Mexico City. 29 October 2022 – For the second time Max Verstappen has topped the qualifying times in Mexico City, but for the first time the World Champion will start from pole position in his Red Bull for Sunday’s FORMULA 1 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX Presented by Heineken.
Back in 2019, Verstappen was quickest in Qualifying but had to drop three grid places for a yellow flag infringement promoting Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to pole. No such problem this time. With a best lap of 1:17.775 and an average lap speed of 199.220km/h the 25-year-old double champion secured his sixth pole of 2022 and the19th of his F1 career.
“Very lovely that!” the Dutchman told his team after holding off the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. “It was a close one! We made a few adjustments and the car got into a better rhythm.”
The hopes of hundreds of thousands of Mexican fans were dashed when Sergio Pérez could not join his team-mate on the front row, after finishing fourth fastest.
“It was a big shame,” said Pérez. “We had an electrical issue throughout qualifying. I was pretty much blind, I had no indication of my lap times. To be P4 is not the end of the world, but today I believe we could have fought for pole.”
But Verstappen lifted the Mexican mood: “Checo will be there tomorrow,” he said, “I’m sure we’ve got a fast race car.”
Russell complained of brake problems throughout the hour but apologised to his Mercedes team after his final run when he ran wide on entry to the Foro Sol and lost any chance of catching the Red Bull. “The team deserved more today,” said the 24-year-old Englishman. “They’ve produced a really great car for this weekend – it was just a terrible lap from me.”
Ferrari could do no better than fifth for Carlos Sainz and seventh for Charles Leclerc, as Sainz complained: “we were fighting the car too much”, but the surprise package was Valtteri Bottas sandwiched between them.
Bottas, now 33, was on pole at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez last season for Mercedes, but to be in the top six in his Alfa Romeo is in some ways an even more outstanding effort. “It’s really uplifting for the whole team,” said the Finn. “It’s been an easy car to drive and since FP1 I’ve had confidence.”
The last three positions in the top 10 are shared by the McLaren of Lando Norris and the two Alpines of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon – another mouth-watering prospect for Sunday — as those two teams battle for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Right behind them is Daniel Ricciardo in the second McLaren, who was eliminated in Q2 along with Chinese newcomer Zhou Guanyu in the other Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri pair Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly, in addition to Kevin Magnussen’s Haas.
There had been a landmark moment for the Haas team as Magnussen made it into the second stage of qualifying – the first time the American team has got one of their drivers out of Q1 in Mexico. However, Magnussen carries a grid penalty and will drop back, while team-mate Mick Schumacher was sixth at one point, until his best lap time was deleted for exceeding track limits in Turn 2 and the German was also eliminated.
No joy for 2017 Mexican pole-winner Sebastian Vettel: in his final appearance at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez the Aston Martin driver could manage only 17th in Q1.
Mercedes, winless and with just one pole position in 2022 so far, threw down the gauntlet to the field in the third practice session as Russell and Hamilton made it a 1-2 for the Silver Arrows.
The track also welcomed an array of legendary drivers for the Freightliner Legends Cup by Fibra UNO – the support race of the FORMULA 1 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX Presented by Heineken – and Mexican driver Michel Jourdain Jr. looked unbeatable during the second session setting a fastest lap of 1:51.435.
Driving GTM car #1, Jordain dominated the Saturday session of the race that has brought together some of the biggest stars that delighted IndyCar fans during the first decade of the century and made CART one of the favourite championships in Mexico.
Behind Jordain was Luis “Chapulín” Díaz, another Mexican who won the Daytona Prototypes race at this track in 2006, with a time of 1:51.932.
Alex Tagliani from Canada, was the fastest among the international drivers with 1:52.235, ahead of Mexican Mario Dominguez, who managed a best lap time of 1:52.239 before making contact with Bruno Junqueira halfway through the session, as the Brazilian was attempting an overtake on the outside in the “esses” section of the track. Mario stood his ground on the inside and they touched, apparently without consequence.
Bruno Junqueira rounded out the top five, followed by the Canadian and fan favourite Paul Tracy. Casey Mears, Max Papis, Mark Blundell and local legend Adrián Fernández completed the top ten.
“The track is a little slick, but we were already expecting it would be like this,” said Jourdain. “It’s the same for everyone, so we need to focus on the sections where we manage a minimal advantage over the others,” he added.
On Sunday, the race that has reunited these legends will be part of the celebrations to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first Grand Prix in Mexico City.
For further information on FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO 2022 Presented by Heineken visit: http://www.mexicogp.mx/
About the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO 2022 Presented by Heineken
Recognized with the award “F1’s Best Event” for the five past editions, the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO 2022 Presented by Heineken has proven to be much more than a sporting competition to become an unparalleled promotional platform to share with the world Mexico City’s rich cultural heritage and tourist attractions.
About Formula 1®
The history of Formula 1® began in 1950 and is the most prestigious motorsport competition in the world, as well as the most popular annual sports series in the world. Formula One World Championship Limited is part of Formula 1 and holds the exclusive commercial rights to the FIA Formula One World Championship™.
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For further information about Formula 1®, visit: www.formula1.com
About CIE:
Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento, S.A.B de C. V. www.cie.com.mx
Established in 1990, Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento (“CIE”) (BMV: CIE) is an outstanding participant in the out-of-home entertainment industry in Latin America. It promotes and produces concerts, music festivals, theater shows, and sporting, family and cultural events. CIE operates Centro Citibanamex, which is a venue for expositions and conventions in Mexico City, and the amusement park El Salitre Mágico in Colombia. The Company also produces corporate events and events for the public sector. CIE promotes and markets the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Mexico City.
Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento is a publicly traded company whose shares have been listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange since 1995 under the ticker symbol “CIE.”
Herbst Powers His Way to Third at Martinsville Monster Energy Driver Earns Career-Best Eighth Top-Five Finish of the Season
Date: Saturday, Oct. 29 Event: Martinsville 250 (Round 32 of 33) Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval) Format: 250 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/130 laps) Start/Finish: 8th / 3rd (Running, completed 269 of 269 laps) Point Standing: 10th (2,167 points) Note: Race extended 19 laps past its scheduled 250-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish. Race Winner: Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 1 Winner: Brandon Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 2 Winner: Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Overview:
Riley Herbst and his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) survived multiple NASCAR overtimes to equal a season-best finish of third during Saturday’s Martinsville 250 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. It was the Las Vegas native’s eighth top-five finish of the season, a career high. After starting eighth for the scheduled 250-lap race, Herbst ran consistently in the top-10 during the first two stages, finishing sixth in Stage 1. Later, with less than 15 laps to go in Stage 2, crew chief Richard Boswell made the call to bring his driver down pit road for fresh tires and fuel, and Herbst resumed 18th. He picked up one position by the stage’s end, then stayed on track during the break and restarted sixth for the final stage. He began to struggle with the balance on his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang, but Herbst persevered in working his way into the top-five during the opening laps of the stage. Over the final 100 laps, he avoided numerous incidents and remained in or near the top-three during the flurry of NASCAR overtimes. Herbst restarted fifth, in the inside lane, for the final overtime restart and again avoided mayhem among the leaders en route to his first top-five finish at Martinsville.
Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“That was wild. That’s Martinsville, though. Our No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang was the best I’ve had at this track, and we had a shot to win at the end. We were so close, but to finish third is just a testament to the hard work that this team puts in each and every race. I wish we could go to Phoenix with a chance to win the championship, but we’ve grown so much this season as a team. I can’t thank the guys enough for sticking by me through the ups and downs.”
Notes:
● Herbst earned his career-best eighth top-five of the season and his first top-five in five career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Martinsville.
● Herbst finished sixth in Stage 1 to earn five bonus points.
● Herbst’s third-place result bettered his previous best finish at Martinsville – sixth, earned twice, in October 2020 and in the series’ previous visit in April.
● This was Herbst’s third straight top-10 at Martinsville. He finished 10th last October and sixth earlier this year.
● This was Herbst’s second straight top-10. He finished eighth in last Saturday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
● Ty Gibbs won the Martinsville 250 under caution to score his 10th career Xfinity Series victory, his sixth of the season, and his first at Martinsville.
● There were 14 caution periods for a total of 91 laps.
● Twenty-three of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship on Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway. It will be the final race of the seven-race playoffs. The race starts at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Sheldon Creed and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Fight Hard for a Top-Five Finish at Martinsville Speedway
Finish: 2nd Start: 2nd Points: 14th
“I had a really fast Whelen Chevrolet today. I put us in a hole early by getting a speeding penalty, but luckily we were able to work as a team to recover and ultimately finish second. Our Chevrolet was tight all day, but our RCR team worked on it every chance we got. Towards the end of the race, it was crazy with guys moving and wrecking each other. I knew to have a shot for the win I needed to be aggressive, and that’s what I did. It feels good to leave Martinsville with second-place finish. I love racing here and RCR brought me a Chevrolet where I could race like i needed to.” -Sheldon Creed
Austin Hill and the No. 21 Global Industrial Team Grab Ninth-Place Finish at Martinsville Speedway
Finish: 9th Start: 36th Points: 6th
“Our Global Industrial Chevrolet was good at the start of the race. We got up to 10th by the end of Stage 1 and had a really good car during Stage 2. We kind of started falling off toward the end of the run in that stage. As the race went on, we just lost a little bit of the handle. We were getting too loose on entry and too loose on exit and it was hurting our pace. It was really hard to attack the corners. The No. 51 got into me and that put us in the back with all the mess again. While I was trying to come back through the field the wreck happened between Turns 3 and 4 and I got a ton of damage on our car. I don’t know how we finished ninth. I was doing all I could to get back up there but was just nursing it at the end. Unfortunately, we’re out of the NASCAR Playoffs but will still go to Phoenix with the goal of winning and finishing the year on a strong note.” -Austin Hill
GIBBS CLAIMS WIN AT MARTINSVILLE Brandon Jones Comes up Just Short of Transferring to Championship 4
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (October 29, 2022) – Ty Gibbs won Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway to advance to the Championship 4 in Phoenix next weekend.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap NASCAR Xfinity Series Martinsville Speedway Race 32 of 33 – 131.5 miles, 250 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS 1st, TY GIBBS 2nd, Sheldon Creed* 3rd, Riley Herbst* 4th, Noah Gragson 5th, Justin Allgaier* 15th, DEREK GRIFFITH 18th, SAMMY SMITH 23rd, BRANDON JONES 32nd, PATRICK EMERLING *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Menards/Tuscany Faucets Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 15th
What happened between you and Ty Gibbs on the final lap?
“First off I want to say a big thanks to Tuscany faucets and Menards — they’ve stuck with me for a very long time in my career and I had the race won I think, you know, I don’t know I love my guys I love everyone on this 19 team, but I’m excited to make my move JRM next year and be a part of that organization and a little bit more respect over there probably next year so I’m excited for that. We’ve got one race left at Phoenix. I know we can go out there and win that and shake this up a little bit still and try to steal a little thunder there. So I don’t know man, I have no words. You know, I know that we had some fun beating and banging back and forth a little bit but I’ve never, you know, wrecked him or anything for a win. And so it just kind of shows where that level was there.”
Did you think Ty Gibbs would be willing to be that aggressive to win the race knowing the position you were in to have to win to make it to the Championship 4?
“I think it opened up the opportunity to get moved, but I don’t know about dumped and destroyed and finish dead last I mean I guess at the end the day I needed to win the race you know so I think for you know, second to last. It is what it is you know, but just expected to maybe have a little bit more of a shot at it there. You know, I think that to me, that’s what’s fun in this sport is having a duel and not just completely destroying somebody’s day.”
How do you plan to get even?
“I don’t know man, you know I think that he’s made plenty of friends out here on the race track so time will tell. I know he’s going different places and I’m going different places so I’m sure eventually it all will line back up there.”
How would you sum up your race today?
“First off, a really phenomenal day. I mean, I think in the spring race here, we kind of ran around 12th to 10th and worked our way up to the front was able to kind of do the same move that we did similar there to the end. And that kind of went through my mind, you know, a bunch and we just continue to swap between first and second place really, and no way is anybody going to take the top, you know, and I assume that anybody behind me is going to give me a little bit of hack, you know, and I’m going to try to give them as much as I can to but never take anybody on the show. I think I’ve lost more races than I than I have won by just respectfully you know, letting guys when not pulling moves like that but time all time will always bring that back together there and I think that it’ll it always come back around. So I’m looking forward to Phoenix man, you know, I think that we’re going have a shot to win that race. I I felt that way the entire day to day thinking I’m going get to this next round and I’m going to go win Phoenix and it is what it is, man. I’ve got another year to do. So I’m very fortunate to be back and XFINITY next year so I’ll just continue to take everything I’m learning here and bring it to next year.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 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 43 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 the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.
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.
With the championship finale looming over the NASCAR Xfinity Series competition and spots to battle for the title up for grabs, Ty Gibbs spoiled teammate Brandon Jones’ opportunity to compete for this year’s title by wrecking him on the final lap before proceeding to claim a controversial victory in the Dead on Tools 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, October 29.
