NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2022

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1; AND WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 – Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:

THE MODERATOR: Next up we have William Byron and Alex Bowman from Hendrick Motorsports. Alex, we’ve heard you’re bringing back the Best Friends donation program for this season. Would you mind telling us a little bit more about that?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, so obviously last year was really cool, learning more about Best Friends. I think we raised like $120,000 to try to save animals, so that was really cool to be a part of, and big thanks to Ally for helping bring it back and doing it again. This year we’re going to donate $4,800 every week to a local shelter through Best Friends, so looking forward to that. If we win, it goes to 10,000 again, so hopefully we can raise a bunch of money to save some animals.

Q. Alex, just a while ago Kyle Busch was in here and he told all of us to watch out for the 48 car tonight in qualifying when it comes to getting on that front row. You have a history with being on the front row here; how are you guys feeling about what you guys need to do tonight?
ALEX BOWMAN: I feel pretty good from my side of things. All I can do is floor it and hold the wheel as straight as I can, try to hit my shifts. Yeah, I think we have a shot at it. I think Greg Ives and Hendrick Motorsports really put a lot into speedway qualifying. Obviously we focused on it a lot yesterday in practice.

Hopefully we can make it happen. I think if there was a year you wanted to be kind of on the front row and not have to worry about the Duel as much, this year would be that year, so hopefully we can make it happen.

Q. William, I’m curious how you approach this race being a past winner here at Daytona. You know how to get to Victory Lane here. How do you approach the rest of this week leading into Sunday?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I think that honestly it’s one of the more nerve‑racking Duels just because of the car situation, but for us just to see how qualifying goes tonight and hopefully it goes well and we can lock in with Alex, I hope, like last year, and then hopefully I don’t have as bad a Duel as I had last year.

Other than that, Sunday is its own deal.

Q. A question about Fontana. William, looking at your stats for Fontana, 15th three times in a row is your record ‑‑
WILLIAM BYRON: That’s not a great stat.

Q. Can you not finish 15th this time?
WILLIAM BYRON: I hope not. I hope I can do like him. He’s finished first there and top 5 I feel like. Yeah, I don’t know. I think it’s been kind of a tough track for me, but hopefully this year it changes.

Q. Alex, it’ll be two years and some change since when you won at Fontana. Does it feel that long, and do you feel like even with the new car you can pick up where you left off?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, feels like forever. You know, no, I don’t think we can pick up exactly where we left off with the new car. I think the new car is going to be so different. You can’t drive the car nearly as sideways as you could with the old car, and that day we were really loose all day but super fast.

I don’t think you’ll be able to be as aggressive on being loose and kind of leaning on the right side of the car, so just figuring out how to get it snugged up and still be fast around that place is going to be key.

Q. I’ve been asking drivers all day about qualifying. Kyle said zero attention put on it from his camp, and you guys put a lot on it. Is that mostly team and you understand the reason why mainly because of sponsors, you feel like you’ve got a good piece underneath you for qualifying, but is that mainly the team effort and you don’t do anything different or emphasis on it compared to what they do to get you ready for it?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I think it’s definitely mostly team from my point of view. I’m going to come down here and do whatever they tell me, right, so just trying to know how to hit my shifts right and kind of maximize each and every little thing is really all I can do. From there it’s up to the team.

It means a lot to Mr. Hendrick and to each and every individual at Hendrick Motorsports, so doing all we can to get them another pole.

Q. William, your contract with Hendrick Motorsports is up at the end of the year. I’m wondering if you can update us where negotiations are at, and do you anticipate signing an extension with them?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, just I feel like we’re in a good place and just focused on this weekend. I love racing for Hendrick Motorsports. I think we all do. Love the culture that we have. Just focused on kind of this year and having a great start to the year because I feel like last year finished off strong for all of us, and looking forward to it.

Q. Hendrick Motorsports has won six of the past seven poles for the Daytona 500 but has failed to win in all six of their pole winnings. How do you translate it now to the 500 and making sure your car is getting to Victory Lane on Sunday when it matters?
WILLIAM BYRON: Well, I think just knowing that Sunday is kind of a marathon and you’ve got to get to the end of the race, which is ‑‑ looking at the stats, it looks like not many guys get to the end, so hopefully we can be one of those guys, and I think if any of our cars are there at the end, we’ll have a shot to win. Chase last year finished second, so I think we’ll have a shot to win.

Q. When Kyle was in here, he didn’t think the Next Gen was going to be a better car at Phoenix. I had some drivers talk about it being a little more nimble on road courses or short tracks. Do you think it’ll play out that way? What kind of car do you think you’ll have for Phoenix, or what kind of race do you anticipate there?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I think like anything, when you change things, it’s going to have racetracks that it’s better and racetracks that it’s worse. I think if we had the Gen‑6 car at the Clash, it wouldn’t have been nearly as good as it was. I think the Next‑Gen car was really suited to a small place like that.

I think it’s going to be really awesome on road courses. Phoenix, the test was pretty interesting. It’s just difficult, you can’t lean on the car as hard as you could with the old car, so trying to find that balance of not spinning the thing out every couple laps is tough.

