Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang, signed a multi-year extension with Team Penske earlier this week. He spoke about that, along with other issues, in the infield media center this afternoon.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang – YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE NEW NASCAR DOCU-SERIES. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? “I think everyone has seen the success that Drive to Survive had with reaching out to the non-fan or maybe casual fan of F1, and seeing how much that turned around even with me how much my point of view. I watched it casually, but I’d say I watch it a little more intently now as you learn a little bit more about how their sport works and really peeling back the curtains of not necessarily their personal lives that I really care about, but it’s how the race team is run and how they do things differently than what we do here in NASCAR. Those things were intriguing to me, so I think it’s pretty obvious it was successful and I think it’s smart for us to look for ways to do the same thing, which we did. I’ve been able to watch the first episode so far as the approval and it’s very entertaining, like highly entertaining and it’s a good mix of preparing for racing, personal lives, and the race itself, which may actually be the smallest part of it because everyone gets to see the race on Sunday anyway. You don’t have to tell that story again because everyone knows how it goes, but at least the preparation side of it and how my competitors do it and those type of things I’m interested in. I like watching that stuff as well. It kind of reminds me of that show a long time ago when they followed Kenny Wallace and Fedewa and all those guys. It was pretty entertaining, so it’s a step in that direction, for sure, and I think it’s gonna be great. I really don’t see it where it’s bad for the sport. It has some drama in it. It’s life. It shows life and it follows different drivers on different weeks, so I think it’s gonna be great for our sport, for sure. I think it was a hole in our sport that needed to be filled.”

HOW TRUE WAS IT BECAUSE YOU’VE EXPERIENCE THEM BEING THERE WITH THEM? “I can only speak on my behalf on my stuff, and it’s pretty true there. There are some editing ways and kind of how they create a character, in a way, but I wouldn’t say they’re far off on a lot of it. I thought it was good. They came to my house and they shot what I said was OK to shoot and they didn’t what I said I didn’t want them to see. The only thing I don’t want them to see is I don’t want people to know where I live. That’s a security piece. I don’t want that and they were respectful about that. I said, ‘Here are the things that I’m willing to show,’ and we lived our life and they filmed it. I can’t say we did anything differently than what we typically would do. It was good. We did that. They put some go-pros in the pickup truck on our way up to Bristol and had a truck full of kids screaming. It was life and they filmed it. It’s gonna be fun to watch that and how everybody does things differently and how lives are different away from the racetrack. Everyone has different amount of kids or married or not or whatever. Everyone has a different life. It’s kind of fun to see.”

CAN YOU CONFIRM THE TERM OF YOUR CONTRACT EXTENSION AND IS SPONSORSHIP LINED UP FOR THE DURATION OF THAT? “I can’t speak on the terms. I’m sure everyone can probably put a few things together and figure most of it out, but it’s definitely a long-term deal that’s gonna be great for all of us. Shell and Pennzoil and Team Penske, and honestly I think about it and it’s such a no-brainer for me. I was in a great situation. I feel very loyal to my partners and Roger and in Shell and Pennzoil that picked me up when no one else was going to, and gave me an amazing opportunity to win a bunch of races and a championship and have the opportunity to continue that relationship is, to me, like I said, a no-brainer. I’m in a great spot. We’ve got a winning race car, a secure place to work. When you think of what Penske can offer there, so, to me, it was a pretty easy decision on what to do there, and the continued growing on the team that we have. It’s tough to keep jumping ship, to go from one team to another. It’s not easy to do. You have to re-learn how things work, learn new relationships, who does what and you’re kind of starting from the beginning, where having the continuity of what we see at Team Penske for years to come whether it’s on the 12 with Blaney re-signing, myself, you see we’re gonna be able to work together for a long time and keep building off what we’re doing, and I think that puts us in a place of strength.”

THE PLAYOFFS START AT DARLINGTON, WHERE YOU WON. HOW MUCH CONFIDENCE DO YOU HAVE GOING THERE? “I feel good about it. Really, for the last month I feel really good about our performance, especially how we’ve been executing races. We’ve been really good at that the last month. We’ve maximized what we had. Our cars need to be faster, for sure, and it depends on the type of racetrack, but, to answer your question, Darlington is probably more so in our wheelhouse than any other racetrack. Old wore out surfaces is good for me as a driver and Paul as a crew chief, and the length and type of track that it is as well kind of falls into our wheelhouse. I’m excited about going back to Darlington. Obviously, we have a good place to work off of after we just ran there and had some success, so we can kind of tweak that setup some and hopefully be a little stronger than we were the last time.”

YOU, BLANEY AND SUAREZ HAVE ALL RE-SIGNED IN THE LAST FEW DAYS. WHAT MUST IT BE LIKE FOR KYLE BUSCH TO DEAL WITH THE DISTRACTION OF HIS SITUATION? “It’s a fair question and I can’t answer it for him. I can answer it for myself and just going through the quick negotiations that there was. Roger flew in. We met for three hours and we shook hands and we left. That’s how that worked and that’s how it worked the time before and it works smooth like that because we both understand each other’s side and we come to a neutral ground that makes sense for everybody and we both walked out of the room feeling like we got a good deal. That’s what a good deal is – when both sides win. That’s a good deal. We’ve been able to accomplish that for the last 10 years already, so I can say when it happens that quickly and you just move on the distraction is minimal because it just happens. Boom, it’s over. But knowing the negotiation is coming you have to prepare for it and that is a distraction and that’s just with one team. What if you were out there talking to four or five different teams all at the same time and trying to drive the race car and trying to live your life and be a dad and be a husband. Holy moley. I don’t know if I can do it and be 100 percent at any of it. It’s just a balance. I don’t know if it’s possible for me. I can’t speak for anybody else. I’m just speaking for myself. That’s one of the main reasons why I feel so at home where I’m at.”

