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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – NCTS Kansas 1 Post-Race Quotes

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Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Heart of America 200 | Saturday, May 6, 2023

Ford Finishing Results:
3rd – Zane Smith
11th – Matt Crafton
12th – Hailie Deegan
16th – Ben Rhodes
19th – Johnny Sauter
24th – Josh Reaume
25th – Ty Majeski
27th – Mason Maggio

ZANE SMITH, No. 38 Love’s/Speedco Ford F-150 (Finished 3rd) – FROM THE FIRST TO LAST STAGE, YOU ENGAGED IN SOME INTENSE BATTLES FOR CONTENTION. WHAT CONTRIBUTING FACTORS HELPED? “There were a lot of people out there who shouldn’t have been out there. But, the pit crew did a fantastic job of always getting us track position. Just couldn’t really choose the right lane there, and that final restart, just probably should have protected the bottom a little bit better. Just didn’t think he was going to be able to clear me while we were wide-open. It is what it is. Fast forward: Kind of gave it to the No. 23 there.”

WHAT WAS THE PIT STRATEGY IN STAGE 1, WHEN YOU STAYED OUT DURING THE PIT CYCLE? “I don’t think we assumed that many people would come down. But, it worked out for us. I hate to see the other Ford have a bad day, Ty [Majeski]’s day. But, we fortunately capitalized on stage points and had a good day at the end of the day. So, it was a good points day.”

MATT CRAFTON, No. 88 Black Label Bacon/Menards Ford F-150 (Finished 11th) – “All-in-all, it was a pathetic day from the start – from practice, to qualifying 21st, to having an oil leak and going the wrong way on adjustments. We were off on the balance all night. It’s the worst we’ve ever been here at Kansas for whatever reason. We know we had a little bit of different stuff than we’ve had in the past. We’ll keep going. Keep fighting.”

HAILIE DEEGAN, No. 13 Dible Dough Ford F-150 (Finished 12th) – WHERE DOES THIS PERFORMANCE STACK-UP IN YOUR SEASON SO FAR? “Kansas has been one of those tracks that I’ve always liked. I’ve always felt pretty confident moving around here, and knowing what I need – how to start and finish it, and how the trucks transition at nighttime. I think it’s just because I’ve done a lot of races here compared to other tracks. Overall, I think we had a pretty solid day. I used up my stuff trying to race down the No. 16 and the No. 88. They were battling with each other, drawing one another back. I saw it as an opportunity for me to jump on it, and I used up my stuff a little bit getting there. Then, I got put behind a lapped car that was on the bottom, got sandwiched there, and lost my momentum. Just from there, I couldn’t get back to them. It wasn’t turning as well – a little worn out. It is what it is. Overall, pretty solid day. There were a lot of guys that weren’t able to finish that were in front of us in points. So, I think it was overall a good points day.”

BEN RHODES, No. 99 Bommarito Ford F-150 (Finished 16th) – WAS YOUR STAGE 1 PERFORMANCE REASSURING, LEADING 17 LAPS AND BATTLING FOR THE WIN? “We had a truck that could have won today. Our Bommarito Auto Group F-150 was phenomenal – one of the best trucks I’ve had all year. One of the best trucks I’ve had in a long time. So, we’re finding innovations with our notebook and this program, getting better and better. We showed a lot of strength tonight. It’s just a shame Kyle Busch knocked the wall down and involved us in… whatever that was. Ruined our night completely. There was nothing we could have done to avoid it. We were on the same strategy as the race winning team tonight, and as we were both coming through the field, he was in a different situation and I was in the wrong spot. When Busch lost control of his truck, it just collected us. What do you do, right? You think you’re following somebody who is going to be good and not wreck their stuff. We just can never seem to finish one of these out. It seems like no matter what, I’m in the wrong place at the wrong time. Focusing on the beginning of the race, we had a lot of strengths and even with the terrible finish, we were still able to explore things under pit-stops with the truck, and we can still notebook off of that. So, that is some good news.”

TY MAJESKI, No. 98 Road Ranger Ford F-150 (Finished 25th) – WHAT HAPPENED IN THE INCIDENT WITH THE NO. 24? “We had a good truck. We got back up front there with a little bit of strategy. Thought we may have made a wrong adjustment when we were racing the No. 24 there. He was ultra aggressive blocking. So, he blocked once, then twice, and I had a run and he was a little late.”

