Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Playoff Media Day | Thursday, September 1, 2022

Following are transcripts from Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick, who participated in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Media Day on Thursday at the Charlotte Convention Center. Transcripts from Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric were sent earlier in the week and Joey Logano is scheduled to speak at Darlington on Saturday, where a transcript will be provided afterwards.

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang – WHAT WAS THE EMOTION FOR YOU AFTER SUNDAY? “You realize how fortunate that you were and, honestly, there was a lot of pride. I had a lot of pride in my guys, who worked their butts off on fixing that thing because it probably shouldn’t have been fixable to where it would drive. They did a heck of a job of doing what they could and salvaging parts and pieces and making it so it would roll. That’s why we race all day. That’s why you stay in the game, so I was just really proud of all those guys who did a great job of fixing it. Yeah, it was definitely was like, ‘OK, now everything is reset and we can really go at them now.’”

YOU ARE NOT IN THE OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP RACE, SO ARE YOU RACING FOR LESS? “I personally don’t care about it. I care about that thing sitting right behind you (the Cup trophy). That’s really all I care about. On that side, it stinks that Mr. Penske is not in with the 12 car on the owner’s side of it. He and I talked a little bit about that. I was like, ‘Man, I hate we didn’t get you in on the owner’s side of it,’ and he said, ‘As long as you’re in on the driver. I want you to win the championship.’ Best-case scenario I could win the driver championship and one of the other two cars could win the owner’s championship. That would be a fun party, I guess. That would be the only time both of you win, so that definitely stinks that our car isn’t in the owner’s, but, for me and the money side, I don’t care. I want the hardware. My only regret on that is the 12 car isn’t in for Roger, but he was just happy to get me in as a driver.”

THAT’S A LOT OF MONEY IF YOU GET A PERCENTAGE. “I make a good enough living. I don’t really care about that.”

DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR STATS AT DARLINGTON? IT’S BEEN A BIT OF A STRUGGLE. “Not really. I feel like, personally, we had a great car there in the spring and we just had a disaster day on pit road and would lose 10 spots every time we came down pit road. By the time we got them made back up, the caution would come out and we’d lose those again. It was kind of a recurring cycle and then we got caught up in that accident off two and that really hurt us. I look forward to going there. I thought we had a great piece and just try to clean some stuff up on pit road that could keep us in the game. That’s really what you’ve got to do, but I think we’ve gotten a lot better there over the years and hopefully we can show something this weekend.”

MORE PIT STOPS IN THIS RACE ON SUNDAY, SO DOES EVERYONE HAVE TO BE OF A CONFIDENT MINDSET? “Yeah, we understood our issue in the spring race at Darlington and our issues throughout the year and we’ve done a great job of getting better and better. I think the last two months we’ve had great days on pit road and hopefully that carries over. That’s really all you can hope for.”

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO PROVE IN THE PLAYOFFS? “I think everybody has something to prove. You always want prove that you can go and compete for a championship and we have a chance to compete for a championship and it’s just a matter of how far you can go. I would love it if we barely sneak in by the skin of our teeth and then go out there and make it to Phoenix. That would be pretty good and I think this team is plenty capable, that’s for sure. I’ve got the utmost confidence in the world with those guys and I think everyone has something to prove, just showing they deserve to be here.”

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN THE CAUTION CAME OUT BUT KNOWING YOU HAD TO REACH MINIMUM SPEED AFTER THE WRECK? WERE YOU AWARE OF THAT QUIRK? “Yeah. It was an interesting situation. I was able to run wide-open, you just hope you’re fast enough and you’re not draggy and damaged enough to where you won’t make minimum speed. It was weird. We were coming to the end of the stage, they throw the yellow, but you still have to complete your lap. They told Hassler initially that we didn’t make the DVP clock because the caution came out. We were like, ‘That’s wrong. We finished our lap and it was fine.’ So they luckily looked at it were like, ‘OK, yeah, you did make it. Our system was messed up.’ But you’re just hoping that you can make minimum speed. I didn’t know what minimum speed was to be honest with you. I just hoped it was fast enough. I think it’s pretty high there because you’ve got damaged cars all the time, so luckily it made it and that gave us a chance to be able to come back and work on it because I had flat-spotted lefts. We didn’t have enough time to put four tires on it. We just put rights on it and fixed what we could and kind of got a little bit of bear bond on it, but my lefts were squares. If we wouldn’t have made minimum speed there and had to stay out, that was gonna be a little rough. We would have had to come back in under green and I probably would have lost a lap or two more, so that was critical that we made minimum speed on that last lap.”

DID YOU HAVE THAT BEER? “Yeah, I had a handful. It was a good, relaxing night of getting home and just hanging out a little bit. I definitely needed that.”

IS IT A DIFFERENT FEELING GOING FROM THE LAST MONTH FIGHTING TO JUST GET IN AND NOW STARTING TO RACE FOR A TITLE? “I think a little bit. That was definitely a tough last month racing the 19 real hard. You’ve got really just one guy you’re trying to get into to get the final spot to set yourself up for 10 weeks, and now that we’ve accomplished that goal it feels like a little breath of fresh air. Everything resets. We’ve got great bonus points from the pretty good season we’ve had so far and it’s kind of reset us up towards the front half of the playoff grid, so, yeah, it’s refreshing for everybody. It’s not just me, it’s everybody on the team. It’s like, ‘OK, we’ve accomplished that goal of getting in and now it turns into a new goal of trying to go win this weekend and then trying to do our jobs for the next 10 weeks.’ I guess you can say it’s new life. We weren’t dead before, but we were definitely in a little different mindset.”

SO ARE YOU PLAYING WITH HOUSE MONEY? “Maybe a little bit. I don’t know. You still have to be consistent and you still have to be competing as well as you can – really like we’ve done all year. I mean, we’ve had a good year it’s just the wins haven’t really come. We’ve been consistently good, it’s just trying to break through on that side and I think this team can do it.”

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN PREPPING FOR THE PLAYOFFS BY GETTING IN ON THE LAST RACE VERSUS THOSE WHO WON EARLY IN THE SEASON? “No, I feel like even before we went to Daytona we were getting ready for our Darlington car. I mean, you’re always preparing weeks in advance, so I don’t think that really played a factor in that. You’re always doing the best you can to get your next week’s car as fast as it can be, and we’re really good at – gosh, you change over races race after race weekends really quick. We’re really good at that stuff. That’s the name of the game with these guys, so, no, I don’t think that hurt us at all.”

WAS THERE A LOT OF ENERGY AT THE SHOP THIS WEEK? “Yeah, it was and it was good to go in there Monday and see everybody – all the shop men and women who don’t go to the track. They were working in there Monday and they were pumped up. It’s great for them with us getting all three cars in. That’s huge for the morale of the race shop, so it was great to see all those people. It was great to see my guys on Tuesday when they came into the shop. We had a great meeting on Tuesday between us – pit crew, road crew of we did a great job of doing our duties at Daytona and now it’s on to the next 10 weeks. That was good to have everyone sit down and talk to them and kind of get everyone’s head right and ready to roll.”

HAVE YOU THOUGHT MENTALLY ABOUT THINGS YOU NEED TO DO DIFFERENTLY IN THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR THAN YOU’VE DONE IN THE PAST? “Yeah, I thought last year we had a really great playoffs up until Kansas. We did everything right. We did a great job of putting ourselves in position to transfer and contend for wins and then we got wrecked at Kansas and didn’t perform the next week well enough to transfer into Phoenix. I think every year you kind of are part of the playoffs you understand, ‘What can we do different?’ Little positions you put yourself in that are a little bit better. Don’t make mistakes. That’s one of the biggest things, so I think you get a little bit, I wouldn’t say they get easier, but mentally you feel like you can approach them a little bit better.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’VE BEEN IN PLAYOFF MODE THE PAST FIVE RACES? “Yes and no. It’s a little bit different mindset. We were kind of just racing one guy. It was me and Martin racing for the points side of it there and now you’ve got 15 guys you’re racing when it resets like this, so it’s a little bit different mindset, but, on the same side, it was kind of like a ride or die kind of thing between me and Martin to try to get in and now it’s almost the same thing in some areas. If you get down to the last race of a round and you’re on the cusp of making it or not on points, it’s maybe the same mindset, but I think it changes up a little bit.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BRISTOL BEING A CUTOFF RACE WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR AND SOME OF THE OTHER AGENDAS OUT THERE. COULD IT BE MORE VOLATILE THAN NORMAL? “Yeah, probably. I think we’ve got two of the toughest races in the first round. You start with Darlington and you end with Bristol. Those are two really tough tracks starting and ending the first round, and the unknowns of Bristol – going there for the first time with the concrete track you don’t know what to expect. It’s just one of those things where you kind of see where the flow of the race is going. You understand what the Bristol NIght Race is like, but you don’t ever know how this car is going to react to it. On the other side, I don’t think I’ve pissed off too many guys this year. I hope I’m in a good spot on that side of it, but as far as everyone else goes, I hope I just sit back and watch it. I don’t know what will happen.”

