Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE Team Post Solid Top-10 Finish at Kansas Speedway

Finish: 10th
Start: 14th
Points: 17th

“We had a really fast No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE today at Kansas Speedway. We ended up with damage in Stage 1 and never recovered, so it really says a lot that we were able to finish in the top-10. It was hard-earned by everyone on the team, for sure. We were running solidly in the top-10 in Stage 1 when another car fenced both of us. We had a lot of right-side damage, but we fixed it the best we could. Most of the rest of the day was a struggle because the damage was affecting our handling. By the end of the race, our car was pretty decent. Late in the race I got into a Playoff contender and I hate it for everyone involved. It was side-drafting. It’s part of what we do, but I still hate that it happened. I tried to save it the first time, and the second time I just lost it. Overall, it was a good day for the Get Bioethanol team, and I am so proud of everyone at RCR and ECR for preparing fast Chevrolets.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick Showcases the No. 8 Caterpillar Dealer Tech Chevrolet With Impressive Run at Kansas Speedway

Finish: 22nd
Start: 12th
Points: 13th

“These RCR Chevrolets are so fast, and once again we were able to run up front and contend in the No. 8 Caterpillar Dealer Tech Chevrolet. I absolutely hate how the day wrapped up, but I can’t say enough about RCR and how hard everyone has worked this year to make our 550 package better. I’m gutted that we haven’t won yet, but I know we are capable. Our Chevy was strong all day, and it felt good to run up front and lead for a bit today. It was really windy out there and I could definitely feel the wind pushing our car around during the race, but Randall Burnett and all of the guys did a great job adjusting on our car. Cautions didn’t fall our way today, and we also had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a tire going down with less than 20 laps remaining. That really ruined our chances of a solid finish. Overall, I’m so proud of this team and I know we are capable of winning.” -Tyler Reddick

Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M’S Toyota Camry
Race Recap for the Hollywood Casino 400

Date: Oct. 24, 2021
Event: Hollywood Casino 400 (Round 34 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 4th/28th (Running, completed 261 of 267 laps)
Point Standing: 4th (4,074 points, 1 point above top-four cutoff)
Race Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Kyle Busch started fourth and finished ninth, earning two bonus points.

● Busch rolled off the grid fourth but dropped to the eighth position early in the race, telling crew chief Ben Beshore that his M&M’S Halloween Camry was loose at the exit of each corner.

● A short weather delay brought the field down pit road for about 20 minutes. Busch restarted in ninth following the delay.

● During the delay, the wind picked up and changed direction, blowing very hard off of turn two. On lap 20, Busch scrubbed the outside SAFER Barrier exiting turn two, but he kept trudging on until his right-front tire gave out, sending him into the wall again on lap 24.

● The caution waved for the incident, and Busch came to the attention of the M&M’S Halloween crew several times to repair the right-side damage. Busch eventually started at the tail end of the field in the 39th position on lap 27.

● Busch rolled up his sleeves and went to work. He made it into the top-20 by lap 38 and into the top-10 by lap 68, as he caught car after car in front of him to finish ninth in Stage 1.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Busch started eighth and finished 31st.

● The two-time Cup Series champion came to pit road on lap 83 to take on four tires and an air pressure adjustment to address a tight-handling condition that worsened as the run went on. He exited pit road in the eighth position.

● Busch held his position within the top-10 until he came to pit road on lap 117 for four tires and fuel.

● The Las Vegas native returned to the top-10 until bad luck struck yet again. He hit the outside SAFER Barrier in turn two again, which necessitated a green-flag pit stop for fresh tires and repairs.

● Busch returned to the race in 31st, three laps down to the leaders, and eventually ended the stage four laps down.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):

● Busch started 32nd and finished 28th.

● The Las Vegas native came to pit road following Stage 2 as the M&M’S Halloween team made multiple stops to repair the damaged right side of Busch’s racecar. He started the final stage in 32nd, four laps down and hoping for a miracle.

● All Busch could do from there was stay out of trouble and finish as high as he could. A late-race accident involving Ryan Blaney helped Busch finish the race one point above the top-four cutoff with one race remaining in the Round of 8, setting up his potential run for the Championship 4 at Phoenix in two weeks.

