NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 2, 2021

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 CHIP GANASSI RACING CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Daytona Media Availability Highlights:

WHAT ARE THE UNIQUE OBSTACLES YOU FACE IN JOINING A NEW TEAM, A TEAM THAT’S HAD SUCCESS AT THE CUP SERIES LEVEL, WHEN PRACTICE AND SHOP ADJUSTMENTS ARE AT A PREMIUM RIGHT NOW?
“I don’t know if that question is ready to be answered, honestly. The best thing right now, ahead of the season, in trying to prepare is that it was all familiar faces. It’s not a new building. I didn’t have to get a new key to get into the shop. Everything at Team Chevy is familiar. We’ve been able to just ramp-up that dialogue to another level. I don’t know. I don’t know what to expect yet.”

WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF HAVING A PRIOR NASCAR CUP CHAMPION LIKE KURT BUSCH TO GUIDE YOU?
“I’m going to follow that guy’s lead, even on Media Day I’m following him. He’s a good guy to follow. We’ve gotten to spend some time together this off-season. He came by the watermelon farm. I showed him around a little bit. He got to meet some of my family. We’re not that different in a lot of ways in just taking and chatting about life and race cars and watermelons and talking about his childhood. He actually ran some of the same series’ I did, and my dad did, as a hobby; that was cool to talk about old times. He’s been there and he’s done it. The depth of drivers and like the best role models I can try to be like; I’ve had some really good ones in my life obviously, with my dad. But you get into the CGR fold and the guys that Chip (Ganassi) has assembled (like) Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti and Jimmie Johnson; these are all guys that I’ve been able to now go to and ask questions. Kurt is first and foremost and the closest, and we’re driving the same race car. I’ve bugged him with quite a few questions.”

YOUR STORY OF HOW HARD YOU’RE WORKING JUST TO GET AN OPPORTUNITY IS WELL-KNOWN. IS THIS YOUR SHOT, YOUR ONE SHOT? DOES THIS HAVE TO WORK AT GANASSI?
“As a racer, yeah. I don’t want to go fail. So, there is no alternative. There is no Plan B. We have the farm and will still grow and sell watermelons, but yeah as a racer, I want to succeed, and I want to do my jobs. Yeah, this is it.”

YOU HAVE A REPUTATION FOR BEING A HARD-CHARGER AND A HARD RACER. DOES THAT CHANGE NOW WITH THIS OPPORTUNITY? DO YOU TRY TO MAYBE BLEND IN A LITTLE BIT MORE? DO YOU APPROACH THINGS DIFFERENTLY NOW?
“Yes. Definitely blend in more. I’m not going to let anybody pass. I’m not going to purposely run into anybody. I think that’s maybe been embellished a little bit over the years and I haven’t done any work to diminish it. I’ve embraced it and enjoyed how people view me and how people talk about me. We’ve used it internally with the race teams that I’ve driven for over the last two years to really motivate and find that extra little bit of speed in the race trucks and cars and I would not trade anything. All those steps and mistakes are what got me here. But yes, definitely blend in a little better. I don’t want or need a line of drivers or crew chiefs or anybody to be lined-up at the car after these races. This is the premier series and I have to elevate to that level. I have a long way to go. This is going to be the biggest step of my career.”

INAUDIBLE
“It’s a benefit to them but they’ve earned it. Those guys have done what they needed to do to meet all the requirements and luckily, we do have Kurt. I’ll be watching and listening and looking through everything that the No. 42 team will be watching and in constant communication with the No. 1 team. And whatever they do learn will help us. It only can help. But from the pure driving aspect of getting laps there, I’ve got some laps in the Xfinity car, but they weren’t exactly quality and I need more laps at all these places, especially road courses. Yeah, they’re going to have the upper hand but that’s okay. We’ll be there in the race.”

HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THE EVOLUTION OF SPIRE MOTORSPORTS WHERE THE FIRST SEASON THEY DIDN’T REALLY HAVE A BUILDING TO WORK OUT OF AND NOW THEY’RE EXPANDING AND GIVING OTHER DRIVERS A SHOT?
“Genius. I mean they didn’t have a wrench or a jack or nothing. They didn’t even have a car. And they’ve progressively built it with the help of a lot of other people and team owners along the way that I’ve gotten to drive for as well. But taking that step to buy a shop, acquire charters, and get real race cars; they’re going to have some really good cars and good engines. Corey (LaJoie), just like me, he’s going to have that next step in performance. Years ago, when people thought they were kind of crazy and I think it was the joke when it was just a cash grab, it wasn’t. They had a long-term goal. I got to be just a fly on the wall for a lot of those talks years ago. Even I was kind of like man, I don’t know. But everything they said they wanted to do, they’ve accomplished. Obviously, I’m indebted to them and tied to them and friends with them and want to see them succeed. Having the alliance with us at CGR is big. It’s a big deal. It gives us another Chevy teammate as well at Daytona. We all know Corey can drive, so it’s going to be really cool.”

