Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Charlotte Advance | Saturday, October 8, 2022

Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang, visited the infield media center at Charlotte Motor Speedway earlier today to talk about this weekend’s Round of 12 finale. Blaney, who is currently second in the standings and 32 points above the cut line, won the inaugural Roval Cup race in 2018.

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – YOU HAVE BEEN PART OF THE USA DOCUMENTARY, CAN YOU GIVE US SOME THOUGHTS ON HOW IT’S GONE? “It’s been fun and it’s been neat to be able to kind of give a little more access for fans. I feel like the response from it from fans and everything like that has been pretty positive. It’s been good and I think they do a good job of balancing the at-track to away track stuff. Obviously, you have maybe some over-dramatization of some stuff, but that’s with any kind of TV show. But I think it’s been good. It’s been a little bit different having people in your house wanting to film you in your home, but I think it’s been pretty good, a good balancing act, so hopefully, like I said, people have enjoyed it and that’s really what it’s all about – giving fans a little bit more access, kind of our week to week stuff, away from track stuff, even a little bit more of a look into our meetings during the weekend. Not a lot of people know all the meetings that go on and the preparation work, so I think it’s been really good and I’ve been excited that the fans have enjoyed it as well.”

IN YOUR POSITION IN POINTS, ARE YOU FOCUSED ON STAGE POINTS OR THE OVERALL WIN MORE? “We’re fortunate to be in a decent spot on points, so I think you kind of see how the first stage goes for you. If you can get a few points in the first stage and kind of see where everyone else is at, then maybe you flip the second one and set yourself up for the win. I think a lot of that is how you qualify, how the first stage goes – we’ve talked about this all week of different scenarios, but there are a handful of guys – there are a few guys in the playoffs that I think will flip every stage. You’ve got the 9, the 20, who probably has to win, the 8 has been good – he’s not part of the playoffs anymore, but the 8 has been really good on road courses, so he’ll flip everything. Our strategy is seeing how the first stage goes and kind of go from there.”

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO HEAR FROM NASCAR IN THE SAFETY MEETING? “Really just to hear what they have to say. I’m happy that we’re having a meeting. That’s good. It’s unfortunate the circumstances that have made us have this meeting, but I feel like just go in there and see what they have to say. I know we have a handful of questions as drivers that we want to ask them about the progression of the safety side of it. I know they’re working on some stuff, rear clip stuff and things like that. It’s unfortunate that a couple guys have had to get injured to kind of realize that there needs to be work done, and that’s a long-term thing. You’re working on rear clips now, but you’re not gonna be able to implement them this year. That’s a next year thing, so what are the short-term things we can do to try to get these things a little safer, so we’ll just see what they have to say. It’s nice that they’re working on something, like I said, but it’s just unfortunate a couple guys have gotten hurt before things have gotten worked on.”

HOW PREPARED ARE THE DRIVERS GOING INTO THE MEETING? “I feel like we’re fairly organized. We had a meeting last week in Talladega, just the drivers and Jeff Burton about an update on some things – really all things on the safety side and other things. I feel we’ve got a pretty decent list that hopefully we can cover throughout this meeting, so I feel like we’re pretty prepared and I’m proud of everybody for sitting down and getting prepared. Jeff does a great job also at really organizing these meetings and our strategy going in, so I think we’re very prepared as a group.”

HOW DETAIL-ORIENTED DO YOU WANT THE INFORMATION TO BE? “I want all the details possible, every little thing. I don’t want anything to be vague, so I think that’s everybody. I’m not the most technical guy out there, but I want to know everything about everything. Even if I don’t understand it, I want to know everything.”

DO YOU FEEL SAFE GOING OUT IN THE CAR? “Honestly, I can’t speak for everybody, I can only speak for myself, but it’s not something I think about when I strap in the car. You think about that stuff during the week and when we have these meetings, ‘OK, how can we improve this,’ but when I strap in the race car I don’t think about my safety, I think about how to go as fast as I can. That’s just something that I have to do. If I think about multiple things, I’m not focused on the task at hand, so that’s not something that pops into my head when I strap in, so that’s the best answer I can give you. That’s just me personally.”

