TOYOTA RACING – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

KANSAS CITY (April 18, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race from Kansas Speedway.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 National Debt Relief Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

What are some of the things you are looking for in practice and qualifying here in Kansas?

“Because we’ve had some success here, I’ll know right away, whether it’s got all the good feels to it that it’s supposed to. Not a whole lot of changes from last year. We’re doing a little bit of fine tuning to see if we can slightly improve what we had here in the fall, but that was obviously very strong, and so the room for improvement is very small, but you still got to keep going for those margins, and, there’s just little things I feel when I go in the corner that need to be a certain way, and if I’ve got that, then it’s good.”

How much are you watching with Chevrolet is doing this weekend?

“Zero. zero. Not even a second.”

Why?

“Like, if they were a second faster lap, like, what am I supposed to do about that? You know what I mean? There’s nothing I can do. All my focus is, like, how can I get the most out of my car? I know that if I do that, then we’re going to be right there. So, not really looking at any other cars, manufacturers, and there’s certain guys that are historically really good here, and some of them are in Chevrolets. I absolutely will be using them as like my baseline of how I practice kind of verse them with a certain offset of my mind, knowing that, I’m typically not super fast here on Saturdays, but it’s just a comparison of that. It’s not necessarily – I need to look out for, see how fast they are.”

What do you want to get out of the Chicagoland test and are you at an advantage having run that track before?

“I mean, maybe. Maybe a third of the field hasn’t seen it. I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s an advantage. The advantage comes from having the track time. That’s ultimately where the advantage comes from. Now, that surface hasn’t seen racing in quite some time. So, what we have to do is temper our expectations of what happens out there on the test, we’re going to be going out there probably blowing dust off the thing for a few days. When we go back for the race weekend, I think that track will be totally different. But the good news is we got some good comps, which is the guys that are going be running there for the other manufacturers are guys that I would suspect, we’re going to have to race, but there is some sort of advantage knowing that I have run well there, have won there, and know what a car needs to feel like at that track. I have no idea what kind of conditions it’s in till we get there.”

How messy were some of the conversations last fall after the two best cars didn’t win?

“It certainly played a factor, kind of in the manufacturer battle as well, right? I mean, you go from winning one to now your competition actually won. There were definitely a lot of negatives to the way that race ended, but it certainly was I just feel like, I was trying to go for it, certainly, and used a little bit too much aggression, for sure, in turn three. But overall, you’re going to have that in racing. When you have teammates, manufacturer guys that you all share information with, we’re going to always be right around each other. So sometimes those racing incidents happen in a one out of 20 times.”

What has been the biggest surprise about racing under this new points format?

“Nothing has really surprised me. I think the format is doing what it was designed to do, which is reward the cars that run up front, finish up front, and win races. I thought when we were talking about kind of where the format was going to go and whatnot, I kind of resigned to the fact, well, we’re going to break this thing up into three, four races, and still have cutoffs and stuff, and, when they went all the way, it was shocking from my perspective, but it was a wow, I wish this had been around for much longer. So, I think it’s going to reward your top guys, and you’re going to see, I think you’re going to continue to see them continue to pull away because they’re the ones that are winning and getting those 15 extra points in the regular season. They’re going to be higher in the regular season points. Other than that part, nothing else has changed in the regular season. There’s no extra points for anything else other than just winning. So, I don’t necessarily feel like it’s any different than any other year.”

On your podcast, when you didn’t know how Chase Elliott won – did you really just forget?

“I really forgotten (laughter). Yeah, I had no idea. I can’t hold, but so much, like, when something else new comes in, something has to go out (laughter). You know what I mean? I mean, but I figured it out. The main thing was that, I mean, for the last six years, if someone else wins a Kansas race, I’m just trying to figure out how we didn’t win, because we’re always just so fast here. We found 10 to 12 different ways to not win here, and I thought I saw the stat this week that there has only been, I think (Kyle) Larson’s been the only repeat winner here of the last 11 races, and it was like, the fact that we haven’t is just criminal. So, hopefully we can change that.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

TOYOTA RACING – Ty Gibbs
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

KANSAS CITY (April 18, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs was made available to the media on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race from Kansas Speedway.