HOW DO YOU APPROACH THIS RACE? WILL IT BE THE SAME AS BEFORE? “Yeah, it’s last chance. It’s your last shot to get in and everyone has the opportunity to win this thing – everybody has – and, yeah, I think this race plays differently than some of the other superspeedways. Some of it is because points don’t matter for a lot of people. They matter for us. We can get up there in points still and turn those into playoff points, but there are some teams that may not race for stage points because what does it matter? They’ve just got to survive and have something to race with at the end, so why would you take yourself out before that? You’re gonna have that, but I do think at the end of the race desperate people do desperate things and if this is your chance to get into the playoffs and know what that means for your team, and you have to make a risky move, the risky move is gonna happen even if it’s a two percent chance of it succeeding. It’s gonna happen. To me, there’s a 100 percent chance that they’re gonna crash at the end of this thing at some point. I don’t see how you don’t. I don’t see how it doesn’t happen. I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t happen in the last five laps, but it’s just a situation that we are put in coming here to Daytona, a superspeedway, with what’s on the line. It’s kind of asking yourself, ‘What would you do to win the Daytona 500?’ Well, what would you do to get in the playoffs? A lot of them are gonna say, “I’d wreck my mother to do it.’ That’s what a lot of them would say and, most likely, you’re gonna see something like that tomorrow night. Hopefully, the bright red and yellow Shell/Pennzoil Mustang is in front of all that and get a trophy at the end of the day.”

DO YOU HAVE A PLAN TO GO FOR THE WIN OR TRY TO HELP RYAN GET IN THE PLAYOFF HUNT WITH WHERE HE IS IN POINTS? “Ryan is in a pretty good spot after Kurt’s news earlier this week, unfortunately for him but I guess for Ryan it puts him in a better spot. It puts him in a better spot to make the playoffs to make the playoffs throughout this race. There are still situations that can happen that knocks him out, obviously, and I’ll be as good of a teammate as I always am and as good as I can be and work together as best as possible, but, the bottom line is I get paid to win the race too and I need to go out there and try to win the race as well. You can’t do it on your own. You’ve got to have people to work together with, but we eventually have to go race each other too at some point.”

HOW WILL THE TRACK BE WITH THE RAIN IN COMPARISON TO THE SPRING? “The rain is not gonna affect it much after the first run and the track takes some rubber – the Xfinity race tonight should rubber it in some, so I guess it won’t be that bad. It’s all about track temp. That’s really the biggest difference from the spring race to the fall race is the track temp. If it’s hot, it’s slick and you’re sliding around and the pack gets a little looser. If there’s a ton of grip, the pack seems to be a little tighter and that’s kind of what changes it up the most. Handling will come more into play, but as the sun goes down your track temp really doesn’t get much different than what it is in February in the 500.”

THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT SCENARIOS FOR RYAN AND MARTIN. IS THERE A SITUATION WHERE HE MAY HAVE TO PUSH TRUEX TO A WIN AS OPPOSED TO YOU OR ANOTHER FORD? “I don’t see where Blaney pushing Martin would be better than pushing his teammate. It would be the same result for Blaney. His teammate would have a win, which would be good for Team Penske. I guess I don’t see how that situation would play out. The worst thing that could happen for them is if there is if someone outside the playoffs now wins their way in and then Martin gains 25 points on Blaney. That would be the way he’s out, which I don’t know how likely that is. It’s very possible here at Daytona. If there is one place, it’s here so it can happen, but I can’t tell you exactly how Blaney is gonna call the race and what he’s gonna do. I think a lot of it depends and it’s a little bit off feel too on how the race is going and what’s going on the first couple stages before you make your decisions at the end of the race.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Coke Zero Sugar 400 Advance | Friday, August 26, 2022

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang, recorded his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in this event in 2014. He stopped by the infield media center to announce that he will be back next season with sponsor Smithfield.

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang – “I’m here to announce that I’ll be back. I know that doesn’t come as a surprise to many of you, but I put a lot of thought and a lot of discussing it with Janice and the kids and, ultimately, the subject continued to get broached from the race team and Smithfield and through all of that dialogue, mainly with the race team and Smithfield, it was very evident that not only did they want me back, but that Smithfield wanted to increase their marketing campaign around NASCAR and around me. So, they’ve decided to come back for a multi-year agreement, which is incredible. The amount of support that they have given to me and my family throughout my career is humbling, so when Shane Smith called me, the CEO of Smithfield and said, ‘Hey, we really want you to reconsider retiring. We want you to come back and drive our race car.’ It’s really hard to say no. I did tell him, ‘Let me talk to Janice and let me think about it, let me pray about it, and we did and there was a lot of back and forth discussion. Ultimately, it just feels right. I told you guys down here at the beginning of the year that I was retiring and it was for a family decision and this is still very much a family decision. Janice and the kids and I talked a lot about it and I think the person that probably has the most sacrifice involved is Janice, but the kids were ecstatic that they still get to come and be with their friends and there is a community that is involved and associated with what we do. This year, I took the opportunity to really soak it all up and embrace this year, and I have found a renewed sense of what a work/life balance looks like this year. I think by the time the year is over Janice and the kids will have come to about 28 races. I think many of you might not come to 28 races, so it’s been really good for us to find that balance. Everything has worked out to make it make sense for me to be able to continue to race with the kids’ activities. We’ve moved some things around to where they’re doing most of their activities during the week and the school that they’re involved in now, Friday is a satellite day to where they have to work. They work and they turn in their work on a computer, so they’re literally sitting in the bus right now as I’m sitting here talking to you trying to finish up their school work. Our family dynamic has changed. Things have changed and it just feels right. It feels like a blessing and a wonderful opportunity to continue to do what I love to do, and I think I made that very clear when I announced that I was gonna retire that I wasn’t retiring because I didn’t enjoy racing anymore, I was retiring because I was willing to make a sacrifice for my family because, ultimately, my family is the most important thing to me. Winning races and making money and all of those things, I was willing to make that sacrifice to make sure I was being the husband I needed to be and the father I needed to be, and through this year Janice and I just found a wonderful balance to where I still can be the husband that I want to be and the father that I want to be and we did some really cool stuff this year. I forgot just what a wonderful opportunity it is to be a race car driver. Not only do I get to do what I love to do, but we get to travel around the country and go to all sorts of different cities, so we took that opportunity this year. We went to the Arch in St. Louis. We went to the stadium where the Cardinals play. We’ve been to baseball games in Philly when we went to Pocono. We went to a Tigers game when they were playing the Tampa Bay races when we were in Detroit for the Michigan race. We’ve taken family road trips between Phoenix and Vegas. We went to Zion and hiked and we’ve just really taken this year to kind of embrace it and soak it all up and I think as a family we’re not ready for it to end yet.”

