Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Hollywood Casino 400 Advance | Saturday, September 9, 2023

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang, met with the media to discuss the NASCAR Playoffs, his Kansas Cup Series farewell and more. Harvick last won at Kansas during its spring edition in 2018.

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 SunnyD Ford Mustang – WHAT’S QUALIFYING LOOK LIKE FOR YOU TODAY? “Well, I think Kansas is a lot of throttle. Obviously, you have to be comfortable with leaving the throttle down, coming to the green well and doing all the things that you need to do to put the car in the right spot. So, I have no idea how the car will be. I’ll tell you in a couple of hours.”

WHAT IS YOUR OUTLOOK HEADING INTO QUALIFYING AND THIS WEEKEND? “I think you go through practice and you kind of adjust on the car, and go from there. Really with the way things go now, I try not to have an outlook one way or the other, because you just don’t know if it’s going to go perfect or if it’s going to be way off… or whatever it is. You can obviously fix it between tonight and tomorrow with adjustments – look at all the heights and everything that goes with it. So, I just try to go into it with as much of a neutral-minded approach as possible, to know that you need to be ready to work on whatever.”

DID YOU CHANGE ANY PIT PROCEDURES IN REACTION OF DARLINGTON? ARE THERE ANY RULE CHANGES NASCAR CAN MAKE TO PREVENT A SIMILAR INSTANCE FOR THE FUTURE? “I never even watched it. It was done. I was three… two… one… light’s on. From that point, I just go down pit road and do what you’re told, and go from there. It is what it is. I never even looked at it.”

BEYOND THE ADDITIONAL SAFETY REASONS, WOULD IT HELP HAVING AN INDICATOR OR LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD WHEN THE CAUTION COMES OUT? “I think the chances of being in that scenario… I mean, that’s the first time I’ve ever been in that scenario in my whole career. I’ve done this for a long time, and I think that the odds of it happening – at that particular time, racing for the lead, and being coupled one or two car-lengths from the line… having it affect your whole race, finish and everything that happened is probably slim-to-none. I think that protecting yourself or changing rules, or something along those lines – I don’t really know. I don’t know what you really do, right? I think if you back the line up and put it in a different spot, it might be the same scenario all over again. I’m not really sure. I think there are a number of ways that you can look at that. It’s just an untimely situation, unfortunately. Happened to be us.”

WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN, FROM A COMPETITION PERSPECTIVE, THROUGH THE YEARS AT KANSAS? THERE SEEMS TO BE MORE SIDE-BY-SIDE ACTION WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR. “I don’t know if I’d agree with you on your last statement on side-by-side racing with the car. I think this particular racetrack has just been racey in general. I think when they redid the racetrack with the progressive banking and the way that the groove has moved around – you can run the middle, top or bottom – it gives you a lot of options from a driver standpoint. I think that’s just a product of the racetrack. I don’t think it has anything to do with one car or the other. So, I think that the other thing that happens here is on the restarts. You have so much room to go into Turn 1 and 2 and go all over the racetrack, and look for empty space to try and make a move. You can be super aggressive with the pushing. I think that usually causes the issues that happen on the restarts – just everyone being aggressive. Because you know that you have to go and do what you have to do, and take chances in order to put yourself in the position to be in a good spot. Ultimately, I think it’s a product of the track. For whatever reason, it’s just been one of our racier mile-and-a-half racetracks with the way that the asphalt has aged and the way that the racetrack has progressed. You can move around the track. So, I think it’s definitely more track than car with what promotes that good racing.”

SOME HAVE CONSIDERED BRISTOL A “WILD CARD” AS A SHORT COURSE. HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU, ESPECIALLY HAVING GOOD RESULTS THERE? “It has been a good racetrack for us. I think that really all these races can be wild cards. There’s not one racetrack that really is any different to me. They can all have something happen to turn into pure craziness. This one has been way crazier than some of the Bristol races, and Bristol has been crazy in its own way. I think that they can all turn upside-down quickly, and you hope that you’re not on the other side of where you need to be. Bristol has been a great racetrack for us, and you just hope that you can go in there and have that continue – capitalize on that. I think that really, these are all good racetracks for us and can be all good racetracks for us on one day or another. It’s just a matter of getting it all together and having it all work out.”