SEVEN HAS BEEN THE LOWEST SEED TO WIN THE TITLE AND YOU ARE THE SEVENTH SEED THIS YEAR. CAN YOU DO IT? “I didn’t know that. Yeah, I hope so. What do you want me to say, no? (laughing) I think we can definitely do it. It’s just all about trying to stay in the game. You never know what can change. Who can have troubles. You just hope it’s not you. You just don’t want to make any mistakes as a driver and as a team in general. There’s gonna be adversity you’ve got to overcome. That’s just part of it. You’re not gonna have a completely smooth 10 weeks. You’re gonna have things that are gonna go wrong and you have to adapt to them, so I definitely think we can do it, it’s just a matter of improving on some stuff that kind of bit us through the year, but I think this team is ready to do it.”

SHOULD THERE BE ANYMORE WEIGHT PUT ON CONSISTENCY LIKE YOU AND MARTIN HAD THIS YEAR? “We understand the playoff rules and every driver knows that – the win and you’re in type of thing – it’s just one of those situations that we haven’t had before of there’s been so many winners that me and him, who were third and fourth in regular season points, one of us doesn’t make it. There was a good shot that neither of us could have made it, but that stinks for him. He’s had a great year. He’s had a really good year just like us. I mean, that group has been really strong, but the wins just haven’t come. It’s the same year we’ve had, really, so that kind of stinks but it is what it is. Every driver and team knows the win and you’re in thing, so there’s a big emphasis on it.”

SHOULD THE ALL-START AND CLASH WINS BE CONSIDERED? “I don’t know. Yeah, it’s a victory, but I don’t know. I could go either way on that. I don’t really look at them either way. Maybe as a tiebreaker I could see, but I haven’t really put much thought into that. Obviously, when we were getting closer and closer toward the cutoff line I’m like, ‘Man, that All-Star win should have counted,’ but I don’t know. I could go either way. It’s technically an exhibition race and a non-points race, but I guess if it’s a non-points race, it doesn’t count toward the regular season so I could see it staying the same way. I probably wouldn’t want the Clash winner or the All-Star winner. I don’t know if you could just lock them into the playoffs. Maybe it’s a tiebreaker if you’re in that situation.”

HOW DO YOU GET SET FOR THE PLAYOFFS AFTER THE DRAMA OF DAYTONA? “I feel like we’ve done a really good job of resetting everything. Yeah, you had a stressful day at Daytona, not only me but everybody in the group biting their nails and hoping everything works out. Now, it’s like, ‘OK, we’ve accomplished that. Now let’s switch gears here in the playoffs and focus on these next three weeks in the first round.’ We had a great meeting on Tuesday with everybody of getting everyone’s head in the right spot – of saying, ‘Hey, great job at Daytona,. Everyone did their job the best that they could and look where we are now. Now, let’s do the same thing in Darlington and let’s focus our minds on playoff mode here. I feel like we’ve done a good job of resetting a little bit and then focusing at the next task.”

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang – DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN GET CLOSER TO THE WALL AT DARLINGTON WITH THE NEW CAR AND HOW DURABLE IT IS? “I think that’s probably one reason that the DVP clock got changed from six minutes to 10 minutes, so you have more opportunity to fix those types of issues because I think everybody knows that if you hit it wrong, it’s gonna break the toe link or something on the suspension back there, so the car is more durable if you hit it square, but if you hit it while you’re sliding with the rear, it’s gonna snap something back there. I guess it was Bristol, I hit somebody with the front of the car and didn’t even think I hit it with wheel and the wheel was broke – the suspension on the right-front. If you hit it just right, it’s gonna break. You feel like you can be more aggressive with the car and scrape it against the wall flush, but you still have to be mindful of breaking suspension pieces. The car is definitely more durable.”

HOW NARROW IS IT? “It’s about three car widths wide. If you put them door to door, you could probably fit three comfortably.”

DO YOU LIKE THAT CHALLENGE? “I do. I like Darlington just because of the fact it’s challenging to drive by yourself. You put all the other cars out there and then it becomes an even bigger challenge, so it’s just a race you still have to think through it in order of positioning your car and the things that you do with it. When you’re in a good scenario or a bad scenario or somebody is catching you is a little bit different than it used to be because you can hold them up so much more by keeping them in your wake, so it’s not as much give as it used to be because of that. You have to know when you’re in a bad spot in order to keep yourself from not getting torn up or sticking the car up in the wall and doing something that you don’t need to, especially early in the race.”

IS THIS CHAMPIONSHIP RACE WIDE OPEN COMPARED TO PAST SEASONS? “Yeah. I think it’s wide-open. We talked about this last week as a team. It’s just as wide-open as I’ve ever seen it. I don’t think there’s really anybody that sticks out and says I’m the guy, so I think the thing that factors in more this year is you know anybody is able to pop off a win – that they might hit it this week just because that’s what’s happened all year. You see somebody pop off a win and then they kind of fade away, but the ability to hit it on a week to week basis is there, so it’s like there’s no safe spot. I think you could wind up in the Truex scenario pretty quick from a points standpoint because you just don’t know.”

A LOT OF TALK THIS WEEK ABOUT THE CAR AND THE HARD HITS AND IMPACT ON DRIVERS. HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THAT AND IS IT AN AREA YOU FEEL CAN BE WORKED ON? “I mean, every hit that I’ve pretty much taken in the car hurts. We hear it week after week after week. It seems slow, the response, in my opinion, but that’s just my opinion. I think, from my previous experiences, I’ve had some things that I’ve presented that we’re three years into having no response to from a driver’s standpoint, so the things I think that the drivers would consider the most important may not rank as high on that priority list when everybody’s not out there banging into stuff themselves. I think when you see Denny talking about being banged up and Kurt out, you hear the hits week after week after week and I know everybody is talking about making some changes, but I haven’t really seen any.”

LOGANO SAID IT WAS BECAUSE IT COST A LOT OF MONEY. “Well that tells you where we rank. Money is more important than the safety of the car. That’s the perception that seems to be coming with it.”

IT SEEMS KIND OF COUNTERINTUITIVE BECAUSE YOU WOULD THINK THE NEWER CAR WOULD FEEL MORE SAFE? “Yeah, it’s not better from a crashing standpoint. The hits are violent. At Sonoma, I hit the back of the 2 car so hard that it locked my HANS out, and I kept going. It was just over the hill, they checked up and I hit him, and it locked my HANS. Every hit is violent and some of the smallest hits hurt like they shouldn’t hurt. Everybody knows the car is too stiff and I think when you look at the crash data it just doesn’t represent what the drivers are feeling in the car. They’ll say, ‘Well, it was only a 15 g hit.’ Well, I’m telling you some of those 15 g hits feel like 50 compared to what they have been in old cars. Like at Daytona, in that particular wreck those hits were all hard and especially the ones where the car gets loose and goes to the right. When it’s raining it’s hard to catch the car, but when you watch that video of all those cars slide and then just go immediately to the right, I can’t even explain to you how violent that is and then to have half the field or more piling into you, it’s all too slow to me. We talk about guys getting gassed out and it’s just random. It’s like I said earlier, I’ve been in a scenario where I had just tons of blood work and urine work and all the things presented to us of what was inside my body with the specifics of what was in my bloodstream after the race, and I’m still three-and-a-half years into hearing from somebody.”

NASCAR SAYS THAT YOU’RE GOING FASTER IN THIS CAR AND WRECKING AT DIFFERENT ANGLES. “I disagree. I think their angles and going faster, they don’t feel the same. I mean, they are just blunt, violent wrecks every time you hit something and they do not feel like they did in the old car. It’s like we’ve taken the soft walls down. Every time we hit a car, it feels like hitting a concrete wall. Every time we hit a soft wall it feels like hitting a concrete wall and they’re violent. There’s no other way around it.”

CAN YOU GO TO ANYBODY IN YOUR ORGANIZATION TO WORK ON THINGS? “I go and just do my own thing and try to take care of myself because, like I say, with my experience I didn’t feel like I got anywhere, I just got delayed. I just got put off.”

DEFINE BEING GASSED OUT? “A lot of times you’ll feel like there are a lot of fumes in your car and, in my opinion, it’s not carbon monoxide because carbon monoxide is odorless. A lot of it, in my opinion, it’s the octane boosters in the fuel and some of the oils based on the blood tests that I had after the race a few years ago in Chicago. I feel like that a lot of those fumes that are coming inside of the car based upon the chemicals and things that were in the blood test that I presented them are coming from the fuel and the oil.”

AND YOU PRESENTED THIS SEVERAL YEARS AGO? “I did to a few different people. You asked me a few weeks ago about why I didn’t speak up more and that’s why – because the response, for me, there’s been no response. It’s been pretty slow.”

