Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ford Zoom Media Availability | Tuesday, August 3, 2021

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang — HOW HAVE YOU ENJOYED ALL OF THE ROAD RACES THIS YEAR WITH THREE MORE STILL TO GO? “Personally, I enjoy the road racing stuff. It’s nice that we’ve added some new racetracks and nice going back to the Glen. We haven’t been there in a year. We didn’t go there last year, so it will be nice to go back. It’s gonna be cool to go to Indy next week, especially since Mr. Penske has turned it into a road course for us, so I’m excited for that. It’s nice to have two road courses in a row right here, but I’ve enjoyed going to some new places and then returning to some places we’ve been before. It’s definitely challenging figuring out these new racetracks, but at the end of the day it’s cool to bring the Cup Series or NASCAR in general to new places around the country and give fans that maybe have never seen a Cup race or a NASCAR race before a chance to maybe watch at their favorite racetrack.”

WHAT KIND OF RACE DO YOU ANTICIPATE AT INDY ON THE ROAD COURSE NEXT WEEK? “I thought that the race there last year was really good. I remember watching it and I thought it put on a great show. I know they’ve changed it up a little bit for us this year, just adding some more curbs in some places, so I’ll be looking forward to seeing those in person and staying off of RP’s grass. That’s a big thing. We don’t want to tear up his infield, so I’m excited to see what those are like. I think they’re the big sausage curbs that we’ve seen at the Roval and stuff like that, so it will be nice to see them in person and see exactly where they’re located. We’ve seen pictures, but until we get there we won’t be able to find out. I think it’s gonna be great. It should put on a good show and it’s nice to be there with the Indy Cars too. That’s gonna be great to have NASCAR and Indy Car together with all three series. I think that’s great for the sport.”

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN YOUR NEXT CREW CHIEF? “That search is still ongoing. It’s been trying to balance that out of focusing on this year, but then also you can’t just forget about next year. You’re always trying to prepare. You can’t wait until November, December and try to do something, so that’s still a work in progress. There are some people in mind that I think are really good fits, but I’m looking for someone — I think Todd and I got along so well because we’re kind of at the racetrack we’re almost kind of a yin and yang kind of thing. I can get fired up on the radio and Todd is very calm and it evens itself out of those personalities when we’re doing our jobs. Someone like that and, like I said, that’s ongoing. Someone who can when tense situations do come up of getting me back to where we need to be, and I think that’s how it always should be. You kind of have to have both of them. If you’re two people who clash a lot, and have the same personalities that can sometimes be good, but sometimes it can be a little rough. All the crew chiefs I’ve worked with have been very open-minded on listening to your ideas and what you have to say about the race cars and integrating them, so that’s never been an issue. So, that personality side that I talked about, for me personally.

HAS ROGER EVER TALKED TO YOU ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WINNING AT INDY EITHER IN A JOKING OR SERIOUS MANNER? “It doesn’t need to be said.”

WITH THE ADDITIONAL ROAD COURSES HOW HAS IT CHANGED HOW MUCH TIME YOU SPEND AS FAR AS FEEDBACK? “I think it just makes everybody put a bigger emphasis on their road course program. We’re not just going to two a year. Before the Roval came about you didn’t have any in the playoffs, so it’s just like, ‘These are just two races a year.’ Obviously, they’re big and you want to win them, but I don’t think teams put as much emphasis on them. As far as now, we have seven now and one of them is in the playoffs, and they’re really close together. It’s nice to have them back-to-back the next two weeks, so I think it makes the drivers really pay attention more to it — really spend a lot of time here at the simulator. That’s where I’ve been doing Watkins Glen stuff this morning. We’ve spent a lot of time here just working on the road course stuff because they are very important. There are a bunch of them you can go out and try to win and get your points, so it just really made us push our program that much further and I think we’ve been inching in on it. It’s not just two anymore. There are a lot more and you really have to get better in that area as well.”

HAVE YOU TAKEN STUFF YOU’VE LEARNED FROM ROAD AMERICA AND COTA AND IMPLEMENTING THAT INTO THESE NEXT TWO WEEKS OR IS IT MORE LET’S USE THE NEXT TWO WEEKS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE NEED FOR THE ROVAL IN THE PLAYOFFS? “It’s kind of all of them mashed up in one. You go to, COTA was kind of a one-off thing with it raining, but you can learn some stuff in the rain, kind of setup stuff of soft rear springs and things like that, but we’ve taken what we learned at Road America and Sonoma, things like that, and we just continue to apply them. Whether they work or don’t work, you either apply it or you can say, ‘Well, we tried this and it didn’t work. That’s out of here. Let’s work on something else.’ It all just kind of cycles, and then going back to the Glen we’re back on low downforce, so we’re all looking back on 2018 notes of, ‘OK, what were we like in 2018? Where do we need to be better? And what have we learned since the 2018 race there that we can apply — that maybe we’ve done in the last year or two that we’ve gotten better on road courses? So it’s all mashed up into it and you take things that you learn or don’t learn and either throw them out or apply them and see if they work at these certain road courses.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BACK AT WATKINS GLEN? “I’ve always really enjoyed the area. That racetrack puts on not only a great race, but I feel like the fan experience there is a very good time. They pack that place out and I’m looking forward to seeing it this weekend, seeing all the fans back there and really enjoying themselves. I was really bummed out last year when we couldn’t go just because, like I said, the racetrack is great and the area around it is just a beautiful place, so I’ll be looking forward to seeing some fans from inside the car and I’m sure they’ll be walking around the garage a little bit. It’s just nice to be back. You hate enjoying racing at these tracks growing up and then it just gets cut off like that. You hate it for the fans and hate it for the teams that we don’t get to go there, but we’re back and I’m looking forward to seeing everybody out there — all the fans and everybody.”