The 20-year-old Gibbs from Charlotte, North Carolina, led seven times for a race-high 102 of 269 over-scheduled laps and took care of business for the majority of the event to secure a spot for the Championship 4 round based on points. Under the final 10 laps and pushing his car for more, however, Gibbs found himself squared off against teammate Brandon Jones, who was placed in a “must-win” situation to maintain his title hopes through a series of late restarts and incidents that sent the event into overtime three times.
During the third and final overtime attempt, Jones, who traded paint with Gibbs throughout a series of late restarts, managed to navigate his way around Gibbs and the field for the lead, but Gibbs delivered the final blow on the final lap by bumping and sending his teammate backward into the wall. The incident netted Gibbs an unpopular victory from the grandstands while Jones was one of four competitors to have their championship hopes for this season come to a late end.
By claiming his sixth victory of the 2022 Xfinity Series season, Gibbs is set to square off against JR Motorsports’ Josh Berry, Noah Gragson and Justin Allgaier for this year’s Xfinity title that will determine a champion next weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Playoff competitor Brandon Jones scored his fifth pole position of the 2022 season after posting a pole-winning lap at 95.482 mph in 19.832 seconds. Joining him on the front row was rookie Sheldon Creed, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 95.333 mph in 19.863 seconds.
Prior to the event, the following competitors that included Playoff competitor Austin Hill, Derek Griffith and Kyle Weatherman dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective cars. Daniel Hemric also dropped to the rear of the field in a backup car after he wrecked his primary car during the practice session on Friday.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Brandon Jones rocketed with an early advantage through the first two turns ahead of Creed and Sammy Smith while Ty Gibbs and Noah Gragson dueled for fourth place. As the field battled through two lanes for a full circuit, Jones went on to lead the first lap.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Jones was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Creed followed by Smith, Gibbs and Gragson while Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Riley Herbst, Anthony Alfredo and Jeb Burton were running in the top 10. Jeremy Clements, Joe Graf Jr., Josh Berry, Ryan Sieg and Landon Cassill occupied the top 15 while Sam Mayer was back in 16th.
Ten laps later, Jones continued to lead by more than a second over teammate Gibbs while Creed, Smith and Gragson were all scored in the top five. By then, six of eight Playoff competitors were running in the top 10 on the track, minus Mayer and Hill.
On Lap 32, the first caution of the event flew when Patrick Emerling got into the rear of Joe Graf Jr. entering Turn 1 as Graf backed his car hard into the outside wall while Emerling also spun in front of Jeremy Clements and Howie Disavino III. During the first caution period, some led by Gragson pitted while the rest led by Jones remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Gragson was penalized for speeding while entering pit road.
When the race restarted under green on Lap 41, Jones retained the lead over teammate Gibbs and the field. As the field jostled for positions, Jones was able to maintain the top spot for the duration of the first stage as he went on to claim his third stage victory of the 2022 season on Lap 60, which marked the first stage’s conclusion. Teammate Gibbs settled in second followed by Allgaier, Berry and Smith while Herbst, Creed, Allmendinger, Mayer and Hill claimed top-10 spots and the first round of stage points.
Under the stage break, a majority of the field led by Jones pitted while Gragson and Rajah Caruth remained on the track. During the pit stops, Kyle Weatherman and Alex Labbe were both penalized for safety violations.
The second stage started on Lap 70 as Gragson and Caruth occupied the front row. At the start, Gragson took off with the lead and managed to cross over from the outside lane to the inside lane entering the first turn. Behind, the field fanned out to three lanes as Jones muscled his way into the runner-up spot while Berry and Gibbs were also scored in the top five. Behind, Allgaier battled Smith for sixth place while racing on the outside lane as the field continued to duel and rub against one another for spots.
Eighteen laps later, Gibbs emerged as the third different leader of the event after he overtook Gragson.
On Lap 106, the caution flew when Landon Cassill wheel-hopped his No. 10 StormX Chevrolet Camaro entering Turn 3 and smacked the outside wall hard while locking up his front tires. During the caution period, some led by Gibbs remained on the track while the rest led by Jones pitted.
With nine laps remaining in the second stage, the race proceeded under green as Gibbs and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, Allgaier gained momentum on the outside lane to move his No. 7 iRacing/BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro into the lead. Five laps later, however, Allgaier slipped up the track entering Turn 3, which allowed Gibbs to reassume the top spot. As Gibbs maintained his ground with the lead, Berry and Hill rubbed fenders while battling for sixth place.
When the second stage concluded on Lap 120, Gibbs claimed his eighth stage victory of the 2022 season. Allgaier settled in second while Allmendinger, Gragson, Sanchez, Berry, Hill, Jeb Burton, Ryan Sieg and Alfredo were scored in the top 10. By then, six of eight Playoff competitors were scored in the top 10 and were awarded a second round of stage points while Brandon Jones and Mayer were mired back in 11th and 18th.
Under the stage break, some led by Gibbs pitted while the rest led by Berry remained on the track.
With 122 laps remaining, the final stage started as Berry and Sammy Smith occupied the front row. At the start, Berry retained the lead and had both lanes to his control with clean air while Hill intimidated Smith for the runner-up spot by bumping him and trying to move him up entering the turns. Smith, however, retained his ground and the runner-up spot while Creed and Jones battled for fourth in front of Herbst and Hemric. A few laps later, Hill prevailed over his battle with Smith as he moved into the runner-up spot while Jones tried to issue a challenge on teammate Smith for third place.
Down to the final 100 laps of the event, Berry was leading by more than a second over Jones, who battled and overtook Hill for the runner-up spot, while Herbst and Gibbs were scored in the top five. Smith, Mayer, Allmendinger, Gragson and Creed were running in the top 10 ahead of Allgaier, Sanchez, Hemric, Perkins and Snider while Alfredo, Labbe, Sieg, Weatherman and Derek Griffith occupied the top 20.
Eleven laps later, the caution returned when Yeley wrecked in Turn 3 after wheel-hopping entering the turn and sustaining significant rear-end damage to his car. During the caution periods, the leaders returned to pit road and Jones managed to reassume the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Berry, Gibbs, Gragson and Herbst.
When the race restarted under green with 81 laps remaining, Jones rocketed with the lead entering the first turn while Berry settled in the runner-up spot behind Jones and in front of Gibbs before Gibbs assumed Berry’s spot during the following lap. Behind, Herbst was in fourth while Allmendinger and Gragson battled for fifth place in front of Hill.
Then with 72 laps remaining, Gibbs muscled his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra into the lead over teammate Jones’ No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra through Turns 3 and 4 as Jones was placed back into a “must-win” situation to maintain his title hopes.
Sixteen laps later, the caution flew when Kris Wright got bumped by Disavino III as both spun in Turn 3. During the caution period, some that included Allmendinger and Hill pitted while the rest led by Gibbs remained on the track.