HAVE THE EMOTIONS SET IN THAT THIS IS “IT,” NOW THAT WE ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS AND CLOSER TO THE END OF THE SEASON? “It really doesn’t matter to me. I think for me, we’ve been so set on how this year was going to go. We started planning in November, and I’ve had my arms wrapped around what this whole year was. I think for me, it’s been everything. Even if it’s regular season or playoffs, it really doesn’t matter to me as far as how I approach it or what I feel. I think for me the feelings were, every week, another piece of closure as to what we’re heading toward – wrapping up as far as my driving career. I think a lot of that comes with planning everything that we have, so there’s really no new emotions for me going from one racetrack to the other. It’s been a lot of fun just to be able to hear the fans’ stories and the different moments at the racetracks – to be able to celebrate all those moments and things that have happened through the years, but for me, I’m very content with the decisions that have been made and the path, going forward, that is so far into play. This whole process seems like old news to me, just because of the fact that it’s been happening for so long throughout the year. Not that I’m not going to enjoy the last eight weeks as far as those last moments, celebrations and moments of things that happened with fans, people or sponsors or whatever it is. That’s just how I am. We make a plan. We lay things out. We organize it. Obviously, we can always do some things better, but it’s been just a well-executed plan and a lot of fun to have the fans, friends, people and sponsors – all the things that have been a part of what we’ve done week-in and week-out. It has been pretty cool to see it all executed. For me, it’s a plan. There are a lot of things that go into it, but it’s just not a new emotion for me – like going to Kansas, or Bristol next week. There’s just not going to be anything new that pops up for me, because I’m so far into knowing what to expect.”

HOW IMPACTFUL HAS RODNEY CHILDERS BEEN TO YOU AND YOUR CAREER? “I think that, for us, it’s been a great relationship and friendship. For the guys on the team, it’s been a good ride that a lot of us have been on together for almost 10 years. Rodney and I have a good relationship and have been able to execute and do things well on and off the racetrack – work through good moments and bad moments, and just move onto the next one. I think it’s rare that you see a group of people work together for the amount of time that we’ve worked together and I’ve enjoyed that. It’s worked out well.”

HOW DO YOU RECOVER AND REGROUP AFTER BEING FACED WITH A SITUATION LIKE LAST WEEKEND? “Well unfortunately, I’ve lost a lot of races in my lifetime and that’s what I try to explain to our young kids: You better figure out how to be a good loser. Even if you’re really good, you might win 10 percent of your races. So, it’s just part of it. It’s not, ‘Well, somebody had it out for you,’ or ‘You should have done this or that.’ Sometimes, it’s just the way it works. You’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, and when you’ve been around it for a long time, you go about your business. I’ve just got too many things to do to dwell on one moment because it’s not going to do anything but get me behind. You think about the moment, and if there’s something that needs to be addressed, then you look at that, address that and move on. This one was pretty simple in my mind as far as what you could work on. I don’t know. From that standpoint, there’s really nothing you can work on. I came to pit road, came down pitroad looking at my lights… three… two… one… caution’s out. See the light, look back at the tach… by that time you’re across the commitment line, so there’s really no changes there from my standpoint.”

FANS ARE RALLYING BEHIND YOU, ESPECIALLY THIS SEASON. DO YOU SENSE THE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT, AND HOW SPECIAL IS THAT TO YOU? “I think for me, it’s definitely something that you recognize, feel and try to appreciate, just because that’s what our goal was this year, right? You want to go out and do everything right, as you walk out the door and have everybody respect and like the things you’ve done throughout your career. Really, your first impression is kind of like your last impression, right? As you walk out, you try to do as many things right as possible, and one of our main goals this year was to be competitive and be in contention, and try to have a chance to win races… race for the championship and walk out that way. Obviously, winning the Southern 500, being in that position, and having all those people root for you and want that to happen is exactly what we want. There’s no way to force that stuff. You can’t control so many things that happen, but I can definitely sense the support and it’s really been that way all year – since we started this season. The fan support and the industry support has been over-the-top. I told somebody, ‘You almost can’t screw this up.’ But, it would be spectacular if you could win, and do those things that so many people are coming to the racetrack hoping that they get to witness in person. No matter what market it is. Obviously, that one was right there toward the end of the race –racing for the lead and doing all of the things that you want to do. But, it’s a brutal sport – you win one week, and the next week you’ll be wrecked-out and finish last. It’s been that way for as long as I’ve been around it, but I think it is different this year just because it’s the last year with the fans, the people and everything they have going on. They want you to achieve that moment.”

