• Ford’s all-new 2022 NASCAR Next Gen Mustang was unveiled today at a media reveal ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina
• World’s best-selling sports car remains Ford’s entry in America’s most popular form of auto racing
• All-new NASCAR Mustang incorporates much of the same architecture seen in production cars, including rack-and-pinion steering, independent rear suspension, 18-inch tires and a symmetric body
• NASCAR Next Gen Mustang makes its racing debut at the Daytona 500 Feb. 20, 2022

DEARBORN, Mich., May 5, 2021 – A completely new era in stock car racing is ushered in today as Ford unveils its all-new 2022 NASCAR Next Gen Mustang to the public in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Next Gen Mustang will compete in the NASCAR Cup Series starting next season.

The new car, which has been under development for two years, is completely different from its predecessor – redesigned from the ground up. Unlike past versions, with the exterior being the only noticeable change, this model is built for the future, featuring flexibility for technological advances such as a hybrid or electric powertrain.

The new race car more closely mirrors its Mustang production counterpart, which maintains its title as world’s best-selling sports car.

“A lot of work has been done behind the scenes to make sure this Next Gen Mustang remains relevant to our customers,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “As the automotive industry continues to change, we’ll have the ability to keep up in the racing world without having to go through a complete overhaul or redesign of the car. This is something we’ve been waiting for and we’re glad the time has finally arrived.”

Changes include rack-and-pinion steering, independent rear suspension and 18-inch tires with aluminum forged wheels. The all-new body features a wider stance, while a symmetric exterior shell, tail and smaller greenhouse area closely resemble the production Mustang.

“This car is true to the Mustang brand and we have to thank the Ford design team for working hand-in-hand with our aerodynamic engineers to ensure it is competitive on the track, while maintaining unique Mustang styling,” said Rushbrook. “That requires a lot of give-and-take on both sides, but with the new smaller greenhouse area and shorter rear deck, we were able to do a lot of things to make sure there’s no mistaking this is a Mustang.”

Development of the new car took place both in Ford’s Dearborn design center and at the Ford Performance Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina, where Ford’s NASCAR scale model and aero teams are located. Extensive development continues on full-motion simulators at the technical center, where both racing and production car work takes place.

“Mustang is an iconic brand for Ford and when I saw the Next Gen Mustang in person for the first time I was pumped,” said Team Penske driver Joey Logano, the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion. “The aggressive look of the nose and the changes to the greenhouse and tail make the car more authentic to the street Mustang than ever before. I know the fans are going to love the Next Gen Mustang and I can’t wait to get it on the track.”

Mustang came to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2019 and has won at least 10 races each of its first two years, including a season-high 18 victories in 2020 that helped Ford win the manufacturers’ championship.

The NASCAR Next Gen Mustang makes its competition debut on Feb. 20, 2022, at Daytona International Speedway for the 64th annual Daytona 500.

To learn more about Mustang, please visit Ford.com/Mustang.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford trucks, utility vehicles, and cars – increasingly including electrified versions – and Lincoln luxury vehicles; provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company; and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected vehicle services. Ford employs approximately 186,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit corporate.ford.com.

OEMs and NASCAR collaborate to bring production elements to race cars

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Chevrolet and other major automotive brands competing in the NASCAR Cup Series revealed their Next Gen models today. Chevrolet’s new look on the racetrack will more closely connect to its cars in the showroom when Chevy campaigns its Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car starting next season in the NASCAR Cup Series. The new look and features are a result of a collaborative effort by Chevrolet, the series and other original equipment manufacturers for race cars competing at the Cup level to look and perform more like their production counterparts.

The Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car’s new lower greenhouse, shortened deck lid and widened track width contribute to a coupe-like appearance. A fully symmetrical body design makes the race car look even more like the production Camaro.

“Chevrolet engineers and designers worked alongside our race teams to develop this race car while staying true to the styling essence of the Camaro ZL1,” said Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports. “This cooperation will benefit Chevrolet both on the track and the street.”

