Toyota Racing – Bubba Wallace
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH (February 3, 2021) – 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace was made available to media via videoconference prior to the Daytona 500 this Tuesday:

BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 DoorDash Toyota Camry, 23XI Racing

Can you talk about the importance of minority owners getting involved in NASCAR and how your team at 23XI Racing is helping to change the look of the sport?
“I think it’s really cool. I actually texted with Justin Marks the other day about the partners that they were bringing in. It’s really cool to kind of see some fun brands coming in, but really cool for PitBull to also be joining NASCAR and talked to (Daniel) Suarez about that and said, he’s a big fan. He fell in love with the sport after watching Days of Thunder. So thought that was an interesting connection there and crossover, but I think it’s, it’s big. It shows other minorities like, ‘Hey, you know, if these guys are investing, then why can’t we,’ and then continue to grow our sport. And so that’s what we need. It’s all about exposure, reaching out to the right people because they have ideas of how they want to see success and grow their name, grow their brand. And getting to be a part of NASCAR where a lot of minorities, you know, that’s not really what they go to, which is NASCAR, and we’re changing the game and everything that happened last year. I think we put NASCAR on the map in a lot of new areas with a lot of new fans looking to tune in this year, which is great. It’s important. It’s huge for all of us. We just need to keep the ball rolling.”

What has your interaction been like with Michael Jordan so far?
“It’s been just through text messages, really, as our form of communication. He’s going to get down to the track, I believe the week of the 500. That’ll be my first official meeting with MJ. So we’ve been grinding in the background, getting everything together with the team, spending time on the SIM, just the last minute checklist before we all head South. I’m heading South at the end of the week. Just making sure I get everything done and everything that I needed to do because the season’s here. I tweeted out yesterday, I walked into the bus to throw some clothes on, throw some things on, and I stood there with no one in the pitch black and I said, it’s time to go. So, I’m pumped. I’m excited to get down there.”

Do you feel any pressure with Michael Jordan as one of your team owners?
“Yeah, no, for sure. I think there’s a lot of pressure riding on us, but you know, we’ve been able to get to know him better knowing how he dealt with pressure, having Denny (Hamlin) there, looking at the success he’s had through the years, you know, I think we’ll be just fine.”

What would it mean to win the Daytona 500 with this new race team?
“I think any race is important, but like you said, with the way things have shaped up this year after the year we’ve had last year — Daytona being on Valentine’s Day, Black History Month, such an important month for all of us, especially in the time that we’re in right now. It’s shaping up to be real fairy tale ending.”

What did Sam Belnavis mean to you throughout your career?
“Sam (Belnavis, Chief Diversity Officer, Roush Fenway Racing) was a vital part. I met Sam when I was 11, 12 years old when he was at Roush and he remained a really good family friend to our family for years, even recently, we’ve still been in contact. I’ve really appreciated Sam’s vision on everything and how he’s gone about things. And he wants to see the word ‘minority’ gone because it’s the majority now. And so he’s always pushed for that. And we’re working to get there, so a lot of work to be done, but just an incredible human being for sure.”

What kind of pressure is on you now to carry on the legacy that you mentioned Sam Belnavis helped usher into the sport?
“I think we just keep doing everything that we know how to do, and that’s in our control. And we look at what Wendell Scott did really to kick off the trail that he had blazed. We’ve been trying to carry that torch ever since I’ve been in the sport. And so while I’m carrying the on-track stuff, there’s a lot of people that are carrying the off track. We’re pushing for more, pushing for great success from a minority standpoint, from a diversity standpoint, inclusion from the whole and the sport’s behind it, the fans are behind it. Some of the fans are behind it. We just have to keep pushing and not let anything steer us off the beaten path.”

Are you doing anything differently in preparation for this season? Is Denny Hamlin giving you certain things to do that you haven’t done before?
“I can’t tell you all my secrets there, Bob (Pockrass, Fox Sports). I know you’d like to share that on Twitter. So good try, but no I think this is big for me, like you said. Being able to have Denny (Hamlin) in your back pocket, you know, looking at the year he just came off of. There’s a lot, a lot of positive momentum for us. We have some really crucial meetings coming up this week before we get down there and we’ll continue to have that dialogue of what we expect, how to execute the right way and go about things the right way to put ourselves in a position to contend and compete for wins. I’m excited about it. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity. I don’t know if I’ve said that enough. This has been what I’ve been wanting for so long, to go out and try to prove a point, that, ‘Hey, I belong and we’re going to go out and compete and contend and become a household name on the race track.”

Have there been things that they’ve asked you to do that you haven’t done before and has it been eye opening at all?
“There’s just more things to look at. I said earlier, we should have a bigger plate in front of me with a lot more to digest on it from data, from time commitments and just being, being more active and proactive to everything and making sure I’m mentally and physically prepared for the season ahead.”

What is a reasonable expectations for you for this season?
“Just continuing to grow from the seasons that I’ve had. And last year I think we kept getting better and better. Do I expect to jump in and win right off the bat? No, not at all. I know the sport, if it was that easy, a lot of people would be doing it, but it’s not that easy. And I know the competition that we go up against it’s tougher than it’s ever been. So I’m excited to get under way and just see where we stack up. We start to build a resume at Daytona and build off that and continue to get better for our team. It’s going to take a couple of races, just like any new team will to get everything underneath us and make sure like, ‘Oh, we missed that last week.’ Let’s make sure we don’t do that and prepare for the next and build on that. Then once we get going and get a couple of races under our belts, then we can really start to pinpoint our weaknesses or our strong points and build off those and grow from those and learn from everything. So there’s a lot riding on us, you know, I’ve had personal goals of two wins. There’s nothing wrong with having personal goals at all. For personal goal for everybody, everybody in the field to win every race, not really doable. (Kevin) Harvick and Denny (Hamlin) tried to do that last year. I think you just have to go out and be competitive and I’ve felt more competitive and more passion, more drive than I ever have with everything that’s right out in front of me with this opportunity. So we’ll go out and get it.”

How much pressure is on you to win this season or next year?
“There’s been pressure ever since I got into the league to win. So just another year, new car, no different.”

I believe you’re still the only black driver to come through the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, what needs to happen for there to be more diversity going forward in NASCAR?
“We have to show that the program works. I think we have, I mean, look at myself, (Kyle) Larson, (Daniel) Suarez, coming up through the ranks and, you know, all competing against each other on Sunday. It’s been a product of the program. Are there ways that we can get better? Yeah, for sure. You know, those are conversations that we have behind the scenes of what are we doing to help our youth and get them in the right spots where they need to be to showcase what they really have. And so I think going out and being competitive on the race track, showing that, you know, I belong is a big stepping stone for that. We just have to go out and do that.”

What’s the vision that you and Michael Jordan share going forward, and what do you think his presence in this sport will do?
“Well, I think everybody got a chance to watch ‘The Last Dance’ and it was able to show us, who he is and how he is as a person and a competitor. I think that is, you know, what we’re kind of looking at. And at the end of the day he wants winning race cars. He wants a winning race driver and he took an opportunity to invest in me and he has seen something that sparked his interest to make this deal happen and move forward with it along with Denny (Hamlin). And so, you know, I can’t thank them enough for allowing me to pilot their race cars and to utilize everything that I’ve learned in the last three seasons, really at the Cup level, but overall six, seven seasons it’s been since the truck days. So we’re just going to go out and do what I know how to do, not change up anything, not try too hard because of MJ or because of Denny or because of the opportunity, you know, I’ve made that mistake. I’ve made that mistake in the past of trying too hard when the time wasn’t right. And it does more harm than good. So we’ll go out and just give it our all each and every week and continue to get better and better as the weeks go on.”

How different does it feel heading to Daytona this year after all that happened last season?
“I’ve lost seven pounds from everything that happened last year, so much stress and pressure. And now I think everything happens for a reason. I was actually on the phone with Claire (B. Lang, SXM Radio) right before this. And I said, it’d be interesting to see, when it’s your time to go at the end of your lifetime, it’d be interesting to see if you could get a piece of paper handed to you saying that here’s everything that happened and why it happened and what came out of that. We’ll never know, that’s why we just live life. Every day is a new day, a new opportunity to go out and capitalize on. So that’s how I’m looking at it. We look at Daytona and look at the whole perspective of this incredible opportunity, but we can’t let that get too big. We can’t let it supersede our expectations and our mission to go out and compete because once you do that, that’s when the mistakes come, that’s when it’s just like, ‘Oh, I didn’t really expect that,’ we have to be ready. It’s just another season for us. Little things are a little different, different look, different sponsor, different teams. It’s great to have everybody involved from partners, from manufacturers — the partnerships that we have with Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing. So we’ll just go out and execute. That’s the biggest thing.”

How difficult have the last 12 months been for you since you were last at the Daytona 500?
“It’s funny. I have a goal every year, to not be a part of the headlines. Every year I have that goal and I failed every year because there’s something that’s like, ‘Hey, I wanna, you know, not make any controversy.’ So something always happens whether it’s my doing or not, but it seems like it’s always my doing so.”

What kind of adjustment will it be for you behind the wheel to run up front with drivers that you perhaps haven’t raced with as much in recent seasons?
“I think I look at the races that we had driving the 43, the races where we were running up front and competing. We were strong. I look at Indy two years ago and even last year, I know how to race against those guys. Do they expect me to be up there? No. And do they race me differently because of it? Yes. And so I think that’s the biggest things that’s going to change for other drivers. It’s going to, hopefully it’s like, ‘Okay, this kid, this guy, whatever, they call me, whatever, knows what he’s doing up here. And so we have to race him a little bit different.’ I’m not expecting it be a cake walk at all. We’re there to race and race hard. And so that’s what I’m looking forward to the most is having more of those runs in the top 10 each and every week, showing that we’re a factor and able to contend for wins and just go out and have fun and do the best that we can.”