HOW MUCH OF A MINDSET CHANGE IS THIS NOW? “Honestly, not much of a mindset change because I’ve been so focused on competition. I think my commitment and my effort to performing at the highest level has never changed, and so I think the biggest thing for me is just looking ahead into the off-season, where I was like, ‘All right, once we get to the off-season I’ll be able to catch my breath and we’ll figure out whatever is next.’ I don’t for right now have to figure out whatever is next. I know what’s next. I’m gonna continue to drive a race car. I’m looking forward to it and I’m excited about it, but you have to remember I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’m going into my 12th season next year. It’s pretty routine, so from a mindset standpoint nothing really changes.”

SMITHFIELD HAS SIGNED FOR MULTIPLE YEARS. WHAT ABOUT YOU? DOES YOUR DEAL COINCIDE WITH THEIRS? “You’ll have to continue to ask me about it later on next year. I don’t know. For right now, that’s the plan. For right now, they’ve agreed to come back for a multi-year agreement. They’ve increased their investment in this sport and in the race team, back to the levels they were at in 2018-2019. That was one thing that really hit home for me was when I talked to Shane. He came down here to the Daytona 500 this year and that was his first race in many, many, many years. He grew up in North Carolina and was a fan of this sport way back when, and he’s been running the European operations for Smithfield for the last 10 years or so. He has now been promoted to CEO and he came to the Daytona 500 and was blown away when he walked around and just seeing the level of excitement, the enthusiasm for this sport, the sold-out grandstands, the viewership, just everything that he’s seen with this sport and just walking around and seeing the people that are here – all of the campers that are here throughout the infield, everybody tailgating and cooking out. Shane just said, ‘These are our people. These are our customers. We’ve been marketing to them and telling them a story and trying to get support for our brand from this core group of people for 11 years. We’re heavily invested in this market and we want to continue to be.’ He saw it first hand when he was here that the NASCAR fans are so brand loyal to the corporate sponsors that are involved in the sport. He knows and he feels very confident that their participation in this sport and sponsoring a race car and being involved gives them the opportunity to talk directly to their customer, and so when these fans that camp out, sit in the stands, tune in to watch on TV, when they go to the grocery store and they have a choice to make in the meat aisle, we all hope that they will go and pick up the Smithfield brand of meat to take it home to cook it or to bring it to the racetrack to grill out and cook out and we have a lot of data that kind of backs that up and supports it as well.”

HOW LONG DID YOU TAKE ON THE DECISION TO COME BACK? “It was a few weeks, to be honest, and there was a lot of talking back and forth like, ‘What does the sponsorship look like? Are they going to scale back? Are the going to stay flat or are they going to increase their level of investment and what does that look like and what does that look like for me? Are they gonna sponsor half of the year and do we have to find a sponsor for the other half of the year?’ All of those things played a key role in trying to iron out all the details. The first question was, ‘Would you reconsider?’ So I said, ‘Let me think about it. Let me talk to Janice. Let me pray about it.’ And then after about a week of having those discussions it was like, ‘Yes, I will reconsider, but x, y and z. What’s the answer to this? What’s the answer to this?’ And we worked through that for probably the next month to six weeks. I know it got put out last week that it was happening, but as of last week it still wasn’t done. There was still some things that needed to be ironed out in the details and so, to be fully transparent with all of you guys, it was done this week. We actually all came to agreement on all of the terms as of this week and that’s why we’ve announced it today.”

HOW DID THE KIDS REACT? “Both of the kids were elated. Abby said, ‘Does that mean we have to wait to get a horse?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ But Alex and Abby were both very excited to still continue to be here. I think that’s one of the things you have to realize. Alex came to his first race when he was one month old. He was born on September 4th and he came to his first race at Talladega in October. He was one month old. Abby was born on Thanksgiving Day in 2013. Her first race was the Daytona 500 and she was three months old, so our kids don’t know any different. They don’t know really what life looks like away from the racetrack and so they had a little bit of uncertainty as well. It was like, ‘What does that mean when dad is retired.’ Other than I’m gonna be home a lot more, what does that mean? What does that look like? Does that me we won’t get to see any of our friends anymore at the racetrack because we come to a large majority of the races and we have a community center. We have the MRO community center and our kids spend a lot of time at that community center with a lot of the other driver’s kids as well, so that’s their friendship group. They have their friends at school and then they come to the racetrack on the weekends and they have their friends at the racetrack, so they were nervous about what it looked like once we were done racing. Would we never get to see our friends again that were at the racetrack, so they were happy to find out they were gonna get to keep coming.”

