NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

Daytona is a place you’ve won at before. Does it feel any different coming back every year? Does it change at all for you? Do you get any more excited?

“I think ever since I won the Daytona 500, I just enjoy coming through the tunnel. The opportunity to go back to victory lane here because you’ve done it before, it just feels obtainable. If you put yourself in good positions, it usually pays off. So we try and make the right decisions at the right time. It’s high-speed chess out there.”

Inaudible.

“Yeah, I think we’re in cleanup mode. I think we’re cleaning up the shop. We’re doing a good job doing the things we’ve needed to do. I think we straightened up, I guess is the best thing. But now we’re cleaning up; we’re doing a good job of turning everything over and making sure that we’re getting the best out of our cars. I think you’ll see that this year. I’m excited about the new Chevy body, looking forward to tonight, see how we qualify and then go race in the Duals.”

Inaudible.

“You just feel blessed by the opportunity and you are overwhelmed at times. That first time here and driving the No. 3. It was a heck of an experience. I had a lot of media around me. It’s a little different than today. I remember walking to the car and barely having enough oxygen. Just trying to get people to back up when we drove the 3 car that first year.”

You’re one of the handful of people that’s experienced what it’s like to win a 500. What’s the difference for the team by coming out of week one of the season with that win?

“Words can’t explain how big it is for your race shop and how much it can carry you for a long time. Especially in the old format. Now you got to go right back to work. You can’t take a weekend off. It’s hard to enjoy it. You do because it’s the biggest race of the year. But it’s a little different.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 11, 2026

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

Regarding Greg Biffle and memories with him, and the special number font on your car

“Yeah, first and foremost it’s sad that we have to run it. Greg was somebody that I had many battles with on the racetrack and there were some competition meetings that we had some battles with as well. All fun memories, but the impact that he had in the community after he retired and obviously the floods and the everything that he did for that stand out. Then you start hearing the trickle-down effect of everything he was doing. He was just a great person, and I enjoyed him and when he would come back to the racetrack and pick up conversations that we probably hadn’t had in a couple of years like they were five minutes ago. So I am sure there was a process of checking with Roush and making sure it was okay, but to us, it was a no brainer to do it if they allowed it. And hopefully this race is special for so many reasons, but if we were able to pull into victory lane on Sunday night it would be just a little bit more knowing that the font on the side of the car and what it means.”

Any memories that you can share about Greg Biffle, that stand out?

“Yeah, I have got one in the competition meeting where we had a little bit of an argument after and what I laugh about is the argument was quite heated, and it was very heated. I think we were both raging at each other and then I went into my spiel about my racecar and then literally like two minutes later he was like, ‘man, your car was doing the same thing?’ and I was like, ‘yeah I had the same issue’ and it was like 20 minutes that just happened didn’t happen. I remember I walked out of the meeting, and I just started laughing about it. Because that was the type of person he was and how we both are. Its like one minute we were about to get in each other’s face and then we were like ‘yeah, yeah, our cars are doing the same thing’, and it never happened. So, the battles on the racetrack were a lot of fun, but that one, the competition meeting will always stand out to me.”

What do you remember about your first Daytona 500?

“The first one I made, or the first two I attended and didn’t make? Because the first two years were gut-wrenching and just absolute sadness. Because I got wrecked in lap seven of my first attempt at it in the Duels, when they had 68 cars here and I was at another race team that I will not mention. Then the next year, I was like a half of a car length from making it and didn’t make it. So, the first two years here were gut-wrenching and the third year here, I had to race my way in and honestly had a shot to win it. It was rain-shortened that year and finished third and that, in a way, is what kept me going in the sport. So, without finishing third there, I don’t know if I would have had a continued career in NASCAR.”

Regarding having the same teammate heading into this year

“The situation that I just talked about, in trying to keep at least some things together. You know, I think there is a little bit of change on the crew side of it but for the most part with Ty (Dillon) and myself, and the crew chiefs, and some of the engineers….I think we have brought in some good people, building our own bodies and we have to bring in some people and its strengthened the race team on that. But on the Ty side of it, I have known Ty for a long time but I have never generally worked with him till last year and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I feel like we kind of have the same personalities of the way we work together. So, to have him back is huge for our race team to just keep that together. Really that helps too in just going off a notebook and not having any data, knowing the stuff that we felt last year so that we can kind of work on that this year maybe when we are off a little bit on a race weekend and just go back to using the notes that we had last year, because that is all we got.”

How are you approaching the Daytona 500 this year?

“I approach it like I always do. First you want to finish, but you just go through the process of the week. And I feel like we will have fast race cars – we typically do at the superspeedways. But, a lot of guys will have fast race cars, so I kind of more judge it after the Duel. Qualifying, unless you are on the front row, doesn’t mean anything. I judge it after the Duel and see what kind of car you got as far as handling-wise, drafting-wise, and then you go from there. You just try to make the right moves on Sunday. I feel like it’s always the same thing, you don’t want to be in the big one and you definitely don’t want to be the cause of it. That is the first goal. Hopefully you make the right moves, and you have a shot at the end of the race.”