So much has changed throughout all the tests and everything, it’s really hard to say what it’s going to be like when we go there to race. But it’s definitely going to have places that it’s better than the old car and places that drivers felt like the old car drove better, but I don’t think that necessarily means it’s better or worse.

Q. William, as far as maybe the brakes, the braking package, do you think it’s better suited for Phoenix or short tracks?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, they’re definitely very powerful. I feel like they lock up easier, so it’s kind of ‑‑ we all seem to kind of have that at the clash like where the brakes seemed to lock up, and we never really had that with the old car. Typically with the old car you’d lose the brakes before you had any other issues.

I think it’s going to be different. You’re going to have a lot of ability like on the road courses like Alex said to brake deep and all those things.

Q. You both touched on it earlier about the Duels, but it seems like everybody that you ask, the agenda is different. Some people want nothing to do with it, Joey probably to no surprise says he’s going to race because it’s a race. Have you two thought about what you want to do if you don’t get the front row for tonight?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I mean, I think kind of with our agenda, obviously we’re all in on qualifying, and I think that translates ‑‑ that typically translates to a car that’s not going to drive amazing in the Duels. Just trying to protect the race car the best we can and put ourselves in the best position we can be for the 500. Obviously it is a race and it does pay points, but trying to protect the race car and be as smart as we can be.

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I know my crew chief was very sad last year after the Duels, so try not to be quite so sad this year. Whatever that means.

ALEX BOWMAN: Less sad, more better.

WILLIAM BYRON: Yes, more better.

Q. Of the drafting you have done with this car, how differently does it feel from the Gen‑6 when it comes to what it’s doing here in the draft and some of the Penske guys were pointing out that drafting and especially bump drafting is going to be something to watch because the bumpers don’t line up as normal anymore because the bumper has more of a curve to it.
ALEX BOWMAN: I mean, when I tested here I felt like the bump drafting was great. I think that the car does seem to move around some, but at the same time you can drive it when it’s moving around. We’ll see how all that goes. I mean, probably Sunday.

Q. William, we’ve talked a lot of sprint car backgrounds in here today, but for your background the former NASCAR K&N Series, ARCA series, kicked off last night. When you transitioned from the previous Cup car to this year’s Cup car, can you look back on your career at how you transitioned and compare that transition from the K&N car to an Xfinity car to a truck to the Cup Series?
WILLIAM BYRON: I mean, not really. I think that it’s just ‑‑ still has similar horsepower that we had last year. I think the tire grip is just something to get used to. Yeah, all the ‑‑ going up through the ranks, like the K&N car, it has different suspension than ‑‑ it has ride height rules and things like that, so that’s the biggest difference.

Q. Alex, can you describe what the last few years have been like for you integrating yourself with Ally as a sponsor and what it’s been like figuring out how you two best work together and growing each other’s brands? All the programs involving pets and stuff has been very on brand for you and very on board with that. Has there ever been anything you guys have come into conflict over where you don’t like something they want you to do?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, not really. I think the best part about working with Ally is they came to me and they’re like, hey, what do you want to do, and obviously pets are a passion of mine, so being able to help animals has been really cool. They’re all in on anything that they do. They don’t go halfway in on anything. Anything that they do, they are 100 percent of the way in. Whether it’s the program with Best Friends or the sprint car stuff with AVR, doing Chili Bowl, they’re all in on all of it, and it’s just been really cool to have that support. Everybody over there, J.B. and Andrea, from the top down, they’re awesome people. J.B. is a CEO of a company that I can text every day and talk to.

It’s really cool to have that relationship with those guys, and it’s just been a lot of fun. I didn’t know how it was going to work, obviously, going from Jimmie Johnson to me is like ‑‑ it’s a big jump. We’re not the same person, and I don’t have nearly the stats or anything that Jimmie has.

Just appreciative that they’ve supported me as much as they have and that they’ve allowed me to be myself and to do my own thing and kind of steer the ship because I’ve had a lot of fun, and definitely has made doing my day job a little easier, and I’ve really enjoyed it.

Q. Alex, what kind of grade would you give yourself with the World of Outlaws, and what was the biggest eye opener of racing with that caliber of open wheel?
ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I don’t know what to grade myself. I guess like a C or a B. I feel like I exceeded expectations on making the show every night. Can definitely qualify. I felt like we had a lot of speed.

Volusia was really tough to race in the dirty air, just trying to figure out how that works. Our stuff, the dirty air is more like center off the corner is where we really fight it, and Volusia it’s kind of the opposite. The straightaway is really difficult, and then corner entry is really tough. Just trying to learn.

The last night I felt really comfortable. Sensation of speed is insane. I felt like I was going 7 million miles an hour.

Then going to East Bay, I felt really, really good. I was really comfortable all night. I think we just kind of missed it in the feature a little bit, but felt like we were a top‑5 car all night other than that, set fast time and were really fast. I had a ton of fun, and I’m excited to continue doing that this year.

Q. William, you feel like after four years with Hendrick that this needs to be a breakout year for you because you’ve won races the last couple years, but you’re sitting next to a guy that won four. The champion won 10. Do you feel like now that you and Rudy have had a year to get reacclimated that this might be the year?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, for sure. I think that internally we’re definitely very motivated, so just trying to continue to kind of build on what we did last year. I think I said a couple times last year was tough in a lot of ways because I felt like we didn’t get the results that we wanted to get. Going into this year that kind of fuels us, and I felt like we made some good adjustments on our team to make ourselves better.