WAS SMITHFIELD THE TIPPING POINT IN THIS DECISION? “Absolutely, and I think that’s one thing, for me, that has been just a huge blessing personally and professionally. Smithfield has been the primary sponsor on my race car my entire Cup career and so to continue to have their support and their backing is just an awesome feeling to be their guy and to be wanted. I truly feel like I am part of the Smithfield family and you have to remember that I’ve been part of Smithfield for 11 years. In that 11 years they’ve been through four CEOs. We’ve been through multiple different marketing executives and executives throughout the entire executive level office, so I feel very engrained there and I feel like I’ve done my part as an ambassador for their brand to build relationships, not only with the key people, but the entire organization because as things move and shuffle and change inside their organization, it’s still never wavered in their support of this sport and of me.”

CAN YOU TAKE THE LESSON OF THIS FORWARD TO MAKE NEXT YEAR EVEN BETTER? “I think those are lessons that I’ll keep with me for the rest of my life. I’m a very, very highly competitive person and when I came into this sport it was just me. I just had myself to worry about and then I met Janice and Janice and I dated for a while and then once we got married it was like, ‘Oh, boy. I’m now responsible for you as well,’ and then we had kids and it was like, ‘Oh no, now I’m responsible for two more mouths to feed.’ I always tried to separate home and work, and I felt like to be the best that I needed to be, I needed to be all in on racing. It takes that level of commitment to be really successful at the highest level of any profession, you have to be all in and committed. I found myself for many years putting my family second or actually third often and everything else revolved around racing, the sponsors, all the commitments that came with racing, and I tried to fit in family time when I could. I feel like over the last few years I’ve done a lot better job at that, but as I approached retirement it was like, ‘Man, I want to make sure that we do this together, that we go out holding hands as a family.’ We really soak it all up. We embrace it. We cherish this opportunity because when my kids were younger it was easy. They weren’t gonna remember, but now Alex almost being 10, Abby almost being 9, that changes things. They’re gonna remember this time in their life forever, so I wanted to make sure that it was done and we did it right on the way out. Yeah, I think for the rest of my life I’ll take those lessons learned and make sure that I don’t sacrifice being a great husband and being a great dad at the expense of being a professional and vice versa. I don’t want to sacrifice being a great professional at the expense of being a poor dad or poor husband or absent one.”

WAS SMITHFIELD AN IMPORTANT PART IN YOUR ORIGINAL DECISION? THERE WAS TALK THEY MAY NOT EVEN BE COMING BACK, SO DID YOU NOT WANT TO POTENTIALLY START OVER WITH A NEW SPONSOR AND FIGURE YOU AND SMITHFIELD WOULD GO OUT TOGETHER? “Absolutely. That’s a fair question. I think that was very much a factor that was weighed in was, where are they at? They were going through a transition period as well from the current CEO to a new CEO. They weren’t really sure. Shane was just coming in and was trying to get his bearings and from my standpoint I had reached a point to where Alex was still trying to go-kart race on the weekends occasionally. We were playing flag football on Saturdays. I was watching go-kart races on Facetime videos. I was watching flag football games on Facetime videos. I was watching Abby horseback ride on Facetime videos and I was sitting at the track in my motorhome, so you take those things, you weigh them out and I was like, ‘Man, what am I doing? Do I really want to continue the grind? Do I want to continue being gone from my family 40 weeks a year and hustling to find sponsorship money and trying to put all of this effort and focus into studying SMT data and constantly going here, going there for sponsors and doing media requests? All these things you have to do and I’m not complaining about it because I have the coolest job in the world, and I’ve signed up for it and I’ve loved every minute of it, but it is a grind. I’m telling you, it is long, it is a long year, it is a lot of work, so I just found myself at times going like, ‘What am I doing?’ And things changed for us. We got our kids into a school where Fridays are satellite days so they could travel with me. Alex, on his own, decided that he wanted to play baseball so we signed up for a baseball league where his games are on Tuesdays and Thursday nights. I haven’t missed a single baseball game. Our circumstances in our life changed to where it just made more sense to be able to stay out here on the road and continue to do what I love to do and my family still be a part of it.”

DOES ALEX HAVE ANY INTEREST IN RACING? “If he was sitting here right next to me he would say yes, and I think he does, but we’ve kind of pumped the brakes on that for right now. He’s really, really into baseball and it’s been so fun for me. I played baseball up to high school and growing up in Florida, a little Hispanic community, every Hispanic kid in Florida plays baseball year round and so did I. I predominantly played baseball and raced as well when I could, and as I got older racing became more important than baseball, but, for me, as his father, I have so much fun going out in the yard and throwing the baseball with him and going to baseball practice. I’m actually the assistant coach on the baseball team and it’s just been so much fun to be out there on the field with the kids. Mom and dad are still pushing baseball pretty heavy, plus it’s way, way cheaper. We can play baseball for a whole year for what it costs for a set of tires.”

WILL DREW STAY THE COURSE WITH YOU? “Yeah, I think Drew will stay the course with me. I don’t want to speak for the race team and speak for Zippy, but as far as I know Drew will stay with me. Drew has been a wonderful addition to the race team. He is such a great team leader and the guys on the team love him. I really enjoy working with him. It’s been a lot of fun working with Drew this year, so I think, as far as I know, that’s the plan. It would be news to me if it wasn’t.”

