Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

CONCORD, N.C. (May 27, 2023) – Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin was made available to media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday:

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

What did winning the Coke 600 mean to you and the experience you had honoring our fallen soldiers?

“It really is special for sure. I thanked Marcus (Smith) and his whole team for allowing me to go and experience it. It was a great experience and obviously, a very humbling experience to see the cemetery. It was an honor to see the changing of the guard there. Our sport does so much for the military, week-in and week-out. When we get to the Coke 600, the Department of the Defense thinks that this is their biggest event to honor their military. Certainly, very humbling for us to go out and put on a show for them.”

What is like for you to see cars that you own run not as well as you would expect?

“I think it is a little bit easier to assess when my team struggles because I know I have all the information on what our team is running and what we are doing, and so my first question is how far off the reservation are you guys when it comes to that. So, it is a little bit easier to assess when you have an alliance with a team like Joe Gibbs Racing that usually strong, week-in and week-out. It forces you to look in the mirror when you’re not performing, but if you do it on your own, there is a lot of questions and speculation about what could, or could not be wrong.”

Is there anything you can do with the radio to prevent what happened over Bubba Wallace’s radio last weekend?

“I know the team internally talked about it – about what they wanted to do to prevent it. We are working on stuff on our end to prevent it. I haven’t heard what the exact fix is for that.”

How did the strong runs for both 23XI Racing cars last weekend make you feel?

“It makes me feel good. It means our team is a high-level, elite team, and one that kind of carried the Toyota banner last week. It makes me feel good about it that they are taking the information and fitting it to their drivers, and the drivers are doing a good job. Bubba (Wallace), especially, in this past year has taken huge strides, and Tyler (Reddick) has been a proven winner. He has continued to work on his craft to get better as well. It really says a lot about that whole team, and what they have been doing on the competition side to get better, working on the small details that make a difference each week.”

Was there a fire at your parent’s house this week?

“A little attic fire, but everyone is okay. Just have some repairs to do.”

What does it mean to you have a fallen soldier on your car this weekend?

“Kevin (J. Smith) from Georgia was a victim in Baghdad back during the Iraqi Freedom Operation. I like listening to their parents or relatives to hear their story. You can read about them as much as you can, and you hear their stories through words on paper, but hearing from their relatives touches you in a bigger manner, especially for me. I will get to spend some time with his dad and stepmom this weekend and really understand his story and what he has done for our country and say thank you to them for making that sacrifice.”

When you pull the cars down pit road for the moment of silence, what is it for you as a driver?

“It’s definitely different. We’ve done moment of silences before for some stuff. It just seems like during that 600, we are all pumped full of adrenaline and then we are thinking about all of these things, but no matter how busy our minds are and what the crew chief is maybe thinking about, on which direction he needs to make the car better when we come down here and pit, everyone just stops. Myself personally, I stop everything. I stop my brain and sit there in silence and reflect. Hopefully, all the competitors, I’m sure, do as well. It is a moment where we need to stop the game for a moment and just say thank you.”

Are there any future plans to expand on Bubba Wallace’s documentary on Netflix?

“We would like to for sure. Obviously, that was really well put together. I’m proud for Bubba (Wallace) and the whole 23XI team, and the guys that helped put that whole deal together. They just did a phenomenal job with it. Certainly, I think it was a very good inside baseball type of thing where we get to educate fans beyond what you see with us going around in circles each and every weekend. It shows the work that goes on for the drivers and the teams do to make that show go on every weekend. I would love to see it expand and have another season or another version of it in NASCAR, we just have to keep working on it.”

Has anything internally changed with Bubba Wallace recently to allow him to seem more relaxed?

“I think the results, honestly. There was a turning point during the summer of last year where he started getting some really good runs and he started to believe in himself. I think he’s a guy that can definitely question his own abilities at times, but I think that he’s had enough sustained good runs that he now knows in his ability, and he knows when he puts in the work – he sees the results from it. I think this is the new Bubba Wallace that you are probably going to see as an upfront contender, week-in and week-out, more times than not.”

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 48,000 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 22 electrified options.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
COCA-COLA 600
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 27, 2023

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1, media availability at Charlotte Motor Speedway:

THIS IS A HOME RACE FOR YOU. OBVIOUSLY YOU GREW UP IN CHARLOTTE AND VERY FEW DRIVERS CAN SAY THAT THEY ARE CONSIDERED A TRUE HOMETOWN FAVORITE, SO TO SPEAK, HERE WHEN WE ARE AT CHARLOTTE. TALK ABOUT THE COCA-COLA 600, CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND WHAT THIS TRACK MEANS TO YOU, BEING ABLE TO CELEBRATE THIS WEEKEND EVERY MAY?

