Toyota Racing – Kurt Busch
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH (February 16, 2022) – 23XI Racing driver Kurt Busch was made available to media prior to the Daytona 500 this Wednesday:

KURT BUSCH, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing

How do you feel in this stage of your career and the things you have been able to overcome?

“As far as being able to juggle it all and digest it all, compartmentalization is key on being able to learn what to do and each situation as a driver, as a mentor. Even yesterday, we have this new engineering kid and he’s all excited and he’s like, ‘Can you jack up the car after tech inspection and get gear temp in it?’ And everyone is laughing at him, but yet he said something very smart and sharp. He goes, ‘Well, this is my first day. It’s the Next Gen car. I’m not jaded by the Gen 6 car, and I have a clean slate to move forward with.’ And I was real proud of him for saying that. It’s like, you’re going to be a sharp kid. Just give it 10 years buddy. You’re not going to know it all in one weekend. It’s just being that extra person and that extra set of eyeballs to help everybody get better on this 23XI team. A lot of that is because of the things that Chip Ganassi did for me, Roger Penske, Jack Roush, James Finch and Barney Visser was really a great owner that I learned a lot from spiritually. It’s been a good journey. It’s been a good ride. With our group that’s now settled at 23XI. Yesterday, Billy Scott, my crew chief, I gave him a big hug like, ‘Dude. You finally put the crew chief hat on. Now it’s going to be this crew chief, driver stuff. Let’s go.’ Just knowing when to balance it all. Even with Jeff Burton and the driver advisory council, there’s things that I hope to do there to put in place so the younger drivers and the next generation can benefit from as well as help out our past guys. I’m just in a good spot. Just wanting to give back to the sport that’s given me so much.”

How much change do you think there will be with so many new stock parts with the new car?

“I see a few different directions that this can lead us. Some of that is lack of parts and pieces since everything is apples to apples all through the garage. And, then there’s the fine-tuning and taking it to the next level. One thing at 23XI that I’m really excited about and the information from TRD and Toyota is all of these different channels of information. There’s this app, there’s this drawing, there’s this graph. There was an 82-page wind tunnel report on drafting with this car and this final rule package. It’s endless with the amount of information that you dig through and you have to pick the right things to stack on top of each other now to just find that one-tenth of a second. But that’s Daytona. We’re going to get to Fontana, Vegas, Phoenix, and I hope the old school handling comes in to play where tire wear and tire management could come back into play. I have felt that twice during testing. As an old school guy, I’m out there at Charlotte lap 20 and I’m just getting looser and looser and looser and I’m like, man, is this thing is that loose and I look in the mirror and (Tyler) Reddick is back there spinning out. At Phoenix, it gave me memories of running my Late Model there in the late 90s and the Cup cars in the early 2000s. I hope that’s what the Next Gen car does, is it makes you really get into details with certain things and then still brings back old school put in it in the driver’s hands and put it into the race strategist hands on do you pit now or stay out? I’m hopeful for all of that excitement at all of the tracks.”

What do you think of the goal to have both 23XI cars in the Playoffs?

“We’ve set our expectations very high, and we have every ambition and every bit of focus and intensity to achieve those goals. Winning races, both cars in the Playoffs and for us making a run through the Playoffs to have a shot at the final four, that’s what we want to do on the 45 car. There’s no reason to think that we can’t with the information sharing and the technology that we have with Toyota. The notebook that nobody has right now. It’s a clean slate and we build from ground zero. Right now, we’re tied for the lead in points, and we intend to work all the way through the first couple months with a points-building frame of mind. It reminds me of 2019 when I switched to Ganassi. My goal was to get as many points early in the year and it gave you this free mindset of relaxness in the summer months because we knew we were pretty much guaranteed a spot in the Playoffs. Dave Rogers has been a huge addition as a Performance Director for 23XI. (Mike) Wheels (Wheeler) has found his role as the Competition Director. Between those two guys and the two crew chiefs, with Billy Scott and Bootie Barker. I’m not just name dropping. We’ve got the right guys in the right places to gather the information from JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) and work with them and Toyota to make a good run at this in 2022.”

What have you learned about Bubba Wallace as a teammate versus a competitor?

“As a teammate he’s a listener and he’s eager to learn. That’s what any young driver should be doing. It’s funny on how the information is being thrown at him and he goes, ‘Hey man. Is this something that’s serious that I need to look at? Or is this something that Denny (Hamlin) is going overload on for data information?” And, I said that’s a perfect question because Denny is such an analytical numbers guy. He will eat, sleep and chew on them until it turns into a pole. Bubba (Wallace) and his level and my level, we’re all working together to find that right stream. This weekend is a great weekend to let everybody use their talent with feeling the air, seeing the air and then digesting the information and reporting back on how each session went. It’s just putting in that next level effort and Bubba is ready to do that and I see it within him.”

Do you think there is going to be better reception to this Driver’s Advisory Council and what is your role in working with the younger drivers as part of this?

