Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ruoff Mortgage 500 Qualifying | Saturday, March 12, 2022

FORD QUALIFYING RESULTS
1st – Ryan Blaney
5th – Aric Almirola
6th – Chase Briscoe
8th – Austin Cindric
10th – Joey Logano
16th – Kevin Harvick
18th – Brad Keselowski
22nd – Michael McDowell
24th – Harrison Burton
25th – Cole Custer
26th – Chris Buescher
32nd – Cody Ware
33rd – Todd Gilliland
34th – BJ McLeod
35th – Garrett Smithley

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Maytag Ford Mustang — Qualified 1st

“I thought it was a pretty decent lap. You just hope you make the right changes to try to get a little bit better and everyone else is trying to do the same thing. I got a little bit tight in 3 and 4 and that worried me a little bit but overall the car had great speed in it and has had really good speed all day. I appreciate everyone’s help. It is a nice place to start for tomorrow.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang — Qualified 8th

“Every weekend I have been peaking in qualifying so hopefully I didn’t peak in practice this week. it has been a good start to the weekend for our Mustang. I thought our 1 and 2 was really awesome and I missed the bottom a bit in 3 and 4. I had to downshift and that wasn’t pretty. Overall, I am pretty happy. The Fords seem to be fast so we will keep digging tomorrow.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang — Qualified 6th

“I still didn’t do a very good job. I got down there in 1 and 2 and was too tight across the center and then into 3 I was pretty sideways and felt like I gave up quite a bit of time. I probably gave up a tenth on both end. I should have a decent starting spot for our Mahindra Tractors Ford and I have a really good race car for tomorrow so that is all that matters.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang — Qualified 10th

“I thought I was good and just fed it a little more throttle to get a little more speed off the corner and it just snapped. We caught the fence a little bit but I think it is good. I don’t think we will have to do much to fix it, We should be good to go.”

RYAN BLANEY POLE WINNER PRESS CONFERENCE

HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS BEING THE SAME VENUE AS THE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE, OR IS IT TOO SOON BECAUSE IT WILL ALL CHANGE? “I honestly don’t think of it too much. It is really early. My bigger concern is just trying to figure out this new car. It is really the first short track we have been to. The Coliseum was kind of its own thing. This is a place you will be using the brakes pretty hard and things like that. It didn’t even cross my mind until you just said something about it. I try not to think too far ahead. It is good to take notes. You do that with every single track. I just try to focus on the current weekend.”

DO YOU LIKE THAT THE CHAMPIONSHIP VENUE IS ONE THAT YOU VISIT PREVIOUSLY IN THE SEASON? “Yeah, I do. For a while, at Homestead, we didn’t do that. But now we do and I feel like that is nice, especially a great place like this. They are spaced out enough in the season to where you almost forget you have already been there. I do think it is really nice to be at the venue earlier in the year that the championship race is at.”

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT TRYING THE DOGLEG OR WILL YOU WAIT ON SOMEBODY ELSE TO TRY IT FIRST? “That is a great question. That is something we used to abuse in the old cars because you just hit truck arm mounts and splitters and side skirts. You honestly wanted to go down there with the side skirts to flare the right side out. Now, I am not going to be the first one. We talked about that all week, me and the team. You have to think about the diffuser and low air pressure with these tires going down there kind of worries me. I went down and kind of ran that dogleg when we were here testing. It was my last lap of the day and of the weekend but tires were way pumped up and it didn’t feel bad but on low air pressure, I would be nervous to do it. I will not be the first one. I will have some people watching to see if guys go down there and if it is successful or if you are just destroying your race car. I don’t know. I definitely won’t be the first one, that is what I know.”

DOES THAT IMPACT ANY SHIFTING YOU WOULD BE DOING ON THE LAP? IT SEEMED LIKE GUYS WERE SHIFTING OUT THERE TODAY. “Yeah, there were a lot of guys shifting today. I think you are going to see more and more of that as we get more laps on our stuff in the race. Where you would shift, if you cut that apron, it kind of just depends. You will probably be shifting when you are on the apron if you decide to shortcut it. There were a lot of guys shifting today through practice and even some guys were doing it in qualifying. It is just one of those options we have with an extra gear. I think it is pretty neat that you can shift because it gives you a spot as a trail car to maybe get a run on somebody. It is just an option to have. I think you will see a good bit of that. As far as shifting on the apron if you cut it, it will be a handful down there. It always was, so it will be normal.”