What is the scariest moment you have had at this racetrack, where you have been like you will never forget it?

“All of them. We are all psycho out there. Generally, I think we are all pretty calm and then we strap the helmet on and it cuts off the oxygen to our heads, and we become morons out there. So they are all hairy. There are many wrecks that I should have been in, the ones that I have been in hurt, and you are out there and you are four-wide on lap 12 and you are like, ‘this is stupid, what are we doing?’. Then you are, ‘I am just going to lay back’, and then no, I am like ‘I am just going to run and why not stick it up in there?’. So, yeah, it’s all crazy.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

Thoughts on Daytona this year?

“Yeah I feel there was a lot that I learned in those two races last year. Especially being so close to winning last year at Daytona. The first one was tough because I hadn’t been in a Next Gen car in two years so figuring out when to make the moves and how aggressive you can be, I think I learned a lot from that. The second Daytona I think you just try to keep knocking at the door as much as you can to try to win one of these things and eventually it’s going to be your day.”

How many friends do you have out there?

“I hope a lot (laughs). At the end of the day, I think everyone is out for themselves everyone wants to win that trophy over there. For us as a single car team, we’re going to be looking at ourselves.”

Do you have drivers that you work with or is there planning?

“Everyone kind of talks a big game before the race that they are going to work together and then lap one happens and no one works together (laughs). But I feel like at the end of the day it’s different every year and for us, switching to Chevrolet this year, we’re trying to understand that dynamic. How everyone at Chevrolet works together and how they want to attack this race.”

William Byron has won this race they last two years, does it help having an alliance with Hendrick Motorsports?

“It’s huge, they are the champions from last year and having an alliance with Hendrick and they also are the champions from last year. So, if there are some little things we can learn throughout the year and build that relationship to get better and better as a team and also help each other, that is the goal.

Thoughts on the new playoff format:

“I’m excited about it. I’ve always kind of liked points racing honestly because I’m kind of consistent and this is what it is going to take. Not having the DNFs and the wrecks that get you no points. If you can keep yourself in the game week after week, that’s going to mean a lot in this format.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

TOYOTA RACING – Ty Gibbs
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 11, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Why do you think Dale Earnhardt Sr. still has the reputation he has to this day?

“Well, I think it’s that way because he was one of the best to ever do it, statistically, right? I think that Dale had a lot of fans and a lot of people rooting for him, as well as people booing him, but everybody respected him. I think the older generation (pause), the sport was at its peak, he was the biggest name in the whole deal. But I also think old-school racers like him are awesome – A.J Foyt, Mario Andretti, Ayrton Senna, there’s a lot of great guys that were racers back then. I just think their names were big in the sport, and the sport was at its biggest at that time.”

What advice would you give to a rookie after your experiences so far in the Cup Series?

“I don’t know. You’re young and have to look at the big picture, right? I’m only 23. People in life don’t have it figured out until they’re maybe in their 30s, mid-30s. So, you’re young, just have to look at the big picture and take it all in.”

What’s your relationship with superspeedway racing now?

“I’ve had some good and bad runs here (Daytona International Speedway). But I think on average, our superspeedway stuff was pretty decent last year with some decent finishes. You can see that anyone can win this race, and if you’re in the right spot at the end of the race, I think you can (win it). Just have to work well with my teammates and the other Toyota guys to see where we end up towards the end of the race. Hopefully we’re all up front and have a chance to win.”

What would it mean to you to win the Daytona 500 on Sunday?

“It’d be really cool. As a family business, it’d be really awesome to share that success with them. Would love to do that. I’ve been able to do it before with the (O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) championship and stuff like that, but to have my name in there and know that was me, would be super cool. I’ve grown up in the shop, looking at all the banners on the ceiling and having some of my own in there is super cool, and (I) have been very blessed in life. Just work hard and do the best I can, and very fortunate to win some races and win a championship, but to win for your family is really cool. Blessed to have a family business and have great role models in my life in my family.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

No Mic…

“JR Motorsports is jumping in both feet first trying to understand what this looks like. It wasn’t easy. I look back all the way until Thursday night. I can remember the emotions of Thursday night probably, they haunt my sleep, right? It was up and down and up and down.

Going back 365 days later, it’s not any different. There’s still that stress, there’s still that want. But it’s more so now, how do we do better? How do we qualify tonight and not have to worry about tomorrow? How do we finish better in the Daytona 500?

All these things last year, we just wanted to make it in, we just wanted to finish. We didn’t necessarily have a set goal. I feel like this year we’ve just elevated our game and want to be better. So far so good.”

No Mic…

“I’m going to smile a lot because I actually went around and I saw Jim (Pohlman) today in the Cup Garage. I gave him a big hug, told him proud of him I was.

He’s been in the sport for a long time. He’s been so understated. I’m so glad that we had the opportunity to work together, just really show that I’ve known about Jim for the last 25 years of my life, right, known who he was.

He exceeded all expectations, right? I thought I knew how good he could be, and he exceeded that expectation. I just feel like for him, having the opportunity to go with Kyle, who is an amazing race car driver, try to elevate to a point of where they would like to get back to, I have no doubt that they can go be successful, have a lot of fun with it.