WHAT WAS CLICKING DURING YOUR STAGE 2 VICTORY? “Yeah, we weren’t very good the first run – missed our balance from practice a little bit, and we got a good adjustment and we had two-lap fresher tires than everyone else, which made the truck better. It was a combination of both things – having a little bit fresher tires, but also making those adjustments. Overall, I think we had a good, capable truck to win tonight. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

Toyota Racing – NCTS Kansas Post-Race Report – 05.06.23

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Official Release
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HEIM, FRIESEN EARN TOP-FIVE FINISHES IN KANSAS
Toni Breidinger scores impressive top-15 in debut

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (May 6, 2023) – Corey Heim (second) and Stewart Friesen (fourth) finished inside the top-five to lead Toyota in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway on Saturday evening. In her Truck Series debut, Toni Breidinger finished 15th, which makes the California-native the highest finishing female driver in her first Truck Series start.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Kansas Speedway
Race 8 of 23 – 134 Laps, 201 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Grant Enfinger*
2nd, COREY HEIM
3rd, Zane Smith*
4th, STEWART FRIESEN
5th, Ross Chastain*
9th, TAYLOR GRAY
10th, TYLER ANKRUM
15th, TONI BREIDINGER
18th, TANNER GRAY
20th, BRENNAN POOLE
22nd, TYLER HILL
23rd, JUSTIN CARROLL
32nd, DEAN THOMPSON
36th, TIM VIENS
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

COREY HEIM, No. 11 Safelite Auto Glass Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 2nd

What more did you need in that last stage?
“I think that last caution put a hole in our strategy a little bit. If we had that last run go green and we had the same tires as the 23 (Grant Enfinger), I thought we could beat him straight up. As soon as we got that last caution and we were on uneven tires, I knew it was going to be all track position. I got hung up trying to block the 38 (Zane Smith) and kind of took a step back from there and lost track position. Huge thank you to TRICON Garage, Toyota Racing, Safelite, everyone who makes it happen. We’ve been working really hard on our mile-and-a-half program and we have already taken a big leap in a short period of time.”

STEWART FRIESEN, No. 52 Halmar International Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Halmar Friesen Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

How happy are you with the performance tonight?

“Yeah, this is what we needed. We need a solid run. Just had a little bit of a slow stop there at the end. We lost some track position, but great Tundra TRD Pro. Big thanks to Chris (Larsen, team owner), big thanks to Halmar, big thanks to all of our guys. Just really, really proud of our guys tonight. We have something we can build on. We are back in it. It feels good.”

TONI BREIDINGER, No. 1 Victoria’s Secret Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 15th

What did you take away from today?

“There was so much to take away. There was so much thrown on me that I haven’t got to experience before – just the aero, and being in dirty air. I feel like you experience that in ARCA, but in Trucks its amplified a million times. That was a hole new experience. I feel like everyone is really good out here. I could feel everyone side-drafting me. Nobody gives an inch. There’s a massive learning curve, but I finished a clean race and it was pretty solid in my Victoria’s Secret Tundra.”

Did you talk to anyone on what to expect?

“I bugged all of my teammates. I texted Tanner (Gray) last night, I was bugging Corey (Heim) this morning. I was talking to Dean (Thompson) all day today. I definitely asked them as many questions as possible.”

What did you take away from those discussions?

“Everyone just says drive the heck out of it. The harder you drive, the better the truck will feel. I feel like I took that away from them.”

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.

RED BULL’S SERGIO PEREZ TAKES POLE POSITION FOR THE FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2023

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Official Release
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  • Mexican racer starts from pole position for only the third time in his Formula 1 career
  • Qualifying comes to a dramatic end when Charles Leclerc spins his Ferrari into the wall
  • American-based Haas F1 Team claim a surprise fourth in qualifying at their home race
  • Three native Spanish speakers claim the top three positions as Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz clinch second and third for tomorrow’s race

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Qualifying for the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2023 came to a dramatic conclusion at the Miami International Autodrome on Saturday afternoon when Charles Leclerc spun off the track in the dying seconds to trigger a red flag stoppage. With just over a minute left on the clock, the session was not restarted and to the delight of the Red Bull fans and Mexican contingent in the crowd, Sergio Perez claimed his third pole position in Formula 1. Leclerc’s second off-track excursion of the weekend meant no driver could improve their lap times resulting in an exciting grid for Sunday’s race.