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Zep Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Can you take us through a couple of cool moments from this week?

“Yeah to get a Cup win is super cool, and then to have my family there was super cool, really special, and to have Monster Energy on the car was awesome, along with all of our other partners, but Monster’s been with me since I’ve been super young, and, and I’ve known Mitch Covington since before I was racing in motocross stuff. So, to have them on was super special.”

Has there been any surprises with point system?

“No, I think what Denny (Hamlin) said was perfect in his podcast – it’s rewarding the guys are consistent and not just people that have won a race. I think it’s been great. I think it is the most fair that points could be for what everybody wants. So I think NASCAR did a really good job with that, so kudos to them.”

Do you know about your fan Zach, and have you seen him respond to fans this past week?

“No, I haven’t, but Zach’s been a huge supporter of my career and he’s been a fan, and his page is really cool and he does a really cool job and has a lot of statistics and stuff. Zach kind of is known by all of us on the 54 team. I think that’s pretty funny. It’s cool. It was always going happen. I guess they maybe regret saying that Zach’s got them covered on that side.”

What does it mean to have his and other fans support?

“Yeah, super cool. Zach’s been a great fan, but it’s not just him. There are a lot of other great people out there and to see this week how many more people are wearing 54 shirts is awesome. So, it’s just it’s super cool. It’s just very special to have people like that root for you every week like that’s not on the team or whatever. I think that’s super important, and for me, I really appreciate all of that. I think it’s cool.”

How much relief is it to get this first win?

“Yeah, it’s cool. I’ve obviously had great opportunities to have that win, and it didn’t happen. So for me, it wasn’t like it was life changing. But I really appreciate it. This is more for my team than for myself. I’ve been through a lot as a whole organization, especially in the last couple months, so it’s been cool and we’ll keep working for more.”

How hard is it to make the transition to Cup with no testing and fewer practices?

“Yeah, it’s really hard, and I think it’s equally as hard nowadays with this Next Gen car, how important track position is. You guys probably know that more than me. It’s just really hard and the cars are way different and you have no practice time. So, you come from Xfinity and the guys aren’t as good. I think I got a false sense of how easy it was, and then same with the ARCA, and it’s not even remotely close. It’s hard for sure, but I mean you have to get your ass kicked to get better for sure. I think watching, maybe me and some other guys, go to Cup, like maybe rethink – maybe I need to stay down here for a couple more years and win, like, a lot of races and championships instead of just some races and go right to Cup racing, I think it’s hard, but I love the challenge. I’ve had enjoyed the whole ride and, even when it doesn’t seem like I have, I’ve loved every second of it.”

Do you think they rushed you a bit or no?

“No, I mean, it was just what the timing was. I mean, it’s God’s timing. Everything that happened at the end of 2022 is pretty crazy and with people and driving different places. I mean, I don’t know, maybe I would be here or somewhere else, but yeah, I’m fine with it. I’m having so much fun. I’m having a lot of fun in my career so far, and I hope to just keep going. Yeah, it’s been a lot of fun, a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication. Yeah, I love it.”

What does it mean to you and your team to say that you are a Cup Series winner?

“Really cool. Yeah, really cool experience, really, really cool memory. It’s an honor for sure. I’ve grown up watching, a lot of people win races for our team, but as a driver, it’s super cool and it’s just really special for me.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

TOYOTA RACING – Erik Jones
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

KANSAS CITY (April 18, 2026) – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver Erik Jones was made available to the media on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race from Kansas Speedway.

ERIK JONES, No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

How are you feeling about your season?