“Yeah, it’s always good getting to May. I feel like it’s a time period that I look forward to, just coming to the Coca-Cola 600 and getting ready for the Charlotte (Motor Speedway) race. But also, just being back home and being able to see a lot of family. It’s a busy time, for sure, but I just always have great memories of Charlotte Motor Speedway and going to the 600-mile race and just being up in the stands. Every time I come back, it gives me a lot of excitement and I think my team thrives off of that. With Hendrick Motorsports being right across the street, certainly we look forward to Charlotte every year and that’s no different this year. I think honestly this year, this is probably the most we’ve looked forward to the 600. Looking forward to it.”

WHAT TYPE OF ADVANTAGE IS IT STARTING ON THE POLE?

“Yeah, I mean I try not to get too excited, one way or another, on the weekend. I think that we’ve done a lot of good work this week just in the simulator and talking about the race. Really, it started before Kansas (Speedway). When Kyle (Larson) tested here, we talked a lot about what we felt like we needed. We’ve carried some of that to the other 1.5-mile tracks. Darlington (Raceway) isn’t really a 1.5-mile track, but there’s similar traits in the car there. I thought we were really strong there from the beginning to the end of the run, and that’s what you’ll need at Charlotte. The runs are pretty long.. usually probably going to be 50 laps on tires, at least.

It’s certainly nice to get the pit selection. I think really the track position is not that big of a deal for a long race like this, but the pit stall selection is huge going into the race.”

YOU SAID 50 LAP RUNS ON TIRES. DO YOU EXPECT WITH CONSTRUCTION CHANGE THAT’S DIFFERENT FROM A YEAR AGO THAT YOU WON’T SEE DRIVERS JUST SPINNING OUT LIKE THEY DID LAST YEAR IN THIS RACE?

“Yeah, I think a lot of the issues that we saw last year – obviously the cars were a handful, but there was also just a lot of attrition for some reason and I think that guys were making contact. We weren’t used to the track changes. They might have been different than the old car. It was really hot outside. So I think the car just being kind of unpredictable and guys having more issues with kind of bottoming out and losing grip that way. I don’t think there was a ton of tire failures.. at least there wasn’t for us. But certainly we didn’t understand the tire fully to be able to maximize the whole run, so there was a lot of uncharacteristic kind of fall-off throughout the run. Hopefully we’ve worked on that a lot and we can run 40 or 50 laps on tires and still hold on well.”

I THINK IT’S BEEN SINCE WEEK TWO AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY THAT THE ENTIRE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMP HAS BEEN TOGETHER. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE EVERYONE TOGETHER GOING INTO THE SECOND-HALF OF THE REGULAR-SEASON?

“It’s really important for the morale of the shop and us be able to kind of pull the rope in the same direction. I think having Josh (Berry) in was great. He really did a good job subbing. But obviously we have notes from four or five years, or more, from working together as a group of four. I feel like we understand each other’s driving styles and that just really helps grow the group, in general, and grow the setups forward. I think having all of our feedback back together, it would be nice to see that kind of payoff with practice. But I think Monday, we’ll really be able to dissect what we all had in the race and it will be nice to have everyone back to do that.”

WITH THE CHANGE IN THE SHORT-TRACK PACKAGE, WHAT DID YOU NOTICE AT SONOMA (RACEWAY) LAST YEAR THAT WAS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER RACES AT SONOMA IN THE PAST?

“Yeah, I mean I don’t really remember Sonoma (Raceway) that well last year, but I do feel like as a group, we kind of struggled more than we thought we would. INAUDIBLE…. The No. 99 (Daniel Suarez) was really strong. I feel like those notes will still apply, but we’ve come a long way with our road course program and I think that will payoff at Sonoma. It’s such low grip. You really have to manage the tire falloff. I feel like COTA was that way and we were pretty strong there. Still some work to do to get to where the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) was, but hopefully at Sonoma we’ll make a lot more progress.”

THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, A LOT OF THE TALKING HEADS HAVE KIND OF CONSIDERED THE CHAMPIONSHIP WILL LIKELY COME DOWN BETWEEN HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AND JOE GIBBS RACING. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE, OTHER THAN YOUR TEAMMATES, THAT YOU SEE AS DIRECT COMPETITION FOR YOU IN GETTING THAT FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP?