HEADING INTO YOUR FIRST FULL SEASON IN CUP RACING, HOW WAS YOUR OFF-SEASON DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS?
“More relaxing, to be honest. I can say that truthfully. I got more sleep across the board, knowing what I was going to do. And I had goals; very specifically. Ahead of these races we started planning back when we knew we were going to do this season, and then really ramped it up as soon as Phoenix was over. We all took our holiday breaks for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but we have been more diligent than I’ve ever been able to be with a team of time in the Chevy simulator and just talking. It is on a Zoom call sometimes or finding a conference room and sitting probably 15 feet apart, but just talking with my core group of guys that I’m going to spend this year going to battle with; and just being in that communication where they know what I mean when I say this; and that I’m maybe not the biggest motivational speaker on the radio pre-race or post-race, and that’s the time to do our job. Having those goals have been the biggest things to keep me on track.”

HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED WITH THE AMOUNT OF TIME REQUIRED, SUCH AS PHOTO SHOOTS, THAT YOU MAYBE HAVEN’T THOUGHT ABOUT BEFORE?
“Not really because fortunately we have done photo shoots. We have done production days. But I’m just kind of out there by the car by myself because everybody is away because I have my mask off, right? So, I’m by myself and my mask is close by. I can put it on, and we can go see what we need to fix or do. But that’s the bad part of all this. All the pageantry and going to Daytona, I’ve been fortunate enough to run two Daytona 500 races and I’ve been there as a fan for years. Once I get in the car it won’t matter; but pre-race, the place won’t be sold out. We’ve been sold out for years in a row now and even back to photo shoots and these things, we should be at the 500 Club and the infield at Daytona doing this, not here. We should be in fire suits and carrying helmets around and trying to grab lunch in between sessions. We don’t get that person-to-person interaction.”

AS A DRIVER, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO IMPROVE UPON?
“Everything. There is so much (laughs). I mean, we all have better laps or better days than others, whether its in normal life or around the race track and making those bad days better and those good days great and keeping the mistakes down and staying like calm and cool. That’s the biggest thing. I won’t know until I get in the car, but really try to just be a better person inside the car and have a better outlook and not worry as much whenever something doesn’t go how I think it should. Controlling what I can control is the biggest thing and the rest of it is racing. We don’t call it winning. We call it racing. That’s what I can go better.”

KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW IN MAKING THIS JOURNEY, WHAT WOULD BE THE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOURSELF FIVE YEARS AGO?
“Believing it’s going to happen. I was doing it. I did believe but I just couldn’t see it. I couldn’t see the end goal. I knew what I wanted to do. I knew what we were talking about and what we were trying to prepare to do but yeah. I would probably even back up farther than that and when I first got to NASCAR, I was so naive in the Truck Series. People were telling me there was a way, but I just knew the real facts of it and I didn’t know if it would actually happen.”

DO YOU THINK MAYBE SOME DRIVERS IN THE CUP SERIES MAY NOT TRUST YOU COME FEBRUARY 14th ON-TRACK OR DO YOU EVEN CARE IF THEY DO? WOULD YOU RATHER JUST WORK WITH YOUR TEAMMATES INSTEAD OF TRYING TO GATHER THEIR TRUST?
“I definitely need their trust. Fortunately, with my high number of starts in the Cup Series, I will not have rookie stripes. For all the reasons I thought I would be a rookie by the rules, we won’t be. And I think once we’re out there racing, I’ll try to do the best I can to help my line move forward. Yeah, I’ve made mistakes. There’s no way around it. Huge mistakes that cost me and my teams a lot of money and a lot of points and a lot of chances at wins. So, I can only try to be better from that.”

OVER THE YEARS, WE’VE SEEN WHERE THE BEST DRIVER DOESN’T ALWAYS MAKE IT TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND IN HIS RESPECTIVE NASCAR SERIES’. HOW IS THE PLAYOFFS A GOOD MEASURE FOR DETERMINING A CHAMPION WITH OTHER MOTORSPORTS USE A SEASON-LONG FORMAT?
“It’s the rules we have. We all know it and we all plan accordingly. Whatever series you’re in as a racer, you’re going to examine the rule book and find the gray areas on the car and on the driving and what’s acceptable, so it’s no different with the points. We know we have to. And the driver points are what this series and this sanctioning body had built our sport to live on. Making the Playoffs is pivotal for everybody. So, that’s it. If it was a different format, we’d focus on that. At the end of the day, whatever your point structure is, they’re just race cars or trucks and different courses. We just go try to win.”