Both the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car and production Camaro ZL1 offer hood air extractors that enhance track performance.

“The Next Gen Camaro has a much stronger link to the production Camaro ZL1 in terms of styling integration, improved proportions and relevant technologies,” said Eric Warren, Chevrolet director of NASCAR Programs. “From an engineering standpoint, this is a seismic shift. It’s a completely new car that brings with it a lot of opportunity from a technical standpoint.”

Other changes to the 2022 Next Gen race car include:

• Upgraded specs to match modern passenger vehicle technology, including independent rear suspension – like production Camaros – and rack and pinion steering.

• An increase in wheel size from 15 to 18 inches. The larger diameter wheels allow for larger brakes for improved track performance. Wheels will be made from forged aluminum, like the wheels on the production Camaro ZL1.

• A new transaxle that combines the transmission and rear gears into one package.

• The bottom of the car will be sealed with an underwing and rear diffuser for enhanced aerodynamics.

• A redesigned chassis features new front and rear bumpers with an energy-management system.

• Both the front and rear clips bolt on to the center section for easier serviceability and damage repair.

Chevrolet initially introduced the Camaro ZL1 race car to NASCAR Cup competition in 2018. It was replaced by the Camaro ZL1 1LE race car in 2020, which Chase Elliot drove to a Driver’s Championship in the car’s first season.

Chevrolet has campaigned 14 different nameplates in the Cup Series, dating back to 1955, and with 798 victories is the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history. Chevy’s first win was by Fonty Flock at Columbia Speedway in South Carolina in 1955, the same year Chevrolet introduced its famed small-block V-8. Since then, Chevrolet has won 39 Manufacturer Championships, including 13 in a row from 2003-2015, and 32 Driver Championships to lead all manufacturers.

The Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car will make its points-paying debut at next season’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on Feb. 20, 2022.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car Saturday, May 8, at 8 p.m. ET by joining “Chevy MyWay: Meet the All-New NASCAR Next Gen Camaro,” a free broadcast open to all. The link to this event page will be live at 3:30 p.m. today.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with 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.

As NASCAR Introduces Next Gen, Toyota Adds TRD Camry to Nameplate

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (May 5, 2021) – More than two years in the making, Toyota and TRD (Toyota Racing Development) today unveiled the manufacturer’s Next Gen car that will take to the track in 2022 – the Toyota TRD Camry – in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS).

Toyota has been working alongside NASCAR, as well as the other OEMs, on the development of the Next Gen vehicles for competition. The components of the Next Gen race cars are an unprecedented move for the sport, but one that looks to continue to evolve safety enhancements of the race cars and promote on-track competition.

Toyota, TRD (Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A.) and Calty Design have worked together to ensure as many body styling characteristics as possible are incorporated into the Toyota TRD Camry Next Gen so it resembles its production counterpart as closely as possible. From the grill to the spoiler and everywhere in between, the Next Gen TRD Camry race car has the most body styling attributes to its production counterpart than ever before in a NCS Camry. This is a practice that Toyota and TRD have employed since the development of the 2013 Camry in NCS competition.

“There has been a substantial amount of work put into the Toyota TRD Camry Next Gen car by all of our partners, but specifically everyone at TRD and Calty Design,” said Paul Doleshal, group manager of motorsports and assets, TMNA (Toyota Motor North America). “We’re thrilled to have the chance to showcase the TRD Camry to represent Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series through this Next Gen project. This is our topline, track-inspired performance Camry and it seemed only fitting for it to take it’s spot on the race track.”

Toyota continues to be the only manufacturer in NASCAR to showcase three nameplates across NASCAR’s three national series – the TRD Camry in the NCS, the Supra in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) and the Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). Since joining the NCS and NXS in 2007, Camrys have earned 156 NCS wins and three NCS championships along with 171 NXS wins and two NXS championships. And since Tundra’s entry into the NCWTS in 2004, Toyota has claimed 205 victories and eight Truck Series championships.