“I think we’re kind of in the middle where we want to be and where we are, but we’ve had some performance that – we haven’t gotten the finishes necessarily the last couple of weeks. We’ve been caught in some wrecks, so we’ve been getting some okay points, and keeping at least in the fight of getting in the Chase. We will keep battling and keep getting our cars better. Excited to see where we stack up again on a mile and a half. I didn’t think Vegas was great for us, but we made some good changes, I think, and some big changes to see where they’re going to put us this week, and we’ll see what we have here this afternoon.”

This is obviously a big, big weekend for your sponsor, AdventHealth. What are you doing around being the entitlement partner for the Cup race?

“Yeah, it’s great. I’ve been with them for coming to, I think, three or four years now, and they just spent a great partner to me. We expanded our partnership a little bit more this year. They had a few more races. Kansas is obviously a big market for them with the race entitlement, as well as a bunch of hospitals in the area here and support around the area. I’ve done a lot of work with them, with my foundation, and things they support, and what they’ve done for me. So, enjoy that relationship and hope we can get a good run for him. Be nice to get him up front and get them challenging for a win.”

What’s made this place so challenging for you in recent years?

“Getting crashed (laughter). I think I’ve been wrecked here over and over it feels like. The restarts are really chaotic, and we’ve got caught up on some incidents. I think last fall, we avoided them and ran maybe 13th or 14th, but I don’t know, our performance just hasn’t been great even beyond the wrecks, really. We just need some more pace, we haven’t really had that, I don’t think. We’ve qualified okay. But honestly, qualifying is just a test of who wants to hold it wide open a little bit, and not necessarily maybe your car. I think the race is showing some of our weakness, just not having speed on the long runs. That’s been our biggest challenge, I think, is the migration we went through. Mostly you’re fighting going extremely free on the long runs, and that’s kind of held us up from some better runs, I feel like.”

You’ve had some changes in the organization lately with Michael Guttilla, as the new president, and Darius Rucker becoming a partner. Have you had a chance to meet Michael, and what sort of impact do you think that might have?

“Yeah, I didn’t know him beforehand. But I had a chance to sit down and spend some time with him in the last week and a half. I think he’s a super impressive guy. His resume’s really strong, and he’s done a lot of things, and in motorsports, and in manufacturing and production cars. He has a pretty broad range of skills, and I think he has a lot of managerial skills. I think the role he’s in is great, obviously, but I think he can bring a lot to the table and sense of understanding the engineering side as well. I don’t think he’s a guy that is just well versed in business, but I think he’s well versed in competition and performance. I’m excited to have him. We’ve been kind of waiting to fill that role and find the right guy, and that’s been a role that wasn’t just randomly filled when Michael became available. It was something that’s been in the works, and we’ve been trying to find the right fit for a while. I was excited to do that, excited to have him, and see what he can bring. It’s still super early. It’s been a couple of weeks, but I really, I think his influence is already starting to be felt a bit.”

We almost can’t call Justin Alexander your new crew chief anymore because you guys kind of get further into the season, but what’s the relationship been like?

“Yeah, you get to know each other pretty quickly in competition, and just in week to week, like this, but I think, for me, just, is confidence and calmness on the radio has been nice. I just want somebody who, when they’re going to make a call, they’re going to stick to it, whether that’s good or bad, and just be direct on the radio. No games and back and forth of what maybe we’re doing, what maybe we’re not doing, adjustments we may, may or not be doing. Justin’s (Alexander) usually pretty straightforward with all of that. So, I’ve enjoyed that part of it. I think he’s been a good team leader for the 43 guys. I’ve been with them for a couple of years now, obviously, seeing a change from Ben (Beshore) last year to Justin this year, and I think the relationship there is strong. The season’s just been okay right now for me. I wish there was some races we could have done a bit better, but overall, I think the relationship with Justin, I’ve enjoyed working with him, and he’s been doing a good job during the race, making good changes, so that’s been fun.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
APRIL 18, 2026

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Kansas Speedway. Larson, the event’s defending winner, is a three-time winner in NASCAR’s top division at the track.

Media Availability Quotes:

Obviously, there’s a lot of talk about coming back to the site and event of your last win. So just tell me, as the week has gone on, what are your general feelings before heading out for practice and qualifying as we get this weekend going?