IS THERE A REASON NOT TO SHIFT? “You don’t have to shift. I didn’t shift in qualifying. I don’t think a lot of guys did. It seems like with about 20 laps on your stuff you start downshifting just to get runs off the corner. You don’t have to but I feel like it is going to be faster about 20 laps into a run.”

HOW DID IT FEEL RUNNING ON THE RESIN? “It felt like it had a lot of grip. I am trying to think if – I can’t believe that the resin had more grip than it had before because they haven’t touched it since last year. I just think the cars have a ton of grip. You feel like you are hauling the mail in the corner with this car. Whether it is the wider tire or more drag, it feels like you can get off in the corner really fast, and the resin kind of holds you. I think a lot of that is the tire having more grip probably but it does feel like it is sticky. In qualifying, we sailed it off into turn 1 and went right to the resin and didn’t think it would grip up and stick but it got in there and you just go about your way. It is a pretty weird feeling as a driver, driving into the corner knowing you are not going to make it unless the resin is there. That is something everyone is getting used to with the new car, you are kind of testing the limits.”

WITH THE DOGLEG AND THE DIFFUSER, WHAT IS THE CONCERN? “It is all situational but the worry is breaking one of those fins off. I don’t know the exact number of rear downforce it gives you but you want to keep all of them that you can. I think that is one of the concerns. You may be in a situation where you are going to go dive down there to try to win the race. I am not going to do it on lap one, but maybe if you think you are in a spot to go down there and take that risk of hurting your car. It is all kind of in the moment.”

Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

PHOENIX (March 12, 2022) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to media prior to the Phoenix Raceway race this Saturday:

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Does a day like today matter for moral?

“Honestly, we haven’t even talked about it as a team – about points or anything like that. I mentioned before the season started that I believe everyone’s average finish is going to go down three or four points in general. I think there will be more mechanical failures, more wrecks, things like that. More so, I think it’s going to be easier to come out of a hole versus previous years because as we have seen everyone has had trouble, where it seemed like we were so honed-in on the old car that my average finish just kept dropping every single year lower and lower. I think that you have a year where you can be 10 or 11, you are going to be up front – as long as you get reasonable stage points – you are going to be contending for a regular season championship. I’m not going to panic, simply because we have had some bad luck – obviously Daytona was not our doing, last week was our doing or my doing, I shouldn’t say we. I’m confident. I really am actually happy where our team is and where it is progressing week to week.”

How important is getting a good finish this weekend in Phoenix?

“This is an important race. Even though it’s early in the season, it’s the first real short track that we are going to. It’s going to create a big data point for us when we go to setup our cars for other racetracks, so it’s very, very important. A good solid day would help us believe and give us confidence that we are going to be good at all of the racetracks. I felt like in Vegas that we had one of the best – if not the best – cars, and that’s a mile-and-a-half and we’ve got a boatload of them. We’ve got a lot of short tracks and if we can be good here, I like our outlook for the whole year.”

Do you think about that this is the championship venue?

“We think about it, and I think about it for sure. I just make sure I do my part and give them the feedback they need to make the car better for when we come back.”

Did you make any changes after practice?

“No significant changes, but it is different. I didn’t feel comfortable at all in our practice. We are working on some seat stuff to make my back feel a little bit better. It was different. I didn’t test here, so I didn’t get a lot of opportunity to get a lot of laps, but we had some speed here – especially in the long run. My focus shifted to qualifying and I was like we have to be good in the short runs. That’s typically where you win races, and these races are coming down to last lap restarts and things like that. For us to qualify the way we did, that’s pretty encouraging. We’ve got something we can work with.”

What was some of the things you worked on in practice?

“A lot of it was just driving technique – trying to figure out where I need to run, what line I was going to run, how much grip the line had up there. Evidently, they sprayed resin all of the track, but the top lane feels the most sticky that it’s ever felt with any PJ1 or resin. It’s got an enormous amount of grip. I don’t know if that’s what we were aiming for, but the top line will be dominant. I was just trying to get my bearings and find my let off point was, where my breaking point was because you just don’t have that time to adapt to what you need out of your car until you drive it the right way and for 20 minutes, you’ve got to get it going. You typically – in these 20-minute sessions – are pushing it a little bit more, because you know you just don’t have time before the race to get honed in.”

What are your thoughts on the restarts with the dogleg with the new diffuser?

“We will probably wait to see other guys do it and see if they get damage from it. The one thing that is maybe good about it is we do have shock links that are limited so it’s not going to let your car go fully down there and crash the bottom, but we know we don’t want to damage anything underneath the car. We will proceed with caution to start with.”