Q. William, earlier this week it was announced that NASCAR would be doing an iRacing collegiate series where they would be providing opportunities to collegiate drivers on iRacing. Your thoughts overall coming from a guy in iRacing?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I think it’s great what iRacing is doing with continuing to broaden their base of people. When I started doing iRacing it was a couple thousand people on there, and now it’s like 100,000. Pretty insane how far it’s come.

I think the more that they can continue to scan new tracks and like doing the LA Coliseum like they did was pretty impressive.

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

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2022

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 JTG DAUGHERTY CAMARO ZL1, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:

YOU KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO WIN THE POLE. DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO GET THAT DONE?
“In 2020, we got done with practice and I felt like we had a really good shot at it. After practice last night, it was kind of hard to tell who was legit by themselves – single car. I don’t think we have a shot at the pole. But if we could be 15th, somewhere around there, we’d be happy with that. I’m pretty comfortable with how my car drives in the drafting that we have done, so I’ll feel good for Thursday.”

YOU GOT THE WIN HERE IN 2017. WHAT DO YOU THINK IT WILL TAKE TO WIN THIS RACE SUNDAY? AND IT LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE WORKING WITH KEVIN HARVICK IN PRACTICE. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THAT?
“I don’t think it was something that was planned to go out there and work with him; we made an adjustment and just wanted to get the car closer to pack speed and feel that difference that we had at the test. We made another adjustment to go from your qualifying to your race setup – more simulating Thursday night. So, went out there and made some runs; wanted to run at the top of the racetrack, knowing that when it does single-file out that’s where you’re going to be. The track is a little bit rough up there, so just wanted to gauge on some of that and pulling down to pass. I don’t know what to expect or know a lot until Sunday comes. I felt like I had a really good test here where we basically simulated a race and were actually side-by-side drafting and I felt like I learned a lot there – probably more there until Sunday comes.”

WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING THE DUALS TO BE LIKE?
“Obviously, the ones that have to race their way in got to do what they got to do. I think a lot of them aren’t worried about going to the next few races, so they have one agenda, which is part of what makes the Duals cool. You have people with different agendas. You have the people who qualified on the front row; not trying to tear their car up. You have the ones trying to make it. And I feel like you have a lot of us who don’t want to go to a backup car, but you still want to learn and get as many points as you can. I feel like we’re in a good position as a race team. As soon as allotments were able to be filled, we feel like we’re in a good position as a race team with parts and pieces relative to some of the other teams. You don’t want to put yourself in a bind either. I feel like it’s always exciting for a little bit and it kind of fizzles out and gets more exciting again at the end when the checkered flag is coming out.”

WHAT’S THE OFFSEASON BEEN LIKE FOR JTG MAKING THE TRANSITION FROM TWO CARS TO ONE?
“It’s been a good offseason for us. If there was a time to do it, it was now. I feel like we have more resources for our one car than we had for our two. I feel like we were running at a little disadvantage; maybe a little thin when we had two. I feel really good about where we’re at as a race team. We have the parts and pieces and a good assembly line of how we’re building our cars and how the process is going. We have a good schedule laid out for upcoming races and which cars we plan on taking to where. Obviously, it was good to get out of the Clash with no major issues to our car so we can put that one right into the rotation. Some cars weren’t as lucky do to that. I was able to be at every test, which was beneficial, giving my feedback every single test and every single Chevy simulator test. This is the first year we’ve had access to that, and I think we’ve seen a benefit already. We’re looking forward to using that more often.”

FONTANA, BEING A WORNOUT RACETRACK, HOW DO YOU THINK THESE CARS ARE GOING TO BE?
“I think it’s going to be fun. Obviously, the higher horsepower, lower downforce package that we landed on at the Charlotte test I felt like it made racing better there and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun for a driver when you get to Fontana. We’ll carry a lot of speed down the straightaway, you’ll have to lift and maybe use a little bit of brake when the tires get old, and I feel like many lanes are open for options. Definitely we miss going there. I think we were all kind of bummed when we heard it was going to be reconfigured. We’re looking forward to going back to the big track.”

WE’VE HEARD ABOUT THE PARTS SHORTAGE. AS A SHORT TRACK TEAM OWNER, CAN YOU COME WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF SPRINT CAR RACING IN ANY WAY WITH WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THIS LEVEL?
“We kind of went through a period last year where we were nervous about tires on the spring car side. Parts and pieces as far as the chassis and suspension on the sprint car side ahs been really good. We actually ran into a few issues last year where we had to run a backup engine that we didn’t want to run based off of not being able to get parts to freshen up our engines throughout the season. We had an engine that we placed on order in November and we’re hoping to get it in April. They’re not leaving things on the shelf anymore. It’s almost like you order and they make to your order, so that’s been a little bit tricky. Some of the tire issues that we had, we had a shortage on tires and now you get a little inconsistency on tires.”

WILL YOU RUN SOME SPRINT CAR RACES THIS SEASON?
“I’ll run some sprint car races, probably Talladega weekend. Dad and I are looking to build a 410, so that will be fun.”