“I think the biggest difference now is the line of communication. We started in the underground four or five months ago and Jeff Burton has volunteered his time. A lawyer, administration group has volunteered their time. Everybody is in a sense of volunteering right now. It’s, I guess, like a non-profit. Our goals that we have are long term and it’s similar to a Formula 1 driver advisory council when they’re working with the FIA or they’re working with specific tracks or if they’re working with specific TV contracts. It’s all a collaborative effort within everybody in the industry. It’s the right timing, and for my role I guess each driver that is on the board of directors has a specific role, but the main thing is communicating to the other groups of drivers such as the Hendrick guys, the Penske guys, the Trackhouse guys. It doesn’t matter. We need to communicate to everybody and just like getting 40 drivers to give a thumbs up that we’re going to announce this, I ended up Secretary of State for a couple days trying to round everybody up, but to get that 100 percent. That’s what we’re after and that’s the same thing we do when we’re in the driver’s seat. Jeff Burton has done a great job to work with NASCAR, the track and all of our other partners that we’re starting to move forward with and you’ll start to see some things pop up here or there. A simple thing is, I tested Atlanta along with (Ross) Chastain and (Chris) Buescher and they widened the front straightaway to five lanes wide and the back straightaway is three lanes wide and we asked why did we do this? They’re like, ‘Well, we wanted the front straightaway wider for other events.’ Other things that they’re doing with Super Cross and such. I was like, well now we have more of an angle and trajectory that we’ve learned from all of our NASCAR data and the crash results that we’ve got to tweak the wall and add safer barrier to this spot on the race track. Similar to the dogleg out in Phoenix on how we changed that front straightaway there and they adjusted that with better curved angles and the safer barrier and the foam behind it. SMI didn’t hesitate one bit and it was okay, this is great. This is good traction. We just need to get good at spending other people’s money. But SMI really helped us absorb just our first issue as a group together.”

As a driver who didn’t make the main event in the Clash, would you be okay with that format at other points races?

“Oh, hell no. We have to have all of our cars out there. I was devastated by not making the A-Main. In all reality, we had to go and qualify first as a brand-new team with no points. The track was, I’m not making excuses, the track was soup. That’s a term I use when it’s another four-letter word. And the first three cars that went out qualified as the last three cars. Then the track started to burn in and then lap times started to go down. It was just unlucky that they went off points and then this weekend is off a random draw. So, we just need to get a bit more consistent on how we’re going to set qualifying procedures. The LCQ that I was in was the roughest race and it was due to not counting yellow flag laps. There was no reason to have a 50-lap LCQ and not count yellow flag laps. I survived three restarts as the leader and on the fourth one the train and the chain of events, the bumper cars started and unfortunately, we didn’t make it through. And, then it looked like the A-Main could have had more cars in it. There wasn’t as much action, so I don’t know why they cut the number to 23 cars. Twenty-three seemed very random. So, I gave my little list to NASCAR and hopefully we can polish up on things that need to happen for certain events, but yet still follow a nice trajectory that makes it to where it fits in a column everywhere. When you have sponsors and big organizations and you’re not in the race that’s not a good thing.”

What do you say to the younger drivers that may not be with the top teams yet?

“It’s similar to a question I get on what would you teach a young Kurt Busch to do? And I’m like what age are you talking about? I was a rookie when I was 22 years old and wanted to set the world on fire and win every race. And I bumped into Alex Bowman a few years back, it was Dover, I don’t remember what year it was. And he got to the mothership I’m assuming it was just after Dale Jr. retired and he’s driving in Cup cars and he’s like, ‘Man, I got here and I’m at the best team.’ And it was a year that Hendrick was off and he’s like, ‘Man, I’m just so deflated.’ I’m just like, hey buddy, patting him on the shoulder, I said ‘In a couple years you’re not even going to remember this moment of me trying to pick you up.’ And just said, ‘Just throw some patience down, and step on it and stand right there.’ And that’s what I would’ve taught my young self to do. Making it to the top, having a ride like Harrison Burton with the Wood Brothers. Yeah, you’re not at Penske, but it’s as good as you’re going to have and as good as you’re going to make it right now. Find the right things that make the puzzle pieces work for your puzzle to find success. You’re not going to win every race, you’re going to have a battle just to make the Playoffs, but find things that make it to where you’re able to find your goals realistically and then to continue to advance. It’s similar to the kid in Formula 1 who is driving for Williams, and he’s got the Mercedes connection in the background. You’ve just got to stay the course and hope that it all plays out.”

Have you met Michael Jordan yet?

“Yeah. I met (Michael) Jordan last summer. It was right when my window opened to contract negotiations. It was an awesome moment of seeing him in a board room and walking up to him to shake his hand. He stood up and then he sits down and he’s in charge of the room. It was within two minutes he says, ‘We will win together.’ That was the easiest conversation I’ve ever had with a team owner to know that we’re on the same page on day one.”

What differences have you seen at 23XI compared to other teams?

“Our team president Steve Lauletta has done an incredible job of assembling a really strong team on the marketing side, on the social side, the management of the accounts and here we are. We’ve announced with Monster Energy close to 30 races on my race car. McDonalds will be on my race car later this year. MoneyLion, SiriusXM, it just continues to build. And, to have these blue-chip companies and brands being announced to be with our team at 23XI, it helps all of these crew members know that they made the right decision to jump on board and be a part of this program. The buzz, the energy, it’s all there and just like I said at the beginning of this conference, it was great to just give Billy Scott (crew chief) a hug and say, ‘Hey, man. Put your crew chief hat on. We’re going to do this driver, crew chief stuff now.’ Everything is in place and I’m really happy with the way our season is going to look in the next few weeks.”