How does the new car challenge you versus any other year?

“It’s more so a challenge, and you saw it last week with me shifting in the wrong direction. I’ve just been doing this for so long, that you just kind of get used to it. You hear the whine that you know you are in second gear, you’ve always since I’ve been 16, gone up and to the right. That’s challenging. I don’t know that I’ll be the last one, but I hated being the first one – but yeah, there is a lot of things that are so different within this car that are so different. I think so far, I can’t emphasis enough how far these cars have come since September or December when we tested at Charlotte. I was not optimistic by any means about the racing that we were going to see. I think so far, the races have been fantastic. We’ve seen great finishes, great battles within the field. Guys spinning out when they are stepping over the line, all great real racing that we grew up doing. Hopefully the fans like it, and I think it’s going to just keep getting better and better as time goes on. Very optimistic on what we’ve seen so far and the outlook for the car.”

Do you have any sense on how Atlanta is going to race and how they changed the wall angle?

“I think the wall angle was a concern for the drivers coming off of turn four and then kind of that kink. Certainly, if we are going to be racing in a tighter group, you don’t want to have any angles that are not safe. It’s good that they were able to make those changes to that. I think the biggest concern from what I hear from drivers is that even though it was just repaved, it’s got tremendous amount of bumps off of turn two that is not smooth, which you would think you would have with a new paved track. I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know if we are going to be drafting. I don’t think we are going to be tight pack racing. It’s not going to be Daytona or Talladega, but are they going to be grouped together, how are you going to build your car, all of those things are going to be a question mark and I have no clue what I’m getting into.”

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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.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
PHOENIX RACEWAY
RUOFF MORTGAGE 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSRIPT
MARCH 12, 2022

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 BUILT.COM CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Phoenix Raceway. Press Conference Transcript:

GOT A 20-MINUTE PRACTICE SESSION COMING UP HERE SHORTLY. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING TO GET OUT OF THE CAR?
“Yeah, we didn’t come out here and test so just getting a decent balance of understanding. It’s the first short track, so the other two places, three places we’ve been to has been a lot more of an aero track. So, this is the first probably mechanical grip heavy track that we’ve been to. I think we continue to learn more and more about this Next Gen car. We learned a lot of stuff at California that we applied to Vegas and ran pretty good last week, so hopefully we can apply and make some gains here this week. There’s not a whole lot you can do. One set of tires, you (inaudible) them off and try to shake the rust off for five or six laps and then you got to be right on your game.”

YOU MENTIONED COMING TO PHOENIX, A SHORT TRACK, PREVIOUS THREE RACES YOU DIDN’T USE A WHOLE LOT OF BRAKE. NOT A WHOLE LOT HERE EITHER, BUT MORE THAN THE PREVIOUS THREE, DO YOU ANTICIPATE A LEARNING CURVE WITH THAT AND ANY CONCERNS WITH LEG NUMBNESS?
“I think that there’s a couple different issues there that makes these guys have, cause my feet get numb not from probably the same thing that Tyler Reddick has a problem with, whether that is a pressure point in his seat or the way the belts or sub straps are mounted whatever the case may be. I think that the floor mat and pedals in the Next Gen car don’t dampen as much vibration, so just that harmonic vibration of your feet is what makes mine go sometimes a little bit like pins and needles. You’re on the brake pretty hard here. I mean you’re making 800 to 900 pounds and you’re making 900 pounds at Martinsville, so you are using quite a bit of brake. You definitely don’t want your feet falling asleep anywhere, but particularly here cause into Turn 1 you have to have a really good feel of that brake pedal to keep it rolling speed up.”

DO YOU ANTICIPATE A LOT OF PEOPLE GOING DOWN TO THE DOGLEG EARLY ON OR MAYBE JUST TESTING IT OUT IN PRACTICE?
“Yeah, as crucial as those diffuser strakes are that seal up the ground, I feel like those sealing up to the ground are as important as the side skirts used to be. So, I will not be the first, second or probably 15th person to be down there in the flat but I think out of habit you are going to see some guys go down there and probably take a little bit of diffuser damage. I think that that will show up or take a toll over the course of the day because the under bodies to these cars are not as durable as a Xfinity car or things like that. And they’re stiff and you hit one of those rob blocks and it jars you. I think you will see considerably less. I still think you might see on restarts just cause you are going slower that will definitely be an element we will see in play on Sunday.”

