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

CHRIS BUESCHER WINS DRAMATIC REGULAR SEASON FINALE AT DAYTONA

• Chris Buescher won his third race of the season and fifth overall with today’s victory.
• Ford has now won four of the last five Cup Series races.
• The win is the 141st NASCAR Cup Series triumph for car owner Jack Roush and fourth under the Roush Fenway Keselowski banner.
• Today’s win is Ford’s 726th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.

Ford Finishing Results:

1st – Chris Buescher
2nd – Brad Keselowski
3rd – Aric Almirola
5th – Joey Logano
9th – Kevin Harvick
13th – Michael McDowell
19th – JJ Yeley
28th – Harrison Burton
30th – Chase Briscoe
31st – Ryan Preece
32nd – Todd Gilliland
36th – Ryan Blaney
37th – Austin Cindric
38th – Riley Herbst
39th – Brennan Poole

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW – “It’s so awesome. So proud to get Fifth Third Bank in Victory Lane here with this Ford Mustang. What a heck of a push from Brad in those closing laps for that entire restart. We lined up and worked to get connected. We hardly came disconnected those last couple of laps and it was a little squirrely at times, but that’s what we work so hard to execute superspeedway racing for two years now. We’ve been so close. We’ve been within the last five laps of so many of these things to finally get it done here tonight is special.”

YOU’VE WON THREE RACES LATELY. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PLAYOFFS? “We certainly have the momentum on our side right now. Shoot, for playoff points that’s a huge step in the right direction. That puts us in a great spot here to head through the first round and all the way to Phoenix, but there are so many races along the way that I feel like we have such a good shot at. To get this done here today, oh man, this is so cool. That’s an RFK win right there. That was as much Brad driving or maybe even more than me down here tonight, but so cool to be right here in Victory Lane.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WIN AT DAYTONA? “In that sense it’s amazing here. To get one of these things. Superspeedway racing is slowly growing on me. It’s not always been my favorite, but I’m sure enjoying it the last several years. I just want a road course win. It’s time for a road course win somewhere here along the way.”

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 GEARWRENCH Ford Mustang – “We knew we were in a bad spot with the two teammates. The Fords could just push so much better than the Chevys. Chase gave me a couple of good shots, but they can’t really stay attached and push because of the shape of their nose, so they just got in front of me. We fought all the way to the end and then they hung me in the middle and we finished ninth, but it was fun.”

THOUGHTS ON THE PLAYOFFS. “I don’t really know. We’ll just go race every week and see what happens. I don’t want to predict anything.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang – “I’m just dejected. It was such an amazing race car. Drew and all these guys brought and incredible Smithfield Ford Mustang and we should have won the race. I’m just disappointed. Congrats to RFK. Congrats to Chris Buescher and Brad. I mean, they executed the end of that race flawlessly and they did a great job, but I thought we certainly had a car capable of getting up there and trying to win. Restarting on the third row of a green-white-checker it’s really hard to materialize a run and make something happen and they did a good job.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang – “I’m alright. I don’t know. I guess it kind of seems like the 54 got turned into me. The 20 shoved him and it was kind of just a weird spot I guess and I got right-reared, so not in a fun spot. It’s a shame. We had a fast car and came from the back to the front multiple times and thought we made a good move to try to win the stage and just can’t catch a break. Luckily, everyone is alright. We’ll go to next week.”

WHAT DID YOU SEE AND FEEL? “I didn’t see much. I saw a big white thing that I was headed towards at a rapid mile per hour and then it was over. I guess the 20 kind of got Ty in a weird spot it looked like and just got into my right-rear and off she went. It stinks to end our night that way. We had a fast car and definitely stinks, but we’ll go to next week.”

WERE YOU WAITING FOR IT TO HAPPEN? “Yeah, I thought it was gonna happen multiple times, but further back in the pack than what it did and not at the lead. There were plenty of times we were three-wide where the fifth row on back could have easily wrecked and we didn’t, and then it figures right when we get the lead I get wrecked, so that’s just the way it goes this day and age sometimes. We’ll just move on from it.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL? “I’m alright. It’s just a big hit. I’m happy it had a SAFER barrier on it. Yeah, that was large. It’s a big testament to the new front clips. That would have hurt a lot more if we didn’t have the new front clip on it, so that was a positive about that, but still pretty hard.”