What was the meeting like for you at Toyota Performance Center with the younger drivers who are a part of the TRD Driver Development program?

“That was my first setting in speaking to a group of young drivers that are part of the same system that I’m in with the TRD Development program. I’m a new guy to Toyota, I love putting on the rookie hat every now and then like I did for the Indy 500 a few years ago. And it’s to show this group of kids, these young drivers, that I’ve been through ups, I’ve been through downs. It was to give them a sense of my heart and my sole and my commitment level on – it’s not just eat, sleep and race. It’s beyond that. And it was to give that motivation to the kids. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have known what to say to them. I wouldn’t have known what role to really find, but now I’m not afraid to speak my mind and to be a mentor with a little bit of sarcasm to have a little fun with it. To really teach them you can win the race before the green flag even drops with your preparation, your mental preparation, working out, PR, social, your whole team. There’s ways to win without even grabbing that checkered flag, and so that helps them build up other categories that they need to do to become a successful driver and get their neck stuck out just a little bit further ahead than the next guy.”

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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.

Toyota Racing – Christopher Bell
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH (February 16, 2022) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was made available to media prior to the Daytona 500 this Wednesday:

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DeWalt Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

This is your first year with full practice and qualifying. How does that help you?

“That is crazy to think about. This is my third year in Cup, but my first with full practice and qualifying. It’s going to be different, but it’s going to be different for everybody. We’ve got to use the word practice loosely, because it’s not a typical practice session where you are able to go out and make a run, come back in the garage, make an educated decision on what changes you are going to make. Theoretically, it is a hot lap session. I’m excited about that. It’s what I grew up doing at the dirt tracks all of the time. The name of the game this year is going to be improvise and just try to do the best you can with what you’ve got. I’m excited about going out there, having 15-minute practices, trying to make the best educated decisions on what – basically, pit road adjustments – you are going to make to go qualify and then go out and go as fast as you can in qualifying and the same thing in the race. I’m hopeful that it will suit my style.”

What do you think about Toyota’s expansion of the 410 motors?

“I think that just speaks for whole of auto racing in general. I think it’s really good that Mr. Irving (Jack) said that about NASCAR being the end game – there is another end game. One thing that I’ve always really focused on is – you have two top levels. You have the World of Outlaws sprint car series and then NASCAR. Not even two top levels – there is multiple top levels. They are all equal. It really bothers me whenever we have fans that say, you’re moving up from sprint cars to NASCAR, and that’s not really the case. You’re not moving up – it’s not a stepping ladder. It’s a lateral change. It’s really good, especially with my alliance with Toyota, they are getting involved with multiple forms in motorsports. That’s something that I’m really excited about and something that I really want to harp on – it’s not a stepping ladder, it’s a lateral change from dirt racing to pavement racing to road course racing to IMSA racing to whatever it is. There’s different top levels.”

Does it help guys that have gone outside of their comfort zone?

“I have nothing but respect for guys like (Alex) Bowman and Chase Elliott has been a good example for stepping outside of their comfort zone and trying something new and different. I did that a couple years ago when I went super late model racing. It was completely foreign to me and definitely way outside of my comfort zone. It’s cool to see people doing that. I firmly believe that the best race car drivers in the world are the ones that can get into any form of motorsports – Jimmie Johnson is another great example. A seven-time champion that’s in INDYCAR now. That was really cool to watch, and I have nothing but respect for the people that try to make their selves a better race car driver and try different things.”

Do you think it helps as a newer driver with this new car?

“It’s going to be interesting to see if any of the veterans struggle with being quote ‘set in their ways’ and then the young guys coming into this sport that don’t have all of that experience and those notes of years and years racing the Gen6 cars. The cream is going to rise to the top. The best drivers are going to figure it out. The best teams are going to figure it out. One thing that we don’t know going into this season is what team is going to have the advantage. A lot of that is going to be setup induced, because as you mentioned, all the 40 teams have the same components so it’s going to be a matter of your engineers and crew chiefs figuring out the setups and the drivers figuring out driving techniques that make these cars go around the racetrack fast. We have a lot to learn and a simple rule change that came over from NASCAR about the skew. There is going to be a lot of those changes throughout the course of the year. We keep learning every time we hit the racetrack. I’m sure that is not going to be the last rules change. It’s going to be interesting to see which driver and team get the advantage the quickest.”

How important is it to see the growth of 23XI to help Toyota’s numbers at superspeedways?

“It’s been really cool to see the growth of 23XI for sure, because whenever it comes to superspeedway racing, we know that numbers help a lot. We’ve had a really strong car with Bubba (Wallace) added last year. He was able to get a win at Talladega, which was really good for Toyota and our group and now adding Kurt Busch to the team is going to be nothing but beneficial for the Daytona 500. We should have two really strong Camrys out there alongside the Joe Gibbs Racing four. I think we are going to be in good shape. We’ve got great drivers, great teams. It will be fun to see who can execute the best.”