WHERE ARE YOU AT RIGHT NOW WITH YOUR PERSONAL COMFORT LEVEL WITH THE CAR AND HOW HAS THAT SORT OF IMPROVED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS AS YOU’VE GOTTEN MORE RACE TIME WITH THE CAR?
“So, I’m always been a little bit of a conservative learner if you will because all the teams I have driven for have always been lean on parts and people and all the things that come along with it. So, I’ve never really had the leash long enough to go learn it and find the edge and back in the fence and roll out a back-up just as good. So, I’ve always kind of crept up to it and I think that’s played up into our hands just a little bit because we’ve run the same car for all three west coast races which I don’t think there’s many guys doing that. Hopefully we can get this thing through practice and qualifying straight and have a good day. You’ll just get more and more comfortable finding the grip of the tires with the 18 inch wheels, they definitely give you a different sensation whether it be the trans-axel reacts different than what a Ford 9-inch rear-end does too. Every lap on the racetrack, we’re definitely learning something so my comfort level continues to get more, and I think it’s going to continue to get more and more the more races you get under your belt. I also think, I was talking to Austin Cindric last week about it, I think it’s probably been the best year for a Xfinity guy to transition to the Cup Series just because the Xfinity car’s downforce level is comparable to what we are running currently, where all the Cup guys for the last four or five years have been running eight inch blades at 550 horsepower. Now the downforce and horsepower ratio with these cars is a lot more similar to a Xfinity car, so I think that now all the years after this I think the jump from Xfinity to Cup will be that much further because we’ve had a year to understand these cars. This year, this off season would have been the perfect time if you are a rookie to jump in the deep end of the pool and now the deep end of the pool is going to get a lot deeper now that all the Cup drivers have understanding these Next Gen cars and how different they are.”

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 – Martin Truex Jr.
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

PHOENIX (March 12, 2022) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. was made available to media prior to the Phoenix Raceway race this Saturday:

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

What has been the difference the last couple of years here at Phoenix?

“I think we just had a little bit of time where we just weren’t very good here – car wise and setup wise and all of those things. It is just things we worked through last couple of years really, it’s been really good for us. Obviously last year we had two great runs here. Just learned more about the track. The track has changed over the years I think, and it seems like the more its aged and they started spraying and things like that – it’s just suited me a little bit better I think.”

Will drivers try to use the apron today?

“I think that you are probably going to have to do it in the race tomorrow, so you kind of need to see what it’s going to do down there. I think a lot of guys are going to do it today, but I’m not real sure what the cause and effect is going to be or if it’s going to tear up the diffuser real bad, because that’s an issue. Not sure.”

Can you apply anything from past experience here?

“I think understanding the racetrack and how it’s going to change throughout the weekend is important. They sprayed resin here like they did last year. We tested here back in January, and they didn’t spray it, so no one really ran off the bottom so that whole two days of testing was pretty much useless. So, understanding the track – we only get 20 minutes of practice to understand out where your car is at and figure out where you think the track is going to go tomorrow to make the right adjustments for the race will be key.”

What is your comfort level with the car right now?

“It’s definitely improving I think – just getting more experience. Going to tracks we haven’t been to has been a big part of that learning process. I’m getting more comfortable with it every week behind the wheel standpoint to kind of find that edge and where the car wants to be, figuring out exactly how the tires react. It’s been a bit different, so bit of a learning curve there and just learning as a team what the car needs to work well on the racetrack so lot of learning. Lots of getting more comfortable and so far, it has been good.”

What is your give and take level at the beginning of the race?

“I don’t know if you will necessarily give up spots not going down there, but I think at some point during the race there will be time when you have to hold position or maybe improve. I’m not sure. I’m sure we are going to have a conversation about that here in a few minutes before practice starts and come up with a plane. You just don’t know – it’s too early to tell.”

Have you been in the simulator for Atlanta, and do you have any idea how it’s going to race?

“I have not, and I have no idea. It’s going to be a small Daytona – narrow small Daytona. Wide open, drafting.”

#

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.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
PHOENIX RACEWAY
RUOFF MORTGAGE 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSRIPT
MARCH 12, 2022

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY/BEST FRIENDS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Phoenix Raceway. Press Conference Transcript:

HOW WAS THE CAR TO DRIVE LAST WEEK AT LAS VEGAS (MOTOR SPEEDWAY), AERO-WISE, COMPARED TO LAST YEAR WITH THE GEN 6?
“I feel like we had a really good car in traffic. We were able to make a lot of moves on restarts. Some other people kind of looked more vulnerable in traffic. I think it’s similar. We’re never going to completely unlearn all of the aero stuff and the box that kind of puts you in dirty air. I think it’s similar, or better, in dirty than the previous Gen car.”