DID THE DYNAMIC FEEL ANY DIFFERENT OUT THERE IN THE PACK THAN IT HAS WITH THIS CAR? “I don’t know, not really. I thought we saw a third lane kind of peek in there for a little bit. It seemed like there was more of a third lane than what it normally is for whatever reason. It would kind of surge and die, but it did seem like you could actually get going in it if you had the right guys pushing you, so, yeah, it was a little bit different dynamic. I think that’s just people getting to the front and there’s urgency to get there because you know it’s hard to do. It’s hard to get to the front. It’s the last race of the regular season and everyone is trying to be super aggressive and just taking all the chances and then eventually people are like, ‘alright, we’ve got nothing to lose, we’re gonna go with you,’ so it changes a little bit.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT DARLINGTON NEXT WEEK? “I feel a lot better than I do right now. I’m excited to get here to Darlington next week. We’ve been working super hard to get a little better at these racetracks and find some speed. Hopefully, we’re going in the right direction. It’s a hard race next week and it’s a lot about just running all 500 miles really, so hopefully we can do that and have no mistakes and have a good car.”

GLAD YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO WIN AND GET IN TONIGHT? “I’d be a lot more upset right now if that were the case. It just stinks. I still wish we were racing, but it’s nice to already be locked in. I don’t know who had to win is knocked out in that wreck. It seems like a good amount of people, but it is what it is.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Cardell Ford Mustang – “Obviously, a big wreck off of four. I was kind of at the tail end of the pack, so I’m a little disappointed I couldn’t get checked up and avoid it and still have a shot to win the race tonight, so just disappointed to be in a situation to have to win tonight, but thankful for everybody at Team Penske and the 2 car all year for working their tails off trying to get us a win tonight.”

IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS INTENSE THE WHOLE RACE. IS IT TOO EARLY FOR THAT? “No, I totally expected to be, and, look, there are a lot of drivers that know what they’re doing out in the field tonight, so there were a lot of almost wrecks tonight, but it’s kind of a matter of time, in my opinion, especially with putting on two tires – everybody in the field and coming to the end of the stage. We were running faster than we had run all race. I keep looking at my lap times and you know when the intensity picks up when you start running faster lap times. I obviously made the decision that I was far enough back that I should have just bailed and I was kind of half frightened at that point as far as if I was close to the back or not and, obviously, still too close.”

HOW DO YOU TACKLE THE NEXT 10 WEEKS? “Be the best teammate I can be and try to win some races.”

RILEY HERBST, No. 36 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford Mustang – “I’m OK. That was a lot of fun, especially after yesterday’s mess. It was cool to go up front in the Cup race and learn every lap and had a shot for the stage win. I made a rookie mistake and learned from that, but it was a lot of fun. Thank you to Stewart-Haas Racing and Front Row Motorsport for coming together and giving me a really fast Monster Energy Zero Sugar car and hopefully we can do it again and keep learning.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
COKE ZERO SUGAR 400
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE RECAP
AUGUST 26, 2023

Five Chevrolet Drivers Set to Compete for 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship

· In the 26-race NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Chevrolet collected a manufacturer-leading 13 wins – recorded by five drivers from four different Chevrolet teams.

· Since the debut of the 16-driver playoff field and elimination rounds to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014; at least five Chevrolet drivers were represented in the playoffs each season.

 
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
4th Chase Elliott, No. 9 Llumar Camaro ZL1
6th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Arena Camaro ZL1
7th Kyle Busch, No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Camaro ZL1
8th William Byron, No. 24 Raptortough.com Camaro ZL1
10th Corey LaJoie, No. 7 NEGU Camaro ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER

1. Chris Buescher (Ford)
2. Brad Keselowski (Ford)
3. Aric Almirola (Ford)
4. Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
5. Joey Logano (Ford)

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin next weekend at Darlington Raceway with the Cook Out 400 Sunday, September 3rd, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on USA Network, MRN and Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
 
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Boost by Kroger / Entenmann’s Camaro ZL1
Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on the last lap of Stage Two.
Finished 34th

Are you OK and what happened?

“Yeah, I’m good. I just wish I would have stayed high there. I saw the No. 20 (Christopher Bell) spin the No. 54 (Ty Gibbs) – just pushing at the wrong spot of the racetrack, which I’ve done here before. Just part of it.