“For Toyota and TRD, we’re committed to the principle of continuous improvement and we believe that’s reflected in this Next Gen TRD Camry,” said David Wilson, president of TRD. “While we know the margins available with this new race car are smaller when it comes to adjustability, we know our race team partners and our team at TRD look forward to the challenge of learning about this car and discovering the performance opportunities that will help put the TRD Camry into victory lane.”

The Toyota TRD Camry Next Gen will make its debut as the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 20, 2022.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy team head into Darlington Raceway and Sunday’s Goodyear 400 hoping to continue their recent string of success, which includes a top-10 finish at Richmond followed by back-to-back top-fives, at Talladega and Kansas.

DiBenedetto, who is set to start eighth, said he’s anxious to try to tame the Lady in Black, which has confounded many a driver over the years. He said he was up to the challenge presented by the handling package NASCAR has chosen for Darlington races in recent years, one that can lead to lots of slipping and sliding on the 71-year-old track.

“I’m super excited that we are running the low-downforce package at Darlington this week,” he said, adding that he’s hoping to maintain the momentum of the past few weeks.

In the past seven races, he’s been among the top 15 every race and moved from 30th in points to 16th.

“It has been a lot of fun for our group to have gained so much ground in such a short time,” he said. “It really shows our strength as a team.”

Eddie Wood said he too is looking forward to being among the team members at Darlington to support the Menards/Dutch Boy Mustang. He said NASCAR’s original superspeedway is one of his all-time favorite tracks.

“Darlington is special to me,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of success there.”

Much of that success came after Wood had become a full-time crew member.

“I was there the first time David Pearson got in our car,” he said. “No one knew how it would work out.”

Pearson was 37 when he joined the Woods eight races into the 1972 season. At that point, he hadn’t enjoyed much success since leaving the powerful Holman-Moody team midway through the 1971 season. And the Woods were running a very limited schedule at that time.

“I remember it very distinctly,” Wood said. “David started on the pole, led a lot of laps (202) and won the race.”

That was the first of six wins in 14 starts in the No. 21 that season, along with five more finishes of fourth or better.

Before they were done, Pearson and the Woods won 43 races together, including multiple victories in the sport’s premier events.

“That first Darlington win started it all,” Wood said.

Sunday’s 400-miler will mark the Woods’ 97th appearance at Darlington, and they will be seeking their ninth win there.

The green flag is set to fly just after 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1. Stage breaks will come at Laps 90 and 185.

Menards

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

Wood Brothers Racing

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

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
GOODYEAR 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 5, 2021

RICKY STENHOUSE, JR., NO. 47 KROGER/TIDE CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript:

WITH THE NEXT GEN UNVEIL TODAY, DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF HOW THIS CAR WILL DRIVE DIFFERENTLY THAN THE CURRENT CAR?
“I’ve actually got no clue. I haven’t driven it. I haven’t even gotten to see it. So, I know they keep making changes to it. I feel like every time they drive it, and I’ve heard a little bit of feedback from some of the other guys on some steering issues and things they were running through, especially at the road course. I’ve heard a few things. For us, and everyone at JTG, we’re really focused on this car that we have right now and finishing out the season. But also, we’ve got to be looking ahead of what’s to come with the new car. I’m excited as anyone else to see it because I haven’t seen it. So as far as all the character lines and what each manufacturer and what they’re going to look like so it’s a big day for our sport, for sure.”

PART OF THE IDEA OF THIS CAR IS THAT EVERYBODY IS BUYING THEIR CHASSIS FROM THE SAME PEOPLE AND BODIES FROM THE SAME PEOPLE. DO HAVE ANY SENSE OF WHETHER THIS WILL INCREASE PARITY OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE TEAMS WITH THE MOST MONEY WILL STILL PREVAIL?
“Yeah, I think it can close it up at times, but I think in the end and the long run, the teams that still spend the most and use the most resources are going to find ways to make their car perform better than everybody else’s. So, I think you’ll still get to that point; but down the road, I don’t know, I feel like what we’re seeing right now with no changes from year to year, I think you’re seeing a lot of parity in our sport. This year versus last year, not a ton of changes going on. So, who knows, with this new car if they keep everything pretty consistent year after year, then maybe everybody gets really, really close.”