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE RACINESS ON RESTARTS WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR? DO YOU THINK THE CRAZINESS OF THE RESTARTS WILL STAY THE SAME THIS WEEKEND AT PHOENIX (RACEWAY) OR DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE TAMED DOWN SINCE WE’VE SEEN SOME TIRE ISSUES?
“It’s interesting because I think the restarts are really racy for a high horsepower, low downforce package. But you look at restarts on cooler days with the 550 package, they were really crazy all the time. I would say similar there. Restarts here, they’re kind of notoriously crazy because of the dogleg and being able to shortcut that. I’m not sure anybody has gone down there with the Next Gen car yet, just with how rigid the car is and how things happen when the car hits the ground. We saw some guys cut left-rear cars going into the apron at California (Auto Club Speedway) and obviously the dogleg here is a much harsher transition than that. So, I’ll let somebody else figure that out first I guess; see if it’s raceable down there and go from there. It’s going to be interesting to kind of figure it all out.”

FOR YOU, IS IT IMPORTANT TO DOMINATE RACES OR DOES IT REALLY MATTER AT ALL IF YOU’RE JUST LEADING THE LAST LAP?
“You go home with a trophy either way, right. I think we’ve dominated races that we’ve lost and that sucks. Here in 2016. A couple of races at Charlotte that we’ve led a ton of laps and not won at the end. I think for me, collecting a trophy is really all that matters.”

DID YOU CALL KYLE (BUSCH) OR DID KYLE CALL YOU? DID IT MATTER AT ALL THAT YOU GUYS HAD A CONVERSATION?
“He text me Monday night. I appreciate him texting me, but I don’t think he needed to. I understand why he was mad. We all know Kyle (Busch) – he’s super passionate, fiery and gets lit up sometimes. They lost the race and he was mad about it, so I get that. But I do appreciate him texting me. We’ve always raced each other with respect. He’s one of the guys that I feel like I race better with than most. So, appreciative of that. We’ve never had any issues before and I don’t even think that was an issue. It was just an opportunity to make a t-shirt and raise some money for animals.”

WHAT’S YOUR PERSONAL COMFORT LEVEL DRIVING THESE NEXT GEN CARS AND HOW HAS THAT IMPROVED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS?
“Definitely a work in progress. I feel like a lot of things have improved and the teams have gotten the cars closer to make them more comfortable. But I feel like I’ve had to change my driving style quite a bit and kind of shift what I look for in the race car. I used to try to live off of the right-rear tire and be really free every week. These cars are really uncomfortable in that scenario. Just trying to figure out the balance that I need to look for to be better. When we tested here, I just got the car freer, freer and freer; and by the end of it, it was really uncomfortable and really slow. So, just trying to go the right direction instead of the wrong direction like that. I feel like everything is going to change so much over the course of the year. The cars have already gotten way better to drive than where we started for the first five minutes of practice at California (Auto Club Speedway). It’s going to be interesting to kind of watch the changes throughout the course of the year.”

YOU’LL BE USING MORE BRAKES HERE THAN YOU DID IN THE PREVIOUS THREE RACES. DO YOU ANTICIPATE AN ACLIMATION PROCESS TO HOW THAT WILL WORK OR ANY CONCERNS? I KNOW SOME GUYS HAD SOME LEG NUMBNESS IN PREVIOUS WEEKS.
“I actually had a little bit of that during the Duel at Daytona (International Speedway) and we kind of worked on my seat and stuff to try and make it better. I tested the car and I ran the wheel force test at Martinsville (Speedway); ran the test here, did some road course testing. So I feel like we’re pretty acclimated to the brakes. They’re definitely a lot different than the old car. And it’s a learning process. There have been some things that haven’t really added up to some brake issues that we’ve had and things like that. So, trying to get everything squared away and make the right decisions on what parts and pieces you bring here. But I think we should be all good and hopefully my legs keep the feeling in them throughout the course of the race tomorrow.”

HOW NICE IS IT THAT YOU GOT THAT WIN OUT OF THE WAY BEFORE EVERYONE FIGURES OUT THE NEXT GEN CARS?
“Yeah, I think it’s always good to get a win early in the season. Like you said, I think people are going to figure them out and they’re going to get a lot different. So, I’m glad we were able to be on the front side of that. It seems like our cars are really good right now. I’m also excited because I feel like we have a lot of super smart people at Hendrick Motorsports and our cars are only going to get better from here. Starting on the front side of it I think speeds up your development process for the rest of the year, and hopefully we just continue getting better.”