“Well I think honestly, our goal is to make that final race and the Championship Four. I think as I see more talk about one guy or two guys or whatever – I think really you have to realize that it’s really just about getting to that final race with a chance. That’s been our goal all along.. every year it is, but I think realistically, the last two years that’s been the realistic goal.

I do think that teams are starting to emerge as strong players – the No. 19 (Martin Truex Jr.), the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin), the No. 5 (Kyle Larson), the No. 1 (Ross Chastain). I think there’s quite a few guys out there. I think you’ll see an evolution throughout the summer and some other guys will come on really strong, as well. I try not to set too much on one guy or one team, but I certainly think our team is in that mix. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing to stay on top of that order.”

ARE YOU PROUD OF THE GAINS THAT YOU AND RUDY (FUGLE) HAVE MADE?

“Yeah, I think it’s really been a steady improvement. I think a lot of people look to us to make big waves and things like that. But we’ve really just kept gaining on it each year. I feel like now we’re in a place where the foundation of our team is strong and it’s going to continue this way. We didn’t make any major steps really quick. We just kind of continued to win one or two races a year, and now we’re at three races a year. Hopefully that just continues.”

YOU TALK ABOUT THE INCENTIVE OF GETTING THE POLE AND THE PIT BOX SELECTION, BUT THAT OBVIOUSLY MEANS YOU DON’T GET THE PRACTICE TIME. ARE YOU A GUY THAT’S OK WITH GETTING THAT POLE POSITION AND FIRST BOX AND IS COMFORTABLE ABOUT WHAT YOU HIT THE TRACK WITH WHEN IT COMES OFF THE TRUCK?

“Yeah, I think one of our strong suits is practice. So I think for us, we enjoy going out there – cutting some laps, getting ready for qualifying, adjusting the balance. We have really good notes on what to do for practice and qualifying, so I feel like anywhere we go, we’re a threat for a pole in that sense. But yeah, we’ll take it any way we can get it. I also do trust that they’re going to unload something that’s close. We have good tools with Chevrolet and our simulator program, so I feel confident about that. We also had a test with Kyle (Larson) here. I feel good that we can unload strong.

I guess I’m kind of impartial. I feel like we can excel either way. Obviously the easier way would be to have qualifying canceled, but yeah I think either way trying to get a strong pit stall and go to work from there.”

HOW MUCH DOES THE PIT STALL EFFECT YOUR STRATEGY FOR THE RACE, AND DOES CLEAN AIR SORT OF NEGATE ALL OF THE UNCERTAINTIES IF YOU SHOULD GET THE POLE WITH NOT KNOW WHAT YOUR CAR REALLY HAS OR DOESN’T HAVE?

“Yeah, I think the pit stall has a lot to do with your performance throughout the race, honestly. We talk a lot about qualifying each week and really that’s what I try to do – try to get into the top seven or eight, or seven to 10, to get yourself either an opening in or opening out of the pit box. Those are really the important things.. just not being boxed in all day throughout the race. I feel like for us, that’s why we focus so hard on qualifying – not really for the track position, but more so for pit road. Try to do a good job of that each week and see where we end up.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Coca-Cola 600 Media Availability | Saturday, May 27, 2023

Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Menards/Duracell Ford Mustang, stopped by the infield media center at Charlotte Motor Speedway to answer questions about this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 and other issues.

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Duracell Ford Mustang – WHAT’S IT LIKE TO FILL ON TV VERSUS BEING A DRIVER? “Honestly, I had a lot more fun rain-filling as a TV person than I usually do as a driver. As a driver, you cool off and you almost don’t want to do it anymore. You’re kind of over it. You’ve hyped yourself up and now I don’t get to do my job, so that’s what all those drivers are experiencing right now, especially for the entirety of today, but I tried to make the most of it.”

DO YOU APPROACH THIS RACE ANY DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF THE 600 MILES? “I don’t think so, to be honest. I think the biggest difference is having the extra stage. It’s an extra opportunity to earn points and the fact that all stages are the same length, 100 laps for all four stages, I think really, for me, that’s how I mentally separate the races as they go anyway. Even on my dash and with the feedback my team gives me it’s like, ‘OK, how many laps am I doing before we have a caution.’ Or, ‘How many laps am I doing before I get off these tires.’ So, for me, it’s actually a pretty simple race, other than the fact that it’s longer than the ones we do throughout the rest of the year. From that standpoint, it’s still the same intensity that we would see on a normal 400-mile race on a mile-and-a-half.”