HOW HAS DARLINGTON BEEN FOR YOU, ESPECIALLY NOW GOING INTO THAT EVENT AND TRYING TO GET YOUR SEASON TURNED AROUND AFTER TWO ROUGH RESULTS?
“Darlington is kind of a frustrating race track. It’s really fun. I think every driver enjoys it. On the Xfinity side, I felt like we were pretty good for a couple of races and then on the Cup side, we’ve been decent in a couple of races, but overall, it hasn’t been a great track for us. Obviously last year, the first race was a disaster. The second race was kind of a disaster with some mechanical issues going on that we really couldn’t overcome. And switching to the low downforce package for this race, looking back at some of the race notes we have, I think in 2018 we had this package and finished 12th and had a good run. So, looking back on those notes and making sure we’re looking at the right things going into this weekend; but it’s definitely been a tough two weeks for us. We got off to a strong start. I’m looking forward to having an opportunity back going in the right direction for us this weekend.”

HOW MUCH DOES THE 750 HP AND LOW DOWNFORCE THIS WEEKEND INCREASE THE RACING SKILLS FOR THE DRIVERS?
“Yeah, the car is going to slide around a lot. You’re going to have a lot of power. I think you’re going to see cars slide a lot, especially off of Turn 2. Turn 2 is always tricky. But with more horsepower and less downforce, it’s definitely going to be on edge. But I think that’s what the drivers want. That’s what we like to see. And I think it’s going to create good racing. I think you’re going to have cars that will be really good on the short run and then some that will be really good on the long run. And it will be fun to see how that plays out along with different lines, especially in Turns 3 and 4. Some can run the bottom the whole time and others have got to get up on the fence. It’ll be interesting to see. And then obviously, it being a day race is another factor that I think really creates a good show. I’m excited to get there. Last year I didn’t get to race the day show. I had the opportunity, but just didn’t execute to go run a lot of laps. For me, it’s something that I’m looking forward to.”

IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE HOT AT DARLINGTON THIS WEEKEND WITH A LOT OF SLIPPING AND SLIDING. DO YOU SEE THAT OLD SCHOOL DARLINGTON COMING THIS SUNDAY?
“Yeah, for sure. I never ran the old Darlington, I guess you could say, when it was really, really rough. It’s getting that character back, especially off of Turn 2 with the bumps. And I didn’t get to run it the whole race during the day last year. So, I definitely think that old school Darlington feel; high horsepower, low downforce, will definitely be in play. It will definitely be exciting.”

HOW DOES THE USE OF THE PJ1 AT TEXAS FOR THE INDYCAR RACE AND SLIPPERY CONDITIONS COMPARE TO YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH IT? HOW DOES IT DIFFER?
“It’s interesting. I don’t know exactly. Obviously, we run different tires than they do. We creep up into it. We don’t go right into it. But it takes a minute for us to run that lane in throughout the race and throughout the weekend. For us, at the beginning of the race you don’t really want to get in it, but by the end of the race if you’re not in it, you’re not going to be fast enough. So, it’s kind of a weird circumstance on how we end up in it. We creep into it, right-sides only, a little bit here and there, and then by the end of the race, you’re four tires in it. I don’t know if their tires and everything that they have just doesn’t correlate with it, but it is slick to start, for sure. With them running wide-open around the bottom, it would be kind of treacherous and tricky to get up in it running that fast.”