I’m pumped for him. It’s going to be tough, there’s no question. Andrew Overstreet has done an amazing job this off-season. We’ve jumped in and hit the ground running. I have no doubt that with the notes that we had, with his knowledge and success, we have all the tools that we need to go back, take another stab at it.

We’ve been close to winning a championship a lot. We got one. I’d love to have multiple. 2026 looks like a great opportunity to go do that again.”

What steps have been taken in the buildup to this to make sure you were in a position?

“Yeah, I mean, I think when you look back last year, we had a lot more calmness going into qualifying than what we should have. I think we all thought we were in a little bit better position, thought we were a little bit smarter, little bit more prepared, a little bit all the things, right?

When qualifying didn’t go the way we wanted it to, I think it caught all of us a little bit off guard, right? I think we had higher expectations.

Now that being said, I go into 2026. I go, the stakes are just as high. We are held to that same standard of we have to go execute. Qualifying is going to be tough. I feel like every year I look at the entry list and there’s more and more and more good cars.

I think we’ve done all the right work. We’ve put all the pieces of the puzzle together the best we can, with the knowledge we had last year. We just have to go execute.

If we do that, we’ll have a great opportunity at not only qualifying well but having a great Daytona 500. See what happens.”

Does that challenge get more difficult because it’s a different body than you had a year ago? “Well, I think one of the hardest parts about the Cup Series is while things may not change a lot, when they do change, it’s a big change, right?

All of your notes, everything we do, I’m not going to say you’re kind of guessing, because the engineering side is so incredible and how detailed they’re able to get anymore. You still don’t know what that could look like.

So while I don’t think the change on the Chevrolet side, on the body, is significant as far as it is a significant change, especially there’s some pretty big visual changes within the body, a lot of the stuff that we see is very similar to what we had last year.

Those are easier. Probably the biggest change is just not going in this garage for a year, right? All the processes and how the cars of bolted together, getting through inspection, all the little details that if you’re not doing it week in, week out, you just don’t know, right?

I think for us, we understood what we needed to do last year. We just have to tweak on that and fine-tune it, make sure we’re in a better position for this year’s qualifying.”

You’ve been asked a lot about the meaning of the Daytona 500. For you personally, what is the value and importance of having a Cup Series win?

“I mean, it would be amazing. I don’t know that you could put any better Cup Series win on your résumé than the Daytona 500. That would be pretty special.

But when I look at the field, this year there will be 40 other cars, that they equally want that win just as bad as I do. Everybody wants to take their car out to the Daytona Experience. Everybody wants that trophy that’s right behind me somewhere on the wall. There’s something about this event that everybody wants to be a part of it and win it.

Just having the opportunity. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller, everybody that’s at JR Motorsports, they could have picked a lot of candidates to be the driver behind the wheel of this car. Last year when they told me, I was blown away they gave me the opportunity. To come back a year later and do it all again, it’s unbelievable.

Chris Stapleton, the Traveller Whiskey brand, they were all 100% invested. As soon as we left Daytona last year, they were 100% invested coming back this year. That’s special. That means a lot to a driver.

We’ll do everything we can. Last year we came out of here with a top 10. I’d love to do that better. You could just as easily be sitting on a flatbed on lap one. This race is so unique in how it plays out that you won’t know until the checkered flag falls.”

Were you expecting such a moment of catharsis once y’all qualified last year? It was really emotional. Were you expecting that?

“I think for us, what was interesting was the highest of highs need a low to judge them off of, right? And Wednesday night when qualifying ended, that valley was deeper than anything I can ever remember. Not only did we not qualify for the event, we were very underwhelming and missed our target by a lot.

I think what you saw on Thursday after the Duel was knowing the position we were in, knowing how close it was. Shoot, it was the last lap. I think coming to the white was when we finally made the pass for that spot. Super, super last second.

I think that lowest of low on Wednesday really transcended that highest of high on Thursday.

What was cool about it was it made Sunday fantastic because everybody was riding that high of emotion. Really, I don’t know that there was even a discussion of, like, what position we could finish or should finish. It was, Hey, we’ve done all the heavy lifting, let’s go have fun. I really believe that 2026 is the same.

I would love to make Wednesday exciting and Thursday boring, I really would. No offense to anybody. At the same time, I know I have the team behind me that can do it. You know what, if it’s the last lap to get in tomorrow night as well, I’m going to go make the most of it and do what we can.”

Back to the engineering aspect. From when you started in NASCAR to Sunday, how has it evolved?

“I don’t even know there’s enough paper in the world to describe the difference between what it was like whenever I started and what it is today.

It’s so interesting, right? I sit here and say that, and then I see pictures of cars that raced on the beach in the ’50s and the ’40s, just what those looked like.

I listen to the stories of Richard Petty. They put a two-by-eight, they bolted it to the seat so you would stop sliding across the bench seat. I never had to deal with those things. I came in, and technology had already well surpassed that.

I look at the engineering side, the safety, just what we’re able to do now. It’s so wild to see where the racing is at today.