EVERYBODY KNOWS YOU AS THIS HIGH-ENERGY GUY WHEN IT COMES TO WINNING, YOUR CELEBRATIONS, YOUR SIGNATURE WATERMELONS. HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK THAT IS OR THESE DRIVERS TO HAVE THIS BIG BURST OF PERSONALITY NOW THAT WE HAVE A WHOLE NEW SPECTRUM OF TRACKS AND RACING AND NEW FANS COMING INTO THIS SPORT?
“I love that I have something that actually means so much to me and my family. To sit down and go home after we won that first race in Las Vegas and talk to my Grandad and we were just sitting there eating watermelon at his house and he’s just like, you just showed so many more people water watermelons. And we believe that’ll help more people buy more watermelons. A rising tide raises all ships. And although they might not be buying one of our watermelons, it’s something that our family lives on and is our livelihood. Everybody, I don’t think, is going to have something as tangible and visual and funny and makes as many people smile as a watermelon, but I do think that guys should put that effort in. We all can’t do backflips. We call have to find our niche, and it’s no different than life in general. Mine was a very natural and easy fit and it wasn’t planned. That’s what makes it even better. It’s evolved. I just held it up that first week and somebody asked what I was going to do with it and I’m like I guess we’ll go smash it. So, it just evolves and that’s what makes it so cool. No doubt about it. We are a traveling circus, right? It seems kind of funny to say it out loud but that’s just kind of how I view it in a laughing, joking manner. We come, we set-up our tent, we perform our show, we compete, we pack it up, and we go to the next town. Why not embrace it and everybody has their thing?”
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 2, 2020

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 CHIP GANASSI RACING CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Daytona 500 Media Availability Transcript:

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR YOUR FORMER TEAMMATE, KYLE LARSON, COMING BACK THIS SEASON AND THE OPPORTUNITY THAT HE’S GOT WITH A SECOND CHANCE?
“I think we saw a good dose of that in 2020, with how he handled the departure from Chip Ganassi Racing and how he elevated his game to a whole new level on the dirt circuits everywhere. I was texting him after win, after win, after win and I got behind after about the 20th win. Ultimately, the way he presented himself, the way he carried himself, showed his initiative with NASCAR on rectifying the problem and going through the road to recovery. And just everything about him last year shows what he’s going to bring to the track in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021. The professionalism of Hendrick Motorsports has never been questioned. The guidance there and just everything that I’m seeing adding up is that once he gets the feel of the car, and once he’s in sync with his crew chief – they’re going to be a tough train to stop. I see that program as being one of the top contenders already.”

I’VE COVERED YOU THROUGHOUT YOUR WHOLE CAREER AND I KIND OF FEEL LIKE WATCHING YOU OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, THERE’S BEEN A CERTAIN LIFT IN YOUR STEP. YOU REALLY SEEM TO ABSOLUTELY BE ON TOP OF YOUR GAME. I’M JUST WONDERING, IS THAT KIND OF HOW YOU FEEL, AS WELL?
“Yeah, I feel confident in who I am, what I’ve done in this series, what I’ve done in all of motorsports. This is the point in my career where it’s easy to give back- it’s easy to help young crew members, engineers. I’m in a perfect situation now with being a mentor to Ross Chastain, who I think is an up and comer in the NASCAR Cup Series. So, it’s just fitting into that role and being confident with all my moves and Chip Ganassi, himself, and this racing program has brought the best out in me.”

DO YOU LOOK AT THE CLASH AS A TEST SESSION, CONSIDERING THERE’S A POINTS RACE THERE TWO WEEKS LATER WITH NO PRACTICE?
“Yes, Bob (Pockrass), you’re right on it. We looked at the Clash as just a fun exhibition race. And then with the cancellation of Auto Club Speedway and a full points race the week after the Daytona 500, it took a whole new level of importance within our approach. We’ve got minimal time on track, but we’ve got to make the best of it. So, we’re approaching this as a bridge from where we were last year at that road course race, where we were at the ROVAL, and all of what we’re doing is prepping towards the February 21st race.”

WITH THE NEW CAR COMING IN 2022, HAVE YOU SET ANY SOFT DEADLINE AS FAR AS MAKING A DECISION AS FAR AS WHETHER YOU’LL RACE FULL-TIME NEXT YEAR?
“No real soft deadline. One thing I learned in 2020 is that you have to be fluid – that seemed to be the word of the year. And following that stream, I feel like with Ganassi, Monster Energy, myself, Chevrolet – all this will come together for the right reasons at the right time.”

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DAYTONA 500 AND YOU LOOK AT HOW IT MAKES OR BREAKS A CAREER IF YOU’RE A YOUNG DRIVER, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO A GUY LIKE YOU WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS YEAR STARTING OFF THE SEASON WITH A RACE THAT BIG AND WHAT YOU NEED TO SHOW EVERYONE OR DON’T AT THIS AGE?
“The Daytona 500 is the most prestigious stock car race of all. To win it, it changes peoples’ lives. The title that comes along with it is important, nostalgic, historic and it’s a pride feeling when you win this race. And so, the drive and the fuel for me is to go get it again and to keep it from others. That’s the motivation, but also to bring it to Chip Ganassi Racing and all of our sponsors. The overall feel is, at the same time, you’re tied for the lead for points when you go into Daytona – that’s always a nice quality token to take with you. It’s important to get good points in the race, but ultimately, you’re there to win it.”

WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO STRAP IN FOR THE DAYTONA 500?
“It is different than all the other races. It’s the first race of the year, it’s the most powerful race. There’s always that question of, did we get everything prepped? Did we get all of our checklist done? You have all the months of re-build and training. So, there’s just all those emotions and all those thoughts. Ultimately, when you strap the helmet on and fire up the car, that’s that big deep breath of ‘oh yeah, it’s race time’ and I know the fans feel it that are there and the millions of viewers watching on TV. And then you have to remember, it’s a 500-mile race. It’s not just a quick stage race – it’s a full 500 miles. There’s a lot of emotions to control right at the beginning of the year.”