In what ways has your relationship with Denny changed from what it was previously? And has he been any sort of influence or helped you in any way?
“We’re having those conversations and now they’re starting to ramp up for sure. Denny’s (Hamlin) been super busy with his own palette of things, driving the 11 and then he has a separate palette for 23XI Racing. So I know he’s been crunching away, but he has been very vocal in our emails and our text chain about getting together and setting expectations and what to expect and how to execute the right way. I’m all ears and got the notebook ready to see what there is to offer. We just have to grow together as drivers and figure out how we can push each other to be better. It’s going to take some time for me to grow with the team and to gel. Denny told me at the beginning of this deal, if there’s something that’s not right, then don’t hesitate to go to them, no matter the circumstances. And I’ll make sure to have that lifeline in my back pocket when things aren’t going necessarily according to plan for whatever reason, but I don’t expect that to happen. I think we have the right people in the right place to make our program successful. From the front office, to our guys in the shop, to our road crew, to our pit crew. Everything’s in front of me right here. It’s just not easy to grab, but it’s doable. So we just have to go out and do it.”

Why do you say that one of your goals each year is to not create any controversy?
“Because it’s tiring. Seems like whatever I do, whenever I rage-quit an iRacing event, I’m the most hated person, so it’s just like, ‘Hey, let’s just stay low key here this year.’ Nope, didn’t happen. The more controversy I cause, the more media calls I have to do.”

How do you handle controversies like last year that weren’t of your own doing?
“Go be a part of something where you’re the minority for 18 years and you learn how to handle it. So it’s just another day in the life of Bubba Wallace here, it’s all right. I’m good with it. It’s as simple as that.”

Is your biggest challenge in 2021 going to be on the race track or off?
“On the race track for sure. It’s just delivering results. This, for me, is the one and potentially last opportunity for me. We have a solid foundation underneath us to make this program better and to grow this team and make this a household name in the sport and make it a pinnacle name of our sport. I think the on track stuff, you just have to go out and execute and not get lazy and not get sidetracked — not get too frustrated and throw away some really good races. And when we do have bad races we try to grow and get better throughout and capitalize and just make every opportunity count, that’s the biggest thing.”

What do you feel are appropriate goals to set for yourself and this race team?
“Like I said, our goals, every driver’s goal is to win every race. So that’s the loftiest of lofty. That’s like a 60 degree right there next to the green, that’s a ton of loft, not doable, but hey, we have those personal goals. For us in our team, we have a lot of pressure already without the wins or without whatever, we’re just going out and making sure we have everything underneath us that we need to compete and perform. As long as we get better each and every week, we’re going to have some races where we have a shot and then it’s going to be like, eh, we fall off, but we have to be able to bounce back from that fall off. And we have to show that, you know, we can face adversity and perseverance and show progress throughout the whole year.”

What was it like being a black driver growing up in the short track, late model system?
“I was just another driver there. You know, everybody was super competitive and I didn’t necessarily feel the race card in those scenarios. And I never really have. Obviously it’s been brought out more and more in the recent months, in the last year, but it wasn’t like Wendell Scott had it back in the day, I’ll say that. I was treated fairly for the most part. When they couldn’t find out why we were so successful, then that’s when they would protest and do everything they could to stop us, but we just show back up the next week and compete and win. That was it.”

With Denny looking at maybe doing some Super Late Model racing this year, is there still an opportunity with 23XI Racing to help diversify and bring awareness to short-track racing because there’s been great progress, but there’s still so much more that needs to be done?
“Yeah, there’s a lot that needs to be done really. And that’s on NASCAR’s hands, that’s on our hands and every team — we can all play a huge part in pushing for diversity and inclusion inside our four walls. Those conversations are going to be had, and we’ll see what the outcome is. But, where is Denny (Hamlin) racing Super Lates at?”

You mention the goal of winning two races, but have you even been able to sit in one of the race cars at the shop yet with things still so new for the team?
“Yeah, I’ve sat in the car. I actually sat in it earlier today just to get last minute things going. I feel like people are writing 23XI Racing, two wins. If we don’t get that, then we need to close up our shop. That’s not the case at all. That’s a personal goal for me. Knowing the success of Toyota, knowing the success with JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing), there’s a lot more opportunity than I’ve had in recent years to go out and compete. Knowing our cars, knowing the hours that are going into it, knowing the manufacturing that’s going into it, there’s no reason why we can’t go out and just compete.”

You have continued to be a target of some hateful messages on social media. Has that ramped up with the news of this new race team and are you ever concerned for your safety at the race track?
“I’ll just let you know when it ramps down, it’s going to be there every day. And that’s part of it. It makes me stronger.”

# # #

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

Through its 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.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 3, 2021

RICHARD CHILDRESS, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING (RCR), ANDY PETREE, VICE PRESIDENT OF COMPETITION, TORREY GALIDA, TEAM PRESIDENT OF RCR, and RICHIE GILMORE, PRESIDENT, ECR ENGINES – Daytona Media Availability Highlights:

HIGHLIGHTS OF OPENING COMMENTS:

TORREY GALIDA
“I feel like there’s more anticipation and excitement around this NASCAR season than we’ve seen in several years. I think we took a lot of momentum from 2020 that we’re carrying into 2021. And with all the new tracks that we’re going to this year, the new ownership, the new drivers in the series, it feels like there’s a lot of anticipation out there. I know everybody at RCR and ECR is really excited to go racing. We’ve reached that point in the season where we’re ready to put all the preparations aside and just get to the race track. So, we’re all really anticipating heading to Daytona next week.

“We’ve got the same driver line-up and we’re really excited about that. Austin Dillon and Justin Alexander will be back again. Those two have been really successful together. Tyler Reddick and Randall Burdett are back together again as well. Tyler has been incredibly focused in the off-season. He’s been working on his road racing and spending plenty of time in the simulator. We’re also excited to have two new drivers here on our campus in Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez; so, two additional A-level drivers that are added to the greater RCR orbit. So those guys I know are going to make our team better. We are excited to have them on board. In the Xfinity Series, nobody is happier to be in the same car for the entire season this year than Myatt Snyder and his crew chief Andy Street. Last year we rotated several drivers. This year we’re going to run the No. 2 car full time with Myatt Snyder with TaxSlayer and other partners on board.”

RICHARD CHILDRESS
“We’re really excited about this year. Our drivers, I’ve never seen them work as hard as they’re all working off-season. We’ve got a lot of road courses coming up. Austin ran in the 24 Hour race to give him some more time. Tyler has been working really hard in our simulator and the Chevy simulator. All that is working really well. We’re working really closely. Chevrolet and GM have put together an alliance and Eric Warren is running Team Chevy. All the Chevy teams are working closer together than they ever have right now and I’m really excited about what we have going on with Chevy and with the Hendricks. We just did a HCD, which is Hendrick Childress Development. That’s the engine program we’re all working with. It’s just going to make every Chevrolet a lot stronger coming into the future. I’m excited about that.

“This year we’ve got Richard Petty Motorsports back; Kaulig Racing, and Trackhouse Racing. We’re really excited. With the drivers they have and being on campus here with them, I’m excited. Kaulig is really putting an effort out. You’re going to see them on more road courses this year. I think A.J. Allmendinger is going to be one of their full-time drivers that will be running a lot of the road courses. I don’t know if they’ve announced it yet or not. I probably just did.

“We’re really excited. We’ve got a lot going on. Everybody around RCR, when I walk around the shops and see the shops, they’re so excited just to be back to racing. And I’m excited. This year they’re even going to let the owners in. I have my mask. I’ll be able to go in and have some fun at the race track.”

ANDY PETREE
“We have a lot to get excited about this year. The sponsor line-ups are for sure exciting this yer. RCR has always done a great job with all the marketing partners that we’ve been able to bring on board. I feel like we give them great value. I think last year it was super challenging with all the COVID things we had to deal with and the way the sport in general had so many challenges; but we were able to at least reach some of our goals. We did win a race with Austin and Tyler was second in that race, but we didn’t get Tyler into the Playoffs. That was one of our goals, but we did get Austin in there. And we were able to make it to the second round with Austin and it felt like we had a good shot of going to the third round. We had an unfortunate failure in Vegas. But building on that success on the Chevy alliance, the biggest thing on that is not only are we all working closer together, we’re tapping into GM and Chevrolet’s engineering group. And that’s what they really kind of restructured this technical group for Chevrolet to do that. Eric Warren is the one that’s heading that up. I’m really excited about that. I’ve worked close with Eric Warren for about three years now and I have a ton of confidence in what he’s got, and I know his vision. And so I think we’re going to be able to do a lot more in 2021 than we have ever been able to do from a technical standpoint. So, I feel really strong about that.

“We were basically the leaders in that command center-type approach, where we’ve got people here and all the information being piped unto a purpose-built facility here at RCR. And we’ve got some super strong software tools, communication tools that we use to communicate real time at the race track. The teams, during the races and the practice sessions, although we haven’t had that many practice sessions, it’s still a big part of what we do, especially in this COVID-restricted roster limit that we have. We can’t take a lot of people to the track. They’ve restricted how many we bring. So, we’re able to utilize that command center to our benefit and we’re going to even strengthen it more in 2021 with the tools that we have and the people that we staff it with. Our goals for 2021 are to get all three cars that we race under this roof, Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon, and Daniel Suarez, into the Playoffs. We know that’s now going to be easy. It’s challenging to do that. But that’s our goal. We’re pretty optimistic that we’re at least going to have as good or better performance as we had in 2020. I feel like we’ve got a good springboard from last year to launch on. And with all the new things that Chevrolet and our partnerships bring to the table, I do feel like we’re going to put ourselves in a position to succeed.”