WHAT IS THE KEY YOU NEED TO GET THAT SECOND WIN OF THE SEASON? “I think right now, personally, we’ve got some things to clean up. I think we’ve been doing a really good job of getting our cars more competitive. I think you saw at New Hampshire all the Penske cars were really fast. Brad and I won both the stages and we led a bunch of laps and not only our cars got better, but all the Fords, I thought, took a big step forward with the 10 winning. Kevin ran really good. The 21 was good, so I think all of us took a big step forward, but that aside, we’ve got to clean up some stuff in some other areas and have some smoother stops and things like that, and just put whole days together. We’re working on the speed right now and then there’s some things to clean up on the other side and I think we can do it. But Loudon was a very good race for us, for our whole group, and I think we can build off that for sure.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE NEXT YEAR’S MOVES OUT OF THE WAY SO YOU CAN FOCUS ON THE REST OF THIS SEASON? “I think it’s really important to figure next year out for me, but, at the same time, we’ve still got a year to go. We’ve still got to finish out this year strong. We’ve got four races until the playoffs start and then we’ve got to make this playoff run, so, like I said before, it’s all about balancing out this year and next year and obviously this year is the priority, but next year and beyond that is the future, so you’ve got to pay attention to both things and work on both sides of it. My thoughts this year — when Todd announced he was retiring I wasn’t upset about it or nothing, I was motivated to make it a good last year for Todd. That’s my main priority right now and keep working on a crew chief for 2022 and beyond. That’s the second priority, but we’re still working on that. Right now, my priority is to go try to win races and go try to get a championship for Todd in his last year.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL GOING INTO THE REMAINING OF THE SEASON FROM A MOMENTUM STANDPOINT? “We’ kind of went through a rough spell for a month or two and just couldn’t really get any speed out of our cars and struggling and doing that stuff, and the past handful of races — five, six, seven races — have been pretty decent for us. Really all but Road America here recently has been a pretty good showing for our group, so I’ve been proud of the effort. We’re working really hard to find speed in our cars and you just hope to keep improving that. You hope to keep finding a little bit more speed here and there, getting a little bit more competitive and you want to peak right here at the playoffs. Hopefully, I think we’re on a really good track right now as a whole group at Team Penske and Ford, and hopefully we keep striving towards that.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT GOING TO THE FIRST ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS TO HAVE STRENGTH, ESPECIALLY WITH THE 750 PACKAGE? “That’s a great point on the first round is all 750 packages. It’s really encouraging that we had a strong run at Loudon because that’s what we’re gonna have. Loudon, besides these two road courses, that’s the last 750 package we’re gonna have until the playoffs start, but looking back on that first round we got knocked out in the first round last year. We kind of started behind the eight-ball there at Darlington with the penalty and having to start at the back and getting tore up. And then next week at Richmond not being our best track, but I’m really proud of the improvements we’ve made at Richmond and Darlington this year. I thought we had good runs there at both of those racetracks. They weren’t the cleanest races either from our group, and I thought we ran really well, so I’m looking forward to actually going back to those two places this year and building off of the good runs that we had there earlier this year. But, a huge focus. That Loudon race is a big, big race for us to be like, ‘OK, our 750 package is pretty close to where it needs to be,’ but still need to work on it obviously. That definitely helps when you have a good race like that even though it’s over a month later, it definitely is encouraging.”

HOW ARE YOU LOOKING AT THESE NEXT FOUR RACES? HOW MUCH FOCUS DO YOU PUT INTO IT VERSUS LOOKING AHEAD TO PLAYOFF TRACKS? “You pay attention to the next four races here just as much as any because they are chances to win, chances to get playoff points, chances to gain position and regular season points that help you out, too. So these are just as important. I don’t think anyone is gonna overlook these or anything like that just because you can still really help out your playoffs, but, at the same time, we’re already getting ready for playoffs. That’s going on in the shop right now. You’re always looking forward to that. Me and my team we have a meeting next week and going to talk through all the racetracks in the playoffs and try to get a head start on it and places we’ve been to this year — what can we build off of and then just start to get it planned. You can never start off too early about that, but you’ve got to do both — you’ve got to be able to focus on the final four races here, but then you also have to start preparing for the playoffs. I don’t think any focus has been taken away from these remaining four. You’re just trying to multitask the best that you can.”