WE ARE RACING ON MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND. WHAT INFLUENCES DID YOU MOTHER HAVE ON YOUR CAREER?
“My mom has always been that steady base and foundation for our family. She kept us fed. Me and Dad would work in the shop for hours and hours and Mom would bring us food. And when we’d head out to the race track, she would pack us food and make sure we were taken care of. My Mom is a nurse, so with everything that I did, riding dirt bikes and playing all kinds of sports, she always took care of me. And she still does. It’s always really nice to still have my family come out to the races. This year we’ve been doing a lot more dirt racing, which, my family is allowed to come to, which is nice. So, she’s been coming to those races with us. But she is the one that always held us together. We’d race Saturday nights, and she would be the one to make sure we got up for church the next morning on Sundays. Hopefully we can have a good run on Mother’s Day weekend and make her proud.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE QUALIFYING FORMAT AND WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT CHANGED IN ANY WAY?
“I like qualifying. But I think you have to come up with something that makes sense for everybody. Having two rough weeks in a row, you start further back than what you feel like you normally would qualify or would have those situations come up. But it’s the same for everybody. When you run consistent and run good and you’re decent in points, then you have a better starting position. So, we’ve got to get back on that this weekend, have a good weekend, get a good starting spot at Dover and just build that back up. I think NASCAR has done a great job in coming up with a format that utilizes everything throughout the race to come up with the line-up.”

THERE WILL BE MORE SPECTATORS AT DARLINGTON THIS WEEKEND. IS THAT A GOOD SIGN THAT NASCAR HAS TAKEN ANOTHER STEP BACK FROM THE PANDEMIC?
“Yeah, for sure. If it was up to me, I would open it all up. It’s not up to me. And NASCAR is doing what they feel like they should do and taking small steps instead of big ones. We shut down when everybody else did, but we still got our full season in and then we’ve been on schedule all this year. I think that’s a testament to the work that NASCAR has put in. Each week, I feel like they’re doing something different and getting a step further ahead. I’m hopeful, with some of the other race tracks announcing that they will be 100 percent when we get there, that’s encouraging. I think a lot of our fans are pumped up about that. You never want to say something like last year was a good thing, but I think it could have a good turnout for us when we do finally get fully back open. I think a lot of fans took for granted being able to go to the race track. And I’m sure all of us took a lot of things for granted in what we got to do each and every day in our lives. When you get that taken away from you, I feel like now, people are going to appreciate things more and take full advantage of being able to go to sporting events and concerts and hopefully they enjoy coming to our sport and can pack the grandstands.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE SPORT GOING TO DARLINGTON TWICE A YEAR NOW?
“Well, it’s an iconic race track. It’s one that us drivers, it’s like going to Atlanta twice. We love Atlanta. We feel like it’s a great race track. And then, obviously, the history that Darlington has, and everybody wants to win the Southern 500 but we would take this one as well. It’s a drivers’ race track. It’s fun. It’s tough. It’s challenging. And it puts on good racing. I think you’ll see, with going with the 750 package I think was a great move. It’s going to make the racing really good. We’re going to slide around. We’re going to have our hands full and it should be good.”

HOW WILL THE 750 PACKAGE WILL RACE DIFFERENTLY AT DARLINGTON THAN THE 550 PACKAGE?
“I believe that having more horsepower and being able to come up out of the corner even utilized the bottom of Turns 3 and 4 even more than what it was already utilized. I feel like there are maybe some more options there. But at the same time, we’re going to be wearing our tires out more because of the lower downforce and more horsepower. So, you’re going to have to use brakes. You’re going to have to slow down through the corner, like Turn 1; you could almost go through there wide open with our downforce package that we had last year. There were people that were probably able to do that. And then now, you won’t be able to. So now, you’ll be lifting. You’ll be slowing the car down. And when you do that, it creates more passing opportunities throughout the race. I don’t see it being bad anywhere.”