World Champion Max Verstappen will start tomorrow’s 57-lap event in ninth after he aborted his first lap in the final Q3 qualifying period after pushing too hard in his Red Bull heading towards Turn 7. Leclerc’s spin in the same section of the racetrack was the Ferrari man’s second error this weekend — following contact with the wall yesterday — and he’ll start in seventh tomorrow.

The biggest beneficiary of the red flag was Kevin Magnussen who recorded the fourth quickest time of the session to give the American-owned Haas team a day to remember in Miami. Three native Spanish-speaking drivers on the grid took the top three positions with Fernando Alonso second in his Aston Martin ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. With ‘Checo’ Perez only six points behind his team-mate in the title race and starting eight places higher up the grid, it will make tomorrow’s race an unmissable spectacle.

Verstappen had been favorite to take top spot after finishing the morning’s third free practice session fastest and was again quickest in the first two sessions of qualifying. But on his first run in the top ten shootout, he made a mistake around the high-speed sequence of corners before the picturesque MIA Marina and aborted his lap. It was then unfortunate the red flag prevented him from having another shot at pole.

Perez set a lap two seconds quicker than last year’s P1 time, and said: “It has been one of those weekends where I was struggling for balance and confidence. I just couldn’t figure out how to put those tenths [of a second] that I was missing all the time to Max and the Ferraris. With a small change in qualifying everything came alive and we put the lap together when it mattered.”

The two Alpines made the final Q3 shootout, along with Mercedes’ George Russell, but in contrast his team-mate Lewis Hamilton struggled and could only manage an unlucky 13th on the grid. Meanwhile local hero Logan Sargeant will start his first-ever home race in 20th place in his Williams.

Saturday’s Formula 1 action at the Miami International Autodrome took place in glorious sunshine and the crowds who visited Miami Gardens were entertained both on and off the track. Looking on from the garages were world famous guests including the tech entrepreneur Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. Meanwhile the party was in full swing at Hard Rock Beach Club on the outside of Turn 12 with global pop icons Jonas Brothers performing on stage and their headlining act broadcast around the whole of the Miami Campus.

More entertainment is planned on and off the track tomorrow at the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2023 as the action gets underway with lights out in Miami Gardens at 3.30pm local time.

About FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX

The inaugural FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX – recognized as Best New Event of 2022 by Sports Business Journal – made its debut on 6-8 May, 2022. Located in Miami Gardens, Florida, the 5.41km Miami International Autodrome is located within the complex of Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the legendary Miami Dolphins NFL team and features 19 corners, three straights and has top speed of 320km/h.

The 2022 race provided an additional tourist boost and economic impact to local businesses in the greater Miami region totalling $350 million. Formula 1 and South Florida Motorsports worked closely with the local community to provide 1500 tickets for the residents of Miami Gardens, ensuring they had the opportunity to experience the thrill of the sport. Additionally, South Florida Motorsports launched a programme to support both local businesses and the community to ensure they got the full benefits of the race being held in Miami Gardens. This included a STEM education programme through F1 in Schools, 12 event internships for Miami Gardens students and featured 14 minority owned restaurants on campus over the weekend.

Why is There a Suicide Clause in Life Insurance?

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SM
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Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Your life insurance policy will generally pay your beneficiaries the full death benefits the moment they file a claim upon your passing. 

However, certain causes of death, such as suicide, may impact a beneficiary’s eligibility for the life insurance payout. The death benefit could also be impacted if the policyholder passes away too early in the policy term.

This article will explain how life insurance suicide clauses work and how they can affect your death benefits and, therefore, your beneficiaries.

What is a Suicide Clause?

A suicide clause is a section of a life insurance policy that may limit the death benefit payout if the insurer determines the policyholder’s cause of death was suicide.

The suicide clause is meant to protect the insurer if an emotionally distressed policyholder purchases a policy and commits suicide to provide beneficiaries with a death benefit payout. 

Suicide Clause Timeline

Suicide clauses take effect when you pay your first premium. However, they don’t last the entire policy term. Instead, there is usually a period of a few years where the insurer can restrict death benefit payment if a suicide occurs. Some states legally limit suicide clause length.

That said, changing your policy may impact or restart the suicide clause’s timeline.

Suicide Clause vs. Contestability Period

The contestability period is when the insurer can deny a claim if the insurer discovers the policyholder failed to disclose known health conditions or other critical information on the application. This is meant to protect the insurer if the policyholder lies about a critical health condition to secure coverage for beneficiaries.