Teams were able to make speed. I think about speed runs back in the day, qualifying runs back in the day, of being well over 200 miles an hour. We’re not there today, but really we are. If we were able to do whatever we wanted to do, we could probably get there.

The difference was we saw races that were won by two or three laps. Today you can throw a blanket over the top 30 at the finish of these races.

I think just the tolerances and how quickly everything has kind of evolved and the cars have become so close and the parity is so great, it’s just wild to watch.

But when you see these engineers, you see these crew chiefs, how smart they have to be, not just in one area, we’re asking them to be all-encompassing, to be great at all aspects of the sport. It’s unbelievable and really fun to watch.

It’s given me a better appreciation for all forms of motorsport, right? I watch F1, I watch INDYCAR, I watch IMSA, I watch Trucks. I watch all the dirt stuff. I grew up racing dirt, short tracks.

When you sit down and look at it, it’s crazy what it’s evolved to. It’s pretty special to be part of the sport all the way through that transition. I know it’s going to keep going long after I’m gone.”

A lot of these engineers are coming up so young, learning in schools, is there something you’ve learned from them over the years?

“Oh, my knowledge of engineering in this sport has grown so tremendously just from listening. When I listen to a lot of these young guys and gals that come in, we have so many great, smart engineers in our shop that are so far advanced than anything I could ever imagine. Then you hear some of how their schooling went, some of the job experiences they’ve had, kind of what has driven them to be who they are, it’s wild. It truly is wild.

I’m learning with them. They’re learning at a rate that is way faster than I could have ever learned at. I also think the tools we have today have helped them increase to learn, right? You’re seeing that with fuel strategy, car setups, simulation, right? We’re able to do things in the simulator that I never would have dreamed of 10 years ago or 15 years ago, that you’re able to simulate real live conditions that we never could have before. It’s just wild to see what they’ve been able to accomplish.

At the end of the day, technology of allowing multiple people put their heads together… Used to be you had one smart person or two smart people, you were pulling from a pool of a few smart individuals. Now we’re pulling from hundreds and thousands of smart individuals from this sport that really have elevated the game, have taken it to a place I never could have imagined.”

Dale was very active last year being around the car, being there for the experience. Is that translating this year, as well?

“He may not have shown up at 6:00 this morning, but he’s definitely hugely active in it. His appreciation for this event and for what we’re accomplishing is huge. I said it last year, I’ll say it again. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has accomplished everything in this sport that you could ever want. He could have walked away a long time ago and nobody would have ever batted an eye. He’s not done that. He stayed involved, he stayed invested, right, whether that be on the O’Reilly side, whether that be in the CARS Tour, whether that be on the Cup Series side.

If I’m being honest, I’m sad that JR Motorsports doesn’t have a charter. I know we could do great things for the sport. That’s a big ask from a time management standpoint, from a money management standpoint. Those are all big things to kind of accomplish.

I just love what he’s done for the sport. I love what him and his sister both have done for the sport. I believe they truly are a big part of why this sport is in the position it’s in. It’s cool to have this opportunity to be able to come here with him.”

What do you remember from your first Daytona 500?

“Whew, I remember a lot. I think different scenario for me, very different scenario, very different opportunity. Wish I would have put more pressure on myself back then, right? I know that sounds crazy, but I was a lot younger than I am now, probably just didn’t understand the gravity of this race like I do now.

Probably would have done things a little bit differently. But at the end of the day, I think that’s what makes it all who we are, right? You don’t have all the knowledge when you start. That’s kind of why we become the people that we become.

This is, what, 12 years since my first 500. It feels like yesterday. I can remember it very well.

Cool to be back. Cool to be a part of it. BRANDT was on the car back then, and they’re still on my car in a capacity this year. That’s a big moment.”

If you flash forward to last year, being part of JR Motorsports’ first Cup race, this was Dale Jr.’s first Cup race as a team owner, what did you pick up from him in that time, knowing you had to race your way in?

“When Dale Jr. is nervous at a NASCAR race, you’re nervous, right? I feel like if anybody understands the gravity of it, it’s him.

When we didn’t have the qualifying we wanted, when we didn’t have the days go the way we wanted, it was hard. Because I’m watching him, I’m somewhat living vicariously through him. He’s doing somewhat the same with me.

But to see his eagerness to be a part of it, want to be there, be in the garage opening, I think it drove home the gravity of the event for me. I think that, look, JR Motorsports had an opportunity to put a lot of drivers behind the wheel of this 40 car. I’m so proud of the fact that they chose me, but also just trying to make sure that I make the most of every moment because they deserve that, right? I know that they’ve given me every detail and everything that I could ask for to have this opportunity. We just got to make the most of the opportunity in front of us.”

No Mic…

“If I put myself in Dale’s shoes, it’s a hard position to be in because I don’t know what the emotions are, right? He’s been very vocal about it. They had the documentary. He’s never been shy to not talk about it.

At the same time, I want it to be a big moment for him. I look at when he won here, the emotions that he had. I mean, I remember everything he had in that moment when Mike Helton flashed on the screen and had that conversation. It was one of the darkest days of our sport, right? Followed by some extremely bright moments in a young Dale Jr. that took the reins and really turned the sport into something that his dad would have loved to have seen where the sport’s at today.

