NASCAR CUP SERIES
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 20, 2022

CHASE ELLIOTT TAKES THE POLE POSITION AT WATKINS GLEN
Chevrolet Sweeps Front Row; Takes Six of Top-10 Starting Spots

· Turning a lap of 70.477 seconds, at 125.147 mph, Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Camaro ZL1 will lead the field to the green in tomorrow’s NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen.

· This marks Elliott’s third pole of 2022; second career pole at Watkins Glen International; and 12th all-time pole in 246 NASCAR Cup Series races.

· Elliott’s pole is the seventh NASCAR Cup Series pole of 2022 for Chevrolet; its manufacturer-leading 16th pole at Watkins Glen International; and its 730th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series history.

· Dating back to Chase Elliott’s Watkins Glen win in August 2019, Chevrolet has recorded wins in 14 of the past 15 NCS road course races, including a streak of the past 10.

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1 – Press Conference Transcript:

FOUR POINTS TO GET THE NUMBER ONE SEED IN THE PLAYOFFS AND THE REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP. WITH THAT POLE POSITION, HOW’S THE MINDSET LOOKING AT TOMORROW?

“Yeah, honestly my mindset and my focus right now is really just about trying to give ourselves a shot to win tomorrow. The the best way to achieve the most points is to go out there and be the first one to cross the line there at the end of the day. That’s really where our heads are at and where our goals lie; trying to execute a perfect race tomorrow. Obviously that’s a really hard thing to do. We would love to keep our track position all day. I understand that’s a difficult thing to achieve, but it’s not impossible. We’ve seen it done before. We’ll try to put together a good day, try to stay mistake-free and make the most of a good qualifying effort.”

LAST YEAR, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE FLAT-SPOTTING PART, WHICH WAS THE REASON FOR THE LOSS. WITH THE NEW CAR AND THE BIGGER BRAKES, IS IT EASIER OR TOUGHER TO FLAT SPOT THE TIRES?

“I would imagine it will be easier to do. Lock-up has been a bit more widespread this year, I feel like, at some of the other road courses than what we’ve seen here in the past. Last year, for me, was just a stupid mistake in the scenario that I did that. Nonetheless, I think you’ve seen more lock-up generally this year than what we have here in the past just overall at other tracks.”

AS SOMEONE THAT HOLDS THEMSELVES TO A VERY HIGH STANDARD; YOU HAD THE SUCCESS ON THE ROAD COURSES THIS SEASON, BUT NO WIN. HOW MUCH DOES THAT WEIGH ON YOU, IF AT ALL?

“It honestly doesn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to win in general anywhere, whether it’s a road course, an oval or wherever it may be. I’m not sure that it’s been any added stress. We just want to get better. Like I tell you guys all the time, we just want to improve. Especially when you go somewhere, you think you’re off a little bit in a certain area and you want to move forward. You never want to go backwards; so as long as we’re moving forward, I think we’ll get to where we want to be.”

YOU MENTIONED THE PACE OUT THERE WITH THESE CARS. DID THAT COME AS A SURPRISE TO YOU GUYS AND DO YOU THINK IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SORT OF ALTER THE COMPLEXION OF THE RACE A LITTLE BIT FROM PREVIOUS YEARS HERE?

“Potentially, but it’s always been a pretty track position-oriented event anyway. It’ll probably just be a bit more so in that direction. I don’t know, lap time-wise, what we ran last year. I don’t remember, but I know we were just carrying a lot of throttle. It seems like more than I remember carrying here in the past. Typically with that is it’s going to be difficult to setup passes and get yourself in position.

We had a good lap there and you want to try and make the most of a good opportunity there starting out front. I know it’s a hard thing to do to keep that track position all day, but it’s not impossible. If we can achieve that, great.. and if not, we’ll stay in the fight and try and give ourselves a shot there when it matters.”

ALL FOUR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CARS QUALIFIED IN THE TOP-11. DID ALL FOUR OF YOU EXPECT TO HAVE THE SPEED THAT YOU HAD TODAY OR IS THAT A SURPRISE AT ALL?

“Not necessarily a surprise. I feel like everybody at Hendrick Motorsports is committed to being good in all categories and road racing is one of them. So, I’m not surprised to see that. Our organization is super driven. The boss is here today and he continues to come and support us; be here and show his enthusiasm and drive to want to succeed. I think that rubs off on the rest of us. I think we all have our own wills and wants to do good, but it’s always nice to see him here and nice to grab the pole with him in town. And obviously William (Byron) got the pole for the Xfinity Series race in a special car, too. Happy to see that.”

SEVERAL INTERNATIONAL DRIVERS IN THE FIELD. AS SOMEONE LIKE YOURSELF THAT’S GOOD ON ROAD COURSES AND TAKES A LOT OF PRIDE IN ROAD COURSE RACING; HOW COOL IS IT TO SEE THE DIFFERENT ROAD COURSE RACERS AND INTERNATIONAL DRIVERS THAT ARE IN THIS RACE?

“Yeah, like I’ve referenced a bunch; I think whoever’s idea that was over at Trackhouse I think deserves a lot of credit. And even beyond that, whoever put it together in the manner that they did in making it just very well done.. it looks professional, it is professional. He’s coming over, he’s in a good car. I just think it’s exciting that these guys are coming over and showing interest in what we have going on here. I think that’s the best way to gain respect around the world.. to have these drivers that do other things come and get involved. Just immerse themselves in what we do here, understand the challenges, and what it takes to be good. I think that’s always going to be a good thing.

I hope it continues and I hope they keep doing it. I hope everybody that is here from other disciplines has a good time this weekend; enjoys themselves, is challenged by it and is excited to do it again.”

I WOULD HAVE TO IMAGINE THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE FOR YOU.. BEING THAT YOU SCORED YOUR FIRST CAREER WIN HERE. WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO LOCK-UP THE REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP HERE, AS WELL?

“This is always going to be a special place to me because achieving that first win was such a big deal for myself, our team and I think to our entire group. It’s always going to be a special spot whether we do well or not. It will always feel different.