I was having a blast. Our No. 47 Entenmann’s Kroger Camaro was really, really fast. I felt like we worked our way from the very back to the very front and got ourselves some good track position, so I was really happy. I was having a blast. It was a lot fun racing three-wide and pushing each other. I felt like everybody was doing a good job of putting on a good race for the fans. It just looked like Christopher just got him maybe a little too hard, a little too soon. He should have probably waited until we got on the straightaway, but that’s part of it. I had fun, at least.”

We saw more three-wide racing today compared to the other superspeedway races with this car. Are you guys just learning how these cars work better in the draft, or is it just the intensity of the regular season ending?

“No, I mean everyone thought they wanted the bottom lane for some reason. I feel like with this race car, the middle and the top lanes, the cars just perform better. It seemed like everybody that moved to the bottom was getting too tight off turn four and off of two and having to lift, so it brought the top lane and the middle lane in. The No. 8 (Kyle Busch), 16 (AJ Allmendinger), 31 (Justin Haley) and myself – we ran from the back to the front in that third lane. We made it all the way to the front until we got our track position. But yeah, I’ve always felt like these cars run better on the top.”

How do you feel about the next 10 weeks?

“I feel good. We’re going to take it week-by-week. I feel like Darlington was a good racetrack for us, and that’s what we’ve been focused on was Darlington before we ever got here to Daytona. I feel really good about where we are as a race team. It was awesome to come back to Daytona and having a car that I felt like was capable of winning, and hopefully we can go to Darlington with that same mentality.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 BREZTRI Camaro ZL1

Finished 33rd

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on the last lap of Stage Two.

“We just had a suspension fail on the left-front from a little contact. It’s so frustrating. You try and go have a little fun out there and get some stage points, but really it pays nothing for that. I’ve won races not racing for those. We made some decent moves, and then some not so great moves. I have to go back and look to figure out why we didn’t keep ourselves toward the front, just in front of that. But that happened at the front, so I don’t know – other than just lifting coming to the checkered there in Stage Two, I don’t know what we could have done differently.”

Is it just a result of being too aggressive, too early, from some others?

“Yeah, I think everybody is pushing and shoving a little bit. The No. 20 (Christopher Bell) got to the No. 54 (Ty Gibbs) and turned him. It’s part of it if you push in a corner.”

How do you attack the next 10 weeks?

“Progress. Look for the simple wins.”

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1

Finished 17th

You are back in the playoffs and now can concentrate on next week at Darlington, how does that feel?

“That feels really good to hear – in the playoffs again. I have to go back to 2021 and missing it in my first real attempt in a quality Chevrolet. Missed it with CGR in the No. 42 car and that hurt. But now I get to have the day off tomorrow and be ready Monday morning to walk into that Tech Center and continue to prepare for Darlington. We have already been preparing, we have already been running in the DiL, working with Josh Wise and the Wise Performance Group that GM uses to prepare the drivers. And Trackhouse has been preparing the cars. It feels good and feels good to bring this one home clean and put it right back in the rotation. There is one small donut on it, but it feels good right now. Life is good.”

Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1

Finished 27th

“Yeah, there are some good tracks for us in the playoffs and just ready to get started and hopefully get some momentum going.

You guys had good speed at Darlington in the spring, how does that make you guys feel?

“Yeah, I mean you just hope you have got the same speed this time around that you had earlier this year. We were really strong and I would like to get off to a good start.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway.com Camaro ZL1

Finished 20th

I know this may have been disappointing, what more did you need to get it done tonight?

“I feel like the car had good speed and we showed that in coming from the back. We came from the mid-20s in stage one and I think finished fifth in stage two. We just didn’t execute well in stage three and stage three is the most important one. We had a lot of conversations about setting ourselves up for that final stage and things played out in a way that we didn’t react properly. Unfortunately, we were not able to make up the difference. It is what it is, and I felt like we did an okay job in the first three quarters of the race, but in the last quarter and most important, we didn’t. I can’t thank everyone enough. Trackhouse, all the sponsors, Freeway.com, Worldwide Express, Coke-Cola, and so many people that help us out to be in this position. Quaker State and Comm Scope. It’s been a lot of fun and we have ten more races to go out there and continue to fight.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Camaro ZL1

Finished: 7th

What do you expect during the playoffs?