HAVE YOU STUDIED LAST YEAR’S RACE OR 2018 BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE?
“Yeah, I’m looking at the downforce packages of 2017, ’18, maybe ’19; and looking at those races. Last year I definitely don’t want to take anything that I did last year from Darlington. But all in all, I’m looking more at the races that we ran good like in 2018.”
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 75 countries with nearly 4 million cars and trucks sold in 2019. 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 www.chevrolet.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
GOODYEAR 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 5, 2021

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript:

WHAT MAKES DARLINGTON SUCH A CHALLENGING TRACK FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT?
“The challenge lies within the layout and the asphalt at that track. The original superspeedway of NASCAR, and how it was built so early on, and it is still part of our schedule, and the unique design of the track and how Turns 3 and 4 are much smaller than Turns 1 and 2. The setup is a compromise all race long. And it’s one of those fun tracks where the closer you run to the wall, the more grip you gain and the more speed you carry. And then it’s the old cliché of race the race track. And we have to do that because it’s so difficult and the tire wear is so high. So, there are a lot of things the driver has to juggle at that race.”

DO PEOPLE STILL ASK YOU ABOUT THAT RACE WITH RICKY CRAVEN? WHAT MEMORIES DO YOU HAVE OF THAT NOW THAT WE’RE RACING AT DARLINGTON TWICE A YEAR?
“Yeah, I get hit up every Spring. The awesome footage starts rolling out. The throwback race, and then FOX Sports replayed that race a couple of days ago. And yes, it’s fun to tell the story and re-live it. I feel like I’ve told that story two thousand times and I finished two thousandths of a second behind Craven. So, I’m going to win this thing one day. I’m going to win it as I tell the story one day. But it’s just one of those races where I remember it so vividly and it was an incredible battle between two guys that never crossed the line to flat out dump the other guy. But we did everything and threw the kitchen sink at each other and created one of the best finishes ever in NASCAR.”

WITH THE NEXT GEN BEING UNVEILED TODAY, WHAT WILL TEAMS BE ABLE TO ADJUST ON LIKE IF YOU’RE HAVING AN ISSUE, WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO BE ABLE TO WORK ON THIS CAR?
“It’s an exciting day for NASCAR and for the Next Gen era of the direction of where we’re going in this sport. And with this car’s design, it’s simple things; but yet it’s new innovation and the technology that has been poured into it, hopefully will still balance out like and old race car feel with tire wear, management of the aerodynamics on the balance and the shifts. And, as far as adjustments, right now that box has been really tight. I say tight; it’s just that we haven’t explored a lot because we’ve been just trying to get through the research and development stages and understand what the big needle movers are as far as changing an aero balance, the handling balance, and then they’ve taken the car to all variety of race tracks. And so now it’s a matter of everybody jumping into what are going to be part of the rules and what can we change on race day as far as the shocks, track bar, will there be a driver adjustable track bar, where the brake bias is. Can you move it left and right, forward and back? The sequential gearbox, that’s an exciting feel to drive and there won’t be much to change there but can we change our gear ratios when we’re at track? So, lots of things still have to be discussed and explored and you want as many options; in my mind, for the teams to still go through and try to fine-tune it to the track and to that driver’s needs and wants? That way, it still gets tailored around and you have good cars and bad cars.”

TO WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THE WAY THE SEASON HAS GONE FOR THE SERIES WITH 10 DIFFERENT WINNERS IN 11 RACES? WHY ARE WE SEEING THIS DIVERSITY OF WINNERS COMPARED TO OTHER YEARS?
“It’s pretty wild. I’d love to have that one magic quote or button to press to say this is why. But a lot of things add up to the competition. The competition right now, the parody that everybody has; whether it’s a manufacturer or the teams against another team with the same manufacturer; and then just the way like the tire sequences and the pitting. If you stay out it’s a fifty-fifty call. If you pit it’s a fifth-fifty call on if you’re going to be able to get back to the lead or get back to that position you were running. It’s crazy. Like the sequences of the yellows and how they just seem to match up. Oh really? The yellow just came out and we’ve got 20 laps on our tires and 20 is that fifty-fifty call on staying out or not. So, you just roll with it. And then, the variety of tracks that we’ve been on so far have been a large variety and now we get into some of these Summer months where we see the Michigans and Poconos and the faster tracks so the aero will come back to be more important. And then we get into the road course season, and we’ll see what we see for trends there because Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell, he was like out at the Daytona Road Course. There are certain guys, and I hope that we’re one of them, where we’re able to capitalize on the road courses.”