And two, it’s a beautiful part of the country. It’s a very underrated part of the country, I think. It’s very nice up here and I enjoy visiting even beyond the on-track stuff.”

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
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN
TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING
AUGUST 20, 2022

CHASE ELLIOTT TAKES THE POLE POSITION AT WATKINS GLEN

· Turning a lap of 70.477 seconds, at 125.147 mph, Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Camaro ZL1 will lead the field to the green in tomorrow’s NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen.

· This marks Elliott’s third pole of 2022; second career pole at Watkins Glen International; and 12th all-time pole in 246 NASCAR Cup Series races.

· Elliott’s pole is the seventh NASCAR Cup Series pole of 2022 for Chevrolet; its manufacturer-leading 16th pole at Watkins Glen International; and its 730th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series history.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER
1st CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1
2nd KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1
4th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1
5th TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 KCMG CAMARO ZL1
6th AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1
9th DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 PRINCESS CRUISES CAMARO ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER
1st Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
2nd Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
3rd Michael McDowell (Ford)
4th William Byron (Chevrolet)
5th Tyler Reddick (Chevrolet)

USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 21. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1, Pole Winner Quick Quote:

THAT WAS A PRETTY IMPRESSIVE LAP, CHASE.

“Thank you. Our No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet has been solid. I feel like we had some work to do there from where we were in practice. I felt like there were a couple parts of the track I want to put together better, it’s just really hard to hit it all. It’s just so fast, the pace is so high. And this car here, I feel like from what I remember and how much throttle you’re carrying, a little bit carries with you a long way.

I’m really proud of our team. Appreciate Kelley Blue Book and Chevrolet. We have a great looking paint scheme this week and we always enjoy having them on the car. We’ll try to give them a good run tomorrow.”

OTHER POST-QUALIFYING QUOTES:

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN, NO. 91 RECOGNI CAMARO ZL1 – Qualified 27th

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN WITH A VERY IMPRESSIVE RUN IN QUALIFYING. YOU GOT 20 MINUTES OF PRACTICE HERE IN THE CUP SERIES AND 10 LAPS IN QUALIFYING. WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE?

“Obviously, I wish there would have been more laps. I felt like there was a lot of potential. I’m just not sure which lines to take and there weren’t enough laps to put everything together. But yeah, it was fun. It’s quite a lot like I expected after the simulator. There’s always a difference; the fine details aren’t shown in the simulator, but at least I knew the track. I needed to be a bit better in a few places; and in some places I was pretty OK.”

WHAT WILL YOU DO TONIGHT? WHAT WILL YOU GO AND LOOK AT TO GET READY FOR THE RACE TOMORROW?

“I have no idea yet. There are too many things, too many options. I think we just have to make sure that we know, more or less, the rules and not make any silly mistakes on that side. We’ll see what we can do with the car. We have a little bit of an idea from where we started, to where we went and maybe somewhere halfway.

We’ll try to improve. We improved from the practice session to qualifying, and we’ll try to do the same in the race.”

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.

Toyota Racing – Kyle Busch
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

WATKINS GLEN, NY (August 20, 2022) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch was made available to media prior to the Watkins Glen International race this Saturday:

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Snickers Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Where do things stand with a new contract for you?

“No new update. Is that fair. There isn’t, sorry.”

Have you been told yet that you may or may not return to the No. 18 in 2023?

“I feel like that would be an update. That has not been told to me, not yet.”

Have you made any arrangements to speak with Kimi Raikkonen while he’s in Watkins Glen this weekend?

“Unfortunately I guess we never really did a phone number swap and I never really talked to him when he was here. Honestly, it was always through the agency and stuff like that. I’ve been paying attention to him and all the stuff he’s done and all that with the F1 stuff over the last few years. It would be kind of nice to see him, say hey, what’s up and welcome back. This is his first taste in the Cup Series stuff and real proud of the efforts of Justin (Marks) and those guys over there on the Project 91 thing. I think it’s really a unique deal to allow others from other disciplines to come in here and give it a shot. That’s what it’s all about and I hope it all works out for every party and that it’s a successful piece.”

Will you look at Kimi’s data at all or is there anything you might be able to learn from how he might drive a road course?

“I don’t think so. I guarantee you that if you take the whole 40-car field and dissect all the data, I think you’ll find about 10 percent discrepancy between everybody, there’s not much. I don’t think he’s going to be a vast amount different. There’s only so many things you can do with these cars. He’s not going to be able to brake at 200 versus the rest of us at 400, that’s just car capable. Not driver capable. I don’t think there’s going to be much difference there, but I’ll look. If (Kyle) Larson’s going to look, I might as well look.”

Has there been more work done at Joe Gibbs Racing to try to improve at road courses specific for this weekend?

“For sure. I know there’s a lot of work going on and a lot of work behind the scenes to help with what we’ve got going on. It’s a lot of aero talk, a lot of mechanical talk and a lot of brake talk. Essentially, the better off you are slowing down and turning and accelerating, the better you’re going to be and we don’t have any of those so if we can at least help one of those areas then I would think that we’ll have a better program this weekend. I wouldn’t say we’ll jump to the front coming here to Watkins Glen, but I bet we’re better.”

Do you feel the team has made any more progress since the tire test with Martin Truex Jr. at Watkins Glen?

“I would like to think so, just exact same answer as I gave before. I know that we had those struggles and when Martin was here, it looked better and the sim stuff looked better. I don’t know if the sim stuff is 100 percent real to what you can really do on the race track. Seeing Martin’s data here when he tested here, which was before some of the last road courses. We have definitely improved so I feel like Martin’s test isn’t necessarily indicative of what we’ll see here this weekend.”

How much do you talk to your drivers at Kyle Busch Motorsports about your contract negotiations and how that team could be impacted?

“All of them are kind of shopping themselves anyways to higher series to get other opportunities anyway. I feel like the Truck Series is always the last to be put together. You can go into December and figure out your truck line-up versus being a free agent, top star in the Cup Series, you would think that you could have things figured out by you know, August, July, somewhere in there. Obviously, we’re getting late in the timeframe for me, but getting into the nitty gritty of what needs to happen.”