HOW HAS YOUR CONFIDENCE WANED DURING THE SEASON AS THESE SAFETY ISSUES HAVE POPPED UP AND WILL THIS MEETING HELP RESTORE THIS CONFIDENCE OR DO YOU THINK IT’S GONNA MATTER? “I think it’s gonna matter, for sure. Personally, for speed and confidence in your equipment, the way that I look at that is confident that my car has enough grip in it to drive it hard. I have confidence that my team has done everything possible in their power to make me as safe in the race car as they can – from making sure your seat, your headrest, your belts, everything is on par with what it should be and that we’ve done our best job possible. That’s really where I leave it. I know they did a great job at getting me all situated where I need to be and then the confidence in the equipment side is that it’s gonna stick when I get in the corner – not the ‘if something doesn’t stick and I wreck.’ I don’t think about that side of that confidence. I feel like I have a little bit different interpretation of what he was saying in that, but I just know as a Penske group they do an amazing job of making sure we are as locked in there as we can get and that’s really all we can do as a team and as drivers is making sure everything is set for you as best as possible. The other side is that side. That can get improved from NASCAR’s side, so it’s a group effort. We do as much as we can. We expect them to build the cars as safe as they can as well.”

IS THERE A WAY TO EXPLAIN TO THE FANS HOW DIFFERENT THE WRECKS FEEL IN THIS CAR TO THE PREVIOUS ONE? “It’s just how rigid the cars are. There’s just no give. There’s no crush. You look at a picture of our car from last year and you back one in the wall and the whole rear clip is gone. It just folds all the way under and that’s just taking g’s out as it crushes until you actually get to the hard point. The hard point is immediate, so there’s no crush. It’s just a huge spike in g’s, so that’s the biggest issue. The unfortunate side is we knew about this stuff before coming into this year and we thought it would be OK and it wasn’t. It is harder. Heck, you had guys saying right away in preseason testing like, ‘These hits feel a lot harder than what it was last year,’ and to us it’s frustrating that no one listened or believed because we’re the only ones who feel these hits. No one from NASCAR is strapping in and going and feeling these hits. I’ve always said, ‘All right, go strap in this thing and go wreck it at 160 with the old car and then go wreck this new one at 160 and you tell me how you feel after the hit.’ You’re gonna know it’s harder. They’re definitely more stiff. They’re good at the really high impact. That’s what it’s designed for, but some of the medium impacts feel way harder than the last car, for sure.”

ARE THE ROUND OF 8 RACES COMING UP THE MOST PRESSURE RACES OF THE SEASON? “I feel like every race in the playoffs is incredibly difficult. You can’t afford any mistakes, but as you get later in the rounds it becomes even more important to not make any mistakes. And then especially when you get to the Round of 8 you’re racing against the best teams out there and things like that. Each round it intensifies, for sure, and it gets harder and harder but that’s what it’s all about and you have to understand that and you just have to focus on your job.”

DO YOU WANT TO MAKE THE DECISION TO GET OUT OF THE CAR OR YOUR CREW CHIEF? AT WHAT POINT IS IT TOO MUCH? “That’s a good question. I fortunately have not been in that spot to where, knock on wood, I’ve had to make that call. That’s the hardest decision, I feel like as a race car driver, you’d ever have to make is you never want to sit out. You never want to give up your seat to somebody else and the playoffs too – giving up your championship. That’s a very difficult decision for Alex and Kurt to have had to make, but at the end of the day it’s about your long-term health and I think it was good that they were able to – in the unfortunate situation of realizing that ‘I don’t feel right. I need to take some time to get better.’ That’s really tough to make because the competitor in you always wants to keep going, but you have to take yourself out of that competition side and realize on your personal health side that you have to make a smart choice. I feel like that’s a personal decision to yourself because you’re the only one who knows how you’re feeling. If you feel wrong, then you have to go see and get some help and see what they think and stuff like that, but, at the end of the day, that’s a personal choice for you. But, in the moment, Alex kept going. The adrenaline is high and maybe you don’t know these things or sometimes the concussion side sets in later – those effects. I can’t tell you how Alex was feeling. I don’t know, but that’s an internal feeling I feel you have to make.”

HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS THE LAST FEW WEEKS FOR YOU AND WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KEEP PUSHING ON? “I think we’ve done a really good job at Texas and Talladega of getting good stage points, finishing really well to put us in this position, so I’m really proud of the effort that we’ve made. We had our problems at Bristol in that cut off race and they did a great job of overcoming some issues and being able to get back out there and running, and then jumping into Texas of having to be in a really tough race to call as a crew chief on when do you pit, when do you don’t pit. I thought that we managed that race really good, and then Miles stepping in for Jonathan when he was suspended, to step in at Talladega and do a really good job on the box. The over-the-wall guys, the two replacements, did a really great job of stepping in a high-pressure situation, going into the playoffs, and they did a great job as well. I think we’ve really managed our playoffs pretty decently so far, and you just hope to continue to do that, but you have to realize that you’re never safe. We’re 32 points to the good, but that can go away really quickly, so you never get too comfortable. You’re always trying to do the same thing you’ve done through the playoffs – perform the best you can to stay in the race and keep moving on.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY R.C.
BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 8, 2022

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1, and DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. Press Conference Transcript:

I’M WORKING ON A PROFILE OF JUSTIN (MARKS) AND HIS MANAGEMENT STYLE. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN WITH DIFFERENT TEAMS BEFORE AND YOU’VE HAD DIFFERENT BOSSES. HOW IS JUSTIN MARKS’ MANAGEMENT STYLE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER EXPERIENCES THAT YOU GUYS HAVE HAD?

DANIEL SUAREZ: “For me, he’s a race car driver; he’s an owner and he’s a very, very smart businessman. I think that the combination of those things makes him very successful at what he’s doing at Trackhouse Racing. Also, he thinks a lot outside of the box. He’s not concerned or scared of going right when everyone else is going left, so I really like that about him. He’s doing a great job with Trackhouse. He’s not just building a powerhouse in Trackhouse, but he’s building a brand. That’s exactly what he told me when Trackhouse was only on a piece of paper. It’s very nice to be involved with people that are putting their thoughts and ideas into reality.”

ROSS CHASTAIN: “He’s a race car driver, first and foremost, in my mind. As I’ve gotten to know him over the past decade and truly get to know his family on a personal basis – when you meet his mom and dad and you hear stories of his childhood – they’re just proud of what he’s doing because he’s always had this love for racing. Now, he’s not just a race car driver anymore like I know him to be. He’s taking this idea and been successful owning the team. I can’t imagine what that’s like stepping back from being a race car driver and kind of letting go of the wheel, in literal and physical terms; hiring guys to drive your cars and you overseeing all of this other stuff now. But he’s knocking it out of the park.”

DANIEL, YOU’RE ON THE CUTLINE NOW HEADING INTO THIS WEEKEND. HOW HAS YOUR APPROACH CHANGED BETWEEN SUNDAY AND TODAY, UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT MORE VULNERABLE HEADING INTO THIS ELIMINATION RACE?

DANIEL SUAREZ: “In my mind, nothing has changed. I don’t know if you’re thinking about the William Byron situation, but for me, I don’t care. That’s something I can’t control. He can be 20-points below or 20-points above and I don’t care. I can only control one car and that’s the No. 99 Chevy.

For me honestly right now, before the whole points situation that happened to them, nothing has changed. The only thing that’s changed is that position. But points-wise, it’s exactly the same. We just have to go out there and do our thing. We have a very, very good program when it comes to road course racing. We have shown that in the past. We have to go out there, have fun and do things no different than any of the other road course races that we have done. Yeah, we definitely aren’t in a comfortable points position like some of the other guys, but I think we’re going to be good. I do believe that putting yourself in this position heading into a road course, I see this as an opportunity. I think that we’re going to perform well and I think we’re going to be able to do our thing this weekend and put ourselves on the good side of the points.”

WE HAVE TWO INTERMEDIATE TRACKS COMING UP WITH LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY. WHERE DO YOU FEEL YOUR INTERMEDIATE PROGRAM IS RIGHT NOW?

ROSS CHASTAIN: “Strong. We both tested at Homestead. He had the first day, so I got his used-up race car that he had hit the wall with like 17 times; and then I went out and hit it 17 more. Trackhouse was very upfront with us that they would rebuild the car between the two days and throughout the day if we needed to. I went out the very first run of the second day of the test, spun out and was totally fine. We put tires on it, kept going, kept going.. and that’s just not been the case this year. It’s tough to do that with a 20-minute practice. It puts yourself at risk in being over the edge.

