No. 17 Team Earns Eighth Top-5 of Season

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Sept. 17, 2023) – Chris Buescher and the No. 17 team punched its ticket in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs, finishing fourth Saturday night in the Bristol Night Race.

“Yeah, it was a great day for us,” Buescher said. “Our BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang was really fast. We’re not disappointed in the car at all. Obviously, we want to win and coming off the win last time being close and seeing it was good, but we had a really good race car. We needed a touch more to go fight for that win, but I’m really proud of this group.”

Buescher – the defending race winner – was one of the fastest cars in practice on Friday, finishing second among all cars. He went on to qualify 20th, as the 500-lap race was initially delayed due to inclement weather.

Once the race got rolling, the opening 70 laps ran caution-free before the first yellow, when Buescher took two tires on the BuildSubmarines.com Ford. He restarted 16th for the next green-flag run, which ran 30 laps before a caution for rain. After a four-tire stop, Buescher restarted 20th, but began his fight forward from there, earning a 13th-place finish to end stage one.

With the track position flip, Buescher began the second stage in fifth, and never left from there, ending stage two in seventh. A solid pit stop put him back in fifth on the restart for stage three, as just two more yellows – two of six in total – split up the final 250 laps.

Buescher worked his way to fourth by lap 262, and was in that position on the race’s final restart with 131 laps remaining, before going on to cross the stripe in fourth.

“We’re on to the next round of playoffs. We’ve got some more really great tracks coming for us. We’ve got the first Ford out here tonight, so it was definitely a strong night for us. We just want a little bit more.”

Up Next

Texas Motor Speedway hosts the first race of the Round of 12 next weekend. Race coverage on Sunday is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on USA, with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

No. 6 Team Advances in NASCAR Playoffs with Solid Finish in Bristol Night Race

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Sept. 17, 2023) – Brad Keselowski clinched his position in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs Saturday night in the Bristol Night Race, and went on to finish eighth in the Castrol Edge Ford.

“It’s good to move into the next round,” Keselowski said after the 500-lap race. “We certainly are going to have our work cut out for us, but that’s what this thing is all about. It was a good day for us for both cars. It was a good Round of 16 for us and let the Round of 12 begin.”

Intermittent rain was the storyline for the opening moments and laps as the race was initially delayed, and was stopped a pair of times for rain showers. It ultimately subsided with all 500 laps being completed in the first cutoff race of the NASCAR Playoffs.

Keselowski had a solid qualifying effort on Friday, putting the No. 6 Ford sixth on the grid. A pair of early cautions broke up the opening 125-lap stage, as Keselowski took right-side tires only under the team’s first stop of the day at lap 68. He would stay out during the next yellow some 20 laps later, and went on to finish the stage in seventh, earning stage points.

Following a brief delay for rain in the stage break, track position flipped for Keselowski as he restarted 26th to begin stage two. That stage ran all green, though, as teams had to manage a full tire run. He finished the second segment in 19th, setting up the final, 250-lap run to the checkered.

He would restart 17th, and officially clinched his Round of 12 position with 70 to go. He later battled back into the top-10, and worked to an eighth-place finish, his 14th top-10 of the season.

Up Next

Texas Motor Speedway hosts the first race of the Round of 12 next weekend. Race coverage on Sunday is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on USA, with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

QUALIFYING: 16TH
RACE FINISH: 11TH
OWNERS POINTS: 32ND

Carson Hocevar’s Post-Race Thoughts: “We had a really fast No. 42 Sunseeker Chevy. It was a lot of fun. We were running fifth at one point and I think that’s where we finished in Stage Two. Our car was so fast. Luke (Lambert, crew chief) and this whole LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team has worked so hard. They were so excited to come here. This is Luke’s favorite race and it was huge to get a strong finish. We had a lot of speed; we were just too free there at the end. We wanted to get a top-10, but we were really close.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

QUALIFYING: 31ST
RACE FINISH: 24TH
DRIVER POINTS: 26TH

Erik Jones Post-Race Thoughts: “Just not a very good day for the No. 43 U.S. Air Force Chevy team. We just kind of struggled on balance all weekend. We had a loose wheel that just put us a couple of laps down and we caught a yellow during that. It just didn’t cycle out very good and got kind of trapped. We’ll go onto Texas (Motor Speedway). We’ve had a good past couple of weeks. It wasn’t our day today, but we’ll hopefully rebound next weekend.”