Contestability periods often last two years, overlapping with suicide clauses. However, they separate from the suicide clause.

How Beneficiaries May Be Impacted Financially

Here’s how beneficiaries could be impacted financially based on when the policyholder passes away:

Suicide Clause

If a policyholder passes away by suicide during the suicide clause period, this can prevent beneficiaries from receiving any death benefit payout. However, the insurer may refund the policyholder’s premiums to the beneficiaries.

However, if the policyholder passes away by suicide after the clause expires, their beneficiaries are still eligible to receive the full death benefit.

Contestability Period

If the policyholder passes away during the contestability period, the insurer may scrutinize the cause of death and the policyholder’s application more closely. The insurer could potentially deny claims if it finds application inaccuracies, even if they aren’t related to the cause of death. 

Alternatively, if the error is minor — such an error that would raise premiums — the insurer may reduce the death benefit payout by the amount of premiums it lost out on. 

If there are no errors, the beneficiaries receive a full payout.

If the policyholder passes away after the contestability period, the insurer will usually pay out the full death benefit unless the application contains a major error that would have impacted the policy’s underwriting.

The Bottom Line

Suicide clauses and contestability periods could pose risks to your beneficiaries by letting the insurer deny claims based on the cause of death. This protects the insurer and potentially deters policyholders from committing suicide so that they instead seek the help they need.

With that in mind, the specific terms of a policy’s suicide clause and contestability period could vary by insurer. Gather and compare quotes and speak to insurers about these clauses before proceeding with a policy.

Grant Enfinger claims first Truck Series win of the season at Kansas

By
Angie Campbell
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Grant Enfinger led 65 laps in the Heart of America 200 at Kansas Speedway Saturday night to capture his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win of the season. It was his first victory at the 1.5-mile track and the eighth of his Truck Series career.

After the race, Enfinger gave much of the credit to his GMR Racing team and crew chief, Jeff Hensley.

“Kansas has been a good track for us but we haven’t had a dominant truck like this in a long time.” He paused a moment, then said, “But lights out, we had the best Chevy Silverado out here. Thank you to Champion Power Equipment for sticking with me.

“It’s been a dismal year and a half,” he continued. “I know we came up with a win last year but overall the season was a little sluggish, first seven races this year were a little bit sluggish. I was disappointed in our execution

“But Jeff talked to me before the race. He gave me some encouragement. He did a heck of a job tonight. So the biggest thing is these guys just brought me an unbelievable Chevy Silverado.”

Corey Heim finished second followed by Zane Smith, Stewart Friesen, Ross Chastain, Nick Sanchez (highest-finishing rookie), Kyle Busch, Jake Garcia, Taylor Gray and Tyler Ankrum to round out the top 10. Toni Breidinger finished 15th in her series debut.

Heim thought he had a chance at the win until the final caution.

“I think that last caution (for Kris Wright’s second spin) put a hole in our strategy a little bit,” he said. “If we had that last run go green and we had the same tires as the 23 (Enfinger), I thought we could beat him straight up.

“As soon as we got that last caution and we were on uneven tires, I knew it was going to be all track position. I got hung up trying to block the 38 (Smith) and kind of took a step back from there and lost track position.”

Zane Smith and Ty Majeski are currently leading the driver standings with 323 points each with the advantage going to Smith who has two race wins and one stage win. Ben Rhodes (-41) is third followed by Corey Heim (-47) and Grant Enfinger (-56), Christian Eckes -82, Matt Crafton -88, Tanner Gray (-103), Nick Sanchez (-118) and Matt DiBenedetto (-130) rounding out the top 10 in the driver standings.

Next up for the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series is the Buckle Up South Carolina 200, next Friday at Darlington Raceway at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1 with radio coverage by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Results:

Truck-Series-Kansas-results-32308_UNOFFRES

William Byron wins Cup Series pole, Kyle Larson second, for all-Hendrick front row at Kansas

By
Angie Campbell
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

William Byron topped qualifying at Kansas Speedway with a 179.206 mph lap in the No. 24 Chevrolet to claim his second pole of the season and his 10th career NASCAR Cup Series pole. The Hendrick Motorsports driver will be joined on the front row by teammate, Kyle Larson, who came up a little short with a 179.17 mph lap.

“Yeah, it feels great,” Byron said. “It feels really good to get a pole. Kansas (Speedway) is where I got my first truck win and that was really exciting, and I’ve never won here again (laughs). Hopefully, tomorrow can be a little bit better.