“Yeah, we typically run pretty well here, so excited to get back to Kansas and just get racing. Hopefully, we can execute a good Saturday; have a good car once again, qualify towards the front and set ourselves up for tomorrow.”

What’s been the biggest surprise about the racing so far under this new points format?

“I would say nothing’s been surprising to me. I didn’t think that the racing would really change heading into this season. And I would say, being out on the track, it doesn’t seem any different either. Guys are still really aggressive. Guys are going hard for stage points, as always, and race finishes. So, yeah, I don’t know what it looks like on TV, but I think it’s like the same old racing.”

This weekend you can tie Denny Hamlin for the most wins here, and you’re also 25 laps led away from passing Kevin Harvick for the most laps here. Whether it’s Kansas or any track, how important is it to be one of the best or the best statistically at a track?

“I don’t know. I mean, that’s not something I really pay attention to at the moment. You know, maybe when your career’s over, that’s the stuff that you’ll notice and think is cool. But right now, you just show up to the track and try to, like I said, do the best job you can. It would be cool to join Denny (Hamlin) as a four-time winner here. And yeah, obviously if you can pass Kevin Harvick on laps led anywhere, that’s pretty impressive. But neither of those were things that I thought about until you just brought it up.”

Looking ahead a few days, there’s a tire test that you’re participating in at Chicagoland. What kind of expectations do you have for a place where we really haven’t raced since 2019?

“Yeah, it’s been a while. Chicagoland was an awesome track back then, and I feel like it’s going to be a lot of fun with this car. I think this car produces a little bit more exciting racing on the intermediate-style tracks. I’m just curious to get there; see what condition the facility is in at this point, the racing surface and how it’s changed in the last six years or whatever it’s been. So, yeah, I think our whole team is excited about this test. I think there’s a lot of opportunity for us to learn there that could benefit us at other racetracks also throughout the year. So, yeah, it’s going to be a good test with a good benchmark of teams going there. I think it’s myself, the 11 (Denny Hamlin), the 12 (Ryan Blaney) and one other one maybe, I can’t remember. But those are the teams that you look at each week, so to go there and have two days to kind of learn what you can about your car, but also you’ll see how you stack up against them. They’re probably going to bring their best stuff, as well, so it’ll be good.”

When you look ahead to Talladega, what stands out as the biggest challenge for you guys? “Yeah, Talladega, I guess for next week, it’ll be a little different with the stage lengths. So just curious to see how that’s kind of going to affect the fuel conservation and stuff throughout the race. I still think you’re going to be saving quite a bit of fuel, but we’ll see when we get there. And then, I think you just study that and see what kind of scenarios might pop up and how to best adapt for it. You’re always trying to position yourself for that final run to the end, so we’ll see if we can do that. We’ve done that well in the past at Talladega, especially, and I think it could just look a little different now with stage lengths.”

You finished really well in these spring races in the Next Gen era. You’re coming in off some tough races and getting close to win. How much of a measuring stick is Kansas for you?

“Every track is a measuring stick, so I wouldn’t say it’s any more when you come here. But we do have a good package for this track and style of tracks. We always want to get better in all of that, so we’ll just try to go out there and try to execute a good weekend. Execute a good Saturday, that’s really important to feel your car’s balance out in practice and then take that into qualifying. With the conditions being cold today, you’ve really got to commit in qualifying, so getting your brain right for that is always difficult. And then hopefully that goes well and we can start towards the front tomorrow, just kind of chip away throughout the day and just give ourselves an opportunity.”

What are some of the challenges that face you at this track?

“Well, I think for this place, the wind definitely has an effect on your car. It’s not like a consistent direction. I feel like every time we come here, even from Saturday to Sunday, a lot of times it changes. So, that’s something that I always try to pay attention to here is the wind and how that might affect your car on the entries and exits of the corner and how you may be able to use the wind to your advantage with balance, passing and all that. And then, yeah, your level of commitment is very high here. You’re running right next to the wall in (turns) one and two and managing the risk there is important. But, yeah, more than anything, I think the long runs and the wind is probably something I try to pay attention to.”

