NASCAR CUP SERIES
PHOENIX RACEWAY
UNITED RENTALS WORK UNITED 500
TEAM CHEVY POLE WIN PRESS CONF.
MARCH 11, 2023

KYLE LARSON TAKES POLE POSITION AT PHOENIX RACEWAY
Five drivers from four Chevrolet teams qualify in top-10

· After topping the speed chart in yesterday’s practice session, Kyle Larson (No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1) posted a lap of 27.642 seconds, at 130.237 mph, to take the pole position for tomorrow’s NASCAR Cup Series United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway.

· The pole win marks his first NASCAR Cup Series pole of 2023; his second NCS pole at Phoenix Raceway; and his 15th career pole in 299 NCS starts.

· Larson delivered Chevrolet its second NASCAR Cup Series pole of 2023; its manufacturer-leading 20th NCS pole at Phoenix Raceway; and its manufacturer-leading 736th all-time in NCS competition.

· Five drivers from four different Chevrolet teams qualified in the top-10 including: Larson (pole winner – Hendrick Motorsports), William Byron (third – Hendrick Motorsports), Ross Chastain (sixth – Trackhouse Racing), Kyle Busch (ninth – Richard Childress Racing) and Erik Jones (10th – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB).

· FOX will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series United Rentals Work United 500 on Sunday, March 11, at 3:30 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 Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1
3rd William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1
6th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL1
9th Kyle Busch, No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Camaro ZL1
10th Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER
1st Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
2nd Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
3rd William Byron (Chevrolet)
4th Brad Keselowski (Ford)
5th Christopher Bell (Toyota)

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Pole Win Press Conference Transcript

Larson on the importance of qualifying well at Phoenix Raceway:

“It means a lot. Qualifying is really important here. We got the pole in 2021 and that really helped us win the championship race. Joey (Logano) had an extremely fast car in the fall last year, but he got the pole as well and won. So I think that number one pit stall means a lot.

Happy to be quick this weekend; quick in practice and have it translate to qualifying.”

Talking to Brad Keselowski, he said it’s not a surprise that you’re on the pole position and you’ve been fast this weekend. Cars are really slipping and sliding in the corners. Does that play into your dirt background, or is it just that you have a fast race car this weekend?

“Honestly, I think we’re all so good at this level that once you get to this level, I don’t think it really matters what your background is. And two, I think our team brought a really good car because I can’t honestly tell the difference in aero packages. I think that just shows how they did their homework and brought a great car here. I felt like William (Byron) was really good yesterday in practice, as well, and he qualified third. I look at him as being one of the guys to beat, along with (Kevin) Harvick. I would say maybe with him (Kevin Harvick); he was always good here with the lower downforce stuff, and the last few years, he hasn’t been as dominant. He showed in practice yesterday that he was really good.

Maybe there’s something to it, but I don’t really feel any different, so I think it’s more just that my car is good.”

Just as you were progressing through qualifying there, how confident were you that you were going to be on the pole?

“Well, I didn’t expect to lay down the lap that I did on the first round. I felt like we were going to have a good shot for the top-five in Group B. All those guys ran 60’s, and I was like ‘Man, it’s tight. I’ve got to put a good lap down here’. We were able to go like three-tenths quicker or something. So then I was really confident going into the next round. But then you get talking to yourself and you’re like ‘Man, did I overuse the tires there in the first round? Am I going to have enough for the next round? I’m in Group B versus Group A and their tires are cooler’. So you’re trying to talk yourself out of it. It was obviously much closer of a gap. I lost those three-tenths that I had in the first round. You can feel that time. I got a little bit loose going into (turn) one and had to wait a little bit longer than I wanted to on the throttle. I didn’t hit the chip long down the backstretch like I did the first time. I over-slowed into (turn) three. I got a good exit, and then you’re just staring at your lap time on the dash waiting for it to pop up a good lap. I saw the 60 and I knew that we got the pole. But yeah, you’re trying to talk yourself out of it a little bit while you’re sitting pit road.”

Where do you think your advantage is? You led practice and you led both rounds in qualifying. Where do you think you’re beating everybody else?

“Looking at SMT, I felt like my ability to roll some center-corner speed in (turns) one and two kind of gave me a little bit of an advantage. There’s definitely some cars that are better than me in (turns) three and four, but we’re all so competitive over there too. I feel like there’s a lot of room behind the wheel to get a lot better in (turns) three and four. I think my car is fine.. I think I just need to do some things different and get even better in (turns) three and four and then we should be really good.”

You said you expected no difference from yesterday, so I assume it felt just like it did yesterday for the most part?

“Qualifying trim, I feel like you always have more grip. My first round especially felt very, very good. The next round, I lost grip and was kind of slipping and sliding a little bit more, but I also did in the fall. First round to second round, I slipped more.”

