Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Coke Zero Sugar 400 Advance | Saturday, August 26, 2023

Michael McDowell, driver of the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang, wasn’t able to celebrate his 2021 Daytona 500 victory with his family in Victory Lane due to COVID protocols. That changed today when he and his entire family got to recreate that moment.

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang – “This was totally unexpected. We’ve done this as a family for a lot of years and even coming down here to Daytona before I was in NASCAR, I came down here for the 24 Hours and it was always the kickoff to your year. It was a fresh start, a brand new year with new opportunities and a brand new season. We sort of made that a tradition at our house. It started off just my wife and I. We would drive down here in the motorhome and then we had our oldest and we’d come down every year. The only year that they weren’t here was the year I won the 500, so it was a wild series of events because we’ve been doing it for so long. There are lots of special moments here, not just winning the 500, but taking first steps in the motorhome – silly stuff like that because we’ve been on the road together and traveled together for so much over those years. Being able to celebrate as a family. There’s always highs and lows in life and in career and to be able to do it together we’ve never separated it where daddy goes to the racetrack and they stay home. It’s always been a family thing that we’ve done together, so it’s cool to be able to have them not only be a part of it, but celebrate and feel how special it is.”

IS THIS A MOMENT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WANTING TO HAVE AND BEING IN VICTORY LANE? “You always dream of this being the most iconic race probably in the world, the Daytona 500. It’s something you dream of and you always have that thought of what if, but when you finally do it and it actually happens it’s very surreal. It really is. It’s just a crazy feeling and evening and all of it was just so much hard work and so much went into it and such a long time, so you go through a lot of emotions and adrenaline and everything is pumping and it’s just a really special place for sure.”

YOUR KIDS ARE HAVING FUN OVER THERE WITH THE CONFETTI. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU TO SEE THEIR JOY WITH THIS EXPERIENCE? “It’s neat, it really is because wins aren’t guaranteed. This is such a tough sport and especially at Daytona it’s such a hard place to have everything come together and get a victory, so for them to be with me through all the struggles, too. There have been lots of those hard conversations like, ‘Daddy, when are you going to win? So and so daddy’s wins.’ This is their family. They grew up in the garage, so this is all they know and so their friends dad’s race and it’s just like this is our little crazy community, so for them to be able to understand the significance and how important it is and what it means to all of us is really cool.”

WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU WHEN YOU WON AND GOT TO THE AIRPORT WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY THERE TO MEET YOU? “It was a weird time in life in general for everybody, and there were some fans in the stands but there wasn’t a lot. Your crew guys were allowed where the media is at, but not really like fully engaged. I remember one of the officials coming up to me and was like, ‘Don’t be hugging and high-fiving right now.’ It was like, ‘OK, this is strange protocols,’ but it was still enjoyable. It was still awesome. It was still the Daytona 500 and the most significant win I’ll ever have, so it was still a great, great moment, and then no different than like today flying home. I just figured it was like any other day. You’re gonna fly home and you’ll get home and see your family and it will be awesome and a cool moment. You’ve got the trophy with you, so when we got to the airport and my family is there and all of our friends were there it was a really cool moment and a really special moment. It was unexpected and just neat. Accomplishments or achievements are neat, but they don’t really have much meaning if you don’t have anybody to celebrate it with, so it was just cool to have so much support and so many people excited and happy to see us finally get a win. It was something that I’ll remember, for sure and, like I said, a surprise. It’s hard to surprise me because I’m a control freak and I’m usually in all of the details and planning everything. Nothing really gets by me, but with so much chaos going on it was really special to have that surprise.”

WHAT DID THEY TELL YOU TODAY? “Today, honestly, I thought we were doing an NBC interview – a sit down with the family and talking about the Brickyard and talking about Daytona. I really did think that. Like I was saying earlier, with my kids I’ve always wanted them to be a part of it, but I never wanted them to feel the pressure of having to perform for TV or media or all that. I just wanted them to be kids, but now that they’re getting older they think it’s cool. It’s not like a weird thing for them, but I was talking to Rylie and was like, ‘if you don’t feel like talking, just tell me you don’t want to talk. It’s no big deal. You can just stand with us and we’ll take some pictures.’ I was kind of prepping her for an interview in case somebody asked her a question, so this is really cool and really special. Now I’ve got to do it a couple times, but this is their first here and, who knows, maybe we can do it again tonight.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Coke Zero Sugar 400 Qualifying | Saturday, August 25, 2023

BRISCOE WINS DAYTONA POLE AS FORD SWEEPS TOP THREE QUALIFYING SPOTS

• Chase Briscoe won the pole for tomorrow night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400.
• The pole is Briscoe’s first of the season and second of his Cup career.
• Ford had the top three qualifiers and 9 of the top 12.
• All four Stewart-Haas Mustangs qualified in the top 10.