Have you ever looked back at the finish in Watkins Glen 10 years ago and thought it was cool to be part of that moment?

“No. No it wasn’t. Got kicked to the curb pretty early and then it was a show after that and I wasn’t really part of the show. It just looked like I didn’t know what the hell I was doing because I was running off course and running off line, slipping all over the place. Nobody know until after the fact, well after the fact that there was oil on the track and we were all trying to dodge it. I don’t know if I was seeing it first and just trying to miss it and those other guys just didn’t care and were running normal lines and was just slipping around, but I think they finally figured it out going up through the back stretch that you know, other areas than the asphalt were going to be just fine grip-wise because there was oil down. I wish I was certainly on the winning end of that. Then I would have said, ‘Yes, I’ve watched it over and over again and it’s amazing.’ But no, trust me, I’ve seen the highlight reels.”

Could this race be a sneak preview of the Chicago street race?

“No way. No way. I say that because those corners are going to be 20 or 30 mph corners. These corners here, at least down into turn one is a 45 or 50 mph corner. Even turn six is a 60 mph corner. Not even close, it’s going to be slow.”

Are you participating in the organizational test at Martinsville and what do you hope they accomplish at the test session?

“I did the test a little while back and I think it was a tire test. We didn’t really get anywhere with tires that made a difference and then we tried the Bristol dirt pan and that was a plus. I have no idea what the objective is for next week. I’m not participating and no idea what’s happening.”

What do you lean on to get you through the challenges this season? Can you give us a sense of what this spring and summer have been like?

“It’s easy to summarize, but probably tough for some to understand. Let’s be frank about it, I’m an athlete. I make a lot of money, people aren’t going to feel or shouldn’t feel sorry for me. I’ve made a good living. And so that’s not the premise of this answer, but it’s been hard as hell. It’s been a lot of sleepless nights figuring out what your future is, and all that sort of stuff. And, you know, everybody’s like, ‘Oh, well, you’ve made plenty of money. You’re fine. You don’t have anything to worry about.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s true.’ But you still want to do what you love to do, right? Like it’s no different than Jeff (Gluck, The Athletic), you went through it, right? Having questions about what you’re doing with your job and your lifestyle and what you can do to move forward. So I’m in the same boat. I’m a racer and only ever known how to race, nothing else, trying to do other business projects and things like that, but none of them have really blown up and taken off. So it has been hard and figuring out all of that is certainly tough. And the first time I went through this was 15 years ago and it was a learning experience. It was hard then too, but it was nothing like now. Then it was just me, myself and I. I didn’t have Samantha, I didn’t have a son. I didn’t have a daughter. All I had was an agent that was helping me and now I’m kind of all on my own doing it along with Samantha and family, but, you know, going through many of the same things, but it’s way, way harder because now you have Kyle Busch Motorsports that you’ve got to think about, you’ve got a building that you’ve got to pay on, you know, you’ve got a building note and all that sort of stuff. So there’s a lot a lot a lot of pieces and that’s why it’s not so simple. If you look at each aspect of everything of my life, which some of you may not know or may not fully know, is there’s just a lot. So trying to take care of all those pieces and make sure everything goes as it was or as it has been the last few years would certainly be nice.”

Are the sleepless nights due to wanting to be competitive or the other balls in the air with your life that you have to juggle?

“That’s certainly top of the list. You want to be able to go somewhere that you feel like you have a legit shot to race to win. You know, trust me, I don’t feel like it’s fair to me or my family or anything else if we’re going to have to spend less time together moving forward because we are going to have to change our lifestyle, no questions. There’s a big change coming. And so, is it worth it to go run around and not have an opportunity to win right away versus building something versus jumping in something that can win. All those questions are certainly being weighed out. And so, again, that’s also why it’s not so simple and so easy. So, thankfully there are opportunities out there. There are Cup jobs available. But again, it will not look the same as what it has for the last 15 years.”

Are you focused on being able to win where you go moving forward?

“I think that kind of is the same question just a little different, but the answer is the same. Where can you go somewhere else and get into stuff that can win right away? And if you can go somewhere else and get in stuff that wins right away. I feel like if you’re winning, your’re a championship contender, you’re capable because again, win and you’re in right. So if you can win races and get yourself into the Playoffs, then the Playoffs are a completely different game. So for as bad as our year’s seemed and for the last eight weeks or as bad as it’s looked for the 18 car, we still have a legitimate shot to go out here and race for a championship. We need to just find the luck truck and go buy some and then we’ll be fine. You know, everybody’s going to be pretty close on points. And a couple guys obviously have a head start which there’s always a couple guys that have a head start and those guys have a better shot at making it to the to the Final Four, but there’s going to be a team or to that point their way into that as well. So I’ve done that every single time. I think I’ve only won my way into the final for one year. Otherwise, I’ve always pointed my way and so it’s nothing that scares me.”

Is there any scenario where Rowdy Energy could sponsor you?

“No, no, it makes decent money, but the problem is that the expenses that you have in which to build this business to build this company and all that sort of stuff. We’re not black yet. We’re still in the red. So that, no, you can’t default on a loan in order to pay yourself sponsorship. That’s not going to happen. So you know, the idea behind this, the premise behind this was I had another 10 year runway to go and keep going and with M&M’s and Mars and everything else. We never thought this position would be here. And so I was going to have that chance to build that and get it going and get it off its feet and we would find out in seven or eight years whether or not it would be something that would be sustainable for this opportunity that’s here now early to then have that supportive, right or support Brexton or whatever going forward, but it’s way too early for that. So unfortunately, that doesn’t exist.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Watkins Glen Media Availability | Saturday, August 20, 2022

Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Wurth Ford Mustang, met with media members at Watkins Glen International Speedway Saturday morning ahead of the Cup Series on-track activity. Blaney discussed a myriad of topics, including his contract extension announced earlier in the week, his playoff aspirations, and more.