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR CHICAGO? “I think the biggest challenge, just like any street course, is going to be track conditions and the ability to not necessarily pass, but it’s narrow quarters. A racetrack like Circuit of the Americas, the last road course we ran on, I could screw up and go 100-feet into the runoff and keep going. That was a race that went primarily all green until it didn’t, whereas Chicago or any street courses there’s zero room for error. We’ve seen how strong and robust these cars are, but at the same time that’s why I love street course racing, but whether it’s track blockages or guys making mistakes having cautions throughout the race, all types of those things, I think will be different and come into play differently than what they would on most of our road courses because a mistake is damage, it’s not lost time.”

WHAT WAS KEVIN’S REACTION TO THE TOILET PAPER IN HIS MOTORCOACH AND WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO THE INDY-CLT DOUBLE ONE YEAR? “As far as Kevin goes, I was very anti-tepeeing Kevin’s bus when they asked about it over the second intercom because I have to race against him 28 more times before he retires. It’s all funny for everybody else, but Tyler and I were like, ‘This probably is not a good idea,’ but I guess that ask came from above on doing that, so they were all in on the joke. Kevin has a really nice bus. I could spend some days in there. That was nice. I didn’t really want to leave, honestly, because we sat on pit road and got rained on the entire time, but from that standpoint it was fun. I don’t think it was too rough. I was more worried about the guy that was actually gonna have to clean it up. I don’t know Kevin’s coach driver’s name, but I asked him three times before we started like, ‘You’re good with this, right, because I know you’re gonna be the one cleaning it up.’ I don’t think Kevin’s gonna be the one cleaning it up. Let’s be honest, he pays the guy, so from that standpoint I wanted to make sure he was cool with it and he knew what we were doing. The fact it was raining outside, I thought it was gonna be a really bad idea if we did the outside of it because I don’t know if any of you all have teepeed anything, but water makes some stickage and creates a much more complicated clean-up process. As far as your Indy 500 question, there’s a lot when it comes to the Indy 500 of why that race is special to me, special to my family. I just came from up there yesterday. It’s certainly a race that I would want to do. I don’t really see a racing career complete for me without having an opportunity to do that race. Obviously, I’m 24 years old and hopefully the completion of my racing career doesn’t come any time soon, but I’m also very focused on what I’m doing in the Cup Series garage. I certainly want to get as good as I can and contend for championships and wins in this garage area. That’s where my focus is right now, but somewhere later down the road it’s something I would want to do, for sure.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT GATEWAY? “It was an interesting race last year with different strategy calls, whether it’s track position, two tires, no tires, four tires. We were one of the cars that ran up front most of the day and took four tires at the end and probably weren’t able to really utilize it, but it’s a fun racetrack. I think the racetrack itself has done an incredible job promoting the NASCAR events and the IndyCar events. Every time you see it, they’ve got a full crowd and the fan response was awesome last year. I look forward to coming back and seeing that and being a part of that. Something that probably makes that place really unique is how much shifting we’re doing throughout the lap, just because you have two completely different corners with the really long sweeping turn three and four, and a pretty tight turn one and two, but the restarts were crazy because track position was so important, whether that was for the lead of the race. Coming at the end I thought Joey and Kyle’s battle was a really classic finish to a NASCAR race, but even throughout the pack it’s pretty wild.”

WHERE IS THIS 2 TEAM AT NOW? “The last two months have been extremely frustrating. I think anything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong in our control or out of our control. Certainly, 20th in points is not where I want to be. My best finish in the last two months was on dirt. I don’t think anybody would have guessed that, so, for me, I don’t put the panic button down by any means. We’re certainly within a points range of contending for the playoffs and a win changes everything. I drive for a race team. I’m a driver that’s capable of winning races in the Cup Series, so, from that standpoint, I feel like there’s been a lot of off-track things that have really progressed nicely over the last two months for our team that you necessarily can’t see. Getting our pit crew back for this weekend, the longest race of the year, is very important. Obviously, we had a slip-up at Kansas and had a wheel come off. I feel really good about the guys over-the-wall on my car and a lot of things that haven’t quite gone right recently, but I trust the process and certainly driving for an incredible team. I’ve got a really strong group of guys, so that’s where we’re fortunate to have a long season. I talk about two months, we race every week and it’s easy to have all that compound and really weigh on you, but if look at the other side and the other forms of racing, that’s the majority of a season – that amount of races – so we’re fortunate we get to go to the racetrack every week and learn and continue to improve because it is an extremely long season. We are at the halfway point, I believe, but it still feels like we’ve got a long way to go and certainly a long enough time to let things average out.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED TO BE WINNING RACES EVERY YEAR REGARDLESS OF HOW LONG YOU’VE RACED? “I can promise you wholeheartedly that I plan on showing up at the racetrack every week with the capability of winning races. I drive the 2 car for Roger Penske. I feel like that’s somewhat of the expectation. Obviously, I haven’t been in the series for a very long time. I’m racing against guys that are the best at what they do and they’ve been the best at what they do for a long time, but that’s what makes this enjoyable for me is to be out and be able to compete with the best and on certain days to be the best.”