TALK ABOUT THE TEST THAT YOU DID WITH GMS RACING TO PREPARE FOR BRISTOL. YOU WERE ONE OF THE MASTERS AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND, I’M JUST WONDERING, WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE?
“For me, it was fun to get back in a car and just fire up a big engine with horsepower. And then to go around the dirt track – it was Elkin, North Carolina. We went to Friendship Speedway just to, in all honestly, knock off the cobwebs and the cobwebs of my dirt racing, which go back to the mid-90s. That’s a fun thing to say as a current Cup driver. I’ve got a couple starts at the Prelude at Eldora Speedway. But, in all honestly, it was Mike Beam, who I worked with at KBM – he gave me call and said ‘hey, we’ve got some modifieds here, come on out’. And that’s the same style of modified I drove on asphalt back in the 90’s, but it blended me back in with my dwarf car roots. Dwarf cars are very similar to legend cars on the dirt.”

“But ultimately, Bristol will be a whole different track, a whole different complexion. What I’ve done there in the past is irrelevant for the spring race. It’s just the motivation to go after something new and go after something different. It’s the same motivation when Bruton Smith, Marcus Smith and everybody changed the Charlotte track to the ROVAL, and I attacked that whole sequence with practice, simulators and ultimately sat on the pole for the ROVAL and picked up a top-five finish. I’m doing all I can to prep for this dirt race at Bristol because that’s what my team wants me to do and that’s what I need from them to bring the best possible car to win this race.”

YOU WERE AT CHILI BOWL A COUPLE YEARS AGO. WE’RE SEEING CHASE ELLIOTT MAKE HIS DEBUT IN USAC MIDGITS THIS WEEKEND, HE RAN CHILI BOWL. IS THAT STILL MAYBE ON YOUR BUCKET LIST EVEN LATER IN YOUR CAREER?
“The Chili Bowl would be a fun factor, bucket list item, but it’s not relevant to prepping for the big, heavy stock cars that we’re going to have at Bristol. It’s sticking with something that’s in the space, the genre, of the Cup car – Xfinity, Truck, that modified was a good taste. The next step is researching what’s racing the week of Bristol prepping to get into possibly one of those races. But again, nothing is going to simulate a big, heavy Cup car. Our race is 250-laps at this race. The place is going to glaze over after 50 laps and there’s no dirt track anywhere where you can prep to get that type of experience. So, it’s a learn-as-you-go and it’s doing it as a team at Chip Ganassi Racing to find all the right proper sequences to prep.”

WHAT HAS ROSS CHASTAIN SHOWN YOU SINCE YOU’VE BEEN TOGETHER AT GANASSI?
“The No. 1 thing about Ross Chastain is his work ethic. That can never be questioned. His commitment to making it to this level has been second-to-none. His track experience is solid. He knows his weaknesses and has his strengths. Again, it’s the intimidation factor of a top-tier car, a full-time ride, and he’s like, ‘Man, what happens if we have a bad race at Daytona,’ or ‘What happens if I slip up at Vegas or something?’ And I’m like, ‘Hey man… just relax. Let’s get these first five races under your belt and we’ll come back circle around.’ So that is showing his eagerness, his desire to do well but also his nerves. We just have to get those calmed down by running some reps. So limited track time… he has to do a good job of understanding stages as well as the full completion of the race and then to keep expectations in reality. A top-25 finish is a great checkmark. A top-15 is a really solid day, and to come away with a top-10 early in the season is what I’d call a win for a rookie-type guy like him.”

DO YOU FIND THE DESIRE TO WIN ANOTHER DAYTONA AFTER WINNING IT THE FIRST TIME?
“Absolutely. The years before a win at Daytona, there’s the humility and the humble feeling of that this track is still in control of me. With winning it in 2017, it’s an experience beyond no other. There’s that energy in your soul when you go back to defend… and then the race doesn’t go well, there’s that humble feeling again that the track will give you. That’s the approach I have as a couple of years that have gone by. It’s to be humble, approach the track with the same style – humility, preparation and the hopeful feeling of Lady Luck being on your side to win. You can never go there to expect to win. You just go there to try to take care of all the things that are in your control to be in position to win.”

ARE THE PLAYOFFS STILL A GOOD METRIC FOR DECIDING A CHAMPION?
“I feel like NASCAR did a great job in 2004 to create a playoff atmosphere. You had the regular season and then the 10 races that separated themselves as playoff races, as Chase races, as the way and the avenue to win a championship. It’s still the same even though there are these cutoffs of three races at a time… getting from 16 down to 12 drivers and then down to eight. Those guys with bonus points usually work their way right to the final four. What we saw with Kevin Harvick not making it is very similar to football where let’s say Tom Brady had to go on the road and beat all those other teams to work his way to the Super Bowl. That’s an underdog-style team that didn’t even know who they were going to end up playing next week. You have to adapt and you have to take in what’s going to show up next week. Everybody knows that we’re going to this track for this sector, and you have to do your job to get through that round. Whether you have a points cushion or whether you don’t, ultimately there is the black-and-white task of getting this many points ahead of this other guy to advance. It’s a bona-fide championship system that is very clear to understand. You have to go out there and perform each and every week within what it takes to advance. It’s not just a given when you performed good all year.”

