Toyota Racing – Pre-Race Media Availability|
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
LOUDON, NH (July 18, 2021) – Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Christopher Bell and 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace were made available to media prior to the New Hampshire race today:
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Did you get any feedback after last week’s comments?
“Sure, it always gets some attention. It was good and we had some great conversations. Marcus (Smith, SMI) and Steve Phelps (NASCAR) and those guys. Collectively, we understand that we’re better together than we are separate.”
Did they appreciate you speaking out?
“I think that we understand that we’re better together. Whenever there’s input from all the stakeholders or certainly all sides get heard then I believe we can make the sport better if we all work together. They agree.”
Do you have any desire to try the SRX Series if there’s a second season?
“Yeah, I do. Nashville is actually on my radar six months ago as one I would have liked to have done, but a few conflicts and couldn’t do it. It’s a good series, looks like it’s growing and has a lot of enthusiasm. It’s a good balance of competition and show I guess.”
Where do things stand in signing the second driver for 23XI Racing for 2022?
“Still working on it. For us, it’s different because we don’t have a charter. You have to have that in place. There’s just so many moving parts, you’re trying to do them all at one time. I still feel confident no matter what, we like where we’re at on expanding in the future.”
How do you feel the 23XI Racing team is progressing?
“Good. We’ve progressed. We started the year with the first 10 races running 16th to 22nd and we’re now running 12th to 16th, that’s kind of right where we’re at these last few weeks. It’s about taking the next step at this point. I think my question to the team is, ‘What’s next? How do we now move that up?’ When you look at data and everything, the car has a ton of potential and how can we optimize Bubba (Wallace), the entire team’s performance, pit crew and everything to get better. Now, to get in the top-10 consistently, gaining those three to four spots we need to get in the top-10 consistently, that’s a big step. I want to see them get there by the end of the year.”
Has it felt like a lot for you this year juggling both responsibilities?
“It’s a lot. I do prioritize the time. I do compartmentalize when I need to be working on certain things. I feel like I’m high-functioning enough to where I can turn one switch on and turn the other one off. I can do that. I’ve done it for so many years. I can be on the phone five minutes before the race and I’m like, I’ve got to go do my job now. I’ve done it for a very long time so I think some people can handle it different than others and I have a good balance of it right now. Although, in the future, would I love to get my hands off of it a little bit? Yeah, but we’re in the building process so I’m going to be a little more hands-on.”
Do you look at the regular season title differently due to the amount of bonus points on the line?
“We do. We certainly do. It’s an extra win. It’s the difference between 15 and 10. Not only that, we could almost consider it a short competition between us and the 5 (Kyle Larson). The five races we’re basically even, certainly whoever can win between the two of us is going to feel pretty pumped. It’s five races to out-run them. We gave up huge chunks when he was on that big run and now we’re just maintaining each other. When he makes a mistake, I make a mistake. It’s just going back and forth. I would say certainly there’s some inner competition there and we both want it really bad.”
How do you think you stack up for the next five races?
“I look at the tracks and I’m like, it’s 50-50. It just depends on the week and who can hit it on any given week. I think this, when I look at tracks like New Hampshire, probably I think it’s advantage us. Maybe not, we might get our ass kicked today. It’s advantage us. You look at some of the road courses, they’ve been a little stronger than us so maybe advantage them. Michigan, Kyle’s (Larson) been very good there so maybe advantage them. We ran first and second there last year and Daytona, crap shoot, but I like my chances. We have a mix. It will go down to the end in Daytona I think to decide it.”
How difficult is it for drivers to battle for top-10s when they’re used to racing for top-20s?
“It’s different because you have to drive differently. You’re racing against guys you haven’t raced against for your whole career. You’re battling (Kevin) Harvick and (Joey) Logano at Atlanta and these are not guys that he’s (Bubba Wallace) been battling against for position very much in his career so you have to understand and learn how they race and what they expect. That’s how you optimize your passes with them. That is a learning curve that we can certainly improve on and he can improve on. Again, he is improving and I’m seeing it in the data, I see it on track. He’s improving and that’s all I can ask for.”
How key will track position be today with no practice and qualifying?
“I think it will be bigger today, more so without the PJ1. I thought yesterday passing was a little more difficult because the lanes were slightly narrower. I think track position will be big today for sure. Hopefully we can keep it. We’re going to have some conditions here that are going to be treacherous at this track with no rubber on it, cold, clean. It’s going to be loose. You’re going to see a lot of sideways cars to start the race.”
Are you happy there is no PJ1 here today?
“I’m indifferent. I thought this was one of the race tracks actually that benefitted pretty good from it. Essentially, indifferent. I think that there’s probably a chance for more accidents really with this type of format because everyone is fighting for a lane or two. You don’t have three lanes of cars spread out. It’s equally a challenge. We’re up for it and I think it’s going to be a learning curve. I think a lot of crew chiefs were panicking come Thursday or Friday when they found out that there was going to be no spray and now they’re looking at notes from three or four years ago versus the last couple.”