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Wurth Ford Mustang

YOU SIGNED AN EXTENSION THIS WEEK WITH TEAM PENSKE. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU AND YOUR CAREER? “It is great to announce that and awesome to continue with Penske. They have been amazing to me over the last 10 years. I got talking to RP (Roger Penske) about how it has been 10 years since I first walked in the door in the early fall of 2012. Time flies, that is for sure. It has been a really cool 10 years and I am looking forward to continue that on for a long time. It is great to get that out there, obviously the silly season side of it, it is nice to not be in those talks and have a home because they have been like family to me and I look forward to carrying on with them.”

HOW DO THE ECONOMICS OF THE NEW TV DEAL AFFECT YOUR CONTRACT EXTENSION? “I mean, those were small discussions when we started talking about the extension and stuff like that. I don’t know many details about the TV deal. You hear things here and there but nothing is really set in stone yet and I don’t think they start to open the bidding wars for those for a little bit. That was a little part of our conversations but I think it is still early enough before that deal gets signed or whatever, the TV stuff, that it wasn’t a huge factor in my decision making with the team. We just came to terms and we were both very happy with them and that didn’t play a huge deal. I am excited to see where the TV stuff ends up though. I think that is something everyone is looking forward to.”

FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS YOU ARE TRYING TO LOCK YOURSELF IN THE PLAYOFFS WITH TWO KIND OF WILD CARD RACES. WHAT IS THE APPROACH HERE WITH JUST TWO RACES LEFT? “Honestly it is the same mindset as the second or third race of the year. It is just the time of year as to why it gets talked about more, obviously. You always want to win races and do well in stages and beat everybody else. There is really no way to approach it any differently. You just try to do the best you can and maximize your day. That is all we can do. We can’t control anyone else’s day. I can’t control Martin’s (Truex Jr.) day, he can’t control mine or anyone else in the field. You just focus on yourself the best you can and go out and try to do what you normally would do and try to figure out a way to win the race and do well. At the end of the day, if we do our job to the best of our abilities, if it works out great and if it doesn’t then that is just the way it falls. The biggest thing we can do is just worry about our group.”

WHAT KIND OF RYAN BLANEY ARE WE GOING TO SEE ON TRACK THE NEXT TWO WEEKS AND HOW IS THAT ANY DIFFERENT THAN THE REST OF THE SEASON? “I don’t know. I don’t plan on changing my name any time soon. The same name will be on the door. I think you might get in spots where you will be a little more aggressive at times but that is just a given. It just depends on the situation you are in. Like last week at Richmond, I spent no time passing Martin. I immediately put the bumper to him because I am not spending any time. You aren’t wrecking people but you are more aggressive in wanting to get ahead of him to try to set yourself up. It is just situational. I don’t think you will see a huge change. But I will talk to you all if there is a big change, I am sure I will.”

FOR A LOT OF GUYS THIS IS A LAST-DITCH EFFORT WITH DAYTONA LOOMING. HOW DO YOU FEEL LOOKING AT DAYTONA NEXT WEEK WITH ALL THE SUCCESS YOU’VE HAD THERE? “I feel good about both of these weekends. As good as you can feel. I enjoy coming here and look forward to it. I am excited to see what we’ve got here in a little bit. Our speed at Indy was really good. This place is different than Indy but there are things you can take away from it and apply that make you excited. Daytona, you never know what can happen. We have had success there in years past. The 500 this year our cars were fast but you never know what is going to happen. You can get wiped out in someone else’s mess and there is nothing you can do about it. You have to accept going into that place that it might happen. We will see. We just need to stay in both of these races. Stay in the game. That is all you can plan on doing.”

SO ARE YOU MORE NERVOUS? DO YOU LOSE A LITTLE MORE SLEEP THIS WEEK? “I have slept great this week. No different than any other time. You can’t stress yourself out about it. It is either going to happen or it isn’t, whether you make the playoffs or not. There are only two choices, two options. You can’t stress out about the negatives if you don’t make it. If you stress yourself out about that then your mind is set on that you aren’t going to make it. You just have to have an open mind about anything can happen and you just have to do your best. I haven’t lost any sleep and haven’t really worried about it and I think the same goes for all the guys on our team. They have been really even-keeled about it and they understand that we just have to do our best and this team is fast enough to go do it and make it. We just have to control what we can control which is good. I enjoy how everyone’s mindset is the same. I think that is how it should be.”

HOW DO YOU FOCUS ON WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO WHEN AT SOME POINT YOU CAN BE OUT OR AT ANOTHER POINT YOU CAN BE IN. HOW DO YOU HANDLE THAT ON SUNDAY? “Jonathan and I talked all week about what we are thinking strategy-wise and when we want to stop, what we want to do in the stages, but at the same time you have to be willing to switch that up depending on how cautions fall and things like that. I think Jonathan for sure, and we have talked, you are going to be aware of what the 19 is doing. If they are going for stage points or setting themselves up to win the race. It is kind of how fast your car is. If you feel you have a car fast enough to win, you are going to set yourself up for the end of the race and try to win the race. If you don’t think you can win then maybe you go for the stage point route and see where you can claw your way back to in the last stage. Some of that is situational. He and I have talked about some plans and strategies and whatever spot we are in. Hopefully, we get the right one. That is all you can hope for.”

TO BE ON THE SAME TRACK AS KIMI RAIKKONEN, A DRIVER OF HIS CALIBER WITH HIS HISTORY. YOU JOKED ABOUT SITTING IN THE SAME SEAT AS HIM IN HERE, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ON THE SAME TRACK WITH HIM? “Yeah, it is a special seat. I might take it with me. It is cool. When they announced that I was looking forward to it because I think it is really healthy for us as a sport to have all these different drivers from other motorsports that want to come in and try it. Kimi and all these different guys who want to try their hand at it. I look forward to racing with him. I was a big fan of his as a kid and enjoyed watching him race. His demeanor is very awesome and hilarious. I love watching his interviews and things like that. I think it is really cool and I think it grows our sport and is great what TrackHouse is doing with that program of their is. I think it is really smart and a great program. I think it is a healthy thing for our sport. I hope he has fun tomorrow.”

SO MIGHT YOU PUT “ICEMAN 2” ON YOUR DOOR? “I can’t steal his thing. No.”