IS THE 600 ONE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT REGULAR SEASON RACES NOW? “Yeah, it’s certainly 10 more points that you wouldn’t be able to get on any other week, so being able to emphasize a good race is important. Just from a numbers side, yeah, I would say it could be one of the most important regular season races as far as an opportunity to get points or separate yourself or being able to maximize having a good day, a good car, good execution. That pays off 25 percent more than any other race we have.”

WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWING HABITS FOR THE INDY 500 TOMORROW? “I was very lucky last week that our garage opening schedule was so long between our on-track schedule last week that I have not missed a single lap that they have done this month in May up in Indy. I got to go there yesterday for Carb Day. I had the first time in my life to be at the Coke 600 last year and I basically just got to the track as early as possible so I could watch the entire race and not be disturbed. The team knows me well enough to know to not schedule any appearances until the race is over, so they were good about that last year. Hopefully, the same this year. I love that race and it’s such a classic event and the fact that you get to have those three races – Monaco, Indy and Charlotte all on the same day, hopefully, weather permitting – but it’s been really cool to see how this side of the racing world views it. When I’ve been at Indy all my years as a kid, the Coke 600 is the after party. You’ve finished watching the 500 and you’re sunburned and you sit down and watch the Coke 600 and watch the sunset, but it’s kind of interesting being on the other side for the second time in my life.”

DO YOU WATCH MONACO AND FOR THE INDY 500 ARE YOU IN YOUR COACH OR WITH YOUR ENGINEERS WATCHING? “I think our NASCAR team, at least our core group, has benefitted from my presence with their IndyCar knowledge has definitely grown. Even last week, just having it on in the Penske bus or whatever else and talking to guys about the qualifying format and how practice has gone and this and that. Certainly, those guys are interesting, whether it’s Joey or Ryan or Harrison or some of the other crew chiefs and mechanics. They’ve started to come to me as far as asking questions, but it’s fun because we do have all of that under the same roof at Team Penske, but sometimes there isn’t enough crossover to really fully understand or appreciate what is so different, but so similar about what we get to do. It’s certainly something I’m passionate about and looking forward to watching the races Sunday.”

ARE YOU UP FOR MONACO? “If I’m up, I’m up. When I was a kid, we got in Roger’s police escort from downtown, which if we’re supposed to leave at 6:30 in the morning, we have to be there at 5:30 because if RP walks out at 6:15, you’re getting left. So, we were very early and all crammed in my dad’s car and so I would get to the track with plenty enough time, so Monaco is gonna be in all the garages and everything, so usually we would watch Monaco from inside the garage area because we’d be there way before the traffic would start. Those are really my only traditions watching Monaco. I’m not a diehard Formula 1 fan by any means, but I certainly enjoy watching it, so if it’s on, it’s on. If it’s not, I’m not gonna lose any sleep over it.”

WHAT IS THE GAME PLAN FOR YOU TOMORROW WITH RAIN A POSSIBILITY AGAIN? “The difficult part, and we’ve had it a number of times this year, is that we’re going on track for the first time. If practice gets rained out today, which it’s kind of looking likely, we’ll be on track for the first time and for a 600-mile race you’re kind of stuck with it, so that kind of looms over you. I try to be somewhat of a logical person in the sense that worrying about it isn’t gonna change anything. You’ve had all week to think about it. You’ve had all week to prepare, so why are you trying to study for a test that’s happening in five minutes or an hour. I’ve done all my prep work. My team has done all of our prep work and tried to show up with the best Duracell/Menards Ford Mustang as we possibly can and whenever the race happens it happens. I think actually having practice might add more stress for me because when you have practice you have the opportunity to go backwards as much as you do to go forwards, if not more of an opportunity to go backwards than you do to go forward, so you have more stress about ‘did I screw this up or not?’ It’s kind of easy going into it blind because you don’t know anything. You haven’t screwed anything up because you haven’t even started, so it is what it is and I just hope we can get it in tomorrow or at least in a time that everybody can enjoy it.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
COCA-COLA 600
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 27, 2023

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 84 CLUB WYNDHAM CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series’ practice and qualifying session at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Press Conference Quotes:

TELL ME YOUR EVALUATION OF LEGACY MOTOR CLUB SO FAR AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MAKE THINGS BETTER?