WITH YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE NEXT GEN CAR, WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES GOING TO BE FOR THE DRIVER AND THE ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED AND WHAT TYPE OF PERSON WILL IT FAVOR EARLY-ON NEXT YEAR?
“The Next Gen car has quite a bit of difference to it. With independent rear suspension, sequential guar box, much bigger brakes; the car, when I drove it at the ROVAL was much more agile with its acceleration, deceleration, and primarily, it’s maneuverability to switch back, left to right. And the car was an impressive, easy two seconds quicker on the ROVAL circuit. And then, out on the oval, the car had a weird feel with the independent rear suspension on corner entry; and then corner exit with the aerodynamics that we were still balancing out. And so, I think the key thing for any driver to be successful, no matter where you are and what you’re doing, you have to adapt. And the adaptability of a driver, and his openness and willingness to challenge himself or herself is defined things that work for them and the team and make sure they are confident in those directions and go that way. Just a simple pit sequence, we’re going to be in second gear coming down pit road and you have to go through first, then get to neutral; yes, you can push the clutch in, but you’ve got to keep track of what gear you’re in. And that reminds me a lot of when I was running Indianapolis at the Indy 500, with those sequential-style gear boxes. So, lots of new things. Old trends, you’ve got to throw away some of them, but then hopefully, my years of experience will balance out into finding that edge.”

ON YOUR PERFORMANCE THIS SEASON, IS THERE ANY PANIC AT ALL IN WHERE YOUR TEAM IS RIGHT NOW? OR ARE YOU SEEING SOMETHING WE DON’T FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN?
“We’re doing really good at running 11th at the end of the Stages (laughs); and we haven’t quite found the balance in traffic this year. Our car, we’ve made a step in the wrong direction in my mind, on maneuverability and being able to put fresh tires on and to go for it. Right now, our car seems to take 10 laps to get the tires situated and heated-up. And so, at Kansas, I think we were 11th in the first Stage, 12th in the second Stage and finished the race in 15th. We’re just not getting the job done. That’s flat out. And we’re not ignoring that fact. At the end of Kansas, Harvick was back there after a pit road penalty with us. We were one of the last cars on the lead lap. And he knifed his way through there to get to second. And our car just could not give me the confidence to make moves and to make bold, carving decisions through the corner. And I just had to kind of nurse it home. We needed those points because we’ve just been in a snowball. We had a bad finish at Atlanta. And then we started 30th the next week due to the qualifying matrix. Well, when you do that, now you’re in the back; plus, you get a bad pit selection. Now guys are blocking you on pit road all day. So, it’s been a battle. And we’re just laughing at the whole matrix of the qualifying and starting position. I’m really excited for COTA and for the Coke 600, where we get our own qualifying sessions.”

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SAFETY ASPECTS OF THE NEXT GEN CAR?
“The car has all the technology that we’ve poured into our current car plus some. And with all of the sled testing I’ve seen, the data, the rigidness of the car; all of that has improved. And yet, how many ways can you really crash a car to collect all of the data because we can crash cars in all different directions right now. And you’re still not going to get all the data points. The car, to me, looks more rigid. It’s a car that has these crash absorbing materials and these systems in the front and in the rear that you just basically take off and bolt back on new ones after a wreck. And so, you save a lot of the car after a wreck, similar to a bulkhead system in INDYCAR. We’ll see how it plays out. I still think there’s more sled testing that they’re going to do, and we’ll continue to learn more. It’s still only the first of May and there are things that we can do to the current application to adjust it heading into Daytona next year.”