With 48 laps remaining, the race proceeded under green as teammates Gibbs and Jones occupied the front row. At the start, Gibbs, who restarted on the outside lane, rocketed away from the field entering Turn 1 before he crossed over to the inside lane entering the backstretch to block Jones, who was being challenged by Gragson for more. Not long after, however, the caution returned when Ryan Sieg spun towards the outside wall in Turn 1 after getting hit by Hemric’s No. 11 AG1 Chevrolet Camaro.
As the race restarted with 40 laps remaining, Gibbs took off with another strong start while Jones and Gragson dueled for second in front of Smith, Berry, Mayer and Allgaier. Three laps later, however, the caution was displayed when Hill, Clements and Parsons came together as all three wrecked entering the backstretch. The incident prompted Hill to pit his No. 21 Global Industrial Chevrolet Camaro from the top 20 during the caution period as his hopes of advancing to the Championship 4 round were placed in jeopardy.
When the race restarted with 32 laps remaining, Gibbs and Gragson dueled for the lead for nearly a full lap before Gibbs, who officially clinched his spot for the Championship 4 finale, cleared the field and had both lanes to his control through Turn 4. It did not take long, however, for the caution to return for a multi-car stack-up that struck entering Turn 4 when Snider got turned and collected Hill, Emerling, CJ McLaughlin, Disavino, Kris Wright, Stefan Parsons and Mason Massey. During the caution period, Berry surrendered seventh place to pit along with Labbe, Hill and Josh Williams while the rest of the competitors remained on the track.
During the following restart with 23 laps remaining, Gibbs took off with the lead while Jones battled Gragson for second place in front of Smith, Mayer, Herbst and Allgaier. Jones prevailed over Gragson during the following lap as he moved into second place while Allgaier and Allmendinger dueled and rubbed fenders for seventh place.
With less than 20 laps remaining, the battle for seventh place on the track and for a championship finale spot ignited between Allgaier and Allmendinger as Allgaier, who got moved up the track following a bump by Allmendinger a few laps earlier, ran into the rear of Allmendinger in Turn 3 as both dueled against one another. Then with 17 laps remaining, Allgaier, who got moved up the track again by Allmendinger in Turn 1, delivered the final blow as he pounded into Allmendinger’s rear bumper twice entering Turn 3. With Allmendinger moving up the track, Allgaier seized his opportunity and made contact into the side of Allmendinger as Allmendinger nearly got loose in Turn 4 before falling off the pace after cutting a left-rear tire amid the contact. With the caution flying, Allmendinger pitted his No. 16 Action Industries Chevrolet Camaro for fresh tires as his hopes of transferring to the finale were placed in jeopardy. The incident also erased Gibbs’ steady advantage over teammate Jones.
Down to the final nine laps of the event, the race restarted under green as Gibbs and Gragson squared off against one another on the front row. At the start, Jones, who restarted behind teammate Gibbs, made his move for the lead after getting into the rear of Gibbs. Just as Jones started to pull ahead of Gibbs with the lead, the caution flew due to Weatherman wrecking in Turn 1 along with Brandon Brown and Jeb Burton. The incident was enough to send the event into overtime.
During the first overtime attempt, Jones, who restarted on the inside lane alongside teammate Smith and in front of Gibbs, dueled against Smith for the lead entering Turn 1 before Gibbs shoved his nose beneath Jones entering the backstretch. This resulted in all three Joe Gibbs Racing competitors racing three wide for the lead entering Turn 3. That was when Smith got rubbed by Jones as Smith went for a spin as the caution flew and the event was sent into a second overtime attempt. At the moment of caution, NASCAR ruled that Jones was the leader followed by teammate Gibbs as Herbst, Gragson and Creed completed the top five.
At the start of the second overtime attempt, Jones briefly pulled away from the field entering the first turn until he barely slipped up the track, which allowed Gibbs to stick his car beneath Jones and challenge him for the lead through the backstretch. By then, however, the caution returned when Berry got turned in Turn 2 by teammate Allgaier after he got bumped by teammate Mayer. At the moment of caution, Gibbs was scored as the leader ahead of Jones, who fell back to a “must-win” situation as Allgaier, who continued to run towards the front, moved back up into contention to make the finale.
The start of the third overtime attempt favored Jones, who made his move beneath Gibbs and Gragson in Turn 1 before all three competitors fanned out to three lanes in a battle for the win through the backstretch. Jones then managed to pull ahead with the lead with a push from Creed through Turns 3 and 4 as he commenced the final lap followed by a hard-charging Gibbs. Then entering Turn 1, Gibbs ran into the rear bumper of Jones, which caused Jones to spin as he backed his No. 19 Toyota into the outside wall in Turn 1. With the caution being displayed, the event was deemed official as Gibbs hustled his way back to the frontstretch and claim the victory.
By winning for the sixth time in 2022 and for the first time at Martinsville, Gibbs claimed his 10th career win in the Xfinity circuit as he will be making his first appearance in the Championship 4 round as a championship contender, all of which will come in his first full-time Xfinity campaign.
Gibbs’ victory was met with mixed results as he received a chorus of boos from the grandstands with the winning driver saluting them before claiming the checkered flag.
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“I definitely didn’t want to wreck [Jones],” Gibbs said on NBC. “I wanted to get him out of the groove. I felt like we lost here earlier in the spring race just in the same way. I’m just pumped to get this win. It’s so awesome, especially at a track I feel like I’ve been coming to forever. It’s super cool to win here.”
The last lap incident involving Jones knocked Jones out of the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs as his hopes of competing for this year’s title evaporated along with the hopes of Allmendinger, Mayer and Hill, who was involved in a post-race altercation with Snider on pit road. On the contrary, the incident fell in the favor of Allgaier, who ended up in fifth place and managed to secure the fourth and final transfer spot to the Championship 4 Round. This season will mark Allgaier’s fifth appearance in the final round as a title contender, where he will contend for his first NASCAR national touring series championship alongside Gibbs and teammates Berry and Gragson.
“I had the race won, I think,” Jones, who ended up 23rd, said. “I love my guys. I love everyone on this No. 19 group. I’m excited to make my move to [JR Motorsports] next year and be a part of that organization. A little bit more respect over there, probably, given next year. We got one race left at Phoenix. I know we can go out there and win that, shake this [title fight] a little bit still yet and try to steal a little thunder there. I have no words. I know that we had some fun beating and banging back and forth a little bit, but I’ve never wrecked [Gibbs] or done anything for a win. It kind of shows where that level was there. I think [racing Gibbs earlier] opened up the opportunity to get moved, but I don’t know about dumped, destroyed and finished dead last. At the end of the day, I needed to win the race. Second and last, it is what it is. [I] Just expected to, maybe, have a little bit more of a shot at it there. To me, that’s what’s fun about this sport is having a duel, not just completely destroying somebody’s day.”
