listening to audio of certain situations like watching me and the 4 race in the fall at Talladega. That was a perfect thing. He’s spotting. I’m driving other cars, so I think working that stuff out is good, and I think I’ve always kind of on-track kind of figuring out how things go. You can talk about all this stuff all you want, just like with the new car and the new body, but until you actually get out there and you work out your things, I think that’s good to do. We’ll see how the Duel goes tomorrow night and then he and I will sit down and be like, ‘Hey, let’s do more of this or less of this,’ and just kind of tweak our game plan. But, I feel like we’ve done all we can to lead up to it for now and hopefully it does well. I’m excited for him though. He’s a great guy. He showed me a picture the other day of my dad, him and Randy LaJoie here in ‘99 before a Busch race, which was pretty neat.”

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN TAKE FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIP RUN THAT YOU CAN APPLY TO THIS YEAR IN THE REGULAR SEASON? “I think something our team did a really good job at through the summer especially is when we weren’t running very good they didn’t freak out. They didn’t lose their mind. They just understood that some things we were trying weren’t working and we had to work in other areas. They just did it calmly and I think that was great. That is what mentally prepared us for the playoffs. People say, ‘Oh, you ran terrible all year until the playoffs.’ Well, we were leading the points until the summer break and then we went down a path that really didn’t work, but it helped us learn what not to do for the playoffs, that, honestly, running bad in the summer really helped us for the playoffs because we understood where we don’t need to work on and we needed to work in other areas. I think that’s what made me super proud of them. They were very calm and collected and really worked hard, so I think having that demeanor going forward is good when things aren’t going great. Don’t freak out. Just do the work and try to get better and give all the feedback you can to figure out how to get better. What parts of the track you need to get better on, and then I think the confidence things is great too. I said earlier that I think everyone on this group has huge confidence of knowing what we can accomplish and trying to figure out how in the heck we do it again.”

WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU COMING IN HERE WITH BEING THE CHAMPION? “I didn’t really have a different outlook on this place after winning the championship. This place is special by itself and I think the only thing that changed is the confidence level and, like I said, you don’t ever want to be cocky. It’s having belief in yourself. Listen, I’ve never been a very confident human being, so any little bits of confidence I can grab and apply to myself is really good and it helps me personally and internally, so I think that is the biggest thing is like when the garage opens today, I think that’s what everyone on the 12 group is gonna have of everyone seeing them and having the number one garage stall is great and that confidence for them is great to start off this week, but, as far as this place goes, it’s special in itself. Championship or not, you understand the meaning behind this place. I’ve been in awe of this place every time I drive through the tunnel ever since I was born. It hasn’t changed 30 years later.”

HAVE ANY OF YOUR PEERS ASKED YOU FOR FEELINGS ON SOMETHING? HAS THAT CHANGED IN THE GARAGE AT ALL? “I haven’t really been around them too much since then. No, I feel like it’s something cool that Joey and I can share now as teammates. That’s kind of nice that we can kind of share that. We already have a great relationship with each other working together, but I feel like now that you have something really special you can share with each other it even makes your relationship stronger, so that part is good. But, yeah, none of that really yet.”

WHAT HAS THE REACTION BEEN LIKE TO THE NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY? “I thought it was positive. I haven’t seen too many negative things about it, honestly. I think everyone really enjoyed it and you hope it reaches across the board. You hope it reaches the NASCAR fan already, and then you hope it reaches somebody who doesn’t know anything about the sport. That’s what that platform does – Netflix. I met a lot of people in L.A. who were like, ‘This is our first race because we watched the Netflix documentary. We were intrigued and we want to check it out.’ That’s what you hope to do. That’s how you have to grasp people. It gets harder and harder to grasp a new audience every year whatever it is – any sport. It’s hard to grab. How do you make somebody a fan of what you do and just putting a product on TV, on the track, on the field, on the court, that’s not enough anymore. You have to be relatable and these shows have really done a good job of relating to people who don’t do that sport, showing us as people, showing us in our every day lives, showing the emotions of the playoffs, the ups and downs, the heartaches of it. For some reason as a human race, we love seeing heartache and pain and I think the documentary showed a lot of heartache and pain in the playoffs and pride, and I think people really liked that. I have no idea what it’s like to be an NFL quarterback, but watching that show and seeing those guys it gave me a whole new perspective. Like, ‘Man, I like that guy.’ You can kind of relate to those people, so I think it did a good job. Hopefully, it sticks around. Hopefully, it comes back because I think people really enjoyed it and I think the drivers enjoyed opening up as well, and I think you would have more drivers open up even more if it comes back again. You kind of understand what it does, the reach that it has, and I think you’re gonna have more people be like, ‘OK.’ Really open your doors. I opened my doors up probably 80 percent. Some guys were more and some guys were less, and I think if that comes back that more guys will open their doors up a lot more, which is good.”

DO YOU FEEL THERE WILL BE ANY MORE OR LESS AGGRESSION DURING THE DUELS WITH TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE NEW CARS? “The Duels I always try to approach them, obviously you want to be smart in the Duels. You’re trying to win it and there are some points involved, but the last thing you want to do is wreck your 500 car kind of making a dumb move, but at the same time you can’t just ride around the back because this is your biggest chance to figure out what your car handles like in a pack. Friday, Saturday, you’re not gonna have a big pack racing like that and drafting just because it’s close to the 500, so this is the best chance to figure out what you need for Sunday, so I’ve always tried to put myself in funky spots in the Duels, spots that I would be in in the 500 – really close to someone’s back bumper exiting four with someone close to your outside. How does your car react to that? So, I think you have to be smart about everything, but also you need to figure out what you need to work on. We’ll see. The Duels, I never know how they’re gonna go. I’ve sat up here and been like, ‘I think they’re gonna be boring and they’ve been wreck fests and crazy.’ And then I’ve said, ‘It’s gonna be exciting and it’s single-file the whole time.’ So you never know how everyone is gonna feel tomorrow night.”

ARE YOU CALLED RFB NOW AFTER THE NETFLIX SHOW? “I don’t know. She was mortified when that was caught on microphone. When we watched it a few days before it came out she’s like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe they put that in there.’ And it was on the trailer. I was like, ‘That’s bold putting it on the trailer.’ But it was fine. I think she’s gotten over her embarrassment of that and she’s embraced it. She’s like, ‘Yeah, I said that.’ So, maybe we’ll make some shirts. I can’t have the full wording on the shirts, but we’ll bleep out some letters.”

DID JOEY GIVE YOU THE CHAMPION’S JOURNAL? DID IT SAY ANYTHING THAT STUCK OUT? “I can’t tell you what it said. It’s very cool.”

ANY ADVICE ON HOW TO DEFEND A CHAMPIONSHIP? “Joey was super helpful to me through the playoffs. I mean, him being in spots multiple times and winning a couple of championships he was really helpful to me and kind of understanding. I picked his brain a little bit. Everyone approaches things differently, but just kind of picking his brain on at Phoenix, how did you approach the week leading up to it and things like that, and he was super helpful to me, and I appreciate that from him. We try to work with each other very, very well and we’ve done that, so it’s always nice to kind of have a teammate like that. That’s what you want. You never want teammates at each other’s throats and we’ve been lucky to have a good relationship. He helped me out a lot through the championship run. I don’t know if I’ll get much help anymore (laughing), but he’s been fantastic. Hopefully, we can continue to work really well together and compete with each other for many championships to come.”