“Yeah, just put it all together and make these races happen. Tonight, we had a lot of that up-and-down, as well – going to the back, coming to the front, going to the back. I was really proud of the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Camaro. The RCR Chevy and the ECR engines that we had – they were good, they were fast. I just needed some help behind me at times. We got it – led some lanes, led some laps. And then there at the end, we were just trying to make some more happen with those guys at the end. It was just too short of a run to get up towards the front where we wanted to. But overall, proud of the effort. We know we just have to cross our T’s, dot our I’s and be a little bit more perfect, and not let some things happen during the races that have taken us out. A lot of it hasn’t been our fault, hasn’t been our doing, but just circumstantial. Better luck, I guess. I used it all up about eight weeks ago.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Llumar Camaro ZL1

Finished: 4th

“I feel like we had an OK chance there, but Brad (Keselowski) and the No. 17 (Chris Buescher) just worked so well together there and they were able to stay locked-on. They were so locked-on there.. they just had a strangle-hold on the top lane. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get to Kevin (Harvick) and stay there like that, and just make the bottom lane work. I kind of bottled it up there and just couldn’t get enough momentum going forward.

But it was a valiant effort and I appreciate the effort from everybody – from the No. 9 team, Team Chevy, Hendrick Motorsports. I thought we all worked really well together tonight. Obviously we came up a little short, but nonetheless – I hate the way the season has gone, but proud to get the car into the owner’s championship. It’s a big deal to get in on the owner’s side, so hopefully we’ll try and go make some noise on that front, and just keep progressing and pushing to be better for next year. We’ll be better through all of this down the road.”

Chandler Smith, No. 13 Quick Tie Products, Inc. Camaro ZL1

Finished: 15th

“I think we had a good solid weekend. We were up front in both races, maybe didn’t get the result we probably deserved based on our speed in the Xfinity race. But we moved on to the Cup race, ran up front, showed decent speed, and hopefully got a lot of TV time. I’d call that a success.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1

Finished: 29th

“I can’t thank my guys enough for the No. 16 Action Industries Chevy we had today. This was the best speedway car we have had, it handled well and had a lot of speed. We got caught up in a wreck running near the front of the field and that ultimately ended our day, but I’m proud of all the effort, we’ll keep making gains and hopefully get some finishes to show it.”

William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1

Finished: 8th

You’re entering the playoffs as the top-seed in the NASCAR Cup Series. Can you keep this going in the playoffs?

“Yeah, it feels good. Just thank you to everyone at Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports, our whole No. 24 RaptorTough.com team. We had a solid night. In the pack, we were just struggling to advance forward, just kind of one move behind all of the time. But it’s good to get a top-10 and going into Darlington with some momentum. That’s a really good racetrack for us, I feel like. We have a couple little things to work on at Darlington, just to get a little bit better, but I feel like the first round sets up well. We just need to have a solid first couple of races and put ourselves in a good spot.

It feels good. It looks like we’re tied with Martin (Truex Jr.) for playoff points. That’s a lot better position than we’ve been in the past, so we’ll try to take advantage of that. Last year, I think we were in the teens for playoff points, so I feel good about. The good thing is we can still get some more in the first round, so hopefully we can maybe get a stage win or a victory in the first couple races and see how it plays out.”

Justin Haley, No. 31 Celsius Camaro ZL1

Finished: 21st

“We had a super-fast No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet. We stayed clean and raced in the top five for a while there. Unfortunately, nothing transpired for us at the end.”

Josh Berry, No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL1

Finished: 22nd

“It was a decent finish for the No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Chevy team. We picked the wrong lane on the last restart and gave up some spots. But overall, we learned a lot and brought the car home in one piece. At Daytona, that’s always not a bad thing.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1

Finished: 18th

“It was just an OK day for the No. 43 Allegiant Chevy team. Just never really got in a good position to capitalize. We got a little flipped around on our last pit stop there and lost way too much ground to the second pack that pit. We were just too far back, too far late in the race and couldn’t really go anywhere with it. It’s a bummer. Obviously the end of our playoff hopes, but we’re going to 10 good tracks for us here coming up and hopefully we finish out strong.

 

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.

BUBBA WALLACE EARNS FIRST PLAYOFF BERTH
Martin Truex Jr. scores regular season championship

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 26, 2023) – Bubba Wallace (12th) led Toyota in tonight’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway. With the finish, Wallace locks into the final Playoff berth. It is the first time that 23XI Racing has placed two cars in the Playoff field (Tyler Reddick, Wallace) and five Toyota Playoff drivers (Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Reddick, Martin Truex Jr. and Wallace) ties the most in the manufacturer’s history in this Playoff format (2016).