WAS IT A SILENT DRIVE HOME LAST WEEK? “You guys listen to me every week, and I know everyone wants me to have a different answer, but I have a five-year-old and an 11-year-old in the backseat that are completely delirious from being up way past their bedtime. Just oblivious to the impact of things that go on, and it literally, as soon as you get out of the car and walk into the motorhome and you’re mad, you’re trying to process everything… all the sudden you just go into a different world. I know it’s not the fancy, great story that everybody’s looking for, but it’s the way my life operates. It’s switch on, switch off. I think that makes it better. It’s better for me, personally and mentally, and it’s a way easier way to process things. But, yeah. We drove home, listened to them talk about whatever they did during the day and that was it.”

WHERE DO YOU CURRENTLY FEEL YOU STACK UP AGAINST THE OTHER FORDS IN THE FIELD? “We had the fastest Ford last week, so that’s all that really matters until we roll onto the track this week. Actually, we probably had the fastest car last week – in general.”

HOW IS RYAN PREECE DOING? “He seemed fine. I’m not going to answer questions for him.”

IF A WIN WASN’T IN THE CARDS THIS SEASON, WOULD YOU BE AT PEACE WITH THAT? “I think for those who have been here every week know that I’m pretty at peace with everything.”

WERE THERE ANY DIFFICULTIES PREPARING FOR KANSAS THIS TIME AROUND? “I don’t think so. We’ve already raced here this year, so we have a pretty good idea of what we’re looking for.”

Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

KANSAS CITY (September 9, 2023) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to media after before practice for the NASCAR Cup Series event at Kansas Speedway on Saturday:

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Yahoo Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Did the Playoffs starting make wanting to get the deals done or was it naturally?

“A little bit of both. I would say more natural time than anything. Obviously, you have to prepare for all different kinds of scenarios, so you need a certain amount of time to work all of those out. I just think it happened naturally, more than timeline with the Playoffs for sure.”

How much does the stage wins help you with the result you ended up with?

“It was big. That is why we started the stages years ago – for those scenarios where you just get a bad break at the end – at least you get rewarded for what your performance was in the beginning. Certainly, it was crucial for us to keep us in a stable position coming into this weekend.”

As you look at 23XI for 2024, how many races would you look to run in the third car?

“I don’t know – I think a handful at the most is what we would look to do, but the situations would have to be perfect and aligned. There’s talks about who we can put in where and when, but it wouldn’t be a big bulk of races for sure.”

Is your driver length the same length as the manufacturer deal for 23XI?

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

How close did the discussions with Ford get?

“I don’t have any comments on the speculation there.”

What is about Kansas that has played into the strength of Toyota?

“I understand the reasoning for thinking it’s a Toyota track, but we’ve seen a lot of contenders throughout the races, sometimes it just hasn’t worked out for some reason or another, but certainly, the results have shown that Toyotas have been strong here, but it is so hard to think or bank on what has happened in the past and that it will relate to right now. I do think for the 11 team, all I can speak to is me personally, there is a feel in the car that I try to find. It doesn’t matter what tire changes or car changes or anything like that. I search for that feel, and if I get it, we typically run up front. That’s the correlation for us, and if a team struggles here, they typically look at the notes of the guy who runs well and they copy it somewhat and then all the teams run well, so that is kind of the correlation. It seems like we’ve built upon some setups that 23XI and JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) has shared that has been successful for both.”

Does this track have any more significance for you because of 23XI’s success here?

“It has. It’s been a special track because when 23XI has won, I’ve been in the top-three both races that it has happened. It is special in that sense. I got my very first Cup start here in ’05. It is. It’s a special track. One you feel confident going, when you come.”

What do you look for in the practice session today?

“I don’t know typically why I haven’t been totally up to speed in practice. The Spring was an outlier. We were dominate from lap one of practice, all the way through, but typically, all of the other Kansas races we’ve been pretty middle of the road and I’ve kind of panicked overnight because we are not where we should be, and then the race – they dropped the green and then we just go to the front. Hopefully, we can be pretty solid in practice. The track changes so much from practice to race, so I just look for characteristics that I know will be good for passing. Everyone is going to try to run up top because that is going to be the fastest lane, but I’m looking if I can run somewhere else and have the speed be really close, because that is how you make passes. You just can’t run in the wake of the car in front of you, so I try to make sure my car can maneuver, and sometimes that gives us slower lap times in practice.”