Ford Qualifying Results:

1st – Chase Briscoe

2nd – Aric Almirola

3rd – Harrison Burton

6th – Riley Herbst

8th – Ryan Blaney

9th – Ryan Preece

10th – Kevin Harvick

11th – Chris Buescher

12th – Brad Keselowski

14th – Joey Logano

16th – Austin Cindric

33rd – JJ Yeley

34th – Brennan Pooole

35th – Todd Gilliland

39th – Michael McDowell

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang – POLE-WINNING INTERVIEW – YOU GOT WHAT YOU NEEDED. “Not by much. I was worried. When I left pit road I did an absolutely terrible job. I spun the tires and I shifted way too early to second and then I had a double lift on the gas at third and fourth and I was like, ‘Man, I completely threw this away,’ so I knew it was gonna be extremely close getting back to the line and just barely was able to be there. It’s cool for Stewart-Haas Racing. It’s no secret that it’s been a struggle for us this year and to bring two really fast Fords to Daytona and lock out the front row is a testament to everything the men and women back there are doing and this Roush Yates power under the hood.”

9 OF THE TOP 12 ARE FORD MUSTANGS. HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT AS YOU GUYS LOOK AT THE RACE? “It’s huge, especially at these races more than anywhere else the manufacturers play a huge role, so having as many of those teammates you can have up there even if they’re not in the same organization, they still have the Blue Oval on the hood, so that’s huge everytime we come here, Talladega and Atlanta. It’s huge to have strength in numbers, so we’ve got a lot of them – nine in the top 12, so that will be good to hopefully control the race, control the narrative and hopefully our Ford can find victory lane and keep all the Fords up front.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang – “It’s a great starting spot for tomorrow. Getting the pole today would be awesome, but it’s not the end goal. The end goal is to end up in victory lane tomorrow, so I feel good about our car. We’ve had so much speed here with this Next Gen car and I feel good about it. Tomorrow is the day. I’ll lick my wounds tonight and tomorrow we’ll be ready.”

HARRISON BURTON, No. 21 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang – “It’s good to qualify well, obviously. It’s a big advantage to get your pit stall, get your track position early and you are put in a situation where you can learn a lot about your car up front. Normally, it’s ‘OK, I want to race my way towards the front and be kind of aggressive and learn about my car and make adjustments.’ Now we’re there, so it’s game on from the drop of the green flag and we’ll learn a lot really quickly and if we’re not good enough, we’ll have plenty of time to make the car better, so that’s a big advantage with qualifying well. I was just saying earlier that it’s so hard. You don’t see the runs from 30th to first. You don’t see those big changes in position anymore. You see guys that are very methodical and work a lane and cycle forward in the lane when someone chooses another lane, and those guys tend to hold track position better, so having it and then not having it are two very different things. My whole mentality for the first stage has completely changed now. Now, I have track position and we have to maintain it all day.”

RYAN PREECE, No. 41 RaceChoice.com Ford Mustang – “From a company standpoint I think all of us have the speed, so it’s nice to be right there with your company guys in qualifying. I know our car specifically races really well, it’s just always a kick in the knee when you don’t qualify with your teammates, so today was good for that.”

CHASE BRISCOE POLE-WINNING PRESS CONFERENCE

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang – “It’s exciting. To be on the pole at Daytona is special no matter what car you’re driving. It’s cool for me to just be able to say that I’m leading the field to green in a Cup race at Daytona. That’s a pretty cool thing to be able to say, but it’s honestly just a testament to everybody at Stewart-Haas, all the men and women. It’s been no secret that it’s been a rough season for us and to have all four cars in the top 10 and to lock out the front row is super important for us and a good turning point, so hopefully one of those can win tomorrow. Hopefully, it’s me obviously, but really just a good day for the company to be able to bring that kind of speed. Truthfully, at least for the 14 team, every superspeedway race we’ve been really really good the first round and just not good the second round. Even today, we didn’t really pick up in the second round, but we were fast enough in the first round to have that buffer, so I’m just proud of my guys. It was cool for us to be able to get the pole here in Magical Vacation Planner’s literally their backyard. They’re based in Orlando and they’ve got 400 planners on the car too, so hopefully they’ll all be smiling at the end of tomorrow night. We’ve got a long way to go, but we’ve got a great starting spot, so hopefully we can keep it up there.”

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO MAKE MEMORIES LIKE THIS AND THE OTHER DAY AT DISNEY WITH YOUR FAMILY? IT HAS TO BE SPECIAL. “Yeah. He’s back there waving at me right now. It’s cool. For me, I’ve never been able to experience any kind of success with them at the racetrack. During the Xfinity stuff it was during COVID. Obviously, he wasn’t around yet, but me and Marissa were able to experience that, and then my first Cup win neither of them were there, so I haven’t won anything since then so it’s cool for them to both be able to be here and even after qualifying just walk down pit lane with both of them has been cool to make those memories. We obviously made memories yesterday going to Disney and things like that, but it just really cool to do it at Daytona of all places and to have them here and hopefully that’s the first thing we can celebrate this weekend. Regardless, it’s super special, it’s humbling to be able to do that with them here and just blessed to be able to have my family be able to go to work with me and then let them experience those things with me.”