Martin Truex Jr. clinched the Regular Season Championship for the second time (2017) and the fourth regular season title for Toyota since 2017.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Daytona International Speedway
Race 26 of 36 – 400 miles, 160 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Chris Buescher*
2nd, Brad Keselowski*
3rd, Aric Almirola*
4th, Chase Elliott*
5th, Joey Logano*
12th, BUBBA WALLACE
16th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
24th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
25th, TYLER REDDICK
26th, DENNY HAMLIN
35th, TY GIBBS
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 12th

Can you describe the emotion you are feeling right now?

“I’m just relieved. I apologized to my wife (Amanda) all week. I haven’t been myself – I’ve been stressing. Thankful that we are in it. That is the most calm I’ve ever been. It’s ass-backwards. You come to Daytona, and you focus so much on controlling the things that you can control. My stubborn ass never wants to listen to people telling me that. I finally did that, and we are locked in. What an incredible feat for our 23 team. I had a heart-to-heart with my team after Atlanta after qualifying – I said if we got our shit together, we can do great things in the Playoffs. I’m so proud of the team from top down, very thankful. Back to the team – it took longer than I wanted, but to get the 23 and 45 locked in the Playoffs for all our partners, coming off a great week down at the Grove. Just to be here and get it done. Shout to Chris Buescher – I’ll finally let our Dover beef go. Congrats on the win. We are settled. Good job.”

What does this rank on your career achievements?

“On my Mt. Rushmore. I don’t have a lot of things on my Mt. Rushmore. I got two faces with my two wins, I’ll put the this as the third face up there. It’s pretty special. Just relieved. I don’t have much emotion, just relieved, drained mentally. Glad we’ve got the day off tomorrow, because I’ll be hurting on Monday.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Yahoo! Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 16th

What is the opportunity for this team in the Playoffs?

“Yeah, the first round is number one about being consistent, and just not beating yourself. If you get through there with a couple of solid races, you should be in pretty good shape. With that being said, they are great race tracks for us and great opportunities for us to score more Playoff points. If we win stages and win races, those are still bonus points that are carried into the Round of 12 and the Round of 8. Hopefully, we can execute on the small stuff and put ourselves in position to transfer. If we have fast cars – which we should – hopefully, we can take advantage of it.”

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

Finishing Position: 24th

This trophy is pretty awesome, but I’m sure you are more excited about the 15 bonus points that come with this, correct?

“Yeah, the trophy is really cool, but we are focused on the championship again this year, and that feels really good. It’s really awesome to get these bonus points. I’m just really proud of my team and everybody at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing), TRD, Bass Pro, Auto Owners, Resers – all of our partners for giving us the opportunity to be here and to be able to have the season that we had. Hopefully, we can keep it going. It was a little frustrating to not be able to really race tonight after Denny (Hamlin) kind of got in that situation and we got the stage win – that was kind of a bummer, but big picture was the right thing to do. We’ve got to put together 10 great races like we did in 2017 again.”

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 The Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 25th

Not what you wanted tonight, but for 23XI a great day as you will have a teammate with you in the Playoffs. Can you talk about your race and making the Playoffs for the first time with 23XI?

“That was the obviously step one of the goals moving over to 23XI and being part of the Toyota family. We were hoping to get more points, I don’t know where we actually ended up in the regular season – but we will be ready to go in Darlington to make a charge for the championship with this The Beast Unleashed team.”

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

Finishing Position: 26th

Big night for you as a driver and owner. Can you put your arms around tonight and your Playoff outlook?

“I’m really proud of the whole 23XI team to get two cars in the Playoffs in just our third year. It’s a testament to all of the hard work they’ve been putting in. You can’t do it without your manufacturer in Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing for the alliance and the team itself for putting fast cars on the race track, and on top of that, the drivers working to get better. We’ve seen a really big shift for Bubba (Wallace) getting better. He’s stepping up and I look forward to seeing what he does.”

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

Finishing Position: 34th

Are you okay and what happened out there?

“Yeah, I am. I felt like I was getting a great push. I feel like all of our teammates were working really well together tonight. I may have got a push in a bad spot, but we were going for the stage win. I want to thank Christopher (Bell) for all of the pushes he gave me, I really do.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 24 electrified options.

Toyota Racing – Kurt Busch
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 26, 2023) – Kurt Busch was made available to media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series event at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday:

KURT BUSCH, 23XI Racing

Can you talk about your announcement today?