Having time to look over the No. 5 team and the way you all have performed this season, and even having the break and coming back, where do you think the team is as a whole?

“I think our team is in a good spot in how we operate. You always want to get your cars better. I think the low downforce package, the short track package, is an area that we’re not where we want to be currently. So just working hard as an organization at Hendrick Motorsports, but also with Chevy, to get better. A lot of focus is going into that and hopefully we can hit on it soon and start just having more consistent runs from track to track. Right now, I feel really confident when we come to these style tracks, but it’s just a bit unknown every time we show up to a short track on how we might be. That’s the area where I think we need to get better. But like I said, the processes and where we are as a group with the No. 5 team, I think we’re in a good spot.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.

GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US IndyCar series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
APRIL 18, 2026

AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Kansas Speedway.

Media Availability Quotes:

We’re getting toward the quarter point of the season. Where do you think you’ve leveled out in terms of expectations you set at the beginning of the year?

“Yeah, I think it’s interesting in our situation. I’m not sure we really set any expectations. Obviously you want to go out there and run as good as possible, but in our situation, I think every weekend is kind of a new test. I thought we started the year really well, and then we kind of went through a stretch of with Martinsville and Darlington — Las Vegas was, I think, probably our most frustrating weekend because we’ve been pretty good at Vegas and we just missed it. I’m not sure if it was the new body on the Chevy side of it and trying to learn that. Basically, for us, trying to guess at it. I think that the challenge has been when they change the aero package. Even some of the good racetracks, like Darlington that we have we had good notes on, we couldn’t really use those.

So all in all, we’re 20th in points, which I try not to really look at the points. But you know, I feel like more than anything, whether it’s a good or bad weekend, we’ve gotten pretty much everything out of that weekend, whether it was 27th in Martinsville or last week we ran inside the top-12 all day and had a top-15. We’re finishing most of the laps and we’re not really making any mistakes, so far, it’s been okay. It’s so weird.. it’s hard to say, like last week, we ran top-15 and we’re happy with that because it’s tough to say that. But you know, in our situation, it’s really good. I think if we can have more runs like that over the next few weeks, I think we’re moving in the right direction, at least.”

In a week like this, where you come back with the same tire package as let’s say the fall, does it make it at least a little easier for you guys to guess, even though the body obviously is different?

“Yeah, I think it makes it a little easier, but the body definitely had us thrown off at Las Vegas. For instance, like last week at Vegas, I felt like I had a good balance on the rear of the car. We were always just a little bit tight, but we had speed doing that. And this year, we were just massively loose from the first lap on the racetrack, and we never got ahead of that. I think that’s the biggest thing with being on our own; if we unload in practice and we’re good… like last weekend at Bristol, I thought we were decent in practice and that carries into qualifying and the race. If we unload and we’re way off, you’re literally just taking a big swing, as much as you can with these cars going into the race. So hopefully we unload, at least, fairly close and have a good practice. That’s always important. But yeah, that makes it a little bit easier. It’s more of just trying to judge the body and seeing what that balance is supposed to be.”

It’s going to be mid-50s today for practice and qualifying and 70s for the race tomorrow. Is there anything in today’s session, in particular, that you’re going to be looking for, compared to a day where it would be warmer?

“I mean, the temperatures are always going to give it a little more grip, so I think trying to wrap your head around how fast you are in practice and knowing that the pace will slow a little bit during the race and trying to get those heights right for that. More than anything, we’re fortunate, a little bit, that we’re in the second group… maybe not in out-right practice speed, but the ARCA race is going to go run; there’s no rubber on the racetrack and at least through the first-half of the first group, I think you’re just going to be peeling the ARCA rubber off the racetrack. I think the second group will at least have a little bit of Cup rubber down. But that’s the biggest thing with this racetrack, I feel like, is a lot of rubber gets put down. You start searching for places that don’t have rubber. If you have speed, I think you’re still going to have speed tomorrow. But definitely trying to counteract that with the thought of – OK, the O’Reilly Series is going to run after we’re done. There will be more rubber on the racetrack. It will be a little bit warmer, so what balance do you need for that. You just take the conditions as they come. Being in the second group will at least help, I think, be a little closer.”