HOW DO YOU BALANCE THE FEELINGS OF THIS OPPORTUNITY OF BEING ON THE POLE WITH THE PRESSURE OF WHAT THE STAKES OF TOMORROW BRINGS? “I don’t know. I think you just have to go out there, like for us, we literally have absolutely nothing to lose with our point situation and things like that. That part of it is I guess a little freeing and relieving just knowing that I can go out there and race tomorrow and literally the only thing that matters is winning, where every week all that matters is really winning, but you still have other motives like you’re racing somebody in points. Last year, I was in the playoffs so stage points were super important to try and get playoff points, where tomorrow it literally doesn’t matter, except for lap 160 or whatever the last lap is. If I’m winning and I win the race, then I’m in the playoffs. If not, then our season is over in a sense. I don’t know. I don’t think that the pressure or anything like that really changes because it’s the last race. Truthfully, we’ve had 25 opportunities to win and we haven’t done it yet, so it doesn’t change it just because it’s the last one, but being on the pole you have a great opportunity from the standpoint of starting position and things like that, but you’ve just got to go execute and that’s something that at the end of the day if you don’t execute, you’re not gonna have a shot to win this race tomorrow so that’s what we’ve got to focus on now.”

THE POLE WINNER HAS ONLY WON 4 TIMES SINCE 2000. “Oh man, you’re really stealing it for me.”

ARE YOU HAPPY TO BE ON THE POLE? “I don’t know. It’s hard to say. I’ve never started on the pole at Daytona or ever really any superspeedway races that I can think of. I mean, you can start on the pole and you can be in 30th by lap 20. There’s just a lot of variables, but I will say that I feel like with this Next Gen car track position is way more important and crucial than it’s ever been before. Truthfully, like going into this race, I was kind of in the mindset of I was just gonna ride around and try to wait until the end and try to be there, and then at our competition meeting I was asking the other guys what their mindset was going into it and Aric was like, ‘Oh, I’m racing trying to lead every lap because you can’t pass.’ If you get back there, it’s hard to do it in 20-30 laps or whatever it is, so that kind of changed my mindset and then qualifying on the pole now I’m definitely going to be super aggressive all day and try to keep my track position up front and make them beat me. Starting on the front row it definitely makes it a little bit easier from the sense you’re not coming from behind from the get-go. Having Aric up there and all four Stewart-Haas cars in the top 10 and I think we had 9 of the top 12 Fords. That’s huge, especially being the pole-sitter. Hopefully, I can use all of that to my advantage and hopefully be there at the end and that’s when it pays the most at the end, not lap 1 or lap 100, it’s the last lap so we’ve got to be there at the end.”

DID THE PHOTO OF FOUR GENERATIONS OF BRISCOE’S SET IN TO YOU? “Yeah. First off, just how fortunate I am and blessed I am to be able to have my grandpa still, my dad still. Four generations of Briscoe’s and for me when we found out we were pregnant for the third time and the pregnancy kept getting farther and farther along, knowing it was a boy was like super important for me just because I was the only one that was gonna be able to keep the Briscoe name alive. To be able to have that picture a couple of weeks ago when we went to Indy was super special for me. With my family living in Indiana, especially my grandpa, he’s to the point now that it’s extremely hard for him to go to the racetrack, so for him to be able to just get to see Brooks was super special for me and to get to see him interact with him was really really cool. Hopefully, he can see us win tomorrow. It would be pretty cool and I know how proud he would be to see me win at Daytona. I mean, everybody in here for the most part knows my story and the fact that I’m racing at Daytona, let alone leading a Cup race to the green at Daytona is special, so if I could win tomorrow I know my grandpa would be pretty happy.”

WHY NOT YOU WINNING TOMORROW NIGHT? “I feel like I’ve not done the greatest job the last few superspeedway races, but this race last year with the rain coming I felt like I was in a really good spot and made an aggressive move, took the lead and then got spun out a corner later and almost flipped over. At least we were in the lead, but I feel like I’ve not done a very good job ever since I got to Cup of just being aggressive the whole race. In the Xfinity car, I always felt I was on the aggressive side. I was always the one trying to make moves, take my run somewhere, and in the Cup deal I just haven’t done that. I just, for whatever reason, been that aggressive and I felt like that race last year was really the only superspeedway race I’ve been super aggressive. That and the Daytona 500 and those are the two times I was up front, so I just have to be super aggressive again and that will start tomorrow starting on the pole.”

HAVE YOU HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS WITH ARIC AND RYAN ABOUT HOW YOU WOULD RACE EACH OTHER AT THE END IF YOU ARE BATTLING FOR THE WIN? “It is a unique situation we’re in as a company. You look at Penske, for example, they’ve got all but one car in, so they can put all their focus trying to get Austin in the playoffs, where, for us, we only have one car in and three out, so I think, truthfully, we haven’t talked about it, to be honest with you, but I do think all of us know with how our season has been that if it comes down to two of us, we need to make sure at least one of us wins. Now, we’re both gonna be selfish – me and whoever, or whoever the two guys are – but we need to think big picture – the amount of people that are back at Stewart-Haas that are relying on us to make the playoffs, so if you’re gonna make a move or do something, you need to be 110 percent certain that at least a Stewart-Haas car wins because you don’t want to make a move and then us both get beat and take a call from Gene or Tony about, ‘Well, what were you thinking?’ I think that you have to have that in mind. Like I said, we haven’t talked about it, but I do think all of us are at least conscious of that going into it and just knowing that if you’re gonna make a move at the end, you better make sure at least one of the Stewart-Haas cars wins.”