So it would be special and it would be cool, but I don’t want that to tarnish or provoke the wrong emotion for Dale or for any Dale Earnhardt Sr. fans. At the end of the day, we want to make sure this is a good experience and everybody’s proud of what we’re accomplishing. I think Dale Sr. would be proud if he knew his son had a car in the 500 and was able to do this.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

TOYOTA RACING – Riley Herbst
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 11, 2026) – 23XI Racing driver Riley Herbst was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.

RILEY HERBST, No. 35 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Denny Hamlin talked about what his expectations were for you this year. Can you talk about the conversations you’ve had with the team?

“There’s no shying away from it, we want the results to be better on the 35 car. We had good enough racecars, we have good enough team members and I’m a good enough driver to have better results this year. It’s as simple as that. I think we are all on the same page with what we expect and what we want, and that’s to be better this year than last year.”

You’ve been competitive in the O’Reilly Series in the past, does that give you confidence heading into your second year in the Cup Series that you can keep improving?

“The narrative was really similar in my first year in the Xfinity Series and even into the second and third year. I’ve worked as hard as I can and surrounded myself with really good people and try to improve every day.”

What kind of conversations have you had with your team about running at a high level?

“Everyone at 23XI and Airspeed work a little bit different than most fundamental race shops. All three of us are pretty cohesive and work hand to hand together. There wasn’t much separation last year, nor will there be this year. We are all trying to run better on all three accounts. You can ask Tyler (Reddick) and Bubba (Wallace), that wasn’t the year they wanted last year either. I think all three of us and four this weekend want to succeed for Denny (Hamlin) and MJ (Michael Jordan) and everyone at Airspeed and how hard they work.”

From the outside looking in, what does everyone not see about team building with a race team?

“It’s always going to be difficult to make the jump from the O’Reilly Series to the Cup Series. And starting a new team, hiring people, and understanding the way 23XI and Airspeed handle things. Get everything right, get the fundamentals right. That’s just going to show and pay dividends this year as well. On top of that, I think I’m a way more experienced driver. I’ve grown mentally and physically in my racecraft so I’m excited for this year. I think everyone on the 35 has grown. More than anything we are all in it together, all of our teams, we work together cohesively me, Tyler, and Bubba each week. We study together and we review our races together and we want for each other to finish 1-2-3 each week. That hasn’t happened yet, but I think this weekend is a really good shot for that.”

What are your expectations for the season ahead?

“Specifically, I worked really hard this offseason. We’re way stronger mentally and physically. We’ve got some new faces to Airspeed to help the 35 team this year. Looking forward to it, that first year in the Cup Series is always rough. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t make big improvements this year and succeed pretty well.”

Have you been able to talk with Michael Jordan this offseason and what has been the message?

“The contact is always been consistent with ownership, Denny (Hamlin) and Michael (Jordan) are always at Airspeed encouraging us and giving us the tools we need to succeed at the highest level. Hopefully we can succeed, and that’s what all three of us want to do during the year and the fourth racing with us this weekend as well. Just give Denny and MJ a real big trophy and a lot of money to go along with it.”

What is the best part of Daytona 500 week?

“I love it. I’ve been telling everybody, this is one of my favorite weeks of the year. The anticipation, the excitement, the weather, Daytona is a really fun racetrack. The history that the 500 presents all of us and the challenges we will face for 500 miles on Sunday is really cool and I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a great year for us on the 35 and the 45 and 23, all of us together. We are ready to go.”

What’s the coolest activation you’ve been able to do with Monster Energy?

“I’ve been with them for so long, they’ve been great partners. But the coolest on is the commercial we filmed at the end of the year last year called Dust of Smoke on YouTube. It’s a really video. We got to rent out right down the strip and drive the Cup car down the strip in Vegas and take the car down through the Valley of Fire, that was really fun. We had Vaughn (Gitten Jr.) join us for some drifting too. Monster Energy is top notch in everything they do and the activation to grow their brand and action sports is second to none.”

You seemed to hit your stride a few years into your O’Reilly Series career. Is that something you can take over here to the Cup Series?

“The belief in myself has never wavered. I’m confident in my ability, I’m confident in every single man and woman at Airspeed to provide us with really fast racecars. To answer your question, I knew it was going to be very difficult last year. People didn’t think so I guess, I don’t know. Yes, it’s difficult, it’s hard. These are the best stockcar drivers in the world and if it was easy, it would not be correct. I’m looking forward to this year. The gains we showed at a few tracks last year hopefully we can magnify it to every single track this year. The confidence is sky high, everyone over at Airspeed with all three cars to try and get more trophies, so that’s what we are looking to do.”

Do you think Daytona is one of your better tracks?