THROUGHOUT THE CONTRACT NEGOTIATION PROCESS, WAS THERE EVERY THE THOUGHT TO EXPLORE OTHER OPTIONS? “No. Not really. There was really never thought of talking to anybody else. At this stage, I have been there so long and they have been so great to me and a family to me. RP has done a lot for me. Not only RP but Walt Czarnecki, Tim Cindric and Mike Nelson have all done so much for me and have opened up a lot of doors. I really didn’t want to go anywhere. I couldn’t see myself anywhere else. I am really happy where I am at, surrounded by great men and women and I am really happy that they feel the same and want me around.”

SO MUCH TALK ABOUT THE PLAYOFFS BUT ASSUMING YOU DO GET THERE, WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE CEILING OF THIS TEAM IS RIGHT NOW? “I think our ceiling is pretty high. I look back on our year so far and it has been a really good year. Just the wins haven’t come. We have been really consistent, sitting second in points and it has been a good year just minus the wins which is unfortunate. You would rather have the wins and be inconsistent. You have seen a couple of guys be that way this year. It eases your mind when you are locked in. I feel like if we can get there in a couple of weeks we will have a great shot to make a long run in it because this team is really consistent and found really good speed. It is just a matter of being able to get into the playoffs and see what we’ve got. I have been proud of the year, to make it a great year would be to win a race or two already. Hopefully, we can get that done and not have to worry about if we are going to be in or not come next week.”

DOES IT CHANGE YOUR PERCEPTION OF YOUR REGULAR SEASON IF YOU DON’T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS? “Yeah, obviously you will be very disappointed if you don’t make it but I haven’t really thought about that honestly. You don’t want to think about not making it when you are focused on that goal. It would be unfortunate but hopefully, that doesn’t happen. We will cross that bridge if it does come.”

AT YOU LOOKING AT STAGE POINTS THIS WEEKEND MORE SO THAN IN THE PAST? “The road courses are a big opportunity to get stage points. I thought we played it really well at Indy of kind of maximizing that day of being able to get a lot of stage points and find ourselves up toward the front of the field towards the end of the race. You never know how it is going to play out here compared to Indy. You never know what people will do with strategy and pitting. You never know what other teams are thinking. This is a great place to do it. I look back at Road America and we were really bad, really far off. But we decided during that race that since we were far off and not going anywhere from where we qualified that we would stay out in stages and ended up winning a stage and clawed our way back to finish 11th by the end of the race. We made a decent day out of it. We didn’t have a car that could win, we didn’t think. At Indy, I think we had a car that could win the race and we played it really well. A lot of that, like I said, is how you get going and what speed is in your car and making those decisions on the fly. But yeah, stage points are obviously really important and we have done a good job at getting those throughout the year to keep us in a decent position but a lot of it is making a decision in the moment. You have a plan but sometimes that plan doesn’t really work out and you have to improvise.”

HOW MUCH HAVE YOU BEEN THINKING ABOUT DAYTONA SINCE THAT IS THE LAST TRACK YOU WON AT AND YOU CAME SO CLOSE TO WINNING THE 500 LAST YEAR? “I have thought about it a little bit. You go back and you watch the 500 and kind of see how that race plays out, watching film from previous races to figure out what you can do better. But I haven’t put a ton of thought in it yet. Just kind of minor stuff of just writing down some things that Josh and I talk about to do things better or watching out for this or that. Sunday night or Monday morning you shift 100 percent focus. Not too much right now.”

WHAT IS IT ABOUT PENSKE THAT ALLOWS FOR SO MANY LONG TERM PARTNERSHIPS? “I think it is really neat. When you said that it takes me back to a wall in Penske of people who have worked there for 10 years and 20-plus years and there are hundreds of people on that list. I think the culture there and how they treat everybody over there. Whether you are a driver, truck driver, or mechanic working the fab shop, they are all the same. They treat everybody with the utmost respect. That initially starts with RP and works its way down to everybody who works for him who have had the privilege and honor of being associated with him. It becomes a culture over there that you just enjoy working there because they treat you so well and with a lot of respect like I said. It is wild. It is really cool to see the commitment of not only people who have worked there but sponsors and partners who have been there for over 20 years. It is amazing. It just shows the kind of precedent that RP puts on all his people who have worked for him of how to treat everybody else. It is the right way to do it, that is for sure. I don’t think it is a coincidence that you have so many people that have been there for 10, 15 and 20 years. That is no coincidence. Roger has made them definitely feel welcome and wants them to work there and they want to do the same.”

DO YOU THINK TOMORROW’S RACE WILL BE AS AGGRESSIVE AS EVER? “Yeah, I think so, to an extent. It is hard to tell but I don’t foresee it being like as aggressive as Indy coming down the end of those races. Even if we get a couple of late-race restarts. The front stretch isn’t the same. At Indy, the front stretch is so wide and you have such a long front straightaway to pile it off into Turn 1. Here it is tougher to get into Turn 1 than Indy. It is not flat. You are downhill and already trying not to wreck. I don’t think you will see that amount of aggression. I don’t know. It is hard to tell. Going into Indy I probably would have thought the same and I was wrong. But I think so, to some extent. I feel like if you have guys up towards the front at the end of the race who haven’t won yet and are on the way outside on points then maybe they will be really aggressive because they have to take every chance they can get. Me and Martin have to do the same. If you are up at the front toward the end of that race with a shot to win, you have to take your chance. You aren’t going to go bowling through three or four guys, at least I am not, but you have to be on the aggressive side and not be the one getting pushed over. Sometimes that is hard to defend. I just don’t know. It just depends on where the cautions fall towards the end. I think you will see the most aggressiveness at Daytona next week for sure.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 20, 2022

JUSTIN MARKS, FOUNDER AND OWNER, TRACKHOUSE RACING; AND KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN, NO. 91 RECOGNI CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of Trackhouse Racing’s debut of PROJECT91 this weekend at Watkins Glen International. Press Conference Transcript:

KIMI, COMING BACK TO NASCAR AFTER 11 YEARS, WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST FACTOR THAT BROUGHT YOU TO THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A NASCAR CUP SERIES START?