“We’ve been kind of inching up on it in the Cup Series at this race track. We had good runs here last year – leading the race in the spring and got a flat tire, and then finished I think sixth in the fall race. So we’ve been pretty good here, it’s just a matter of putting it all together and hopefully, tomorrow is the day.”

Larson was disappointed that he could not find enough speed to claim the pole but said, “Cool to be there on the front row with William. Wish I could have went just a little bit better. I need to look at the data to see where I gave up a little bit of time to him. Overall, I felt good about my lap and happy to be on the front row.”

He also indicated that there was still work to be done on the Hendrick cars before the race.

“Stil feel like we got to work on our cars quite a bit for race trim. I thought the Toyotas were much better.”

Chevrolet and Toyota each claimed four of the top 10 starting positions with Ford earning two.

Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain was third fastest in his No. 1 Chevrolet with Toyota drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Tyler Reddick completing the top-five. Joey Logano (Ford), Ty Gibbs (Toyota), Denny Hamlin (Toyota), Daniel Suárez (Chevrolet) and Ryan Blaney (Ford) rounded out the top 10.

The AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET and will be televised on FS1 with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Starting Lineup:

Kansas-Cup-Series-May-2023-starting-lineup12312_STARTROW

CHEVROLET NCS: William Byron Takes Pole Position at Kansas Speedway

By
Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
ADVENTHEALTH 400
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT
MAY 6, 2023

WILLIAM BYRON TAKES POLE POSITION AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY

Team Chevy to Start One-Two-Three

  • William Byron (No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1) posted a lap of 30.133 seconds, at 179.206 mph, to capture the pole position for tomorrow’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway.
  • The pole win is Byron’s second of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, and his 10th career pole in 192 starts in NASCAR’s premier series.
  • All 10 of Byron’s career NASCAR Cup Series poles have been captured at 10 different race tracks.
  • This marks Chevrolet’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series pole of the season; the manufacturer’s 13th NCS pole at Kansas Speedway (series-best); and its 738th all-time in NASCAR’s premier series (series-best).
  • FS1 will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 on Sunday, May 7, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on the MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  
     
    TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:

POS. DRIVER

1st William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1

2nd Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1

3rd Ross Chastain, No. 1 AdventHealth Camaro ZL1

9th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:

POS. DRIVER

  1. William Byron (Chevrolet)
  2. Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
  3. Ross Chastain (Chevrolet)
  4. Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
  5. Tyler Reddick (Toyota)

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 – Pole Winner Quotes

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RUN THERE THAT BROUGHT YOUR 10TH CAREER NASCAR CUP SERIES POLE.

“Yeah, it feels great. It feels really good to get a pole. Kansas (Speedway) is where I got my first truck win and that was really exciting, and I’ve never won here again (laughs). Hopefully tomorrow can be a little bit better. We’ve been kind of inching up on it in the Cup Series at this race track. We had good runs here last year – leading the race in the spring and got a flat tire, and then finished I think sixth in the fall race. So we’ve been pretty good here, it’s just a matter of putting it all together and hopefully tomorrow is the day.”

LAST TIME WE WERE AT A TRADITIONAL 1.5-MILE RACE TRACK WAS LAS VEGAS AND YOU GOT THE WIN THERE. WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE CHEVROLET AND YOUR TEAM SPECIFICALLY JUST FOUND ON THE 1.5-MILE TRACKS BETWEEN LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR?

“I don’t know. I feel like we’ve just worked really hard on the 1.5-mile tracks. We’ve gotten a better understanding of this racecar as a whole and I think the 1.5-mile tracks show that – just the fine details, the understanding of the setup, what makes speed, what the tire needs through simulation. I think we’re just kind of inching up on it. I think Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) was honestly surprising of how good we were there. Today, we missed the balance a little bit off the truck, but we were able to find it by the end of qualifying. I would say our best run there, balance-wise, was that final run and it was good enough, speed-wise, for the pole.

Just kind of feel like at this race track, in particular, we still need to work on the balance overnight. But in Vegas, we pretty much hit it off the truck and had a really good weekend.”

IS THERE DAMAGE ON YOUR CAR FROM HITTING THE WALL THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO REPAIR?

“I hope not. It looked pretty good, didn’t it (laughs)?