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.

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR AIRSTREAM? “My Airstream. Funny enough I left when the garage closed as I usually do and it was about 10 p.m. and I opened the door and it was off, so that’s a problem. So, I problem solved for about an hour-and-a-half last night and got some power, took a shower and went to bed. Otherwise, it’s all great. But, if I would have stayed in the team hotel, the fire alarm went off at 2 a.m., so the Airstream still wins.”

ARE YOU RENTING THIS OR OWNING IT? “It’s my parent’s. They bring it to a couple races. They’ll take the dog with them. They like going to Barber with it and a couple Indy Car races, so I’ll bring it to a couple races, but I am definitely a fan of standing up in the shower and I cannot stand up in that shower, so the hotel program is definitely more for me, but there’s a couple logistical races that make sense.”

HARRISON BURTON, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang – DOES THE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR TITLE MATTER TO YOU? IS IT A REAL COMPETITION? “I think so, yeah, it definitely matters. You look at the list of people that have won it in the past and it contains some of the best to ever do it. Anytime you can kind of put yourself on that list as the same group of guys I think you work hard to do it. It’s definitely a big deal. I know it is to me personally, for sure.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – “To build off of that, I think it’s something that you probably focus on later in the year. Right now, we’re not competitive with one another. We’ll go workout together and try to one-up each other, but, otherwise, it’s not like we’re hiding information from one another and not talking about things. Obviously, we treat each other like teammates, just like Ryan and Joey, so I don’t think it’s a conflict of interest in any way.”

HARRISON BURTON CONTINUED – “It’s so tough to try and match this guy on the rowing machine because he just pulls forever. You see his legs? Holy cow.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – “What about those pull-ups?”

HARRISON BURTON CONTINUED – “You got me there.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – DO YOU TRY TO OUT-DO EACH OTHER? “He’s not as bad as Scott McLaughlin. I’ll be on the same treadmill right next to Scott and if I’m at 10.2, he’ll put his at 10.3 until we’re at 14 miles an hour and we’re all about to fall off the thing because it’s maxed out and we’ve been running for a minute. I think Harrison is competitive, for sure, because if I start trying harder, he’ll start trying harder, but I think it’s good to have friendly competition, but I think he stays within reason.”

HARRISON BURTON CONTINUED – “I still try and at least do the regimen that we have. I think Scotty is up there just trying to go all-out the whole time.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – HOW DO YOU BALANCE OUT YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH BATTLING FOR THE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD? “I think it’s just a respect thing. Harrison and I have raced each other for a little while and we went to high school together, so we’ve known each other for a while. We’re obviously here for the same reason and it’s because we want to be successful and not just as the rookie of the year, but understanding and grasping what it takes to be successful at the Cup Series level. I think from that standpoint there’s a lot more that we can gain out of helping each other than there is doing anything different. It doesn’t help our team at all either if there’s a different mindset there. I think especially in the first couple months of this new car and as we’re learning together, obviously, Harrison is working with somebody that I’ve worked with for a really long time, so I think there’s a natural connection there between the 21 team as well as my team to really help build our company forward.”

HARRISON BURTON CONTINUED – “I echo that. It’s easy. We’re all learning together and Joey and Ryan have been the same way. They’ve been really helpful for both Austin and myself. The biggest thing is as rookies it’s easy to just ask questions, ask questions and never contribute, so our job is to learn as quickly as we can and be able to help the team as much as we can as soon as possible. It’s really not too tough, I would say.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – HOW MUCH HAVE THE PRACTICES HELPED FOR SUNDAY’S RACE? “I could do a single-car run with my eyes closed, let me tell you. We have not done a whole lot of pack runs or in traffic or anything like that. You can drive with one hand if you want. It certainly has been a bit of a process understanding with these tests how can we maximize this car. As you’ve seen, things are ever-changing as far as the regulations and what’s gonna be normal. I think you’re gonna have to be flexible throughout the first part of this year as the race teams get their hands on the cars, but I thing from my perspective we’re not gonna know anything until the Duels, and even from the Duels there’s a lot of different motivations for other people, whether it’s people trying to make it into the race, people trying to work on their starting position, people who are already set on their starting spot, people who want to ride in the 500 regardless of their starting spot, so I think there are a lot of different motivations throughout the field. I think you’re gonna have to constantly learn on the fly throughout the race.”

HARRISON BURTON CONTINUED – “I would echo that in that our tests were definitely the most aggressive pack racing we’ve done earlier this season, and that was when I felt like I learned the most about what I could do, what blocks I could make and couldn’t make. It’s definitely different. There are lines you can’t cross that you would be able to cross with the old car because you’ll just crash. There’s different grip levels and different factors that go into that. That was the biggest learning experience for me and there were only 15 cars.

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – “And 10 laps, too. It was the first pack run really made and we had only like one single-car run beforehand. I was like, ‘No, let them race.”

HARRISON BURTON CONTINUED – “So there’s that and then there’s the 500, where it’s 40 cars for 500 miles and how do you manage that. As the whole season is gonna go for both of us we’re gonna have to learn on the fly quite a bit and this is definitely the first example of that.”