DOES THIS ALLOW YOU TO TAKE MORE RISKS IN FIGURING IT OUT AND PUSHING THE LIMITS SINCE YOU’RE LOCKED IN?
“Yes and no. I think Greg (Ives, crew chief) and the guys do a really good job of calling strategy. It definitely opens a door for some strategy calls. But at the same time, we want to do everything we can to be super consistent this year and perform week in and week out. Hopefully we can make that happen.”

YOU’VE HAD A BIG WEEK. YOU’VE GOT ALLY AND BEST FRIENDS ON THE CAR THIS WEEKEND. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE GOING ON WITH THEM?
“We have Best Friends on the car, which is really cool. Last year, we donated $1,000 from myself and $1,000 from Ally to a local shelter every week, which was a lot of fun. And then when we won a race, it went to $10,000. We ended up raising like $160,000 last year for shelter animals, so that was really cool. This year, we’ve stepped it up to $4,800 a week for a shelter in every market. And then still when we win, it goes to $10,000. I spent the day yesterday at The Barn House; that was really cool. Hung out with some animals I’ve never been around before. Apparently I have an irrational fear of feeding donkeys because I feel like they’re going to bite my hand off, so that was pretty interesting (laughs). Fed some pigs, donkeys – there were a bunch of cats there. There were a couple of dogs, which made it all worth it. It was really cool. They are the shelter we’re working with this week and hopefully we can bring home $10,000 for them tomorrow.”

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ruoff Mortgage 500 | Saturday, March 12, 2022

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang met with media members at Phoenix Raceway Saturday morning.

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang — DO YOU BELIEVE THE APRON WILL BE DIFFICULT TO LEARN HOW TO APPROACH THAT WITH THIS NEXT GEN CAR? “I am not really sure. I think a lot of things have been less difficult than a lot of us had anticipated. I think our goal is to let somebody else try it first and see if their diffuser falls apart.”

YOU WILL BE USING MORE BRAKES HERE THAN THE PREVIOUS THREE RACES: “Not true. I don’t think so.”

DO YOU ANTICIPATE A STEEPER LEARNING CURVE? PEOPLE HAVE TALKED ABOUT NUMBNESS WITH LEGS: “I have not experienced any of that. I think we will use less brake.”

YOU HAVE BEEN THE MASTER OF PHOENIX FOR A LONG TIME. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE KEY TO GETTING YOUR MAGIC BACK WITH THIS NEXT GEN CAR? “Well, we are done with the Next Gen. This is just ‘the car’ now. It isn’t ‘next’ anymore. We are here racing the car now. I don’t think it has been any different over the last several years. We have been in the mix. You win some and lose some. You just keep doing the same thing.”

HOW DID THE CAR DRIVE AERO WISE AT LAS VEGAS COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS GENERATION CAR? “There is really no comparison but the cars drove pretty well at Las Vegas. I think everybody having a week under their belts at California with extreme situations as far as travel and all the things that we were able to experience. Everybody got to go home and put their heads together and the cars raced pretty well at Las Vegas. I think as you look at that, that has been a pleasant surprise for everybody. With the way that the tires wore out and the things that happen during a run it allowed you to move around the race track and there was fall-off and comers and goers and I think that is the real key. When you have one of the tires that goes down to the cords and wears out and some guys could make it last longer and do different things, that is really what you want. I thought Vegas was very reasonable to drive and I think everybody had a good time racing the cars.”

WHAT WILL ATLANTA LOOK LIKE DO YOU THINK? “I have no idea. I don’t even want to get in the middle of making a comment about that place.”

YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO SCORE 18 CONSECUTIVE TOP-10 FINISHES THIS WEEKEND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? “I don’t even really think about it. It wouldn’t really mean anything.”

HOW MUCH DOES ALL YOUR SUCCESS AND FINESSE AT THIS TRACK OVER THE YEARS STILL APPLY WITH THIS NEW CAR? “I think a lot of the things that were finesse kind of went away when they put the resin and the PJ1 up there so that anybody could do that groove. I think that kind of took away some of the apron stuff. Our cars have run good in that too. You just have to keep chipping away at it and try to keep yourself in contention and that is really what it is all about. We are still learning. You guys want me to answer all these questions and we have never even raced here. It is impossible to answer the questions. We have a lot better answers for California and Vegas. I am not a speculator and not a stat guy. I don’t look at that stuff. It is what we did last week and what we did the week before. Those are the building blocks that you have going forward. What you have done here in the past is really irrelevant just because of the fact that it is a different car and a different style of racing. There are so many different things. I know you guys all want to write a story but there is no story to write yet because there are no facts.”