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (NCS) Jimmie Johnson. The club competes full-time in the NCS fielding the Nos. 42 and 43 Chevrolet Camaro entries, respectively, along with the No. 84 part-time entry for Johnson in 2023. Richard Petty “The King” serves as team ambassador.

In 2021, Gallagher acquired Richard Petty Motorsports and renamed the team to Petty GMS. With the addition of Johnson to the ownership structure in 2023, the organization rebranded to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (LEGACY M.C.). With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level.

Based in Statesville, N.C., LEGACY M.C. operates alongside GMS Racing (GMS), which currently fields three full-time entries in the NASCAR Truck Series. Since the formation of GMS in 2012, Gallagher and Mike Beam, team president, have shared incredible success. GMS Racing captured the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championships and the 2019 and 2020 ARCA East championships, accumulating over 65 wins across six national racing circuits.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Bass Pro Shops Night Race

Date: Sept. 16, 2023
Event: Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Round 29 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile, concrete oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (125 laps/125 laps/250 laps)
Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

SHR Race Finish:

● Ryan Preece (Started 17th, Finished 12th / Running, completed 499 of 500 laps)

● Aric Almirola (Started 26th, Finished 18th / Running, completed 499 of 500 laps)

● Chase Briscoe (Started 14th, Finished 27th / Running, completed 495 of 500 laps)

● Kevin Harvick (Started 21st, Finished 29th / Running, completed 495 of 500 laps)

SHR Points:

● Kevin Harvick (14th with 2,071 points, four points below top-12 cutoff)

● Aric Almirola (22nd with 510 points)

● Ryan Preece (24th with 484 points)

● Chase Briscoe (30th with 383 points)

Playoff Standings to Begin Round of 12:

1. William Byron (3,036 points)
2. Martin Truex Jr. (3,036 points)
3. Denny Hamlin (3,032 points) -4
4. Kyle Larson (3,023 points) -13
5. Chris Buescher (3,021 points) -15
6. Kyle Busch (3,019 points) -17
7. Christopher Bell (3,016 points) -20
8. Tyler Reddick (3,014 points) -22
9. Ross Chastain (3,011 points) -25
10. Brad Keselowski (3,011 points) -25
11. Ryan Blaney (3,008 points) -28
12. Bubba Wallace (3,000 points) -36

Failed to Advance to Round of 12:

13. Joey Logano (2,071 points)
14. Kevin Harvick (2,071 points)
15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2,068 points)
16. Michael McDowell (2,059 points)

SHR Notes:

● This was Preece’s fifth straight top-20 at Bristol. His average finish at the track is 15th in six career starts.

● Preece finished ninth in Stage 2 to earn two bonus points.

● This was Almirola’s fourth straight top-20. He finished third Aug. 26 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, 14th Sept. 3 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and 17th last Sunday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.

Race Notes:

● Denny Hamlin won the Bass Pro Shops Night to score his 51st career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his third at Bristol. His margin over second-place Kyle Larson was 2.437 seconds.

● There were six caution periods for a total of 53 laps.

● Only 10 of the 36 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

Sound Bites:

“We just need speed. Our long run isn’t terrible, but we struggled to fire off to where we could be aggressive and then once you get your track position, you can hold it. Gotta find the grip and the speed, and that’ll change our days.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Ford Mustang

“We’ve been like that all year. We’ve been hit or miss. Tonight we just missed by a mile. I’ve had some good days and bad days (at Bristol), but that’s definitely the worst one I’ve had with fenders on it. I didn’t really have many expectations (for the playoffs) with as up and down as the year has been. It is what it is. It’s probably about what we deserve.” – Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 GEARWRENCH Ford Mustang

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 on Sunday, Sept. 24 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The fourth race in the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

HAMLIN DELIVERS BRISTOL VICTORY
All five Toyota Camry drivers advance to the round of 12

BRISTOL, Tenn (September 16, 2023) – Denny Hamlin took the lead with 134 laps to go and led the rest of the way to earn his third win of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Hamlin, who clinched his spot in the next round earlier in the night, will be joined by four other Team Toyota teammates – Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace in the Round of 12. Toyota now has more cars in the Round of 12 than any other manufacturer. It is the first time since 2016 that five Toyota drivers will be in the Round of 12.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Bristol Motor Speedway
Race 29 of 36 – 266.5 miles, 500 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, DENNY HAMLIN

2nd, Kyle Larson*

3rd, CHRISTOPHER BELL

4th, Chris Buescher*

5th, TY GIBBS

14th, BUBBA WALLACE

15th, TYLER REDDICK

19th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Freight Direct Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

What do you think about all of this?