LOGANO SAID YOU WERE THE BEST OF THE PENSKE DRIVERS WITH THE 550 PACKAGE. WHY iS THAT? “That’s nice of him to say that. I don’t know. I really don’t know. Honestly, it kind of bites me in some other areas, but I’ve always kind of been a heavy right-foot person, just driving really hard and always on the gas pedal and able to drive a very loose race car. With that package you kind of need that. The spoiler is big enough to where you can really drive them pretty loose and be able to handle it, so every driver is different, but that’s just the kind of style that has suited me, and it’s kind of the way that you have to run these 550 packages, so, yeah, I think that’s probably one of the bigger things that benefit me on the 550 high downforce stuff, but some of that stuff can bite you on the lower downforce side that you try to work on, that I try to get a lot better on, so it’s kind of a balancing act. I’d say that’s why on the 550 stuff.”

HOW MUCH TIME DID YOU SPEND DURING THE BREAK LOOKING AHEAD TO THE REST OF THIS YEAR? “We’ve never really had the two week break before. It’s different because of the Olympics, but I thought it was good for everybody to kind of just get a little bit of a break — all the team guys and girls to spend time with their families. I thought that was really good. It’s nice to step back a little bit and relax, but, honestly, I’m good at stepping back for a week and then I’m really anxious to kind of get going again. That’s just kind of how I am. When there’s nothing really to do and everyone’s on vacation, I just kind of sit around bored and you find stuff to figure out to do. But it was a pretty decent time being able to see some friends and family and things like that, but, at the same time, I miss racing pretty quickly. I’m constantly thinking about that, but yesterday morning you’re back at work. Everyone is back at work and it’s time to get going again, but it’s nice to have a little break, but I get anxious and I want to get back to the racetrack pretty quickly.”

MENTAL HEALTH HAS BEEN A BIG TOPIC DURING THE OLYMPICS. AS SOMEONE WHO HAS GONE THROUGH THE GRIND OF THIS SPORT, HOW HAVE YOU HANDLED THE HIGHS AND LOWS, AND WHAT HAS HELPED YOU MANAGE THAT AS YOU GO THROUGH IT? “As far as that side goes, I was very fortunate. I got a little bit of insight from my dad, watching him do it, but you never know. Until you’re in it, you never really know. I watched him all I could and you think you know until you’re a part of it and you don’t really know and you kind of have to learn that side by yourself. Everyone is their own person and everyone has their own thoughts and mentality and everyone handles things differently. The mental health side, some of the things about our sport is you have to really deal with and it just is what it is is that you’re going to lose a lot more than you win. You have to deal with the disappointment of that. You’re gonna fail more than you succeed in this sport and that can sometimes get you down and weigh on you, and if you go through a little rough patch of a year or months or whatever you can really start to lose confidence in yourself, but the thing that I’ve always thought of is just you try to keep improving and realize that things aren’t all that bad and just keep working on it. At the same time, I say that but I feel like when other athletes come out and they say things about mental health or the toughness about what they do and other people don’t realize the pressure that sometimes gets put on them, these people say, ‘Oh, just do your job.’ And it’s like, ‘You don’t know what it’s like.’ I don’t know what mental health issues that you go through with your job. I don’t know that. That’s what I don’t understand of people judging other people when they say they’re under pressure and things like that. The Olympics, I couldn’t deal with the pressure of the Olympics. The whole world is watching you and your country is rooting for you, but those things you just have to deal with personally on your own, and, like I said, people deal with those things differently. I’ve always tried not to get too down, but sometimes you do and it’s just how you overcome that. I think the biggest thing is not bottling it in. If you have people to talk to and can share some of that stuff, then maybe it makes it easier on you, but that’s kind of a tricky subject, I think, because everyone has a different opinion about that, everyone’s brain works differently on how they handle pressure and scrutiny and stuff like that.”

AS YOU LOOK AT WATKINS GLEN, WHAT ARE YOU HAVING TO DO AT THIS POINT? “The first thing I do with the simulator a lot is the week before any road course race just to kind of get your mind back into the visual side of it, and going to try different setup things and stuff like that. I usually do it from 8 a.m. to noon and you run through a bunch of different setups and things like that, and then I can try little different things too. The Ford sim does a great job at mapping. You get the visual sides of things and the curbing is pretty realistic how you jump those curbs, so the biggest thing is just working through some stuff. It’s a great tool now that there’s no testing or practice this year. It’s a great tool for us to use to go try some things setup-wise and driving-wise, and that’s the biggest thing and just trying to get refreshed and into the driving thing, especially now because we had two weeks off — just getting back into the swing of things and remembering how to turn the car on and shift and things like that, so it’s good visually for me. It really helps me out.”