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“It was definitely a long day,” Allgaier, who finished fifth, said. “We just didn’t have the handling that we wanted to on our iRacing/BRANDT Camaro. We were OK. We were a top-five car all day. Obviously, AJ and I battled a lot today. We were both pushing each other really hard. I hate having to use the bumper, but our team has done such a good job this year and gave themselves a shot to go for a championship. I had to make the most of it today. Proud of our team at JR Motorsports. To put three cars in the final four. We got a long work this week to be ready for Phoenix, but it’s a great racetrack for us. We’re gonna go there. We’re gonna lay it all on the line. It’s gonna be a battle, for sure.”
“[The battle with Allgaier]’s all fair,” Allmendinger, who settled in 16th, said. “We knew it was gonna be a battle. Thank you to everybody at Kaulig Racing. Our Action Industries Chevy, we were making the best of it. It’s disappointing to end it like that, but still a great year. [We] Did everything we could.”
In addition to this year’s driver’s championship battle, the final four title contenders (Berry, Gragson, Gibbs and Allgaier) will contend for the 2022 Xfinity owners’ championship next weekend at Phoenix.
There were 18 lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured 14 cautions for 91 laps.
Results.
1. Ty Gibbs, 102 laps led, Stage 2 winner
2. Sheldon Creed
3. Riley Herbst
4. Noah Gragson, 23 laps led
5. Justin Allgaier, five laps led
6. Sam Mayer
7. Nicholas Sanchez
8. Daniel Hemric
9. Blaine Perkins
10. Austin Hill
11. Jeb Burton
12. Alex Labbe
13. Rajah Caruth
14. Myatt Snider
15. AJ Allmendinger
16. Derek Griffith
17. Sammy Smith, one lap led
18. Jeremy Clements
19. Brandon Brown
20. Josh Berry, 40 laps led
21. Anthony Alfredo
22. Josh Williams
23. Brandon Jones, 98 laps led, Stage 1 winner
24. CJ McLaughlin, one lap down
25. Mason Massey, four laps down
26. Kris Wright, eight laps down
27. Joe Graf Jr., nine laps down
28. Howie Disavino III, 10 laps down
29. Ryan Vargas, 21 laps down
30. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Accident
31. Stefan Parsons – OUT, Accident
32. Patrick Emerling – OUT, Accident
33. Ryan Sieg – OUT, Accident
34. JJ Yeley – OUT, Brakes
35. Matt Mills – OUT, Engine
36. Chad Finchum – OUT, Brakes
37. Landon Cassill – OUT, Accident
38. Bayley Currey – OUT, Accident
*Bold indicates Playoff contenders
Playoff standings
1. Noah Gragson – Advanced
2. Ty Gibbs – Advanced
3. Josh Berry – Advanced
4. Justin Allgaier – Advanced
5. AJ Allmendinger – Eliminated
6. Austin Hill – Eliminated
7. Sam Mayer – Eliminated
8. Brandon Jones – Eliminated
The 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season is set to conclude at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, November 5, where a champion will be crowned. The finale is set to commence at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network.
NASCAR CUP SERIES MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY XFINITY 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT OCTOBER 29, 2022
KYLE LARSON TO LEAD FIELD TO THE GREEN FROM THE POLE AT MARTINSVILLE Camaro ZL1 Sweeps Front Row
· Last week’s NASCAR Cup Series winner, Kyle Larson, will lead the field to the green in tomorrow’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Larson clocked in a fastest lap of 19.709 seconds in his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 to capture the pole.
· The feat marks Larson’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series pole win of 2022; and his 14th career pole in 294 starts in the series.
· Larson’s pole gives Chevrolet its 11th NASCAR Cup Series pole win of 2022; and 734th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series history.
· Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, qualified second in his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1, giving Chevrolet a sweep of the front row starting spots for tomorrow’s NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 elimination race.
ALL OF THIS SEEMS TO BE COMING TWO OR THREE WEEKS LATE FOR YOU, AS FAR AS MAKING A PLAYOFF RUN. DO YOU LOOK AT THIS AS BUILDING FOR 2023 AT THIS POINT?
“No.. I view it as we need to keep running good so we can go win an owner’s title next week. I don’t view it any differently than if I was in the Round of 8 or not. Maybe I would think differently had I not won the championship last year. I would probably be a little bit more bummed internally. But I’m just as motivated now as I was four weeks ago. It was great to win last weekend and get the pole here today, and I would love to continue the momentum throughout the race tomorrow to help us go have a good run next week.”
IS THE CAR AS GOOD AS IT LOOKS?
“Yeah, probably a lot better than I am (laughs). I struggle at this place. I can put some good laps together, but I’m pretty inconsistent. I don’t think that’s a car thing. I think my car is really good; that shows with my teammates and how well they’ve run here the last few years. I’ve worked really hard to get better here. I still don’t quite have it figured out, or even close to figured out, but days like today help give you a little more confidence. The good track position with how difficult it is to pass in this car will help us for tomorrow and hopefully I can be good enough to keep it up front and have a good finish.”
BUBBA (WALLACE) ADDRESSED THE MEDIA THIS MORNING AND HE SAID YOU GUYS HAD A GOOD TALK. DID IT MATTER, IF AT ALL, THAT YOU GUYS HAD THAT TALK?
“Yeah, it was great to have that talk. I said the same thing. I came downstairs and told my wife that Bubba (Wallace) and I had a great conversation. I thought it went really well and I think we’ve both moved on from it really fast. It was good to have a talk; good to just talk over the frustrations and mistakes on both of our parts. Move on and forget about it, and get back to racing. I feel like we’ve raced really well together in the past. Hopefully I don’t make any more mistakes and we can continue to race good.”
HOW MUCH DIFFERENT DOES THE CAR FEEL NOW THAN IT DID IN THE SPRING?
“It was so long ago that I don’t really remember. I don’t think it’s way different. You’re still loose in; still loose off. I don’t know. The track lays more rubber, but I don’t really think that’s changing things quite like it did with the old car. I’m not sure. I think it’s going to be a similar race to what we saw earlier this year.”
WITH SOME OF THE DESPERATION FROM SOME OF THE GUYS IN THE ROUND OF 8 TO MAKE IT TO THE FINAL FOUR.. HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF OUT OF GETTING INVOLVED IN AN INCIDENT?
“I don’t know.. try to lead every lap I guess (laughs).
I look at really the No. 14 (Chase Briscoe); he looked really strong in practice. He’s definitely one of the most aggressive drivers in the field, and then you throw in the fact that he has to win to advance. I’m sure if he’s anywhere near the front of the field at the end, it’s going to get wild. We’ll see.. hopefully I’m in front of it or in front of him, and can avoid any issues. He could get to the lead and walk away with this thing too. That’s how good I thought his car looked in practice.”