WHAT ROLE DID THE ACCIDENT AT KANSAS IN 2017 PLAY IN YOUR DECISION TO ORIGINALLY RETIRE? “Every time we strap into a race car there’s always a risk involved, but I’ve known that since I was a kid. There’s a risk when you get in a go-kart. There’s a risk involved when I modified raced through late model racing, so I’ve always known that and that’s the risk that I’ve always been willing to take because I love to race so much. The adrenaline rush for me and the thrill of competition has always outweighed the risk factor and that still remains the same for me. Obviously, when you do get older you have more people depending on you. Now I have a wife that depends on me. I have two kids that depend on me, so circumstances certainly change over the years, but, for me, I still accept those risks as a race car driver and want to go out and perform and compete. That thrill always just outweighs the risk.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
COKE ZERO SUGAR 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 26, 2022

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at Daytona International Speedway, where Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 will be the series’ regular season finale. Press Conference Transcript:

BOTH OF YOUR TEAMMATES – KYLE LARSON AND CHASE ELLIOTT – WERE INVOLVED IN THAT INCIDENT, IF THAT’S WHAT YOU WANT TO CALL IT, AT WATKINS GLEN. BUT THEY SAID RECENTLY THAT THEY HAD A MEETING AND EVERYTHING IS SETTLED. WERE YOU A PART OF THAT MEETING AND WHAT WAS YOUR TAKE ON THAT WHOLE SITUATION?

“Yeah, we’re always a part of those meetings. For us, competition meetings happen every Monday at noon. It was just an open discussion, dialogue, and I thought it went well. I’ve always had respect and raced well with all of my teammates. I feel like we all get along well and I feel like we all work together when possible. I mean obviously there’s not a ton of places where you can work together anymore; but the speedways, Martinsville restarts and things like that, Chase (Elliott) and I have worked together well on. And Kyle (Larson), too. In the Xfinity race, we worked well together.”

IN GENERAL, WHAT’S THE STANDARD OF WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO EXPECT FROM HOW TO RACE A TEAMMATE? THAT SITUATION ASIDE, WHEN YOU’RE RACING WITH THEM EVERY WEEK, ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO GIVE THEM EXTRA ROOM? DOES GOING FOR THE WIN CHANGE IT? WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM THAT?

“It’s tricky. In NASCAR today, there are so many other factors; like who’s behind you on a restart is a factor. So, that makes a decision different for you based on the loyalty, or lack thereof. I think all of those things factor in.

But when it comes to directly racing your teammate; for us, it’s just not making contact. We’re expected to trust the other three guys a little bit more than the rest of the field. I think that’s just the way that I approach it. If I do make some accidental contact.. like with Kyle (Larson) and I on restarts, or Chase (Elliott) and I, or Alex (Bowman) and I; it’s definitely not intentional to try and hit them. But yeah, just trying to race them with a little more trust I’d say. I’d say the biggest word is just ‘trust’.”

WITH HOW MUCH SPEED THAT YOU GUYS HAD AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, HOW DANGEROUS DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE NO. 24 TEAM CAN BE IN THE PLAYOFFS?

“Yeah, we haven’t shown it in a while; but like Indy Road Course, we had top four speed. On all of the metrics that I looked at, we were a second-place car at the Indy Road Course, so that was a really good race for us. The last couple, we’ve kind of been on the edge of the top-10, not quite getting there at the end of the race.

But I think honestly a lot of the tracks in the playoffs are really good tracks for us. Obviously we had a great run going at Darlington. I feel like at Kansas.. we were leading the race, had a flat left rear tire, which was back when we were all having left rear tire problems, and damaged the entire underbody of the car. So we went from leading that race – Kurt (Busch) was second at that time – to I think we finished 15th or 16th because the car had no more downforce after that. Those two tracks are really good for us. Bristol ast year we finished third. I don’t really look past those, but I think as we get into the second and third round, those are great tracks too. I feel optimistic for really all of them. Homestead is back in there.. that was an awesome track. We just had a good test at Martinsville, so I feel like Martinsville can continue to be a good place for us. We just have to get to those.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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Smithfield To Serve as Anchor Partner of No. 10 Ford Mustang with Largest Allotment of Races as a Primary Partner Since Joining SHR in 2018

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 26, 2022) – Smithfield Foods and NASCAR Cup Series driver Aric Almirola will continue their longstanding partnership as both return to Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) with a multiyear agreement that begins in 2023.

The 2023 season will be the 12th consecutive year that Smithfield has partnered with Almirola and its sixth together at SHR. The renewed pact comes with a significantly heightened presence as Smithfield will be the anchor partner of Almirola’s No. 10 Ford Mustang for the largest allotment of races since joining SHR in 2018.

The extension also marks a turnabout for Almirola. The 38-year-old from Tampa, Florida, came into 2022 ready to relish every moment, for his original plan was to retire at season’s end. In the course of this year, Almirola has discovered a new balance between his passion for racing and dedication to his family. His wife, Janice, and kids, Alex and Abby, join him on most race weekends, oftentimes enjoying once-in-a-lifetime experiences together as they travel the country. His rapport with crew chief Drew Blickensderfer has flourished, and the intense pressure he had put on himself was replaced with the joy of simply being present. Almirola was reinvigorated, and when Smithfield broached the subject of continuing together beyond 2022, Almirola accepted.