RICHIE GILMORE
“I’m very excited about 2021 to building off of the success that we had in 2020. We’ve got some new teams coming on board in Cup and Xfinity like Andy mentioned. We’ve got some new addition onto our Xfinity programs. We have four full-time Cup programs that we’ll build engines for. We have seven full-time Xfinity programs. We have 20 Xfinity programs going to Daytona. We’ve built over 50 engines this year at ECR going to Daytona. We’re very excited about our partnership with Chevrolet and our new partnership with Hendrick Motorsports that started at the end of 2020 with HCD. It was very successful the last seven or eight races we partnered-up and put a hybrid engine together and helped Chase Elliott win the championship in 2020. So, we’ve already seen some success in that partnership. We’re just going to keep building on that. The goal is to get all our cars in the Playoffs and hopefully get one into winning the championship in Cup and Xfinity. We had another strong run this year in the ROLEX 24. Unfortunately, we didn’t finish our streak. We had four years in a row of winning the ROLEX 24 but came-up a little short finishing second. But we’re very excited about this season moving forward; and with all the new teams and growing once again in 2021.”

MEDIA Q&A HIGHLIGHTS

IT’S BEEN 20 YEARS SINCE THE 2001 DAYTONA 500. ONE OF THE BIG THINGS WAS THAT NASCAR WENT TO OUTSIDE SOURCES TO INVESTIGATE AND START GIVING INPUT ON NASCAR’S SAFETY. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?

RICHARD CHILDRESS:
“I think that was the right thing to do to get outside opinions and have other people look at the whole situation. I think as terrible as it was, and we’ll never get over losing Dale Earnhardt, but there’s a lot that came out of it (with) the safety part going forward. There have been some horrendous crashes. Austin Dillon’s and Ryan Newman’s. You can go on down the list of crashes and these drivers have walked away because of safety.”

WHEN KAULIG RACING RUNS CUP RACES THIS YEAR, DOES THAT PUT MORE WORK ON YOU TO BUILD CARS FOR THEM? DO THEY GET OLDER RCR CARS? HOW DOES THAT WORK?

ANDY PETREE
“They get current cars. The answer is yes, it is more work (laughs). But we’re prepared for it. We planned for that. And so we actually staff some of that race team for them as they go to the events with some engineering support and a crew chief from here. Basically, Kaulig still provides quite a bit to it but yes, there’s a fair amount of work but we get something out of that, too. It helps us when we build more cars and have more input and we’ll have another partner on the race track too, when we get to Daytona.”

NASCAR SAID THE TIMELINE FOR THE NEXT GEN IS ABOUT MID-JUNE. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND THE TESTING? WHAT ARE YOUR OVERALL THOUGHTS ON THAT?

ANDY PETREE
“Yeah, I’ve been super impressed with the whole NextGen program. We were fortunate enough to be involved in that from the ground up. I feel like we’ve done our homework with it. NASCAR has done their homework. We’re prepared. All the venders have done a tremendous job of providing the parts and things that we need. And now the structure is in place to start ordering parts. We just started doing that. We won’t take delivery for a little while here, but we were able to initiate some orders for cars and parts to be ready when we do get our first car and do that first test as an organization. Now we have had some experience and time with the car on the track with NASCAR, but now it gets real. Now we’ve got to start outrunning other people, right? So, the pressure is going to be on us when we get our real race car.”

SOME PEOPLE VIEW DALE EARNHARDT AS A SUPERMAN. WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON HIS CAREER AND YOUR TIME WITH HIM, WHAT IS THE SUPERMAN MOMENT WHEN HE SURPRISED OR SHOCKED YOU OR IMPRESSED YOU?

RICHARD CHILDRESS
“It would be hard for me to pick out one single hero moment. His career was unbelievable. He won, I can’t remember, like 11 of the 125’s when they were 125’s. Winning the Daytona 500 with him was one of the highlights of our career together because I knew what it meant to him and his resume. But not only did he impress me on the race track, he impressed me with so many things that he’d done for people away from the track that people would never ever know about. All of those things. That’s where he had a heart of gold.”

WHEN AUSTIN AND TY WERE DOING LATE MODELS AND GETTING READY FOR NASCAR, YOU SENT THEM TO MAX PAPIS. WHAT WAS THAT CONNECTION?

RICHARD CHILDRESS
“Max, at that time, had basically stopped racing. And he had so much experience. And he was a great tutor for both of those guys; not so much at the track but the things that he would have conversations with them was one of the things that Max really brought to the table. Both of them had so much respect for him, that’s the reason I wanted to hook them with Max.”

WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE FOR YOU HAVING LOST DALE EARNHARDT 20 YEARS AGO?

RICHARD CHILDRESS
“It’s tough. We were good friends. We hunted and fished and did a little bit of everything away from the track. He would call me at night at home, even when he was building his race teams and say I know you’re having that glass of wine. Let’s talk a while. And I miss those moments and so many things. But it’s been tough and not only tough on me and the family and I think on the race fans. I think a lot of them haven’t gotten over it yet. And I haven’t gotten over the loss. I think about. There aren’t many days that go buy when I don’t remember something about Dale. You walk in our museum and you look around and it just brings back so many great moments that we had together. It doesn’t seem like it’s been 20 years when we all lost Dale and wow, what do you say? We all just miss him.”

WITH ALL THAT’S GOING ON, HOW DOES THE NEXT GEN CAR FINANCIALLY AFFECT THE TEAMS?

RICHARD CHILDRESS:
“Every year we start working in October, even earlier sometimes, going into the following year we start building cars. This is going to be a little different. I think some of the components on this car, once we get it up and going, it’ll be a savings in the long run. We’ll be able to run them more and be able to run less cars. I’m excited about if you take the original cost and amortize it over next year or two years or three years, it’ll be a financial help to all the teams.”

ANDY PETREE:
“We’ve done this before and it is going to be a distraction from the 2021 season and it’s going to be a challenge for me and us, from a competition point of view to still try to limit that and get as much out of the Next Gen testing while really keeping our heads down and focused. Hopefully by the time we start testing it, we’re deep in the Playoffs and have our focus on that, too. It’s going to be a balancing act, but we’ve been prepared for it now for two years.”

TORREY GALIDA:
“I do feel like the fact that we built the original first couple of cars and it was our team that led the testing efforts will give us a leg up and we probably have a little bit better understanding of what to expect. I was really disappointed that we weren’t able to launch the car in 2021. It was probably a blessing in disguise for all of us because I think that extra year has helped the entire supply base and NASCAR and the teams, as well. I feel like we’re on track. We’ve got it in our budget and hope we’ve forecasted the right numbers in terms of what we’re going to need to build those initial cars and go to those first three team-wide tests. And, we had our manufacturer’s meeting with Chevy yesterday and I got to see multiple pictures of the new car for the first time with the approved body and I was really excited because I think it really looks like a Camaro. And I think the fans are really going to like the fact that it is a really good-looking race car.”

ON HOW VIBRANT IT WAS AT DEI, HOW EVERYONE ENJOYED WORKING THERE, AND THEN HOW THE REALIZATION CAME TO FINALLY TURN OUT THE LIGHTS

RICHIE GILMORE:
“It was a great environment and a great place to work. Dale was there, there were two different characters that we joked about a lot. There was this guy that came in Monday through Thursday that was an incredible boss and had such a big heart. And then on Thursday there was this guy that walked through with cowboy boots on and a black hat and Wrangler jeans. When he put that costume on, he meant business. He wasn’t our boss. He was the driver of that No. 3 car. And he was going to go whip our butt. And he was the driver of the No. 3 car and worked for RCR. All he wanted to do was beat us. He wasn’t our boss then. That was what was amazing about him. I listen to Richard’s stories and Andy’s, and he made us all what we are. He was the ultimate competitor.

“And the end was very tough. Being there from the beginning to the end was a tough deal to see the lights to go off there, and see the people walk out of there. I think one of the greatest things, the luckiest things that happened to me was to come here; because I think the closest thing to Dale was I think Richard and him are twin brothers. They’ve got a lot of the same personalities, they care about people, they’re great leaders. And Richard welcomed us up here and we’re carrying on a lot of traditions that are a lot of what Dale carried on every day. They want to beat everybody. They don’t care. Winning is everything. We’re very fortunate for our guys to come up from DEI to be a part of what Richard has built here and we’re just carrying on a lot of the legacy and the same attitude. And I very much appreciate that.”

IN YOUR BUSINESS, TO THIS DAY, DO YOU STILL ASK YOURSELF WHAT WOULD DALE DO?

RICHARD CHILDRESS
“Oh yes. I think our whole sport of Dale Earnhardt would still be around today. Our sport would have a different face on it. There would be a different look on NASCAR, I think, because he was very influential with the Frances and with racing. And yeah, he a really good mind when it would come to business. And we just had a great relationship. I could count any disagreement we had on one hand. It was just one of those relationships. They said it wouldn’t work when we got together, but we proved everybody wrong. We went out and did our thing.”

BEN KENNEDY DROVE FOR YOU FIVE YEARS AGO IN THE XFINITY SERIES. DURING YOUR TIME WITH HIM, DID YOU SEE SOMEBODY THAT WOULD TAKE A TRANSFORMING LEADERSHIP ROLE? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HIS CURRENT ROLE AND WHAT HE’S DONE?

