Kligerman Finishes 20th at Kansas
Fast Checkout Toyota Driver Earns Gaunt Brothers Racing’s Second Top-20 of 2021

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: 40th / 20th (Running completed 266 of 267 laps)
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):

● Parker Kligerman started 40th and finished 16th.

● The No. 96 Fast Checkout Toyota driver raced his way up to 32nd before rain brought a caution out on lap 11. NASCAR brought the cars down pit road for a red flag for 15 minutes, 46 seconds, due to lightning in the area.

● Kligerman restarted 26th when the weather passed and the race went back green on lap 16. He was running 29th when the competition caution came out on lap 24.

● During the competition caution, the No. 96 Fast Checkout team brought Kligerman down pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and a minor adjustment to combat a tight racecar. He restarted 23rd on lap 28.

● Kligerman reported on lap 42 that he was too tight on entry and needed some help on the next stop. Despite the balance issue, he worked his way up to 16th by the stage end.

● During the break, the No. 96 Fast Checkout team pitted for four tires, fuel and another adjustment to help loosen up the racecar.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Kligerman started 16th and finished 17th.

● The No. 96 Fast Checkout Toyota Camry restarted 16th and stayed there during the opening laps. Kligerman fell back to 17th as the long run continued.

● Kligerman reported on lap 118 that the balance of his Toyota Camry was better but he still needed more security early in the runs. He worked his way back up to 16th.

● On lap 123, the No. 96 team called its driver to pit road for a scheduled green-flag stop for four tires, fuel and another adjustment. Kligerman rejoined the field 22nd.

● As the stage ended caution-free, Kligerman raced the No. 96 Fast Checkout Toyota Camry up to 17th, one lap down. During the stage break, the team pitted for four tires, fuel and an adjustment to combat a loose racecar.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 161-267):

● Kligerman started 23rd and finished 20th.

● On the lap-166 restart, Kligerman jumped up to 18th. He stayed there until a lap-171 caution. He stayed out to restart 17th.

● Kligerman stayed in the top-20 as the stage continued. On lap 216, a caution came out while the No. 96 Fast Checkout Toyota Camry ran 19th. The team took the opportunity to come down pit road for another four fresh tires, fuel and an adjustment. Kligerman restarted 20th on lap 222.

● The caution came out again one lap after the restart. Kligerman successfully avoided the incident on track, and he stayed out and restarted 19th.

● Kligerman continued to struggle with the balance on restarts. He finished 20th in his first NASCAR Cup Series start in two years.

Notes:

● Kyle Larson won the Hollywood Casino 400 to score his 15th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his ninth of the season, and his first at Kansas. His margin over second-place Chase Elliott was 3.619 seconds.

● There were seven caution periods for a total of 33 laps.

● Only 15 of the 40 drivers in the Hollywood Casino 400 finished on the lead lap.

Parker Kligerman, driver of the No. 96 Fast Checkout Toyota Camry for Gaunt Brothers Racing:

“Thanks to Gaunt Brothers Racing, Toyota and Fast Checkout for being awesome to work with today. It was definitely a day where we struggled on the short run and were really fast on the long one. It was just a matter of me learning and trying to figure stuff out in the second half of the race. We needed a Lucky Dog or something to go our way to get back on the lead lap. We could’ve easily finished in the top-15. I probably asked for one adjustment that made us go back a little bit. Overall, a successful top-20 day. I don’t think that’s a miss at all after hopping back in a Cup car after two years. It was one of the best Cup cars I’ve ever driven.”

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, Oct. 31, at the Martinsville (Va.) Raceway. It is the ninth 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.

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Monster team struggled from the green flag to the checkered in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

After starting 15th, DiBenedetto was able to basically maintain his spot in the running order in the opening laps, but the No. 21 Menards/Monster Mustang wasn’t driving to his liking.

By the end of the first 80-lap Stage he’d fallen to 22nd place, one lap behind the leaders.

Stage Two didn’t go any better, as adjustments to the No. 21 Mustang didn’t result in more speed. DiBenedetto closed out that 80-lap segment still in 22nd place but fell another lap behind.

With few opportunities to use the wave-around to regain the lost laps, the final segment saw more of the same for the Menards/Monster team, and DiBenedetto ended the race in 23rd position.

“We just missed it today,” DiBenedetto said. “We were way off on our setup and had to live with it. With no practice, that’s bound to happen on occasion.”

The fact that DiBenedetto and the Menards/Monster team never gave up despite the disappointing results showed the kind of determination that led the family of Cancer Hero Howard Scholick to nominate Scholick to be honored by the No. 21 team during Sunday’s race.

Scholick, of Columbia, Md., was nominated by his son-in-law Scott Townsend as part of a program put on by the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation, the NASCAR Foundation and AdventHealth. His name was placed on the No. 21 Mustang in the spot normally taken by DiBenedetto’s name.

Townsend said he chose DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers because of the way the driver and team never give up despite the situation they find themselves in.

Eddie Wood said that while he and the team had hoped to deliver a better result in Scholick’s memory, he was proud that the team never stopped trying to improve their car.

“In this sport, you’re going to have days where things just don’t work out, but we owe it to the people who support us to try and make the best of every situation,” Wood said. “We did that today, and now we have to put this one behind us and move on.”