SO YOU REALLY DON’T KNOW IF THE MAGIC YOU HAD HERE STILL APPLIES UNTIL YOU GET OUT THERE? “You don’t even know how it is going to race. You have to race. The only way to learn what you need to do is to race. You don’t even know what you are actually trying to figure out until you go out and race. We have really two weeks of what the car does and what you need to think about and the things you are fighting. You don’t really know until you go out and do it. It is a guess.”

WHERE IS YOUR PERSONAL COMFORT LEVEL AT WTH THIS CAR AND HOW HAS IT IMPROVED OVER THE LAST THREE WEEKS? “I think racing has definitely helped that with just understanding what you are looking for and what you are fighting. I think we are all a lot more confident. We actually got our car through tech this week and that was a good hurdle this week. There are a lot of things that are different and you are trying to do them from opposite ends of the country and a short amount of time from my standpoint with practice and trying to figure all that out. We probably had a sixth or 10th place car last week and had a decent car at California, we just kept having little things go wrong and just continue to chip away at it and see where it falls.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ruoff Mortgage 500 | Saturday, March 12, 2022

Michael McDowell, driver of the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang, will be racing in front of his hometown fans this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series completes its three-race western swing at Phoenix Raceway. McDowell met with media members at Phoenix Raceway Saturday morning.

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang — THE LAST FEW YEARS YOU HAVE BEEN PAIRED WITH A LOT OF ROOKIE TEAMMATES. WHAT IS THAT LIKE? “It hasn’t been ideal, obviously. The conditions with no practice and no qualifying has been hard for the rookies the last few years, for sure. It has been a challenge. It is hard because you need two people, you need both teams pushing the organization forward and it is hard to do that without building momentum and chemistry and all those things. I think that Todd (Gilliland) is doing a great job and I think Todd will be here for a long time. Hopefully, we won’t be having any more new rookie teammates. It has been good though, there have been times it has been good. For the most part, you just need both programs pushing everything forward and I think we have that now.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE DOGLEG AND DRIVING ON THE APRON HERE? “Yeah, it is still a question mark I think. These cars are really low to the ground in the back with the diffuser and those are things you don’t want to damage. You want as much on there as possible. I think there will be times when people will go down there to make a pass or do something like that. For me, I am not going to be the first one down there. I will wait and see and try to utilize it when you need it. But it is a little bit of an unknown. I watched a few guys try to do it in practice when we were here for the test. You definitely don’t want to damage the underneath side of these cars because it affects the aero so much.”

WILL YOU SHIFT HERE AT ALL? AND ALSO, WHAT DO YOU THINK ATLANTA WILL RACE LIKE? “Well, we are going to have to shift here because you have to get to fifth gear somewhere. I am just kidding. I think you will. I think there will be a lot of guys shifting. I think in the test you try to keep everything as consistent as possible, especially when you have data on the car and trying to measure what is better and what is not. As it gets warm and as the pace drops off and tires fall off, I think you will hear a lot of guys in the Cup Series shifting on both ends. This car is a little easier than our previous generation car with the sequential shifter that definitely helps. I think it will be a tool that you use more often this season than we have pretty much anywhere else.”

“As for Atlanta, I think it is a big unknown. I watched the YouTube of the tire test and saw some of that stuff. I wasn’t there but it looked fairly easy and wide-open. So when you get traffic, who knows what it will be like. But we are anticipating it being like Daytona. That is kind of the mindset we are going and if we have to adapt when we get there then we will see.”

Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 AutoTrader Ford Mustang met with media members at Phoenix Raceway Saturday morning.

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang — YOU’VE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS HERE AT PHOENIX. HOW DO YOU BALANCE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE HERE IN THE XFINITY SERIES OVER TO THE CUP SERIES AND THE NEXT GEN CAR? “I think that is a great question. I think it is something that is pretty important to me this weekend. I am a big believer that we are still just driving cars on a race track. There are a lot of differences with the car and on the aero side but it is still the same race track. Track prep wise, it has perhaps evolved in a different way from the last time we were here and will continue to do so but it is still the same race track so I am trying to subjugate the things that I have learned about this car versus the things I already know about the track.”