Your organization wasn’t part of the test here in January. Denny (Hamlin) didn’t test, but his organization did and most of the teams in the top-10, except for maybe one, had somebody here at the test. Were you concerned at all coming in that you guys not being part of the test would put you behind by a tick?

“I can’t speak for Cliff (Daniels, crew chief) and everybody, but me personally, yes. I was concerned because I had heard that the lower downforce hurt the Chevy’s more aero-dynamically than the other manufacturers. Ross (Chastain), from what everybody told me, was terrible once they went to this low downforce stuff – or something similar to this – at the test. Ross was really good here in the fall. Honestly, Ross was great everywhere last year and great here both races.

So yes, I was concerned. I didn’t expect to be top of the charts both days. But after the long run that we made in the first run of practice, I was like – OK our times look really good all throughout the 30 laps that I ran. So yeah, I think that kind of changes your opinion pretty quickly after you look at the lap-tracker. Obviously, I knew I was quickest, but one lap doesn’t really matter in practice.

I’m just happy that our team obviously did some good homework and prepared a great setup car.”

With your dirt track background and how many fans came over with you, talk about the F1 drivers coming over and racing at COTA. Is that exciting for you to see them come over and does that light your fuse for your future?

“I wouldn’t say it lights my fuse for my future, but it’s really exciting to have guys of that caliber resume come and compete in the NASCAR Cup Series. It’s great for our sport.

And two, I think it’s going to showcase our tough our sport is. I don’t know who Jenson (Button) is running for, but Kimi (Räikkönen) in a Trackhouse car. They won two road course races last year, so there’s no arguing that he’s not in great equipment. So if he does good, average or whatever, I think it shows the competition level of our sport, which I believe is the toughest in the world.

Yeah, it’s exciting to have them. Having guys like Conor Daly, Travis Pastrana, Jonathan Davenport – it’s more than just the Formula 1 drivers. I think it just showcases how diverse our sport is and how diverse this car has allowed our sport to be. It’s neat.

And yes, it’s not what they grew up doing; racing a heavy stock car. But for us, you can kind of measure yourself a little bit and you can learn a lot. We have a lot of data to look at that we can study a guy who strictly grew up open-wheel road course racing and see kind of how their driving style is different and how we can apply some of what they do to our style.”

Kyle, now that you live out here part of the time, does it give you any more connection to the track?

“I mean, maybe. Yeah, I guess.. I got to sleep in my own bed last night and tonight.

I’ve always liked coming here, even before I owned a house here. I don’t feel more connected I guess, but it’s just nice having somewhere to go. But we would typically always rent a house. Denny (Hamlin) usually rents a house and we would split the costs and stay with him. I always look forward to this race because of that. It’s kind of a vacation, in a way, and now it’s like we’re snowbirds I guess (laughs).

It’s been good. Enjoy it and the kids love it. I’ve got my family here, so it’s great.”

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 – Phoenix Raceway
United Rentals Work United 500 | Friday, March 10, 2023

Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang, met with media members ahead of qualifying at Phoenix Raceway Saturday morning, discussing what it is like to be back at the track where he won the championship last November, changes to the package for this weekend and more.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang – LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE, YOU WON A CHAMPIONSHIP. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE BACK? “It was great when we were here last time. Obviously some memories of sitting here post-race and enjoying ourselves a lot. It was really special, but like I have said most of this year, that was last year and everything is reset. We have to do it again.”

WHAT CONCERNS DO YOU HAVE WITH THIS AERO PACKAGE? ANY ADVANTAGES OR DISADVANTAGES? “The ultimate goal with changing aero packages is trying to make racing better at the short tracks. I was here as part of the test and I will say that of all the things we tried at the test, this is the best direction. It was something that honestly wasn’t even on the cars to try while we were here. We kept cutting the spoiler off of it and a few of the drivers were like, “why don’t we just take all the Lexan off of it? Let’s try that?” Because it kept going in the right direction as we were doing that. That is kind of how we ended up in this place now. Are you ever going to be able to fix dirty air? No. It is in every form of motorsports now, no matter what. No matter what you are racing, race cars depend on air at some level. But the less that is on the car, the less of a difference it is when you get behind another car. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the right direction. Is it the fix? I don’t know if I would call it the fix but it is definitely the right direction to make racing better on the short tracks. It will make things more fun for the drivers and more entertaining for the fans because of a few things. One, the cars are harder to drive and you are forced to move around the race track more which opens up opportunities to find clean air. That is one part that was a struggle last year, everyone was in the same lane and you couldn’t even move around to find clean air. Now, you saw it in practice yesterday, cars were moving up into the second and third lane in practice. It is pretty clear to me that that will happen in the race. If you are a good car and can run the bottom, you are going to pass some cars. So there are more options for the drivers and more fall-off, which is something we have asked for. There will be more comers and goers possibly as drivers overuse their tires, abuse them, get the balance off from short run to long run, it will make more passing on the racetrack which is good for racing.”