HOW GOOD DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE A WIN ALREADY? “It’s nice to be a part of that group. It was nice to get our win early, that’s for sure. Obviously, everyone wishes they had more wins and things like that, but what I expect from the Glen is it’s nice to be starting up front, that’s for sure. I think I start third on Sunday I saw, so that’s really good. I think all Penske starts 1-2-3, so it’s nice to be starting at the front there. That place, you’ll see a lot of different pit strategies and shuffling around and things like that, but a big part of that race too is trying to keep your nose clean because at some point you’re probably gonna get shuffled to the midpack or to the back and things like that, so just trying to keep your nose clean. We’ll see what the weather does. It’s kind of half and half on what it’s gonna do, but we already have some experience in the rain, so I’m not afraid of that anymore. I think it’s gonna be a good show. I’m just happy to be back at Watkins Glen. They have a great facility and great fans and it’s gonna be nice to see everybody again. Hopefully, we have a good run.”

Canadian Ford Dealership to Partner with Alfredo and Gilliland

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (August 3, 2021) – Front Row Motorsports (FRM) will help new partner, Bence Motor Sales (Ford) celebrate their 75th anniversary this weekend in Watkins Glen, N.Y. The Kaladar, Ontario, Canada, Ford dealership will join the No. 38 Ford F-150 of Todd Gilliland as an associate partner and be the primary partner of the No. 38 Ford Mustang of Anthony Alfredo on Sunday.

Bence Motor Sales (Ford) offers the Southeastern Ontario Ford customers a tremendous amount of automotive Ford products and services, carrying an impressive line of the new F-150, Ecosport, Escape, Edge, Explorer, Expedition and Mustang. Bence Motor Sales also has a vast variety of the Super Duty, a heavy-duty pickup truck. Bence Motor sales is also the only Certified Electric Vehicle Dealer in their local area, which includes the new F-150 Lightening and the Mustang Mach E.

Their services include trusted Ford car repair, original Ford auto parts, and auto financing to help customers purchase the car of their dreams. The company will be celebrating their 75th anniversary on August 14, 2021.

“We are a dedicated Ford dealer and we have dedicated Ford customers who have a passion for NASCAR,” said Joe Bence, Owner, Bence Motor Sales. “We wanted to partner again with a Ford Performance organization and Front Row Motorsports was a great fit with Todd and Anthony. Although we’re disappointed that NASCAR is not racing in Canada this year, we know that there are a lot of fans throughout New York who need Ford vehicles. They can count on us when the border opens. We wish Todd and Anthony luck this weekend.”

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competes at Watkins Glen for the first time since 2000. Gilliland has one previous start at the track in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Alfredo also has one previous start at Watkins Glen in the same series and is looking forward to his return to the track with Bence Motor Sales.

“I love road course racing and it’s awesome to have a new partner with Bence Motor Sales support us during my Cup Series debut at Watkins Glen,” said Alfredo. “You always want a company that is dedicated to Ford and Ford Performance. That’s who Bence Motor Sales is. And I know there are a lot of Canadian fans who are eager to get to the races once the border opens. We want to get them something to cheer for from home until that happens.”

For more information about Bence Motor Sales, visit www.bencemotorsford.com.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series and the 2021 Daytona 500 champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team– from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 3, 2021

JUSTIN MARKS, FOUNDER OF TRACKHOUSE RACING AND ROSS CHASTAIN, DRIVER OF THE NO. 1 TRACKHOUSE RACING CHEVROLET CAMARO IN 2022 – Teleconference transcript highlights:

NOTE: Ahead of Watkins Glen this weekend, Trackhouse Racing announced today that Ross Chastain will drive the organization’s second NASCAR Cup Series entry starting in 2022 and revealed his car will be the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro.
Chastain will join the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro driver, Daniel Suárez, when the first year Trackhouse organization expands into a two-car team in 2022.

OPENING REMARKS:

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW RIDE WITH TRACKHOUSE RACING. WALK US THROUGH YOUR EMOTIONS AND EXCITEMENT AS YOU LOOK FORWARD TO THE 2022 SEASON WITH YOUR NEW TEAM

ROSS CHASTAIN:
“The excitement is always the name of the day with an announcement like this. But it’s more than just excitement for another team. I’ve been now crazy enough, in this sport for 10 years and didn’t know what I was getting into 10 years ago, but what’s so crazy is that the first race I ever ran, I bought a seat and drove the next race after Justin had raced the same truck, the No. 66 truck for Stacy Compton. I had no idea how full circle this all could come. And it’s more than just another team. I’ve been in it a lot now. I’ve been fired and I’ve left teams and I’ve done a lot of things and I could do a lot of things better, but to bring it full circle with somebody I’ve known my entire time in this sport, and do it with this group, and I mean this when I say it truly feels like it’s more than just another team. And I think that’s what made this process of getting me in this car so much easier for both sides.”