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Halloween Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

What were you battling with the race car today?

“Loose and a lot of wind. Just could not get the handle on it with entry or exit with our M&M’s Halloween Camry. Knew it on the get-go within the first 10 laps or so or whatever it was on that first yellow with the weather. Just really, really up on top of the right rear all day and couldn’t feel it on entry and exit. Bit me twice. The first time it was tolerable and the second time, it was just over.”

How do you feel about your position just above the cut line in points heading to Martinsville?

“I was expecting much worse. Still a shot, it’s just going to be tough. Just going to be a hard-fought dog fight for that final spot.”

Was the wind direction different today compared to previous races?

“The direction of it, I don’t recall. I’m sure it’s been in this direction, maybe the times that I wrecked here. It wasn’t to my liking whatsoever. Definitely need to go back and study that and look at the wind stuff for when I have run good here versus today and see if there is anything we can do to help that.”

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, Oct. 31, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. It is the penultimate race of the 10-race playoffs and the final race in the Round of 8. It starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES
OCTOBER 24, 2021

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE
2nd CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE
4th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 ADVENTHEALTH CAMARO ZL1 1LE
6th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE
10th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 GET BIOETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
2nd Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
3rd Kevin Harvick (Ford)
4th Kurt Busch (Chevrolet)
5th Denny Hamlin (Toyota)

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues this weekend at Martinsville Speedway for the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, October 31, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Race Winner
YOU HAVE GONE TO VICTORY LANE NINE TIMES NOW THIS YEAR, INCLUDING THREE IN A ROW. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WINNING THIS ONE, 17 YEARS TO THE DAY AFTER A TRAGEDY IN THE NASCAR COMMUNITY FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS?
“Yes, I want to dedicate this win to Rick and Linda (Hendrick). I didn’t ever get to meet Ricky (Hendrick) or the other men and women who lost their lives that day, but I felt the importance of this race, no doubt. It’s crazy how it kind of all worked out there for me to win. I know they were all looking down and helping me out there with all the restarts and stuff after getting into the wall. Again, thank you to Rick Hendrick. I know this means a lot to you and I’m glad I could get it done. It’s cool to get another win and I don’t really know how that happened but, our HendrickCars.com Chevy was really fast. I thought we were like a third-place car, really. William (Byron) was really good. I hate to see that unfortunate luck there again for that team. They’ve been really, really strong. I’m glad we could capitalize and get another win. I hope we can go to Martinsville and get a clock.”

YOU HAD DAMAGE ON THE LEFT REAR AND THE RIGHT REAR AND A LITTLE BIT OF DAMAGE EVERYWHERE. YOU WERE MAD AT YOURSELF FOR A RESTART MIDWAY THROUGH THE RACE. WAS IT THAT DETERMINATION NOT TO LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN THAT GOT YOU THE WIN TODAY?
“Well, not really. I kind of forgot about that early. I felt like I did an okay job trying to hold those guys off as long as I could, on older tires. But yeah, and then I just got a little too impatient and the race was kind of closing down in the end. I got loose off of (Turn) 2 and got in the wall and thought for sure my chances of winning were done. But I had a couple of good restarts that worked out for me. The No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) got to the No. 9’s (Chase Elliott) inside at the flag stand and kind of choked that lane up and got me clear to the lead. Had to do some blocking there and Chase was really fast at the end. So, I’m glad I didn’t have to fight him too much.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 2nd
“Really proud of the effort. Our entire NAPA Chevrolet team did a great job today and I felt like we had something for Kyle (Larson) there. Just got the wall there off of (turn) two. It’s so hard to get up to him when you are running the fence like that. It’s just tough because every few feet you get closer, the harder it gets. It was a lot of fun. I’m really proud of the way we ran today. I feel like it was a really nice step in the right direction.”

“More importantly, just thinking about Hendrick Motorsports and the family that is Hendrick Motorsports. Obviously, this is a day that nobody is ever going to forget. Just thinking about Mr. Hendrick and all the families that were affected 17 years ago today. Just proud to be a part of their family and hope we can make them proud these next two weeks.”