WERE YOU ALWAYS GOING TO BE A RACER? “Yeah, that’s what I wanted to be. I never knew if it was actually gonna happen or not. I had a lot of great opportunities of my dad getting me involved in it early. As a kid, I just wanted to do what my dad did and, like I said, I was super lucky to get some opportunities to be able to do what he did and have his support along the way. I tried other sports, but I came to the realization that I’m a very short kid and I will never make it in any other stick and ball sport. I’m a scrawny little kid, so racing seems good and I have a lot of opportunities and I’m OK with it. It’s what I always wanted to be, so I’m super lucky it came true.”

ANY MOMENT WHERE YOU WONDERED IF IT WAS GOING TO PAN OUT? “Always. You never know if things are gonna work out or not. You can get the best opportunities ever and you struggle for a few years and your opportunity is gone, so, yeah, growing up you’re always scared to death of not having a job and everything not working out, so you just work hard at it and it kind of motivates you. But, yeah, definitely when you get going you’re like, ‘I don’t think this is gonna work out. I don’t know.’ When I wrecked my second Xfinity race I thought my career was over and, luckily, Tommy Baldwin had another car I could drive for a few more races, so you always had that thought.”

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

 COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 SPIRE MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes

Going back to Atlanta last year, and the showings you’ve had in drafting style and superspeedways, to come here with a major sponsor and a big week. Do you feel this the best position you’ve walked in here this week?

“For sure. The bar has been very low, and we keep continuing to creep that bar up each year. I remember sitting here in such a difference in perspective my first Daytona 500 we made in the No. 83 car. Marty Smith asked me a question and I started crying. I said I’d wreck my grandmother to make the Daytona 500. If I didn’t make that one, I promise you I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you.

We continue to understand what we need to do to put ourselves in the right spots. Someone told me this week that I’m second in average finishes here at Daytona behind the guy that just walked out, and that guy is pretty good. We know what to do. We know how to put ourselves in position to be in the hunt to contend for these races. I think we’re going to continue to refine that and do an even better job this year.”

A lot of talk about Spire (Motorsports) this offseason – the moves you’ve made. Do you feel like there’s pressure to perform, and what do you have to do this year to show you can handle this responsibility?

“I’ve always had pressure. Pressure is different than expectations. I think that pressure, as a competitor, to continue to get better and you want to win. I’ve been successful and I’ve won at everything I’ve ever done in my life. Then you get here, you’re really aligned on opportunities and strength of teams, and that’s why that success in black and white on paper in terms of adding trophies to your trophy case, has really slowed down the last five years. The pressure I put on myself to get better is something I wake up with every day. That hasn’t change. Now, it’s just, having more potential to do that. Ryan Sparks has more tools at his disposal. The team has more resources coming in from super recognizable brands on my fire suit right now, like Chili’s. To be able to get our race team to a point where we can represent brands like this and start attracting talent from other race teams to our team, whether it’s on the floor or on a pit box, I take a lot of pride in having a part of that. The pressure is no different than what it was my first Cup race because you want to do good, and you want to be successful and win, but the expectations are what you really want to manage. That’s what really starts bogging a team down, when you try to start to reach and setting unrealistic expectations. The pressure is part of the job. You deal with it.”

Spire has made all these moves. Was there something that jumped out to you saying, ‘Wow. We’ve made this leap?’

“Everything. The purchase of (Kyle Busch Motorsports), that was unbeknownst to me. I was told by Dickerson about a week before it happened. I’m like, “holy cow, man. We’re going to have to have a hell of a bake sale to pay for this building.’ Then you get the Truck team, those guys. I think the biggest thing I talked about in our team kickoff lunch last week was all the empty trophy cases. The guy that was in that shop before, they had trophies in the rafters of that place that had dust on them because they had no other place to put them. With all of Kyle’s (Busch) success, all of the Truck series wins, that place was full of trophies. Now, there are a couple of pictures and my kickball trophy in the trophy case. So that’s part of the expectations. We need to continue to build to a place where we can start filling these trophy cases up with legitimate trophies. I’m super hopeful of getting Ryan Sparks more depth in engineering, whether it’s some help from GM, help from Hendrick with their engines and pit crews. I’m set up for success more than I’ve ever been in the last seven years of my Cup career. Also, on the flip side, you talk and hear how Ryan Blaney approaches the sport and his preparation. You’re also racing against 30 of those guys with very high IQ’s, high level of high caliber teams. To be able to gain five spots, that means you have to outwit five of those teams, or five of those pairings. It doesn’t make my job any easier. It does make everyone’s job a little more equipped, so that’s what we’re going to do heading into the season.”

With expectations lifted some more this year, with a last lap scenario sitting out there, do you take a little more of a chance than you did two or three years ago? Do you go to the edge more or not?

“I think that winning the Daytona 500 can change your life. You will do everything you possibly can to do that. Now, there are moves you can make that are ill-advised and dumb, and I’ve made several of those. On the flip side, I know what I did back to Atlanta, which is a similar drafting track, and it didn’t work out for me there. I figured out how to lose one of these speedway races, so I’m going to figure out how to be on the other side of this come Sunday.”

A Chili’s executive has said that 60% of NASCAR fans have dined at a casual restaurant which is part of the reason why they’ve decided to get into motorsports. Is there an opportunity for this to expand?

“I think there are always opportunities to grow a partner. I think this is that they are jumping into the deep end with the biggest race of the year, the (Daytona) 500. We did about a 14-hour production day with a couple of TV spots that are going to air. You saw the one on social media with me covering up the QR codes, but there is another one coming that’s going to play during the broadcast that’s pretty funny. For them to spend the money and budget and activate, as well as being on our car, I think really sets us up to really be able to start growing that partnership. They’re going to be an associate for four or five races, and I think their NASCAR-span is going to lead all the way up to COTA in March. They’re associate in Vegas, Atlanta, some other places, and then end of the program ends at COTA, but they’ve been pretty excited so far, and we haven’t even hit the racetrack yet. That’s when people really get excited. We’re going to get them on TV, get them in the mix, and try to get us a good starting spot in the Duels and kick off Sunday with a bang.”

You talked earlier about the challenge of gaining five more spots. As the perception of the team changes, how do you change the mindset?

“That’s a great question. I think I may have talked about that on the podcast. It is a big adjustment. When we first started here, the reins were pulled so tight that you don’t engage. Don’t look at the front, don’t even think about going up there. You just need to have this car cross the start, finish line at the end. That sentiment has really changed and adjusted. For me, as a driver, it certainly has changed in how you approach the race, how you prepare, and how you make moves in the race with the intention of a changing goal as we progress the team. As we get more partners, you can afford to stick it up in the mix to try and punch your ticket to the Playoffs, because you can justify it. I think, for (Ryan) Sparks and I, this is our fifth year working together, and our relationship is now like a marriage. The first day you say I do, it’s not going to look the same in five, 10, or 15 years. Our relationship has definitely changed on what we expect out of each other. I’ve had kids since we’ve started working together, and that whole navigating, making the most of what he had, and where we’re starting to build towards a team with some assets to work together with, we’re helping each other grow up in a way. Him coming from (Richard Childress Racing), not working anywhere else, me coming from a lot of bottom-feeding teams to where we build now. As people continue to look toward the No. 7 car to be a contender at a speedway, that’s a big change. But, for me, I’ve always had the go get it, do whatever it takes mindset, that’s never changed for me. So to have that brindle in your mouth, the reins pulled back, that was so counterintuitive in how I’ve been growing up. I’ve started to have the reins loosened up a bit to go and attack the race how I see fit, I think it’ll start to pay dividends.”