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN: “Justin (Marks) contacted me last year at some point and then we kind of left it alone for a while. Then we had another discussion and then met with us in Switzerland. I think everything worked out well. It made to sense. The timing was right.. the kids are still on holiday from school, so we could come as a family for the trip. I think all of the small things here and there worked out; and obviously, seeing that Trackhouse Racing has been good this year and winning races, we should have a chance to do OK. If we do or not, I don’t know, but at least we’ll try and give it our best.”

WHAT WERE YOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM GETTING TO DO THE DRIVER ORIENTATION TEST LAST WEEK?

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN: “I’ve been to the track once when I was here last time. I think it was good to get some laps to have some idea of how the cars are. Obviously, the Cup cars are quite a bit different than it used to be at that time. It wasn’t the same car that I’m going to race here, but for sure it’s helpful to get some kind of an idea of how things work.”

WHY DO THIS? IS IT TO JUST SAY YOU’VE RACED A CUP CAR? IS IT JUST PURE FUN? ARE YOU LOOKING TO DO MORE AFTER THIS?

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN: “There’s no plans for anything after this. Obviously, I want to have fun, but also do as well as we can. As I said, I think we’ve prepared as well as we could with how the rules are.. not just here in NASCAR, but where I come from. The testing is obviously a tricky part and if you haven’t done it, you don’t get many laps. But at least we did some and NASCAR gave us a little chance to try the car. We’ll see what comes out of it.

But there’s no plans for the future. I want to have fun, but also do as well as we can”

THE RESTARTS IN NASCAR TEND TO HAVE A LOT OF CONTACT.. I’M SURE THEY’VE TOLD YOU THERE WILL BE A LOT OF CONTACT. ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT OR ARE YOU APPREHENSIVE ON JUST HOW MUCH CONTACT YOU SHOULD HAVE AND HOW MUCH YOU SHOULD ACCEPT?

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN: “I think any form of motorsports has contact. Obviously when you have single-seater cars, you try to avoid it more because if you damage the wing, your race is compromised. In stock car racing, it’s a bit more forgiving because it doesn’t effect it much. We’ll try to stay out of any issues.. that’s the big key in any racing. There might be some or there might not, but it’s a part of racing.”

WHAT ARE YOU MOST INTRIGUED ABOUT WITH THIS WEEKEND?

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN: “It’s a new experience. I don’t know how it’s going to go, but I think it’s just a nice challenge. Like we said already, we’ve had limited running of the car and we’ll have a very short practice here, so that will be tricky. It’ll be quite a challenge, but it’s also exciting. We’ll see where we stack up. There are very fast guys here that have been doing this for years, so it will be very hard. But we’ll see what we can do.”

AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHY DOES A WORLD CHAMPION DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS.. WHERE EVEN WITH THE TESTING, YOU’VE HAD LIMITED TIME IN THE CAR AND YOU’LL HAVE LIMITED TIME ON THE TRACK, SO IT DOES NOT GIVE YOU AS GOOD OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN DO. WHY TAKE THAT RISK, IN ONE SENSE, FAILURE?

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN: “I don’t see any risk.. why not? What do I have to lose? If I do bad in a NASCAR race or bad in any race, I don’t care.. I do it for myself. A good or bad end result, it could happen even if I did 20 races. They all could be bad for many different reasons.

I don’t see any negative. I think it’s great what Justin (Marks) and the team is doing giving a chance for all of us from Europe. It’s not as known.. obviously over the years, NASCAR is more known there, but I’m sure there are a lot of drivers that would like to have a chance to try it. It’s not very easy, so maybe it will open some doors in the future for more chances to try and get more Europeans into the sport.”

IT LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE STAYING IN THE MOTORHOME LOT WITH YOUR FAMILY. WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE NASCAR CULTURE AND THE VIBE IN THAT SENSE COMPARED TO F1?

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN: “It’s a lot different than when I was here the last time. I like it.. it’s very relaxed and completely different. I think the schedule is a lot different than it was last time. What happened to many sports after COVID was that they figured out that we really don’t need to spend as many days over the weekend at the track. Obviously, in hindsight, it would be better for me if we had more practice, but that’s how it is.

I really like it. It’s very relaxed.. a nice, family atmosphere. It’s a lot more of a family atmosphere here than in F1, so I like it. So far, it’s been great.”

JUSTIN, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE OVERALL PATH AND THE FUTURE OF PROJECT91 AND WHAT WE CAN SEE WITH THE PROGRAM MOVING FORWARD? ARE THERE ANY PLANS FOR THE REST OF THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR?

JUSTIN MARKS: “This is the only event for PROJECT91 this year. This is really our opportunity to sort of build this program; see how it impacts the operations of the company to field a part-time third car. I’ve been telling people; we haven’t hired one person for this project. There’s just been a lot of people at Trackhouse that have been doing time-and-a-half to get this to go. This is really just about what it looks like to field a part-time third car, as far as on the operations of the company, moving forward. This will be on the only event this year.

The road courses are kind of the ideal places to bring guys like Kimi in.. just because of the experience on the road courses. I think it’s a quicker learning curve and they can get up to speed a lot more quickly than to go to ovals.

So with that being said; ultimately PROJECT91 is a program that operates at all of the road courses during the season and then potentially some of the major events, like the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, or something like that. I think at some point, you get so many races that you have to look at just actually fielding a third full-time car. But I think for PROJECT 91, it’s a six to eight race program potentially next year and beyond. It’s a brand extension of Trackhouse. I think we can get really unique on the content side, on the merchandise side and just create great stories. That’s sort of where I’d like to see it go.”

WATKINS GLEN WAS THE SITE OF THE US GRAND PRIX FOR FORMULA 1 FROM 1961 TO 1980. IF YOU GO DOWN TO SENECA LODGE, YOU CAN STILL SEE THE VICTORY WREATHS FROM THAT F1 ERA. KIMI, SINCE YOU HAVE YOUR FAMILY WITH YOU, HAVE YOU LOOKED AT ANY OF THAT HISTORY THAT EXISTED HERE WITH FORMULA 1? JUSTIN, BECAUSE OF THAT HISTORY HERE, DID THAT ENTER INTO YOUR DECISION OF HAVING KIMI HERE TO MAKE HIS CUP DEBUT WITH PROJECT91?