HOW DID YOU KEEP YOUR CAR IN SUCH GOOD SHAPE?
“We had a really fast car first off. Obviously, the restarts didn’t go great there at the end ,but we were able to climb back in it. So just really proud of the effort. These are the kind of runs that you have to have to compete for a championship. So, it’s a good time to be doing that.”

PLUS 34 GOING INTO MARTINSVILLE, WHAT DOES THAT ALLOW YOU TO DO CHASE?
“I don’t know if it allows you to do much of anything now. As you saw today, I am not sure that any amount of points is safe. I think anyone in this Round can win next week. So, we are really going to have to be on it, but looking forward to the opportunity and excited for the challenge.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 ADVENTHEALTH CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 4th
WAS YOUR CAR AS STRONG AS IT LOOKED?
“We did everything right, we just didn’t combo it all together at the perfect time. Pit road was awesome. Matt McCall (crew chief) and all my guys, sticking together this late in the year with the team switching over. Just thank you to AdventHealth. I wanted to give them a good run and we were there. We did all of this right and it was so much fun racing right in the mix. It’s the little things that make the big difference. We freed it up on that last run; it got too tight. When you’re running with the big dogs, you have to do everything right.”

“Thanks to Chevrolet and Hendrick power. That was a big deal today. Thank you to my guys at Ganassi. We’ll keep chipping away.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 6th
TALK ABOUT THAT LAST STOP TO TIGHTEN UP THE LUG NUTS AND HOW CHAOTIC THE RESTARTS WERE AT THE END.
“Yeah, it was tough for us. On the first one, we got a good chunk of them and we got inside the top 10 and restarted ninth. Just didn’t really go anywhere on that one and it took us a while to kind of get back up there. But yeah, just a bummer we had that issue. I feel like we were executing a really good race and probably had the best car. We just had that issue and it took us out. We will rebound. This RaptorTough.com Chevrolet looked really good and we have had so much speed this year. It’s just a bummer to not get more wins, but I feel like our time is coming. We just have to keep at it.”

TALK ABOUT THE SPEED YOU GUYS HAVE HAD THE LAST FEW WEEKS.
“Yeah, I think we are there every week. We are putting ourselves in position in the final stage to win the race and that is really all you can do. It’s really hard to put yourself in that position, but I felt like we have done that multiple times. We just have to keep at it and see what happens.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BIOETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 10th
“We had a really fast No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE today at Kansas Speedway. We ended up with damage in Stage 1 and never recovered, so it really says a lot that we were able to finish in the top-10. It was hard-earned by everyone on the team, for sure. We were running solidly in the top-10 in Stage 1 when another car fenced both of us. We had a lot of right-side damage, but we fixed it the best we could. Most of the rest of the day was a struggle because the damage was affecting our handling. By the end of the race, our car was pretty decent. Late in the race I got into a Playoff contender and I hate it for everyone involved. It was side-drafting. It’s part of what we do, but I still hate that it happened. I tried to save it the first time, and the second time I just lost it. Overall, it was a good day for the Get Bioethanol team, and I am so proud of everyone at RCR and ECR for preparing fast Chevrolets.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 11th
“Kind of a frustrating day. We had a good Ally Chevy, but just fought being loose all day. We have two races left to get the finishes we want and that’s what we plan to do.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 PETTY’S GARAGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 29th
“Tough day for the Petty’s Garage Chevy. Never quite had the balance where we wanted and then cut a tire down that put us way behind towards the end. Hopefully we can rebound at Martinsville.”

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.

HAMLIN LEADS TOYOTA WITH FIFTH-PLACE FINISH
Truex Jr. And Bell Earn Top-10 Finishes for Team Toyota

KANSAS CITY (October 24, 2021) – Denny Hamlin (fifth) was the top of the Toyota contenders at Kansas Speedway with Martin Truex Jr. (seventh) and Christopher Bell (eighth) earning top-10 finishes in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race. Busch suffered damage early and finished 28th. Hamlin, Truex Jr. and Busch are all still in the hunt to make the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway in two weeks.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Kansas Speedway
Race 34 of 36 – 267 laps, 400.5 miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Kyle Larson*
2nd, Chase Elliott
3rd, Kevin Harvick*
4th, Kurt Busch*
5th, DENNY HAMLIN
7th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
8th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
14th, BUBBA WALLACE
20th, PARKER KLIGERMAN
28th, KYLE BUSCH
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 5th

How was the race today for you overall?