“Everybody likes a winner right. I can’t thank this whole FedEx team enough. They really kicked ass this whole first round. Just amazing how good our team has been. So happy about the way we are running. I can’t wait to keep going.”

Is there something different with the 11 team this year?

“It’s our year. I just feel like we’ve got to put it all together. We’ve got the speed at every different type of race track. Nothing to stop us at this point.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

When you lead that many laps and come home third, is it discouraging or does it give you confidence going into the next round?

“It definitely is a run to be proud of, but I’ll be honest, this was probably our best race we’ve had in a while and probably the most disappointed I’ve been in a while. Just got a little bit away from us there in the last half of the race. That is how it goes sometimes, but I’m really proud of the effort on this Reser’s Camry. It was a lot of fun leading laps, and this track is just the best.”

How would you evaluate your night?

“I just kind of lost the handle on it, the same time we lost the track position. The 11 (Denny Hamlin) was fast. Whenever he got up front, he just drove away. Disappointing to be good at the wrong time, but at least we got out here with a lot of points for this Rheem Camry.”

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

Finishing Position: 5th

Led some laps tonight and ended up with a top-five. How was your race?

“We had a good Monster Energy Toyota Camry TRD. The pit crew did a great job all night. I feel like we had a chance for the win, but it is a top five. I just need more a bit more experience and to keep learning. But a solid night.”

BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 14th

You made it to the next round. Can you describe how you did it?

“It was a tough run. (hearing boos) I love that shit right there. They counted us out. Like Coco Gauff said, all they are doing is adding fuel to the fire. I love it. I love where I’m at with this team. Wish my mom, dad and sister were here to celebrate. I’m in a career year, just have to keep it going. I appreciate all of the partners involved. Columbia has done great when they are on this Toyota. I hate it for them last week. I’m mentally exhausted. We gave it our all there. We battled hard and executed and that is what we have to do. We know next week is a reset. We just have to go out and have some fun and work our asses off. Thank you to the ones that believe in me. On to next week.”

I don’t think you’ve ever been happier finishing 14th. Can you talk about what your feeling right now?
“Mentally exhausted. Physically exhausted. You have to give it your all in these Playoffs. I’m proud of the efforts, appreciate the crew. Just thankful for the opportunity – we just need to keep it going.”

How did tonight happen?

“Just surround yourself with the right people – Bootie (Barker, crew chief), all of my guys that work on this thing. We make the most of it. Survive and advance.”

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 15th

Can you talk about your run tonight and moving on to the round of 12?

“We had a fast Jordan Brand/J. Balvin Toyota Camry TRD. It was a tough night. I thought we had an okay car, it just struggled in traffic and that is pretty much what we were in all night long. We could bust off a fast lap every now and then, but it didn’t seem like the repeatability was quite there. It was so easy to piss off the front tires tonight unfortunately. The car seemed okay at times. I think if we could have got some track position, and kept the tires a little cooler, we would have been okay, but it was just a tough night for us.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 19th

Can you describe your night – did you ever feel comfortable?

“Well that’s the thing, you never really knew what you needed to do. The 4 (Kevin Harvick) had a really terrible night. We started the race off, I felt okay about it. We got too tight, but track position – we were pretty okay there. Once we lost it, just forget about it – it was plowing tight, blowing the right front off. There wasn’t a whole lot that I could do. We kept adjusting on it. We got a lap down. The last run we finally made a little bit of progress on the car, and we were just so far back. All-in-all, it was just a fighting night. You had to fight through it and do the best you could. It wasn’t pretty, but it was enough. Now we reset and we go hopefully not have two terrible weeks in a row and be in good shape.”

How does it feel to make it?

“It feels really good. I don’t know that this round could have gone any worse. To have to come to Bristol and get through – we knew it was going to be tough. This has not been a very good place for us. We had a decent Bass Pro Toyota tonight. Just got behind on track position. Got a lap down, and then we were kind of stuck. We stuck with it, and just tried to go as hard as we could all night, and luckily it all played out. Definitely excited about the next round and the reset, hopefully we will keep from having so much bad luck.”