HOW PREPARED ARE YOU TO BE PART OF THE DAYTONA 500 FOR THE FIRST TIME? “As an excitement level goes, it’s pegged. I’m just over the moon that I’m here and able to kind of live out this dream I’ve had since I was a little kid. That’s awesome, but as far as nerves go, I’m sure there will be some. I’ve done two Cup races so far and one was Talladega, which is an electric atmosphere. The Clash at the Coliseum was the same way. It felt like a college football game and it was awesome. I mean, it was cool to be a part of that and then now the 500, I think, is gonna be the biggest of them all obviously. I’ve watched my dad do it and I’ve understood the moment and I’ve raced for a long time myself, so I think mostly I’ll be ready for it. It’s something you have to have some thought into, but I’ll be ready for it.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – WOULD YOU LIKE TO RUN THE INDY 500 SOME DAY? “I’ll be conscious of the fact that I’m sitting here on Daytona 500 media day sitting at the Daytona International Speedway when I talk about the Indy 500 and how important it is to my family and, really, for me in motorsports there’s like probably nothing bigger, at least from my lifetime and my upbringing, but, yeah, it’s certainly something I have my eye on and it’s also something I don’t see in the near future for me. My commitment level has never been higher to one form of racing that it has in the last couple of years as my career in NASCAR has been. I’ve got an amazing opportunity in front of me that I want to make the absolute most of and if I find a few reasons to think that I’m not gonna get shot down when I ask for it, it’s not just as simple as asking Roger Penske, ‘Oh, can I run the Indy 500?’ It’s not that easy, but hopefully one day I feel like I can establish myself enough to find a time that we can do it because I would certainly love to, but I’ve got more direct things I want to tackle first.”

HOW DID DINNER GO WITH ROGER AT THE CAPITAL GRILLE AFTER WINNING AT INDY? “I had a race the next day, so I had another job to do. It was very clear to me that I had another job to do the next day, but winning at Indy last year was pretty awesome, but nothing really compares to the 500.”

HARRISON BURTON CONTINUED – HOW STEEP IS THE LEARNING CURVE FOR YOU THIS YEAR? “it’s super steep and you look at the rookie stats from year’s past and it’s obvious there’s a learning curve there. You’ve seen some of the best to ever do it and some of them will struggle in their rookie year and the best rookie year of recent history is probably Denny Hamlin was like a 12.5 average finish and two wins, so that’s like the over the moon, like the best in recent history, and then there’s guys that get 25th average finish. Trying to find your way through that and understand that this is the hardest form of racing that I’ve ever done and this is the highest level I’ve ever done it at. So understanding that and understanding the work that has to go into beating these guys and beating Larson is gonna have to be a lot. We have a lot of lost time to try and make up for really quickly and I know that we’re doing our best to do it.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – “I think to add onto that if you were to make a quantifiable list of all the things that Harrison and I and Todd and anybody else who has been a rookie in this series to learn, you’d top on top of that a new car, you’d have a lot of subjects we’ve got to cover that are completely new, whether that’s being around new people, a new race team, a new car, new competitors, a couple new tracks on the schedule. There are certainly things that make this challenging, but I think with change is an opportunity and I think it’s a great opportunity for both of us to go out and really apply ourselves. I think to Harrison’s point, you look at guys in more recent history with more recent race formats and you think of guys like Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, those are guys that I look at that I’ve either raced against or looked up to contending for wins and championships against, and those are guys that aren’t just showing up in the Cup Series and winning races. You look at that transition and what it’s been like for those guys. You look at someone like Christopher Bell, who every step of the ladder for me has been the most dominant guy and it’s hard. You get to the Cup Series and it’s hard, so I don’t know what to expect on that front other than what I’ve observed, but from our perspective we want to overcome that better than they did. Otherwise, it’s certainly gonna be a challenge and not sure what those are yet.”

WHO DO YOU LEAN ON FOR ADVICE? “I think you pick and choose the information that you process and listen to, just like anything else. There are gonna be plenty of people that want to tell you how to do something, especially when you’re struggling. It’s when people stop telling you how to do things that means no one cares anymore, but I think there’s certainly a plethora of information, it’s just how to process it.”

HARRISON BURTON CONTINUED – “I’ll add to that. Our two teammates have kind of both, Joey started when he was super young and had his start and then kind of came into his own and ended up being a Cup champion and Ryan is kind of doing the same thing and winning races consistently and being fast every weekend. They’ve kind of gone through that and leaning off of those two has been awesome so far.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – “I’ve actually found myself paying attention to other sports. Like, you’ll see college athletes, like Trevor Lawrence – somebody who hardly ever lost a game in his entire career since high school. Obviously, he’s put in an organization that isn’t as strong as the best teams, but you try and pay attention to other sports like that and what those processes are like mentality-wise, how does that change different guys. I’ve found that to be fairly valuable because it’s more a controlled environment. There’s more details to go off of, where as like in racing you don’t pick and choose the opportunities you get to move up. I’m sure this time last year Harrison didn’t think he was gonna be driving the Wood Brothers car because I thought I was driving the Wood Brothers car this time last year. This changes so quickly and so rapidly and there are so many external factors that sometimes I actually find mentality-wise other sports are pretty useful in that respect.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – LOGANO SAID HE’S NOT CHANGING A THING THIS WEEK. ARE YOU GOING TO DO THE SAME OR BE MORE CONSERVATIVE? “It depends if my backup car is shared with him or not. I don’t know. I think you have to race. The way I see it is there’s three other superspeedways on the schedule and you have to learn at some point and you have to learn what moves to make by the end of the Daytona 500. Obviously, you do that by proceeding with a certain amount of calculated risk, but, otherwise, from a parts perspective I think it’s more two, three races down the line how does this affect us as a company. If all four of us wreck out in the Daytona 500, I don’t think it’s gonna change whether or not we show up at Fontana with all of the cars. It’s certainly a calculated risk, but the Daytona 500 means a lot.”