How did you feel about this race when you came from the back to the front of the field?
“That was a better example of the fastest race car dominating. That car made me look so good, it was incredible. You just do not get cars like that often, but I just remember running in practice thinking, there is nobody even going to touch this car. I read very, very few articles before races, but one popped up in my feed and it was like, ‘Denny (Hamlin) will essentially be a two touchdown favorite in this race.’ I’m like, I’m going against 40 other people not just one, but the lap times supported it and I didn’t believe that. When I raced, they were right. This car was really fast.”
Are you still frightened of lobsters?
“Probably not as much. Trust me, if they give me one today, I’ll hold it. I might look scared, but I’ll hold it. It’s interesting that the phobia does have a name and I’m in Wikipedia.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
“You always try to race everybody hard, but race everybody as clean as you can. Then see how it plays out. Spaces get tighter as the race winds down and gets closer to the end, guys trying to pinch you, block you, you trying to put it in a hole that ain’t quite there or whatever it might be and contact will happen. That’s just racing. Race it out.”
Did you want to have practice and qualifying at this track?
“It’s not about whether or not we want it, it’s we’re not getting it. It is what it is and we just show up and run. With not having the practice time, it’s the same for everybody so we just try to come out here and for me, it’s remembering what I did two years ago because last year we only made 10 laps and crashed. It’s been a while since we’ve run a full race here.”
How hard has it been adapting to all the changes this past year?
“Obviously, it’s adapting, but last year there were guys that were good that won a lot of races and they were fast and this year those guys aren’t winning and now you’ve got different guys that are kind of winning. It’s just mixed up, it’s weird, it’s different. It doesn’t matter which form or fashion you come to the race track in, you always want to be fast, you want to be good, you want to be winning. Honestly, with as easy as everything is with just show up and race, it’s the perfect storm for anyone as long as you’re good. When you’re winning, it’s like it doesn’t matter, we’re good.”
Are you comfortable with no PJ1 being down today?
“It doesn’t matter. I think it’s just going to play out to be a normal, typical Loudon. Tough to pass, figure it out as you go type of race. I didn’t even see a lap of the Xfinity race yesterday. We’ll see what happens.”
Will you miss getting to race Xfinity with this lack of practice? How much has it helped?
“No, not really. You only get five anyway and it’s not like those five are really giving you a whole extra lot more than what you would without running. We picked the races that we chose for strategic purposes of getting laps at tracks I’d never been to and that seemed to help us I feel like. Overall, it was a good experience. Now that it’s done pretty much the rest of the year with places we’ve already been to other than Indy road course. That’s just a matter of just trying to learn as you get there.”
Are you seeing some of your traits in Brexton’s racing?
“No doubt, I think that he (Brexton Busch) enjoys racing. He would race every day, he’s always asking about going to the race track and when we’re going again. When we do get the chance to go and get the chance to race and he wants to qualify first. He wants to finish first in every heat race, he wants to win every feature. Just yesterday, he qualified first, he started fourth in his heat and he didn’t pass anybody in his heat so he was very visibly upset, angry, mad, crying, screaming for not passing anybody in the heat race and then in the main, the main didn’t go very well either. He was visibly upset on that. It’s just a matter of trying to harness all of that and figure out how to use that to his advantage going forward.”
Is this two week break a good idea?
“I think so. Whether it’s one or two weeks, three weeks, whatever it is. Having an off-week is good. I think it’s about time for us, a good summer break anyways to be able to go out and do things in the summertime that typically you’d always have to wait for the winter time. I can’t tell you how many winter vacations I’ve been on and places that I’ve gone in December, January versus actually being able to go somewhere far away in July.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Reser’s Fine Foods #LetsPicnic Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
How does it feel to be back in New England?
“It feels good. Haven’t been able to do much because we just got here late last night. Excited about the race today. Still looking for that first win here in the Cup car. Hopefully, today is our day.”
What is the challenge at this track for you to close the deal for that elusive win?
“It’s just a tricky place. Flat corners, a lot of bumps getting into turn three. Both ends are a bit different even though they look the same. Those little banking transitions, flat apron, a little bit of banking, a little bit of banking – it changes your car so drastically when you cross those seams and how you cross them. It just changes. Now no PJ1 today after planning on racing on PJ1 and the car leaving the shop to race on PJ1, it’s been a challenge to try to make some tweaks to it since then. The challenge is that it’s unique, it’s tough and difficult. Very sensitive to small changes.”
Can you talk about how close you’ve been to three wins in a row at Watkins Glen?