Driving in here today – I’ve been here since the 600, but just having flashbacks of how competitive we were. To that question, I feel like we had two cars that could have won the 600. Full confidence moving into the next two weeks. Our cars are strong.”

INAUDIBLE (NO MICROPHONE)

ROSS CHASTAIN: “Yeah, for me, it had more grip than anything I’d ever felt. Just a better balance. I think our car had a better balance than the other cars that were testing. There were a couple of us that seemed to stand out. But for me – in the Trucks, Xfinity and Cup cars that I’ve driven there – it was the best driving car I’ve ever had.”

ROSS, YOU MENTIONED LAST WEEK AFTER THE RACE, YOU SPEAK FOR YOURSELF AND DON’T HAVE OTHERS NECESSARILY SPEAK FOR YOU IN TERMS OF THE SAFETY ISSUES. GOING TO HAVE THE MEETING HERE SOON.. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING TO GET OUT OF THAT? WHAT ARE THE QUESTIONS AND ISSUES THAT ARE ON YOUR MIND THAT YOU HOPE TO HAVE ANSWERED? SAME THING FOR YOU, DANIEL.

ROSS CHASTAIN: “I’ll be listening in the meeting. It’s a room of men and women that I still have a lot to learn from, so I’ll be doing a lot of listening. There’s no specific things that I’m looking to get out of it. We’ll just keep pushing the safety front forward. We can always be safer. There’s pin-pointed, real efforts happening day-to-day that are going to make our sport safer. I’ll just be in there learning.”

DANIEL SUAREZ: “For me, it’s pretty much the same thing. I think Ross said it perfectly. We have to go there and do most of the listening because, let’s face it, we’re race car drivers, but we’re not safety people. The only thing that we know is that it hurts when we wreck. That’s all we know. There are a lot of smart people working very, very hard to make these cars better and better, and I’m sure we’re going to get there. We just have to work together. We have to remember and remind ourselves that we’re all in the same boat on this journey. If we’re fighting with each other, we’re going to go nowhere and the boat is going to go down. We have to continue to work and get this boat moving forward.”

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

Ty Dillon, No. 42 QuickChek Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Dillon at the ROVAL: Ty Dillon has competed three times at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, including the inaugural race on the layout. In three NASCAR Cup Series starts, Dillon has completed every lap possible, earning his best finish of 15th in the 2019 event. The veteran put his rain racing abilities on full display in the 2020 race, leading five laps en route to a stage one victory in adverse conditions.

In 2021, Dillon made his lone NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the ROVAL, where he started 25th and finished 26th.

• Get Fresh & Go Fast: Dillon’s No. 42 Camaro ZL1 will feature a new partner this weekend as convenience store chain, QuickChek, joins the team. QuickChek will be actively promoting their fan favorite “Best Damn Sandwich In Town”, which can be found in store locations throughout New Jersey and New York.
• About QuickChek: A wholly-owned subsidiary of Murphy USA, QuickChek stores provide local one-stop shopping, offering a wide variety of freshly prepared food and beverages for immediate consumption including made-to-order subs, as well as grocery and household items, through 161 store locations throughout New Jersey, New York’s Hudson Valley and Long Island (www.quickchek.com).
• Breast Cancer Awareness: As part of a team tradition, Ty Dillon will be honoring several women who have been affected by breast cancer with pink ribbons lining his No. 42 Chevrolet at the ROVAL. The women highlighted are family members of Petty GMS employees directly associated with his team.
• Painting Turtles: Last month, Dillon visited the speedway during their ROVAL preparations to spend time decorating “turtle” curbs with some local fifth graders as part of the Iredell County Smart Start Literacy Program. At the event, Dillon’s daughter, Oakley, painted her own “turtle”, featuring a heartwarming painting of a No. 42 car.
• Window of Hope: For the second year, teams will show their support of breast cancer survivors and those continuing to battle breast cancer by featuring pink window nets for the ROVAL race at Charlotte Motor Speedway as part of Kurt Busch’s Window of Hope program. Following the Bank of America ROVAL, drivers will sign the outside of the window net and the nets will be auctioned off through the NASCAR Foundation with proceeds benefitting Atrium Health Foundation’s Levine Cancer Institute Project PINK. The auction will be live October 10 – 17, 2022. To bid on the window net of Erik Jones, Ty Dillon and other drivers, please visit www.nascarfoundation.org/WindowofHope.
• Ty Dillon Sightings: Fans attending Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway will have a few chances to see Ty Dillon before the race:

Trackside Live Stage: Ty Dillon will make an appearance for a Q&A session at the Trackside Live stage on Sunday morning from 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM local time, located in the Charlotte Motor Speedway fan zone.
No. 42 Petty GMS Chevrolet Merchandise Trailer: Dillon will also be onsite at the team merchandise trailer in the fan midway area from 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM local time on Sunday morning prior to the Bank of America ROVAL 400. Fans can stop by to purchase new merchandise and get it signed at the same time.