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.

COLE CUSTER, No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang – HOW EXCITED ARE YOU TO RACE ON THE DIRT AT BRISTOL? “I’m excited, but probably scared at the same time. Everybody knows it’s gonna be one of those races where nobody knows what to expect. There’s gonna be a lot of adapting when we show up and trying to figure it out because it’s gonna be brand new for a lot of people – for everybody because we’ve never run Cup cars on dirt. It’s gonna be a lot to take in, but we’re trying get on a dirt track before and trying to get a feel for it because every track and every race matters. It’s a matter of trying to collect as many points as you can so you can have a good shot at the playoffs.”

PITBULL IS GOING TO BE THE GRAND MARSHAL FOR THE 500. HOW COOL IS THAT AND HOW DOES THAT HELP NASCAR BE MORE INCLUSIVE TO ALL? “I think it’s awesome. Obviously, having a couple new teams and a couple new owners in this sport – Michael Jordan, Pitbull, Justin Marks – it’s awesome to see these new people coming in and having excitement towards it. I think it’s one of the best things that has happened to this sport in a long time. The more inclusive we can be to everybody and get everybody involved, the better. I think that’s kind of the direction that we want to move in.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WHEN YOU GET TO SONOMA THIS YEAR? “Luckily, I’ve raced there a few times in the K&N Series, so I do know the track for the most part. It’s just gonna be figuring it out in a Cup car. We didn’t go there last year, so there are gonna be a few things we’re gonna have to figure out. It’s a hard track. It’s really technical. The carousel they started running two years ago is pretty hard, so it’s definitely one you’ve got to be good at hitting your marks really good and having tire fall off right. It’s one that I’m looking forward to going back to my home state because we haven’t been able to go back in a little while.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM CHASE BRISCOE THIS YEAR AND WHAT DOES HE BRING TO THE TEAM? “I’m really excited about it. I think Chase has a ton of talent. Coming from the dirt side he really knows how to get after it in a car and he has a different driving style that I think he can bring to our team. I’m a good friend with him, so I feel like we can bounce ideas off each other really good and it’s gonna help our team in general is to have somebody – I think Chase is gonna be a great addition and bringing a lot of talent to the table. I’m looking forward to it. It’s gonna be a little bit hard having no practice for him, but I think he’ll definitely catch on as the year goes and I’m sure he’s gonna definitely get it by the end.”

WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE IF THE BIG ONE OCCURS AT DAYTONA? DO YOU WANT TO BE IN FRONT OF IT OR BEHIND IT LOCKING THE BRAKES UP TRYING TO MISS IT? “You want to be in front of it, but being in front of it is not easy and it doesn’t guarantee you, I guess. It can happen at any moment is the problem, so you really just have to go and race. We talk about trying to game it and trying to stay in front of it or behind it and everything, but for the most part you’ve just got to go race, hope for the best. If things are getting crazy and you’re in a bad spot, maybe you back out, but for the most part you go and race.”

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS YEAR? “I’m hungry to get going. I think we’re excited to try and go out there and run in the top 10. I think that’s the biggest thing. Last year, we could hit it right from time to time and run in the top 10 and compete for a win, but we just need to do it more consistently and I think this year we have a lot more notes to look at. I have a lot better idea and more confidence in the cars, so I’m looking forward to trying to put ourselves in that category and try and be up front more.”

ARE THE PLAYOFFS A GOOD WAY TO DETERMINE THE CHAMPION? “It’s how we play the game. I don’t know how else to say it. I think it makes a lot of excitement. I think it’s a lot like other sports where we have a playoffs and I think it’s always been good. In all sports you have times where the best team doesn’t win the whole thing, doesn’t win the championship. That happens in our sport, too. It’s just part of it. Our sport is a little bit unique because we do race at different tracks and things can happen. Some teams are better at certain tracks than others, but at the same time it’s the game you play. We have a playoff system and I think it’s been great for the sport in having a lot of excitement and you just have to make it happen those last 10 races.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THIS SEASON TO BE LIKE WITH THE VIRUS STILL OUT THERE? “I think we have a lot better idea of what we have going on. Our first race at Darlington we didn’t know. It was so much different than what we were used to, but now we have a good rhythm of how the schedule works and stuff like that, and we know what we kind of want to bring to the racetrack for the schedule that we have and everything like that. I think it’s gonna go a lot smoother this year and it’s just a matter of trying to look at all your notes and trying to make sure you’re as prepared and as thorough as you can going into the next one.”