“I’ve learned a lot this year and perhaps the biggest learning was to never say never,” Almirola said. “I came into this year ready to soak everything up, and I have. I already knew I had the coolest job in the world, but being with my family and being there for Janice and Alex and Abby was really important. My desire to compete and win never wavered, but I didn’t want it to come at the expense of family. We found a way to accommodate both and I’ve never been happier.

“Smithfield is a big part of that. They’ve been a part of my life for 11 years and, really, my entire NASCAR Cup Series career. They’re family to me. And, of course, it’s always nice to be wanted. Smithfield wanted me to continue representing them. Stewart-Haas Racing wanted me to continue driving their racecars. Everything just aligned and it’s something we all embraced.

“The original decision to step away from fulltime racing at the end of the season was a family one, and so is this decision. Janice, Alex and Abby are just as excited as I am to continue racing the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang.”

The Smithfield/Almirola pairing is one of the most tenured in NASCAR. Almirola teamed up with Smithfield in 2012 while at Richard Petty Motorsports for his first full year in the NASCAR Cup Series. Almirola and Smithfield moved to SHR in 2018 where the two immediately found success, making the NASCAR Playoffs, winning in October at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and finishing a career-high fifth in points. Almirola went on to score a career-best 18 top-10 finishes in 2020 before earning another victory in 2021 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon to put him into the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.

“Aric has been a part of the Smithfield family for more than a decade and we’re very happy to have him back in the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang,” said Shane Smith, president and CEO, Smithfield Foods. “Just as Aric discovered new ways to enjoy this sport, Smithfield did too. I was at this year’s Daytona 500 with him and it was electric. NASCAR is exactly where we need to be. It’s where our customers are, and no one reaches them better than Aric Almirola. He’s an incredibly talented racer and devoted family man who embodies Smithfield’s values. From day one, Aric has embraced our commitment to do good for our customers, employees and communities. This is a reinvestment in Aric, in Stewart-Haas Racing and in NASCAR.”

Tony Stewart, co-owner of SHR with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas, was a driving force behind Almirola joining SHR in 2018. Stewart first met Almirola in 2004 when they were teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing. Stewart was already a NASCAR Cup Series champion with the first of his three titles in hand (2002, 2005 and 2011) while Almirola was just beginning his NASCAR career after being selected as one of the first two drivers for Gibbs’ diversity program.

“All of us at SHR are very happy to have Aric back in our Smithfield Ford Mustang,” Stewart said. “I’ve always admired Aric because he’s always working to better himself, to find a better way. This year is proof of that.

“We’re in a tough sport, in terms of the competition and in terms of the commitment it takes to compete at this level. Even with all that, Aric has found a way to compete and enjoy life. That sounds simple, but achieving it is hard, yet Aric makes it look simple. It’s one of his many attributes, and it’s one of the many reasons why he’s such a good fit for Smithfield and for us. I’m proud of him and proud to extend our partnership with Smithfield.”

About Smithfield Foods, Inc.:

Headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia, since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc., is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. With more than 60,000 jobs globally, we are dedicated to producing “Good food. Responsibly.®” and serve as one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in our U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield®, Eckrich® and Nathan’s Famous®, among many others. For more information, visit www.SmithfieldFoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 90 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at StewartHaasRacing.com and on social at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Ty Dillon, No. 42 Thorntons Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Dillon at Daytona International Speedway: Historically, Daytona is a track that Ty Dillon has been pretty successful at. The veteran has eleven previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at “The World Center Of Racing”, where he has earned three top-10s and one top-five finish, posting a best of fourth place in 2019.

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Dillon made ten starts, posting two top-10s, one top-five, and one pole in 2016, with a best race result of third place. In three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, Dillon posted two top-10 finishes as well as one pole driving for GMS Racing in 2015, securing the organization’s first ever pole. Dillon also has one ARCA Menards Series start to his credit in 2011, where he earned the pole in that race as well.

• Refreshing With Thorntons: Ty Dillon and the No. 42 Petty GMS team will be sporting a new look in Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400, as Thorntons makes their NASCAR partnership debut on the high banks at Daytona International Speedway. Thorntons has has over 200 convenience store locations spanning across six states, including Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. - Momentum On His Side: The past three NASCAR Cup Series races have been great to Dillon, as he earned three top-20 finishes in a row in three completely different disciplines at Michigan, Richmond, and Watkins Glen. On Sunday, Ty was able to secure points in both stages, proving to be a threat throughout the entire race. Dillon looks to carry this recent momentum into the regular season finale this weekend.
• From the Drivers Seat: You’ve had some very competitive showings at Daytona and Talladega this season, what is it about super speedway racing that fits your wheelhouse?

“I’m excited to go to Daytona this week with our Allegiant Camaro ZL1. Super speedway racing is always exciting, you never know what the result can be, and you’ve got to put yourself in a good position to be at the end of the race. I’ve done well at that in the past, so it is a great opportunity to get ourselves into the playoffs.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

-Jones at Daytona International Speedway: For the final race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, teams return to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 where Erik Jones will make his 12 Cup Series start at the historical 2.5-mile superspeedway. A place Jones has adapted well to in his young career, Daytona will always be a special place to Jones as the location of his first Cup Series win in 2018. Battling back from laps down with a damaged car from an early race accident, Jones was able to lead the most important lap of the race, the final lap, and hold off Martin Truex, Jr. to earn his first-career Cup Series win. Jones earned a second win at the track in the 2020 season opener exhibition race, The Busch Clash, where he again only led the final lap.