BUT YOU KEPT RACING AND KEPT YOUR CAREER GOING. YOU DIDN’T GET OUT FOR YOUR HEALTH? “Well, the intent of that was to decide just to, A, make sure that your health was where you wanted it to be, but what was the path to resetting your body when you got done, and the doctors wanted to know what was inside your body so that they had an understanding of, ‘OK, when you’re done racing at some point, this is gonna be the detox that you need in order to reset your body so that it’s back to a normal routine because right now you’ve got all these things in your body that it has adapted to,’ and it’s just become, not immune to it, but it’s definitely become used to it and adjusted to it, so that was the original reason why I had done it.”

HAVE YOU SHARED IT WITH ANY YOUNGER DRIVERS? “I’ve shared it with a few of them. I’ve definitely brought it up in a few meetings.”

IF THE IMPACTS CONTINUE, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT MIGHT IMPACT WHAT YOU WOULD DO WHEN YOUR CONTRACT IS UP? “I think there are a lot of factors that go into that. I think when you look at the car I’ve wrecked more cars this year than I probably wrecked five years combined. The wreck rate is way up compared to what it used to be and spin outs, so there’s definitely a lot more contact and a lot more moments where you’re slamming your head around and your body around, for sure.”

I ASSUME YOU WORK WITH A NUTRITIONALIST OR PERSONAL TRAINER TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HANDLE THIS TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY. “Yeah and that’s been something I’ve tried to keep up with for years in order to make sure that you understand your body and trying to make sure that you know what’s going on.”

CAN YOU USE SOME SORT OF A FILTER THAT WOULD TAKE SOME OF THOSE CHEMICALS OUT? “Our guys do a great job with the carbon monoxide filter and things that we have in the car, but every time I go into the infield care center my carbon monoxide level is 0.0 or 0.1. I think that sometimes the way that the car takes the air in, it’s just really random with the gassing and the drivers getting gas side of it, but it’s all too slow, in my opinion, whether it’s the wrecks or the gassing or whatever it is it always seems to kind of get shuffled away.”

WHY IS THAT? “I wish I knew.”

JOEY SAID COST IS AN ISSUE. “Yeah, a lot of it comes to cost would be my opinion.”

IS IT FRUSTRATING THAT WE’RE GOING INTO RACE 27 AND WITH OFF-SEASON TESTING THAT THIS IS STILL AN ISSUE? “I think it was everybody’s original concern that the car was too stiff, especially the rear impacts, but we’ve learned that all impacts, the side impacts are extremely rough. The small ones are extremely violent, so I don’t think there’s anybody here that wouldn’t tell you, ‘Holy crap, that hurt’ after probably every, just about, it just feels way different than any wreck that I’ve ever experienced outside of hitting a concrete wall.”

HAVE YOU TALKED TO KURT? “Just via text.”

DO YOU DO ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY WHEN YOU KNOW YOU’RE ABOUT TO WRECK THAT YOU DIDN’T DO IN THE PREVIOUS CAR? “I don’t currently. I’m probably gonna start letting go of the steering wheel because it keeps jamming my thumbs every time I hit something head on.”

EARLY ON THE DRIVERS WERE EXPRESSING THAT THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT THE CAR COULD BE TOUGH IN CRASHES AND THEN NASCAR GAVE MORE INFORMATION AND THINGS SEEMED TO CALM DOWN. WHY DID EVERYBODY CALM DOWN AND NOW THERE’S CONVERSATION AGAIN? “I think everybody calmed down because they thought something was gonna be progressively getting better, and I think everybody is wound up now because it keeps happening and now you’ve got one guy hurt, one guy that’s kind of hurt from Denny’s standpoint and I think everybody wants to know what is the progression here? How are we gonna make this better? What’s the plan? If it’s not gonna be this year, what’s the plan for next year? What are we doing? How are we gonna keep guys from getting hurt? So, I think everybody is a little bit frustrated that the progression is as slow as it has been.”

SOME FEEL THAT JEFF BURTON AND THE DRIVER’S COUNCIL IS DISCUSSING IT. “As I said earlier, I’m not 100 percent in belief that is going to help. They’re doing a great job with the driver council stuff, but I still haven’t seen any real progression on making it better, and, as I told you with my previous encounter we’re three years into.”

THE TEAMS WOULD USUALLY WORK ON THIS STUFF. “If the teams weren’t involved, it would be worse. I can’t even tell you. Think about the guys’ legs going to sleep at the beginning of the year. The people who fixed that were the teams. They went to work on, your suit is too big and too wrinkled or your seat is too high and your pedals are too low. We worked on that stuff for 12-14 weeks. I just got to the point six weeks ago where my pedals feel good and I know that the other guys on my team have repositioned their seats, some of them three and four times – four different inserts and different seat belts and all kinds of different things.”

SOME OF THAT WOULD BE EXPECTED WITH A NEW CAR, BUT I’M GUESSING NOT TO THIS EXTENT? “I don’t think anybody thought it was gonna be as violent as it is, but the crash data does not show it to be as violent as it is in the car, and I think that’s where a lot of the frustration is from the driver’s standpoint. These cars wreck violently and it hurts. It’s not like it used to be. It doesn’t show a 20-30 g impact may look the same, but it doesn’t feel the same.”

YOU AND JOEY ARE THE LOWEST SEED TO WIN A TITLE AT 7. YOU ARE 9 THIS YEAR. DOES THAT MATTER? “I think those are just numbers. I don’t think anything adds up this year compared to what it has in year’s past, so it’s just so much different than anything we’ve done in the past. I think this year is just way closer than it’s ever been before from second to 16th.”

SO IT FEELS MORE WIDE OPEN? “I sure feels wide-open. Based on the first 26 races, it feels like everybody’s got a chance.”

YOU GOT CAUGHT UP IN THE HAMLIN/CHASTAIN WRECK AT POCONO. DOES IT GET TO A POINT WHERE DRIVERS JUST GO AND TELL DENNY THAT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH? “No, I think all of those situations need to be handled with themselves. I think sometimes you get in there and you’re like, ‘Screw it, today is the day I’m wiping that guy out,’ and you don’t even care. Denny Hamlin is like, ‘Today is the day,’ and he was never thinking about, ‘Harvick’s the guy behind me, I hope he’s not pissed when he hits him.’ I mean, as a driver those moments are just the moments.”

IS THAT THE WAY YOU FELT AT THE CHARLOTTE ROVAL LAST YEAR? “Maybe.”

ARE THE HITS MORE SIMILAR TO BEFORE SAFER BARRIERS? “Oh, yeah. Very similar. Unfortunately, I’ve experienced all that. It is very similar to hitting a concrete wall, even when you just hit a car.”

YOU’VE BEEN TALKING AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS FOR SIX WEEKS, ARE YOU SURPRISED NO ONE HAS ASKED WHAT’S IRKING YOU? “I’m not irked. I’m just, as someone said earlier, I’m jaded in a way that I like to just do my own thing. I like to handle my own issues. If I don’t feel good, I’ll go to the doctor and figure it out. In those cases and when that stuff was super high with some of those races, we started trying to figure out ways to lessen the fatigue and sore muscles and everything that comes with being gassed on Mondays, so I started doing some things differently and going to the hyperbaric chamber. I try to create solutions for myself. When you don’t have that help from somebody else, you have to do it yourself, so I’d prefer to take it into my own hands.”

BUT YOU DON’T WANT TO BECOME KURT. “True. None of us do.”

IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU AT DARLINGTON BECAUSE OF YOUR PAST SUCCESS OR DOES THAT HAVE NO CORRELATION TO WHAT’S GOING ON THESE DAYS? “We ran OK there the first race. I think we’ve made our cars a lot better and I still feel like Darlington is a place where you have to race the racetrack and you have to make the car finish and you have to not make mistakes and you have to get on pit road under green. There are just a ton of things that go with that race where you can screw it up and so that’s our goal is to not screw it up – try to dot the i’s and cross the t’s and if you can keep yourself in the hunt with 100 miles to go, then that’s the first battle. You just have to go in with that mindset and see what happens.”

Richard Childress Racing at Darlington Raceway … In 137 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has eight wins, all by Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt claimed the checkered flag in 1986 (spring), both races in 1987, 1989 (fall), another sweep in 1990 plus spring events in 1993 and 1994. He won three consecutive races in 1989 and 1990 and finished first or second in four events in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. RCR drivers has 25 top-five and 46 top-10 finishes at the historic South Carolina superspeedway.

Back in the Playoffs … Richard Childress Racing enters Darlington with three victories in NASCAR’s elite Cup Series during the 2022 season. The Welcome, N.C., based company has two entries in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the first time since 2017 (Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman).

Xfinity Series Stats at Darlington … RCR is looking to find victory lane for the first time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington. Tyler Reddick claimed the most recent top-five by RCR at Darlington, a second-place effort at the 2019 fall event. The Welcome, N.C. based team has 10 top-five and 25 top-10 finishes.