The trophy case you’ve mentioned, there’s no escaping it at the Spire shop. It’s built there. How do you keep that as a motivating factor and not something that becomes overwhelming?

“We’re not going to take that step in a day. We haven’t taken that step to where we are currently in a week. It’s taken four years, three-and-a-half years to get to where it is currently. It’s going to take a significant amount of time in the future to go to the racetrack with the expectation to go for a win. Our expectation is still, ‘Alright, let’s run for more top-15’s consistently.’ Last year, we brought cars with top-10 pace probably four or five times. My mindset going there when I realized we had some pace was ‘Okay, if I’m 10th, let me try to go win this thing.’ I probably made mistakes, or we’d call a bit different race then what we generally would have. We’d take a 10th place car and run 18th with it. We’ve got really good at taking a 25th place car and running 18th with it. We need to start making the 10th place cars run 10th first, then start taking advantage of mistakes. If we start taking cars with more pace more often, I think the rest will fall into place as we get settled in. The air is different on that side of the garage. The expectations are different. I think we have the right parts and pieces, especially with Doug Duchardt being the president of Spire Motorsports now. He has seen every aspect of this sport, helped build Hendrick (Motorsports) to what it is today. That guy brings a lot of knowledge, and I guess, culture. Positive culture, positive expectations for what we can build. Having him in addition to (Ryan) Sparks, and Luke (Lambert), and Steve and the drivers we have over there, it’s going to be really good in the future. I go in the back door so I don’t see the trophy cases anyway (laughs). When we start putting some in there… There’s a grandfather clock in there from the Truck win, and some other stuff, but I’m always a back door guy. I don’t walk in the front door. If you need me, I’m probably sliding in the back door.”

Your dad is a hero or yours, and he drove in the Cup series for 15 years including a stint at Hendrick Motorsports. Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, second generation drivers. Among some of those guys, were any of them your heroes growing up?

“I grew up coming to the track a lot. I was a Saturday kid, running around with Coleman Pressley, Austin and Ty Dillon, Ryan Blaney. Those guys would stick around for Sunday because their dads were racing on Sunday. My dad was content being a Saturday guy and got a couple of stints in and out, but never wanted to pursue that. He wanted to be home with us on Sunday. I think there could be a whole story written up as I have this theory on a drivers’ son, some sort of obstacle you have to overcome. Listening to Ryan (Blaney) talk about it, whether it’s Chase (Elliot) or any other second-generation guy, I don’t think you’ll ever be as good as your dad because your dad is your idol and he hung the moon. Driver-son complex was the word I was trying to think of. For me, I’ve raced more Cup races than my dad has. Certainly, my dad has a lot of success in the Xfinity series, but I’ve grown up wanting to be a Cup series driver. I grew up wanting to be a Cup series winner. I’ve continued to work towards that. I don’t think I’ll ever get to a point where I feel I can be measured against my dad. I think that Ryan (Blaney) and Chase (Elliott) would say the same thing no matter how successful they are. But it’s so cool, to answer your question about guys I’ve followed, I wasn’t really following those guys so much. Late 80’s, early 80’s, I was a Ricky Rudd, Dale Earnhardt, I had a couple of my favorites. Dale Jr. was when I really started to understand the sport, in the early 2000’s, when I’m 10-14 years old. Especially some North Carolina guys, for sure.”

About Chevrolet

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

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

 DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TRACKHOUSE RACING CAMARO ZL1 – 2024 Daytona 500 Media Day Quotes

New season, what’s your mindset with the new year?

“This year, to me, feels similar to 2021. The reason is because 2020 was a very difficult year for me personally, and then 2021, we started with Trackhouse and it was like a fresh start. A lot of energy, a lot of hype and excitement heading into the year. This year feels that way and the reason is last year, we had a few spikes of good runs. We had a pole position, had a few top fives, but it wasn’t the year we were hoping for. We worked very hard in the offseason to make our team better. Maybe from the outside the team looks very similar, but from the inside, the team is different. I like what I’m seeing and I think we’re going to be able to move in the right direction with everything we have done.”

Is there any additional pressure on you with others in the pipeline at Trackhouse?

“No. There is always pressure, but I don’t have any extra pressure because of them. I know what I’m capable of and I know what we were lacking last year. I feel like as a group we made some adjustments to be better and we’re going to be fine. We have to be better. Good or average isn’t good enough. To be able to change that mindset to shoot to be great has to be an across-the-board mindset. In the offseason, we have worked very hard on that, and I can’t wait to see how it is reflected on track.”

How much influence did you have in choosing your crew chief?

“It was a little bit of influence, but really the team needed a change and they talked to me about different options. At the time, I didn’t know Matt Swiderski very well. He was one of the options. He wasn’t the only option. Last year, we were a good top-15 team. The last few races of the season, we finished 10th, 11th, eighth, but we were not good enough to win. I feel like the entire year, we only had winning cars probably twice, so to be able to win races you have to have winning cars more than twice to execute everything. We needed something different and the team way higher than myself decided that we needed to make a change in the leadership of the team.”

What will it take for Trackhouse to break through?

“There are a lot of young teams like Trackhouse that are getting stronger every year. I truly believe that this year Trackhouse is really going to be stronger than last year. I can’t wait to see that reflected on track and hopefully we can give them a run for the money.”

What did you do in the offseason to make Daniel Suarez stronger?

“Well, I did a lot of work with Matt Swiderski and the rest of the engineers in the simulator and analyzing myself what can I be better at. This is not just ‘we changed the crew chief’ that’s the solution. No, it has to be way more than that and I think we all need to change a few things here and there. Myself, crew chief, engineering department, pit crew department. With these changes, I believe we’ll be in a different place this year.”

Do you look at open-wheel and say maybe one day? Do you ever second-guess yourself?

“No, I never second guess and the reason is because I really wanted to be the first in NASCAR. Formula One is amazing but there is always politics in sports – some more than others. Here, in NASCAR, there is also politics. But Formula One is a different world. This is a little bit tricky. I’m extremely happy here in NASACAR. I feel like it was meant to be for me to be here in NASCAR and bring the Latino community more close to NASCAR and be successful here in NASCAR. Would I want to go to Formula One? I don’t think I would take it. My journey is to be here. I would love to try it because I’m a very curious guy, but I am right now where I want to be.”

Are there any venues you’d like to see added next year?

“I think Mexico City. I think that’s a no-brainer. You have to go to Mexico City, the heart of the country. The question to me is road course or oval. They have both options. I think that would be very special. There have been a lot of conversations about having a race in Mexico for a couple of years now, and I would tell you I would be the happiest person on this planet if that actually happens.”

You ran second in the second race at Atlanta last year. Drivers call that track a hybrid and why are you so good at it?