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,

NASCAR CUP SERIES
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
BASS PRO SHOPS NIGHT RACE
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

 Four Team Chevy Drivers Advance to NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12

• Kyle Larson capped off a strong performance in the opening round of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs – driving his No. 5 Valvoline / HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to a runner-up finish at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Team Chevy driver earned top-five finishes in all three races of the Round of 16, including a win in the opening race at Darlington Raceway.
• With the playoff standings reset heading into the first race of the Round of 12 at Texas Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson regained the top position of the points standings with an 11-point lead over second-place Denny Hamlin.
• Joining Larson in the Round of 12 is his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain.

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER

2nd Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline / HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1
7th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters Camaro ZL1
9th William Byron, No. 24 Relay Payments Camaro ZL1
10th Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Scott Brand Camaro ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER

1. Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
2. Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
3. Christopher Bell (Toyota)
4. Chris Buescher (Ford)
5. Ty Gibbs (Toyota)

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 begins at Texas Motor Speedway with the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 on Sunday, September 24, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

 
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1

Finished: 23rd

You finished 23rd today, but more importantly, you’re onto the Round of 12. What were you battling tonight that ultimately prohibited you from getting up to the front?

“We were just too tight for our No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevy. Aside from the very first run, we were just too tight all night. We were catching up to it running the bottom, and then when we moved to the top, we were just too tight again. Just not quite enough speed for our Chevy.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1

Finished: 17th

“We had a fast Bass Pro Shops/Ranger Boats Chevrolet but didn’t get the chance to capitalize on it tonight at Bristol Motor Speedway. We struggled with a tight-handling condition for much of the race, but a lot of that was due to traffic. Track position is just so important. Our Chevy got pretty decent as the race went on. We just ended up too loose at the end of the race. Proud of the effort of this RCR team. On to Texas Motor Speedway.”

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline/HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

Finished: 2nd

By the end of Stage One, you were able to collect points and you were a factor in the top-five all day. Runner-up finisher, how tough is that or is this a happy second-place finish?

“I’m definitely happy to finish second. The race went a lot better than I thought it would. Thankfully, the No. 1 (Ross Chastain) and the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) went a lap down – they were pitted behind me and in front of me, and had they been on the same lap as us, that would have been very difficult for all of us. So got fortunate there, which made pit stops much easier. And our No. 5 Valvoline Chevy was good, too. I feel like we had the second-best car and we finished second with it. We just didn’t have the pace that Denny (Hamlin) had. He was really, really fast and got through traffic really well. I thought maybe his balance was fading when we got to traffic, but as soon as he got clear of them, he took back off. Just didn’t quite have the balance that I needed to really charge through the corners and be aggressive on the throttle and exit. We made it better on that final run, but just not quite enough.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Cheddar’s / ALSCO Uniforms Camaro ZL1

Finished: 20th

“I’m glad we advanced to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs, but it just wasn’t a strong showing for the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen/Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet team tonight. We didn’t have any front grip in the beginning of the run, or any rear grip in the later run. It was a struggle to go anywhere, and to make passes. I just felt mired in traffic and dirty air. Even when we had clean air, we weren’t passing anybody because lap times were just so stagnant. It’s not the race we wanted, but we’ll move on at go to Texas Motor Speedway.”

William Byron, No. 24 Relay Payments Camaro ZL1

Finished: 9th

Good run tonight with a top-10 finish. What are your thoughts heading into the Round of 12?

“We’re really happy with 500 good laps here. A top-10 finish is good, but definitely wanted more. After practice, I felt like we could have a little bit more today, but I’m happy with it. I think our No. 24 Relay Payments Chevy was good tonight.”

Are there any tracks you have picked out within the next round that you have circled that you think you have a better chance of winning?