Introducing the Carolina Cowboys … Driven by the same passion for performance that guides his race team, Richard Childress’ latest endeavor brings Professional Bull Riding to the Carolinas. The Carolina Cowboys represent Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in the PBR Team Series, an elite new league featuring the world’s top bull riders in games that began in July 2022. The team is operated by Richard Childress Racing with 2018 Daytona 500 Champion Austin Dillon serving as General Manager.

Don’t miss the Carolina Cowboys inaugural “Cowboy Days” Home Stand September 9-11 at Wake Forest’s Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Friends of RCR have the opportunity to save 15% on tickets by entering code RCR15. To purchase tickets, click here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/pbr-professional-bull-riders-tickets/artist/2859854?venueId=369555

Catch the Action … The NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips 200 at Darlington Raceway will be televised live Saturday, September 3, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Follow Sunday’s Action at Darlington … The NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will be televised live on Sunday, September 4 beginning at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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This Week’s BetMGM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Darlington Raceway … Austin Dillon has made 12 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway, posting a career-best second-place finish in September 2020, missing Victory Lane by a narrow margin over Kevin Harvick. Dillon also has a fourth-place finish in 2017. He finished 10th at the track in his most recent appearance there. Dillon has made four appearances at “The Lady in Black” in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, securing his best finish of fifth in 2012. The 2011 NASCAR Truck Series champion has two starts at the track in the Truck Series, earning his best finish of fifth in August 2010.

Welcome to the NASCAR Playoffs … Dillon secured his spot in the NASCAR Playoffs with a thrilling victory in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. It marked his second NASCAR Cup Series win at Daytona, and his first win of the 2022 season. He enters this weekend’s race at Darlington Raceway seeded 16th in the NASCAR Playoff standings. It is his fifth time making a post-season appearance.

Roll the Dice with BetMGM … When a legendary global entertainment company joins forces with the world’s largest online betting technology company, the gaming world sits up and takes notice. BetMGM is a partnership between MGM Resorts International and Entain Holdings that is revolutionizing sports betting and online gaming in the United States. BetMGM is the exclusive sports betting division of MGM, both online and in MGM casinos nationwide. BetMGM is also the headline brand for online casino gaming alongside sister brands Borgata Online (New Jersey), Party Casino and Party Poker. We aspire to make unforgettable moments of sports and gaming even more personal, powerful, and fun through unmatched digital technology and evocative player experiences. For more information, visit betmgminc.com.

Honoring Our BetMGM Workforce … To honor and recognize the spirit of Labor Day Weekend for the country, the NASCAR industry will pay tribute to the workforce that help move businesses forward this weekend at Darlington Raceway. Austin Dillon and the No. 3 team will be hosting Anca Danilescu as a Workforce Appreciation Honorary Crew Member.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

What are your thoughts on Darlington Raceway?

“I’ve always loved Darlington Raceway. It’s a historic track and a lot of drivers and teams circle it at the beginning of the year as a place they would love to win at, myself included. We finished second at Darlington a couple of years ago. It’s a demanding track. Darlington is a place that falls off, so tire management becomes important, and I really like that. It’s nice that we’re going to place that long run speed matters a bit.”

Does making the NASCAR Playoffs give you a sense of validation?

“I think every time you make the NASCAR Playoffs, it’s validation to yourself that you’re one of the guys. We’ve made it five times now. I don’t know how many years I’ve been doing this, but every time you’re not in it, it doesn’t feel good. You’re not going to the banquet at the end of the year. You feel like you let your guys down. You feel like you let your company down. For me, it’s everything. It feels good to get a chance to compete for a championship. I did feel like we should have been locked into the Playoffs earlier than this, but it doesn’t matter how you get in, you got in. 15 different winners this year. That’s a testament to this NextGen car and how competitive the field is. I don’t think there’s any other form of motorsports that has this type of competitiveness week-in and week-out. Take Watkins Glen, for instance, and the spread from first to 20th. You look at the time sheet, and you are holding your break for a hundredth to move you up five sports. It’s what the NASCAR Cup Series is supposed to be. It’s challenging. You never give up, and that’s been the theme of this season.”

Now that you are locked into the NASCAR Playoffs, how do you feel about the first round?

“Actually, the first round has historically been a good round for us on the No. 3 team. We’ve done a good job of upsetting some teams in that first round. Darlington Raceway is a good place for me, so it’s a great starting point. I think we finished second at that track the last time I was in the Playoffs, so I feel good about Darlington. We’ve got to improve on what we took there earlier this year. When those long runs happen at Darlington and the tires wear out, I feel like that’s some of the best driving I do. Kansas Speedway was a decent track for us earlier this year. We’re just going to have to go to work and work really, really hard on the SIM at Chevrolet and at RCR. It won’t be from a lack of effort over the next three weeks to progress and try to get another win.”

This Week’s Lenovo Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Darlington Raceway … Tyler Reddick will be making his seventh NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington Raceway this weekend. His best previous finish came in his most recent start at the 1.366-mile speedway earlier this season when he claimed a second-place finish. The driver of the Lenovo Chevrolet scored a respectable seventh-place finish in his first Cup start at the egg-shaped oval in 2020. Reddick has three top-10 finishes in five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Darlington, highlighted by his second-place finish with RCR in 2019. Reddick has qualified for the Cup Series Playoffs for the second consecutive season and enters Darlington as the eighth seed in the standings, five points above the cutline.

Lenovo Workforce Appreciation Recognition at Darlington … Lenovo will recognize Daniel Findlay on the No. 8 Chevrolet for the Workforce Appreciation Initiative this weekend at Darlington. Lenovo is honoring Daniel for his role in managing the technical projects with Richard Childress Racing. He is passionate, creative, and dedicated to ensuring the pain points of the RCR team are being addressed quickly and pushing forward new technology initiatives that will enhance the overall performance of the teams at RCR.

About Lenovo … Lenovo’s story has always been about shaping computing intelligence to create a better world. With the world’s widest portfolio of technology products, we deliver our vision of Smarter Technology for All through products, solutions, software, and services that individuals, communities, businesses, and entire populations need to fulfill their potential. We serve more than 180 markets, and we own the majority of our facilities, giving us unrivaled scale, efficiency, and control of our supply chain. Our global manufacturing allows tailored offerings to regional markets and includes more than 30 manufacturing facilities, including in-house, joint venture, original design manufacturer, and contract manufacturer sites in Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Mexico, and USA.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:

What is your confidence level entering Darlington this weekend?

“It’s in a good place, honestly. We’ve been really strong at Darlington for a while now. The Southern 500 has been a weird race for us in some ways, like we’ve come into this race guns blazing, trying all this crazy stuff that as we’ve learned the few times we’ve raced at Darlington we may not have had to do. We’re in a good spot. We’ve been able to learn some hard lessons at Darlington. This Next Gen car has been really good for us at a lot of these worn out racetracks so I feel like we’re going to have a good opportunity with our Lenovo Chevrolet, With our good finishing position Daytona we will qualify in Group B and hopefully get a shot at the pole so we can have that really prized pit stall number 1. I feel good about what we’ve got. This Next Gen car has narrowed down the things that you can adjust on at tracks like Darlington. This track has been good to us so I’m excited to see what that means.”

What are your thoughts on teammate Austin Dillon qualifying for the Playoffs with his win last week at Daytona?

“In my opinion both of our cars at RCR have done enough of the right things and have been strong enough all year long this year where we can go and if things go right, one of us, or both of us hopefully, can make it through the Round of 8. I feel like we’ve been that close all year long. The whole RCR organization deserves to be in the Playoffs. Austin has worked really, really hard this year. I wanted to do everything I could to help them get where they belonged in the post-season and in the Playoffs. There’s a lot of great people at RCR that put a lot of work into this team and I just wanted both of our cars to be in it.”

This Week’s Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Darlington Raceway … Sheldon Creed heads back to Darlington Raceway this weekend for the second time of his NASCAR Xfinity Series career. His first start was earlier this season, when he started 10th and finished 38th due to an engine issue. Creed has been extremely successful in the NASCAR Truck Series at Darlington. In 2020, he made his first start from the second position and finished 18th. In 2021, he swept both races at the South Carolina track, leading 111 laps total between both races. Creed is currently 13th in the driver Playoff standings, 55 points below the cutline.

Whelen Celebrates 70 Years … From a small garage workshop in Connecticut in 1952 to a worldwide leader in emergency warning equipment today, Whelen Engineering continues to push the boundaries of innovation. As we mark our 70th anniversary, we’re proud to continue our founder’s mission of making it safer for those who serve and protect. Whelen has been manufacturing in America for 70 years—we never left, and we’re here to stay.

About Whelen … Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.

SHELDON CREED QUOTE:

How are you feeling heading into the race weekend at Darlington?