• From the Drivers Seat: Dillon’s thoughts on racing at the ROVAL: “I’m really looking forward to the ROVAL this weekend. I’ve always enjoyed road course racing and have run well at the ROVAL in the past. This season our road course program has been pretty good and definitely the tracks where we’ve performed better. I think this weekend will be a good weekend for our No. 42 QuickChek Chevy team.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Jones at Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL: For the fifth year, teams will head to Charlotte Motor Speedway and utilize their road course skills to compete on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.

Erik Jones will make his fifth-career Cup Series start on the 2.28-mile course. In his previous four starts at the 17-turn track, Jones has a best finish of third in 2020 with one lap led.

• Erik Jones Sightings: Fans attending Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway will have a few chances to see Erik Jones before the race:

No. 43 Petty GMS Chevrolet Merchandise Trailer: Erik Jones will be onsite at the team merchandise trailer in the fan midway area from 10:10 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. ET on Sunday morning prior to the Bank of America ROVAL 400. Fans can stop by to purchase new merchandise and get an autograph from Jones.
Chevy Stage: Following his autograph session at the merchandise trailer, Jones will make his way to the Chevy Stage for a Q&A from 10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. ET.

• Window of Hope: For the second year, teams will show their support of breast cancer survivors and those continuing to battle breast cancer by featuring pink window nets for the ROVAL race at Charlotte Motor Speedway as part of Kurt Busch’s Window of Hope program. Following the Bank of America ROVAL, drivers will sign the outside of the window net and the nets will be auctioned off through the NASCAR Foundation with proceeds benefitting Atrium Health Foundation’s Levine Cancer Institute Project PINK. The auction will be live October 10 – 17, 2022. To bid on the window net of Erik Jones, Ty Dillon and other drivers, please visit www.nascarfoundation.org/WindowofHope.
• Breast Cancer Awareness: The month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and all Petty GMS and GMS Racing teams will honor individuals throughout the month who are battling, are survivors and those who have succumbed to the disease. Each vehicle will carry pink ribbons with the names of family members and friends submitted by Petty GMS and GMS Racing employees. During this month, we honor all those affected by this disease.
• Focused on Winning: FOCUSfactor will serve as the primary partner on Jones’s Chevrolet Camaro for Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway.
• About FOCUSfactor: FOCUSfactor is sold at America’s leading retailers such as Costco, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, CVS, The Vitamin Shoppe and Amazon.com. FOCUSfactor, America’s leading brain health supplement, is a nutritional supplement that includes a proprietary blend of brain supporting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients. In December 2012, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued US Patent 8,329,227 covering FOCUSfactor’s proprietary formulation “for enhanced mental function”. The issuance of the patent marked one of the few times a patent has been issued for a nationally branded nutritional supplement. FOCUSfactor is clinically tested with results demonstrating improvements in focus, concentration and memory in healthy adults.
• From the Driver’s Seat: “The ROVAL should be a good race. I feel like we’ve gotten our road course cars better. Watkins Glen was a good day for us getting a top 10. I think the ROVAL hopefully is an improvement on that and getting closer to that top five mark and being a little bit faster and a little bit more in contention than we were at Watkins Glen. I’ve run good at the ROVAL in the past, but still kind of figuring out the Next Gen car on the road courses and trying to get a bit stronger there.”

ABOUT PETTY GMS:

Petty GMS competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, operating the No. 42 Chevrolet for Ty Dillon and the No. 43 Chevrolet for Erik Jones. Founded in December 2021, Maury Gallagher, championship team owner of GMS Racing, purchased a majority interest of Richard Petty Motorsports. Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, known as “The King,” remains a key stakeholder of the organization. For more information, please visit www.pettygms.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow Petty GMS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.