“I think I have a really good spotter and a good racecar, I’ve been fortunate to sit in really good racecars and that produces really good speed. You only need a couple of ingredients here at Daytona to have success and having great racecars is one of them. Hopefully we can have another solid run this year and we won’t be sliding through the grass.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Carson Hocevar, driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

Your thoughts on the contract extension:

“I don’t know who was more excited, me or Jeff (Dickerson) or all my guys. I didn’t feel like fielding any calls and I felt like declining all of them and I think Jeff and I just looked at each other and said ‘I don’t really feel like leaving anytime soon.’ And he said, “Well, I don’t want you leaving anytime soon either.’ So we just started adding years and more years and I think we were finding out legally you could put if I have a pulse I can still race for him and we just change it as we go. So its joyful for that. It’s good on their marketing side as well because I think we have a car full for the next how many years which is great. It just helps on all things, if we’re all locked in and bought in, let’s just be official about it.”

What does it say about Jeff (Dickerson) that he feels like you are someone that can bring a championship to Spire?

“Yeah I think we can do it. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that. I think we realistically over the next 10 years we can build this into a championship threat. I think we can get our cars there and I think I can get there. I think we have all the pieces with Jeff and everyone on the management side they have championships and a ton of wins throughout all of them combined. So I’m excited and the talented people just keep coming in through the door and not leaving, so they are just going to get us faster.”

Have you met Tony Stewart yet and how excited are you to race against him on Friday?

“I haven’t met him yet, but he seems excited, which is cool. I don’t know that any of us had on the bingo card that Tony Stweart would be excited to run a truck race and a truck race at a superspeedway. I know the heat wave guys, I have a sunglass deal with them and he’s part of that so between myself, (Travis) Pastrana and Cleetus (McFarland) are on their deal, they are all pumped were all in the same race.”

We’ve heard Brad Keselowski say that winning at Michigan is important because it is his home track. You being from Michigan, is there another race that is important to you?

“The Brickyard is really high, and I really want to run the Indy 500 one day. Jeff (Dickerson) is an Indy native and never won that race as an agent or spotter and he’s had Kyle (Busch) and Jeff (Gordon) as his spotter or clients, he’s had them all but he’s never won there. Dan Towriss is from Indy and Gainbridge and all the money and resources they put in that facility, it’s really high for me, but it’s also important to the two guys that are really heavily involved in wanting our program to succeed. I almost halfway argue that it’s probably bigger for them if it happens.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

After being with different organizations over the years, how nice is it to come back to Daytona with the same organization that you worked with the previous year?

“It’s huge. It’s probably the first time in six years that I am working with the same team two years in a row, and I am not showing up to Daytona trying to learn names, functions, systems, and things that are going on with the team and how everything operates. It usually takes a couple of months to even feel comfortable with a new team. Unfortunately, I have a lot of experience doing that, but don’t have as much experience coming back with a team for the second year. It’s a lot easier doing this than it is learning a new team for sure. It just helps the confidence in knowing that I pretty much have the same guys that I raced this race with last year and we can build off of things from there and we can build on past experiences for the first time in a long time.”

What have you learned about balance from earlier in your career to now being married with three children?

“I think most people go from being very selfish and everything is about you to you have a child or you get married. First, you get married and it’s less about you and it’s about your spouse. Then you have a child and you realize nothing is about you anymore and sometimes that can be a shock. And then you realize the things you do from the point you have children matter so much beyond your life. You are leaving an example for your child behind. So now I look at things as ‘okay how would I want my child if they are going through a career or whatever they are chasing in their dreams, how would I want them to approach it’. I would want them to get an example from their dad and how would he treat people, treat his career, treat his wife. I want them to see that in the best light possible so that they leave a good legacy behind. You just start changing your view and I believe that is the beauty of life and having a family and having kids.”

What is the best part of this week for you?

“I think the best part of it for me is driver intros and the madness of the fans around the cars and the energy around the gentlemen start your engines, the pace laps and the start of the green flag. You won’t get that anywhere else in your life. That feeling, that high, that chaos when everybody is buzzing. I think finding perspective that there are only a few times you are going to get to do this in your life. It’s not going to happen every year of your whole life, so you have to take it in. I look forward to that moment every year and I let it get ahold of me, I get emotional, I get anxious, I get nervous because how many people get that opportunity to be in the middle of the spotlight of one of the biggest events in the world.”

What has this offseason been like this year in looking ahead at all the things you have to do?

“I think as many things that are important that we lost, we gained just as many unique abilities. We won’t find out total gain and loss of what has happened until throughout the season. I think it’s a measure that we as a team are all like, what is it going to be like. Everyone has a new body with Chevy, so we don’t really understand where we are going to be at but qualifying at Daytona will teach us a little bit. We are going to have to go to all the tracks at this point to see what is different. I think the car is so similar underneath the body that you should be able to set up similar to what you found success with (before). There are going to be some differences, different programs, usages of different technology from different things. So we are going to have to navigate that and to be very clear in our communications, but also there is a point when you get away from over thinking things you can find some clarity within a team. I think that might help us too. I think there is going to be a loss in not having the technical alliance from Chevy, but we can grow from that.”