“We’d be on here for an hour trying to answer the question (laughs). We have a massive effort on our hands to grow in many ways as a club. I think we’ve had some high spots with performance during the season. I think Erik’s (Jones) run last weekend in the All-Star Race would be an example of that. I think there have been some other highlights, as well, through the season. But certainly some areas that we know that we need to improve and we’re working hard to do so. A lot has changed in the course of a year on the competition front from this car being introduced last year. The big teams really capitalizing on the assets they have to become stronger. I think there’s a bit of a gap separating through the field that we’re now starting to see. I mention that just trying to paint a picture of the everchanging environment that we’re chasing. With all the changes we’ve had as a team through the off-season and changes that are out in front of us, especially through this coming off-season, there’s just a lot of work and a lot going on. I’m certainly proud of everybody at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB; their tireless work effort and the hours they’re putting in. I wish that we had some stronger performances and maybe a little more consistent with results than where we are, if I was to wish for something. But I can’t ask for anything more from the effort and energy put into the program. Everybody is doing an incredible job.”

AS FAR AS YOUR TEAM, ARE YOU INVIGORATED WITH THE CHALLENGE? WHAT’S YOUR MENTALITY AT THE MOMENT?

“Man, I’m excited, invigorated, exhausted.. all of it. It has been a really exciting adventure that I’ve embarked on here – to learn from Maury Gallagher, to be a part of this great team and learn from everyone that I’m surrounded by. I’m in a whole new element here and it’s very exciting to be in a new element. At the same time, there are some foundational pieces coming together, decisions that we’re making, that will really help the team grow in the future. And then we have our job at hand – the situation and environment that we have at hand to deal with in the 2023 season. Depends on the hat that I’m wearing, in some respects. There’s been a lot of work, but a lot of excitement and a lot of fun. I truly feel like I’m a part of something that’s really going to be a force in the future of NASCAR.”

YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE FOR FRANCE ON MONDAY. WHAT DO YOU DO IF THIS RACE GETS PUSHED TO MONDAY?

“Yeah, we’ve been talking to the ACO. The reason I need to arrive early is to run in their simulator and learn their procedures and protocols. It’s much different than anything else I’ve done before. We’ve notified the ACO. They’re aware of the potential rain delay and the fact that I might arrive to Paris later than my scheduled session on Wednesday morning. It appears that they’re willing to work with us and try to figure out how to get me some simulator time on Thursday or Friday, or even Wednesday evening if my flight just gets in late and has me behind schedule. So we’re actively working on that and feel really good about our options.”

BEING BACK HERE RACING AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND A PLACE WHERE YOU’VE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS, WHAT WENT INTO THAT DECISION AND WHAT HAVE YOUR EMOTIONS BEEN HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND IF WE DO GET TO GO RACING?

“For me, it’s really been about identifying marquee races around the world and trying to figure out how to run in them. Le Mans is a great example of that. Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600.. these are the marquee events. I’m very thankful for the opportunity I have to race this weekend. I feel about as ill-prepared for a race than I ever have in my life, though, with the threat of rain and not getting any seat time in a Next Gen car at this particular track. I ran a couple of hours out in Phoenix before the season started to get a feel for things and that’s about the only oval experience, comparable oval experience, although it’s still pretty different. I was hopeful to get some laps today. The way that sim time works out and what’s available to the team – I think I made 30 or 40 laps a couple of weeks ago and was very hopeful that today I could be on track and develop a feel for the car and an idea of what to expect. I don’t think that’s going to happen and it appears that I’ll go in green. Thankfully it’s a 600-mile race and I’ll be able to get some reps – get through that first stage, regroup, get to the second stage and work my way forward.”

HOW HAS THE DYNAMIC CHANGED WITH CHEVROLET SINCE THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB WILL BE GOING TO TOYOTA NEXT SEASON?