Have you had any interactions with Kurt Busch so far and have you been able to learn anything from him?

“Kurt (Busch) is the veteran of the group. Him and Martin (Truex, Jr.) It’s crazy because as a kid growing up, we all know the fiery Kurt Busch that came into this sport and now he’s completely changed. He’s the calm, cool veteran, been there, done that guy. I have a ton of respect for Kurt. He’s a great race car driver and I’ve seen him be great to us so far. We’ve only had one competition meeting post-Clash a week ago now, and really – is just a veteran and a leader in this sport. All of us are grateful to have him on our team.”

Do you learn on anyone for advice being one of the younger guys in the Toyota camp?

“It’s interesting because all six – I guess you could say – are teammates, but at the same time we are competitors too. The guy that has been the most useful to me has probably been Kyle Busch because I have a relationship with him that dates back to my super late model days – my first stock cars in general. Moving up to the truck series, he was my boss. He was probably the guy that I leaned on the most but at the same time. He’s not going to go out and tell me everything you have to go out and figure it out yourself. I’ve never really been one to figure out with questions. I remember when I first got into the sport my crew chief would always be hounding me to go ask this guy questions, and I’m like I don’t even know what to ask because it’s about going out there and feeling it and figuring out what works and doesn’t work by yourself.”

Do you feel like your generation is more open to change and diversity?

“I don’t really know how to answer that. Bubba (Wallace) – he’s a race car driver just like me. He’s got his strengths and weaknesses. Going into the Daytona, one of his strengths, if not, his biggest strength is speedway racing. There is no doubt in my mind that he’s going to content for a win this week. He’s just a race car driver like the rest of us.”

Have you been able to compete more in other races that you want to compete in besides NASCAR?

“The Gibbs group has been pretty good. We saw Kyle (Busch) run some dirt cars during the offseason which was unique and cool to see. I think it’s good to see a big portion of the garage getting out and racing more at short tracks and stuff like that. As far as my piece, they’ve been really open about me going out and doing stuff. Just the last year and so, I’ve had a lot of other commitments and other stuff come up that hasn’t allowed me to race as much. I was scheduled to be in Volusia last week with the Sprint Car stuff and unfortunate circumstance happened that didn’t allow me to go. With the schedule going back to full weekends – Friday, Saturday, Sunday – is going to limit me over the course of the season. Hopefully in the summer months, when we get some midweek shows, I will be out and about.”

Are there any concerns after some part failures in LA?

“That’s very interesting. Looking back at the Gen6 car – it had years and years to evolve and learn from and for the most part DNFs or part failures didn’t happen at the end of the Gen6 era. It’s very eye opening to go to the first race with the next gen car and we are just learning with every time we are at the racetrack. That is not going to be the last parts failure or mechanical failure. We’ve got a lot learning to do, and we just don’t what’s going to happen next. Mechanical failures and DNFs are going to be a big part of the story this year and who can catch it before it happens is going to be a big advantage.”

How stoked were you to see a whole new group of fans in LA?

“Anytime that you can get a full house is incredible. I remember my first Daytona 500 was packed and just the atmosphere that day was incredible, and you go to LA last week and it was very, very similar. Just getting that many people involved and cheering for what you are doing is really cool. Atmosphere plays a huge part in an event and it definitely had that, so I definitely think it was a huge success from the NASCAR standpoint and from the drivers standpoint and I hope we are able to get more packed houses.”

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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.

Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH (February 16, 2022) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to media prior to the Daytona 500 this Wednesday:

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

What is your secret to winning so many Daytona 500’s?

“I think ‘wild card’ is a bit gimmicky because it’s not really true, but it is to some extent. We’ve seen a lot of first-time winners here which has all been really legit. I wouldn’t say Michael McDowell was a wild card winner because if you look at previous races, he’d been in the top 10 or top five pretty consistently. It wasn’t really an out of the blue shot there. But, in general, I just think I have a good understanding of the air here and how it moves around the walls. Talladega is different. If you look at our results, we haven’t won as much at Talladega, but we’ve been pretty good. Here, there is just something about – whatever it is – the banking or the width of the track, height of the walls or something that I just kind of know where those little pockets of air are it seems like that are a little bit better. We have a new car now and it’s going to move around a little bit different and we will probably be learning just like everyone else will be this weekend. I don’t know that the advantage really will be as big as what it was in the past.”

Why will the new Driver Advisory Council be different than those in the past and why was now the right time to get it back together?

“I think it’s been a long time coming. Certainly, I think that it’s been worked on for a while. I think this just kind of gives us one uniform voice. I guess we’re going to be speaking through Jeff (Burton) and Kyle (Petty) a lot. What it allows us to do is internally talk about issues that we see or things that we think could help make the sport better, talk about that and then let them deliver that one voice. Where a lot of times what happens in the past is that – and sometimes you see this in the RTA meetings — where the kids get chasing around a soccer ball and the next thing you know we’re way off topic and things just don’t really get done. I think this, if you just have one person in the room kind of relaying messages that it certainly will let that group collaborate and make things better.”