“Just tried to optimize our day, that’s really all we could do. The second half we were much, much better, but by then it’s just so hard to pass. Decent day overall. The FedEx Camry was okay, we optimized. We didn’t make a whole lot of mistakes and we really swung a whole lot of things at it to try to make it better, but fourth or fifth is about where we were at.”

How will you approach Martinsville next weekend with your position in the points?

“ nice, solid day next week will be okay. You just never know what can happen. Just need to make sure I get some stage points and don’t give it away early and I think we’ll be alright.”

Where do you feel you’re struggling the most?

“We just don’t have the speed. We’re just off on the 550 tracks. We have too much drag and not enough downforce. We’ve had these bodies on these Camrys for a really long time and it doesn’t do what we want it to do on the 550s.”

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

Finishing Position: 7th

How was your race overall today?

“It was a long day. You never quit fighting in these things and all you can do is the best you can do. Just kept working on it and kept making adjustments and do what we could. We were able to get back on the lead lap there and take the wave around with the quick caution and battle from there. All the guys did a great job on this Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry and it was pretty fast. Just sixth or seventh, where we finished was about where we were going to be. I would have liked to have done without that damage; it was pretty fast before that. Unfortunate the way that deal worked out, but we’re still in it and we’re still fighting and we look forward to next weekend.”

How do you feel heading to Martinsville next weekend?

“I feel good about that. We’re going to have a good starting position now and good pit selection. The place has been good to us. If we can get up there and win a couple stages and battle for the win, I think we’ll be able to get ourselves in. We’ll wait and see how it goes, you never know how these things are going to play out. Excited for the opportunity and thankful for everybody for all their hard work.”

Do you expect any changes to next week’s race in Martinsville compared to when you won there in April?

“No, I expect it to be pretty similar. We’ll just wait and see how it plays out. Martinsville is funny, it can change 10 or 15 degrees or the start time of the race can be a little different and you can find yourself being a little off. It’s a funny, quirky little place, but that said we have a lot of confidence and it’s been good to us over the past few seasons. Hopefully, we can go there and get the job done next weekend.”

What led to your tire going down?

“Fender rub. The 2 (Brad Keselowski) car slid up in front of me, slid up tight, checked out of the gas, I got into the back of him and we both scraped the wall. Then just tire rub cut the right rear.”

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

Finishing Position: 28th

What were you battling with the race car today?

“Loose and a lot of wind. Just could not get the handle on it with entry or exit. Knew it on the get-go within the first 10 laps or so or whatever it was on that first yellow with the weather. Just really, really up on top of the right rear all day and couldn’t feel it on entry and exit. Bit me twice. The first time it was tolerable and the second time, it was just over.”

How do you feel about your position just above the cut line in points heading to Martinsville?

“I was expecting much worse. Still a shot, it’s just going to be tough. Just going to be a hard-fought dog fight for that final spot.”

Was the wind direction different today compared to previous races?

“The direction of it, I don’t recall. I’m sure it’s been in this direction, maybe the times that I wrecked here. It wasn’t to my liking whatsoever. Definitely need to go back and study that and look at the wind stuff for when I have run good here versus today and see if there is anything we can do to help that.”

Do you just go for the win next week at Martinsville?

“I wouldn’t say that. I don’t know, I haven’t seen what it looks like. Third to seventh looks pretty tight I guess so there’s still a race. It’s going to come down to points. If there’s a winner from below us, so we’re going to have to beat them.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 38 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2018.