“I have good cars. I have good execution from my team, and it’s a lot about being patient. It’s a lot like here in Daytona. I think things have worked out a few times for us in Atlanta, and every time we go to a road course we are competitive. If you ask William Byron last year how many times he had a car capable of winning a race – 15, 18? – and he won six. I had a car capable of winning a race maybe three times last year. You have to have more shots than that because a winning car doesn’t mean you’re going to win the race. You still have to execute; it has to play out. If you want to win a couple of races, you have to have eight to 10 winning cars. So that is what we were lacking – consistency. One weekend we can show up to a racetrack and we were top five and the next weekend we were 20th. I feel like the 99 team is the most prepared it has been in years.”

Is the 1 and 99 working closely together?

“Last year, I would say we were working together a little, not a lot. I think that right now, we’re working together a little bit more. In reality, we’ll find out as we go. The 1 team has done a great job. They have a good driver, good engineering and they have a great crew chief. They have a great package. I feel like something the 99 team failed to do last year was learn from them. I was pushing them very hard. We have to learn from those guys. We failed a couple of times to do so. I think the relationships will bring the teams more together.”

Are you and Trackhouse in talks for an extension?

“I think it’s too early for that. My focus is on winning races and making my team competitive. That’s all I care about. If I take care of my thing and you take care of yours, things are going to work out. I have to focus on that. I cannot have my mind on an extension, what is going to happen in two years or whatever with my next contract. My mind has to be in performance. My mind has to be with the sponsors. How are we going to be able to make this team a winning team. That’s what I’m thinking right now.”

If NASCAR decides to go to Mexico next year, what would be your involvement?

“It would be a huge role – not just for me but for the whole NASCAR Mexico Series. I’m looking forward to it because it would be not only huge for myself but for the sport and the fans in Mexico. The sport is so good and so big to do more international stuff.”

Who was your favorite driver and what did you like about them?

“Jeff Gordon, I like a lot. When I started understanding the sport more, I became a huge fan of Tony Stewart. Then I started liking Jimmie Johnson a lot. I like his style; how smart he was and how calm he was. I thought if I like all these guys, why not make a combination of all these three, right? I always thought if I take this from him, that from him, I can build myself from that.”

Is now the right time to do the international race in Mexico City?

“In my opinion, we are making good steps in that direction. Maybe two years ago, I would have said we’re making baby steps. Right now, we are making good steps in that direction with the Chicago Street Race and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Right now, it doesn’t seem like a big move. We’re already doing a lot of big moves. I’m very excited with everything NASCAR is doing. I’m glad they are thinking outside the box to continue to grow the sport.”

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 – John Hunter Nemechek
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

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

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

How does it feel to be back in the Cup Series and with this team?

“It feels good. I’m ready to get kicked off with 2024 with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, Toyota, TRD – all of our great partners that are backing us this year. Before we can hit the ground running, a lot of great pieces, and key people – a lot of great hires, I feel like, in the offseason, and a lot of great resources. Now it is time to put everything to use and have the best possible result that we can get, each and every week that we show up at the race track.”

Did this work exactly how you wanted to?

“I definitely think it played out pretty good. A lot of wins under our belt in the last three years and being able to step back and win some races and try to get back to the Cup Series and now we are here. It definitely seems like the plan, or path, has worked so far. Now we just have to go execute here in the Cup Series and try to make a home here.”

What are your expectations?

“No expectations. Just go do the best we can each and every week. Hopefully we can get it figured out pretty quick. I feel confident in my 42 group – all the men and women at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, Toyota, TRD – confidence in myself. Just really looking forward to getting going here. Jimmie (Johnson), Cal (Wells), Maury (Gallagher) – everyone at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has put a lot of good people in place, I feel like, in the offseason. I’m just excited.”

What are your thoughts on starting with Daytona and Atlanta?

“It’s crazy. It definitely can make or break you. I feel like you can go in, and you can come out of it on the wrong side of it or you can come out on the good side of it. Who knows how everything is going to play out but Daytona, Atlanta – two speedway races to kind of kick off the year. You can put yourself in a hole pretty fast, so you just have to go out there and execute – on and off the race track – and try to do the best we can. We have a lot of great men and women at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and a lot of great resources for us to be able to utilize, so hopefully we can put everything together and have full potential coming here to Daytona and the rest of the year.”

How close is your new simulation program?

“I hope it is close. Who knows at this point with the change over to a new manufacturer, parts, pieces, bodies, aerodynamics – there are so many changes that we’ve had at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, kind of rolling into it. Time will tell. We will have to learn the most that we can about our racecars – each and every week – and show up to the race track and hopefully some simulation time will put us in the ball park that we need to be in, in order to make the adjustments we need to go faster each and every weekend.”

What does Jimmie Johnson running nine races mean to the team?

“I think it is good. I think Jimmie (Johnson) being able to be in the mix and him being able to race in the NASCAR Cup Series – with bringing in some great partners and other personnel on the 84 team that I feel like can help in the shop and bring a different mindset and what the 42 team does or the 43 team does. I think it is great for the team. I think it is great for the organization. I think it is great for all of our partners and the sport of NASCAR.

How can you sum up what these last few years have been like to get back to the Cup Series?

“Yeah, a lot has changed for sure. The last three years being in the Truck Series, the Xfinity Series – winning a bunch of races. It has definitely felt really good. It was a revamp, I guess you could say. It was a gamble – some people called it; I think. Some people called me crazy for doing it. The goal was to be back here in a seat on Sundays with an organization that I feel like can contend for wins and championships in the future and being able to put yourself with a team like that is huge. Not only for myself, but Toyota, TRD and all of our partners, who stepped back with me from the Cup Series to kind of move back up. I’m excited about 2024. I’m excited to get rolling here and see what we can do as a team.”

If someone would have told you when you were driving for your dad, that you would one day be driving for a team co-owned by Jimmie Johnson and affiliated with Richard Petty, what would you have said?

“I don’t know. It’s kind of crazy to think about when you put it in that perspective but being able to have Jimmie (Johnson) as a team owner, Maury Gallagher – who I drove for in 2021 in the Xfinity Series as a team owner, and to have Richard (Petty) alongside us as a part of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is big as well. To have two seven-time champions and Matt Kenseth in the fold, another Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne in the fold – there are a lot of great people and great resources that are in LEGACY MOTOR CLUB now. Now it’s all about execution and utilizing our resources to their fullest potential and doing the best I can as a driver on-and-off the race track. Hopefully, we can assemble some great Toyota Camrys and go out there and show what we can do.”

What is your interaction with Matt Kenseth so far?

“Man, I love Matt (Kenseth). He’s a funny guy. You never know what is going to happen with Matt. There is never a dull moment. I think Matt has been a great addition to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and filling out his role. I don’t know exactly the title of his role, but he is great to be around and to be able to ask him a lot of questions and be around him. With him being a champion, winning the Daytona 500 twice – he’s won a ton of races. He was a great race car driver and is still a great race car driver. Matt is just fun to be around. There is never a dull moment. He always keeps the mood light and I think that is great for team comradery. Knowing how long the season is, it can get stressful at times. You can kind of get down on yourself and I think having Matt there and Jimmie (Johnson), and a lot of great others, it definitely will not get that way.”

What are you thinking going into the Duels tomorrow?

“I will let you know after we qualify tonight. As a race car driver, you want to go win everything, but at the same time, you don’t want to have to go to a backup car after the Duels. We are bringing the car that we are to the Daytona 500, so I think it’s trying to get the best starting position that we can get, while figuring out how these things draft, how you are able to side draft, pass, get runs – a lot of learning for me tomorrow night, trying to get prepped for the Daytona 500 on Sunday.”