“No, I think just steadily work through them. We have a good points position. We need to try to keep getting bonus points, but we just need to keep trying to run better. Two of the three weeks (in the Round of 16) were really good, and even Kansas (Speedway) was really good. Just need to do a little bit better job executing and we should be in good shape.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL1

Finished: 11th

“We had a really fast No. 42 Sunseeker Chevy. It was a lot of fun. We were running fifth at one point and I think that’s where we finished in Stage Two. Our car was so fast. Luke (Lambert, crew chief) and this whole LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team has worked so hard. They were so excited to come here. This is Luke’s favorite race and it was huge to get a strong finish. We had a lot of speed; we were just too free there at the end. We wanted to get a top-10, but we were really close.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL1

Finished: 24th

“Just not a very good day for the No. 43 U.S. Air Force Chevy team. We just kind of struggled on balance all weekend. We had a loose wheel that just put us a couple of laps down and we caught a yellow during that. It just didn’t cycle out very good and got kind of trapped. We’ll go onto Texas (Motor Speedway). We’ve had a good past couple of weeks. It wasn’t our day today, but we’ll hopefully rebound next weekend.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Scott Brand Camaro ZL1

Finished: 10th

“We executed in the race really well, but just didn’t execute on Saturday good enough to put us starting up front and get some stage points early. That’s kind of where we’ve been lacking, I would say most of the year – just with qualifying and being able to set ourselves up for the beginning stages of the race. I’m proud of the effort and another top-10 finish. Our No. 47 Scott Brand Camaro was really fast and really good there at the end when I needed it to be. We went as far forward as we could, but it just wasn’t enough. We’ll keep learning and trying coming back better next year.”

 
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES:

STAGE ONE

· For the 19th time this season, William Byron put his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 in the top-10 of the starting lineup – taking the green flag for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 16 elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway from the third position.

· After a brief delay due to light precipitation, NASCAR’s premier series finally took the green-flag for 500 laps around the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile”. Byron settled his Chevrolet into the fourth position in the opening laps – closing in on third as the leaders started to hit heavy lap traffic by the 40-lap marker.

· Under caution for the first time this evening on lap 69, Byron reported that his Chevrolet was “tight at the three-quarter mark” as Crew Chief Rudy Fugle called the Team Chevy driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment – restarting in the 12th position.

· Varying pit strategies throughout the field came early with the threat of incoming weather. A small group of drivers that elected to stay out during the first caution period including Team Chevy’s Corey LaJoie – giving the No. 7 NEGU Camaro ZL1 a front-row position for the restart on lap 77.

· LaJoie went on to pace the field until another caution came out for rain. Choosing track position once again, Crew Chief Ryan Sparks kept LaJoie out when pit road opened to put LaJoie back on the front-row for the restart with 12 laps to go in Stage One. LaJoie regained the lead before ultimately taking the green-white checkered in the second position to lead Chevrolet to the end of the stage.

· Joining LaJoie in collecting points at the end of Stage One included three Team Chevy playoff contenders: Byron (fourth), Ross Chastain (sixth) and Kyle Larson (eighth).

4th William Byron, No. 24 Relay Payments Camaro ZL1

6th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1

8th Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1

STAGE TWO

· While under the stage break, a brief rain cell overcame the Tennessee short-track, forcing the field to bring their cars to pit road as the race was brought under red-flag conditions.

· Getting the signal to return to competition, a handful of the top-10 finishers in the stage elected to stay out for track position including Team Chevy’s Kyle Larson after driving from the rear of the field to an eighth-place finish in Stage One. Larson chose the third position for the start of Stage Two. Quickly making gains on the top-two positions as the leaders hit lap traffic, Larson ultimately took the lead for the first time on lap 179.

· Continuing to work traffic during a long green-flag run, Larson lost the lead on lap 200, but was able to hold onto the third position to close-out Stage Two.

· Team Chevy Stage Two: Top-10

3rd Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1
5th Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL1
8th William Byron, No. 24 Relay Payments Camaro ZL1
10th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters Camaro ZL1

FINAL STAGE / POST-RACE NOTES

· Following top-10 finishes in both stages, William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team clinched a spot into the Round of 12.

· After a third-place finish in Stage Two, Larson reported to the No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 team that he was fighting loose conditions with his Chevrolet. Crew Chief Cliff Daniels called for a pit stop for four tires, fuel and an adjustment – maintaining the third position in the race off pit road. Larson elected the outside lane of the second row for the start of the final stage.

· Larson remained in the third position as the race continued under green-flag conditions for nearly 100 laps. Closing in on the top-two drivers, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin, Larson was looking to setup a pass for the lead when a caution flew at lap 361 that nearly collected the leaders.