IF YOU WIN TOMORROW, WOULD IT BE AN UPSET? “I feel like it would be an upset. I’d have to be the lowest point guy to ever make the playoffs. I think we’re like 31st in points right now, so it would definitely shake up the playoff field. I feel like we would be a 16 seed going into it and everybody loves an underdog, so I love to always feel like my back is up against the wall, even going back to last year’s playoffs. I think everybody, probably nine out of 10 people had us getting knocked out the first round and we were five laps away from making it to Phoenix, so I would love to obviously win tomorrow and get in the playoffs. We’d be at a huge deficit, but, like I said, we would be a 16 seed and it’s happened before that the 16 seed has beat the 1 seed, so hopefully we can get in tomorrow and cause a little ruckus.”

WILL YOU SLEEP RELATIVELY WELL TONIGHT? “I feel like I’ll sleep just like any other night, depending on how Brooks is. He’s normally pretty good at sleeping, but I feel like I don’t think it’s gonna be any different. I do feel like just in general that whenever we go to Talladega, Daytona, Atlanta it’s a little bit harder for me to just fall asleep knowing what’s on the line the next day as far as the risks you’re gonna have to take, but from a point situation or things like that, I mean, I don’t think I’m gonna lose sleep over it. It is what it is at the end of the day. All I can do is give 100 percent of my effort and at the end of the day if it’s enough, it’s enough and when I lay my head down at night I’ve just got to know that when I look myself in the mirror I gave 100 percent, so hopefully I can do that tomorrow and whatever it is it is.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
COKE ZERO SUGAR 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 25, 2023

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway. Media Availability Quotes:

HAVE THERE BEEN CONVERSATIONS AT TRACKHOUSE ABOUT DRAFTING AND HELPING YOUR TEAMMATE?

“I am there for my amigo all the time man. We have already had those conversations and have had them with GM and Chevrolet, and we know the bigger picture of the bowtie and what is important. We can do a lot of good for the 1 car and help people where we can. Tomorrow night will be a key moment to do that.”

WHEN WERE THE CONVERSATIONS WITH GM AND WHAT WAS SAID IN THERE?

“Monday, and just getting everybody together to talk and just hear what people’s plans are and philosophies. There are a million ways you can go about this race. I know for me, and I can’t speak for anybody else, but my mind kind of sways with the wind on what I think is going to work. You look at statistics and the history of it and you can read it one way, and you can read it the complete 180 of what is successful here. It was just getting us in a room and hearing everybody out.”

HOW DO YOU BALANCE THE NEEDS FOR THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION AND ALSO YOUR PERSONAL AMBITIONS TOO?

“Personally, I am in Darlington already. I don’t hate to stay it because it’s the truth. We have put effort in, and we think we have a car that can go and be competitive and play the race out as it comes. I have learned to not come here with any grand plan, but yes, if there is a stage point or a win, then I am going to go for it. I have said it before and I plan on being backwards in the grass at 200 miles an hour and if I don’t hit anything too hard and I can get back to pit road, with minimal damage to the bottom of the car, I will still have a shot to win. So, I don’t get upset when stuff happens at these places anymore. I used to be so on edge through the Truck Series and then I heard an old veteran say that and it made a lot of sense, and it made my weeks leading up to these races a lot easier. So, mentally, we have already been preparing for Darlington.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL BEING A PART OF THIS PRESSURE COOKER PLAYOFF YEAR AFTER YEAR? DO YOU ENJOY THAT?

“I actually do think about that because I was a fan, and I did follow the points whenever it was five points for a position and season-long points. And you got points for being last and you have all this other stuff. And now it’s easy to see over the past weeks we have fallen from being the points leader, to being 100 points out now. I don’t think with 11 races to go we would have a realistic shot to win a championship. So, I love it because it gives us a real shot. It gives Chase (Elliott) a shot, Alex (Bowman) a realistic shot and guys that are hundreds of points back and have missed races, would never have a shot. So, I love it because it allows for me to have a shot. I have had the points lead, lost it, and given up over a 100 points. We wouldn’t have a shot without it.”

IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS YOU HAVE ONE TOP FIVE AND THREE TOP TENS. IN THE PLAYOFFS, THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE ENOUGH AS YOU KNOW. WHAT IS YOUR LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE THAT YOU GUYS CAN PICK IT UP FROM HERE?

“Yeah, I see the stats and we have looked at it. We looked at it with GM just this week of just how the season played out compared to last year and its just a very glaring thing when you look at finishing position. But there is a lot more to be said for average running position and I am not finishing where we are running. The pace can be argued (that it) was better last year, but running position was similar. There are a lot of things and details that you can dig into and see, and we just did that this week. Honestly, it made me feel okay because I know where we can be better. I know that I can be better at finishing these races and I have got to tell you that I was a whole lot more nervous sitting up here last time I was at this desk announcing our contract extension and new contract than I am right now going into the playoffs. That is a really cool feeling. Those were nerves and pressure for another reason in getting it out and another worst kept secret, second worst kept secret that we had this year. I had more pressure sitting up here then than I do now with Darlington, Kansas and Bristol coming up this month.”

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS RACE AND IS IT DIFFERENT THAN THE DAYTONA 500?