What has it been like working with Toyota and the other teams in the Cup Series?

“So, LEGACY – we are out on our own, per se, but still being able to be to be a part of the Toyota, TRD family – I love it. I wouldn’t want it any other way. They’ve done a lot for me and my career, and I’ve enjoyed every minute that I’ve had with all the execs, and everyone with the Toyota and TRD camp. I’m excited to still be with them for 2024, making it back to the Cup Series after taking a gamble to take a step back with them in ’21. Super pumped, super excited – ready to get going.”

Are you looking over numbers?

“A lot. A lot of data, a lot of analytics, a lot of film. Drafting studies, drafting reports – pretty much anything and everything I can get my hands on. For me, being new to the Next Gen car, I haven’t run a superspeedway race, so to have as much information as possible to know how these things draft, how guys draft, how guys make passes. There is just a lot there that’s big for myself to learn to be successful.”

Are there one-or-two things that you hope will help you be successful?

“There are quite a few to be honest. There are certain guys within the Cup field that are always in contention at the end of the race. How they get there is different from every other one, but they are always there at the end of a race with a shot to win the Daytona 500 or a superspeedway race. Being able to learn what these guys do, and how they get there and things they are doing in the race car – lines that they are taking, runs that they are taking. It’s big.”

Have you always studied that much?

“Always studied.”

Were the social metrics that came out this week a surprise?

“No. I don’t think so. We’ve worked pretty hard on trying to build our social platforms and give some behind the scenes looks and being able to grow our socials on Instagram, YouTube, X, and TikTok as well. Just being able to show a lot of content that a lot of guys don’t do necessarily. I love it. I love being able to create content and creating value for our brand and sponsors. Being able to enjoy every single moment of that is huge.”

Is there a specific type of content that works best?

“Yeah, for sure. There is stuff there that we’ve learned and hope to put that for use.”

Where have you matured as a driver?

“You just grow up in general. You mature in different ways – inside the race car and outside of the race car. This coming in is really like my second full-time Cup year. You have learned a lot in the past. You get humbled very quickly normally when you come into the Cup Series the first time. You have the thought that you’re going to go in and set the world on fire right away and sometimes that’s not the case. It’s definitely humbling coming to the Cup Series after winning a bunch of truck races and Xfinity races and different things of that sort. It’s also very difficult. There’s reason why these guys are here and the 40 spots that they’re in competing at the highest level every single week. We thoroughly enjoy racing each other as hard as we possibly can every single week. It doesn’t matter if you’re racing for first or if you’re racing for 25th, you’re racing as hard as you possibly can. It’s not like that in lower series I don’t feel like. It’s hard – it’s not easy.”

Do you ever think that maybe you came to Cup too early the first time around?

“I don’t know if I would say too early. I feel like we had some really good runs in 2020. We finished top-10 multiple times, had some really good superspeedway runs. We did a lot with what we had at Front Row at the time. I’m super grateful for that opportunity. I don’t regret anything about that. I think that there’s certain things I would change looking back on just about path-wise and different things of that sort if I had the opportunity. But at the same time this opportunity that I was dealt I’ve enjoyed every single aspect of it, learning as much as I possibly can. I think the tough years, the good years, you learn something from every single one of them and you probably learn more from the tough years than you do the good years.”

How much better of a position to succeed do you think you’re in this time around?

“I feel like I’m in a way better spot. I feel like there’s a lot of things heading in the right direction in my opinion. I feel really good about where we’re at as a club – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. I feel really good about the team members that we have. Toyota, TRD relationship – there’s a lot of great resources that are there for us to be able to utilize.”

Does your mindset come from the success you’ve had over the last few years?

“Yeah. Winning never hurts, right? It sets higher expectations and different things of that sort. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last three years and I hope I continue enjoying the next quite a few. I’m excited to get 2024 kicked off. I’ve been asked, I feel like, so many questions about expectations and mindsets and different things going into 2024. With so much new, we don’t know what to expect, right? It’s kind of the outsider perspective. I feel like you guys know as much as we do right now on performance and things of that sort. Time will tell, but it’s definitely going to be building as a team and as a club here at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. I hope we hit the ground running, but we know that we have a lot of work to do in the meantime.”

Why was it important to you to get some Xfinity races in this year with JGR?

“I enjoy racing as much as I possibly can. I want to be in a seat three times every weekend if I could. I think there are some race tracks that I feel like I need to get better at and more experience at. I feel like some of those on that list definitely can’t help me for sure, but at the same time it’s the same group for me so I enjoy being able to work with the same group of guys and go win some races.”

Do you feel like you have a similar personality with your teammates?

“I don’t feel like our personalities are much different. We want to go win races. We want to be the best race car drivers that we can be, and I definitely feel like we’re here to put in the work and the time and hopefully we can both go and be successful for Jimmie (Johnson), Maury (Gallagher) and everyone at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.”

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

JOSH BERRY, No. 4 SunnyD Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW HAS THE TRANSITION BEEN WITH HAVING EDDIE D’HONDT AS YOUR SPOTTER? “Thankfully, for me, I have a little bit of experience with Eddie driving the 9 last year, so I think that’s gonna ease the transition there, but, really, more than anything I think it’s easy to maybe overanalyze the situation, but I think we can use the Duels as a great practice session and then you obviously work through those and then we’ll have Friday and Saturday to make any adjustments that we need.”

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF WATCHING VIDEO ONCE YOU GET INTO THIS WEEK? “I think, from my side of things, the biggest deal is just him pointing out what he sees and why he sees it, and that helps just build a little bit more confidence in me and what he’s seeing and watching how these moves materialize. I think that’s just the biggest thing is striking up that conversation and getting on the same page and just starting to build that confidence working with each other.”

WHAT HAVE YOUR EMOTIONS BEEN LIKE GOING INTO YOUR FIRST 500? “It’s super exciting to come here. Even when I think back to being a kid and watching NASCAR and watching racing. The first race I really remember watching was the Daytona 500, the ‘97 Daytona 500. That’s the race that sticks out to me, so I’ve said that a couple times over the off-season, so I think that’s cool and I just remember being a kid and watching all the build-up to this race every year after the off-season to come here and get excited to watch the race. It makes it mean a little bit more. Obviously, it’s the biggest race of our year, but emotionally to be here and participate in this is really cool.”

IS IT SURREAL? “I don’t know if it’s necessarily surreal. I guess based off the last couple of years and everything that’s happened, I guess that I always felt like anything was possible, but it’s really cool to be here without a doubt.”

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS WEEK THAT YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST? “I think really just all of it. The family and I, I drove our bus down a couple days early. We’ve been here at the track for a couple days with really not much of a plan. We did go to Disney yesterday and we wore that out, but just kind of enjoying the experience and not rushing in and rushing out. I’m just trying to enjoy it and prepare for it and now we’re here going through this and then qualifying tonight, so it’s time to buckle in and get serious, I guess.”

TONY SAID NOAH HAS BROUGHT A NEW KIND OF ENERGY. YOU’VE WORKED WITH HIM BEFORE, BUT CAN YOU FEEL THERE’S A SPARK IN THE BUILDING? “I think across the board, I mean, I feel like the excitement level has been high really the whole time. My guys have been really excited and we’ve been just working through all the little things of getting ready for the season and obviously bringing Noah on board, I think, is a great addition. All of us have been in the shop nearly every day working out together, working with our teams, doing social and marketing stuff, so I mean it’s just a really good environment right now. I think that’s important to keep everyone jacked up and ready to go racing.”