IT SEEMS WHENEVER THERE IS A NEW EXPERIMENT (CLASH, GATEWAY, NEXT GEN) YOU ARE THE GUY TO BEAT. IS IT SOMETHING THAT YOU MENTALLY PREPARE FOR OR IS IT A TESTAMENT TO THE TEAM? “I think it is a lot about the team, to be honest. I think as the team adapts very quickly I think we are able to have a lot of different discussions around things and even during the race we can adapt as we see things. The racing will be different, so as far as on the track, Coleman and myself will be dissecting that as the race goes and where we want to be on restarts and picking lanes. As far as the car setup and stuff, Paul (Wolfe) works on the car and Penske in general. For whatever reason, change has been good for us. I don’t know why that is, but it seems we have been able to adapt fairly quickly on things. This is a big change in the aero package, but it is and it isn’t. The parts and pieces that made a lot of cars really strong last week I expect will keep them really strong this week as well. Whether it is the big spoilers or the small spoilers.”

KYLE BUSCH SAID THAT WITH THIS PACKAGE HE DRIVES IT REALLY ON THE EDGE AND HE HAS TO FIND THAT NEW EDGE. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT ADJUSTMENT, EVEN THOUGH IT ISN’T A LOT DIFFERENT, YOU HAVE TO MAKE IN A BASICALLY EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND FORMAT? “Basically, to me, the driver is more impactful when you take downforce away from the car. When you are forced to use your feet and your hands more. You are off the gas more and have to use the brake more, you have to be smoother with things, I feel like that separates the field a little bit. Not only is that how you make speed but also what direction your car is going to go on the long haul. What tires you use the most, what the fall off looks like, all these things. it is really closer back to what we were when we had the small spoilers on the car. I think that is the right step. I still feel like we need more horsepower but I think that is the race car driver in me that always wants more horsepower. I think the whole field probably wants more power. I think directionally we are going the right way. Taking drag out is essentially adding power. Taking downforce away gets you off the gas and using the brakes more.”

DO YOU HAVE TO ADJUST? “Yeah, you have to adjust everything, How you drive. What you look for. What speed is going to be like, what restarts will look like. It completely resets a lot of things which is fine, it is good.”

WHEN DID YOU START CONSIDERING TRACKHOUSE AS A TEAM YOU WOULD BE COMPETING AGAINST FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP? “We saw speed in their cars fairly early in the year. Kind of right off the bat. And you were like, ‘Okay, it is a new car, let us all figure it out and see if they are still there.’ Obviously, they are still there. They are still there now and they are hitting every area for the most part when we come to the speedway. Even on pit road they are super fast. They have done a good job at bringing the heat to the racetrack or sure. I would say at this point it is not some one-off thing. That is honestly what I was hoping for (laughter). I would say they are definitely a competitor that is here to stay.”

DID YOU NOTICE ANYTHING IN THE PRACTICE SESSION LAST NIGHT THAT YOU CAN CARRY FROM YOUR WIN HERE IN NOVEMBER? “It is very different. The car is just going to drive worse, no matter how much you work on it, it is not going to drive as good as it did last fall. There is no downforce on the car in comparison. To me, it felt a lot more like the old cars did where you are sliding the back a little more into the corners and fighting a little more the loose in, tight center, loose off. It seems like it has more of that, which makes sense. There is less downforce so the car is going to be crappier to drive. As long as everyone else’s car does that, it is good racing. You don’t wanna be the only one like that but I am pretty sure everyone was hanging on a lot more than what they were.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
PHOENIX RACEWAY
UNITED RENTALS WORK UNITED 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 11, 2023

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Phoenix Raceway. Press Conference Transcript:

We interviewed you last week in Las Vegas and you told us there were some details that your car needed, although your car was pretty fast.

“I feel like the car yesterday was good; not great and not bad. Just good. Probably the best we’ve had a car in a while. We’re one more step in the right direction. I think the positive is that we know what we need and I feel like we’re in the ballpark. Right now, yesterday, we didn’t have a winning car but we had a car that in my opinion can have the potential for it.

We’ll see. We made some adjustments for today and hopefully we get it.”

You are established in NASCAR now. Have you planned a long term future to help young talents in Mexico to come over and do the same like you did?