“Yeah, we’ve had a lot of conversations on both sides. Working very hard to close out 2023 as strong as we can. We have a relationship with Chevrolet, and then also a relationship with Richard Childress Racing. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and those other two entities, there’s a lot going on, but everybody is truly putting their best foot forward and trying to provide what is to be expected for the contracts and for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB in 2023. It’s not ideal by any means, but we really felt like it would be important to announce early. Rumors were starting to circulate about our potential involvement with Toyota in the future. The way that Maury (Gallagher) likes to handle things, as for myself – let’s just pull the cover off this and address things head on. That’s what we’ve really done and I’m really proud of our group, and also everyone at RCR and Chevrolet.”

AM I CORRECT THAT JOE GIBBS RACING PROVIDES YOUR PIT CREWS, OR YOU HAVE SOME SORT OF AGREEMENT WITH JGR FOR YOUR PIT CREWS CURRENTLY?

“Yes, we did not elect to have our own pit stop program for the 2023 season. We went out, shopped and found what fit us better from an over-the-wall standpoint at Joe Gibbs Racing. I guess that decision was probably made really before my time last year coming onboard. So that was a decision made toward the end of 2022, and now as it turns out, we’ll essentially be in the same camp next year.”

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT ERIK (JONES) AND NOAH (GRAGSON) SINCE COMING ONBOARD AT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB?

“I think Erik (Jones) continues to show me just how good he is. He’s been in some challenging circumstances this year and keeps his head on; focuses, executes and gets the job done. I’ve really been impressed with his ability to stay calm and execute and just how good he is.

With Noah (Gragson), from watching him before, I wasn’t sure how serious he took his job in the sport. I knew that he was fast and I knew that he liked to have fun. I can say in the short time that I’ve really worked with him closely, he still has those two elements, but his desire to be as good as he can in this sport has really impressed me. So I guess ultimately, his commitment to his craft is what’s impressed me the most.”

YOU WERE TALKING EARLIER ABOUT BEING ILL-PREPARED FOR THIS RACE. AFTER TWO YEARS AWAY AND YOU COME BACK, IT’S A NEW CAR AND JUST THE TIME AWAY – WHEN YOU COME BACK AND RUN THESE RACES, THE FEW THAT YOU’VE DONE SO FAR, DO YOU FEEL LIKE JIMMIE JOHNSON – THE SEVEN-TIME CHAMPION – DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE A ROOKIE AGAIN AND WAY BEHIND EVERYONE ELSE?

“Well Daytona was nice where we had a bit of practice and had a qualifying race to work through and feel things out. I got into the rhythm and I started to feel much like myself. The package for plate racing, even with the Gen 6 car versus the Next Gen Car, is pretty darn close. A lot is the same, so that wasn’t all that different. I rolled into COTA thinking – alright, it’s going to be like Daytona – and I was mistaken for that. These cars really do drive much differently – the mechanical grip level versus the aero-grip is much different. The shocks and the way the internal bump stops work, in addition to the external bump stops on the car. None of that was taking place when I was in the car last and the car drives so much different as a result. So I’m really under-prepared, or ill-prepared, for this weekend’s race. It is sad to me that in today’s world, we can’t go test to get ready for a race. And then a practice and qualifying session rains out and you get zero track time, you have to depend on the simulator. We’re very low on the totem pole with resources and sim time – I get 30 laps of sim time to get ready for a race. It’s a 600-mile race and we’ll make the best of it. But just logically, as I think through how big our sport is, how big this race is, how big the opportunity is – it’s just crazy that I can’t get properly prepared for this race.”

YOU’VE SPOKEN BEFORE THAT YOU’RE TRYING TO RACES AT EITHER TRACKS YOU ENJOY OR BUCKET LIST ITEMS. IS THERE A BALANCE BETWEEN YOUR COMPETITIVE NATURE AND ALSO JUST TRYING TO HAVE FUN AND MAYBE LEARN SOMETHING TO HELP THE ORGANIZATION?

“Yeah, I really do find that I’m thinking more about what’s best for the company than what’s best for me as the racer, especially coming back to NASCAR. My last two years in INDYCAR and sportscars, I was much more selfish and much more in that traditional headspace as a driver – ultimate speed, ultimate fun, how can I do all of those aspects. Where now, when we take the No. 84 car to the track, is it hurting our program or is it helping our program? And if so, in which ways. When you think about crew personnel, inventory of parts and pieces, that’s one conversation. Notoriety, popularity, sponsorship dollars, all of those other aspects are another conversation. We’re always weighing the pros and cons out, and here before long we’ll start thinking about 2024 and what races make sense for me.