“I think the last two second place finishes, it was just track position. Somehow the 9 (Chase Elliott) ended up in front of us and we couldn’t pass him. That’s a really, really fast place and it can be difficult to pass. His car was better in different spots than mine. From lap times, we were faster both years – I could get to him, but he was just fast in the right places where I couldn’t pass him. I will have to hopefully figure out how to get faster in a few key areas. But I love going there, it’s a fast place and it would have been awesome if we could have won three in a row out there.”
How frustrating is it when you feel you have a better car and just can’t find a way to pass?
“It’s always frustrating. It’s always tough to deal with and tough to keep focused on what you’re doing and not make mistakes and hit your marks and hope they make a mistake. That’s usually, at the end of the day, how you get by a guy at a place like that or when you’re in that kind of situation. Here today, it’s going to be that kind of situation. It’s going to be tough to pass and track position is important. You have to do everything right, you have to execute to win these races. The smallest little details, you lose one spot and you might run second. That’s what you need to focus on.”
Are you as disappointed as Kevin Harvick that you’re not running the oval track at Indy?
“I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about it that much. I’m not going to throw up. I haven’t won two in a row there or whatever like he (Kevin Harvick) has. That’s probably a little bit of that. It is a historic track, but I don’t know. I don’t really think about things like a lot of people. I’m looking forward to the road course and another opportunity to get a win.”
Can you feel the gap closing between Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports?
“I did last week at Atlanta. I felt like 20 more laps we were going to be in the fight for the win. Maybe 15. Really happy last weekend with our car and how things went. I do still think Atlanta is a totally unique race track and it’s kind of a one-off. I don’t know, it’s really hard to say these days where you stack up because through the summer here you’re at so many different tracks and things are changing. There’s really no consistency to anything. It’s more just guys show up one week and they’re gone for two. It’s hard to be consistent a little bit is what I’m saying. I feel good about our team and where we’re at. We’ll see if we can keep that going.”
How much do you circle this race on your calendar with your family’s success at this track?
“Honestly, we put a lot of effort in every week. It’s not like we say that we’re really going to try this weekend or this one’s important. They’re all important so we try hard every week. For me personally, this is a big one. I’d love to check it off the list. Been so close here a lot of times. We’ve got great numbers and great runs here and a lot of laps led and things, just haven’t been able to close the deal. Just trying to figure out how to do that and hopefully today is the day.”
What are you going to do during the two week break?
“Chilling, fishing, whatever. Just hanging out.”
How does this race track change throughout the race?
“Just as the rubber goes down, it loses grip in certain areas. Track position is definitely a big part of that. If you lose it, your car handles worse. That kind of compounds things and you can get off on those long runs.”
Does it hurt to not have practice and qualifying at this track?
“It hurts everywhere to really get your car feeling the way you want it to, but it’s the same for everyone. It really just puts a lot more pressure on the engineers and crew chiefs to make the right decisions to have the perfect setup, which is very, very difficult. It’s hard to come up with that with just computers. There’s a lot of guesswork involved and a lot of things going off past history and trying to make good decisions based on that. It’s a big challenge for those guys and I don’t know that they get enough credit for what they’re able to do and the stuff they have to work on.”
Could today’s race come down to strategy?
“Anytime you’re dealing with track position it comes down to strategy. You have to pit at the right time, you have to be in the right place with the right tires at the right time. It’s always easier to pass them in the pits on pit calls than it is on the race track. Making the right pit calls is huge, but your car has to be good as well or they’ll just pass you.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem – Watts Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
How do you feel about your chances for today now that we’ve had rain on the track?
“I don’t think it really changes. It will definitely affect the way the car drivers, but that’s probably more on the crew chief than on the driver. As long as my car is good, it won’t be a big change inside the car from my standpoint. From the crew chief’s standpoint, yeah absolutely, but not from my standpoint.”
How many laps will you lead today after 151 yesterday?
“I hope at least one and that one is the last one. I don’t know, we’ll have to see.”
BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry, 23XI Racing
How would you assess the first part of this season with 23XI Racing?
“It’s coming together. I think we’ve wanted more top-fives, top-10s. We’ve had the speed for a little bit, but there are certain things that have taken us out or put us behind a little bit. It’s just a matter of perseverance and coming back and just trying to get the best results. It seems like we’ve been on a pretty good streak here the last few weeks. Just need to keep it going.”
Is the two week break a good thing or does it interfere with momentum?
“Off weeks are much needed. This is a high stress job for all of us. It will be nice to have a mental reset. Doing nothing is fun.”
How do you prepare for this track to be green from the rain now with no PJ1?
“I went back and watched the 2014 truck race just to see. Should be fine. The Xfinity race was fine yesterday.”
How important is track position at New Hampshire?
“Track position is key everywhere in these race cars. No different than any other track.”
Are you looking forward to having a second team next season?
“It will be beneficial. Everybody is hitting the reset button next year with the new car. Having whatever comes through, getting another opinion will be vital for moving the organization forward.”
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