With 11 Cup Series starts at the track, Jones has one win, two top-five finishes, three top-10 finishes with 39 laps led. In addition to his Cup starts at the track, Jones has six starts in the Xfinity Series with a best finish of eighth in 2015. In the Truck Series, Jones has one start in 2015 where he finished second.

-Erik Jones Appearances: Fans attending Saturday’s race at Daytona International Speedway will have several chances to see Erik Jones before the race:

RV Retailer Display: Jones will be at the RV Retailer display in the Midway from 3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 27.
Track Q & A at UNOH Stage: Following his appearance at the RV Retailer display, Jones will make his way inside the track to the UNOH stage in the infield Fan Zone area for a Q & A from 4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET.
-Focused on Winning: FOCUSfactor will serve as the primary partner on Jones’s Chevrolet Camaro for Saturday’s race at Daytona International Speedway.

• 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:

You are in a must win situation heading into this weekend’s race at Daytona. How do you feel about your chances?

“We’re focused on Daytona. We’ve been putting a lot of work into our Daytona car to get it better, get it ready and prepped the way we want too. I feel like our superspeedway stuff has been good, we just need to take advantage of it. We’re definitely focused on winning and making our way into the Playoffs.”

How do you approach a race at Daytona where there can be a lot of chaos to be there at the end with a chance to win?

“Earlier this season at Talladega, we kind of just pushed hard all day and we were up front and had a shot to win. I hope to have a similar race like that. Just be up front and avoid the chaos for the most part. We’ll see. It’s different every week, every race on the superspeedways. You have to be mindful of how everyone’s running and judge it from that.”

You’ve won at Daytona and have run well at Talladega, so that has to be good for your confidence. What is the mindset heading into the race this weekend?

“It’s confident. I know we can go do it, I know we can run well there, and I know we can have a shot to win. We just have to execute and hope we’re staying out of trouble and avoid a lot of the chaos and be up there and have a shot. We’ll see. It’s going to be tough for sure to just be there at the end to have a chance, but I feel good about our speed we’re going to have for sure.”

Do you think you will be able to find friends to push you or help you throughout the race?

“I think we’ll have a fast car for sure, so I think there’s going to be people who will want to work with us just because of that. I think speedway’s get a little separated from the other races of the year because of who’s fast and who has a chance. If we’ve got a fast car, I think we’ll find some friends throughout the race.”

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.

Richard Childress Racing’s history at Daytona International Speedway … Dating back to 1976, Richard Childress Racing has won 11 poles and collected six points-paying victories at the most-storied racetrack on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit. RCR owns three DAYTONA 500 wins (Dale Earnhardt – 1998, Kevin Harvick – 2007, Austin Dillon – 2018), three Coke Zero Sugar 400 trophies (Earnhardt – 1990, 1993 and Harvick – 2010) and 15 qualifying races, including Austin Dillon’s victory in 2021 plus a record 10-consecutive victories with Earnhardt (1990 – 1999).

RCR in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Daytona … In addition to RCR’s NASCAR Cup Series success at Daytona International Speedway, the organization has five NASCAR Xfinity Series victories most recently with Austin Hill in 2022. NASCAR Hall of Fame members Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2002) and Tony Stewart (2013) have won with RCR at Daytona, plus Kevin Harvick (2007), and Austin Dillon (2015 fall race). RCR has won the pole position in six of the last seven NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Daytona where qualifying was held. The impressive streak began with Ty Dillon’s pole-winning run in 2016. Other drivers who have kept the streak alive: Brandon Jones (2017), Daniel Hemric (2018), Tyler Reddick (2019), and Myatt Snider (2020).

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. The fifth game of the inaugural PBR Team Series season is scheduled for this weekend, August 26-28, in Austin, Texas.

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 Friday’s Action Under the Lights … The NASCAR Xfinity Series Wawa 250 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway will be televised live Friday, August 26, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Follow Saturday’s Action at Daytona … The NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, August 27 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

This Week’s BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Inhalation Aerosol Camaro ZL1 at Daytona International Speedway … In 18 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Daytona International Speedway, Dillon earned his best finish at the 2.5-mile track in February 2018 when he won the Daytona 500. His best starting position at Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series is first in 2014, winning the Daytona 500 pole in only his second attempt at the race. Dillon has one win and seven top-five finishes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and he has two starts in the NASCAR Truck Series.

BREZTRI AEROSPHERE™ (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Sponsors the No. 3 at Daytona … BREZTRI is an AstraZeneca product and the sponsor of No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Daytona International Speedway with Austin Dillon. You can learn more at breztri.com. AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.

Meet Austin Dillon in Daytona … Dillon is scheduled to make an appearance at McDonald’s (2994 US 92, Daytona Beach, Florida) on behalf of Coca-Cola on Saturday, August 27 at 11 a.m. ET.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

You’ve had success at Daytona International Speedway. How do you negotiate staying out of the wrecks throughout the race so that you can be in contention at the end?

“It’s tough. It’s a game of putting yourself in position. I call it high-speed chess because you know at some point in time you’re going to be vulnerable. You hope that someone doesn’t take advantage of that too much and cause a big wreck. It’s one of those things where you are constantly moving and trying to guess the flow of the pack. I think the best place to be is in the front most of the time, but it’s impossible now with the way we race to keep yourself up there for the entire race. You see guys do it for long periods of time. Denny Hamlin has been pretty amazing at putting himself in the right position as of late. I’m going to do my best this time around to put ourselves in position.”

This Week’s Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Daytona International Speedway … Tyler Reddick will be making his seventh NASCAR Cup Series start at Daytona International Speedway in the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday night. Reddick’s best finish in six previous Cup starts at Daytona is sixth-place in the 2021 summer race. The driver of the Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet enters the Cup Series regular season finale as the seventh seed in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and ranks 13th in the Cup Series regular season standings.