WHO NEEDS TO DRIVE THE SHIP THERE? “I’m not sure that there has to be a single person. I look at Hendrick Motorsports and I don’t know that I feel like one specific driver drives the ship there. I mean, everybody works together and all the teams work together and are competitive together as well, so I feel like we can do that. I don’t think there has to be a clear-cut favorite or leader in the group. I think we can all pull our weight and work together, work with our teams and keep a good relationship amongst all the drivers and crew chiefs and engineers and I think that will lead to success.”

YOU AND RODNEY HAVE SIMILAR BACKGROUNDS. WAS THERE AN INSTANT BOND THERE IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION? “Yeah, there’s a huge mutual respect between the two of us just because of our background and his credentials in the Cup Series speak for themselves, too. As I’ve been around him and worked with him more and more, I just have no doubt that I know exactly why he’s had the success that he’s had. He’s super dedicated and meticulous and very, very good at his job, so I’m just really thankful to have someone like that leading my rookie season.”

IS THERE ANY PRESSURE YOU FEEL IN FILLING KEVIN’S SEAT? “I think there’s pressure on all of us. I think everybody in the Cup Series. I don’t know in any situation I’ve ever been in my career that I didn’t have pressure that I had to perform well to keep my job. This is no different to me and I think that goes for a lot of us in the Cup garage. Everybody feels that pressure to perform and run well and filling Kevin’s role is a big one, but I’m not Kevin Harvick. Kevin doesn’t expect me to be Kevin. Rodney doesn’t expect me to be Kevin. Everyone at SHR knows that I’m my own guy and I think that’s the biggest message that’s been to me is to be myself, don’t change what I do and just come in here and work with these guys and get ready to go racing.”

WERE YOU GRATEFUL TO GET SOME LAPS IN THE NEXT GEN CAR BEFORE MAKING YOUR DEBUT THIS YEAR? “I think that’s a big addition. I think obviously having that experience last year and not only just getting the experience in the car, but having several good results and winning the All-Star Open and having some success in there I think was a big boost of confidence and then on the same thing I think working with an organization like Hendrick Motorsports from inside and learning that and even working with two different teams throughout that there was a ton of knowledge and understanding that I gained about Cup racing through that time, so I think that is gonna prove to be a big benefit. Ultimately, it’s still up to us to go out and execute and do what we need to do, but I definitely feel a lot more confidence having that experience for sure.”

IS THERE A TRACK COMING UP YOU FEEL YOU CAN ESTABLISH YOURSELF AND GET INTO THE SPOTLIGHT? “I think at the beginning of the season, obviously these first couple weeks will be unique and the superspeedway pack style of racing I guess that we see in Daytona and Atlanta, but after that I’m excited to go to Vegas. I’ve won there in an Xfinity car. I’m excited to go back to Vegas with having a little bit of Next Gen experience and excited to see SHR as a whole and how we come out of the gate right at our first intermediate. I think Rodney and all of the guys have been really excited for that. We’re really working hard for that one, too, so we’re excited to go to all of them, really. I think we’re just gonna have to work through it. Obviously, I want to say the short tracks, but I think that we can be competitive anywhere.”

WHAT IS IT ABOUT VEGAS SPECIFICALLY? “It’s just been a good track for me, really. I think you feel good going into places that you’ve won at and been competitive at.”

DO YOU FEEL THIS YEAR IS ONE WHERE EVERYONE HAS TO BUCKLE DOWN AND GET THE SHIP TURNED AROUND? “For sure and it’s understandable. Tony has been a great leader and had a lot of success in this sport. I can completely understand why he would say that he wants us to perform better. That’s naturally as an owner what he’s expected to do and that’s what we expect of ourselves. I don’t think any of us, I didn’t walk into this deal expecting everybody to pat me on the back and tell me how easy it’s gonna be and how nice they’re gonna be to me. I knew it’s gonna be hard. I know I’m gonna have to work at this. I know we’re gonna have to perform. That’s what comes with Cup racing, the pressure of that and performing well and having success. I think the reality of it is I agree with Tony. We have the people there. We have the infrastructure. We have the engineers. We have the crew chiefs. We have everybody there that can go out and do great things and they’ve done it before. We just have to get back in the rhythm with the new group and I know we can do it.”

IS THIS WHEN IT REALLY STARTS TO SINK IN WITH WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO DO? “Yeah, I think so. Obviously, everything that’s happened in the last couple of years has been amazing and the opportunities that I’ve gotten. There have been so many people to help get me to this point and it really means a lot to be here in this moment. It really means a lot to be here and have a Cup car with my name on it that I’m getting ready to race. That’s really the best part about it to me.”

STERLING MARLIN IS A GUY A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE 500. HOW DID HE INFLUENCE YOU GROWING UP IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE AREA? “It was really cool watching him race growing up. Honestly, his wins in the 500 were a little bit before I really remember watching it, but obviously knowing that he’s won the races and as I grew up racing at the Fairgrounds he was about as synonymous name with everything at the Fairgrounds as there can be, so it’s really cool to have a guy like that in the 500 from Tennessee. It was a cool experience growing up for sure.”

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO GET TO THIS LEVEL AND BE THE NEXT GUY FROM THAT AREA TO COMPETE IN CUP? “It’s really cool and growing up racing in that area was times that I think back very fondly in my career. I’m excited to kind of be the next guy in line from there to race in the Cup Series, but we’re just getting started.”

WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR YOU TO RACE AT THE FAIRGROUNDS? “I think that would be awesome. That’s a great facility and a great racetrack. I think it would be a great experience for all of us. I’m gonna go back there and race some way or other, whether it’s a late model car or a modified or anything. I think it’s a great opportunity there. Hopefully, they can work out what they need to work out and we can get back there in some form or fashion.”

HAVE YOU HAD THAT PINCH ME MOMENT AT ALL THROUGH THIS PROCESS? “Not necessarily. I’ve had a lot of time to prepare for this. We’re closing in on maybe a year since a lot of these conversations and things started, so I’ve spent a lot of time to prepare for it. I think the sky is the limit for us, really. If I’ve come this far, I don’t know why we can’t keep going and that’s what we’re gonna aim to do.”

DID SEEING YOUR NAME ON THE DOOR OF THE CAR KIND OF HELP IT SINK IN? “Yeah, that was pretty cool. I’ve had a lot of opportunities and the majority of them my name wasn’t even on the car, so to see my own car and have my own group and work with my team, when you’re in those opportunities like with injuries and what not you know you’re on borrowed time. You know that the more of a relationship you build with a team you know that it’s coming to the end, whether that’s in two weeks or a month or whatever. So, to sit there and have a car with your name on it and your group and time to work together and build that relationship and get started with something is really special.”

WHAT IS IT ABOUT VEGAS THAT TURNS YOU ON? “I really don’t know. It’s just been a good track for me and I think just the first intermediate of the year is one we always have circled to try and see how we come out of the gate and perform. Going there and having a little Next Gen experience, having a couple wins in the Xfinity car I think should be a really good opportunity for us.”