RICHARD CHILDRESS
“Going back to when I looked at Ben Kennedy today, I see big Bill France Jr. I see a man that has a mission, a goal; and I don’t think anyone would have ever expected what Ben Kennedy is doing today would be the success that he is. But as a driver he was good. He was real good. But I think he just kind of reminds me a whole lot of Bill Sr. when he was around. He just has that character about him that reminded me of that. I think he will help carry NASCAR for many years down the road.”
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
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 3, 2020

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:

THE NEXT WEEK IS MEANINGFUL IN A LOT OF WAYS; EMOTIONAL IN A LOT OF WAYS FOR THE COMPANY. YOU WERE PROBABLY TOO YOUNG, BACK IN 2001, TO REALLY HAVE ANY MEMORY OF WHAT HAPPENED, BUT WHAT HAS THIS BEEN LIKE IN THE LEAD UP TO THE DAYTONA 500 FOR YOU. WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT DALE EARNHARDT’S IMPACT ON THE SPORT, WHAT MEMORIES OR THOUGHTS DO YOU HAVE?
“Dale (Earnhardt) left a void in the sport that hasn’t been replaced. He was one of a kind. I, personally, never got the chance to know him in-person, but through my time at RCR and through my time in the sport of racing and NASCAR, I’ve gotten to know a lot of people that worked with him, knew him, called him a father or a friend. To hear the different stories about Dale from these different people is really eye-opening. It will be 20 years and it was a huge loss for our entire sport. One of my earliest memories of NASCAR racing was, unfortunately, watching this race on TV at home when I was very, very young. It was an awful first memory to have. But, in honor of his passing, we’re going to do everything we can as an organization to get the No. 8 or No. 3 back in victory lane.”

WHAT WOULD A DAYTONA 500 WIN, GIVEN THE ANNIVERSARY AND JUST TRYING TO SOOTHE SOME OF THOSE MEMORIES OR REPLACE THEM WITH BETTER MEMORIES NEXT WEEK, MEAN TO YOU GUYS?
“It would mean everything. Obviously, like you just said, in the sport of NASCAR and RCR, you can’t replace a guy like that. Obviously, the team’s moved on. It’s tough to move past, but the things that have happened since that horrible loss that we had, our sport had, that everybody had that knew him and looked up to him – the safety innovations that have come along the way since that awful and unfortunate event has been very, I would say, monumental. The sport has changed so much. Even since the time I’ve been here, that drive to continue to improve safety has never stopped and to just see how much ground has been made and progress has been made since I stepped in to the Truck Series quite a few years ago now – that innovation and drive to continue to make this sport safer has not lost its edge. They continue to sharpen every little tool that they have to make these cars safer so guys like myself and my teammates can go out there and put on the best show possible for the fans.”

NOT ONLY WILL YOU BE RUNNING THE DAYTONA 500, BUT YOU’LL BE DOING THE XFINITY RACE NEXT WEEK. OBVIOUSLY, YOU’RE A TWO-TIME CHAMPION, SO I’M CURIOUS WHAT PEAKED YOUR INTEREST TO RETURN?
“When the offer got passed along my way about running a Xfinity car, it meant a lot. Obviously, knowing it was going to have an ECR engine under the hood made it that much sweeter, too. All the folks down there at ECR I’ve gotten to know the last couple of years from running the Xfinity car and the Cup stuff. They put out the best engines in the garage. So, to have the opportunity come along and be able to get back into the Xfinity Series – I really wanted to run some races last year, but with the Pandemic happening and everything kind of changing in the time that came after that, it was just a big adjustment period. And, now that we’re kind of more comfortable with it and understand what we can and can’t do with the opportunity that arose, I was very excited to have it. It’s nice to get back into the Xfinity Series and race with guys like Noah Gragson again. My teammate, Brett Moffitt – we raced together a lot in Trucks and other things along the way, so it’ll be nice to be teamed up with him. It’ll be nice to get back into those cars, get some practice and go back out there and get that feel that I really enjoyed in the Xfinity Series. The superspeedway cars are a little bit different than what we race in Cup now. I just felt really comfortable in those cars. I’m starting to get really comfortable in the Cup cars, too.”

IS IT A ONE-OFF OR DO YOU EXPECT THERE TO BE OTHER RACES, AS WELL?
“As of right now, it’s one race, but we’ll see. As things continue to change, who knows. But, for right now, it’s just Daytona.”

IF YOU WERE TO GIVE CHASE BRISCOE ADVICE, AS FAR AS MAKING A SPLASH IN HIS FIRST YEAR OF CUP, WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE TO HIM?
“Well, your strengths are really important as a driver. When you’re going to a place that you have a good feel for – for me, like at Homestead, you try to circle a race like that or tracks similar to that. For him, he’s good at tracks with tire fall-off; he’s good at the road courses. You want to circle those events, but you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. You can do everything right, but something can take place that takes you out of the race or doesn’t exactly give you the shining opportunity that you were hoping to go out there and get that win that you really want to get. Keep your head in the game is a good way to put it. There’s a lot of challenges and a lot of different things that I had to learn as a driver in my rookie year and I’m continuing to learn. Just in areas that I wasn’t the best at – whether it was pit road, road courses, techniques on some of these different short tracks. It can be easy to get down on yourself. When you go from having a bad day and running 7th or 8th in the Xfinity Series, a bad day in the Cup Series is outside the top-20, and that can be difficult to get used to. But he’s going to have good people around him. I had good support from Austin (Dillon), Bubba (Wallace) and Ty (Dillon) last year. He’s going to have good people around him. Cole Custer, who he was teammates with on the Xfinity side and will still continue to be teammates with at Stewart-Haas – Cole just went through that and they’ll be able to share with each other and that will be helpful for him, too. It’s definitely tough; there’s nothing like it. You know that going into it, but when you get there, it can be very overwhelming and you just don’t want to get down on yourself.”

IS DABBLING IN A DIRT LATE MODEL IN YOUR FUTURE?
“Getting back in one?”

GETTING BACK IN ONE, TEAM OWNERSHIP, ANYTHING ALONG THOSE LINES?
“As of right now, probably team ownership. If I ever owned one, I’d be selfish and want to drive it. I’ve always kind of joked about that. I’d like to get back into some dirt racing when there’s time. I’ve tried to put a lot of effort, especially this off season, just thinking about 2021 in the Cup car. Obviously, I say that and there’s a race coming up here in the No. 03 for Our Motorsports, but again, it’s all around the idea of getting more seat time and being more prepared for the 2021 season.”

“I’d like to – I’m a year into being a dad and getting a better understanding of what that’s like; getting a better understanding of what I need to do to be better on the Cup side. When some of these things kind of fall into place, I can hopefully put some more time aside to do some of that other stuff. But, as much as it would be for fun, it’s in the interest of becoming a better driver. So, if I went back into dirt racing, it would be to try and help me become a more well-rounded driver in the Cup Series.”

THE LACK OF PRACTICE LAST YEAR – HOW MUCH DID THAT EFFECT A ROOKIE TEAM, IN THE SENSE OF SLOWING DOWN YOUR PROGRESSION? MAYBE MAKING IT A LITTLE LONGER FOR YOU GUYS TO GET GOING, LEARN WHAT YOU NEED AND JUST GET YOUR FEET UNDERNEATH YOU.
“It was good and bad. I don’t know that I’d necessarily call it a wash across the board throughout the entire year. We definitely have some highlights where we were really good and maybe some of the other competitors missed the mark a little bit that allowed us to get good top-fives out of it. But there’s definitely situations where we really wish we could have adjusted after one lap on the race track – we wish we could have adjusted something. Everyone was faced with that. For me and Randall (Burnett, crew chief), going to a lot of tracks with a new car for the first time was a challenge. Yes, there was some sort of a notebook from last year. (INAUDIBLE)”

I HEARD THAT YOUR WORKOUT PROGRAMS HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. DISCUSS YOUR REASONING BEHIND THAT AND HOW’S IT GOING.
“INAUDIBLE… With things shifting and changing and only really being at the track maybe a day. This week coming up will be different than a lot of the weekends that we have throughout the year. So, with everything that’s happened, you’re spending less time in the car and you’re home more. Just been trying to maximize the time I have out of the car so I’m more prepared in the car. It’s been a good process. I feel like I’m in better shape than I’ve been in ever in a car, but I haven’t been able to go practice or really do anything in a car. So, we’ll just have to wait and see until we get there.”

“It was a good off season. Normally, I get a little bit chunky and gain a couple pounds so I’m nice and fat for the weigh in and then I try to lose it. But this time around, I tried to not really take any time off. 2021 started the day after Phoenix and I think some of that comes from, like I said earlier, wanting to do better in 2021. Obviously, it’s the Cup Series – it’s the hardest series to win in. But, nevertheless, it’s been a long time since I haven’t won in a year of racing, so I was motivated to get better and I’ve just been able to pick up the slack on some of those other things and just be in better shape for my team.”

YOU HAD SOME REALLY GOOD RUNS AND YOU FINISHED IN THE TOP-HALF OF THE FIELD MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. WITH THAT IN MIND, WHICH AREAS HAVE YOU AND YOUR TEAM PIN POINTED FOR 2021 TO CONVERT THOSE TOP-20’S INTO TOP-10’S AND 15’S MORE OFTEN AND GET BETTER CONSISTENCY TO CONTEND FOR A PLAYOFF BERTH?
“There’s a few things, but I’d say the biggest one that was a takeaway for us was managing the worst part of our race better. Normally that kind of occurred about mid-way through the race. Sometimes we could recover from it and get back into running for a top-10, but a lot of times when we were in pretty good shape and on pace to run somewhere right outside the top-10 or top-15, that bad run takes us so far back that it’s really hard to recover from it and get a good finish out of it. So, just trying to manage that area of the race better. Along with that, when something like that goes wrong, just minimizing the mistakes going forward and just trying to make the most out of those struggles or that big struggle you may face. Each race, you’re going to have something that’s your biggest struggle and just trying to get across that better and with a better head or maybe with a better strategy – whatever it might be, we’ve been looking at it and just try to be more aware of that as an issue. And look at how we can prepare better for it; how we can handle it better. Just kind of self-reflecting like that.”