“I think Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) was just up here and he argued that it set his playoff field in February. And he got to win the Daytona 500. That is nothing to not look at in coming here in February and it’s a great reminder for everybody that you can just set your season to a permanent win for the year if you win the Daytona 500. That is a lifetime achievement like Ricky was able to accomplish. But here, what do I expect? I expect all of it. I expect everything, all the highlights we are going to see, all the highlights we know. I don’t expect a ton of cars to be running at the end and that probably may be the only thing I can confidently say I expect. Everything else I can expect – all of it. For me, I can only control my variables. Things I can directly control are saving fuel, getting on and off pit road, staying with my group that we pit with the best I can, staying in the pit stall long enough while Brooke our gas man fuels the car to get the right amount of fuel in it each stop, so we don’t have to take more fuel late. Those are the things that I can control.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN LAST YEAR IN GOING THROUGH ALL THE PLAYOFF ROUNDS AND GETTING ALL THE WAY AS FAR AS YOU DID IN THE PLAYOFFS THAT YOU CAN TAKE WITH YOU THIS SEASON?

“Yeah, a lot. I learned a lot and learned a lot about myself and our group at Trackhouse. Because I had questions of if we could step up. There were some similar comments to what Jeff said last year about some stats that were looking a little lower. And we went to those races like Darlington, and we were fast, and we did what we needed to do. We kept air in the tires at the Texas race where everybody was blowing tires. My group did everything right not to blow a tire. We weren’t the fastest car, but we did the things we needed to do to survive and advance. Survive and advance. Its no different now and I can’t let the Nashville win or everything that has happened since the playoffs last year affect the fact that I know we need to just go week by week. And then the Roval haunts me. That wreck, partway through that race, should have taken us out. We were by some gift given another chance and we took full advantage of it in that Round of Eight. So, minimizing those mistakes. We did so good those other nine races and the Roval stands out as the one, and I got away with it. But yeah, all that plays into the count. There is a corner that I won’t crash at, at the Roval this year. I have worked really hard, not saying it won’t happen, but in turn two at the Roval, I should go slow enough through there this year that I won’t crash because that could have been really bad.”

GIVEN WHAT YOU EXPERIENCED AT DARLINGTON IN THE SPRING, WHAT WILL YOU CARRY FORWARD NEXT WEEK THAT WILL BE DIFFERENT?

“What happened in the spring, caused me not to win and I don’t like to lose. So, I am not going to do that again, but I am still going to go race. And (Kyle) Larson and I have had some great battles this year. We were side by side a couple of times late in the race at Watkins Glen and then at the end of the race it wasn’t me that was running into everybody at the end. I was watching my camera laughing. The rear-view camera. Because I was like, ‘yes, it’s not me. It’s them’. So, I did have some sleepless nights afterward. So, I learned a lot from that too and talking to Mr. Hendrick was some really cool conversations and he was great, and he had some great advice. I live by some of the words that he was nice enough to give me that early morning we talked. I will never forget that conversation, good or bad. I don’t like the reason that it came about, but I liked that talk and I listened. I have taken what he said to heart, and I am better for it.”

About Chevrolet

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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Coke Zero Sugar 400 Advance | Friday, August 25, 2023

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 GEARWRENCH Ford Mustang, stopped by the Daytona infield media center before today’s qualifying session and touched on a number of topics as the NASCAR Cup Series regular season comes to an end this weekend.

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 GEARWRENCH Ford Mustang – HOW DO YOU BALANCE THIS RACE WITH TEAMMATES NEEDING A WIN TO ADVANCE TO THE PLAYOFFS? “We have enough trouble serving our own needs (laughing). I think a lot of that stuff just plays out and when you have the opportunity to put yourself in a position to help, you try to help as much as you can and go from there. I’ve always found it harder to try to coordinate something and make it all work because it all seems to get mixed up, so you go race and see when those opportunities fall to push and stay in line and do those types of things.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE WAY WE DECIDE A CHAMPION IN NASCAR? “Well, you don’t win them like Earnhardt did. I think as you look at what we do it’s different, so we’re definitely in the entertainment business to make things exciting and I think as you look at the last race and there’s a lot that goes into it, but it definitely doesn’t reflect the whole year and I think our years are definitely probably proof of that just because of the fact in ‘14 we won the right race. In ‘15 we didn’t win the right race. In ‘20 we didn’t win the right race. I guess as long as you’re in it enough, it cycles out and circles back, so I could see it both ways. I’m gonna sit on the other side of the fence and want it exciting and I think from a competitor’s standpoint I’ve raced it both ways and I think it’s a long season and there’s a lot to it to come down to one race.”

HAVE YOU BUILT UP SPONSOR RELATIONSHIPS THAT WILL GO INTO THE KHI FOLD WHEN YOU RETIRE? “I don’t know that we will actually lose a sponsor. As you go forward, that will be different obviously. I think the partnerships that we’ve managed and are part of, I don’t know that I still won’t have a relationship with every one of them. I think as you move forward that’s one of the more rewarding pieces that has come out of this whole puzzle are the relationships and then also being a part of the conversations and the management group and helping find them things that fit their new budgets and new ideas and who and where you place those sponsorship dollars has been interesting, so there’s obviously a lot of moving pieces but we will have good relationships with many of our current partners as we move forward.”

WAS THERE A TRACK THAT YOU WOULD NOT EVER WANT TO RACE ON AGAIN? “Yes. The Indy Road Course.”