HARRISON BURTON CONTINUED – “Yeah, especially as two rookies and Austin has run the 500 before, but this is a new car too, so you have to get aggressive and you have to learn what the limits are because the last thing that you would want is to put yourself in position to win the 500 and then miss the block late, or don’t have the right push late to help your teammate go up front and that be from I was too concerned about crashing. So, I feel like as drivers you couldn’t really live with yourself if you have a chance to win this race and you let it go for that reason. I think it would be really something that would weigh on you for a long time.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR BEING LOCKED INTO THE 500 VERSUS LAST YEAR? “My anxiety level was significantly lower today than it was Wednesday of last year’s Speedweeks. Between that and having the Xfinity race and trying to be successful on that side of the garage, but I’m feeling like I can actually enjoy this a little bit more.”

HARRISON BURTON CONTINUED – WHAT ADVICE HAVE YOU BEEN GIVEN BY PEOPLE IN THE GARAGE? “I’ve had a lot of advice and I think one of the most interesting ones was from my dad, who said that the Daytona 500 Sunday is probably the craziest day of your life because every sponsor is here. This is the biggest venue with the most fans in the infield. I mean, it’s craziness, so being prepared for that. A lot of times I like to spend a lot of time alone before I race and think about things and understanding that you probably won’t be able to because you have to bounce around and see all these sponsors and do all this stuff that you normally don’t have to for every other race, and understanding that you have to be proactive and get your stuff done early and be prepared much earlier than Sunday, and that’s true for every race but more so for this one because you don’t have many hours on the clock on Sunday.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – HOW DO YOU REFLECT ON YOUR XFINITY WIN HERE LAST YEAR AS YOU BEGIN YOUR CUP CAREER? “That race specifically was probably one of the most side drafting battles I had with this guy. I think we were side drafting each other for six laps”

HARRISON BURTON CONTINUED – “I’m so mad I lost that one.

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – “It’s come up like three times today and it just really grinds his gears. I love it. But, otherwise, being able to win a superspeedway race for me I feel like that was kind of checking all the boxes as far as all the different types of racetracks, at least in the Xfinity level, that I’ve been able to be successful at, so that was kind of one of the top things on my list last year to accomplish and it was obviously cool to get it done, but I think the Daytona 500 is significantly different than that specific race, but I’m looking forward to getting back and looking forward to having a shot at it.”

HARRISON BURTON CONTINUED – WHAT KIND OF PRESSURE DO YOU FEEL RACING FOR A TEAM LIKE THE WOOD BROTHERS AND BEING THE SON OF A SUCCESSFUL CUP DRIVER? “There’s definitely pressure and it’s not really, for me personally, it’s not from external sources or anyone else, it’s just from me because I care about this sport and I want to be a part of it for a long time and there’s nothing I want more than to work really hard and prove that I belong this year. There’s pressure in that, but what happens outside of my personal head hasn’t really added any extra pressure, just the people around me have been really helpful and the group with the 21 car has been amazing with the Wood Brothers and then the help from Team Penske. It’s been awesome so far. I’ve had every resource I need to go and succeed, so the pressure from that isn’t there, but the pressure from myself is certainly there because I want to do well.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC CONTINUED – “I think from my standpoint the job of driving the race car is relatively the same. Obviously, different factors, different team, a whole lot of newness, but otherwise the job is relatively the same, but for me it’s actually been a bit of a perspective change because as a young driver you spend your entire career striving to get to the next level. When you’re in late models you want to go race at a national series level. If you’re in trucks you want to be in Xfinity. If you’re in Xfinity, you want to be in Cup. Even when you’re at that next level you’re like, ‘OK, what’s after this? What am I striving for next?’ There’s usually like clear-cut areas for you to be at and I’m at the highest level now. That’s it. That’s why there are guys that have been doing this for decades at a time. That’s why there are guys that are the absolute best and guys that have gotten here and not been able to do a thing. For me, I have to have that perspective change that there’s nothing after this. It’s how do you refine what you’ve learned to this point to make you the best, and I’ve got a lot of different notebooks to pull from. To Harrison’s point, we have all the resources possible to become successful, so how you utilize those is critically important and I don’t want to just compete I want to be successful. That process starts this weekend for me and it’s exciting, but I’m looking forward to getting started and actually have something to base it off of.”