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 ToyotaNewsroom.com

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Hollywood Casino 400 (Kansas Speedway)
Sunday, October 24, 2021

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
3rd – Kevin Harvick
9th – Joey Logano (P)
12th – Chris Buescher
16th – Michael McDowell
17th – Brad Keselowski (P)
18th – Cole Custer
19th – Chase Briscoe
23rd – Matt DiBenedetto
26th – Aric Almirola
27th – Ryan Newman
30th – BJ McLeod
34th – David Starr
37th – Ryan Blaney (P)
38th – Anthony Alfredo
(P) denotes playoff driver

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Subway Ford Mustang (Finished 4th)

“We were just getting tight at the end of the runs and the 5, 9 and 1 cars could really hold it wide open. I needed to get past the 5 so I was trying to hold it wide open and had a lot of wheel in to it and got a little tight as we went to the last half of that run. I am really proud of everyone on the Subway Ford Mustang. We closed a huge gap at 1.5 mile race tracks and everyone is doing a great job.”

RUNS LIKE THIS, HOW ENCOURAGED ARE YOU WITH THE PROGRESS YOUR TEAM HAS MADE TOWARD THE END OF THE YEAR? “Yeah, well there are only four guys that are going to make it ito the top-four. We want to finish fifth in the points and try to get to victory lane.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang — (Retired early due to damage sustained on lap 224 — Finished 37th)

TO GET CLEANED OUT THERE BY SOMETHING OUT OF YOUR CONTROL AND HAVE THAT UPSET YOUR PLAYOFFS, HOW MUCH MORE DOES THAT MAKE IT HURT? “Yeah, we got run into from two lanes below me. I have no idea. Obviously it hurts. Finishing 37th is not prime. We didn’t have a great day but we did a good job of fighting back and getting back into the top-10 but then just got wiped out when we had plenty of room. That sucks. It is very unfortunate.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang (Finished 9th)

IT SEEMED LIKE YOU GUYS HAD SOME SPOTS WHERE YOU HAD THE SPEED TO RUN UP FRONT BUT WERE BATTLING SOME HANDLING ISSUES TOO. WHAT ULTIMATELY WAS THE DIFFERENCE AT THE END? “Yeah, we made decent restarts and our pit crew was good today and got us some spots. We were able to get the restarts and get up to the top four or so and then from lap two to 10 I just couldn’t stay with them. I went to the bottom they would pass me on the top, if I went to the top they would pass me on the bottom. I just couldn’t hold them off. From lap 10 on, we were as good as the top three or four cars, we just had last the track position at that point. We were too far back to be able to do much and try to strategize ourselves to the lead somehow. We tried the long run there in the first stage. We just didn’t really get the opportunity to do much. On to Martinsville. One more shot to do it. It is crazy watching this thing. They are trying to give it away it seems like. I have never seen so many issues in this round. Yeah, it seems like survival was the key in this round so far.”

YOU CUT YOUR POINTS DEFICIT IN HALF. IT IS DOWN TO 22 NOW. MARTINSVILLE IS ITS OWN BEAST, DOES THAT CHANGE HOW YOU APPROACH IT AT ALL? “It is pretty far out still. All things considered, it isn’t just that it is 20-something points out, but I am still eighth. I have three or four cars in front of me that I have to get in front of, assuming there isn’t a different winner. It is still pretty much a must-win situation. It would be far-fetched for it to happen. But hey, look at today. Maybe it could happen.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang (Finished 17th)

“That was a heck of a race. We are all just fighting to hard. I am bummed I didn’t get more out of it. I had a heck of an opportunity to score a lot of points and make next week easy. We still aren’t in a bad spot but not as good as spot as we could be.”

DO YOU DO ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY NOW? “We will do all we can do and that is all we can do. Winning would obviously lock our way in but as you saw this week, as crazy as these races get, I am not sure that isn’t what you have to do.”

WERE YOU EXPECTING THE 15 DEGREE TEMPERATURE DROP? “We were hoping for it. We were really good in the cooler air and the sun came out and it affected our pace. We got damage and we still had decent speed when the sun was behind the clouds but we couldn’t get it to stay there.”

HOW HARD WAS IT TO HAVE TO PIT FROM THE LUCKY DOG SPOT LIKE YOU DID BECAUSE OF YOUR RISING ENGINE TEMPERATURES? “Well, if I didn’t it probably would have blown up. Then we wouldn’t have any shot next week other than winning. It ended up costing us probably five or six spots and probably we would have been in the four spot heading into next weekend. It is what it is.”