HAVE YOU SEEN ANYTHING DIFFERENT FROM STENHOUSE THIS YEAR THAN IN YEAR’S PAST? “Ricky is mature. He’s been around this a long time and I would put him in the mature category and I think from his standpoint I think that the car’s rolling a lot more this year for a number of reasons. I think they’ve done a good job in managing the days when the car is not running good. I think Mike’s done a good job with Ricky. I think Ricky has a lot of trust in Mike, so I think that whole group has kind of matured together and made more out of their situation than what they have in the past because they’ve finished a lot more races and obviously won the Daytona 500 and had several good runs throughout the season, so they’re just not all gonna be good. You’re just gonna show up on some of these days and you’re gonna be off and it’s hard to figure out what you need to do if the car is wadded up and you’re having to analyze something just by theory instead of everything that goes with having the car in one piece, so I think they’ve just done a better job as a total group and Ricky has fallen into that category, but I think that crew chief/driver combination is super important as to how the driver’s confidence goes and the way things work.”

HOW DO YOU MAXIMIZE YOUR RESULTS EVERY WEEK AND FINISH IN THE TOP 10? “I think it’s part of that same conversation that we just had. You have to keep the car rolling and you have to be able to just grind away and make your car better throughout the day and stay in the game and be able to reset as a group to hope that every time you pit, and when things aren’t going right that the car is going to get better. So, I think a lot of that comes with and I tell a lot of our young drivers this. They say, ‘Well, my car’s not good.’ And I’ll say, ‘Well, why? You’re a big part of that process.’ The driver is a big part of the process that really helps keep everything under control as far as the direction of the car. Is it tight for aero reasons, mechanical reasons and understanding how to push things forward to do that. So, I think for us we just grind away and keep ourselves in contention and do as many little things right and I think that feedback back and forth, driver-crew chief goes right back to that same conversation of making yourself useful as an asset inside the car to be able to give the information of what’s wrong with the car, so I think grinding away and just always believing that it’s gonna get better after this adjustment and resetting and going again.”

THOUGHTS ON DARLINGTON AS THE FIRST RACE IN THE PLAYOFFS? “I don’t have any thoughts. Every time I put thought into we should run good here or we should run good there it could be the opposite. Darlington has been a good racetrack for us in the past and we’ve had good finishes there and always been one of my favorite places to race, but I think looking at predicting what you’re gonna do is really not in the cards anymore because sometimes you show up and it’s completely different. Hopefully, it goes like it has in the past because Darlington has been a great place for us.”

DO YOU LIKE THE GROUPING OF THE FIRST THREE RACES IN THE PLAYOFFS? “I’m still worried about Daytona, so I haven’t gotten to the group of three yet. You got me to go to Darlington. Kansas and Bristol. It should be fine, but I’m not sure (laughing).”

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE MEMORIES OF YOUR CAREER AT DAYTONA? “When I first started we spent a lot of time here testing and preseason testing and we’d come back and test some of our superspeedway stuff. I think, for me, I still remember driving in that tunnel for the first time to test here and realizing that you were getting ready to race for real because when you drove into the Daytona International Speedway you knew that you were progressing in the right direction. So, if I think outside of the Daytona 500 and the summer wins and the Shootout and all the different things that we’ve been fortunate to be a part of from the success standpoint here and wins as an owner in the Busch Series and there’s just been a lot of great things, but this is the pinnacle of our sport and being able to race here has been an honor but always what you were shooting for in your career because you knew if you were racing at Daytona you were on a good path. But I’ll never forget driving in here the very first time and looking at the racetrack when it was empty and sitting on the grid out there because you used to sit there for hours as you waited for your turn to go out and I was sitting there and they said, ‘Alright, when you go you’ve got to go out and hold it wide-open,’ and I had never been here before and when you’re sitting at the end of pit road it’s half as narrow as Talladega, so it was an interesting first lap, but I’ll never forget it.”

HAS THERE BEEN A PLACE OR SOMETHING THAT WAS GIVEN TO YOU THAT HAS STOOD OUT AND HOW HARD WILL IT BE TO TAKE THAT SENTIMENT IN WHEN YOU’RE RACING FOR A TITLE THE LAST 10 RACES? “I think, for me, when you look around and you see the 4ever signs and you see the different things that each particular racetrack has done. You listen to the fans this year and you really get a great idea of just how important coming back and doing this last year and putting the 4ever logo around it and going to each track and letting them do what they want to do and be a part of that it’s important. I may have thought it was silly when we started and I think as you look back at it and I listened to those conversations with our group at SHR and the way that Tony did his and the way that he thought he should have done some things, those things are fun. It’s been fun, just because of the fact I don’t have to worry about what people think. You could just listen and realize that you’ve had a great impact on the sport and the fans appreciate the effort and the things that have gone into, whether it be driving or off the track or showing the emotion of being mad or whatever the instance is – to hear all those stories and let people tell you about all those different situations and see the different pictures and things at the racetrack from all the success at certain tracks. For me, that’s not something I would ever do because I look at it as bragging, but at this particular point it is what it is, right? It’s success at different places we’ve been very fortunate to be successful and win races and have an impact. I think being able to wrap my arms around all that and say, ‘OK, I’m good with this. Let’s enjoy it.’ It’s been enjoyable, just because of the fact that some of the things and pictures and different things that I’ve seen I forgot that we actually did – different moments or stuff that fans bring up or whatever the instance is it’s been fun to be a part and go back and think about all those things that were a part of that particular moment, so it’s been good. Marcus Smith was a huge part of saying, ‘You’ve got to come back and do this this way for the tracks and for the fans and for the sport.’ I was like, ‘Oh, man. I don’t know.’ Now that we’ve gone through this part of the season and been through all the things that we’ve been through, it’s been a lot of fun to go back and reflect on so many things.”

CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT IT’S LIKE BEING IN THE DRAFT WITH ALL THE CARS AROUND YOU HERE? “There’s a lot of information to process and I think when you’re in this every week you kind of take for granted everything that’s happening around you and the things that you do on a weekly basis. It’s just like Ross and I talking right there that we’re gonna go fire the car up and leave pit road wide-open and just go run a qualifying lap because that’s what it is. Typically, you would be somewhat cautious of trying to put yourself in a position to at least make sure everything was OK and today you put yourself in a position to just go out there and know that you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do and if it’s not OK, it is what it is. But, as far as the racing goes, it’s different here than it used to be before they repaved it because handling was just so much of an aspect of what we did here with the bumps and the worn out asphalt and the pack would spread out. Now, the pack doesn’t really spread out and it’s a lot narrower than Talladega is and I think track position is super important and you want to stay up in the front and miss the wreck, but there is a lot of information that is going on inside of your head with the spotter and the crew chief. The crew chief doesn’t get to talk much. The spotter talks more than anybody, so there’s definitely a lot to process.”

YOU AND RODNEY HAVE HAD SUCH GREAT SUCCESS AT DARLINGTON. DOES HE LOVE DARLINGTON AS MUCH AS YOU DO? “I think when you compare that to some of the other tracks it’s probably not that good, but they’re still pretty good. But Darlington is just a place that I enjoy racing and he enjoys going to and I think there’s just places that things just click and, for me, that kind of fits my driving style and not having to worry about going super fast the first two or three laps and just making the car go over the long run and being precise and not taking too many chances as you go throughout the day to tear up your car and make it to the end, so it’s a racetrack that kind of fits what we do and I think through the years it’s just been a really good place for us, so hopefully it stays that way for one more.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
COKE ZERO SUGAR 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 25, 2023

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 BOOST BY KROGER / ENTENMANN’S CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway. Media Availability Quotes:

You’re locked into the playoffs with your win here in February, so you don’t have to race for your season like other guys do. It would be hard to not have a sense of confidence after that win, so with all that in mind, how hard do you plan on pushing it tomorrow night to try to do the Daytona sweep?

“Yeah, I mean that’s what we’re here for is to be back in victory lane; get my second Summer race win here. For us, we’re looking at the playoff points that we could take to the playoffs – either by stage wins or obviously another five points winning the race. Those are the benefits that we can take out of Daytona and the things that we’re looking for. How we do that? I’m not sure yet. On one hand, this race generally is kind of crazy. Obviously last year was a little bit different with kind of one incident taking everybody out of the race, but not really anybody’s fault.

I don’t know.. I know the cars that have to win, have to make it to the end of the race, right? So they don’t really care about stage points. I mean there’s a couple that care about stage points, so hopefully that leaves us racing the ones that are already locked-in for maybe some stage wins or something. Just going to see how it plays out and kind of adjust our race lap-by-lap, stage-by-stage, and see where we shake out.”

You won your two Xfinity Series Championships the old-school, season-long way. You’ve also been in a couple of these elimination-style format years. Now that we’ve done this for a decade or so, how do you kind of weigh the pros and cons of the way we used to do it versus the way we do it now?

“Yeah, I don’t know. It’s exciting. I think it keeps the fans engaged the way we have it. But with that being said, it’d still be a great points battle right now going in with 11 races left. I think it would still be a really good championship battle. I’m watching the tour championship right now and looking at the way they eliminate guys and set themselves up for a golf tournament at the end of the season – it’s handicapped, but they have four guys that go for a championship at the end of the year.

I think every sport has done something to make it exciting.. make their playoffs a little more intense over the years. I enjoyed the Nationwide Series Championships. I loved that it was a season-long deal. But at the point I’m in now, I’m looking forward to the playoffs and the opportunity to race for a championship that way.

Yeah, I don’t know. I’ve not been leading going into the playoffs to really have a strong feeling one way or the other, I guess.”

Five playoff points to win the race.. maybe two more for the two stage wins. Do you view this race as binary for you – it’s either put ourselves in the position to win the race and get the five points, or because people are trying to survive, it’s a chance to get the two points?

“Yeah, we talked about that in our meeting this week at the shop. You look at the cautions in this race and you look at how many finish this race, and it’s not near as many as other speedway races, it seems like. But again, kind of like I said earlier, I feel like there’s a lot of guys that know that they have to make it to the end of the race to have an opportunity to make the playoffs. I’m hoping that gives us a way to kind of get some track position – stay upfront, battle for those stage wins. Seven points would go a long ways for us in the Round of 16 and so on.

For me, that’s really what we’re focused on and I hope that’s how it plays out – that it won’t be so chaotic at the end of those stages and we’re battling for those stage wins and ultimately the win at the end of the day.”

You’re looking at the first two rounds and you’re saying – ‘I can definitely win at Bristol. I can definitely win at Talladega.’ And if the stars align, you move onto the Round of Eight. Do you think those are your two best shots?