“I have a statement that I wrote, and then we can go into questions. Last year, in Las Vegas, where my racing career began, I set in front of many of you and it was one of the toughest and hardest things I’ve had to do in my racing career, and that was to talk about not being behind the wheel of a race car. After decades spent at a race track, with helmet in hand preparing to compete, I was forced to take a step back and focus on my health. While stepping away from full time racing for the 2023 season, it has been difficult, but it has provided me with a different perspective and gave me more time to focus on my recuperation and reflect on all of the sport has given me and all I have still to give back to it. Racing at NASCAR’s highest level requires every last bit of focus, heart, stamina and determination, and I know, right now, I can’t give what is required to compete at that level, week in and week out. So, I’m officially announcing my retirement from NASCAR Cup Series competition. Over the last several months, being out of the car, I’ve appreciated the opportunity to remain actively involved with 23XI, Monster Energy and the Toyota Racing family and want to do all that I can to continue making this race team one of the best in motorsports. I guess it is fitting at age 45, my 23 years as a full-time driver in NASCAR would culminate in working with 23XI to impart the knowledge that I have for our drivers and our team. As I transition out of the driver’s seat, I can’t help but feel incredibly blessed to have spent the amount of time as I did as a driver in NASCAR, and I could have never imagined it growing up as a blue-collar kid in Las Vegas. So many people have been a part of my journey. I want to thank the fans, my family, friends, sponsors and team members. Thanks to everyone who has taught me those different things around the motorsports world and also for those who have had to put up with me. I just want to thank everyone again who continues to push me to achieve success in this sport. It’s time for a new journey, and I’m excited to get it started.”

Can you talk about what your journey is right now and what is your future plans?

“It’s difficult to know which avenues will lead to what in the short-term futures. I’m still wanting to get doctor approval and get cleared. That’s the first step. That’s what I need to do personally. Then I will have opportunities to talk to different motorsports teams and sponsors on doing other races, but the perspective and taking a little step back from being in the car every week, the joy that I’ve found is that everything has slowed down for me to help analyze the data, to give advice to Bubba (Wallace), to give advice to Tyler (Reddick), the engineering staff, the team members at 23XI. It’s really neat to have all of this current knowledge and having the opportunity to digest it and give back to this team. That’s the short-term goal.”

Can you talk about the timing that led to the announcement today?

“it’s not one moment that led to this. It’s a few different factors. My body is just having a battle with father time. I’ve had arthritis ever since I can remember, my gout has flared up where I can barely walk in some days. Just pushing to get through physical therapy and continuing to work out. I remember last summer I was trying not to show that emotion, and I could barely walk to the car in Dover. I had to have some shots prerace just so I could move my knee and move my feet. Those were those moments where things were starting to add up before things that happened at Pocono. Father time, unfortunately. I’m 45-years-old. I’m happy, I’m complacent, and there is nothing that I look back on with regret about having this opportunity at the top level of NASCAR.”

Is when your heart rate get elevated still the issue?

“It is not as bad as it was last summer and last fall. I genuinely feel good about the improvements throughout, call it, three months at a time. And then we will push harder to find other things with my vesicular movements to balance out my core strength so that way, everything is strong within my system to be able to react at top level speed.”

Have you seen firsthand NASCAR’s work to prevent head injuries?

“It’s kind of a Hollywood story style ending, so to speak. I was going for pole on my last race – going out on top, and yes, I think NASCAR is doing all of the right things to improve the safety of the car and made quick prompt changes after collecting data on my incident and many others. It’s always something in life where you are trying to improve things and make it better for everyone. I think NASCAR and the teams and the collaboration that I see between in the DAC, the RTA, NASCAR, everyone is moving in the right direction.”

What does it mean to see all of these people here supporting you?

“I said I wasn’t going to get emotional, and there you go, Claire (B. Lang), thanks. Thank you to everyone, I was texting Mike Helton earlier this week, and I said to him that I didn’t really think I was going to get out of 2002 with how many arguments as we’ve had. Everyone that is in the room, thank you. Whether it’s the sport, our manufacturer, our sponsors, thank you Mitch Covington. You stood behind me back in 2012, and said we will support you; we will sponsor you, Kurt. It has been an amazing journey with you guys and to say you have been with a sponsor for over a decade – we are getting close to 12 years now – that’s a major accomplishment. Any time you are at Monster Energy, it is like you work for the company. I’m trying to do all I can to move product, and to create that lifestyle in a can feel. Thank you to the team. Thank you guys. There is plenty of stories of fun, and wins and losses, thank you to NASCAR for giving me a fair shake at this. There is a bunch of cool trophies at the house, lots of memories and I hope to give back in all of the ways I can moving forward.”