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ALEX (BOWMAN) BEING MEDICALLY CLEARED TO RACE BEFORE THE SEASON ENDS?
“Yeah, that’s huge. I wasn’t quite sure if he would be able to race before the end of the year or not. I think that will be great for himself; his mind and knowing that he can do it, or just give him the confidence to get out there, race and compete. If things don’t quite feel 100% once he gets out there, now he knows and he has the whole off season to prepare. I think it’s good that he’s getting the opportunity to race and got cleared. He’s been working really, really hard. I don’t get to work out in the gym quite as often as he does, but I know he’s been working out multiple times a day, every day, and trying his best to get back in.
Great to see the improvement from the hard work pay off. I hope he can have a good run next weekend. It’s just great to have him back in the car.”
IT DIDN’T LOOK LIKE A LOT OF GUYS IN PRACTICE RAN IN TRAFFIC THAT MUCH. OBVIOUSLY, AFTER THE FIRST RACE, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TESTING THAT NASCAR HAS DONE ON BOTH THE TIRE AND ALSO PARTS OF THE NEXT GEN CAR. WERE YOU ABLE TO FEEL ANYTHING THAT FELT SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT TO WHAT YOU GUYS EXPERIENCED IN THE SPRING HERE?
“Somebody would have to tell me if there is anything different. I don’t really know if there is anything different, so I’m not sure how to answer that. If there is something different, I didn’t feel a difference. And if there’s not a difference, that’s probably why I didn’t feel a difference. I don’t know how to answer that. It felt similar to earlier this year.”
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.
NASCAR CUP SERIES MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY XFINITY 500 TEAM CHEVY POLE WINNER QUOTE OCTOBER 29, 2022
KYLE LARSON TO LEAD FIELD TO THE GREEN FROM THE POLE AT MARTINSVILLE Camaro ZL1 Sweeps Front Row
· Last week’s NASCAR Cup Series winner, Kyle Larson, will lead the field to the green in tomorrow’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Larson clocked in a fastest lap of 19.709 seconds in his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 to capture the pole.
· The feat marks Larson’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series pole win of 2022; and his 14th career pole in 294 starts in the series.
· Larson’s pole gives Chevrolet its 11th NASCAR Cup Series pole win of 2022; and 734th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series history.
· Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, qualified second in his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1, giving Chevrolet a sweep of the front row starting spots for tomorrow’s NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 elimination race.
KYLE, WHAT A RUN YOU GUYS ARE ON. DID YOU FEEL LIKE THAT WAS A POLE LAP?
“I don’t know.. I just tried to be smooth, keep traction the whole lap and it worked out. I tried to go a little bit harder the first lap than I did the round before. I kind of locked up, so I just kind of backed it down the second lap. I feel like a lot of times here, slower is faster, so I just tried to be smooth with it. I’m surprised I did anything good here at Martinsville (Speedway), so off to a good start so far. Hopefully we can keep it going tomorrow.”
YOU GUYS ARE ON SUCH A GOOD RUN. DO YOU EVER THINK ABOUT, IF YOU DID MAKE IT THROUGH TO THIS ROUND, WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN?
“No, my mindset hasn’t really changed at all, really. Just grateful to still have the opportunity to race for an owner’s championship. Yeah, three more points would be good, but I honestly don’t lose any sleep about it. I’ve got one championship under my belt and going for another one these next couple of weeks. I feel like going for an owner’s title is really what’s important.
Looking forward to it. Thank you to everybody at Hendrick Automotive Group, HENDRICKCARS.COM, Hendrick Motorsports. Chase (Elliott) and I on the front row will be pretty cool. Hopefully we’ll get Chase and William (Byron) locked-in through this round and give Mr. H a few shots at the championship.”
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 Xfinity 500 Qualifying | Saturday, October 29, 2022
FORD QUALIFYING RESULTS 3rd – Chase Briscoe 4th – Ryan Blaney 5th – Cole Custer 6th – Brad Keselowski 8th – Kevin Harvick 10th – Harrison Burton 12th – Joey Logano 13th – Michael McDowell 15th – Aric Almirola 19th – Todd Gilliland 22nd – Chris Buescher 30th – Austin Cindric 34th – BJ McLeod 35th – JJ Yeley 36th – Cody Ware
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – “That’s not bad. It’s a lot better starting spot than we were in the spring, so that’s good. I thought our race speed was pretty good, so it’s just a matter of staying in it all race. Like I said, starting decent and we just have to stay right for 500 laps.”
HOW BIG IS PIT SELECTION FOR THIS RACE? “It’s huge for multiple things. Just starting ahead of all this stuff and possible trouble, and also getting a good pit stall, so you just hope to have a good day on pit road and not make mistakes. You want to take advantage of what you’ve got and what you did here on Saturday to the most of your ability on Sunday.”
IS IT TOO EARLY TO START THINKING ABOUT STAGE POINTS, ESPECIALLY WITH WHERE YOU’RE STARTING? “We’ll just see how it all shakes out.”
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang – “It’s better than starting worse than that, but I should have had the pole. I threw it away both laps, so I’m frustrated about that part. I definitely had the best car in qualifying and didn’t get it done, so that part is frustrating. Still, we’ve got a good starting spot for tomorrow. We’ve got a really good car for tomorrow, too. It could have been a lot worse, for sure, but it could have been a lot better.”
PASSING WAS SO HARD IN THE FIRST RACE HERE, SO HOW MUCH DOES STARTING UP FRONT HELP? “Starting third is better than starting 13th. For us, we’ve got to win the race. It would have been a lot easier to start on the pole and try to lead them all, but there are a lot of things that come with qualifying on the pole here from pit stall selection and things like that. That’s the frustrating part. I know I gave away a pretty big advantage for tomorrow. I’ve just got to do better on my part, but we’ve got a really good car for tomorrow. That’s gonna be half the battle.”
NASCAR CUP SERIES MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY XFINITY 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT OCTOBER 29, 2022
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Martinsville Speedway. Press Conference Transcript:
DENNY HAMLIN IS THE BEST ACTIVE DRIVER HERE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE STATS. YOU ARE THE MOST RECENT WINNER HERE; HE DID NOT DO WELL IN THE SPRING. WHO HAS THE ADVANTAGE?
“I don’t know.. you tell me. I feel like we’ll know when we get done today a little bit; and then we’ll know more halfway through the race tomorrow. Martinsville (Speedway) has been a good track for us for the last two, two and a half years. Really my rookie year was probably my biggest struggle; and then after that, it pretty much clicked. I like this place. It’s where I grew up watching races, so I feel like I have a good idea of what to look for and how the track changes. When you enjoy coming to a place, you seem to have some success there.”