HOW MUCH DID THE LACK OF PRACTICE SLOWED DOWN YOUR PROGRESSION? “It definitely hurt some to be a younger guy and not have the opportunity to really try things at the racetrack, whether it’s from a setup point or just to kind of get used to the track or whatever it is. It definitely hurts a little bit, but you just have to learn to rely on different things like the simulator and watching videos and trying to really get ready before the weekend. It slows things down a little bit. I don’t know if it’s a make or break kind of thing, but it’s gonna be harder for the rookie guys and the younger guys to probably get up to speed because you don’t have the practice.”

IN WATCHING FILM HAVE YOU LEARNED WHAT YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR AND THINGS TO PICK UP ON? “Yeah, and that’s nothing that’s new. I think we’ve all watched a ton of film even before when we had practice. We’d watch a ton before the race and be completely ready. Now, you just kind of had to change what you’re looking at and how much of it you’re looking at, so you don’t really have to look at old practice sessions and stuff like that. It actually simplifies things at times too because you don’t have to look at as much stuff and you don’t have as many things to mess up through the weekend (laughing). There’s gains and losses, I guess, but it’s definitely for the younger guys would probably be a little bit nice to have some practice.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TABLE AT SHR? DO YOU FEEL THERE’S MORE RESPECT GOING BOTH WAYS NOW? “Yeah, I think so for sure. Your rookie year you’re just making sure you’re not backing it into the fence and not tearing up race cars. So this year you’ve been to all the racetracks, you have an idea of everything, so now you can go up there and really get aggressive with it and have some more confidence. I think we’re just really hungry to go out there and run towards the front more and I think the more we can run towards the front and having those opportunities we’re gonna have more opportunities to win races. I’m ready to get the year going and get to Daytona.”

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS? “We’d like to win a race again and make the playoffs. It’s just a matter of last year I feel like we could run in the top 10 and compete for wins when we hit things right and I was driving the track right and everything was working. It’s just a matter of doing that more consistently this year and we’ve got to fight and claw to stay up there near the front and get stage points and make sure we’re there at the end of the race.”

WHAT DOES THE DAYTONA 500 MEAN TO YOU? “For me, I just run the smartest race I can possible. I think you have to be aggressive in speedway racing. I think you have to race the whole time, but there are at times where if you’re in a bad spot you might try and do the smarter route and hang back or something. It’s something where it’s the biggest and most prestigious race of the year and it’s the first one, so I think we’re all going on kill. I mean, everybody wants to put their name in that hat of being a Daytona 500 winner. I think it’s something everybody wants to go there and we’re gonna put it all on the line to try to win that race.”

HOW MUCH DOES CONFIDENCE HAVE TO DO WITH IT? “That’s one thing that comes with experience and watching video. Every single situation is different and you just have to know what the right move is and that comes with experience and watching film and studying, and also racing the whole race. I think if you’re kind of lagging back the whole race, you might not have the confidence of making those big moves at the end.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE BUSCH CLASH AND IS IT MORE VITAL THE FACT IT’S NOT ON THE OVAL? “For sure. It’s definitely a race, especially with the amount of road courses that we are running this year, it’s a pretty important race because it’s one of the few races where we get to kind of almost have a little bit of a practice session of races to come that aren’t, and this one is not points related, so you can go out there and try some things maybe and try to figure some things out for the other road courses. I think it’s put a lot more emphasis or more importance on that race for sure.”

IS THERE AN UNDERDOG YOU SEE FOR THE 500? “I’d have to think. The thing about it is this year there are a lot of open cars and a lot of guys who are gonna be fighting to make it into the race itself. Who knows? There could be some really good storylines of teams that had to fight their way into the 500 and you never know at Daytona. Somebody could be there up at the front at the end.”

OUT OF ALL THE NEW IN 2021 WHAT ARE YOU MOST INTERESTED TO SEE? “Honestly, I’m really excited about the Bristol Dirt Race. I’ve raced a little bit of dirt when I was younger. I wouldn’t say I’m a professional or anything, but it was something that was really fun and it was something I would love to get back to. I’m really excited to get back on the dirt and even the practice leading up to it of getting in different cars and trying to get laps, I think it’s really fun to get to kind of learn that different kind of racing.”

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO PREPARE? “Whether it’s a late model or modified or a street stock or something like that just to kind of get some laps on a dirt track. It’s something a lot of the pavement guys aren’t used to, so the more laps you can get the better.”

SO, WHAT WILL BE THE KEY TO RUNNING WELL ON THE DIRT? “I think it’s gonna be important to get through your heat race good and kind of start your race off good because if you start behind it can definitely kind of throw you for a loop and then you’re kind of fighting and maybe you do something that you don’t want to and you get yourself in a bad position. I think the heat race is important and then it’s gonna be a lot about attrition, especially for a lot of pavement guys. I think it’s just staying clean is gonna be one of the biggest things and not making mistakes and just being there at the end because there’s gonna be a lot of guys who do make mistakes and it’s gonna be a race of limited mistakes.”

ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT OLD SCHOOL SCENARIO OF DIRT ALL OVER THE PLACE? “Yeah, that’s part of the fun (laughing). It’s gonna be cool. I don’t know if we’re gonna have to run tear offs or what I’m gonna have to get, but I’m looking forward to it.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL NASCAR IS REPRESENTED ON ‘THE CREW’? “It’s a comedy, so I think it’s meant to be funny, but I think it’s good. It brings more awareness to the sport. Having a show on Netflix I think it’s all a good thing, honestly. To have an actor like Kevin James involved with our sport and with a show with our sport, so I don’t think there’s any downside to it. Maybe there are some funny parts that people won’t find funny, but I think it’s all positive.”

WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST LESSON YOU LEARNED LAST YEAR THAT WAS THE RESULT OF A MISTAKE? “I don’t know if I can just say one, honestly. I don’t know if I just had that one mistake that I could really pinpoint, but I think the one thing I learned the most from was just the 550 package. It was so much different than what the XFINITY cars were and how you drove them was almost backwards from what you think, so it was a lot of learning. That was the biggest thing and just through the whole year getting better and better with it.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang – IT’S THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY SINCE DALE EARNHARDT’S TRAGEDY. SINCE THEN THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANOTHER DEATH IN A NASCAR NATIONAL SERIES RACE, BUT IN SPRINT CARS YOU MAY HAVE BEEN CLOSER TO SOME TRAGEDIES. DO YOU FEEL YOU LOOK AT SAFETY DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF THAT COMPARED TO SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE GROWN UP IN STOCK CARS? “Yeah, I mean I feel like, for me personally, every time I go to Daytona or Talladega there’s just a heightened sense of you know that something can happen. I don’t know if that’s because of Dale or whatever, but I just think whenever you go to those places you just know there’s gonna be big wrecks. You know you’re gonna be going very, very fast and just the potential of a wreck that can hurt you or worse is just heightened there compared to any other racetrack. I don’t feel like just because I didn’t grow up in stock car racing that I don’t feel that fear, but I’ll probably be the first one to admit that I am nervous. I am scared every time I go to Daytona or Talladega because you just know in the back of your mind what can happen there. You’re just going so fast and you’re just in so many situations that can get you in trouble, so you definitely know going to those places that that’s a possibility.”

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’VE SEEN IN STOCK CARS THAT YOU’VE IMPLETMENTED INTO A SPRINT CAR OR VICE VERSA FOR SAFETY? “First thing, I’m not the most mechanical guy in the world, so I probably don’t even notice that stuff as much as others. I think, for me, just sprint car racing there are certainly things tubing-wise and even head height, where your head kind of sits in the car. That’s something I’ve probably been more conscious of lately and then just the belts. I wasn’t very good about keeping up with belts and stuff like that. I’d run belts that were out of SFI all the time. It just wasn’t a priority because I thought as long as the belts didn’t have a tear or anything in them they were good. I’d keep running them, where now on the NASCAR stuff it’s obviously crucial that your stuff, all of the SFI stuff is in date and all those things. The belt manufacturer I run is different now in the dirt stuff, just trying to be the best I can be on that side. From a car standpoint, I just wouldn’t be the best guy to really say what we need to take from this side over to this sprint car or the midget side just because mechanically I don’t really know what I’m looking at. I’m just not that guy, so it would be hard for me to say one way or the other, but we could certainly get better safety-wise on the sprint car side and I feel like they’ve been slowly trying to make steps to make it better.”

CAN YOU TAKE US BACK TO YOUR MEETING WITH TONY WHEN YOU WERE TOLD ABOUT BEING PROMOTED? “First off, Tony, really the whole company, knew it had been done for two weeks that I was gonna be going to the Cup Series and everybody had kept it hidden from me. So, when I got told I was going to meet with Tony it was a last-ditch effort trying to get HighPoint.com to kind of figure out what they wanted to do. Tony was wanting my family there and my wife there and all these people and I didn’t really understand why he was something that would happen. And then to go through the whole day at Tony’s house, had dinner with him and then at the very end he told me I’m getting to go Cup racing. I think, for me, the fact that Tony put all the effort just to try to have my family there. He said, ‘You only get told you’re going Cup for the first time once and I wanted to make it special for you.’ For me, anytime you get told that it’s gonna be special, but for me to here it from my hero, the guy I grew up cheering for, the guy I grew up idolizing as a race car driver, that’s super special to be able to know that not only am I getting to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing, but specifically I’m getting to drive that 14 car, which is the one I specifically cheered for growing up. For me, it’s just super special. It still doesn’t seem possible that I’m getting to drive that car and getting to start off my career in that car in the Daytona 500. I’m just excited to get going. There’s a lot of nerves and a lot of pressure that comes with that car and specifically with that number. There’s a lot of history involved and really a legacy with that number. I would say it’s one of the more iconic numbers in the sport and I want to do those guys proud. I’m just looking forward to getting going and seeing where we stack up.”