As you look forward, what are the things that need to be done?

“I do think that we’ve definitely created a lot of excitement within our sport and there’s a lot of really good reason for the positive momentum that we’re seeing. Whether it be the Next Gen car and then just the hope that hey, this is something that could be better. That certainly brings hope and optimism. When you go to new markets, whether it be Road America or COTA, we saw fan enthusiasm that we didn’t see at the tracks we’d been to over and over and over. LA as well. I think that those are all very, very good things in our sport that we’re doing. As a driver, you love to see it. As an owner really, we just have one question and that’s what is the cost of it? Any time you do things that are out of the ordinary or adding things there is a cost associated with that. That’s really all I care about on that side, but as a driver you look at this in general and say all these moves are very good for our sport and certainly it looks like we’re gaining some very important traction for us this year.”

From the Clash, is it possible to have a points race on a track that small? From an owner’s perspective, is it better with the cost savings with no pit crew, etc.?

“I always have to think through my answer to make sure I’m not making anyone really mad. From a driver’s perspective, it very, very good. We absolutely could run a points race there. That was a very fun race. They did a fantastic job with that whole – whether it be track, entertainment – it all was absolutely fantastic. It was really good and would love to go back there at that particular track. And even thinking about other venues that would make for a track similar to that. On the ownership side, again all we think about is cost. When we look at where our teams net there it was bad. It was really, really bad because it was very expensive for us to go there with significant damage to the 45. When you look at what we win versus what we pay out it just didn’t add up.”

How has Bubba’s activism helped grow the McDonald’s partnership?

“I think it was very important for our team in general to just be different. Our team is organized differently, we operate differently within our four walls. We probably look a little differently with our cars. There’s just a lot of things that we like to do that is just a bit different. If you look at the Jordan brand in general, you would say that their style is different than the norm. I think they’re more likely to reach out and test the barriers. I remember when we were talking about branding and things like that with our team with Michael (Jordan), he’s like ‘I would like to push the boundaries but let me know when I’m getting outside the spectrum.’ I think those are things that certainly when we saw our audience in LA, they don’t wear the norm, but it’s something that I guarantee that this drop of this special collection will get eaten up very, very quickly probably by the younger demographic and next thing you know you have people wearing NASCAR gear again.”

How much do you expect to see new guys run up at the front during the first part of the season with the new car?

“Temper expectations on that. The quote of level playing field is probably overused. Certainly, probably a tighter box from front to back but again it’s just teams find ways. If you look at single car runs yesterday, the same guys that have been on all of the poles have been the fastest. While technically you’re able to put the same parts off of his car on my car and my car on his car, what really has changed? Well, nothing really except maybe the motor is different and the body is different but they’re significantly faster. You’re still going to have the team’s resources to find a way to make the car faster than the teams that just bolt it together.”

What’s the difference in winning as an owner versus winning as a driver? How significant was Bubba’s victory in Talladega?

“It’s very significant. The timing of it was very significant for us certainly. If you can win in your first year as a team it’s a huge accomplishment, so it was very important just on so many fronts. It renewed enthusiasm. McDonalds hasn’t been in victory lane as a primary sponsor in decades before that. It’s just reinvigorating their excitement within our sport and certainly that goes a long way. When they come to us and now, they’re looking to sponsor Kurt Busch that’s a good thing right. These are all really good things for us. We’ve done a great job on the partner front. The team is really doing well. I think that we’ve been able to really keep the momentum with our team going from when we initially said we were going to start this 16 months ago to this point I think the enthusiasm for our team has kind of remained the same and it hasn’t just fell off a cliff and you’re now just one of the cars out there running. That has allowed us to gain some enthusiasm with our partners and them expanding to new and better levels, and certainly helps us to do the things like what we did this offseason, which is expand to a champion driver and a crew chief that have worked together that will have great results this year.”

How far do you think Bubba Wallace is away from being a Playoff contender? Do you think you can get both cars in the Playoffs this season?

“I do. I do think it’s possible. I think a goal for us to have both cars in the Playoffs. I think Bubba (Wallace) isn’t far off from that. It’s one DNF away – when you look at the standings of who is a contender to beat. I remember last year we were talking with two races to go from the Playoffs – two or three races to go – and it was like ‘We’re 30 points behind. That’s not that much.’ It’s not that much. You can gain a couple spots a week and on average change a drivers finish from 20th to 18th and you’re there. It’s not that much and you really won’t see that much but yet you’ll see a big change in the standings. That’s just the way our sport works. I think in general the average finish of the field is going to go up this year. Maybe not for the guys in the back who ran in the back pretty much every week, but really, you’re top 10 I would say in average finish probably will go up at least a few points than where we’ve been in the past just because of mechanical failures, wrecks, all those things will be up dramatically this year. It will be important to finish races and finish to the best of your ability and not stretching for one point and then making a mistake and losing 20.”

How can your prior success be brought to this weekend?