JUSTIN MARKS:
‘Well, first of all, happy Watermelon Day, everyone (laughter). This is another great moment in the short history so far at Trackhouse Racing. As Ross mentioned, I’ve known him for a long time. When he first came on the scene, knocking on our front door with a couple $20 bills to buy a used race seat from me and for us both, not just him but for us both to be at this point right now, with the way our career trajectories have gone since then, some 10 years ago, is pretty amazing. Trackhouse, we’re trying to build something really special for the future and that means really recognizing talent that is an important point in the career, where they’ve got experience, but they’re young and they’re still building their career and that’s what we feel like we have with Daniel (Suarez) and now with Ross. Ross has a number of Cup starts under his belt. Just like Daniel, Ross is one of those guys where when he’s been sitting in race-winning equipment, he’s gotten the job done. And that’s the talent and the skill that is independent of just how fast you can go. There are a lot of guys who have sat in real fast stuff and not figured out how to close. We’ve got two winners on this race team now, two closers on this race team; I’ve got a lot of respect for Ross. He’s important to Chevrolet. It’s a great day. It was a great choice for our company. We’ve got somebody that can be a part of this company for a long time. I’m excited to offer Ross what I think is probably his first multi-year contract in his NASCAR career and it’s a way for us to show that we’re committed to him. We’re building this team around him, and I’m excited for the future.”

Q&A’S:

WHEN THIS STARTED, WHAT WERE THE INITIAL CONVERSATIONS LIKE AND WHEN DID YOU KNOW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?

ROSS CHASTAIN:
‘From my side, when the acquisition happened, I told Justin, I just texted him, and said I want this. It was just simple. I didn’t ask anybody. I didn’t confer with anybody. I knew Justin on that level, and I wanted it. From there, there were a lot of moving pieces and that’s the business side that I’m not involved in. But this is a big organization now. This is a large part of Chevrolet. And so, working through a lot of that stuff and my tenure now with Chevrolet is really from my career and changing the trajectory that it was on. It’s gone a lot of different ways over the years, and I am very blessed to find a home with Chevrolet. So that was important to me. And the relationships that I have there, both internally here in this race shop, but also across the broader Bowtie family where I’ve driven for is where I’ve made the most relationships. It took a little bit of working through the process, but I know for myself, and I think I speak for Justin, that we wanted it and whether or not it all worked out, we had to work through all the other stuff. But fundamentally, down at the core of it, I knew that this was where I wanted to be.”

WHAT DO YOU SEE IN ROSS AS A DRIVER?

JUSTIN MARKS:
“Well, he’s got a lot of fight and a lot of want in him. And I tell people this. When there’s a nuance when you’re looking at drivers and you’re trying to determine what skill sets they’ve got and what kind of potential they have. To me, I’m a huge fan of people that have had to work hard against adversity and against odds to try to get there they have gotten in their careers. And I think it’s that fight in those years of working hard toward something when it’s very difficult along the way, that pays dividends at the Cup level, especially late in races when you’re sitting in good equipment. Sometimes you see these guys that on a green-white-checkered and they have to top the field for their first win, which is one of the most difficult things to do in all of racing. But it’s more than just those two laps. That driver has to dig down into everything he’s fought for in that moment to deliver. And Ross has that personality profile. He’s delivered, like I said earlier. You want somebody who knows how to win. And winning is a talent that’s independent of how fast you can go over a couple of laps, how well you can quality, what your feedback is like. There’s a talent to winning. And it’s so hard to win in the Cup Series. Now, in this playoff-era, you want guys that you know if you build a company around them, put cars underneath them, and people behind him that give them the opportunity to win, that they’re going to go and do that job. Ross and Daniel have both proven that when they’ve been in those situations, they can deliver. The rest we can build around them.”

AFTER YOU FIRST TALKED TO JUSTIN AND FELT PRETTY GOOD, HAVE YOU HAD GOOD FEELINGS EVERY DAY SINCE THEN OR WAS IT A ROLLER COASTER RIDE UNTIL SIGNING THIS DEAL?

ROSS CHASTAIN:
“It’s good when you get done, and especially the excitement, but to be honest it was him stepping out of the truck and he was great. And he gave me advice. And he talked like we talked because he was the most relevant thing I had to talk to; somebody within that same race team. So, no matter what the conversation is over the years, he’s been harsh with me about crashing and overdriving and road courses and breaking transmissions and cooking my brakes and like, I never left those feeling degraded or beaten down. I was like okay, I have a new mentality on this and a new thought process. It was the same way with this. There were no bad days. I felt good about it all along. I probably was a little naïve to maybe all the inner workings of what goes into this because this is so over my head. I truly just focus on race cars, and I know when it’s National Watermelon Day and its Watermelon Day every day in my life. So yeah, it was good times and good talks.”