No, I think it’s fine. It sounds like it was all good. I kind of drug the wall just being a dummy the second lap of practice. Drove in to run the top and just carried way too much speed. But yeah, it seems like the car is fine. The toe wasn’t bent or anything, so that’s all you really worry about with these cars. We can kind of polish up the quarter panel just to make it look nice, so we have a nice little paint scheme come Sunday.”

LAST YEAR, 23XI AND TOYOTA WAS STRONG HERE. IS THIS A STATEMENT FROM HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS TODAY TO TAKE THE FIRST TWO SPOTS?

“I don’t really think statements are made until Sunday, but yeah certainly. We want to have a good Sunday.. that’s what pays. We just have to put it together for 400 miles. Those guys are always pretty good on the long runs, especially here. So I think just working on long run pace and just trying to put the whole race together like we did at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway).

At Vegas, the good thing was that we had short, middle and long run speed. The long run speed was honestly probably the best aspect, so that’s what we’ve worked really hard on this week.”

 

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 – Kansas 1 Qualifying Quotes

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
AdventHealth 400 | Saturday, May 6, 2023

Ford Qualifying Results:

6th – Joey Logano

10th – Ryan Blaney

13th – Kevin Harvick

14th – Chris Buescher

15th – Austin Cindric

18th – Aric Almirola

20th – Brad Keselowski

23rd – Michael McDowell

25th – Harrison Burton

28th – Ryan Preece

31st – Chase Briscoe

32nd – Todd Gilliland

34th – Brennan Poole

35th – JJ Yeley

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang (Qualified 6th) – WHAT WAS YOUR ASSESSMENT OF YOUR QUALIFYING PERFORMANCE? “Yeah, we were pretty decent. But, the penalty of going out early the first run just doesn’t give you the cleanest of reads to adjust for the second run. That’s life. That’s from having a bad weekend last week. It’s not like it’s unfair. It’s just life.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FOR TOMORROW’S RACE? “It’s going to be hard to pass to keep track position. Restarts will be everything. You have to fire off quick.”

AS A PREVIOUS WINNER AT KANSAS, WHAT IS THE WINNING EQUATION? “Just a car that’s tied together. This is the ultimate track when it comes to aero, engine and then just balance of your car. It all has to be perfect to go fast here. To me, this is one of the best reads to stack up where you actually are in the field. I think we’re in the hunt, for sure. We got to get the balance part a little better. That’s probably where we’re off.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal/Body Guard Ford Mustang (Qualified 14th) – WHAT WAS YOUR ASSESSMENT OF KANSAS OVER TODAY’S PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING? “It hasn’t changed a whole lot from last year. It’s hot today, so it migrated up-top a little quicker than expected. But, I was pretty happy with our Body Guard Mustang. I felt like practice went decent – made some changes that seemed to be for the better. I qualified fairly good, though I want it over again. I felt like I could have done better, but it was still strong.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FOR TOMORROW’S RACE? “I’d say: It’s going to be up-top pretty quick, pretty heavy, and I’d bet to say, it’s going to rubber-up pretty big up there. That’ll force us to start searching around. So hopefully, that’ll widen the racetrack out. I like these hot, slick races. It makes it a lot of fun inside of the car. I think that’ll be good for us.”

Connor Mosack Finishes Fourth in ARCA at Kansas, Earns Second Straight Top-Five

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Official Release
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Driver of Mobil 1 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing Earns Second Straight Top-Five

Date: Saturday, May 6
Event: Dawn 150
Series: ARCA Menards Series
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Length: 100 laps (150 miles)
Start/Finish: 2nd / 4th (Running, completed 100 of 100 laps)
Race Winner: Jesse Love of Venturini Motorsports (Toyota)

Overview:

Connor Mosack kept the momentum going in his second ARCA Menards Series start of 2023. The 24-year-old racer from Charlotte, North Carolina, finished fourth in the Dawn 150 Saturday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City after securing a second-place starting spot in the 100-lap race around the 1.5-mile oval. It marked another strong qualifying and race performance for Mosack as he took the pole in the ARCA season opener on Feb. 18 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway before finishing second. The Dawn 150 was Mosack’s 15th career ARCA start, but only his second with Joe Gibbs Racing, the powerhouse organization that won back-to-back ARCA owners’ titles in 2021 and 2022. Mosack’s Kansas performance bodes well for his next ARCA start May 26 at another intermediate-style oval – the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway. In his one and only start at Charlotte last May, Mosack started fifth and finished fourth.