· Scored in the second position, Daniels called Larson to pit road for four tires and fuel under the caution. Second off pit road, Larson opted for the inside lane of the front-row for the restart with 131 laps to go.

· Battling side-by-side with Hamlin on the restart, Larson got loose while entering the corner, forcing the driver to settle his Chevrolet into the second position. The Team Chevy driver maintained the position as the leaders were once again faced with lap traffic – progressively closing the gap to then-race leader Hamlin to under a one-second margin with 50 laps to go, but ultimately took the checkered flag in the runner-up position.

 

About Chevrolet

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

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Bass Pro Shops Night Race | Saturday, September 16, 2023

Ford Finishing Results:

4th – Chris Buescher

6th – Michael McDowell

8th – Brad Keselowski

12th – Ryan Preece

16th – Todd Gilliland

18th – Aric Almirola

22nd – Ryan Blaney

26th – JJ Yeley

27th – Chase Briscoe

28th – Harrison Burton

29th – Kevin Harvick

32nd – Austin Cindric

34th – Joey Logano

36th – Ryan Newman

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang – NO SWORD THIS YEAR, BUT YOU ARE GOING TO THE ROUND OF 12. “Yeah, it was a great day for us. Our BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang was really fast. We’re not disappointed in the car at all. Obviously, we want to win and coming off the win last time being close and seeing it was good, but we had a really good race car. We needed a touch more to go fight for that win, but I’m really proud of this group. We’re on to the next round of playoffs. We’ve got some more really great tracks coming for us. We’ve got the first Ford out here tonight, so it was definitely a strong night for us. We just want a little bit more.

YOUR HOME TRACK NEXT WEEK AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY. “It will be very busy. It is cool to make it past the first round. For my first playoff appearance this was the end or wherever the cutoff was it was the end of our playoff experience, so I’m proud to be moving on and into the next one. I can’t wait to get to my home track.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 Castrol Edge Ford Mustang – HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT BOTH RFK MUSTANGS ADVANCING TO THE NEXT ROUND? “It’s good to move into the next round. We certainly are gonna have our work cut out for us, but that’s what this thing is all about. It was a good day for us for both cars. It was a good Round of 16 for us and let the Round of 12 begin.”

WHAT TRACK ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ROUND? “The one right in front of me. That’s Texas and you’ve just got to take the one at a time.”

BOTH TEAMS STILL HAVE SOME GREAT MOMENTUM AS YOU GO INTO THE NEXT ROUND. “It’s a good feeling for sure. Chris has done a great job. The 17 car looks good. The 6 car looks good. We’ve got a real good shot of making it through the next round, but we’ve got to be careful to keep our head down and stay focused.”

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 GEARWRENCH Ford Mustang – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? “We’ve been like that all year. We’ve been hit or miss and tonight we just missed by a mile.”

LAST RACE AT BRISTOL. “I’ve had some good days and bad days, but that’s definitely the worst one I’ve had with fenders on it.”

THOUGHTS ON NOT MAKING THE NEXT ROUND? “I didn’t really have many expectations with how up and down the year has been. It is what it is and that’s probably about what we deserved.”

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THIS FIRST ROUND? “We were slow.”

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO FROM HERE ON OUT? “I’m probably looking forward to Phoenix. I think that’s definitely been our best racetrack. We haven’t been great on the mile-and-a-halves and tonight we were just way off.”

WHAT WERE YOU MISSING THIS ROUND? “We could have won Darlington. We were off at Kansas and terrible here.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang – “It’s disappointing not to advance, for sure, but we dug ourselves such a big hole those first two races that we were in a must-win situation. We weren’t good enough to do that tonight, but I’m still really proud of the speed that we brought and the effort that we brought. We still needed a little bit more to contend for that win, but we gave ourselves a fighting chance. Unfortunately, at the end there wasn’t enough action. Normally at Bristol you get a late-race caution and get the front row beating and banging and maybe you get an opportunity, but that just never happened. We’re learning. It’s a learning experience for us. This is only the second time we’ve been in the playoffs. We’ve had a good season. We’ve showed good speed and we’ll learn from the mistakes that we made here in this first round and we’ll keep working hard the rest of the season to try to treat it like we are in and we’re fighting for a championship because hopefully next year we will be. So, it’s a learning experience for us. It’s not what we wanted, but I’m still proud of the effort.”