WHY THE NO. 1 CAR? DID YOU CONSIDER THE NO. 42? AND WHERE ARE YOU AT THIS POINT AS FAR AS THE CREW CHIEF AND CREW FOR ROSS FOR NEXT YEAR?

JUSTIN MARKS:
“It’s a good question. In some ways it’s really important because that’s what people talk about. But in some ways, you’re also focused on things that make race cars go fast, too. But for us, it’s always been important since day one at Trackhouse to build a real racing brand that’s bigger than any one person or any one person’s history with the manufacturer and the number or anything like that. Ross and I have both won in the No. 42. That’s not lost on me. The No. 42 has a great lineage in this sport. But we just really loved the idea of having the No. 99 and the No. 1, of having the highest number and the lowest number and the opportunities to brand a company around that and the uniqueness of that. And so that was exciting for us. I’ve always loved the No. 1. It’s got a history and we can start a new era with that number and put the Trackhouse brand behind it and Ross can grow with it, so that really kind of was a business decision.

“As far as other people, we’re working through that process right now. It’s hard to do all these things at once. You have to really kind of plan out your cadence and how on-board certain elements of the company and how you build the company and that’s a methodical thing that happens over time. For us right now, the most important thing was getting Ross committed to Trackhouse and Trackhouse committed to Ross and going through the process where we can build a future together. Now that’s over with, we’ll start building that team around Ross. But I will tell you, that No. 42 team is running well right now. And the last thing I want to do it try to break up any kind of momentum or break up a good thing, but that’s a process we have to go through over the next couple of months while being as little a distraction as possible to that No. 42 team because they’re in a position here to get into the Playoffs. That’s where our will remain over the next couple of weeks.”

WHERE IS YOUR ORGANIZATION RIGHT NOW AS FAR AS PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT GEN CAR NEXT YEAR?

JUSTIN MARKS:
“I’m happy with where we are. I think our progress so far is consistent with most everybody else in the series. What’s nice with us is that with our relationship at RCR, they’ve been instrumental in the development of this Next Gen car. The car has been in the shop all year long. So, we’ve had an opportunity to for the Trackhouse group to familiarize ourselves with how that car is built. There are times when I’m in the shop and Travis and I just look at the car and try to think about ways that we have to do quick repairs at the race track and how we’re going to change an engine and how we’re going to prepare the thing for a swing of West Coast races and all that. I like where we’re at because we’re constantly thinking about it. As far as the delivery of parts and pieces, we’re just at about the same level as everybody else. What’s nice is obviously we’re going to be able to have a car ready with Daniel to test in October for the first organizational test, and then we’re going to have a car to be able to test with Ross. So, we’re in a really great spot between CGR and Trackhouse Racing to get a lot of development in the off-season done and get to Daytona ready to go. I’m happy with it. We made a commitment from day one that as soon as those ordering banks opened, we started putting in orders for parts and every because we didn’t want to be behind anybody else in this sport. I’m happy with where we’re at.”

YOU MENTIONED THIS IS A MULTI-YEAR DEAL WITH ROSS, SO HE’S IN THE CAR FOR 2023?

JUSTIN MARKS:
“He is. Yeah. That was one of the things that I was really happy to do, with and for Ross because as I mentioned at the top of the call, Ross has not been in a position where he’s had a ton of job security in his life, or he’s had a team come to him and say you’re a big part of our future and we want to build around you. Ross has got 15 years of competitive Cup racing ahead of him in his career and we want to be the ones to step up and tell him and this is what I told him on the phone when I called him and said this ride is yours if you want it and the fact that, we are building this team around you. And that means orchestrating our work force around Ross, supporting him, and giving him all the tools that he needs to be successful in the Cup Series and win races and to put these Trackhouse cars in the Playoffs. And I think having some job security and being able to put a contract in front of him that’s a multi-year contract is going to let him exhale a little bit after fighting for his life for 10 years and say this is my home and I’m ready to get to work. And that was an important part for Trackhouse.”

WHAT DOES THIS MULTI-YEAR DEAL FEEL LIKE FOR YOU?

ROSS CHASTAIN:
“It’s indescribable. It is a relief. But it’s really been since we knew this was going to happen, a pretty short time ago, maybe it changes now that it’s public and everybody knows, but it’s really been like okay now it’s like taking a breath. But I can’t change how I do things. This is what got me here. I just don’t have to go take everything I don’t have to take in. So that’s what I’ve been trying to work on this year is just a different mentality on my race craft and what goes through my head, both pre-race and also, during the race. When Justin said that when we were talking, it’s indescribable, what that means. I really have even struggled to tell Justin what it means to me that he would not only say that but to truly put it down and put it on paper.”