“Well, maybe one day. I try to help as much as I can every day. But I’m not looking for the talent, right. I’m just helping whoever comes and asks me for help. I wish I had somebody like that when I was coming here. I didn’t have anyone that I was able to ask for advice or help in my early days in the United States. I’m always very, very open to help. We’ll see what happens in the future, but for now, my main focus is my career. Win more races and championships and continue to grow.

But yeah, I enjoy seeing more diversity in the sport. I’m a big part of that and I’ve been able to help a handful of drivers – at least 10 drivers – come in from different countries. So that’s great and I’ll continue to do that.”

Going to COTA in a couple of weeks; the site of Trackhouse Racing’s first win. What has allowed Trackhouse to stay near the front over the last year since that last win?

“That’s a very good question. I think it’s a combination of many things, starting with our people. We have great people; great engineers, good pit crews. I think that if we look back to one year ago.. one year ago we were a team that was very promising. I feel like right now, Trackhouse is a reality. I think we have shown that we’re here to stay and to be competitive. Last year was a very good year and this year, so far, has gone in a very good way.

We have to continue to work; not feel comfortable and not stay still because everyone is working very hard. I feel like that has been one of the keys of Trackhouse to continue to evolve and continue to move forward.”

You’re driving with the new package yesterday. What differences did you notice and how did you personally have to adjust in the car?

“The car has way less grip. It’s almost like when you have new tires, it’s almost like you have 10-lap tires with the previous package. So the car is quite different. The main goal of this package was to make the racing better and make the car drive better in traffic. I don’t really know where we’re at when it comes to that because we haven’t raced with it yet. I guess we’re going to find that out tomorrow. For sure, the car is more difficult to drive and for sure we’re going to have to move around more. But to what extent, I don’t really know yet. We’re going to find out tomorrow.”

You had a really strong start to the regular-season with top-10s in every single race. Phoenix (Raceway) obviously hasn’t been your best track overall. What are you going to need to do this weekend to continue that top-10 streak?

“I think that my car has another top-10 in it. We have worked really hard in Phoenix just because, like you mentioned, it’s been a tough place to us in the last two years. Before that actually, I was pretty good here. We have worked very hard. We have put a lot of effort and time into this place, and I think that’s showing a little bit. We’re not quite there yet, but I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

In just the growth of Trackhouse Racing – as you have the growth of your team, you have more success. Obviously there are different people that are leaders, but certainly the drivers are looked at as a leadership position. How have you evolved or how are you trying to evolve your role as a leader in the organization or with your No. 99 team?

“That’s another very good question. I feel like I’ve learned a lot in how to be a better leader. I’m very tough to myself when it comes to my performance; the way I work, my discipline and stuff like that. Sometimes that was making me also be tough with other people. Maybe sometimes knowing the smart way. Sometimes being ambitious and really wanting something bad is a good thing, but if you’re not smart about it, it can be a bad thing. So I feel like I’ve grown a lot in the last 12 months about how to be better; how to be a better leader for my group. If we want to achieve this goal to get here, how we’re going to get here in a smart way and everyone pushing the train forward.

So I have learned a lot to that. I give a lot of credit to Josh Wise and a lot of people that have helped me in our group to be better. And I feel like it’s a continuous process. I don’t feel like I’m perfect right now, but I can guarantee you that I’m better than I was a year ago, and I hope that I’m going to be better in a few months than I am right now.

But yeah, I think myself, Travis Mack (crew chief), Tony Lunders (competition director) and many leaders at Trackhouse – I feel like we are continuing to get better and continuing to move forward. Like I said, we have great people. My pit crew – last year in the first half of the season, we struggled a lot. And then in the second half, we had a lot of speed, but we were super inconsistent. Really my pit crew for this year is exactly the same group of guys and I feel like right now, I probably have one of the fastest pit crews out there. It’s everything about training, working together and making sure that everyone knows that we have each other’s backs.

I’m very happy where we’re at right now and I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

As you alluded to, it takes many, many people to have success with an organization. But one person you mentioned was Josh Wise. From your perspective, how has he been able to unlock certain things out of you or open certain elements of you to help you grow in ways that you hadn’t before? What kind of difference would it have made had you run into him five years earlier?

“Josh (Wise) is a race car driver. He’s a very smart guy, to start with. And also, he has a degree in psychology, so he understands how the mind works better than the average person. I have known him for a long time, but when I started working with him a little bit closer, I feel like I was able to understand it a little bit better. How to approach things as one of the leaders of my team. He has helped me a lot and like I said, it’s a continuous process. I don’t think I am where I want to be. It’s always a ‘going up the mountain’ kind of battle. But I feel like I’m definitely in a way better position than what I was 12 months ago and for that, I’m very, very thankful. I think that because of him, I’ve been able to also help a lot of individuals in my team to continue to move forward.”

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.