Did You Know? … Reddick will be making his 100th career Cup Series start this weekend at Daytona.

The Flying Croissants Are Back! … Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is the primary for Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Chevrolet this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

About Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen … Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is the homestyle casual dining restaurant where guests always Get a lot. For not a lot™. The restaurant offers a variety of scratch-made meals and generous portions served up in a warm, welcoming atmosphere – all at an unbelievable price. After being welcomed with a signature Honey Butter Croissant on the house, guests can enjoy signature entrées like hand-breaded Chicken Tenders, Homemade Chicken Pot Pie and Fall-off-the-Plate Baby Back Ribs. Cheddar’s operates more than 170 restaurants in 28 states and employs more than 15,000 friendly and passionate team members. For more information or to locate the nearest restaurant, visit Cheddars.com. Fans can like or follow Cheddar’s on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

When Tyler Wins, You Win Tenders! … When Reddick crosses the finish line first in the Cup Series and grabs the checkered flag, all NASCAR fans will win a FREE No. 8 Special Chicken Tender Platter at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen the Monday following the race with the purchase of an adult entree. Offer is valid both dine-in and To Go. See cheddars.com/offer/race-day for full details.

Infield Takeover with Tyler at Daytona! … Tyler Reddick will be participating in an infield takeover on Friday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway from 2-3 p.m. ET, so don’t be surprised if Reddick visits your campsite.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:

What is your mindset heading into this weekend’s race at Daytona?

“I look at how Austin has run at Daytona and Talladega and I feel really good about what our cars have. The thing that has unfortunately worked against me is just how Daytona and Talladega went for us this year. At Daytona we didn’t have a very good handling race car and at Talladega we had a very uncommon failure early. I don’t have a lot of experience on these true superspeedway races so I’ve got a lot of learning to do and there’s going to be a lot of drivers out there with nothing to lose. You’re going to have to be smart, survive to the end and try to learn what I can and can’t do with my Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet.”

This Week’s Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Daytona International Speedway … Sheldon Creed will make his third NASCAR Xfinity Series start at The World Center of Racing on Friday night. His first Xfinity Series start was in 2019 and most recently, the 2022 season kicked off at Daytona in Creed’s debut with Richard Childress Racing and the No. 2 Chevrolet. In the season-opener, he started fourth and finished in sixth.

Playoff Picture … Including this weekend’s race at Daytona, there are four more races until the Playoffs and Creed is not yet locked into the post-season. Creed is sitting in 13th in the standings, the first driver below the cutline. His solid run last weekend at Watkins Glen International gave him a decent number of points and shrunk the gap, but he is still 39 points out of the Playoffs.

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:

We’re heading back to Daytona for the second time this season. You had a strong run in February and the Playoffs are approaching, how do you feel heading into Friday’s race?

“I’m feeling good heading into Friday’s race. My team and I have been working so hard and we’ve gotten better every single week. A lot of the results we’ve seen haven’t been a true reflection of the cars we’ve put on the track and how strong our cars are. We’ve been watching a lot of film, talking about strategy and I’ve been spending a lot of time in the simulator working to get right for the race. Qualifying will be really important on Friday since we don’t have practice. We won’t really know what our car feels like until we get to put down a lap. I’m confident in my team and what we bring to the track each weekend and I hope we can capitalize on the finish we had here in February and finish a few spots better. The Playoff pressure is definitely on right now but we’re not letting it get to us. We know what we have to do.”

This Week’s United Rentals Chevrolet Camaro SS at Daytona International Speedway … Austin Hill returns to the track that he got his first NASCAR Xfinity Series career win earlier this season, Daytona International Speedway, on Friday night under the lights. Hill opened his 2022 rookie season for Richard Childress Racing with a victory at The World Center of Racing. He started second and led 23 laps en route to the victory. The race marked his first-ever with RCR and his first with crew chief Andy Street. Hill had made one prior start at Daytona in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020, when he started 28th and finished 35th after being involved in a crash.

Playoff Bound … Hill has two wins so far this season (Daytona, Atlanta-2) and is looking for his third trophy this weekend. Hill has put up really strong numbers this season with nine top fives and 14 top-10 finishes. He’s currently locked into the Playoffs with his two wins and is sixth in the driver standings.

About United Rentals … United Rentals, Inc. is the largest equipment rental company in the world. The company has an integrated network of 1,278 rental locations in North America, 11 in Europe, 28 in Australia and 18 in New Zealand. In North America, the company operates in 49 states and every Canadian province. The company’s approximately 20,100 employees serve construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and others. The company offers approximately 4,300 classes of equipment for rent with a total original cost of $15.72 billion. United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the Barron’s 400 Index and the Russell 3000 Index® and is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. Additional information about United Rentals is available at www.unitedrentals.com.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:

You opened the season at Daytona with a victory and we’re heading back this weekend for the second time. What’s the mindset like?

“I’m just looking forward to the race on Friday night. Daytona is such a special place and I’ve got even more momentum on my side after opening the season there with a win. We’ve had really good racecars on the superspeedways and we’ve been super fast so it wont be any different this weekend. Without practice, we’ll have to go out there and put down a really good qualifying lap so we have good track position heading into the race. I know everyone always says it but staying out of trouble at Daytona is one of the most important things. We’re planning to run up front the entire race and stay out of any messes behind us so we can bring home another checkered flag. We didn’t have a good result last weekend at Watkins Glen either so I’m looking forward to putting that in the rearview mirror and getting back to the results this team deserves.”