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN: “We came here yesterday. Obviously I know a little bit of the history of F1 being here and have seen some old videos from it. But from that, I haven’t really seen much yet. The kids are interested in doing other things.. they’re a bit too young for that. But I certainly know the history. It’s a great place and a nice area. It sort of feels like the middle of nowhere, but I enjoy that. It’s good to be here.”

JUSTIN MARKS: “As far as Watkins Glen, there were a couple of factors that went into this one. We needed time to be able to get this team ready and it needed to match up with Kimi’s schedule. I think, more than anything, it was convenient for him and his family to be able to make this trip and Watkins Glen fell in a good time for them. I didn’t want to debut PROJECT91 in the playoffs. That was not interesting to me.

And then as far as Watkins Glen; this is a track where obviously there’s a lot of history. The fan base is huge. It’s a great event for the sport, so there’s already typically a spotlight on it just because of the history and the quality of the races. It’s a track where I think if he starts to learn the race car in the race and we have a good race going, that you can make passes and you can create a good event. This event typically doesn’t get “mickey, mousey” like Indy did and some of these other events.

I think there were a lot of factors that went into it that just made this the ideal place.”

KIMI, WHEN YOU TESTED LAST WEEK AT VIR, DANIEL (SUAREZ) WAS THERE WITH YOU. WHAT’S IT BEEN LIKE TO HAVE THAT SUPPORT SYSTEM BETWEEN DANIEL AND ROSS (CHASTAIN) TO LEARN AND ADAPT TO THE NEXT GEN CAR?

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN: “Obviously, it’s useful. Any help is good with limited time in the car. They have a lot more experience. When we ran the simulator, they were both there, so it was good to see what they do and how it goes.

Yeah, it’s been nice. Daniel (Suarez) has spent his free time to help, so I really appreciate that. I’m happy that they’ve been very open to go to if I have questions and try to help.”

JUSTIN, WHAT ARE YOUR REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS OF THIS RACE? DO YOU THINK PROJECT91 WOULD HAVE EVER BEEN POSSIBLE WITH THE OLD CAR VERSUS NOW DOING IT DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF THE NEXT GEN CAR?

JUSTIN MARKS: “I definitely think it was possible. But I think what this car represents is a lower barrier of entry for drivers from other disciplines because this car is much more consistent with other road racing cars globally. So the transition to learn the car for someone like Kimi is just a lot more simple.

And for expectations; the speed is going to be there, the preparation is going to be there, the fitness is going to be there, all of that. I think where the heavy lift is just understanding procedurally how the race goes; making sure there’s no drama in the pits, on the restarts and things like that. I think anything is possible.. I really do believe anything is possible. We have to run a good strategy and get a little bit lucky. But what he has shown at the test, what he has shown in the simulator and some of the other things that we’ve done; I don’t have any issues with the pace, preparation or anything like that. I think it’s going to be right on par. So if we do a good job for him as a team, I think that we can have a very good day.”

KIMI, A LOT OF THE DRIVERS RECENTLY HAVE VOICED THEIR EXCITEMENT OF RACING AND MEETING YOU. ARE THERE ANY DRIVERS IN NASCAR THAT YOU FEEL THE SAME ABOUT, EITHER MEETING OR RACING?

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN: “I think, generally, it’s just nice to race whoever it’s going to be. It’s always exciting when you race against people that you haven’t raced against before. They’re very professional. The rules are slightly different than what I’m used to, but I’m happy to be here and meet the guys. I remember from the last time; they’re very relaxed, easy-going and it’s easy to talk to other drivers. It’s a bit different than what I’m used to from where I come from.”

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.

Richard Childress Racing at Watkins Glen International … Richard Childress Racing has two NASCAR Cup Series victories at Watkins Glen. Robby Gordon won the 2003 event, his third victory with RCR over the span of three seasons. Kevin Harvick captured the 2006 event at the New York road course, edging Tony Stewart for the victory, his first win at Watkins Glen. Dale Earnhardt also won three poles (1990, 1992, 1996). RCR drivers have racked up eight top-five and 22 top-10 finishes in 77 starts at Watkins Glen.

RCR in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen International … RCR has captured one victory in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at Watkins Glen: Kevin Harvick (2007). Harvick dominated the race, leading 49 of 82 laps and led a 1-2 finish for the Welcome, N.C., based team with Jeff Burton scoring a second-place finish. RCR owns nine top-five and 22 top-10 finishes at the 2.45-mile road course.

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 fourth game of the inaugural PBR Team Series season is scheduled for this weekend, August 19-21, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Don’t miss the Carolina Cowboys … The Carolina Cowboys’ inaugural “Cowboy Days” Home Stand is scheduled for 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 Sunoco Go Rewards 200 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International will be televised live Saturday, August 20, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network and the NBC Sports App. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Follow Sunday’s Action at Watkins Glen … The NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International will be televised live on Sunday, August 21 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network and the NBC Sports App. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

This Week’s No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Watkins Glen International … Austin Dillon has made seven career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen, posting a career-best 15th-place finish in August 2021. Dillon has made four appearances at Watkins Glen in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, securing his best finish of 12th in 2013. He also finished 12th in a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Division race at Watkins Glen in 2008.

Tracker Off Road … Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 prominently features TRACKER ATVs, a game-changing new line of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides offering breakthrough performance, service and value in the off-road industry. TRACKER OFF ROAD was born out of a powerhouse partnership formed between Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER founder Johnny Morris and Textron Specialized Vehicles, bringing together the undisputed world leader in boating with a global leader in innovation and technology.

Bass Pro Shops … Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit http://www.basspro.com/.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

How do you prepare for a racetrack like Watkins Glen International?