THE FIRST TIME YOU MADE THE PLAYOFFS YOU WERE JUST HAPPY TO BE THERE. THIS TIME WAS A DIFFERENT FEELING, RIGHT? “The performance was there. I don’t want to downplay that, but we just didn’t execute well and we had some issues. We qualified in the second round of all three races, which you need to do if you want to advance, so we got that part down. At Darlington, we got into that crash at the end and that’s 10-15 spots. That’s all you need to make it, so a lot of things could have gone differently that would have put us in a position to advance, but it just didn’t work out. It wasn’t meant to be. We’ll learn from it and get better for the next time.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang – YOU SURVIVED AND ADVANCED TO THE NEXT ROUND. “That’s what we did. It was not a pretty night by any means, but we ran all the laps and did what we needed to do. You’d like to have a little bit more speed and just be competitive and we weren’t tonight, but we get to go on to the next round and reset and start off at Texas to see what we’ve got.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang – WHAT WAS THIS TEAM MISSING THIS YEAR? “Speed. Just a lot of things. We’re not out yet. As much as it feels like I’m out at the moment there’s still a long ways to go in this race and things can happen to the competitors that are out there. You don’t want to wish misfortune on people for your own good, but it’s kind of our only hope at the moment. It’s what happens. You don’t go fast enough, you’re in the back and they wreck in front of you at Bristol on a restart and you’re going so fast that you can’t whoa up or turn or do anything and you get kind of pile drove into the wreck. It’s our own fault.”

HAS IT FELT LIKE AN UPHILL BATTLE ALL YEAR? “Yeah. I haven’t really felt like we’ve made any big gains that we need to and unfortunately it seems like it’s at every track. Typically you may say, ‘Oh, we’re off on a mile-and-a-half, but our short tracks are OK or your road courses are OK.’ It just seems like we’re off everywhere right now, so we’ll see what happens here the rest of the race and if we get knocked out it gives us a few races to swing big and try to figure it out for next year. That’s about where we’re at, so we’ll wait anxiously. I keep watching the TV behind you. I’m pretty distracted at the moment, but it is what it is. We just move forward from here.”

HOW FRUSTRATING IS THIS? “Obviously, it’s a real bummer. You get out of the race like that and you’re behind the wall and you’re in denial for a minute. You don’t want to believe that it happened and you want to think that it’s fixable, but the car was tore up too bad.”

HOW UNCHARACTERISTIC IS IT FOR YOU TO HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO RACE FOR 15TH? “It takes something different out of a driver to drive a car in 15th and tonight we weren’t even that. It’s a little uncharacteristic for us right now and we just have to go to work and keep our heads down and stay faithful in each other, keep trusting each other that we can figure it out. It’s still the same team that won the championship last year. We’re a little lost at the moment, but we’ll keep fighting and try to figure some things out.”

HOW DISAPPOINTING HAVE THESE FIRST 29 RACES BEEN FOR YOUR TEAM? “Like I said, I’m not saying it’s over yet, but at the moment obviously not as good as we needed to be – inconsistent, not fast enough, not scoring stage points. When you don’t score stage points that just says you’re not fast enough. We’ve been able to manufacture finishes like we did last year. Paul does a great job of giving me a chance to finish good. If this was a few years ago and there wasn’t stage racing, we’d be sitting in a lot better shape because we would figure out a way to close races, but we don’t score the points during the race because we’re just not fast enough.”

HOW MUCH DID YOU COME INTO THIS RACE THINKING YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL BUT BE AGGRESSIVE? “I knew my situation and what I needed to do, but it’s Bristol and there’s not really many things you do differently depending on your scenario. There’s nothing I could have done there in that wreck. It’s just a product of being back there and the way we raced or anything like that didn’t affect that. The only thing that affected that is we were back there, so that’s it.”

DID YOU JUST GET HIT FROM BEHIND AS EVERYBODY SLOWED UP? “Yeah, I saw the smoke. I saw the 7 spinning. Coleman was saying, ‘He’s coming up. He’s coming up.’ As I was on the brakes to try to pull onto the bottom. I think it was Newman behind me, but I think someone hit him behind him and it was just kind of a chain reaction into it. Once I got hit I was like, ‘Shoot, I’ve got to go up now’ because I couldn’t make the bottom, so I committed to that and the hole closed up.”