“At the end of the day, on average, (INAUDIBLE)… it’s a silly number because one situation and one race changes all of it. We had I think maybe five races of just finishing outside the top-30. Especially on days where I feel like it wouldn’t have been too challenging to get into the top-15, so we just have to be smarter with those.”

YOU HAD SOME REALLY STRONG RUNS LAST YEAR AND YOU WERE REALLY CLOSE AT TEXAS TO WINNING – YOU AND AUSTIN (DILLON) HAD A GREAT AFTERNOON THERE. HOW DISAPPOINTED WOULD YOU BE NOT TO WIN THIS YEAR, GIVEN SOME OF THOSE PERFORMANCES A YEAR AGO, AND NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS?
“I’m honestly really not wanting to think about that. That would not be good for my future if I can’t get into victory lane and miss the Playoffs again. I’m trying to think positively and think about what I could do to be better and become better; how can I capitalize on a situation, like you mentioned. Texas, how can I do it again and win, instead of coming in second.”

“Being at that place at the end of 2021, that’s kind of a direction I don’t want to put myself in – I don’t want to give that anymore fuel than it already has at this moment. I’m trying to just focus on things I can do to be better. There’s plenty of opportunities to win, it’s just about making the right decisions at the right time. Obviously, we’ve all seen that you can have the fastest car and still not win. It’s about running a good race and being smart.”

THERE’S A LOT OF NEW ON THE HORIZON THIS YEAR. IT KIND OF FEELS LIKE A NEW ERA, SPECIFICALLY WITH JIMMIE JOHNSON’S RETIREMENT. WHAT KIND OF GAP DO YOU FEEL LIKE HE LEAVES BEHIND? WHAT KIND OF EFFECT DO YOU THINK THAT WILL HAVE ON 2021?
“Jimmie (Johnson) is an outstanding individual. He was good to his competitors, good to the fans and good to the people that worked with him. He’s just an all-around great guy. With everything that we went through last year, especially the social injustice issues, he really took the lead in putting a video together that was put out. He was just a natural leader, if you will; it seemed that way. I only really got to know him a little bit just off and on through certain situations when I needed some help with a road course or a track or two. But the way that 2021 went with COVID, there wasn’t a lot of opportunities really to be around Jimmie. But I texted him quite a bit about the IndyCar endeavors; how that is, how much he likes it. I like to ask him about what he thinks about it compared to what he made a career of doing.”

“Definitely, a guy like that – when you’re a part-time Xfinity driver, you can text a seven-time champion and he’ll text back right away. Or if your bike rusts up on the way down because of an unexpected rainstorm and say ‘hey man, I need to get my bike fixed, what should I do’ and he’ll send you a name and a number and say go see him and the guy fixes your bike within a day. That’s just the type of guy he is.”

“He’s just an all-around good guy and that’s what made him a seven-time champion; being true to himself. I don’t know that we necessarily need someone to step in and be a Jimmie Johnson. We just need the drivers, including myself, to just be true to who we are – let our personalities shine in those moments. However we feel like we need to feel in those moments, we don’t need to hold back – we just need to show it. And for Jimmie, that was just being very cool-headed and handling it all very professionally. He will be missed, for sure. It was really cool to have him in the garage. It was hard to see him go, but it’s really exciting when somebody like him can do what he’s done in NASCAR and he’s got opportunities lined up to run in IndyCar. I’m really excited for him. I know he’s having a blast right now. He’s having fun learning how to drive something all over again. It’s tough to see him go, but I’m happy for him.”

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
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 3, 2020

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:

YOU’VE HAD SUCCESS AT DAYTONA. HOW DO YOU NEGOTIATE STAYING OUT THE WRECKS TO BE THERE AT THE END?
“It’s tough. It’s a game of putting yourself in a really position. I call it high-speed chess because you know at some point in time you’re going to be vulnerable. You hope that someone doesn’t take advantage of that too much and cause a big wreck. It’s one of those things where you are constantly moving and trying to guess the flow of the pack. I think the best place to be is in the front most of the time, but it’s impossible now with the way we race to keep yourself up there for the entire race. You see guys do it for long periods of time. Denny Hamlin has been pretty amazing at putting himself in the right position as of late. I’m going to do my best this time around to put ourselves in position for another shot at the Daytona 500.”

DO YOU FEEL IT COMING OR DOES IT HAPPEN TO FAST THAT YOU’RE JUST IN IT?
“Sometimes you’re in it, and there is nothing you can do about it because you know time is running out and you’re in it either way. It’s an odd feeling knowing your putting yourself out there and something is about to happen. That timing issue… you’re hoping you just get through it. I’ve been fortunate to sneak through some of them or be in front of some of them. You usually know when the intensity is rising and the pack is starting to get a little bit out of control. You try to do your best to give yourself an out or be in front of it.”

YOU WON THE DAYTONA 500 20 YEARS AFTER DALE EARNHARDT, WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO TAKE THE STING OF 20 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH TO WIN THE RACE AGAIN?
“It would be amazing and huge for the company, RCR and all the ‘3’ fans out there. Numbers have a lot to do with history at Daytona and the prestige of this place. If there is anything that goes along with that, I would love to go back to Victory Lane at Daytona and do that again.”

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR EMOTIONS LEADING UP TO THE ANNIVERSARY?
“You definitely know of the anniversary. People bring it up often in interviews. I remember that time and being a kid, seeing some of the people that I looked up to as being vulnerable at that time. My grandfather, seeing tears in his eyes and my mother, and not really knowing what was going on other than we lost a hero of our sport. So many people have been affected by that. Going to the museum as a kid and seeing the flowers lined up and all the different homages to Dale over the years… it’s one of those things that you’ll never forget because a hero of sport passed away. Hopefully we have done a good job as a sport and as a whole of carrying on his legacy. Fans today are always still wearing his gear and rockin’ it for Dale.”

RCR HAS HAD A LOT OF ALLIANCES IN THE PAST BUT KNOW YOU HAVE TRACKHOUSE. HOW WILL THAT ELEVATE RCR?
“Any time you can get more people and more smart minds in the shop is good. Daniel’s experience from other teams like Stewart-Haas and Gibbs, and Erik right up the street at Petty, hearing how things work where they have been is going to be big for us. I’ve only raced at RCR, so I haven’t had many people come in from outside and give us the insight they can give us. It’s going to be fun to listen to them on how they’ve done things in the past, how we do things, how they mesh and how we can take some of the things that they’ve done in the past that worked and gain on them to make them better. It’s going to be awesome having Team Trackhouse in the shop. Justin Marks is a breath of fresh air. He’s been in the shop a lot, and they’re really excited. It’s cool for our sport to have Pitbull. The Pitbull-MJ battle is going to be awesome this year. Obviously, I’ll be pulling for Pitbull because he’s in our shop.”

YOU’VE GOTTEN LAPS IN THE CAMARO AT COTA AND YOU’VE DONE THE ROLEX 24. HOW HAVE THOSE HELPED BOOST YOUR ROAD-RACING SKILLS?
“From the short time I’ve jumped in the simulator and gotten in and out of other cars, I’ve been able to pick up speed a bit quicker. I want to do more and more road racing. I’ve got millions of laps in a dirt car and millions of laps in an oval car, but not in road-course races. That comfort of being around other cars is being better. My confidence is higher. I can’t wait to race Tuesday night in the Clash. That’ll be a fun one and a kind of test session to get us ready for the first race outside the 500. We’re taking it as a test session and are really focused on being aggressive with the adjustments on the car and how I drive in that race.”

WHAT JUMPED OUT AT YOU ABOUT THE DAYTONA ROAD COURSE FROM THE ROLEX 24?
“It’s not so much of a technical track like some of the tracks that we go to that are road courses. It’s pretty self-explanatory. I like the fact that the tires seem to wear quite a bit at the track. I haven’t gotten to run the new chicane coming off Turn Four, so I need to make sure I try to stop when I get over there this time around from the Rolex to this race. I enjoyed it and I think the experience I got in the 24 was great and we’ll see how it all plays out in the end after we get done racing in the 500.”

WHAT, IF ANYTHING, CHANGES THIS YEAR WITHOUT JIMMIE JOHNSON IN THE SPORT?
“Jimmie is a seven-time champion, and anytime you lose a seven-time championship it’s a different era. There are a lot of shoes to fill in NASCAR. A lot of young drivers are coming in and guys that fans can attach to. It’s a good time to be in our sport. MJ and Pitbull coming in is another part of it that adds to the mix. I think the biggest part of what’s going on in our sport is the change and showing people how awesome our family-friendly sport is and that it’s a good time to pick out a driver, support them and become a fan of NASCAR.”

WHAT WILL BE THE MOST DIFFICULT NEW TRACK, AND HOW IMPORTANT IS TO CHANGE UP THE SCHEDULE?
“It’s always good for our sport to change races, change venues and try new things. It’s great to have a fresh schedule. The most challenging track… probably for the teams I’d guess COTA. There is so much that it has to offer. I feel like it has multiple road courses in one, and it’s one of the biggest tracks we’ve ever gone to. Teams have some experience at Road America from the Xfinity Series, so probably not that one as much. There are different challenges that all these new tracks provide, but I’d say COTA will be the most challenging for teams and anyone that doesn’t have experience there.”

HOW DO YOU THINK THE BRISTOL DIRT RACE WILL PAN OUT?
“I didn’t say Bristol because I’m looking forward to that and being in a dirt race. I think it will be challenging for the teams and a bunch of the drivers. It’ll be different for sure in trying to keep your cars together on the dirt. Some people that are very comfortable at other tracks are not going to be as comfortable at Bristol.”