WHAT HAS THIS PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE BEEN LIKE FOR YOU, AS OPPOSED TO THE LAST ONE?
“It’s been enjoyable. I think there has been little check marks along the way. I think in a lot of ways, we had a little bit of a better performance throughout the entire year last year, and then we got to the playoffs and we kind of stumbled. But I feel like this year, we put a lot of emphasis on getting a couple wins early. We spent the summer trying to learn, and then we showed up to playoffs with good speed. We won the first stage of the playoffs at Darlington (Raceway) and we’ve scored a lot of points. I feel good about our playoffs. I think there’s been a couple of missed opportunities here and there that we could do a little bit better at executing the entire race, but we’ve had speed every week, so now is the time to show that.”
DO YOU ENJOY THE PLAYOFF ATMOSPHERE AND THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT COME WITH IT?
“I do. I enjoy the competition. I don’t enjoy some of the other things that come outside of it, but I enjoy the competition. I was driving up here last night thinking that there’s no other feeling like this. You don’t get this feeling at the beginning of the year; you don’t get it in the middle of the year. You get this feeling now. So, I think that’s the cool thing; the thought process and the feelings you get knowing that you’re doing something important.”
YOU’VE TALKED MANY TIMES ABOUT HOW JIMMIE JOHNSON WAS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITES. IS THERE ANYTHING FROM YEARS OF BEING A KID, WATCHING HIM, THAT YOU’RE USING THIS WEEK AND POTENTIALLY NEXT WEEK?
“Yeah, that’s a good point. I haven’t really thought of it. But yeah, certainly some of those things are engrained in my memory of how he and Chad (Knaus) did things on that No. 48 team and how Jimmie executed races here for wins. A lot of that stuff is way back in my head somewhere, but it probably factors in a little bit to my instincts.”
I SAW CHAD (KNAUS) HERE THIS MORNING. WHAT’S IT LIKE TO HAVE HIM AROUND? THAT’S THE GUY WHO’S BEHIND ALL OF THAT SUCCESS AND NOW HE’S THERE BEING A MENTOR TO YOU. THAT HAS TO BE A BIG ASSET TO HAVE.
“Yeah, it is. Chad (Knaus) and I were on the phone this week talking – not anything about racing, at first – but we were talking about where he wants to get Kipling into school. We started talking about this weekend a little bit. I asked him a couple of questions for advice. It’s really cool to have that.. to have him in our corner and have someone that’s been there, done that; and been in these exact situations and has an idea of how to handle it. I thought it was really cool trying to pick his brain a little bit and get an idea of what it’s like.”
YOU DON’T SEEM NERVOUS AT ALL.. EMBRACING THIS OPPORTUNITY AND LOOKING FORWARD TO IT, RATHER THAN BEING ANXIOUS ABOUT IT. WHAT’S THAT EVOLUTION BEEN LIKE FOR YOU? THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO, WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN THIS CALM?
“Number one, I feel like I’ve been in this position a couple of times. I just know how it was for me at the start of my career when I was nervous for every practice session. Nervous for every qualifying session and dreading the race, not knowing what’s going to happen. I think I’ve just matured, like you said, and learned how to approach it. I’ve learned what’s worked for me and I think that’s what’s led to this mindset. It’s like self-growth. I don’t think it’s taken any certain thing to happen from the outside to grow that, but I think it’s been the experiences that I’ve had at a young age that I’ve learned what works for me. I’ve learned what I want to feel before I get in the race car and what I want to feel in these moments.
Also, this is a situation that is an opportunity. I’ve never been in this position and I hope to be in it many times. But it’s something I look at as an opportunity that I want to make the most of.”
DOES THE FACT THAT YOU CAME HERE EARLIER IN THE YEAR AND WON.. DOES THAT GIVE YOU ANY EXTRA CONFIDENCE COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND; OR HAS TOO MUCH CHANGED SINCE THEN?
“Yeah, certainly. I think I was more nervous for Homestead. I didn’t feel like we had a great test down there, but I was pleasantly surprised by the speed that we brought to the race. I think I was more nervous last week, not knowing what the performance was going to be like.
Yeah, there’s a little bit of confidence going into this race since we had a good race in the spring. But at the same time, we had a test here, and you don’t know who’s going to be good or not, based on that test.
It’s kind of up in the air. I feel good about this race track, but you just don’t know until you get out there. That’s honestly my mentality.. just try to get in the car and not think too much.”
DOES WHERE YOU QUALIFY DETERMINE HOW YOU’RE GOING TO RACE; OR DO YOU AND RUDY (FUGLE) KIND OF ALREADY HAVE A PLAN GOING IN?
“Yeah, it’s going to definitely factor into how you approach that first stage. So I think a good qualifying effort, it’s good for pit selection. We’ve all talked about that stuff. But I think you just have to roll with the punches. If it doesn’t go well in qualifying for some reason, we still start the race with the same amount of points above the cutline. We will still have an opportunity in the first stage to go get them, it’s just going to make it a little bit more difficult. We pride ourselves on good qualifying efforts in the fall so far, so hopefully we can do that again.”
THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF CRITICISM AS TO HOW THE RACING WAS HERE IN THE SPRING. BUT FROM YOUR VIEW, I WOULD IMAGINE IT WAS PRETTY GOOD. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT, WHEN YOU HEAR PEOPLE CRITICIZE RACES WHERE YOU KIND OF STUNK UP THE SHOW?
“Yeah, I liked it. I thought our car was really good and we got to show that. The race certainly could have been better. I think we’ve seen at the road courses and the short tracks, it’s hard to pass. I want it to be better, for the sake if I’m having a bad day, that I can improve it. If we get the car a little bit better, we can make passes. But selfishly, in the spring, it was a great race.”
HAVE YOU TALKED TO JIMMIE JOHNSON AT ALL IN THE LAST MONTH OR TWO? IF SO, WHAT ADVICE HAS HE GIVEN YOU ABOUT NAVIGATING THESE PLAYOFFS?
“We haven’t talked. I think I’m just trying to experience it all for the first time. I don’t know what questions I have, yet. I think maybe the second go around, when I get through this year and experience what I’ve experienced, then I will have an idea. But luckily, I have some good people in my corner – within my team and outside of my team – so I just try to stay focused on the task at hand and not overthink it too much.”