“I’m really excited for Darlington this weekend. I’ve always really like racing there and I feel like it suits my racing style really well. I won there twice in the Truck Series and just had some bad luck earlier this season. I like the track a lot because it’s extremely difficult and the line is so different from anywhere else that we run. But, I felt confident in the Xfinity car when we raced in May and I’m looking forward to getting back out there today. Practice and qualifying will be really important to give us a good starting position and make sure we’re running up front for the win. It’ll also help us see where our car is at for the race. We’re definitely fighting hard for our spot in the Playoffs right now and our team is working really hard to grab that first win. We had a great car last weekend in Daytona and got caught up in another mess, but we’re really excited to get things back on track at Darlington.”

This Week’s Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Camaro SS at Darlington Raceway … Saturday’s race at Darlington Raceway will be Austin Hill’s third Xfinity Series start of his career. His first start was in 2020 and most recently, in May of this season. He finished ninth in both of those races. In 2020, Hill made his first NASCAR Truck Series start at the track and started third and finished third. In 2021, he finished the spring race 13th and the fall race in 12th. Hill had a really strong run last weekend at Daytona International Speedway. He was in the lead during the third NASCAR Overtime attempt and was taken out of the lead by an electrical issue. He ended up finishing 14th. Currently, Hill is sixth in the driver Playoff standings with two wins, nine top fives and 14 top 10s.

Visit the Bennett FanZone Display … Come get an autograph from Austin Hill in the Darlington Raceway Midway on Saturday, September 3 from 12:15 p.m. ET to 12:30 p.m. ET. Hill will also be taking pictures with fans, so don’t miss out.

About Bennett Family of Companies … McDonough, Ga.-based Bennett Family of Companies is a woman-owned, Women’s Enterprise Business Council (WBENC) certified, diversified transportation and logistics company. Through its 12 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. The company will use race experiences to recruit and retain hundreds of truck drivers for their organization in 2022. For more information, visit www.Drive4Bennett.com.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:

The series is heading back to Darlington this weekend, what’s your mindset for a track that is very unique?

“Definitely looking forward to getting to Darlington this weekend. My team and I are looking to bounce back from a couple of unfortunate finishes. Last weekend’s race at Daytona was definitely a tough one. We had the win right in front of us and got taken out by an electrical issue so that one still stings but it’s time to move on this weekend at Darlington. This track is so different than any others we go to and practice and qualifying are going to really help us understand our car. We definitely want to keep it clean and be at the front at the end. We’re in the Playoffs, which helps with the pressure, but we’ve got to get our teammate Sheldon Creed in. Excited to rebound after last weekend and get this ship steered forward as we approach the start of the Playoffs.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Cook Out Southern 500
Darlington, Raceway
Darlington, South Carolina
September 4, 2022

NCS PLAYOFFS ROUND OF 16: RACE #1 AT DARLINGTON

With the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) regular-season officially in the books; the 2022 playoff field is set and all eyes turn to the race to the championship.

16 drivers have earned their chance to battle for the coveted NCS championship title over the final 10-race stretch. The 16-driver playoff field and elimination-style format was introduced to the series in 2014. There are three rounds (three races per round) in the NCS playoffs, plus one final championship-crowning season finale. Four drivers will be eliminated following each three-race round.

The NCS playoffs Round of 16 gets underway this weekend at Darlington Raceway, with Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 marking the first of three races in the opening round. The 1.366-mile oval known as “The Track Too Tough to Tame” is the fourth venue in the series’ history to host the first race in the NCS post-season, with the 2022 season marking the third year the track has opened the playoffs for NASCAR’s premier series.

In 122 NCS races held at Darlington Raceway, Chevrolet has made its way to victory lane 41 times to lead all manufacturers. In last season’s playoff opener at the South Carolina venue, the bowtie brigade was led by Kyle Larson, who drove his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 to his third career runner-up finish at the track… a feat that leads all active NCS drivers.

DILLON PICKS UP THE WIN, PLAYOFF SPOT AT DAYTONA

Heading into the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway last weekend, seven Chevrolet drivers had already secured their playoff positions by virtue of a win. With two remaining playoff spots up for grabs, Chevrolet drivers below the cutline took on the 2.5-mile Florida superspeedway in a “must-win” situation to keep their championship hopes alive. 

Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon saw and conquered that challenge, scoring his first win of the 2022 season to claim a playoff berth. The famed Florida venue holds a special place in Dillon’s racing career, adding a crown jewel win to his name in the 2018 Daytona 500. A win at Daytona that gives Dillon and the No. 3 Camaro ZL1 team a chance at the championship title makes it that much sweeter.

While the 400-mile race was postponed until Sunday morning due to weather; Mother Nature continued to linger, causing an increase in urgency that effected moves on the track and calls from atop the pit box. After just receiving the “lucky dog” pass to get back onto the lead lap, a massive wreck transpired at the front of the pack. Dillon was able to maneuver his No. 3 Camaro ZL1 through the carnage to the front, moving the team to the top of the leaderboard just before the race went under red flag conditions due to rainfall for more than three hours.

When the track was back to race conditions, the field would take the green with 15 laps remaining, with Dillon back out front. The 32-year-old North Carolina native made a strong pass for the lead, with his RCR teammate, Tyler Reddick, in tow. Dillon stayed out front, taking the checkered by 0.128 seconds over Reddick to give the organization a 1-2 finish.

The bowtie brand went on to take four of the top-five finishing positions in the regular-season finale, with Landon Cassill, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1, in fourth; and Noah Gragson scoring a NCS career-best finish of fifth in the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Camaro ZL1. This marks the seventh time this season that the final running order has seen Chevrolet drivers take four of the top-five finishing positions.. with that feat now being accomplished for the past two consecutive races.

“I felt like I had good Chevrolet teammates behind me,” said Dillon. “If I could get the lead, the 2 (Austin Cindric) would not be able to hold onto the draft. We’ve done it in practice enough to know that you’ll lose the tail and it’s hard to get back to it. I’m so proud of these guys and I’m glad to be going to Victory Lane.”

Dillon’s win brings Chevrolet’s NCS regular-season win total to 15 in 26-points paying races, more than double each of its manufacturer competitors. In a standout debut season for the Next Gen Camaro ZL1, the manufacturer also continues to leads the series in top-fives (63), top-10s (113), laps led (3,051) and stage wins (21) heading into the final 10-race stretch.

CHEVROLET TAKES EIGHT TO THE 2022 NCS PLAYOFFS

With at least one win to their names in the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season; eight Chevrolet drivers have clinched a berth in this season’s NCS playoffs, giving the bowtie brand 50 percent of the playoff field as the manufacturer looks to defend its NCS Driver and Manufacturer Championships. Since the debut of the 16-driver playoff format to the series in 2014; at least five Chevrolet drivers have been represented in the playoffs each season. The 2022 season also marks the fourth time since 2014 that Chevrolet has accounted for at least 50 percent of the playoff field, with 2015 bringing a manufacturer-high nine drivers to the playoffs.

Chevrolet All-Time NASCAR Cup Series

Championships:

Manufacturer Championships:

1st Chevy Title: 1958

Most Recent Title: 2021

Highest Number of Consecutive Titles: 13 (2003-2015)

Driver Championships:

1st Chevy title: Buck Baker (1957)

Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Highest Number of Consecutive Titles: 7 (2005-2011)

Chevrolet – the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history – recorded its series-leading 40th NCS Manufacturer Championship and its 33rd NCS Driver Championship in 2021. While looking to go back-to-back in manufacturer titles, the bowtie brand is looking to make it a three-peat in driver championships, following Chase Elliott (2020) and Kyle Larson’s (2021) first career NCS championships.

A look at the eight Chevrolet drivers in the NCS title hunt: 

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 1st in Playoff Standings

2022 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion

Victories: 4 (series-leading)

Top-Fives: 10 (tied for series-leading);

Top-10s: 17 (series-leading);

Laps Led: 719 (series-leading);

Average Finish: 10.5 (series-leading);

Stage Wins: 5

Of Note:

• For the first time in his NCS career, Elliott was crowned the 2022 NCS Regular Season Champion.
• The 2022 season marks Elliott’s seventh consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.
• Elliott has advanced to the Championship 4 the past two seasons, winning his first career NCS Driver Championship in 2020.
• Six of his 17 career NCS wins have come in the playoffs.

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 3rd in Playoff Standings

Victories: 2

Top-Fives: 10 (tied for series-leading);

Top-10s: 14

Laps Led: 583

Average Finish: 14.6

Stage Wins: 5

Of Note:

- The 2022 season marks Chastain’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs.

- Chastain secured a playoff berth with his first career NCS win at COTA in March; also marking Trackhouse Racing’s first win in the organization’s second season in the series. 

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 4th in Playoff Standings

2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion

Victories: 2

Top-Fives: 10 (tied for series-leading)

Top-10s: 13

Laps Led: 307

Average Finish: 14.3

Stage Wins: 3

Of Note:

- In 2021, Larson scored his first career NCS Regular Season Championship, going on to win his first career NCS Driver Championship.

- The 2022 season marks Larson’s sixth appearance in the NCS playoffs, with 2021 bringing Larson his first trip to the Championship 4.