HARRISON BURTON CONTINUED – WHAT WOULD BE AT THE HEAD OF YOUR WISH LIST IF YOU COULD TALK TO YOUR DAD AS HEAD OF THE DRIVER’S COUNCIL? “Wow, I haven’t thought about it. I feel like that’s insider trading or something. I don’t know. I’m new here, so this is my first run at this and I tend to let the guys that have been around for a long time and established themselves put on the wish list and I just kind of listen and sometimes I’ll text in our driver’s group chat. I’ve sent one message so far and checked that off the box. Other than that, I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

WHAT WAS YOUR ONE MESSAGE? “My friends, who are all in college, I felt like the Clash was a success because they don’t really care about racing, but that was the most I ever heard from my friends who are all in college about a race, so I felt like it had the younger audience interested.”

Toyota Racing – Kyle Busch
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

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

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

What is your interaction and opinion of BJ McLeod?

“I love BJ (McLeod). I think he’s a great guy, a great individual. Very kind in his ways. We’ve had lots of discussions over the course of our time here, his time. We come from similar backgrounds with Super Late Models. He’s raced there for a long time and now he’s getting into NASCAR trying to make his way here and things like that being a team owner on the Xfinity side. Racing and being a team owner now on the Cup Series side as well. Just the way he conducts himself and goes about himself and goes about himself on the race track too. He’s always been very fair. Always tries to be out of the way as much as possible and just minds his own business per say while looking out for others while on the race track and I’ve never had any issues with him. I feel like he’s done a good job and worked a lot and has a lot of self-awareness of the sport.”

How much fun did you have participating in the Monday Night Racing league?

“It’s been fun. Ford (Martin) and I, we’ve known each other for a long time obviously. He and I, we’ve had a relationship. He invited me to join the league a couple years ago before it kind of took off. I feel like it’s kind of taken off the last couple years which has been really cool. We’ve gotten a lot of guys in there, good guys that race hard and run hard for wins and stuff like that. Double-edged sword for me, there’s better competition so now I’m getting beat, but I did win a couple times this year which was cool and ran up front a bunch too when I was able to chime in. But, overall, I enjoy it and being able to sponsor it this year. Just put our name on it and have some fun with it, be able to do some giveaways and some fan interactions and stuff like that on social. That’s been a bit of where we’ve excelled with it, I feel like for us and our brand. The season of it, now that we’re into our NASCAR season I’m like, ‘Man, I kind of wish I was still going.’ But, on the other hand I’m like, no I don’t because I know I’m going to get too busy to join in a lot. I’m looking forward to the next season that starts up.”

What are your thoughts on the transition to talking more about sports betting?

“I’m all ears. I’m open to it. I wouldn’t say – I don’t have any reservations on anything like that to it. I’ve had friends that have bet on NASCAR races for years and have just kind of told me that ‘I’ve won such and such money on you.’ Or ‘Thanks for winning today.’ Some friends of mine from years ago put money on me to win the championship in 2015 before I even broke my legs and stuff like that, so when I got hurt, they were like, you screwed me this year, you’re out.’ And then I won, and they were like ‘man, thanks!’ With our regulations, being athletes in this sport, we’re not allowed to do any of that stuff. It really doesn’t affect me, but for outside eyeballs on the sport with sports betters and being a part of NASCAR and seeing who’s going to beat who. There are so many different ways of bets these days that it is not as simple as one or two or three bets, it’s hundreds that you can choose from, which is interesting. I think it lends itself to a different crowd.”

What do you do to help Brexton racing?

“It’s been really fun to work with him. When we started, we went three laps down in an eight-lap heat race. It was painful. But he learned. He just wanted to go to the racetrack and make circles and it was so frustrating as a dad knowing that he could do this. I was like come on step on the gas, let’s go to just let him get his bearings, get his feet wet and feel it out and let him figure out what is happening. At five years old, I don’t even remember five years old and figure out making circles. I can see how that is a bit tough and challenging for someone like that. He will turn seven in May. He’s very young for his age. He’s doing well. We are having fun. He’s in quarter midgets, junior sprints, outlaw karts going across the country. We’ve got three races out in California when we are out there. In Phoenix, we’ve got three races when were there. I’ve built out his schedule with like 80 shows this year, but we are not going to hit them all. I just put them on the calendar. I guarantee you that he runs 50-60 races this year at least. That’s going to be a lot for a six-year-old.”

Is his racing a good escape for you?

“He’s honestly taught me a little bit too. As I’m his driver coach, I’m helping him through things and I’m thinking – I’m on the sidelines and I’m like okay, what do I need to tell him? How can I explain this to a six-year-old so when he comes off the racetrack to go over things and watch film, I can talk to him about it? Now I’m using that too myself as I’m driving around the racetrack. I’m like okay, DA. Do this, look at this differently. Don’t screw this up. Hey, you need to throw it into the top a little higher. You missed that corner, that was dumb. Just certain things in that nature. I’m talking to myself, driver coaching myself a lot more now. Whether that is good or bad, we’ll find out.”

What benefits have you seen with your brother, Kurt, as part of the Toyota family?