Inaudible

“Its massive. You know, I have been attempting this race….this will be my 10th or 11th time in the Daytona 500 and I have had some close opportunities, never been in the top-two coming to the white flag, but real close. Top-three or top-four, and you feel it. It would mean a lot to me because my family has had so much success here. And it’s one of those races that changes your life forever, no matter what is going on. It would be awesome to be a part of the history here with the Harley J. Earl trophy and to have your name etched on it and be able to lift that big trophy up.”

Regarding the Daytona 500, is there any kind of brotherly rivalry with Austin?

“It would be nice to have a trophy too. It would be nice to have a Harley J. Earl with both our names on it. Two Dillons on that trophy would be special, and I don’t know if brothers have done it, so it would be cool to do it first if nobody has done it. I have been putting in my time for this race with ten or eleven attempts, and this obviously means a whole lot to our family and our race team as a family’s legacy. So, I would love to win this race.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

TOYOTA RACING – Corey Heim
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 11, 2026) – 23XI Racing driver Corey Heim was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.

COREY HEIM, No. 67 Robinhood Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

What do you feel like is the goal this weekend for you?

“I don’t know if there’s a specific goal in mind in the race I think I obviously want to be a good Toyota teammate, and not only for my 23XI (Racing) teammates, but to get Toyota to victory lane as a whole. In general, I think our main goal is to make the race (Daytona 500), and 23XI and Toyota are on board to help me do that, so that’s a promising feeling, to be actively supported like that. Number one, get in the race. Number two, kind of just take it one-by-one in terms of the stages go and hopefully be in the mix at the end.”

Were you hoping that you’d be full time somewhere this season?

“I think as a competitor you always want to compete for a championship. But, at the end of the day, being able to get a feel for the Cup Series and the top level, maximizing my schedule as far as increasing the amount of races. Last year, I only had four starts versus 12 this year, so being able to my schedule a little bit was good for me from the beginning but also hitting some really good races. Kind of getting a feel for the higher-pressure races in general, just going forward that a little bit extra because it’s the big races. Getting a feel for is always good, so feel pretty good about it.”

Do you feel any pressure to go out and prove yourself this year?

“Yeah, I relate it back to when I was first starting out of the Truck Series. It didn’t feel like I was not ready by any means, it just feels like you’re yet to prove yourself. You don’t have those statistics and those runs behind you to look back on and be like, ‘I can’t do this.’ We had some good runs last year and definitely a lot of promise but getting out there and running in the top five is definitely not an easy thing to do in the Cup Series and it’ll probably take a little longer than it did in the Truck Series for me. Looking back at 2021, when I was running select races for KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) at the time, it was a similar feeling to just you don’t have that proof that you can run up there yet. I know it’s inside of me, but to go out and actually execute that is yet to be done. That’s definitely my priority this year.”

What do you feel you can bring to 23XI Racing and what can you learn?

“Yeah, think I can help them more as I get more laps. I’m pretty green to Cup Racing and it’s hard to help them a ton as I don’t know as much about the car as Bubba (Wallace) and Tyler (Reddick) do. But I’m hoping by the end of the year that I’m acclimated enough to have a good enough understanding of the race car and provide better feedback. It’s cool Tyler said that (that he learned from Corey at Kansas last year). Glad I could help him in some way. It’s kind of a one-way street, he helps me a lot more than I help him at this point, but I have great teammates and they’re doing a great job helping, and so are my Toyota teammates as well.”

What does it mean to have the chance to qualify for and race in the Daytona 500?

“Yeah, certainly a lot of pressure not being locked in the field, but to be here in general is very cool. Being here is really cool and seeing how many people care about this event, show up for this event and it being the first points-paying race of the year, and my first race of the year. Great to knock the rust off as well, to compete at the highest level, in the biggest race, at least to have a chance at it, is a rewarding feeling. When I was a kid, I was so excited to wake up and watch the Daytona 500 and to now hopefully wake up and race in it. It’s a cool feeling and just hoping tonight and tomorrow go well.”

Is there any good advice you’ve received?

“I don’t know of anything specific. I’ve gotten a lot of advice, not only from drivers, but a lot of the people at 23XI Racing, just from their experience of racing their way in. It’ll be interesting to see what everyone takes away from the Duels. It’s hard to give advice without having a sample, right? I’ve hardly been around a (super)speedway in a Cup car yet. Think it’s all been good advice so far. Everyone at 23XI is trying to accomplish the same goal. Happy to be around a great group of people.”

How are you approaching these next few days?

“Yeah, at the end of day, have to take it one event at a time. Depending on how qualifying goes, we may be able to breeze through the Duels no problem, and not worry about it. You don’t really learn to expect the worst as a race car driver, but to prepare for the worst. Prepared to race in through a Duel if need be and I feel prepared to go out there and execute that without making any crucial mistakes. That’s not something that’ll be easy by any means with so much out of your control on a speedway, but prepared to execute to the best of my ability.”

How important is it to maximize every opportunity you get this season?

“I still consider myself a developing driver, so any anything I can get into, from a Truck, to a Cup car, to a late model, whatever it is, to continue to develop, continue to learn and maximize, potentially for Sunday racing. It’s definitely a big chapter in my life. The last three years, I’ve gotten really used to Truck racing. Not that you’re not racing under a big spotlight, but this is obviously the biggest stage in American Motorsports, so being able to start it off at the Daytona 500 in a part-time season is a big deal for me. Hoping to maximize that and set myself up in the future.”