“A lot of time in the simulator, going over notes and watching old races. We try to make sure we are putting in the work beforehand. We’ve been working really hard on our road course program the last few years. Watkins Glen is a really fast, aggressive track. You can gain a lot by getting after it on the braking zones and it’s just a high-speed place with all of the grip in the pavement.”

We’re at another road course race this weekend, is this another wild card?

“Yeah, for sure. The road courses have turned into wildcard races. Taking care of your stuff, trying to make it to the end of these things becomes a demo-derby out there. This is going to be one of those ones that if you stay on track, you’re going to have a pretty good run. I have a lot of optimism going into Watkins Glen this year, though, because our road course program has been solid and we’ve put a lot of work in during the off season.”

This Week’s KCMG Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Watkins Glen International…Tyler Reddick will be making his second NASCAR Cup Series start at Watkins Glen International this weekend. Reddick scored a 10th-place finish in his first Cup start at the 2.45-mile road course in 2021. He has two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Watkins Glen, scoring a fifth-place finish in the 2019 event.

Road Course Prowess … Reddick has more wins (2, at Road America and the Indianapolis Road Course) and more top-fives (3) than any other driver in the Cup Series on road courses this season. Reddick dominated the weekend at Indy, winning the pole position, leading the most laps (38 of 86) and winning the race. His average running position at Indy was a sizzling 3.69, best of all drivers.

KCMG and Reddick No Strangers to Success on the Track … KCMG celebrated their first NASCAR win in 2019 when Tyler Reddick drove to victory lane at Michigan International Speedway enroute to his second consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. KCMG and Richard Childress Racing first partnered together in 2017 with the goal of introducing KCMG into the NASCAR industry as a new motorsports parts manufacturer.

About KCMG … KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) is an international motorsport services group established in 2007 by Dr. Paul Ip. The group, with its headquarters located in Hong Kong, has operations reaching across Europe and the Asia Pacific region. KCMG operates closely with many partner companies and racing organizations around the world to provide unrivalled Motorsport Services, Equipment, Team Management and quality distributorship in the Automotive Industry. 2013 saw KCMG become the first Chinese outfit ever to race at the world famous Le Mans 24 Hours in its 90-year history and participate in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The Hong Kong-based team later on took an historic LMP2 victory at Le Mans and was Vice Champion in FIA WEC in 2015. With years in the motorsport industry, KCMG has been involved in a wide range of Formula, GT and Le Mans prototype endurance racing series across the globe. For more information please visit www.kcmg.com.hk or email info@kcmg.co.hk.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:

What doe you think about Watkins Glen International?

“Watkins Glen is what I would call the mile-and-a half of road courses so it’s going to be a bit different than Road America and Indianapolis. You can’t take one thing and apply it to every road course. Watkins Glen has a lot of grip and the speeds are going to be really high. Qualifying is important at a lot of these road courses but I think this will be the most important qualifying session on a road course this year. Aero is really going to come into play. We’re going to have to be on our A-game with our KCMG Chevrolet and really execute our qualifying lap. It’s a tricky track with a lot of grip. We’re going to be going through the Bus Stop faster than ever before. I’m excited about it because our speed has been good this season. We’ll see how it stacks up.”

Does Watkins Glen lend itself to the same kind of aggression as Indianapolis or Circuit of the Americas?

“It definitely doesn’t because the minimum speeds are much higher at Watkins Glen. The corners at Indy or Turn 5 at Road America and COTA, a lot of those corners are sharper and the speeds are a lot lower. We kind of seen with this Next Gen car you really couldn’t move someone out of the way with how this diffuser affects the air of the car behind you when you try and bump somebody. I think people will be diving in there on each other to get position door-to-door, but I don’t think it’s going to play out like it did at Indy. Indy is kind of unique situation because of the shape of that first corner.”

This Week’s Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Watkins Glen International … Sheldon Creed will make his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Watkins Glen International on Saturday. The 2.450-mile New York road course will mark the fifth road-course race so far in 2022. Creed had a strong showing at the first road-course race at Circuit of the Americas, starting sixth and finishing 10th. At Portland International Raceway, Road America and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Creed was running in the top 10 when he was involved in on-track incidents. At Road America, Creed suffered an engine issue. Creed finished third last season at Watkins Glen in the Truck Series after starting 19th.

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 to Watkins Glen this weekend. Are you looking forward to the challenge?

“I actually can’t wait to get to Watkins Glen. It’s one of my favorite road courses. I finished third there last season in a truck and I have always really like the track. My biggest challenge heading into this weekend will be qualifying well because track position is so important at a road course like Watkins Glen. My team and I will have a good plan heading into qualifying because we know the importance of a strong starting spot. We’ve qualified decent and we’ve had fast cars, we have just got caught up in some messes in the last few weeks. I’m looking forward to getting to The Glen and showing what our 2 team is capable of.”

This Week’s Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Camaro SS at Watkins Glen International … Austin Hill will make his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Watkins Glen International on Saturday. The 2.450-mile New York road course will mark the fifth road-course race so far in 2022. Hill has had very positive results at every road course so far this season. At Circuit of the Americas, Hill started eighth and finished runner-up; he went on to start second and finish third at Portland International Raceway. At Road America, Hill started 10th and finished fourth and most recently, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, he started ninth and finished in the same position. He has never finished outside of the top 10 at a road course this year and is currently on an eight-race top-10 finish streak, including his second win of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hill won at Watkins Glen last season in the Truck Series. He started on the pole and led 35 of 61 laps en route to the victory.

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:

You’ve been really strong at road courses this season. Are you excited to get to Watkins Glen this weekend?

“I can’t wait to get to Watkins Glen this weekend, it’s one of my favorite tracks. I’ve just always run really well there, especially back in my K&N days. I came close to winning a couple times, but something always happened. I finally got the win last season in the Truck Series. It’s a fast track that you have to keep your momentum up at. My team has been so close to a win at every road course this season so we’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing and hopefully we’ll park it in Victory Lane. I had a nice off-weekend with the family but I’m more than ready to get back to the racetrack. The momentum couldn’t be any higher as we are approaching the Playoffs. Road courses have been a strength of mine this season so I’m really excited.”