- During the playoff era (2004-present); Larson leads the series in multiple playoff race wins in a single season’ with five in 2021 (Bristol, Charlotte ROVAL, Texas, Kansas, Phoenix).

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 5th in Playoff Standings

Victories: 2

Top-Fives: 4

Top-10s: 5

Laps Led: 612

Average Finish: 18.1

Stage Wins: 3

Of Note:

- The 2022 season marks Byron’s fourth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.

- Bryon’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs came in 2021, finishing the season 10th in the final standings.

 
Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – 8th in Playoff Standings

Victories: 2

Top-Fives: 8

Top-10s: 11

Laps Led: 331

Average Finish: 16.7

Stage Wins: 2

Of Notes:

- The 2022 season marks Reddick’s second consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs, with his first coming in 2021.

- Reddick earned a playoff berth following his first career NCS win at Road America; going on to win his second of the season at the Indianapolis Road Course. 

 
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 13th in Playoff Standings

Victories: 1

Top-Fives: 6

Top-10s: 10

Laps Led: 238

Average Finish: 16.5

Stage Wins: 2

Of Note:

- The 2022 season marks Suarez’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs.

- Suarez earned his playoff berth following his first career NCS win at Sonoma Raceway.

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 – 14th in Playoff Standings

Victories: 1

Top-Fives: 3

Top-10s: 10

Laps Led: 29

Average Finish: 15.7

Stage Wins: 1

Of Note:

- The 2022 season marks Bowman’s fifth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.

- Bowman has raced his way into the Round of 12 in each of his NCS playoff appearances; making it to the Round of Eight in the 2020 season to score a career-best sixth in the final standings. 

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – 16th in Playoff Standings

Victories: 1

Top-Fives: 4

Top-10s: 8

Laps Led: 18

Average Finish: 19.8

Stage Wins: 0

Of Note:

- The 2022 season marks Dillon’s fifth appearance in the NCS playoffs.

- Dillon’s playoff berth came from his win in the NCS regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway, after entering the weekend in a must-win scenario to take one of the final two playoff spots.

- Dillon’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs is 11th, accomplishing that feat in 2017 and 2020. 

CAMARO SS GOING FOR FOUR IN A ROW AT DARLINGTON 

The Camaro SS has taken the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) season by storm, sitting at now 16 victories in the series’ 23 races thus far.. a win count that is more than double its manufacturer competitors combined. With 10 races still remaining in the season, Chevrolet’s current manufacturer-leading 16 wins has already matched its total number of victories recorded in the 2021 NXS season.

With just three races left in the NXS regular-season, five full-time NXS Chevrolet drivers have notched at least one win to clinch a playoff berth. Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger is en route to going back-to-back in NXS regular-season championship titles, holding strong atop the driver standings by 58-points over second. Chevrolet is also on the path to making it six in a row in NXS Manufacturer Championship titles, now reaching a triple digit lead in the manufacturer standings over its competitors.

On top of continuing its winning ways in the overall season, Chevrolet drivers and teams are heading into the Darlington race weekend looking to make it four in a row in NXS race wins at the “Lady in Black”. JR Motorsports has conquered the 1.366-mile South Carolina track for the past three NXS races held at the venue. Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson swept the Darlington race wins in 2021, with Allgaier and the No. 7 Camaro SS team returning to victory lane at the track in May to score their first of three wins thus far this season.

ADDING ANOTHER WEEKEND SWEEP

For the second consecutive weekend, a Chevrolet-powered machine has made its way to victory lane in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series races to sweep the weekend. This isn’t an unfamiliar feat for Chevrolet in the 2022 season. The Daytona race weekend marked the ninth time that Chevrolet has swept the wins when the NCS and NXS are in competition on the same weekend.. two of which added in a NCWTS win to make it an all-Chevrolet victory lane across all three NASCAR national series.

BOWTIE BULLETS

· Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway include:

   Erik Jones (2019)

· In 122 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Darlington Raceway, Chevrolet has recorded 41 wins to lead all manufacturers. In addition, the bowtie brand has recorded 22 pole wins, 197 top-fives and 412 top-10s at the 1.366-mile South Carolina venue.

· In his nine career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway, reigning NCS Champion Kyle Larson leads all active NCS drivers in average finishing position at the track (6.0). Larson also leads all active NCS drivers in runner-up finishes at Darlington with three, including last season’s playoff opener.

· In the 26-race NASCAR Cup Series regular-season, Chevrolet drivers have taken four of the top-five finishing positions in seven races, including the past two consecutive weekends (Watkins Glen and Daytona).

· Austin Dillon’s win at Daytona made him the eighth Chevrolet driver to claim a spot in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, giving the bowtie brand 50 percent of the 16-driver NCS playoff field.

· Chevrolet heads into the 10-race NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with a manufacturer-leading 15 NCS wins in 26 points-paying races. The bowtie brand also continues to lead its manufacturer competitors in NCS top-fives (63), top-10s (113), laps led (3,051) and stage wins (21).

· Seven Team Chevy drivers have combined 21 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins:

Tyler Reddick 2 – Fontana x2

Alex Bowman 1 – Las Vegas

Ross Chastain 4 – Las Vegas, Darlington, Charlotte, Pocono, Richmond

William Byron 3 – Phoenix, Atlanta, Talladega

Daniel Suarez 2 – COTA, Charlotte

Chase Elliott 3 – Martinsville x2, Charlotte, Atlanta x2

Kyle Larson 3 – Bristol, Sonoma, Pocono

· Chevrolet leads the driver points standing in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. 2022 NCS Regular-Season Champion, Chase Elliott, enters race one of the Round of 16 at the top of the leaderboard with 2,040 points and 40 playoff points. AJ Allmendinger continues to lead the NXS standings by 58 points. Chevrolet – reigning NCS and NXS Manufacturer Champions – remains atop both manufacturer points standings.

· With its 40 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 829 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR.

FOR THE FANS

· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Darlington Raceway.

· Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Silverado 2500HD Crew LTZ Diesel, Camaro ZL1, Silverado 1500 Crew ZR2, Tahoe Z71, Blazer RS, Corvette Z51.

· At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Camaro ZL1 show car.

Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:

Saturday, September 3

· Bayley Currey & Ryan Vargas: 12:00 p.m.

· Myatt Snider: 12:15 p.m.

· Jeremy Clements: 12:45 p.m.

· Josh Berry & Sam Mayer: 1:00 p.m.

· Kris Wright: 1:15 p.m.

Sunday, September 4

· Erik Jones: 2:45 p.m.

· Tyler Reddick: 3:00 p.m.

· Corey LaJoie: 3:30 p.m.

Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:

Saturday, September 3: 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, September 4: 12 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Tune In:

USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 4. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 3. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

QUOTABLE QUOTES

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1

How does it feel to be in the playoffs for your first time?

“You know, I woke up on Monday morning and felt the same I have all year. I am glad about that because I was wondering if once Daytona was over if I would feel different because it’s the start of the playoffs. I feel like I’ve had a normal week so far and I’m staying in my routine. My routine is what has gotten me to this point, and I am looking forward to continuing that.”

Have you received advice from anyone on how to handle the playoffs?

“I’ve gotten a lot of advice and a lot of opinions from people that genuinely want to help.

I’m not going to make major changes though. There’s things I would like to clean up and make better, but ideally, the most egregious thing we do out of the ordinary this week is have a team lunch to kick off the playoffs.”

Darlington is one of your better tracks, maybe even your best track. How does that make you feel about this weekend and it being the first race of the playoffs?

“Driving the 2.5 hours home back to Mooresville after Darlington is frustrating because you realize that you could’ve won if a couple of things went different or if you would would’ve asked for this one adjustment. In my experience, I think about how I’ve over driven Darlington. You really do have to go slow to go fast, but as a racecar driver, that’s hard to do. We had a fast car there in the spring but everyone has had time to work on their setups and we’ll have to go there and perform again.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BETMGM CAMARO ZL1

What are your thoughts on Darlington Raceway?

“I’ve always loved Darlington Raceway. It’s a historic track and a lot of drivers and teams circle it at the beginning of the year as a place they would love to win at, myself included. We finished second at Darlington a couple of years ago. It’s a demanding track. Darlington is a place that falls off, so tire management becomes important, and I really like that. It’s nice that we’re going to place that long run speed matters a bit.”

Does making the NASCAR Playoffs give you a sense of validation?

“I think every time you make the NASCAR Playoffs, it’s validation to yourself that you’re one of the guys. We’ve made it five times now. I don’t know how many years I’ve been doing this, but every time you’re not in it, it doesn’t feel good. You’re not going to the banquet at the end of the year. You feel like you let your guys down. You feel like you let your company down. For me, it’s everything. It feels good to get a chance to compete for a championship. I did feel like we should have been locked into the Playoffs earlier than this, but it doesn’t matter how you get in, you got in. 15 different winners this year. That’s a testament to this NextGen car and how competitive the field is. I don’t think there’s any other form of motorsports that has this type of competitiveness week-in and week-out. Take Watkins Glen, for instance, and the spread from first to 20th. You look at the time sheet, and you are holding your break for a hundredth to move you up five sports. It’s what the NASCAR Cup Series is supposed to be. It’s challenging. You never give up, and that’s been the theme of this season.”