And then I honestly feel like getting through this weekend is going to be a big step in me deciding – we choose a lot of road course races for me in 2023, trying to help LEGACY MOTOR CLUB get better on road courses. We feel like we’ve seen some gains from that, especially the time I’ve been able to spend with Noah (Gragson) and Erik (Jones) – going to the sim, going to a driving school, driving some other cars and really just spending time together and honing that craft. This will be my first proper oval and depending on how that experience goes, I think it will give us a better place to decide from looking at 2024.”

HOW DIFFERENT IS THAT TO BE THINKING ‘BIG PICTURE’ THAN YOUR COMPETITVENESS? WHEN YOU WERE HERE FOR SO LONG, IT WAS ALL ABOUT WINNING RACES AND CHAMPIONSHIPS.

“Yeah, it’s different. I’m evolving mentally, maybe a little quicker than I give myself credit for I guess in probably six months since stepping into this new role. In six months’ time, I’ve been able to really transition into the thought process that I’m in now versus that selfish driver.”

NOW THAT LE MANS IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, ARE YOU STARTING TO GET ANY BUTTERFLIES YET?

“Yeah, I’m excited. I’ve been busy packing my suitcase before we jumped on this call. It’s feeling very real. It’s here and I’m very excited for the opportunity. I honestly don’t know what to expect. I know once I get to the race track and pick up the energy and the vibe of the race weekend, the butterflies will kick-in. But right now, there’s just great excitement and curiosity with what’s ahead.”

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE YOU AT THIS POINT.. TO BE A MENTOR TO SOMEBODY AND GIVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE TO OTHER DRIVERS AND OTHER MEMBERS OF NASCAR?

“It’s surreal, but it’s hard for me right now because I don’t have a lot of time in the Next Gen car, so I don’t know how relatable my advice is. I’ve been careful to not overdue it and I’ve kind of spoken to Erik (Jones) and Noah (Gragson) around more of the track – how I’ve seen a track evolve and how I would attack certain corners. And of course, preface with – hey, I don’t have a lot of time in these cars, but this is what I look for.. these are the trends that helped me at this particular track. And then not only at the track, but away from the track and knowing what their roles and responsibilities are – what their work load is during the course of a week and trying to offer advice that helped me deal with a long, long career in NASCAR. To that effect, I’m very thankful that Amy Stock is involved, John Lewensten, people that worked so close to me through my 20 years in this sport. We can all mentor and help. Noah, probably a little bit more. Erik is certainly a veteran at this point. But we are able to mentor as a group and I can as an individual on a much broader spectrum than really just in the car at the track.”

WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST WORRY GOING INTO LE MANS? WHAT’S KEEPING YOU UP AT NIGHT, IF ANYTHING?

“For me, I am concerned about the top division surprising me in the car somewhere in one of these corners. All the sportscar racing I’ve done to date; I have been in the fastest car. I’ve only had to worry about looking out the windshield and really not, on a consistent basis, being passed in the GT category. Plus you look at us in our Garage 56 category, our car is going to create a lot of its lap time on the straightaways; we lack in the corners. So I’m nervous about traffic, in general. I’m nervous about one of these prototypes going up unexpectedly as I’m committing to a corner.. I’m not sure they’re going to be there and they’re shooting for a gap that’s closing. My fears really are about awareness in mirrors and getting a true understanding of how quickly these cars approach. And then you add the night element and from what I understand, the prototype headlights are so bright and really all the cars have such bright lights because there’s very little track light. So you don’t have a great sense of depth of when a car is approaching because the lights are so bright. So it’s all kind of in that traffic phase, certainly at night in traffic. I’m eager to get there and get a sense of it. And then they have some night running, and within that, I can get a much better idea, as well, and work through that.”

WHERE DOES IT COMPARE TO GOING INTO THE DAYTONA 500 OR THE INDIANAPOLIS 500?

“It feels really special. My thoughts have really been on this weekend and the 600-mile race here in Charlotte (Motor Speedway) with Club Wyndham onboard. I’m extremely excited about that relationship and hopeful to have a good run – run a top-10, top-15, would be an awesome goal for us in the 600. So I’ve largely been focused there. There’s this great excitement in the back of my mind that I know I’m going to jump on a plane Monday or Tuesday and fly across the pond and get into it. But it’s just really exciting, but with so many unknowns. It’s hard to really quantify what I’m going to go embark on.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. 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.