HOW MUCH MOMENTUM FROM 2020 TRANSITIONS TO THIS YEAR?
“We have a good amount. We kept most of our team together on the 3 car. I think that’s big. Over the last couple of years, we’ve had people swapping around and changing. It’s good to have continuity in the team and have my crew chief, spotter and everyone ready to go. Chevrolet has done a good job in the offseason of really pushing the togetherness and working hard together. That’s the biggest thing… giving us more opportunities to win that we’ve had in the past. The momentum from last year was huge, and I want to carry that over.”

DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE A GOOD CHANCE TO GET BACK TO THE PLAYOFFS AND BETTER THAT RESULT?
“That’s what we’ve worked for in this offseason – to go farther than we did last year. Other than the one hiccup we had at Vegas with the belt, I thought we would have gone to the next round. We had a pretty solid round other than breaking there. We’ll be pushing hard. Multiple wins this year is key to that success to go farther than we did this year. One win is nice. But if you see the guys who are in the final four and they have multiple wins. So, I think that is our first goal: to get multiple wins and see what happens from there. That’s a successful season in my book, when you can get multiple wins in the NASCAR Cup Series.”

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.

WELCOME, NC (February 3, 2021) – Richard Childress Racing announced today that Workrise (formerly RigUp) will continue its support of the No. 3 program and driver Austin Dillon for a second season, as a primary partner for select NASCAR Cup Series races in 2021.

“Workrise is purpose-built for the people who get hard work done.” said Xuan Yong, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Workrise. “Just like our workers and partners in the skilled trades, Austin Dillon and the Richard Childress Racing team are no strangers to hard work. We’re thrilled to partner with Austin Dillon and team in 2021.”

Workrise is the leading workforce management solution for the skilled trades. The company operates across the solar, wind, construction, defense and oil & gas industries, providing staffing, training, and professional services through people and technology.

“Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, and the NASCAR brand are a perfect fit for the Workrise brand and our business goals,” said Mike Witte, Chief Operating Office and Co-Founder of Workrise. “We’re looking forward to inviting clients to a few of the races this year.”

Workrise will serve as a primary partner on the No. 3 Chevrolet for select races in 2021, beginning with the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas in May.

“We’re looking forward to working closely with Workrise to help create best-in-class engagements for their customers, contractors and employees,” said Torrey Galida, president of RCR. “We can certainly appreciate and relate to the Workrise mission of empowering the people who get hard work done.”

For more information on RCR, visit rcrracing.com.

For more information on Workrise, visit workrise.com or contact press@workrise.com

About Workrise
Workrise is the leading workforce management solution for the skilled trades. We make it easier for skilled laborers to find work and for companies to find in-demand, trained workers. Workrise operates across the solar, wind, construction, defense and oil & gas industries. Through people and technology, we provide the staffing, training, and professional services to empower the people who get hard work done. For more information visit workrise.com.

About Richard Childress Racing:
Richard Childress Racing (rcrracing.com) is a renowned, performance-driven racing, marketing and manufacturing organization. Incorporated in 1969, RCR has celebrated over 50 years of racing and earned more than 200 victories and 16 championships, including six in the NASCAR Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series and is a three-time winner of the Daytona 500 (1998, 2007, 2018). Its 2020 NASCAR Cup Series lineup includes two-time NASCAR champion, 2017 Coca-Cola 600 winner and 2018 Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon (No. 3 Chevrolet), along with two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick (No. 8 Chevrolet). RCR fields a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series program with Myatt Snider (No. 2 Chevrolet).

Deal Represents First-of-its-Kind Partnership

WELCOME, NC (February 3, 2021) – Richard Childress Racing (RCR) announced today a multi-faceted partnership with BetMGM, the market-leading sports betting and online gaming platform. BetMGM will collaborate with the iconic NASCAR team on a variety of marketing and activation assets, including primary sponsorship for select races during the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series, and the designation as the Official Sports Betting Operator of Richard Childress Racing. This marks the first partnership between a NASCAR team and sports betting operator.

“BetMGM is at the forefront of the sports betting and online gaming industry and Richard Childress Racing can certainly relate to their pioneering vision,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “This innovative relationship will provide opportunities to collaborate in new and groundbreaking ways.”

BetMGM’s agreement with RCR kicks off this month at Daytona International Speedway with an associate partnership on RCR’s No. 3 Chevrolet driven by Austin Dillon, as well as the No. 8 Chevrolet driven by Tyler Reddick. The Daytona 500 airs live on FOX at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Feb. 14. Today’s news follows the announcement of BetMGM as an Authorized NASCAR Gaming Partner.

Matt Prevost, BetMGM’s Chief Revenue Officer, said, “Richard Childress Racing is one of the most respected and formidable teams in motorsports. Together we will develop compelling marketing opportunities and activations that introduce the BetMGM sports betting brand to NASCAR fans worldwide.”

The BetMGM mobile app is currently live in 10 states and is available for download on both iOS and Android, as well as accessible via desktop at www.betmgm.com. BetMGM offers user-friendly sports betting experiences, making it easy to customize pre-game, live in-play, futures and parlay wagers. BetMGM’s integration with MGM Resorts’ M life Rewards program allows BetMGM users, in legal playing states, the opportunity to redeem their gameplay for world-class experiences at MGM Resorts properties nationwide. Those resorts include Bellagio and MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Borgata in New Jersey, Beau Rivage in Mississippi and MGM National Harbor in Maryland. For more information, follow @BetMGM on Twitter.

About Richard Childress Racing:
Richard Childress Racing (rcrracing.com) is a renowned, performance-driven racing, marketing and manufacturing organization. Incorporated in 1969, RCR has celebrated over 50 years of racing and earned more than 200 victories and 16 championships, including six in the NASCAR Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series and is a three-time winner of the Daytona 500 (1998, 2007, 2018). Its 2020 NASCAR Cup Series lineup includes two-time NASCAR champion, 2017 Coca-Cola 600 winner and 2018 Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon (No. 3 Chevrolet), along with two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick (No. 8 Chevrolet). RCR fields a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series program with Myatt Snider (No. 2 Chevrolet)

About BetMGM
BetMGM is a market leading sports betting and gaming entertainment company, pioneering the online gaming industry. Born out of a partnership between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and Entain Plc (LSE: ENT), BetMGM has exclusive access to all of MGM Resorts’ U.S. land-based and online sports betting, major tournament poker, and online gaming businesses. Utilizing Entain’s U.S.-licensed, state of the art technology, BetMGM offers sports betting and online gaming via market leading brands including BetMGM, Borgata Casino, Party Casino and Party Poker. Founded in 2018, BetMGM is headquartered in New Jersey. For more information, visit http://www.betmgminc.com/.

Statements in this release that are not historical facts are “forward-looking” statements and “safe harbor statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and/or uncertainties, including BetMGM’s ability to grow in new or existing jurisdictions. Management has based forward-looking statements on current expectations and assumptions and not on historical facts. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements include the effects of economic and market conditions in the jurisdictions in which BetMGM operates, competition with other iGaming and sports betting platforms, the timing and costs of expanding in new jurisdictions as well as obtaining and maintaining the required permits, licenses, financings, approvals and other contingencies in connection with growth in new or existing jurisdictions. In providing forward-looking statements, BetMGM is not undertaking any duty or obligation to update these statements publicly as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. If BetMGM updates one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that it will make additional updates with respect to those other forward-looking statements.

BREZTRI AEROSPHERE™ (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) to be Featured on No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with Driver Austin Dillon

WELCOME, N.C. (February 3, 2021) – Richard Childress Racing announced today that AstraZeneca, a global science-based biopharmaceutical company, has partnered with Richard Childress Racing for select races during the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series to feature BREZTRI AEROSPHERE™ (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Inhalation Aerosol on the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with driver Austin Dillon.

BREZTRI AEROSPHERE is a medicine used long term to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, for better breathing and fewer flare-ups.* BREZTRI is not used to relieve sudden breathing problems and will not replace a rescue inhaler. BREZTRI is not for the treatment of asthma.

Austin Dillon is a two-time NASCAR Champion, 2017 Coca-Cola 600 winner and 2018 Daytona 500 champion. He is in his eighth full-time season in the Cup Series driving the legendary No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

“There is a history of COPD in my family, so it’s really important to me to be able to help encourage patients to talk to their doctor about their health goals and to visit BREZTRI.com to learn about a treatment option,” said Dillon, whose paternal grandfather, Stan Dillon, suffered from COPD. “I look forward to running the BREZTRI colors on the No. 3 Chevrolet and thank AstraZeneca for its partnership.”

In addition to primary sponsorship on the No. 3 Chevrolet for select races in 2021, BREZTRI will also be featured as an associate partner for the full 2021 season.

“We’ve enjoyed our relationship with AstraZeneca for several years, so we are happy to continue our partnership in a new and innovative way with BREZTRI,” said Torrey Galida, President of Richard Childress Racing. “This is a special relationship for RCR and we are looking forward to a great season ahead.”

For more information, visit rcrracing.com.

*Results may vary.

About Richard Childress Racing:
Richard Childress Racing (rcrracing.com) is a renowned, performance-driven racing, marketing and manufacturing organization. Incorporated in 1969, RCR has celebrated over 50 years of racing and earned more than 200 victories and 16 championships, including six in the NASCAR Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series and is a three-time winner of the Daytona 500 (1998, 2007, 2018). Its 2020 NASCAR Cup Series lineup includes two-time NASCAR champion, 2017 Coca-Cola 600 winner and 2018 Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon (No. 3 Chevrolet), along with two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick (No. 8 Chevrolet). RCR fields a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series program with Myatt Snider (No. 2 Chevrolet).