Did your start in the Bristol night race last season add confidence?

“Yeah, for sure. We had a pretty tough stretch leading up to that race. We started off really well at Kansas with a top-15, and then didn’t have good races after that. Ending the year as far as how well we were able to do in our last race and to brush off those past races. Definitely glad to have ended the year on a high note and know the potential is still there, if I can just piece a race together the way I need to. That’s the motivation for this year.”

Can you learn from what happened at Chicago last year in preparing for qualifying here?

“Honestly, probably less than you would think. I felt like from the Chicago practice, I felt like we had a good shot to qualifying top-10, top-15, and my mindset was, ‘I’m going for pole. Going to go like heck and see if I can be in the top-10 at the end of this thing.’ And just pushed too much and wrecked in qualifying, and missed the show. And missing the show was never even in my head, I was just going for it. But, you come to Daytona and so much is out of your control. You have eight open cars for four spots. I feel like now, all you’re fixated on is making the race. In a way, I missed the (Chicago) race last year, I don’t want to do that again this weekend. At the end of the day, the mindset is so different. The way you make it in is so different. Still in the back of my mind that I don’t want to do it twice.”

Since joining 23XI Racing, have you had a chance to speak to Michael Jordan and if so, what was that like?

“Yeah, he’s (Michael Jordan, team co-owner) a lot more involved than most people think. After pretty much every Truck win last year, he reached out to me with congratulations and every time I ran good, bad or indifferent in a Cup car, he’d reach out and share some words. I always thought that was motivating to have an owner, but also an owner that’s very involved and motivated. Think everyone knows he’s probably a busy guy but seems like he always makes time to pay attention and stay in the loop with the 23XI side of things. Him and Denny (Hamlin, team co-owner) have been just awesome so far. Didn’t know what I was expecting getting into it, but definitely a lot of support.”

Is it hard to be patient in your specific scenario?

“I’ve actually had several of these years where it’s been sort of a transition from part-time to full-time. I don’t exactly know what I’m doing in 2027 yet. I think full-time is close, but when I went from late model to ARCA, I had a sort of a part-time ARCA year in there before I was full-time. ARCA to Trucks, same thing, kind of weird part-time year in the Trucks. So, kind of used to these transition years. But, the thing that’s kind of nice is not having the championship points in the back of your head. Of course, as a competitor, you always want to compete for points and a championship, but it kind of helps you digest the races a little easier to not have that points situation looming in the back of your head. So yeah, no stranger to that by any means and I think these opportunities will be good this year.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:

What has it been like working with (Jim) Pohlman (new crew chief)?

“Working with Jim has been good. He’s a very determined guy. He wants to make a difference and be the difference maker here at RCR and the 8 car and having us have a better chance of being able to reach Victory Lane each and every week. It’s all about being able to extract the most out of the people, whether it’s everybody at the shop or whether it’s your team at the racetrack, the pit crew, all those guys. I feel like he’s got everybody really looking up to him and believing in him and his way. That’s been good.”

Some drivers what to run up front, some want to be further back. What is the strategy? Where do you want to run during the race? Where do you want to be at the end of the Daytona 500?

“I don’t know. Two years ago, when we were here, Austin Dillon and myself got the lead. We were in the control of the race. We were running first and second when we came off of Turn 4. I saw the white flag in the flag man’s hand, and unfortunately, a caution came out as we got to the front side of pit rod entry. And after that, we weren’t able to hold the lead on the restarts, but I led mile marker 500. That’s just the way it goes… you just never know how it’s exactly gonna end. So, to be out front, you feel like that’s the safest spot to be, but sometimes you see guys spun out of the lead and they’re not the ones to win. There are guys that win coming out of Turn 2 and they’re in 7th place or they’re in 11th place, It just depends, you never know.”

How long into the season will it take before you can assess and gauge the new Chevy body?

“I think we’re going to see some speedway prowess of how good it is. When we get to Atlanta, same thing. And then we get to some short track stuff, and we’ll see how the downforce on it is.

Obviously, you look at over the years, the brands that have come out with new bodies have been pretty competitive. Although, you look and you see Kyle Larson won the championship last year with the oldest body out there. Now, we’ve got a fresh one, and a new one, and maybe the advantages on Team Chevy.”

How do you feel about this year with the challenges you’ve had? Challenges can make you stronger and probably the best thing for you…

“Challenges can be tough, it’s just the nature of how well you handle those challenges. You can obviously beat yourself down and get low. It’s all about trying to build yourself up and keeping yourself at the top level that you can be to go out there and achieve success. It hasn’t been the greatest the last few years. We’ve had some close calls and sometimes where maybe we could have won a race. We certainly haven’t been dominant forces of being up front leading laps and having those chances be at the regular each and every week. If you only have two opportunities to win races through the year versus having 20 opportunities to win races through the year, you’ve got a bigger opportunity, a bigger window, to get those wins having the 20 chances.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.