DO YOU HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN THE NO. 1 CAR RIGHT NOW AND WHAT THE TEAM IS ABLE TO GIVE YOU ON A WEEKLY BASIS SO YOU CAN CONTEND AND WIN RACES?
“Yeah, I do. I have confidence in every single one of the guys; all of our tools, our application might need to be adjusted at this point. I mean, it’s the same rules package as last year. It’s the same tire. But we’re having all different kinds of movement in the car, primarily in the front. And it changes dramatically from low air to high air for us this year. I got a text this time of year from Aric Almirola over at Stewart Haas. And it was a buddy, an old teammate, and he was just flat out asking for advice on things. And then it was like he just went on this Top 10 run for the next few months. And I’m like hey bro, why do you got to be beating me with all that advice? So, I’ve got to find that same thing. It’s 2021. There are just different trends. And so, we have to really look ourselves in the mirror and challenge ourselves to get out of this little rut that we’re in and put ourselves in a batter Playoff position and to make a run through the Playoffs later. So, lots of cool tracks coming up. Some are in the Playoffs. Some aren’t. The road courses are going to be fun this Summer. No real reason to have a huge panic. But we can’t have any more blow-up races, so to speak. We can’t get caught-up in any wrecks not of our doing.”

LOOKING AHEAD TO DOVER, IT’S BEEN DESCRIBED AS A ROLLER COASTER AND A GIANT BRISTOL. WHAT ARE THE SENSATIONS LIKE FROM THE SEAT?
“I’ve talked with Jimmie Johnson over the years. And, I said man, like Dover is like the fastest place to me. Everything just goes by. Corner entry, jump down into the banking, corner exit; like boom-zoom, the wall goes by and the engine just seems like it’s revving higher. And he goes man, it doesn’t feel like that for me at all. It feels slow. And I go, what track do you think is fast? He goes Bristol. Bristol, to me, is going crazy fast in my mind. And so, I know Johnson has won at Bristol. I’ve got one win at Dover. But both of us are champions and he’s seven-time; but it’s like one guy can absorb a track way different than another guy and have success. And so, Dover is just super-fast for me. And the engine is revving. And then, I’ve got to make sure I don’t over-wear the front tires and build up that front tire pressures. It’s really easy to do that at the concrete tracks.”

DARLINGTON IS THE FIRST RACE IN A WHILE WITH THE 750 HP, LOW DOWNFORCE PACKAGE. HOW MUCH IS THAT GOING TO INCREASE THE RACING AND THE SKILL THE DRIVERS WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH?
“Yeah, that’s a big change. That’s bold of them. I like it. Of course, any time you give a race car driver horsepower, they’ll take it. And then, it’s supposed to be 90 degrees. It’s going to be hot. The track is going to get slick. It’s going to be an old-school Darlington battle. And you might see way more Darlington stripes than you have in the past. It’s a matter of just not being caught off-guard by how slow the car is going to feel, but how you’ve still got to produce your lap time and take care of the tires. So, a lot of unknowns, especially with no practice, going into this weekend.”

WHAT IS IT ABOUT DARLINGTON THAT SEEMS TO FIT YOUR DRIVING STYLE?
“I feel like the track is a fun challenge that is very different than all the other tracks. And, running up by the wall and carrying speed through Turns 1 and 2, you’ve got to be right on that edge. You’ve got to push it through Turn 2. And then, Turns 3 and 4, I think races are won with good exits off of Turn 4. That’s where you start to catch that guy in front of you and then try to make the pass in Turns 1 and 2. So, you just have to balance that out on where your car is good and where the other guy isn’t. Then, as the race changes, parts of the track aren’t as usable and yet, you’ve still got to get that good lap time. Darlington is a place where it’s like you’re a cook in the kitchen and you’ve got a lot of things going on all race long. But every year that I go back, it’s like the pit crews are that much more important on how you win there.”
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