APPROVED USE

BREZTRI AEROSPHERE is a medicine used long term to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, for better breathing and fewer flare-ups.

BREZTRI is not used to relieve sudden breathing problems and will not replace a rescue inhaler. BREZTRI is not for the treatment of asthma.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

• BREZTRI combines 3 medicines, an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) medicine (budesonide), an anticholinergic medicine (glycopyrrolate), and a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (LABA) medicine (formoterol fumarate). LABA medicines, such as formoterol fumarate, when used alone can increase the risk of hospitalizations and death from asthma problems. When an ICS and LABA are used together, this risk is not significantly increased
• Do not use BREZTRI if youare allergic to budesonide, glycopyrrolate, formoterol fumarate, or any of the ingredients in BREZTRI
• Do not take BREZTRI with other medicines that contain a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (LABA) or an anticholinergic for any reason. Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions and about all the medicines you take
• BREZTRI should be taken as 2 puffs, 2 times each day. Do not use BREZTRI more often than prescribed
• Call your healthcare provider or get medical care right away ifyour breathing problems get worse, if you need to use your rescue inhaler more often than usual, or your rescue inhaler does not work as well to relieve your symptoms
• BREZTRI can cause serious side effects, including:
• Fungal infection in your mouth or throat (thrush). Rinse your mouth with water without swallowing after using BREZTRI to help reduce your chance of getting thrush
• Pneumonia. People with COPD have a higher chance of getting pneumonia. Call your healthcare provider if you notice an increase in mucus (sputum) production or change in mucus color, fever, chills, increased cough, or increased breathing problems
• Weakened immune system and increased chance of getting infections (immunosuppression)
• Reduced adrenal function (adrenal insufficiency). This can happen when you stop taking oral corticosteroid medicines and start inhaled corticosteroid medicine
• Sudden breathing problems immediately after inhaling BREZTRI. If this happens, stop taking BREZTRI and call your healthcare provider right away
• Serious allergic reactions. Call your healthcare provider or get emergency medical care if you get any of the following symptoms: rash; hives; swelling of your face, mouth, and tongue; or breathing problems
• Effects on your heart such asincreased blood pressure, a fast or irregular heartbeat, or chest pain

• Effects on your nervous system such as tremor or nervousness
• Bone thinning or weakness (osteoporosis)
• Acute narrow-angle glaucoma and cataracts. If you have new or worsening eye or vision problems, call your healthcare provider right away before taking another dose
• Urinary retention. If you have new or worsening symptoms or difficulty urinating, stop taking BREZTRI and call your healthcare provider right away before taking another dose
• Changes in laboratory blood values, including high levels of blood sugar (hyperglycemia) and low levels of potassium (hypokalemia). Low levels of potassium may cause symptoms of muscle spasm, muscle weakness, or abnormal heart rhythm
• Most common side effects include:upper respiratory tract infection, pneumonia, hoarseness, back pain, thrush in your mouth and throat, flu, muscle spasms, urinary tract infection, cough, inflammation of the sinuses, and diarrhea

Please see full Prescribing Information and Patient Information, and discuss with your doctor.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR Media Day | Wednesday, February 3, 2021

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang – WHAT IS YOUR ASSESSMENT OF HOW HARD IT IS TO GET THROUGH THE DAYTONA 500 WITHOUT BEING IN A WRECK? “That’s always the case restrictor plate racing or what now is superspeedway racing. The risk versus reward throughout the entire race. Obviously, the risk versus reward is very apparent when it’s two laps to go, but you have to constantly weigh that out in the middle of stage one, when you’re coming down to the end of stage one. How bad do you want those stage points? All those things. You’re constantly weighing that inside the race car. You’re constantly trying to not only put yourself in position to control the race and lead, but you’re constantly weighing is it worth me putting my car in a bad position right here to get to the lead or to try and get these two sports, or whatever that case is you always have to be mindful of that because there is that opportunity. The easiest way to lose the Daytona 500 is get caught up in a wreck and it happens often.”

WHAT IS THE FRUSTRATION LEVEL? YOU HAVE BEEN NEARLY THERE GOING INTO TURN THREE WITH A CHANCE TO WIN AND HAVE IT TAKEN AWAY. “Unfortunately, I’ve had the time and opportunity to think about that on multiple occasions and I’ve come to the conclusion that I would rather be a part of that opportunity to win and not win versus not really even being involved in the Daytona 500 and get out of there with a seventh-place finish. That’s really my mentality and the way I look at it is, to me, it means more to me to be running up front and have my sponsors on TV and all those things and be challenging to win the race and not go my way versus running a clean race off the back of the draft and being very conservative for the entire race and then missing all the wrecks and finishing seventh. Now, that’s certainly a better payday and a better points day, but at the end of the day we’re there to put on a show. We’re there to race and when I go to the Daytona 500 it’s the biggest race of the year and I want to win and I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to put myself and our team in position to win that race.”

WHAT ARE THE AREAS THAT WILL BE MOST IMPORTANT FOR YOU AND YOUR OTHER TEAMMATES TO GET CHASE BRISCOE UP TO SPEED AS FAST AS POSSIBLE? “I think the biggest adjustment for him is just the comfort level that he had in the XFINITY Series and in those cars. They obviously had great equipment and he was doing a great job with those cars and putting himself in position to win almost every week and winning a lot. Now, transitioning to the Cup car he doesn’t know what to expect as much. He doesn’t know when he fires off at Homestead or even Daytona how his car is gonna drive. What’s it gonna drive like in the draft? How is his car gonna behave in the middle of three-wide? Late in the tire run? All those things, and as much as somebody else tells you, until you experience it for yourself it’s really, really difficult and really hard. I know that from years ago when I first came in to the Cup Series and running full-time. I had several other drivers help and you still have to go through those growing pains. You still have to learn from experience. There’s no substitute for experience and seeing that with every rookie along the way, and some guys are more fortunate than others to get it to click and things take off faster for some than others, but you have to learn from experience and I think Chase is gonna be the same way. We can talk to him. We can tell him. He can pick our brains, but until he goes out there and feels it for himself and experiences it, it’s gonna be all new.”

WHAT HAS THE SMITHFIELD RELATIONSHIP MEANT TO YOU OVER THESE LAST 10 YEARS? “I just did an interview about this the other day and what I said Ive thought about since I said it because it just naturally came out and I’ve thought about it more since I said it, it’s so true. It’s meant everything. Really, it’s meant everything. It’s no secret that it costs a lot of money to run in NASCAR and you’ve got to have corporate funding and sponsorship backing to be able to go and race and to be successful. For me, I’ve had that. For all 10 years of my Car career, Smithfield has been my partner. I can honestly say that without Smithfield my career would probably not be what it is today, and it certainly would most likely have been a lot shorter and not as successful. So, I owe so much to them and their support, and at the same time I worked my tail off to be sure to give them more than they ever asked for because it is truly a partnership. I’ve always viewed it that way. It’s not just them paying money to put their name on the side of a race car and go around in circles, it’s really about them investing in me and my career and me investing in their company. I think because of that, and because of the way our relationship got off in the beginning I feel like I’m part of the Smithfield family and they treat me that way, and we’ve had 10 great years to show for it.”

HOW MUCH HAVE YOU HAD TO CHANGE YOUR DRIVING STYLE ON THE SUPERSPEEDWAYS, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE TAPERED SPACER CAME OUT? “Yeah, it has. When the cars were what they were in 2018, the runs were a lot slower. Our cars were a lot faster and the closing rate at speed due to the draft was a lot slower. The runs came at a slower closing rate and a lot about the draft was very different even the way the cars drove around each other in the draft. The way that they drafted and the way that they affected the cars around you now it’s so much different. The runs come way faster and the cars are going 20 miles an hour slower, but the runs, the closing rate because of the draft is so effective. The closing rate is very, very fast. It’s very different on many accounts and I think that’s one of the things that makes our sport so interesting and what makes the drivers in our sport so great is that the drivers are so good at figuring it out and adapting.”

WILL THE 500 BE LIKE LAST YEAR WHERE YOU JUST TRY TO SURVIVE TO THE END AND THEN BLOCK THE LAST FEW LAPS? “Without a doubt, absolutely. In superspeedway racing, no matter what, the draft is a very big part of our racing, so guys run into each other and that helps both cars go faster. When you lock bumpers you go faster, so anytime there’s contact involved and that helps you go faster when you start pushing and shoving, it only takes one small mistake at 195-200 miles an hour to misjudge something just by a fraction of an inch and you get involved in a big wreck.”

WHAT HAS BEEN THE SECRET TO YOUR SUPERSPEEDWAY SUCCESS? “I can’t put my finger on just one thing. It takes a lot of different things. It takes a fast race car. It takes a great spotter. Me, in the seat, it takes a lot of concentration and focus, but, really just forethought, just always thinking about your next move. It really is a high-speed chess match and you’re constantly weighing out your risk vs. reward and, fortunately, for me I’ve more often than not found myself in position to win these superspeedway races when it comes down to the end of the race. I’ve done it many a different ways. I’ve done it by being up front and being aggressive all race. I’ve done it by laying back and avoiding the big wrecks, and then being there at the end. I’ve found myself with opportunities to win these races multiple different ways, so I really think that it takes a lot of different key elements to all just kind of go your way on that given race.”

WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO WIN AGAIN? “I would say we’ve got fast race cars. We’ve got to continue that. We’ve got to continue to bring really fast Smithfield Ford Mustangs to the racetrack, and then from that point really is about just executing. I know you probably hear that from 39 other drivers, but it’s true. All of the little details matter and I’ve got to do my part in the race car from hitting my marks and finding the most grip and the most speed on the racetrack, doing a good job on restarts and gaining more spots than I lose. We’ve got to do better on pit road. We’ve got to get to where we’re one of the top teams on pit road. You see year after year the teams that battle for the championship at Homestead are usually the teams – those four pit crews are usually in the top six or seven average pit crews on pit road for the season. So, we’ve got to do better at that. We’ve got to execute the races better, just all of it has to happen in order to win at this level. It’s so hard to win a Cup Series race, incredibly difficult and you’ve got to be perfect and you’ve got to do all the little things right.”

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO RACE AT A LOCAL TRACK. DOES IT HAVE MORE PRIDE? “Certainly pride. It feels like home. It’s so hard to describe, but as soon as the airplane door opens up and I step off of it and I feel that warm, humid air, it feels like home. That’s how I grew up for the first 18 years of my life in Florida, so as soon as I step off the airplane it immediately feels like home and I feel comfortable in that setting. I have so many friends and family in the area and I get to catch up with them on most cases. Now with COVID that will obviously be different and challenging, but it’s a level of comfort when I show up to Daytona that I don’t really have anywhere else, to be honest.”

THOUGHTS ON SONOMA AND ROAD COURSE RACING? “I’ve not been the best of road course racers. I’ll be the first to admit that. That is something that I have tasked myself with at getting better. I’ve got to get better at it and I have put effort into that and I’ve been diligent with trying to become a better road course racer, and I’m going to be a better road course racer. Sonoma, honestly, is my best road course track. I have the best results there. I run the best there, and so of all the road course races that I look forward to, I always look forward to Sonoma the most because I run the best there. I hope by the time it’s time to go there that the state is opened back up and that we can come and put on a show in Napa Valley, and I would love to go there and as I get better at road racing everywhere else, hopefully that will transition to being better at Sonoma and will take me from being a seventh to 10th place guy at Sonoma and maybe put me in contention to run top five and maybe even challenge to win a race there.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SONOMA ONLY BEING A ONE-DAY SHOW? “I think most about the experience of NAPA Valley. That’s one of the weekends that I’ve always enjoyed taking my wife and we kind of have a date weekend, leave the kids at home with grandma and grandpa and go out west and enjoy ourselves for a couple days and then go race at Sonoma. I’ll miss that probably the most, but as far as practice at Sonoma it was always a very difficult track to practice at. The surface is very abrasive on the tires, so you’ve only got a couple of laps anyways to really understand what your car is gonna feel like or drive like and then all the other times you were really just getting in a rhythm and getting ready for the race just with your brake points, your shift points and all those things. You’re just kind of getting in that rhythm to prep for the race, but actually tuning on the car was very difficult at Sonoma anyways, so practice was never super beneficial.”

DO YOU HAVE ANY SUPER BOWL PLANS WITH THE BUCS BEING IN THE GAME? “It’ll just be a big family night. Obviously, we’re getting close to the Daytona 500, so being very mindful of staying in my bubble and not putting myself at anymore risk than I need to to make sure that I’m COVID-free and that I can show up and go start the season and not miss any races because of that. So, that’s top of mind and because of that it’s basically made our plans pretty clear. We’re gonna stay home and cheer really loud from the couch and probably fire up the grill and cook some Smithfield products on the grill and just hang out and kind of make a day of it.”

DO YOU HAVE A PREDICTION? “I’m gonna say Bucs 37, Chiefs 31. We’re not gonna hold the Chiefs to less than 31 points. If we can hold them to 31, I feel like our defense can, and I feel like our offense can get 34 to 37 points on the board.”

DID WHAT HAPPENED IN 2018, BEING HALF A LAP AWAY FROM WINNING THE 500, CHANGE YOUR MENTALITY FOR THE NEXT TIME? “No, I was just really upset for about 24 hours, maybe 48 hours, and then after that I was already shifting my focus to the next race and trying to put that one behind me. That’s the one thing in life that is so apparent, and we’re always faced with that is that we can’t change the past. We can’t go back and change what happened yesterday or even five minutes ago. We just have to always look at the present and look ahead and look towards the next opportunity, so that’s been my mentality with our sport and kind of in life in general, and so, yeah, I was bummed out, for sure, to be that close to winning the Daytona 500 and it not happen, but I don’t think it kept me down whatsoever. We went on to have a great season the rest of the year, won a race later that season and finished fifth in the overall point standings, so it still turned out to be a great year even though the Daytona 500 got away from us.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE PEOPLE LIKE PITBULL COME INTO THE SPORT? “It’s huge. I am proud of where my family has come from and to get to where I’m at today. I tell people all the time I am living proof of the American Dream. My grandparents came over from Cuba in 1966 on the Freedom Flights. They brought my dad and my uncle and started over, started with nothing and started over and built everything back up, created an environment around my dad and my uncle to get them launched in life and here I am the very next generation after they come over and I drive a race car for a living. Who would ever think that? That’s so crazy. Our country is an amazing country. They talk about the land of opportunity and it certainly is, and, yeah, I’m very proud of my background and my Hispanic heritage and I appreciate very much the fanbase that follows and that cheers for us. I know Daniel Suarez and myself are the two guys that kind of represent the Latino community and I love it. We’ve had some very unique and great opportunities to go into some heavily, dense populated areas of Hispanic culture and community and educate them on NASCAR and invite them to a race. To have them come out and experience it with their family has been amazing and they are now hooked and lifelong NASCAR fans because of it. So, it means a lot to me.”

HOW HAS YOUR MOTIVATION CHANGED THIS SEASON WITH AN UP-AND-COMER LIKE CHASE BRISCOE AS A TEAMMATE? DO YOU HAVE A BIGGER CHIP ON YOUR SHOULDER THAN LAST SEASON? “No, I’ve never been one that’s ever really walked around with a chip on my shoulder or felt like I had something to prove. I’ve always been kind of more quiet, more reserved and just internally motivated to do my best. If nothing else, just to make sure that I am always at my peak. I’ve never had any sort of outside pressure that ever felt more than the pressure I put on myself to perform at a high level. It doesn’t matter who my teammate is. It doesn’t matter who I’m racing against, whether I’m racing against Jimmie Johnson or Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Kevin Harvick or anybody else, that’s never really been a big deal to me. It’s always just been for me to get the most out of my race car on that given day.”

HOW EXCITING IS IT TO BE A DRIVER IN NASCAR NOW WITH ALL THE CHANGES GOING ON, AND WHICH NEW TRACK ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST? “To be a part of NASCAR at this time is a lot of fun and it’s very exciting to see kind of the trajectory. It’s not a secret that for a while the sport was sliding a little bit and ratings and all those things, and it seems like a couple years ago it kind of bottomed out and now we seem to be back on a little bit of an upward trajectory and that’s exciting. That’s fun. Growing and building towards something for the future is exciting and so I agree. NASCAR is getting ready to launch into our most exciting season ever. We’ve got some really unique events on the schedule with the Bristol Dirt Race and new racetracks, going to Nashville Superspeedway, going to road courses that we’ve never been to in the Cup Series. It’s gonna be interesting and exciting and I have no doubt that the 40 of us knuckleheads on the racetrack are gonna put on a great event for everybody tuning in.”

HOW HARD HAS IT BEEN TO DO WHAT YOU’D LIKE TO DO WITH YOUR FOUNDATION DURING THE PANDEMIC? “It’s been really difficult. A lot of our efforts in the past have gone into giving these comfort kits to families that show up to the hospital and usually show up in emergency and get there and don’t have anything. They don’t have lotion or chap stick or a clean pair of underwear or socks. They don’t have anything to entertain their kids with, so we’ve built these comfort kits and they were delivered on certain floors of the hospital that usually dealt with these instances, where people showed up and didn’t have things. Now, with the hospital situation being what it is and family and stuff not being able to come and be with their children as much, it’s just one guardian and all those things, and the fact that we can’t volunteer. That was something that was very important to Janice and myself and our kids as well was volunteering at the hospital and going there and hand-delivering these comfort kits from room to room. That has been tough. We had a lot of great things planned this year. We were working with Waffle House on something to do. Once a month we were gonna do Waffle Wednesday Night and we were gonna serve breakfast for dinner to everybody and Smithfield was gonna donate the bacon and we were gonna precook all the bacon and Waffle House was gonna bring waffle irons in in the lobby at the hospital and we were gonna have breakfast for dinner. Anybody in the hospital could come down to the lobby and make a to-go plate and take it back up to their room. We were so excited about that. We had so many plans in place to launch that and it didn’t happen because of the pandemic, so a lot of our effort and focus now has been on helping the hospital deal with the pandemic, helping the frontline workers, the nurses, the staff and all the people that are really getting hit the hardest with the pandemic. That’s where a lot of our resources and focus has been lately.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE WAY NASCAR CROWNS ITS CHAMPION WITH THE PLAYOFF FORMAT? “You can go 15-1 or 16-0 in the regular season in the NFL and not make it to the Super Bowl. You can have the best record in baseball and not make it to the World Series. It’s called sports. It’s competition and you have to be good when it matters the most and so, yeah, being good during the regular season has a lot of perks and benefits. Certainly, winning a bunch of races is good for the morale and the confidence and the sponsors and everybody involved with the race team, but when the playoffs come you still have to perform at a very high level and even all the success during the regular season it does parlay into the playoffs, just like regular sports. Regular sports you get a better seed when you go into the playoffs. In NASCAR, you have more bonus points, so that can kind of help give you a buffer or a cushion on whether or not you have a bad race. It could kind of save you if you will, based on your regular season results. But, it’s part of sports and sometimes no matter how great you are during the regular season if you’re not equally as great when the playoffs come, you could find yourself not racing for a championship.”