HAVE YOU SEEN ANYTHING PHYSICALLY THAT’S BEEN IMPLEMENTED TO LIGHT THAT FIRE AT SHR? “Maybe not specifically. Obviously, Ford bringing in a whole new car adds some excitement in there, and I just know slight changes with the processes and thoughts of how they communicate with each other and how each team communicates with each other. I’m coming into the midst of this, so I don’t know how much it’s changed over the last year, but I know that everyone says that these guys are working closer together than ever. I know as drivers the drivers are working as closely together as ever and we’re all pulling in the same direction. We’re definitely not shying away from that, so it’s just gonna take a lot of work, but it’s like Tony said and I agree with Tony, we have the people there to do it, so we just have to go out and execute and get better throughout the year and get back to where they want to be.”

HE WANTS RESULTS. “Yeah. He’s Tony Stewart for a reason and I’m here for it.”

HOW HAS THIS TRANSITION TO FORD BEEN SO FAR? “It’s been a great transition. It’s been a change, obviously, I look back on that time at Jr. Motorsports really fondly. I wouldn’t be here without them without a doubt. I wouldn’t be in an Xfinity car. I wouldn’t be doing anything really if it wasn’t for those guys, but at the same time it’s been a fun change. It’s been nice working with a new group and a fresh start. I think the Xfinity season last year wasn’t what we wanted. It was a struggle, so I think having a fresh start with a new group has been exciting for me personally.”

Toyota Racing – Tyler Reddick
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 14, 2024) – 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Nasty Beast Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

With the addition of the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB cars to Toyota, how does that change the drafting and collaboration strategy here and at other superspeedways?

“Yeah, we have more to work with for sure, but it gets a little more complex from the pit road standpoint. Instead of six cars trying to head onto pit road at the same time, now you need to coordinate nine cars together. It will be more important than in the past to be on the same page with fuel strategy, be in close proximity coming to pit road. And above then all else, with nine cars, you have more chances of someone having an issue along the way too. We’re going to have to execute our strategy pretty well and will have some practice with that in the Duels.”

What was the message from Denny Hamlin heading into this year?

“When you look at it, we had our best year to date. We set the standard for ourselves like ‘Okay, this is what we did last year so now we need to go improve again. We had a lot of information at our disposal to go through to really narrow down what was hurting us the most. I think one thing for me – the obvious one – was just making sure that we capitalize and we close out those races we’re really fast in with a win or top five. But more so than that just trying to understand what it is about like some of these short track. What is it in the short track package that we’re missing, what is it in the speedway package that we’re missing. We think some of that was due to the body so we’ll see if that’s improved. So, just trying to focus on those things and over the course of this year really try and correct those issues along the way.”

Now having a year with 23XI Racing and the No. 45 team under your belt, are you expecting a “breakout year?”

“That’s what we’re aiming for, but do I expect things to come easily? No. I wouldn’t say it’s outright just walking into the year expectation. I know we have to work extremely hard, but I’m excited about the potential in this new car. A lot of the things we were able to do last year, we showed we had a lot of speed. So, I know we’ll be able to come back and should be able to do a lot of those same things, and then capitalize on those days where we’re that fast.”

With the performance of the team in the past at Daytona, what is your confidence level heading into the weekend?

“I don’t know. In the past, I’ve gotten to a few laps to go and I’m feeling pretty good about things and then get wiped out. It’s just the nature of this race. Last year was kind of new to Toyota and then getting into a bad spot with (Kevin) Harvick. In the past, this race has been tough for me, whether the car has not handling well or getting myself in the wrong spot at the wrong time and not properly reading the energy of the pack. So, for me, just trying to learn from Bubba (Wallace) over today, on practice days and the Duels. He does have a tendency to find his way to the front. Last year, he got wiped out in that crash on the last lap. Momentum was on his side, he was going to be right there in the mix at the end. He definitely does a really good job finding his way to the front at the end of these plate races and more times than not, Denny (Hamlin) does as well.”

What were your thoughts on the Netflix series and the impact it could have on NASCAR?

“It was fun honestly. More than anything, they were just following us around with what we were doing, so it wasn’t a lot of like heavy lifting work for me or anything. I just enjoyed the process. I keep telling myself I’m going to finally watch the whole thing. Alexa (DeLeon, fiancé) has. I feel like everyone in my family has, my friends have. I just need to sit down and watch it. Might as well do it while I’m here. I have some free time on Saturday or Sunday if the weather doesn’t get better. Yeah, it seems like it’s all been good feedback so far. Certainly, a number of drivers, including myself, have saw a pretty significant bump in their following on different social channels.”

How hard is it to dig your way out of a hole after having two tough races to start the season?

“It’s very difficult. Daytona was rough, put us in a bad spot going into Vegas. And then, we had our issues at Vegas, even though we had a fast car there. We couldn’t practice or qualify there, so it gave us a bad pit stall and that put us behind at that race. And then at the next race, qualifying got rained out, so we had to start on points. It really put us in a hole for the first three, four weeks there. I don’t know how far into the season it was – it was right around the 600 we were within 30 points out of first. We dug out of it pretty quick, but then had our lull in the summer stretch. You can get out of it, but I would expect as we run more and more in this NextGen car, more teams will be more consistent. It’s going to be harder to dig out of holes that you put yourself in.”

How long do you think it’ll take you to fully adapt to a relatively new car and to a new Toyota race car?

“The chassis itself, I feel like I’ve got a good understanding of it. Certainly, I think teams will just keep finding more and more ways to make them closer to perfect than what they are. I think the biggest thing with the new body this year, is maybe just seeing what it’s tendencies will be in traffic. Racing around other cars, it might be a little different. I expect the short track package to be different in traffic as well. I wouldn’t say it’s better, but dirty air is different, so that’s going to be a learning curve as well. Not necessarily tied to the Camry. Those will be the big things. Just seeing if there’s anything really that stands out when you’re racing other cars in traffic with the new body.”

Drivers are calling Atlanta a hybrid track. Is there anything you take from here to Atlanta?

“Maybe a little bit. Just little details – like the differences from last year’s car to this year’s car on the speedways and if anything hopefully to have more confidence. But Atlanta keeps changing too. Every time we go back, it has less and less grip, so it’s harder to have the pack racing we saw from the very beginning.”

How important will the Duels be in terms of learning how the car will race in traffic and its tendencies?

“Yeah, we’ll be able to learn quite a bit there. My team and probably a lot of teams are going to be screaming at the drivers to not tear this stuff up. I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can. I think just running in a line of cars to be able to understand the differences pretty quickly. We’re all pretty optimistic that this car is going to be able to push a lot better so hopefully we can get a pretty good read on that in the Duels.”

Have you guys discussed a strategy for the end of the race if you’re running up front?

“I think all of the Toyota drivers have a pretty good understanding of what we need to do depending on what situation we’re in. We all collectively have a good idea of what we need to do depending on where we’re at and what the circumstances are. Ideally, we want to be up at the front. If we’re not we don’t have a shot.”

How important are those friendships and partnerships in a race like this?

“The goal for myself and the other Toyota drivers is we’re going to work together and have each other’s back. We can try to get to the front. We can trust another fellow Toyota behind us better than we can a Ford or a Chevy. We’ll try and use that to our advantage, but certainly, it’ll be interesting to see how this race plays out. As time has passed, it’s just gotten harder and harder to get to the front unless the whole field is saving fuel, and I feel like they’re getting smarter about how to finish that within those fuel windows as well.”

How many cars does 23XI have built with the new Camry XSE body?