Now that you are locked into the NASCAR Playoffs, how do you feel about the first round?

“Actually, the first round has historically been a good round for us on the No. 3 team. We’ve done a good job of upsetting some teams in that first round. Darlington Raceway is a good place for me, so it’s a great starting point. I think we finished second at that track the last time I was in the Playoffs, so I feel good about Darlington. We’ve got to improve on what we took there earlier this year. When those long runs happen at Darlington and the tires wear out, I feel like that’s some of the best driving I do. Kansas Speedway was a decent track for us earlier this year. We’re just going to have to go to work and work really, really hard on the SIM at Chevrolet and at RCR. It won’t be from a lack of effort over the next three weeks to progress and try to get another win.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1

Larson on Darlington Raceway and the Round of 16:

“We had a really fast car last time before we had trouble. The first round has a lot of really good tracks for us. Darlington (Raceway), Kansas (Speedway) and Bristol (Motor Speedway). Those are honestly three of my best racetracks. I really like that round and hopefully we can do well in it and get some wins and get some bonus points. I have always run really well at Darlington, but have not gotten a win there yet. I finished second three times in a row before this year, so would love to be one spot better there and finally get that Darlington win that I have been close to getting.”

CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1

Daniels on the challenge of setting a car up for Darlington:

“It drives me crazy trying to set the car up but Darlington (Raceway) is hands down my favorite track on the circuit with Bristol (Motor Speedway) probably close behind that. Darlington is such a challenge. The track itself, how to race it, how to run your own race, executing the pit stops and the green-flag strategy. Everything around Darlington is a true, gritty, racer-type feel to the track and race – it just has that aura. I enjoy it but I am pulling my hair out every second of the day trying to get it right, have a good plan and have a good car to do the things we need to do but that is part of what makes it fun.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA / CHILDREN’S CAMARO ZL1

Elliott on this weekend’s “DESI9N TO DRIVE” paint scheme and program:

“Partnering with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has been going on for about five years now, but last year was the first year we kind of brought it to life on track. That came through an opportunity with NAPA AUTO PARTS, which is my primary sponsor and has been a great partner. When you have a partner that is willing to give up its race to let someone design the car, get behind the foundation and try to make a difference in the community, I think that really says a lot. You don’t see that very often. I’m looking forward to having Dani, the young lady that designed the car, and her family at the track this weekend and hosting them. I’m hoping everyone loves that paint scheme as much as I do.”

Elliott on kicking off the playoffs in Darlington:

“Darlington (Raceway) is the beginning of a long road ahead. A lot can happen in 10 weeks. A lot can happen in one race weekend, much less 10. So, you know, it’s baby steps and one weekend at a time. Darlington is that first stop and you want to try to get off on a good note and see where it takes you. We’re happy to have those 15 bonus points. We’ve never been in a position to have many bonus points going into the final 10. Hopefully, we can take those points we’ve accumulated and help us get through these rounds. Hopefully, we don’t need them, but if you do have a bad day, you have a little bit of something to fall back on which is always nice. I’m looking forward to getting going and seeing where we stack up this first week and where we need to go from there.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1

Byron on his thoughts for the first race of the playoffs:

“I’m optimistic heading back to Darlington (Raceway) for the second time this year. We had the speed we needed in the spring to be in the lead when it mattered. The fall race is always a challenge though when it comes to heat and the transition throughout the race. I’m confident in Rudy (Fugle) and my team, though, that we’ll be prepared for every scenario. Getting off on the right foot for the first race of the playoffs is crucial so you’re not feeling like you are trying to play catch-up throughout the round. If we put together solid races and control the factors we can control, I think we can end the race with a win or at least a good result, which will set us up well for the next two races.”

RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1

Fugle on what he expects from Sunday’s race:

“We ran well in the spring race at Darlington (Raceway) but this weekend’s race will be about as different as can be. It’s a longer race for starters, so there will be a bigger emphasis on strategy, especially with how high tire fall off is there. Sunday’s race is going to be much hotter than it was earlier this year. I do think we have some good notes to work off of since this race starts in the daytime. The biggest thing will be making changes to keep up with the track as it transitions from day to night. I think whoever keeps up with those changes the best will be the ones who find themselves running up front towards the end. Hopefully that’s the No. 24 team and we can kick off the first race of the playoffs with a good run.”

TY DILLON, NO. 42 EG3 TECHNOLOGIES CAMARO ZL1

“Darlington is one of my favorite racetracks, if not my most favorite, that we go to. It makes a unique challenge for the drivers to race through all 500 miles, and I always look forward to having the opportunity of racing at one of the oldest, most historic venues in our sport. I think that we have a chance to continue our momentum at a track that I’ve ran well at in the past, so hopefully we will have our best day of the year yet.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1

Bowman on making the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year with Hendrick Motorsports:

“I am super happy to make the playoffs again and I think it shows the strength of our organization. We have a lot of really smart people working on our cars and giving me the best equipment each weekend to go out there and compete for wins. Greg (Ives) and myself have made the playoffs every season we have been together, and I am looking forward to getting another shot to compete for a championship.”

GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1

Ives on going into his last playoffs as a crew chief:

“It’s bittersweet for me. Obviously, I have had a lot of success in the past, but this is my last shot to get a Cup Series championship. I think we have the team capable of contending every weekend and a driver that can get it done. We just have to continue to work hard, stay focused on each weekend and capitalize on every opportunity we get. I have enjoyed my career as a crew chief, and I will take in every moment as I close out this season.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 JOCKEY CAMARO ZL1

After waiting since June, are you ready for the playoffs?

“I am. Let’s hammer down.”

What is your strategy?

“I don’t know if you have a strategy other than to do the same things you have been doing all year that got you to this place. You have to drive smart, learn as much as you can and make no mistakes.”

Are you entering the playoffs with momentum?

“Things were looking good Sunday before the rain on the track in Daytona ended our race. We ran pretty good at Watkins Glen. My team has been improving all year so we feel very confident.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2021): 40

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021

Drivers Championships:

Total (1949-2021): 33

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021

Event Victories:

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2022 STATISTICS:

Wins: 15

Poles: 7

Laps Led: 3,051

Top-five finishes: 63

Top-10 finishes: 113

Stage wins: 21

Tyler Reddick (Fontanax2)
Alex Bowman (Las Vegas)
Ross Chastain (Las Vegas), (Darlington), (Charlotte), (Pocono), (Richmond)
William Byron (Phoenix), (Atlanta), (Talladega)
Daniel Suarez (COTA), (Charlotte)
Chase Elliott (Martinsvillex2), (Charlotte), (Atlantax2)
Kyle Larson (Bristol Dirt), (Sonoma), (Pocono)

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 829 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 730

Laps led to date: 244,387

Top-five finishes to date: 4,201

Top-10 finishes to date: 8,668

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,163

       Chevrolet: 829

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 817                                                           

       Ford: 717

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 167

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.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
PLAYOFF MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TRACKHOUSE RACING CAMARO ZL1, 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Media Day – Media Availability Highlights:

HOW DO YOU LOOK AT DARLINGTON AND HOW DO YOU LOOK AT YOUR ENCOUNTER WITH THE WALL AT DARLINGTON?

“That’s a good question. I don’t feel like I’m one of the best yet at running the wall, but I’m working hard on it to be able to be better and to continue to improve. Personally, even though I’m not the best at running the wall, I feel like in Darlington I run pretty well. I’m really looking forward to the first race of the playoffs”

IS IT A TRACK WHERE YOU FEEL YOU KNOW HOW FAR YOU CAN GO UP TO THE WALL AND HOW MUCH THE CAR WILL HOLD UP?

“It depends how you hit; it can be very delicate or it can be very tough. But overall, we’re starting the playoffs at one of the toughest races of the year, and one of the longest races of the year. That’s going to be exciting. I’m really looking forward to it. The more difficult it can be, mentally and physically, I think the better it’s going to be, at least for myself. I’m really looking forward to it.”

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE HERE AT PLAYOFF MEDIA DAY, IN THE POST-SEASON, LOOKING AT THAT TROPHY?

“It feels nice, but honestly it feels normal. I believe that I belong here. When you have a team like the one I have, I feel like it’s more like a must to be in this position.

I think we’re in a great position. I have an amazing team behind me. Trackhouse Racing has done a tremendous job this year. We have to continue to evolve. We cannot sleep in the next 10 weeks. It’s the most important part of the season, of course. We have to continue to do the same thing that we’ve been doing and continue to get better.”

SO IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU’RE SEEDED.. ANYONE CAN WIN IT FROM ANY WHERE?