“That was our practice ultimately and I think that we all kind of knew that going into the test and I was pushing Kurt (Busch) pretty heavily and Joey (Logano) and I were blocking pretty heavily and pushing each other which that is what we’re going to be doing in the 500. I don’t know that you’ll see that really in practice here or even in the 150s. Simply because the way my team explained it to me is that if we crash here in the test, we have time to overcome it, but on the race week it will be very, very tough to overcome any damage. I think that was the moment where okay if we’re going to push the limits let’s do it here, do it now. So, that’s why we spent two days here being as aggressive as we were because my crew chief said to enjoy while you can because you’re not going to be doing it again until the 500.”

How do you figure out who to answer to with all your roles now?

“That’s a good question and it’s a tough balance honestly. It’s not a tough balance when you’re talking about how can we grow this sport together and make it better together. But it is different at times because you’re wanting your messaging to be positive, but you also have to be realistic. On the ownership side I’m probably more on the realistic side because we see all aspects of it. The driver side, I’m optimistic and then on the NASCAR front side and management and all of that I’m optimistic as well. It’s just each portion has a different level of concern and some of it is high, and some is low, but I always just try to be honest with my answers and try not to put on the rose-colored glasses and say everything is okay, everything is okay while a dumpster fire is going on right behind my back. It’s a tough balance because you want to do your job to help promote and make the sport a very positive place which in the general scheme of things it definitely is. But then there are concerns and little dumpster fires here and there that you’ve just got to make sure that you keep an eye out on and it doesn’t expand into something bigger.”

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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Daytona 500 Media Day | Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Ford Performance drivers visited the Daytona International Speedway media center as part of 2022 media day festivities. Below are transcripts from their Q&A sessions with the media.

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang –WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO COME HERE AS A DAYTONA 500 WINNER? “It is awesome. It really is. The last few weeks with getting ready for the 500 and all the media and all the preseason stuff, it is fun. It is fun being the Daytona 500 champion coming to Daytona. It has been a cool experience. I feel like there are times in the season last year where, not like you forget, but you just get back into the grind and things aren’t going all that great and you are kind of riding that season wave. Then in the off-season, and getting ready for this, it was a lot of fun because everyone wants to talk about winning the Daytona 500 and it brings back a lot of great memories. At the same time, we are focused on this year and trying to kick our season off right and go back-to-back if we can. It is a lot of fun. It has been a cool couple of weeks getting ready for this.”

YOUR NAME IS ON THAT TROPHY AND ALWAYS WILL BE. THAT HAS TO BE A COOL FEELING: “It is, definitely. The significance of this race and the history of it. Like you said, it just has more meaning than just your average NASCAR race. They are all important and they all have significance, but if there is one you are going to win, this is the one. It is special. It is cool to know that regardless of what happens this weekend or what happens this year you always have that Daytona 500 victory and being a Daytona 500 champion is pretty special.”

TODD GILLILAND, No. 38 First Phase Credit Card Ford Mustang – WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO COME TO DAYTONA AND BE READY TO START YOUR ROOKIE CUP SERIES SEASON? “Every time I have driven through the Daytona tunnel, my first time here was for an ARCA test. My first laps on the race track. Every time you go through the tunnel it just gives you chills. The World Center of Racing is right there huge across the front stretch. It is definitely different coming here for the Daytona 500. Being here for five days. I feel like everything just adds to the significance of it and I am really excited to see the intensity pick up throughout the week.”

MCDOWELL CONTINUED — HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE AMOUNT OF RAIN AT COTA LAST YEAR TO JOE OR MARY RACE FAN? “It was a lot of rain. Let me take that back. It wasn’t the amount of rain, it was just our cars in particular the amount of spray and the way that spray came off our cars was different than other race cars that I have driven. I have driven in wet conditions in sports cars and open-wheel cars a lot in my past but the way that the water actually shoots out the back of those cars is quite different than ours. So the visibility was as hard as I have ever had it. It is probably as bad as it has ever been for me. It was really tough. There have been conditions I have had like that in the past but normally the races get stopped pretty quickly when it is like that. Visibility, in a sports car here at Daytona, usually goes hand in hand with the driveability of the track. I think COTA was drivable. It wasn’t too wet. The track does a good job of draining and there wasn’t massive amounts of standing water and puddles but the visibility made it a real challenge.”

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THAT TO A FAN THOUGH? “There were times where you just had a blindfold on, literally. It was like you had no idea what was in front of you. Like, completely no idea. You are coming in and out of seeing lights and seeing different objects but there are moments where you aren’t seeing anything. It was pretty daunting for sure. It was wild, it really was. The Bristol Dirt race had a little bit of that feel to it but shorter spurts of not being able to see. It was definitely a challenge. It is unfortunate too because it is such a cool race track and could have been a really awesome inaugural event – and I think it still was – but I think our cars this year will do much better in all those areas from a visibility standpoint and from a spray and mist standpoint. A lot of that is because of the diffuser. In sports cars and Indycar you have ground effects and diffusers that kick the moisture up and over the cars and so you always are affected by the mist. Our cars last year were just coming straight out of the back and right into the window. Like someone was holding a hose on you. It wasn’t shooting up in the air and creating a mist, it was shooting straight at you like someone had a pressure washer. I think this year if we do get those tough conditions, our cars will be a bit better for it.”