“Yeah, I think going into the first round, I really like all of the racetracks. I love Darlington, Kansas and Bristol. I still feel like we’ve been so close at Bristol, so many times, and I would love to get my first win there this year and then obviously move on.

For me, I’m focused on the first round. I did not know Talladega was in the second round, honestly. I have no idea what’s in the second round (laughs). But for us, just really kind of honed in on Darlington right now. I feel good about where our car is for Daytona. My guys have been kind of looking at Darlington this week and trying to prepare for that. We were good at Darlington earlier in the year. We had kind of a misfortune with a flat left-rear tire that we lost time under green pitting. I feel really good about where we are as a team. I don’t think we have to win in the first round to make it through by any means, so we’ll go do our jobs each and every week – try to be perfect and let others make mistakes to move on through that round.”

Where do you feel like your team is now? Your team got your win so early in the season and now, all these months later and the playoffs starting, where do you feel like you guys are?

“It’s going to be real in a week, right? Or I should say after tomorrow, it’s real. I feel like we’ve grown a lot as a team. We’ve gotten better in certain areas of our race team throughout the year and really things have stuck out where we need to be better, and I feel like we’ve corrected some of that. I still feel like we have some issues that we’re still working on and trying to clean up. Some of that is me as a racecar driver – getting to pit road, things on pit road, some race strategy calls that we’ve probably been a little bit off on. And then car speed.. we’ve struggled on that at some racetracks.

I like the information that we have and the things that we’ve learned lately, and I feel like that’ll put us in a good spot going forward. But I like where we are. It’s real now. We’ve made the playoffs. We have one more kind of relaxed, kind of freebee race, and then it’s gametime.”

You’ve talked about having that relaxed attitude and this is really the last race for that. Have you guys started to kind of pivot and get ready to have that different kind of attitude and get that more serious, or is that going to be when you get to Darlington?

“We’re serious every week. It’s just the reality is that next week is everything matters. Like when we have a bad Saturday, it matters. We’ve had some bad Saturday’s, as far as qualifying goes, and it set us back. It hasn’t been super detrimental. I think a bad Saturday in the playoffs is difficult to overcome. So I think for us, it’s we know there’s no mulligans once we start next week. We’re done with the driving range.. done goofing off (laughs). We’ll step-up on the first tee next week and make sure that we’re ready to go.”

Obviously you want to go all the way, but realistically, how deep would you be satisfied to go or is that off the table – it’s all or nothing?

“No, it’s not ‘all or nothing’. I think for me – say we were eliminated in the first round, we could still finish fifth in points, right? So there’s a ton left to race for, no matter what happens in the first round. I think for us, in 2017, we finished 11th in points. We had a really good shot at finishing ninth in points after getting eliminated in the third round, I believe. So for us, there’s a lot to race for no matter what happens in that first round.”

This is the first time since February when you won the Daytona 500 that you’re coming back to Daytona. What are the emotions like? You’re back in the media center for the first time since that winning press conference?

“It was a lot more fun coming back in here after that (laughs).

But yeah, it’s been special. Our pilot let us fly over the track – we did a circle around the track before we landed, so that was pretty cool. Going over to the museum and seeing the car in there, checking all the things out in there, was special. And then unveiling our Walk of Fame there out in front of the museum. This race is so big when you win the Daytona 500, and you do a lot of things throughout the season based off of winning this and it’s been fun. I’ve enjoyed every second of it – being able to promote our team, promote our win, promote the sport. For me, it doesn’t get old.

It’s been nice to come in here and kind of take it all in – look around, walk through the garage. It was so chaotic after the race. You’re trying to celebrate. You’re trying to somewhat get some sleep knowing you have to get up the next morning early. So it’s been nice to kind of come in here, know that you’ve accomplished something great as a race team. Now that that’s over, we can try to get another one.”

Obviously you have incentive to win this race and win the stages. You have points on the line, and also a rare sweep, which hasn’t been done all that many times. But can you allow yourself awareness of what’s going on around you and try not to effect who gets in the playoffs and who doesn’t?

“Definitely something that you think about. You don’t want to be the reason somebody gets in over somebody else, right? Points-wise and other cars, you will definitely – or at least I will – be a little more cautious around some of those cars that are right there on the cutoff line for points. Some Chevy guys are racing for a win. You have buddies that are trying to make the playoffs and things like that. So you try to be respectful of those guys, but know that we still have a job to do and try to take some points away from other people, as well.”

How did it feel putting your hands and feet in the concrete, and what does it mean to you, personally, to be part of that Walk of Fame at Daytona?

“It was cool. Yeah, I mean I’ve never at any construction sites, I’ve never put my hands or feet in the concrete. I don’t think I’ve done that as a kid (laughs). But no, that was really cool. And then I’d say it gets more real every time something happens or you go into the museum and see your face on the wall there with all of the other winners of the Daytona 500 and knowing that’s going to stay there. Just like the Walk of Fame out there – to know that’s going to be there, I guess until they decide to tear it up (laughs), is really special. I feel like that’s what the Daytona 500 is, right? It’s something that sticks with you in your career for the longevity of it, and I think no other race does that, except for winning a championship in the sport. So that was one that we’re super proud of, but that’s also what makes it so important and so special to everybody. For me, I’m glad that we accomplished that already, and now coming back to Daytona, we’re more relaxed, but also more confident. That’s something nice to go along with it, as well.”

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