HAVE YOU HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH CHIP GANASSI RACING AND THEIR CURRENT SPONSOR LINE-UP AND POTENTIALLY MAKING THE TRANSITION OVER TO YOU GUYS NEXT YEAR?

JUSTIN MARKS:
“Yeah, there has been some great dialogue. That was an important element of the acquisition, obviously to just try to make sure we get an audience with all those partners and tell them our story and what we’re trying to build and the assets that we have to contribute to the marketing platform. And we’ve had a lot of great conversations. I think you’re going to see some of those companies stay. We’ve also got some great companies that we’re still working on the 99-yard line now with right that are going to join our organization that haven’t been involved in the sport yet that have been paying attention to Ross and have seen the CGR acquisition and everything. So, I think we’re in a great spot. There are a lot of great partners at CGR and there are a lot of partners that are big fans of Ross. We’re going through that process right now and I’m pretty confident. I don’t think we’re going to have one unsold race next year. I feel confident on that. It’s just a matter of telling a great story and getting great people and just doing the work. So, I like where we’re at.”

THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION LATELY ON ATHLETES AND MENTAL HEALTH. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE UPS AND DOWNS?

ROSS CHASTAIN:
“Yes, you definitely have not seen all the low points. And that’s not something I think, as people, we could ever knowingly go and share. But my biggest thing that has helped me is surrounding myself with people that I can truly talk to. And I truly believe that they have my best interests at heart. And that starts with my family and my dad and my mom, and I’ve got uncles and aunts and cousins that I talk to weekly, if not daily. And they don’t know anything about racing. But we compare to the farm and how we handle stuff there. And then in the racing, that’s where it gets scary because it’s so hard to truly trust anybody in this sport. And I mean that. And I know that people struggle to trust me. But I have a group that I can trust. When that clicked and I realized that I can all these couple of people anytime and truly tell them what’s going on and not have to worry. Now, in social media, you just don’t know, and you just don’t know how something can spiral. Truly knowing that they’re going to do what’s best for me and help talk me through that, even as simple as taking about this opportunity with Justin and Trackhouse and truly looking at it from all sides and knowing that we want the best for my career. And yes, I think that’s the biggest thing for me is truly having those people in the sport as well as the people in Florida and the watermelon industry, but truly having the people that are working in this sport day in and day out on other projects. They’re not just at CGR or Trackhouse or Spire, like they’re doing a lot of things; but truly having those couple of guys and girls that I can just call any time of day or night and just lay it out there. I think talking about it would help a lot of people if they just had that outlet to talk about it. It’s just a phone call. It’s just a text. It’s going to dinner or having dinner at their house where it’s private, and talking about the true, dirty details about whatever is going on and figure it out. I don’t wish those bad or uneasy feelings on anybody, but you have to have that person or those people that you can call or talk to and truly trust and just lay it out there and be honest and open because you cannot handle it all your own. And I figured that out, fortunately, before it was too late.”
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.

Team: No. 6 Socios Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Race Format: 220.5 miles, 90 laps, Stages: 20-20-50
NASCAR Cup Race at Watkins Glen – Sunday, August 8 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Newman at Watkins Glen

· Newman will make his 19th start at WGI on Sunday. In 18 prior starts, he has an average finish of 18.3 with three top-10s and one top five.

· Newman’s best Cup finish at WGI came in his first-ever race at the track back in 2002 after he started fifth, led 11 laps and went on to finish second. He followed that up with a ninth-place run in 2003 and also finished top-10 (eighth) in 2006.

· With nine top-10 starts at WGI, Newman’s average starting position is 12.5 and he has a top qualifying effort of third (2006).

· Newman does have a win in the Xfinity Series at WGI, which came back in 2005 after starting fourth. He has one additional NXS top-10 (ninth) in 2007.

Scott Graves at Watkins Glen

· Graves will be on the box for his fifth Cup event at WGI, where he has two top fives including a best run of third in 2017. He followed that with a fourth-place finish in 2018, both with Daniel Suarez.

· Graves also led Carl Edwards to an Xfinity victory in 2012 after starting second. He followed that with finishes of third (2015) with Chris Buescher and fourth with Suarez in 2016.

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on Racing at WGI:
“Road course racing has obviously been an emphasis for our schedule this season, and this will mark the first of two-straight for us at a track I always found to be fun and challenging. Limiting mistakes and keeping track position is generally the name of the game at a place like Watkins Glen, and that’s our goal come Sunday in the Socios Ford, a new look for our No. 6 and one we think fans will enjoy seeing on track.”

Last Time Out
Newman finished 24th in the last NASCAR event at Loudon.

Where They Rank
Newman is 27th in points through 22 events.