HOW VALUABLE WAS THE DAYTONA 500 WIN FOR FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS AND HOW HAS IT CONTINUED TO PAY DIVIDENDS FOR THE ORGANIZATION WITH SPONSORSHIP? “That is a long question and I will try to answer it the best I can. The value last year for our partners was significant just because of the amount of eyeballs watching the Daytona 500 and also too, beyond that, all the highlights and all the social engagement and all the commercials that NASCAR is running previewing. Like when Fox switched to NBC it had our win on that commercial. All those tidbits really add up to a lot at the end of the year in terms of exposure value and TV viewership for our partners. That was a huge thing. Not that it was unexpected but I didn’t realize how much value that added. Then from the short term, we have more races sold on the 34 car this year than we ever have. I don’t know officially but I think we may only have one race available at this point. From a sponsorship standpoint, it has helped significantly. That was growing each and every year and we were trending that direction but the 500 definitely sped that up for us and allowed us to just make new relationships and expand our current ones. From a sponsorship standpoint, it has helped a lot. Then overall, I don’t want to call it morale but the legitimacy of the race team and getting really quality people to come to Front Row as employees to help us grow the program helped a tremendous amount by running well and winning the Daytona 500. I think that five or six years ago we had a harder time getting people to buy in to sort of the mission and the vision at Front Row, especially if they are already at a big four or big five race team. Now it is a little easier to see that we can do it and we have the ability to do it and that is a great place for people to achieve some of their goals that they wouldn’t get to achieve otherwise.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF FRONT ROW AS AN ORGANIZATION AND HOW FAR THE TEAM HAS COME? WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE TEAM OWNERSHIP AND STRUCTURE OF THE TEAM THAT HAS CREATED THIS LEVEL OF OPERATION RIGHT NOW? “A lot of it started with this guys dad, David Gilliland and David Ragan. They are a big part of what Front Row is today. Since I have been here it has just been that slow progression. I think that when Bob Jenkins the owner and Jerry Freeze, when we look at it you want that instant success and it hasn’t been an instant success. It has been getting three or four spots better on average every year with how we perform. That is hard to do in our sport. That is tough to go from running low 20’s to running in the teens. When you are running teens in the Cup Series, you are beating the big teams consistently. At least one or two of their cars, not all of their cars. It has been a journey and a process. I think that Bob’s vision for the team and what he has allowed us to do. He is a very savvy businessman. He didn’t go broke the first year trying to get to where he wasn’t going to be able to get to. I think that has been the case for a lot of people that have come and gone in this sport. They come in and spend everything they have and take a run at it and two or three years later they are not in business anymore. So his process of growing slowly has built sustainability for the race team so that now we have the partnership and sustainability to keep going at the rate we are going. Even though it didn’t go as fast as we all hoped it is working out now to where we are very solid, secure and stable. Five, six or seven years ago it probably wasn’t that. He has also spent a significant amount of his own money to do it and it takes a big commitment to do that. It has definitely been a process.”

TODD GILLILAND CONTINUED — HAS THE NEW CAR CREATED A SITUATION WHERE THE NON-TOP-TIER TEAMS HAVE A CHANCE TO MAYBE START OFF THE SEASON-WINNING RACES AND WE SEE SOME SURPRISES THE FIRST PART OF THE YEAR? “Yeah, me and Michael have talked about it a little bit throughout th tests and I think our common sense is that it won’t make the gap bigger at least from the top teams throughout the whole field. You would like to think it will bring us closer but I think it definitely won’t bring us further away.”

MCDOWELL CONTINUED — “Yeah, I think you will have surprise winners this year. The best teams are always going to be the best. As you guys know with any industry it is all about people. The biggest and best teams typically have the best people. So, it is always going to be that case. You look at all different forms of motorsports and the top teams are always the top teams, even with rule changes. I always feel like and have felt like this model will work because even at Front Row we have really good people. So on a given day when we hit everything right. When I hit everything right and we hit the setup right and the strategy right, you should at least have an opportunity or be in a position to win. I grew up an open-wheel guy and I love watching Indycar and get a lot of satisfaction from seeing a guy like Dale Coyne win races because he hired a good engineer and a really good driver. When they hit it right and they get the strategy right they can win an Indycar race and beat Penske and Ganassi and Andretti and those big teams. I think the Next Gen car gives us and other teams the opportunity to do that in the Cup Series. When you get it right and hit everything right you will see guys win races that you don’t typically see because a lot of the parts and pieces are pretty close. The best teams are always going to be the best teams, there is no doubt about that.”

GILLILAND CONTINUED — WHERE ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS SEASON AS A ROOKIE AND ALSO HITTING THE TRACK YESTERDAY FOR PRACTICE, WHAT WAS THAT MOMENT LIKE FOR YOU BEHIND THE WHEEL? “I was definitely happy to just get my first day here under my belt. It is kind of nerve-racking with not much inventory and you are in the draft trying to go as fast as you can but also be really smart about it. As far as expectations this year, it is really hard to set any hard expectations. I would say for me personally it is just to not take myself out of learning opportunities. I would like to be on the track making as many laps as possible this year. I would say I definitely have a ton to learn the first half of the season but the second half of the season I would like to be competitive compared to Michael. I would say the main goal is to just finish as many laps as possible this year.”