DiBenedetto and the No. 21 team now head to the Woods’ home track, Martinsville Speedway, for next Sunday’s Xfinity 500.

Menards

A family-owned and run company started in 1958, Menards is recognized as the retail home center leader of the Midwest with 236 stores in 15 states. Menards is truly a one-stop shop for all of your home improvement needs featuring a full-service lumberyard and everything you need to plan a renovation or build a home, garage, cabin, shed, deck, fence or post frame building. Menards is known for friendly Customer Service and as the place to “Save Big Money” with low prices every day, and sales too! For more information, please visit Menards.com to learn about our store locations, offerings and services.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.

Briscoe Finishes 19th at Kansas
DEKALB Driver Rebounds From Tough Day for Top-20 Finish

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: 19th / 19th (Running, completed 266 of 267 laps)
Point Standing: 23rd with 638 points
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):

● Chase Briscoe started 19th and finished 26th.

● Briscoe had to drop to the rear of the field for the start after NASCAR assessed the No. 14 team a penalty for unapproved adjustments.

● Caution was displayed on lap 10 for rain with Briscoe in 26th place. He reported that he needed the car to turn better from the center of the turns to the exit – especially in turns one and two.

● After a brief red flag for lightning, the cars returned to the track. The No. 14 DEKALB Ford driver elected to pit for four tires. Briscoe lined up 33rd for the restart.

● Caution was displayed on lap 22 for a single-car incident, and Briscoe was scored in 23rd place. The No. 14 came to pit road for right-side tires and fuel. A number of teams made stops for four tires, placing Briscoe in fourth place for the restart.

● Briscoe had dropped back to 11th place on lap 40 when he reported that the DEKALB Ford was handling on the loose side getting into turn three and at the exit of turns one and two, noting that he believed the increased wind was playing a role in the handling.

● As the laps in Stage 1 wound down, Briscoe lost a handful of positions. He was in 16th place as the field completed the final laps of the stage, fighting to stay on the lead lap. He was passed by the leader on lap 79 and was eclipsed by another lap-down car as the field came around to complete the stage, which resulted in him remaining a lap down to start the second stage.

● After the stage concluded Briscoe reported the car was “super loose” getting into the turns and that during the final seven laps of the stage it started to get plowing tight at the exits of the turns.

● The team made a series of adjustments, changed four tires and added fuel, which required a slightly longer pit stop. The result was Briscoe lining up 31st to start the second stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

● Briscoe started 31st and finished 23rd.

● The Indiana native quickly went to work and was back to 25th within the first five laps of Stage 2. He reported the racecar was still tight on exit but better on entry.

● Briscoe had moved to 24th place when he reported that the tight issue persisted despite the adjustments and that it was particularly challenging at the exit of turn two.

● On lap 112, Briscoe made contact with the outside retaining wall at the right rear of the car.

● The team elected to short pit on lap 117, making a chassis adjustment, changing four tires and adding fuel. Briscoe was scored in 28th place, two laps down, by the time green-flag stops cycled through.

● Briscoe was in 25th when he reported that the tight handling issue continued to be a problem on the No. 14 DEKALB Ford, saying that “it’s like (the front tires) don’t even work.”

● Briscoe picked up two more positions by the time Stage 2 concluded to finish 23rd.

● The team used the break to fix some of the damage in the right-rear area of the car, make a round of adjustments, change four tires and add fuel.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):

● Briscoe started 28th and finished 19th.

● As the field made laps under caution preparing to start the final stage, Briscoe reported a vibration on the No. 14 DEKALB Ford. The team elected to pit for four tires before the start of the stage, placing Briscoe in 28th for the restart.

● Caution was displayed on lap 173 with Briscoe in 28th place.

● Racing resumed on lap 178 with Briscoe running in 23rd.

● As the race continued so too did the handling issues on the No. 14. Briscoe was in 23rd place at lap 210 when he updated the team that the balance had improved slightly but as the run continued the tight-handling issue at the exits of the turns resurfaced.

● Caution waved for a single-car accident on lap 217. Briscoe was scored in 22nd place. The team elected to stay out during the caution and pick up one of the laps they lost. This placed Briscoe in 21st for the restart on lap 222.

● The gamble paid off one lap later when caution waved on lap 223 for an accident. The team made a trip to pit road for service before Briscoe lined up 20th for the restart on lap 228.

● As the laps wound down in the 400-mile race, Briscoe was able to pick up one more position to finish the day in 19th place.

Notes:

● Briscoe earned his 19th top-20 finish of the 2021 season.

● Briscoe was the highest finishing NASCAR Cup Series rookie for the 29th time this season.

● Kyle Larson won the Hollywood Casino 400 to score his 15th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his ninth of the season – including his third in a row for the second time this season – and his first at Kansas. His margin over second-place Chase Elliott was 3.619 seconds.

● There were seven cautions for a total of 33 laps.

● Only 15 of the 40 drivers in the Hollywood Casino 400 finished on the lead lap.

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 DEKALB Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“It was a tough day with the DEKALB Ford. The handling just was never where we needed it to be. The team did a good job of making something out of it, getting one of the laps back that we lost. We will just take it and look to Martinsville.”

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 sta

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.”

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