What makes this place specifically so challenging for you?

“I think just running the fence with so much speed. You can make a little bit of speed running in the middle or running on the bottom, but eventually as the tires wear out, it goes to the top. And then even in qualifying, it’s around the top. That’s something that I’m OK at, but I’m always trying to work on that; be better and figure out how to be faster and do things to be a little bit more comfortable doing it. You know, guys like Larson, Redick and Blaney, they’re so good at being right against the wall. I mean, hell, last year, they were wide open in turn one, the good cars were. That’s tough to get yourself to commit to if you don’t have a really good practice. And I think that goes back to having a really good practice. If you feel good with your racecar, it’s a lot easier to go down there than having a bad racecar or being a little bit off and trusting it.

At the end of the day, I think it’s all about making the right decisions. If you think you can go and get it, go get it. And if not, fencing the thing and making your team work on it is not what we need in our situation. Maybe it hurts pride a little bit, but you’ve got to just take what it gives you. I do feel like with this racetrack, especially as the tires wear out, you can pass it. I don’t think I’ve had great qualifying runs here, and I’ve been able to drive up into the top-10 or near the top-10 if you’ve got a good car. So that’s something that makes it a little bit easier, knowing that you can go pass if you’re near the back.”

What’s been the biggest surprise about the racing so far under the new points system?

“That’s a good question. I don’t know if anything’s really surprised me. I don’t know if it’s part of it because I’ve been in this before. Some of these guys haven’t raced this point system. I know what to kind of expect.

In our situation, I don’t think it changes. You’re trying to maximize the best finish. It does help for a team like ours, where if you’re ahead of somebody, they win the race and now they’ve locked themselves in. That was something I felt last year. We had a rough end of the year, but I felt like a legitimate 16th to 19th-place team. Next thing you know, you’re 25th in points because guys have won and moved up.

At the end of the day, I still feel like it’s so hard to win a Cup race. If we’re in that situation and I have a chance to do it, I’m going to do everything I can. I know it only pays a little bit more points now and it doesn’t lock you in, but it’s still about winning. I think we’ve seen races come to the end that it’s still about winning. It’s important even, if it doesn’t lock you in. I don’t think anything’s really surprised me. It’s just nice to know where you’re at in points at all times instead of getting jumped.”

You talked about the fact that you’re 20th in points and your team has been maximizing as much as you can with the resources that you have. Does that make you more optimistic moving forward with the fact that you are going to get more improvements as the season goes on? Do you look more forward to later on in the season when you come back to some of these tracks or is it kind of just the same?

“I think you hope that you’re going to get more improvements. I believe that we will, but there’s so much that goes into it. We could come back here in the fall and they’ve changed the aero package or we’ve changed the tire or something. I think it’s about doing the best you can every weekend and just getting the most out of it and working close with our group. I think Mike Cook, our competition director, is doing a great job. I love working with my crew chief, Trent Owens. We have such a good relationship. I love my group. In a way, it sounds extreme compared to what we are in this country right now, but you’re going to war together, right? It’s tough to go beat the Hendrick’s, the Penske’s and Gibbs’, and even run with them. It’s just putting your head down and whatever we have for resources, just maximizing it. That’s something that we’re trying to do. Hopefully, as the year goes on, that gets easier, but we don’t know that until we get down the road. It’s just like in life. You just do the best that you can. It’s a week like last week. I got out of the car. It’s like, yeah, do you want more than 15th? But could I look in the mirror and felt like we did everything we could? Yeah, and you just be happy with that. If you feel like you’ve messed up, then you fix it and don’t do it again.”

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