On the Car

It was announced back in May that Socios – the leading blockchain platform for the global sports and entertainment industry – announced the $ROUSH Fan Token. Fan tokens are collectible digital assets, minted on the Chiliz blockchain that provide owners with access to voting rights in polls, VIP rewards, exclusive promotions, AR-enabled features, chat forums, games and competitions on the mobile app Socios.com.

Through the $ROUSH Fan Tokens, fans were given the opportunity to vote on and help influence all assets associated with the race team at WGI, including the paint scheme for both RFR machines. A ‘Fire and Ice’ theme was decided on, with the No. 6 receiving the fire theme, and ice on the No. 17 team. Roush Fenway was the first U.S. sports team to launch a fan token on Socios.com.

About Socios
Transitioning passive fans into active fans is essential to the future of sport. Our vision is for an extensive network of the world’s leading sporting organizations to achieve this through Fan Tokens and transactional fan engagement on Socios.com. Fan Tokens, collectible, digital assets minted on the Chiliz blockchain, and the Socios.com fan engagement platform enable the world’s biggest sporting properties to plug into a fan influence and fan reward ecosystem. Socios.com has already generated $120M in revenues for sports teams in 2021. To date, 29 major sporting organisations, including UFC® , FC Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City have partnered with Socios.com. Leading esports organizations Team Heretics, NAVI, OG and Alliance have all launched Fan Tokens on the platform.NHL side New Jersey Devils recently became the first US sports franchise to partner with Socios.com. Many more leading sports and entertainment properties from around the world are set to launch Fan Tokens in the near future. Chiliz, the crypto unicorn behind the Socios.com platform has 110+ employees, multiple office locations around the world and will open new offices in Spain, US and Brazil in 2021. For more information please visit www.socios.com.

Team: No. 17 Socios Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Luke Lambert
Twitter: @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 220.5 miles, 90 laps, Stages: 20-20-50

NASCAR Cup Race at Watkins Glen – Sunday, August 8 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Buescher at Watkins Glen

· Buescher makes his sixth Cup start at WGI on Sunday. In five prior events he has an average finish of 22.2 with recent finishes of 11th (2017) and 13th (2019). This will mark Buescher’s first race at WGI as part of Roush Fenway after COVID-19 cancelled the 2020 event in New York.

· Buescher also made two starts in the Xfinity Series at WGI, with a best finish of third in 2015 after starting fifth.

Luke Lambert at Watkins Glen

· Lambert will call his ninth Cup event at WGI this weekend, where he has one top-10 (ninth) which came with Jeff Burton in 2011.

· He also ran 12th with Elliott Sadler in his lone Xfinity start at The Glen.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on Racing at WGI:
“We’ve had road courses circled on our calendar all season long, so the chance to have two-straight opportunities turning left and right is huge for us. I think we’ve shown over the past year and a half that road course racing can be a great thing for our team, and our positive momentum for the playoffs has to start this weekend at Watkins Glen. Proud to carry the colors of Socios this weekend for their debut into the sport and one we’re thrilled to help tell the story of.”

Last Time Out
Buescher finished 29th in the series’ last event at Loudon.

Where They Rank
Buescher is 18th in the playoff picture, needing a win to insert himself into the playoffs that start at Darlington the first weekend of September.

On the Car

It was announced back in May that Socios – the leading blockchain platform for the global sports and entertainment industry – announced the $ROUSH Fan Token. Fan tokens are collectible digital assets, minted on the Chiliz blockchain that provide owners with access to voting rights in polls, VIP rewards, exclusive promotions, AR-enabled features, chat forums, games and competitions on the mobile app Socios.com.

Through the $ROUSH Fan Tokens, fans were given the opportunity to vote on and help influence all assets associated with the race team at WGI, including the paint scheme for both RFR machines. A ‘Fire and Ice’ theme was decided on, with the No. 6 receiving the fire theme, and ice on the No. 17 team. Roush Fenway was the first U.S. sports team to launch a fan token on Socios.com.

About Socios
Transitioning passive fans into active fans is essential to the future of sport. Our vision is for an extensive network of the world’s leading sporting organizations to achieve this through Fan Tokens and transactional fan engagement on Socios.com. Fan Tokens, collectible, digital assets minted on the Chiliz blockchain, and the Socios.com fan engagement platform enable the world’s biggest sporting properties to plug into a fan influence and fan reward ecosystem. Socios.com has already generated $120M in revenues for sports teams in 2021. To date, 29 major sporting organisations, including UFC® , FC Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City have partnered with Socios.com. Leading esports organizations Team Heretics, NAVI, OG and Alliance have all launched Fan Tokens on the platform.NHL side New Jersey Devils recently became the first US sports franchise to partner with Socios.com. Many more leading sports and entertainment properties from around the world are set to launch Fan Tokens in the near future. Chiliz, the crypto unicorn behind the Socios.com platform has 110+ employees, multiple office locations around the world and will open new offices in Spain, US and Brazil in 2021. For more information please visit www.socios.com.