WHAT WAS THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE LIKE FOR YOU A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AT THE CLASH? WAS IT GOOD FOR YOU TO HAVE EXPOSURE TO SUCH A BIG SPECTACLE LIKE THAT TO HELP PREPARE YOU FOR WHAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THIS WEEKEND? “Yeah, I definitely think the Clash was really good for me to get a whole run-through of a whole weekend. Even at the Clash, it is a lot tougher there to manage practice times and when you have to be in the car. As far as all that stuff it is a lot more stressful just because of the huge unknowns of having never been there before. It was a good run-through with my team and a good practice. After practice, you normally have to sit down and make some hard decisions of what you are going to do during the race and to be able to go through all that was really good. As a rookie, I have been on the track with some of the stars of the Cup Series but it is different when you walk in the garage and the cars are all wrapped in the sponsors you see on TV every weekend. I think just running through every single one of those things was definitely a good thing.”

YOU ARE COMING FROM A SERIES THAT RUNS 23 RACES SPREAD OUT THROUGH THE YEAR AND NOW YOU ARE GOING TO EMBARK ON 37 RACES IN 38 WEEKS. IS THAT INTIMIDATING AT ALL? “I feel like it is intimidating just because I don’t know what it is really like. I am sure I can do it. Growing up, that is what I would rather do. I would rather race every single weekend. I am more excited about it than anything. It is weird. Normally the trucks come to Daytona and then you have two or three weeks off. I am excited to be able to keep racing.”

HOW COMFORTABLE TO YOU FEEL IN THIS NEXT GEN CAR? “I am really excited about coming in during the Next Gen era. I feel like it kind of puts me at the same level as some of these guys. I am learning at the same time as my crew chief and everyone on my crew. To be able to spend an extra hour in the shot and try to learn these cars a little better is a good opportunity for me. Especially the preseason testing. I feel like that is something that has been overlooked but is a huge advantage for a rookie this year than the three or four years in the past. I have more laps coming up to the Daytona 500 than I have ever had coming to Daytona before. I feel more comfortable in that than anything else.”

MCDOWELL CONTINUED — WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TODD WITH THE PERSPECTIVE OF BEING IN THIS SERIES FOR A LONG TIME? “I think that the timing for Todd is perfect because when we were at the Charlotte test together he was looking at me like, ‘What should I expect?’ and I had no ideas what to expect. I was as nervous as he was. Even though you have years of experience, this Next Gen car is completely different than anything we have driven before in the Cup Series. It is great for him because he isn’t starting at such a deficit. Is it still going to be hard? Is it still going to be overwhelming? Is he still going to be a rookie? Absolutely. That Cup Series is very challenging the first year but it would definitely be worse if he waited until next year when you take the best drivers and best teams and give them a year experience with this car, it will be harder for a rookie to make up that deficit. Now, even though he is at somewhat of a deficit he isn’t completely behind. For me, it is kind of that same rookie jitters in preseason testing because you don’t know what to expect. It is so different than what we have had in the past. Testing was definitely nice, like Todd said. We had some personnel changes at Front Row and some people move from one team to another and it is good to get into that rhythm and figure out what you need.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (February 16, 2022): Live Fast Motorsports (LFM) and CELSIUS announced today that CELSIUS is now titled the “Official Energy Drink of Live Fast Motorsports.” The two companies entered this strategic partnership to Live Fit & Live Fast.

Celsius is a better-for-you alternative to traditional energy drinks with clinically proven function which provides essential energy. Celsius is a global top-selling lifestyle fitness drink featuring zero sugar, no preservatives, no aspartame, no high fructose corn syrup, and is non-GMO, with no artificial flavors or colors. Consumed by athletes all over the world, CELSIUS contains seven essential vitamins providing a sustained energy source for everyone’s fitness goal.

“Celsius is honored to enter their second year of partnership with Live Fast Motorsports,” said John Fieldly, President and Chairman of Celsius. “CELSIUS is a fitness drink that drives performance for the new generation of athletes and is a perfect partner for Live Fast Motorsports. Celsius was created to help people LIVE FIT, exceed their goals, and elevate their everyday lives. We are proud that LFM co-owner, Matt Tifft, co-owner and NASCAR Cup series driver, B.J. McLeod, and their team trust our products to bring out their best energy to perform all-season long.”

Live Fast Motorsport fans will be amongst the first to know about new Celsius flavors and more as the LFM team stays closely acquainted with Celsius and showcases the energy drink’s power throughout the season.

“I have had the honor of working with Celsius for two years now.” said co-founder of Live Fast Motorsports, Matt Tifft. “Celsius is a natural fit for our brand. The beverage provides a refreshing taste on hot race weekends and brings the sustainable high-energy that the sport of NASCAR demands. That’s why you can always catch me, BJ, or another member of our team enjoying a Celsius in the shop or on the track. We bring it everywhere and I can enjoy it on my low-carb lifestyle too.”

Live Fast Motorsports and Celsius are excited to see where this second-year partnership leads and eager to better serve their fans and customers through it.

For more information about Celsius, please visit http://www.celsiusholdingsinc.com