“Nothing yet. We’ve only had one race and one competition meeting. We haven’t had a whole lot yet. So far, the things that I kind of said and Denny kind of said from our post-race at the Coliseum – he was online with a bunch of that as well too. He’s kind of adding in a little bit about his experiences over the last couple of races being with the Chevy guys, being with Ganassi and kind of what they were doing and how they were going about things. That’s all processes that I think are now completely different than what our current processes are now that we are in the new car. A little bit on the engine that was a little bit different. TRD should be leaning on him a lot because he’s very – he understands and sees what is happening and can explain some of that.”

Is there any chance we can see him in a KBM truck at some point?

“If he’s got any money, sure.”

What is your approach to superspeedways at this point in your career?

“I feel like Denny (Hamlin) does a pretty good job of preparing the most. As we’ve seen, he’s won three of the last seven 500s. He’s getting the most out of it as well. I don’t know what his preparations are, but they are probably different than mine which have become more fruit for him than me. Maybe I need to change something, but in reality, I feel like it’s so circumstantial anyways, I’m like ‘What is the point?’ Do your certain amount of study, watch film and talk to your guys and strategize what you can, but past that – I was leading the Daytona 500 a few years ago and had a flat left rear, crashed. I was leading the Daytona 500 with 13 laps to go and blew up. Running top-eight, top-10 most of the day, another year, finished second or third in that one. Whatever happens, happens. You could be running fourth going into (turn) three and win the race or be leading and get wrecked. What’s to study?”

What is the process with the new sponsorship like for you?

“The relationship has been fantastic – the relationship we’ve had with Mars, since 2008. They’ve been in the sport for almost 30 years, and been with me for 15 of those, so it’s been fantastic. It’s just unfortunate times of change and things like that. New regime at the top that comes in and I guess, don’t see the value, so we’re moving on. Overall, we’re in the process of looking and searching for new partners being involved with myself and Joe Gibbs Racing and hopefully, being able to take me into retirement – I guess you could say. If I’ve got five, six, eight, 10 years left, whatever – I would like to have a partner that could hang on that long and call it good. That would be a perfect world – a perfect storm, to not have to go after five people to replace one to take over 30 races, with Interstate having six. That’s just a part of where we are at right now. I’d love to be involved. I would love to be able to put Fortune 500 companies on the wall and start picking the ones you want to go after, which ones you want to have as your sponsors, but in reality, it doesn’t work that easy. Certain companies have different values or objectives on what they want to accomplish in marketing. Lowes, Home Depot – they got rid of all sports marketing in general completely, so there are going to be companies like that, that just don’t see it. Hopefully, we can find some that do.”

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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.

Iconic Sunglasses Brand to Outfit RFK Team

CONCORD, N.C. (Feb. 16, 2022) – RFK Racing rolls into the 2022 season in style as the organization and global eyewear leader, Maui Jim, have announced a partnership that will see the iconic sunglasses brand outfit all of RFK’s personnel both at the shop and at the racetrack.

As part of the partnership, Brad Keselowski – in his first year as driver and co-owner for the team – will represent the brand throughout the season as Maui Jim becomes the official sunglasses partner of RFK Racing.

Maui Jim is known as one of the largest independent sunglass brands in the world, with a home office in Lahaina, HI. Inspired by the beauty and culture of Maui, the brand’s mission is to spread the aloha spirit through vivid color, clarity, and detail, with all sunglasses featuring the brands patented PolarizedPlus2® lens technology, which helps eliminate both glare and harmful UV.

“Maui Jim is excited to welcome RFK Racing into our ‘Ohana and to help provide eye protection to everyone on the team, both on and off the track,” said Jay Black, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Maui Jim. “Eliminating glare while driving allows for greater visibility and safety, so we’re pleased to work with RFK and equip their team with Maui Jim’s polarized sunglasses.”

RFK opens the 2022 campaign this week at Daytona International Speedway. The Daytona 500 is set for Feb. 20 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM).

About Maui Jim
Maui Jim sunglasses were born on the beaches of Maui; designed to protect eyes from the harsh rays of the island sun. Today, Maui Jim is the world’s fastest-growing premium eyewear company and is sold in more than 100 countries. Maui Jim is recognized for its unparalleled “Aloha Spirit”, customer service, and advanced, patented PolarizedPlus2® lens technology. All Maui Jim sunglasses block 100 percent of harmful UV rays and eliminate glare, while enhancing color, clarity and detail. Maui Jim sunglasses have earned the Skin Cancer Foundation Seal of Recommendation as an effective UV filter for the eyes and surrounding skin.

In 2018, Maui Jim expanded further into the eyewear space, offering eyeglasses structurally and stylistically engineered to balance aesthetics with fit and integrity. Maui Jim offers two proprietary clear lenses: Maui Blue Light Protect™, to shield eyes from harmful blue light coming from digital screens, and Maui High Contrast™, which offers better resolution and crisper details. Frames for both sunglasses and eyeglasses utilize the highest-quality materials such as durable titanium, lightweight nylon, and richly-colored acetate, all manufactured in Italy or Japan. For more information, visit mauijim.com or follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at @OfficialMauiJim.

About Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing
RFK Racing, in its 35th season of competition in 2022, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner himself in the NASCAR Truck Series, joins the ownership fold while piloting the iconic No. 6 Ford, and brings to the team a championship mindset himself having won the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Championship. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox and English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.