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
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 Xfinity 500 Advance | Saturday, October 29, 2022
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang – Media Availability
BEING IN A MUST-WIN SITUATION WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO UPGRADE YOUR PERFORMANCE? “I don’t think so. Even the first race here we were coming to win, anyway, so I don’t think it changes your outlook. Every weekend you’re trying to win. I think maybe knowing that you’re in a must-win makes it a little bit easier to maybe try to win the race just from a strategy standpoint because you don’t have to go for the points, where like on a road course at the Roval you kind of shoot yourself in the foot to try to get points and you don’t really have a shot to win the race, so I think for us this week knowing that we’re in a must-win it maybe makes it a little bit easier from a strategy standpoint if the cautions fall the right way, but we go to the racetrack every weekend looking to win.”
DOES IT CHANGE YOUR LEVEL OF AGGRESSIVENESS ON WHAT YOU’RE WILLING TO DO AND NOT DO? “I think it’s hard to say what you’re willing to do sitting here versus when you’re in the moment. The emotions and adrenaline, everything is totally different than when you’re sitting here. Definitely knowing that you have to win if you’re in second, you’re gonna know. If you were in a different points position, running second might put you into the final four, where, for us, you’re gonna have to win the race. I don’t know what you’re willing to do. I think it’s different for everybody and until you’re in that moment it’s hard to say. We’ve just got to go try to get a win.”
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED THIS AT THE CUP LEVEL BEFORE? “I feel like even through the regular season my whole career I’ve never given up in a race. I’m always 100 percent every lap, but I will say I felt like in the playoffs I did a lot better job of just risk versus reward and kind of knowing like at Texas, for example. We were running 28th. You’re not gonna drive to fifth right here, so just maintain where you’re at and watching Harvick, he’s so good at that. At the beginning of the race he might not be the best car, but at the end he finds himself up there in a position. I feel like in the playoffs I’ve learned a lot about how to put the whole race together, where I probably didn’t do the best job of that for really my entire career. I felt like in the playoffs we had a string of four races where I would say two of those we definitely finished better than where we ran all day and it was just a matter of putting yourself in position and just chipping away at it. On the restarts, try to gain two or three spots. On pit road, try to gain two or three spots and by the end of it you’re up there in the top 10 and sometimes in the top five, so I felt like I learned a lot about that in the playoffs and when to not put yourself in a bad situation trying too hard. I didn’t do a very good job of that in the regular season. I felt I did a lot better in the playoffs, but went all back on it last week though.”
WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE FOR YOUR FIRST TIME IN THE CUP PLAYOFFS? “I would say honestly that the intensity has not been as high as I thought it was going to be and some of that is probably because I’m not up there battling for stage points, so that could be some of it. But I felt like the Xfinity Series, like I remember 2019 was my first playoffs there and being in the top five to seven in those stages and how hard the racing was, and I would say it’s similar in the Cup deal. I guess what I thought it was gonna be is I thought it was gonna be exponentially more than even what the Xfinity Series was from an intensity standpoint and it’s kind of the same. That kind of caught me off guard because I did think it would be a little more, and I just feel like at the Cup level everybody is so cut-throat now anyways. Late race restarts and just restarts in general everybody is kind of out there for themselves, so the intensity didn’t really change, I didn’t feel like, from the regular season to playoff time.”
HOW DISAPPOINTED ARE YOU TO BE IN THE POSITION YOU’RE IN? “It’s disappointing for sure, but it’s not as disappointing as the other eight guys that are already knocked out. We still have a one in eight chance. It’s a slim chance, but we still have a chance, where there are eight other guys who don’t even have a shot to be in the final four. There’s still a lot to be proud of. It’s disappointing that we’re in a must-win. I felt like if we could come here and kind of do the same as we did the other rounds of the playoffs, where we could be just within 10 points we had a chance to go out there and point our way in, but we’re gonna have to earn it and that’s how it should be. We’ll try to win tomorrow. I thought we had a pretty good car here the first race, so it’s gonna be interesting to see how the race plays out. If it’s as hard as it was to pass the first race, if we qualify good today and start up front, we can really kind of maintain the race. We’ve just got to go there and know what the goal is and tomorrow just got to do it.”
HOW ARE YOU VIEWING THE SEASON FOR YOURSELF AT THIS POINT? HAVE YOU OVERACHIEVED GETTING TO THIS POINT OR IS THIS WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO? “I would say underachieved a little bit just because I know what we’re capable of, like when we put it all together, truthfully, we could have three race wins right now just based off speed alone. So, only having eight or nine top 10s, when we put the whole race together – the last four weeks we’ve done it in and that’s where we should be week in and week out and a lot of that falls on me, so I feel like I underachieved just from not finishing. I should have won the Coke 600. The Bristol race I probably wasn’t gonna win, but the Coke 600 I had the best car and ran fourth with it, so I felt like I underachieved in some areas. I felt like I learned a lot. I felt like I grew a lot this year. I feel way more confident in what I’m doing and I feel like I belong in the Cup Series a lot more, so, from that side, I feel like I’ve achieved a lot of the goals and checked a lot of boxes that I wanted to check going into the second year of the Cup Series, but from a results standpoint you always want more. You could win 10 races and you wish you would have won 12. I wouldn’t say just making it to the top eight was an overachieving moment for us because I felt like from a speed standpoint we are a top eight car when we put it all together. We just haven’t done that as consistently as others, so I felt like I underachieved a lot just in my performance. I’ve just got to get better and it’s gonna come as I get more experience. It’s just putting myself in these situations and learning what not to do will hopefully help for future times when I’m in that same situation.”
SAFE TO SAY THIS QUALIFYING SESSION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THE YEAR FOR YOU? “Yeah, for sure I would say. We’ve been really, really good qualifying on the short tracks. The big tracks we’ve kind of struggled, but the short tracks have been really good to us, so, yeah, definitely a really important one. This is one where as a driver you feel like you can make quite a big difference. I didn’t do a very good job the first time here. I locked the left-front up, so I need to definitely not do that today, but, yeah, definitely a really important one. Like I said, if it’s gonna be as hard to pass as it was the first race, then starting up front is gonna be huge, and the pit stall selection is massive here. So, it’s definitely an important qualifying session.”
HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS AND HOW WOULD YOU MEASURE IT THIS YEAR? “It’s tough when you’re this close if you don’t make it because you can taste it. I go back to the Vegas race. I thought I was gonna win the race with 20 to go and you can kind of taste that final four. When you’re this close, yeah, you’re proud to make it this far – at least in my situation, being my second year. I’m proud to make it to the final eight, but when you’re this close you’re gonna be bummed if you didn’t get there. For me, I definitely would say it’s 50/50. There are some things that were a success, but there are other areas where it probably wasn’t a success. I think you’ve got to continue to keep trying to be more and more successful, and I feel like I gave up a couple wins this year. Like last week, making a mistake and spinning out when you’re four laps away from the stage is a mistake I don’t need to be making, especially when the stakes are as high as they are. I’m kind of 50/50 on the success side.”