Can you talk about the growth for Bubba Wallace?

“It has been a progression. I think last week is a good example of where he’s progressed. Typically, in racing you very seldom have a trouble-free, adversity-free race. I think early on in his career a couple of years, if he had something adverse – like a spin out, like he had at the end of stage one – it would derail his day. Just mentally it would derail him, and he would struggle to come back from it. The difference is we see him rebounding and finishing better probably than where he was running all day, so that is a good trend for that team – is get better as the day goes, versus the opposite – where they used to be – which was they are as good as they are going to get right off the truck, and typically went down from there. That is what I’ve noticed – is he has been able to mentally overcome adversity better.”

Have you been a part of his progression?

“We’ve constantly tried to point out drivers that have come back from penalties or crashes early and show the result of this what is capable of happening if your stay in the game and that is where your character gets defined – is when you face adversity, how do you respond to it?”

How do you look at signing what could be your last racing contract?

“It does for sure. When you are younger, you see it as a financial stabilizer. For me, it’s how many more Daytona 500s do I have left? How many more opportunities do I have to win certain events that are special to me personally or help me accomplish a goal that I’m trying to accomplish? It really puts in perspective the urgency of accomplishing as much as you can here in the short term. When you are younger in your 20’s or low 30s, you have so much runway, where if you don’t get it this time, I’ll get it the next. I’ve been very, very fortunate in the financial planning that my team has put together – we never planned past 40 as far as income was concern, so this is all me telling myself, how many more opportunities will I have? I want to compete at a high level in my final year. I don’t want to kind of trickle off. I’m way too competitive to do it. There is no way I could go to the race track not knowing that I could win. I understand there will be a day when things fall off. Things get slower for you. You will never know when that day will come, but now, that I’ve been doing it so long – it definitely puts some urgency in years like that, where I have all of the things, I need to compete each and every week. This could be one of the best shots we’ve had to win it all. You really put an emphasis on it knowing there is only so many total races left. If you want to get to your personal goals, you’ve got to capitalize on every single weekend.”

How have you grown throughout your career?

“I would say it’s natural to get a little more emotional when those situations come about because like last week – how many more chances at the Southern 500 will I have to win? We don’t even know – will our cars compete next year? Will we be as strong? No one knows. There is so many ebbs and flows in the sport, so you always want to take advantage of the opportunities. Chris Gabehart (crew chief) keeps a strict tally of when our running or winning capability is a one. Last week marked our 59th race winning capability weekend. We haven’t won nearly that many – 59 times. That is a lot since 2019. When we look at why we haven’t? I feel comfortable saying I’m doing all I can do. Sometimes these things are just out of our hands. I can only do my job to the best of my ability and continue to try to bring the team up. I really feel confident – no matter what the outcome – that I’m not letting any weekends slip away. I wish I honestly had the discipline way back when. In the early 30s, and 20s, that I do now with my work ethic. It’s paid huge dividends.”

Was the tire loose?

“It was. What happened – on the video – it takes a while to get high-res video, but the socket is turning, turning, turning and it never stopped. The left rear is one of the most sensitive corners. If it was the left front, we probably could have gotten away with it, no problem. It is just the way that track works. It’s the most sensitive corner on the car. When it’s not all the way tight, you are going to feel it dramatically and it would continue to just back off to that safety clip and then it would have damaged the hub so bad, that we wouldn’t have been able to get a tire on.”

What does it mean to you to re-sign with Joe Gibbs Racing?

“I said from the very beginning. I want to start and end my career at Joe Gibbs Racing. That’s continued to be the goal and I think this is another step towards that. I don’t know if this is the last one or not, but I know how many more times that I will run for sure, but that doesn’t mean that it’s over at that point. There is still an opportunity to go beyond that as long as I know I’m competitive at a high level. I think people like Kevin Harvick are an anomaly being that fast and that competitive that late in his career. That is going to be really, really hard to do. I don’t think the runway is that long, but certainly it is capable of being one more beyond this one, but that is all pending. You just never know. Next year, I could show up and start running into things that I didn’t even see. Who knows how this goes, but I think being with the Gibbs family as certainly been at the forefront of my goal. I’ve always wanted to end my career in one car. That’s still the goal, and knowing they give me the best opportunity to win a championship is something you don’t want to take for granted because there are only so many championship-caliber race teams out there, and they are certainly one of them.”

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