Connor Mosack driver of the No. 18 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

“I felt like we were really good on long runs, especially the first half of the race. We started running ‘em back down – we just lost so much ground to them on the starts, and I think I could’ve done a better job managing that and driving through it a little better. We tried to tighten up the car a little bit to help with that, but it ended up hurting us too much on the long runs. We still lost some ground on the initial restarts and we couldn’t get it back after that. That’s a little frustrating because I think we had a better car than that. If we had been on the pole and gotten out front, we would’ve had clean air and been in better shape to hold our position. But I definitely learned a lot and am looking forward to getting back with these guys at Charlotte.”

Notes:

● Since making his first ARCA Menards Series start at Kansas with an 11th-place drive on Oct. 23, 2021, Mosack has improved his finishing position each time he has returned to 1.5-mile oval. He finished fifth last May and bettered it in the Dawn 150 with a fourth-place result.

● Mosack’s fourth-place finish marked his 11th top-10 in 15 career ARCA starts.

● This was the second of six ARCA races where Mosack will drive for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023. Joe Gibbs Racing won the ARCA owners’ title in 2021 with Ty Gibbs and again last year with Drew Dollar and Sammy Smith splitting driving duties.

Next Up:

Mosack will be in a Super Late Model May 16 at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and again May 25 at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway. He returns to the ARCA Menards Series May 26 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway with Joe Gibbs Racing and races for a third straight day on May 27 when he competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte with Sam Hunt Racing.

Toyota Racing – NCS Kansas Quotes – Bubba Wallace & Tyler Reddick – 05.06.23

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Official Release
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Toyota Racing – Bubba Wallace & Tyler Reddick
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (May 6, 2023) – 23XI Racing drivers Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick were made available to media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series event at Kansas Speedway on Saturday:

BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 McDonald’s Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing

Can you talk about the outlook for you both going into this weekend?

WALLACE: “I think it is going to be exciting. I feel really good to get back to Kansas and get back to what we did in the fall. It was a special weekend for us. I’ve seen some talks that Toyotas are tops of the topic heading into this weekend. We are on track to get our ship headed in the right way.”

REDDICK: “This is a track where I had a lot of speed last year in both events, but just couldn’t put the whole race together. The second race went out with a bang for us, but really excited to get back here. I had to race against 23XI last year, and it was really cool to see all the speed they had knowing I was going to go there at some point, and now that we are here, excited to see what we have in a few hours. It’s going to be a little bit hotter, but I think that should help us a little bit more.”

How important was your win last fall and how do you translate back into this weekend?

WALLACE: “It was massive for the team. The win last year was big for the team and to get the seep was really cool. The 23 car was pretty solid there in the first race too – we had some troubles that kind of took us out of contention, so to come back and seal the deal in the 45 was just special for our team and being so new. That was our second year and making the most of it. I’m assuming when they all started this, they didn’t plan sweeping the Kansas races in their second year going. Just proud to be a part of the process, and coming back here, I think all the momentum is on our side, there’s no better way to put it.”

What did the performance from last fall do for you personally?

WALLACE: “I think you put your name in a hat. You stir things up. It’s good to be who everyone talks about on different occasions, for example speedways and stuff. Just have to keep it going. Nothing is ever given to you – it doesn’t matter who won here last year or the last race. We’ve got to earn it. We’ve got practice and qualifying today. We have to get dialed through that. Temperatures are really, really hot, so you just have to cross over every box.”

Can you talk about practice and qualifying today with the multiple lanes here?

REDDICK: “We’ve done this twice now with the Next Gen car. Everyone has a pretty good feel for how it’s going to be. Maybe arguably all of the racing and wrecking that is going on out there, the track will have a little bit of that rubber on it, that will maybe throw us a little bit of a curveball for practice and maybe even, qualifying. I think everyone has a pretty good feel for it. We’ve got two races under our belt with this car now.”

Would it be cool for you to be the third straight different winner in the No. 45?

REDDICK: “It would be really cool, but all that aside, it’s about coming into this weekend and executing. Both teams, this whole organization, is really excited and really wants to see what we have – a couple months removed from the last time we were here. Everyone comes in with a lot of confidence, and we need to capitalize on that and get the weekend started right in practice. Qualify well. It would be really cool to do that, but we will both be out there giving it everything we’ve got. As long as one of us gets it done, it’s fine by me.”

You had tire issues both races last year. Do you think you will not have that issue this season with the warmer temperatures?