“That’s a good question. Gosh, I’ve been so busy the last couple weeks, I’ve been in and out of there so I haven’t really kept up. I was also in Disney World so I’ve been checked out the last couple days.”

How’s the new 23XI Racing building?

“Yeah, Airspeed is certainly impressive. I got to spend quite a bit of time in that building in early January. Certainly impressed with the layout and size. The atmosphere is just very different from any other race team’s facility that I’ve been in. I think between the layout, the lighting, the windows, just the colors that Denny (Hamlin) and everyone went with, it really sets the tone that it’s a different atmosphere. Honestly, for me, it doesn’t feel as stuffy or as hospital-like if you will that some of the shops do that are all white and super plain. There’s a lot of character to the building and I certainly enjoy it.”

This is the 20th year of the NASCAR Playoffs. What are your thoughts on the Playoff system?

“Yeah, my first two Playoff attempts, they kind of crashed out if you will in the Round of 16 and we had more speed than that. Last year, was kind of the opposite. It wasn’t necessarily the opposite, but we finished where we probably should have. Going all the way back to the Xfinity Series, I won it both ways. I’ve stunk all year long and just showed up at Homestead and was able to win it, and then I’ve also done it the other way where you dominate all year long. Both ways are very fulfilling. I’d say you have more expectations for yourself if you’re a contender all year long. I feel like you kind of have an advantage to a degree if you’re that underdog, and no one is really paying attention to what you’re doing. But you still have to go out there and get the job done at the end of the day. I don’t think one takes away any more than the other with this format we have. You have to show up in those clutch moments and deliver.”

Do you think it’s exciting to have that last race to decide a champion rather than someone clinching it early?

“There’s a lot of pressure involved in this format. In the older one, yeah, you’d face similar pressure over a longer duration more so along the lines of ‘Oh gosh. I hope we don’t break today.’ Or hoping you don’t get caught up in anything. In the Playoff format, the pressure could be instantly on or off based on three or four positions on the race track. It definitely cranks that intensity up.”

Do you ever look at old Daytona 500s to help you prepare?

“Honestly, more for fun these days. It’s a lot different than we race now. I’d say the ones that always make me chuckle are going back and watching these guys race in the late 70s and early 80s on the mile and a halves. Dale (Earnhardt) knew what he was doing I think. He just seemed like he was ahead to a degree. Some of the guys knew how to do it a little bit, but Dale just really took advantage of it. He didn’t care if it made you upset or not. That was always entertaining to watch for sure. I did enjoy watching that. He would do things that we would all want to do, but they would never fly today.”

What does Daytona mean to you?

“A lot of legends of our sport have broken through and won here and we’ve seen a lot of them, it’s taken a lot of their career to win here. Just the history of this trophy — the history of this race is what propelled us to where we are today in and among other major sports in the country. The storylines from this event. A lot of big moments have happened here. I’ve never experienced it for myself, obviously. It just seems like a race, when you win it, it’s kind of game-changing for some. You could say for Ricky (Stenhouse), he’s kind of already established himself as who he is, but it was a big deal for them and their year. I think their performance was better from winning this race. To a lot of these guys, it’s a race that will haunt you for most of your career if you can’t win it. I’d like to get that out of the way early.”

How do you view that the public sees the Daytona 500 as the pinnacle of the sport?

“Certainly, I feel like the whole field, and I’ve been in these crashes — you get to six laps to go, and the whole field stops thinking. We all just wreck. We do some really crazy, dumb stuff. Five to go and everyone just freaks out. I feel like the real smart ones are the ones that can navigate through that and know, ‘Okay, I need to get out of this.’ Or they’re already ahead of it to begin with. I think the ones that win this race are the ones that remain calm. You know the race is approaching its end and they make calm, cool and collected decisions and that puts them in victory lane.”

Do you have to remind yourself to stay calm in the closing laps?

“It’s pretty hard not to get swept up in it. That’s probably why I’ve been in a lot of wrecks. Honestly, though, we saw with Ricky (Stenhouse), he didn’t have the perfect last lap. He made a couple mistakes in a few seconds, but it all still worked out. The moral of the story is if you can be that lead car, you’re kind of afforded that option. You never know if someone is going to wreck behind you or not. Certainly, his path to winning that race last year was pretty interesting. I think all the drivers collectively are doing a very good job complaining how hard it is to move through the field with this Next Gen car. I think it was 18 or 19 (laps) to go, he had his penalty and had to move to the rear, caution came out and he was going to lose a lap and he managed to go right to the front. There’s always a way to get to the front. He gambled probably 20 or 30 times in those final laps on decision making and he kept hitting it and kept saying, ‘Okay, I’ll go all in again.’ And he kept moving his way to the front and it worked out for him.”

What have you learned from Denny Hamlin on how to be successful at the Daytona 500?

“Every year is different, yes. But guys like Denny (Hamlin) and Bubba (Wallace) continue to find their way to the front or at the front of the field. Just understanding their thought process and how they look at it, trying to mold that into something of my own that makes sense for me. If you try to run the race as a completely different driver, I feel like that can be a challenging thing because instead of just doing what you think would be best, you’re like, ‘What would Denny do? What would Bubba do?’ Certainly, over time you can kind of shift your own mindset and certainly the way that Bubba and Denny do it makes the most sense. So, hopefully over time it’s something I can continue to shift more in their direction and think the way they do about certain things. The first year of this Next Gen car when I was with RCR (Richard Childress Racing), I think I ran like half of the speedway laps that were offered up to race on the speedways that first year. I wrecked early in the 500, Atlanta I blew a tire, Talladega I blew up on lap four. I was just very down on experience. When we came into the Daytona 500 last year with 23XI, I just wanted to get some laps and we wrecked early on just from an untimely push, right? We ran okay in Atlanta and then went to Talladega, and I wrecked being stupid on like lap 30. I was just so behind on experience the last two years with what this car drafts like and how much it moves around and getting comfortable with that. It took like Talladega 2 and some of Daytona 2 to kind of catch up on that. I feel like I’ve caught up a little bit, but I’ve still got some learning to do.”

What is the experience like getting better at superspeedway racing compared to getting better at road course racing?

“It’s night and day different. The experiences you have on a road course, you can recreate some of those situations on a simulator and go and run laps and improve. With speedway racing, I’ve done a little bit on iRacing, but it is just not quite the same. The only time you have opportunities to improve your speedway racing ability is by being on the race track and doing it. You can watch film, you can do all these things. Look at data, look at how people race, but again you’re just seeing how people use the draft to their advantage if that makes sense. You’ve got to go out there and gain the experience in real life. So, being a little behind on that made that difficult. I feel like the last two speedway races I’ve gained some good experience. Got a good understanding of what to do and what not to do. I think I’ll be in a better spot for this race.”

Are you ready to win at this type of track with the experience that you have?

“Looking at how these speedway races have been won with this car, I would say yes. Just with how people have found their way to the front, the decisions you’ve got to make. Certainly, it’s important to be able to push good or be a good lead car, but you look at (Ryan) Blaney and how he won Talladega working well with another car. When you look at Ricky’s (Stenhouse) win at Daytona, when you look at what Denny (Hamlin) did to get from last to fourth – some of the ways that you find your way to the front or put yourself in these positions. It’s not necessarily just about pushing good or being a good pusher. I think there’s multiple ways that you can win this race for sure.”

About Toyota

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