“Yeah, I think so. If it was last year, I would tell you ‘this guy is going to win it or this guy is going to win it’ because the gaps were so big. With this car, if you’re telling me who is going to win Darlington and you get it right, I’ll give you a thousand dollars (laughs). I don’t think you’re going to get it right. There is not one guy.. anyone can be good. I love that about this car. It’s unpredictable. Everyone has an opportunity.”

WHAT ABOUT THE PREVIOUS CHAMPIONS VERSUS THOSE DRIVERS THAT ARE NEW TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP OR IN THEIR SECOND YEAR OF RUNNING FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP?

“I feel like those guys are already champions, they already know the feeling. So the advantage that they have mostly is mental, not so much physically in the car. But they already know what it feels like. I’ve had this feeling in the Xfinity Series, which is different. But at the same time, it’s the same thing, just multiple it by three or four. I think if we can stay calm, relax and continue to do exactly the same thing that we’ve been doing the last few months, we’re going to be in good shape.”

WILLIAM BYRON SAID YOU’RE THE GUY TO WATCH OUT FOR. HE THINKS YOU’RE THE MOST DANGEROUS IN THE PLAYOFFS.

“He said I’m the most dangerous in the playoffs?”

DANGEROUS MEANING YOU COULD BE UNDER THE RADAR AND BE A THREAT. HE SAID YOU ARE SOMEONE THAT COULD REALLY SURPRISE A LOT OF PEOPLE.

“I get goosebumps by you saying that because I’ve been working really hard to do that. I’m the kind of guy where I like to do it that way. If you think about it – the year I won the (Xfinity) championship – not a lot of people would bet on me. I did.. and I won it. I like it that way. I like to be under the radar and not to make a lot of noise. Go out there and beat them, but quietly.”

YOU HAD A BIG SEASON BY GETTING YOUR FIRST CAREER CUP SERIES VICTORY. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE 10 RACE PLAYOFFS, DO YOU STILL EXPECT A LOT? YOU’RE OBVIOUSLY NOT SATISFIED, RIGHT?

“Somebody just asked me if I was happy and excited to be here, and honestly it feels normal to me. This is not a surprise. I think the fun part is about to begin. The winning was a lot of fun. I proved to myself that I can do it. I knew I could do it, but now everybody knows as well. They do know that I can do it and my team can do it, and we have everything that it takes to get it done. Now we have to do it on a consistent basis. In the last two months, we’ve been extremely consistent. Richmond was the only race that we were bad. Everywhere else, we’ve had top-fives and top-10s.

The playoffs are coming at a good time for the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team and I’m excited for that.”

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SUCCESS BOTH YOU AND ROSS (CHASTAIN) HAVE HAD THIS YEAR; WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE AT TRACKHOUSE RIGHT NOW?

“It’s fun. The first time I heard about Trackhouse was on a piece of paper and that was exactly two years ago. When I signed with Trackhouse, they told me everything they wanted to do and they told me everything that they were going to allow me to build for myself; to be able to build a team that I wanted, to build a team that I was going to be able to win races and championships with. I said that was going to be the best opportunity that I’ve had in Cup. A lot of people told me I was crazy. A year and a half later, two years later; now they know what I saw back then. I knew the mission Justin (Marks) and Ty Norris had.

I’m in a very, very happy place right now. We have to continue to grow, continue to be better, but I feel like we’re heading in the right direction.”

HOW EASY WAS IT TO SEE THAT?

“Believe it or not, that year heading into 2021, I had an opportunity to go with a team that was winning races. I didn’t do that because it was a team that a very important person to me, with a lot of experience, told me that they were not in a very good situation. That’s why I choose Trackhouse. My father told me I was crazy. A few friends from Mexico told me ‘Daniel, I’m not sure you’re making the right call’. Eight months later, they told me ‘Man, I’m glad you made that call’. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut a little bit. Justin looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Man, you have to trust me on this, we’re going to build something great and I want to be able to give you the opportunity to build a team around you’. That’s something nobody else has allowed me to do before in the Cup Series. It makes a huge difference when you have a team for you.. not a team that was already there. I’m just very happy to be in this position. I’m very happy to that I crossed paths with Trackhouse and I feel like we have a great future ahead of us.”

AT ANY POINT LAST YEAR DID YOU THINK ONE YEAR FROM NOW, A TEAM JUST FRESHLY STARTING OUT, WOULD BE IN THIS POSITION NOW WHERE TRACKHOUSE HAS WON THREE RACES AND YOU’RE BOTH IN THE PLAYOFFS.

“Honestly, I did. I did because I believed that Trackhouse and the Next-Gen car was going to be the perfect combination to change the game, and here we are right now. If it wasn’t for this project, we wouldn’t be here right now. I’m very thankful for NASCAR to give an equal opportunity to every team out there.”

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
PLAYOFF MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1, 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Media Day – Media Availability Highlights:

WHAT IS THE OUTLOOK FOR THE PLAYOFFS FOR YOUR TEAM?

“I think we are super motivated because its Greg’s (Ives, crew chief) last 10 races with me and we want to end on a high note. We know the summer doesn’t matter anymore, our troubles, and it’s a good reset for us going into the playoffs. Everybody is all in and I think we can definitely make some noise.”

HAVE YOU HAD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHO IS GOING TO TAKE OVER THAT ROLE (CREW CHIEF) OR IS IT A FOCUS ALL ON THE PLAYOFFS

“Yeah, we have talked about it and it is pretty cool to be as involved as they have let me be in those talks. So, definitely kind of scary, but exciting at the same time. I really don’t know a successful Cup program without Greg Ives. So, it’s going to be different, but excited for the change.”

HOW DO YOU APPROACH DARLINGTON WITH THE NEW CAR? YOU HAVE RUN IT BEFORE BUT HOW DO YOU KNOW THE LIMITS?

“The body is forgiving, but the suspension is super unforgiving, and then it catches on fire. So, trying to avoid that because that is what got us the last Darlington race.. it decided to catch on fire on the right front. Hopefully we can avoid that.

But yeah, just knowing that if you hit the wall a little bit you have more room for error than you did with the old car for sure. Darlington is a place that you have to attack. You can’t just layover and try to survive. If you do that, then I feel like you kind of have a little bit of a lack in focus and don’t end up running well and its easier to make mistakes. We have to go run well and there is no way around it. You just have to go execute.”

SINCE YOU WERE SO SOLID OUT OF THE BOX THIS SEASON, HAVE YOU USED THE LATER PART OF THE SEASON TO SET YOURSELF UP FOR THE PLAYOFFS LIKE JIMMIE AND CHAD USED TO DO?

“I hope so. It’s been a rough summer, right? I would love to say that and maybe that is the case. So, I don’t know, I guess we will find out the next 10 weeks.”

AS FAR AS THE RESULTS GO, YOU ARE A BIT BEHIND KYLE AND CHASE THE LAST FEW WEEKS. DO YOU FEEL THAT WAY OR IS IT JUST RESULTS?

“I think the early part of the summer we were definitely behind, but for the last couple of weeks its definitely just results. So, I am definitely looking forward to the playoffs. I think my team is in a good spot and Greg is in a good spot. The last few weeks we have had good speed and have just not executed. We just have to keep digging.”

ARE YOU STILL TRYING TO GET USED TO THE AERO TENDENCIES OF THIS NEW CAR AT A PLACE LIKE DAYTONA AND WILL WE SEE SIMILAR THINGS AT TALLADEGA?

“I think you will see similar tendencies at Talladega, but I think really it was just speedway racing. I don’t think it was anything different than the old car. We had been really aggressive pushing all day long and I felt like I was one of the better pushers. Everyone that I pushed went to the front. We worked really well together with the 17 early in the race and some other guys through there. We had a really strong car and the way that Chase (Briscoe) slid up pretty late into three and kind of got loose right in front of me, it was just a situation where I just couldn’t get off of him.”

REGARDING YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE SEARCH TO REPLACE GREG IVES, WHAT KIND OF INPUT HAVE YOU PROVIDED?

“Yeah, just everybody asking me what kind of guy that I want, what I look for, and what I need and think will make me more successful. It’s been challenging to ask myself those questions and it’s definitely been a learning experience.”

YOU HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE AT THIS POINT (PLAYOFFS) AND HOW COMFORTABLE ARE YOU GOING INTO IT THIS TIME?

“I don’t think anybody is comfortable as close as the points are. But, I kind of know what the pressures are going to bring. I know what I need to do and its just a matter of going and doing it.”

DO YOU FEEL CONFIDENT BECAUSE YOU HAVE HAD SOME GOOD RACES THIS YEAR BUT HAVE ALSO HAD SOME TOUGH ONES AS WELL? DO YOU HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT YOU NEED TO DO WITH 10 RACES LEFT?

“I think so. I think we are all super motivated and we don’t have a choice but to go and perform for 10 weeks.”

ANY EXTRA INCENTIVE TO GET IT DONE FOR GREG SINCE HE IS STEPPING AWAY?

“Yeah, I think so. We want to end him being my crew chief on a high note. We are going to be friends forever, but yeah, we want to go perform well.”

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.