REDDICK: “The first race here wasn’t actually a tire. The vinyl signage on the wall getting wrapped around the splitter on my car and lost all downforce and crashed. I can’t blame the tire on that one, but certainly, having that tire failure again last year was a bummer – but I think normally the tire issues come to life in situations like Texas last year when it’s hot and the pace slowed down and grip really increases, and the cars travel a little bit more. Who knows, but it looks like it is going to be a little bit warm. You never know. People may get aggressive with it, but it seems like it everyone as they get more time with this car they know more about where they need to be.”

What are you looking forward to the most with the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB announcement?

REDDICK: “I’m really excited about it. The more of us that we have on the race track, the more it helps at the superspeedways, but just having a large pool of drivers and crew chiefs and minds that can share information with one another and work together. I don’t know how that is all going to work out. I don’t want to say anything before I should, but on the driver’s side, getting to work together with Noah (Gragson) again is going to be a lot of fun. Me and him worked together a lot when we were at Chevy, and Erik (Jones) is familiar with the Toyota camp and has had a lot of success with Toyota as well.”

WALLACE: “Talking with the Toyota execs, they are excited because it is numbers. We have more numbers, more cars to play, especially superspeedway stuff. They can help us out a bit. We are still the minority, but I think numbers are important for sure.”

Are there greater expectations going into this race knowing how good you were last year?
WALLACE: “Not really. Nothing is guaranteed. You have to go up and earn it, and get through every step of the way. It’s tough. You go to sleep – I was excited about Kansas. You go to practice and qualify, get that same speed feeling. You feel good in the sim on Wednesday. All signs are leading up to good things, but you can’t count your eggs before they hatch.”

How much has Kurt Busch helped as part of Kansas prep?

REDDICK: “The nice thing about how this team works, whether it is Billy (Scott), Bootie (Barker), Kurt (Busch) – everyone takes a lot of great notes and the amount of information that everyone shares with our organization and what we share with Joe Gibbs and back and forth gives us a lot of knowledge to go off of. Everyone has done a really good job of that and we’ve had plenty to go off of for sure to prepare for this race.”

How would you rate your performance at 23XI this season so far?

REDDICK: “I always try to look at the what ifs. We’ve had a lot of other good races that have gotten away from us. This a new venture for me. My first year with Toyota, first year with this team and just trying to get to know everybody. I think from that stand point, we’ve being doing a really good job of that. It’s really great that we have that win, but we are just building on all of the things that matter for when the Playoffs come around. The numbers, while we would love to have a few more here and there in certain columns, it’s just about going through these experiences and learning together, so when it comes time to get down to business in the Playoffs, we’ve gone through all those trials and we are ready.”

How have you benefitted at having (Tyler) Reddick as a teammate?

WALLACE: “Tyler (Reddick) has been a huge help. It’s fun. I called him when I heard the news that we were going to bring him on. I knew he was going to be fast – fast in a lot of places that I’m not, road courses, certain tracks that we go to. Let’s look at the start of how COTA went – we were looking pretty good. Don’t look at the finish, because it was about the average, but piggybacking off of him and trying some techniques. His stuff is a little far out there, but it is worth the try, risk (laughter). I knew he was fast, so when you see competition is faster you want to learn as fast as you can, but when it is your teammate, you have some resources to see what he’s doing, you have the conversations to do all of that. It’s been a sweet one – having him as teammate.”

What are your thoughts on Kurt Busch being included in NASCAR’s top 75 drivers?
WALLACE: “I think it’s super cool. I was super interested in who was going to be chosen. I thought it was definitely well deserved – for both of them (Kurt and Kyle Busch). Being a teammate with Kurt the last two seasons now and seeing how much he has meant to the sport and talking with his peers and former competitors in just how much he brings to the table is spot on. Kurt is a lot of fun to be around. Having Kurt and being able to have those conversations with him, he brings a lot of knowledge and different vantage points that we haven’t thought about it.”

REDDICK: “There has been a lot of really good drivers I’ve been competing against these last couple of years, Kurt, Kyle, that have done some pretty incredible things. It is really cool that Kurt is part of that list. I feel like he should have been without a doubt. I’m really happy for him and really excited to be running a throwback car to his 2003 season, more specifically, that Darlington race with that very historic finish. Hopefully, it can do one spot better for him to just be the icing on the cake. Really excited about running that car as well.”

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.

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