RACING BELOW THE APRON IN THE DOGLEG, HOW DO YOU APPROACH THAT? “I will certainly not be the first one to attempt that. I am sure there will be plenty of people with that same answer. I will be interested to see if anybody does it in practice. I would usually do it in practice — if I am being honest I would usually do it in practice with my Xfinity car just to see what I am going to bend up and sometimes that could be beneficial or negative but traditionally we have had the opportunity to go back and fix it. Right now if I break something and we have to fix it we have to start in the back so I am going to try my best not to break something in practice.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE DAYTONA 500 WINNING CAR BEING BACK IN ITS TRADITIONAL PLACE? “I am really glad that we were able to find a solution there and it really serves tradition properly. It is a source of pride to have that sitting there and be on display and it is a pretty awesome achievement and it will be cool to come back there in August and see the whole display with the wall of winners. You look at all those faces and names on there and it is pretty surreal to think I will be among those guys.”

DO YOU THINK THE NOTES AND DATA GATHERED THIS WEEKEND WILL BE HELD AT A PREMIUM BECAUSE YOU ARE RETURNING HERE FOR CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND OR WILL YOU LEARN SO MUCH OVER THE YEAR IT MIGHT NOT MATTER AS MUCH? “I think all of the above. YOu look at this weekend and obviously the championship race is here and we are in the playoffs I obviously want to come back and have a purpose in November but it is also the first short track race we are going to. It is the conclusion of the west coast swing and we have done every type of race track. We have had a high-falloff race track, a traditional 1.5-mile, and a short track where we are going to be using the brake pedal. There will be a balance between what we learn this weekend and how much we are going to evolve as a sport and race teams by the time November comes around. Alsl those things are in my head and I think this is certainly a solid foundation for your notebook to start the year.”

HOW DID THE CAR DRIVE AERO WISE LAST WEEK AT VEGAS COMPARED TO SOME OF THE TIMES YOU WERE IN THE CAR LAST YEAR? “I would probably say more similar to that than my Xfinity car. You look at how much drag and downforce this car produces and I would say in a lot of ways your on-throttle time and driving characteristics are probably more similar to a Truck Series car than maybe the Xfinity Car is. From that standpoint, I had to think back a few years to racing at Vegas in a truck. You watch the Xfinity broadcast and listen to those guys and they are all the way out of the gas and on the brake and I don’t think I touched the brake except to go to pit road or in traffic situations. Aero-wise, you can talk about all the different components on this car but I think aero is the biggest difference and the biggest thing all the drivers have to learn right now.”

HOW COMFORTABLE ARE YOU WITH THIS NEXT GEN CAR DRIVING IT AND HOW THAT HAS INCREASED OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS WITH MORE RACES UNDER YOUR BELT? “I think it has increased. The funny thing is I did like two laps of practice at Vegas and Vegas is a fast track and pulling a lot of corner loads and my right buttcheek was on fire after like two laps because I don’t have the muscle memory for this car. The reason I say that is because Xfinity cars or the previous generation car had more side force and more yaw in the corner and your body is in a different position and you are bracing yourself in a different position. Things that are just easy muscle memory are now oriented much differently. It is like if you were to put your seat in a different spot. Those things are becoming more normal and that will continue to progress. I think it is just part of having the muscle memory.”

IS THERE ANY PLAN FOR YOUR DAYTONA 500 CAR AFTER IT LEAVES THERE? HAVE YOU NEGOTIATED ANYTHING WITH ROGER (PENSKE) YET? “I definitely don’t think I am first in line for any ownership of that. It is Roger’s car and I think it will stay that way.”

WILL ATLANTA NEXT WEEK LOOK LIKE DAYTONA? “I think it will be a hybrid in a lot of ways. Honestly, I don’t really know. I think we are preparing in some ways for it to be that way from a racing standpoint but from a car standpoint and necessity for grip, I think you still need to have driveability and practice being able to handle and be able to stay close to guys. I think that is one thing I have got on the top of my head. You are going to have drafting situations but if I am too tight to stay tucked up to somebody then that is difficult. Also, tire-wise it is a lot different than what we ran at Daytona and a lot different than what we will run at Talladega just from a stagger perspective. I am interested to see how that rebalances and races. I haven’t driven a lap on the race track and we will have practice. There is a lot of different talk about racing procedures and what it will look like. I think as an industry we need to be open-minded throughout the weekend.”