What have you found that you can give back to the team and what reward have you seen in that?

“I think the foundation that my dad, Tom (Busch), instilled in Kyle (Busch) and I from the very beginning about race cars, and working on them and understanding every element about the car before you drive it. That was a key factor, and then when my dad was putting so much time and money towards our racing. He’s working 80 hours a week. We are going to the race track every weekend. When it started to click for me and I started to win races, I just wanted his job to be easier. He’s my crew chief. He’s my car owner. He’s a sponsor. He’s everything, and I wanted to communicate with him clearly on how the car was handling, and I think that is something that I took with me to every race team. I was just trying to be clear precise and help them do their job, but help them make their job easier for them, and I think that’s why I had so much success at all of the different race teams.”

What is it going to take for you to get back in some form of racing?

“Keep pushing with the physical therapy, the workouts, doctor visits and tests. There is no timeline. I just know I need to feel from right here that I feel good, and I can look the doctor in the eye, and he will tell me that I’m good to go. Again, that was the struggle. Mentally, emotionally – the push last summer to try to get back for the Playoffs, and I wasn’t able to make it. That was the toughest. Now everything is settling in, and whether I drive again or not, there is so many other things for me to do and there is no real timeline.”

Can you talk about your career evolution from the kid to Roush to where you are now?

“Being able to win in all of NASCAR’s top three divisions – the ladder system of a hobby stock, a late model, Southwest tour cars, Trucks, went straight to Cup, and then came back and did a few races in Xfinity. To have all of the wins in all of the different styles of tracks, I wanted to be a driver that fans could always count on for a good solid run, each day, each weekend. Whether it is up in New England – those New Englanders embraced me after Ricky Craven and my finish in Darlington. The Midwesterners and the big push into Chicago and Kansas and Texas, I just wanted to always give them someone to root for, someone they could always count on because I’m pretty much like them. I’m a blue-collar worker that got an opportunity to do something really cool. That’s that racer, racer in me that was able to win 19 different years. If I could have snuck that win in Sonoma with James Finch’s car at Phoenix Racing, the rear end was falling out of it. I cannot believe we didn’t win at Furniture Row. That’s one thing I look back on – we had nine outside poles, but we could not finish the race in the end. That would have been 21, 22 straight years of winning. I think that would have been more so than Richard Petty’s record. Just missed out on a couple, but nothing I get stuck on too much. I was going for my own little stat, because I’m a baseball guy – I was trying to create this little thing called a 30/30 club, which is 30 wins and 30 poles. I think there is just a few select drivers that fit in that category, and I came up a little short. Maybe that was my improper motivation at Pocono, trying to go for the pole. It’s always good to have goals. You always have to push yourself, and I want to continue to do that with my team, sponsors, everybody. I thank you all. It’s a family here, because you’ve helped me grow quite a bit since the blue-collar kid that got out of Vegas.”

What are your greatest memories here at Daytona?

“As a driver, I got to race here in the trucks. I finished in second my first ever race here. I wrecked about 15 times, but somehow kept the fenders on it and finished second. I ran IROC cars here, I ran the 24 hours race here and finished podium. I finished second three times, 2003, 2005, 2008. My teammate, Ryan Newman, got in my way so I had to push him (laughter). I was never angry at the track though. There was so many second-place finishes and wrecks and frustration moments, and I’m like maybe I will win here one day and I was able to have that opportunity in 2017. It’s a special place. Here, Charlotte, Darlington, Bristol, Vegas – those are my top five, but Daytona is our crown jewel motorsports NASCAR event – the Daytona 500 – and I’m happy that I have a Harley J. Earl.”

Will you continue to work with 23XI in an advisory department?

“Yes, as long as they will allow me. I made up my official title this year. I was called CFD – that is coefficient of drag, really. That is what CFD stands for, but I re-nicknamed it captain of the fun department (laughter). That has been a good role, and here lately, I’ve revised it. I want to be slightly more professional with the group, so I’ve named myself CVO – chief vision officer. Whatever it means is whatever it means, but I’ve enjoyed working with all of the departments and being that extra set of eyes and helping our team advance so that we can win more races, be more competitive, and have shots at winning championships because that is who personally that I am and I want to give back to the team.”

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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.”