HAVE YOU HAD THAT WELCOME TO THE BIG LEAGUES MOMENT YET WHERE IT BECOMES MORE AND MORE REAL? “Really, just this past weekend I was at COTA doing a Trans-Am test and Logano and Keselowski just rolled up in their rental car and started talking to me. I’ve obviously known those guys for a while, but I felt like I was finally kind of one of the guys, I guess because normally I wouldn’t be talking to them all the time and hanging out with them. I’m sure as the season gets going it’s gonna be more and more of really being around those guys and getting to experience more things with them. Truthfully, just even the welcome to the Cup Series it’s been very eye-opening how different it is just from the XFINITY side and the other stuff I thought was really detail-oriented in the past. It’s not even comparable to how, I mean, little details go into the Cup side. It’s been very eye-opening for me just transitioning to a new series – still in the same organization but a new team during COVID has been really hard just trying to learn everybody’s, even their face and their names because you can only see their eyes. Not getting to build that relationship I would normally be able to build by taking the guys out to lunch, hanging out at the shop all the time, all of those things are stuff I’m not really allowed to do now, so that part has been a little challenging, but I’d say it’s definitely gonna be a lot more eye-opening moments once I finally get on the racetrack with a lot of those guys.”

DOES ANYTHING CHANGE FOR YOU THIS ROOKIE SEASON WITH PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING BEING LIMITED? “No, I think last year just having where we even didn’t practice last year with help in that sense. Truthfully, I would like to have a little bit of practice just to learn what these cars drive like at some of these racetracks, but outside of that I honestly think it almost helps me in a sense because you see guys like a Kyle Busch or these guys who have a ton of experience. When they had that two hours of practice they can dial their car in exactly how they need it to be and they know from experience what they need their car to drive like for the race. I don’t have that experience. I don’t know what my car necessarily needs, but with no practice we just get in and go and everybody’s got to figure it and I feel like that part of it actually helps me a little bit just because everybody is on the same playing field. Nobody’s car is gonna drive necessarily good and you just have to figure it out. It certainly would be nice to have at least a couple laps before we start the race, but that’s part of it. Everybody is in the same playing field, so you’ve just got to figure it out.”

DID YOU EVER DREAM YOU WOULD GET TO RUN A CUP CAR ON DIRT? “When the Eldora truck race started I felt like it was a possibility that the Cup Series would potentially get a race, but I think I’d be the first one to tell you that I didn’t think it would happen at Bristol. I figured we would just go to kind of a dirt track that we already had. For them to do it at Bristol, I can’t imagine how hard that is from a facility standpoint of bringing all that dirt in and all of these things for three weekends of racing, but I’m super excited. I think the Cup Series has needed the dirt race for a really long time. I feel like all the drivers growing up we all have a way to kind of tie back into our grassroots and dirt guys never really had that, so we have a short track, we have a road course, we have an intermediate, we have a superspeedway, but we never had a dirt track and at least as a fan I’ve always wanted to see the Cup Series drivers challenged in every single discipline and we finally have that now with the dirt race, so I can’t wait to be a part of it. I’m just excited as a fan to see it as well.”

HOW WILL IT BE DIFFERENT THIS YEAR COMPARED TO LAST FROM THE STANDPOINT OF YOU WERE A THREAT TO WIN EVERY WEEK LAST YEAR AND NOW YOU’LL LIKELY BE DOING A LOT OF LEARNING? “You just have to try to keep it in perspective. You know you’re gonna be humbled without a doubt. You know that there are gonna be a lot of times where you’re gonna leave for the racetrack and it’s gonna be a huge learning day and that’s something I’m personally really excited to see where I need to get better because racing against 25-30 guys that can win week in and week out, that have so much more experience than me, they’ve been in so many of these scenarios and situations that I’ve never been in and just trying to learn from them and see, ‘Okay, this is what I can do in this situation and this is what I can do in that situation,’ is gonna be huge and something I’m really excited for. I think personally you still have to go to the racetrack every week thinking you can win the race, so I’m still gonna have that mindset. Just because I’m a rookie and never really raced in the Cup Series or been against these guys I’m still going to the Daytona 500 thinking I have a shot to win it and I’m gonna go there trying to win it. I’m definitely gonna go there and try to win the race and I feel like as a rookie you can win the race. Look at Cole last year. He was able to win a race that people probably didn’t expect him to win, so you just have to go there and once the season starts I think we’ll really see where I stack up. You never know if you’re gonna be a 25th-place guy, a 15th-place guy, a fifth-place guy, but I’m just excited to see where I stack up and where I need to try and get better.”

WHAT WAS IT LIKE SEVEN YEARS AGO WHEN YOU MOVED TO NORTH CAROLINA? “There was a lot of emotions that kind of hit when I saw that. It’s seven years ago, but, honestly, it feels like yesterday. I remember that day. I was so excited to kind of start a new journey, but also so nervous and really didn’t know what I was getting into. I was fresh out of high school. I remember my mom right before I left literally trying to teach me how to do the laundry because she had always done it for me while I was in high school. I was green to everything. I never had a credit card or a debit card. I literally went down with $150 in cash and just pretty much thrown into the world and try to figure it out. I’d been to North Carolina and literally I knew two people. I knew the lady I was gonna live with who was gonna be my agent and I knew Brian Keselowski from the Peak Stock Dream Car Challenge, and I was just down there and I started trying to walk into different shops and offer being able to volunteer my time. Every shop I went to I tried to make it obvious that I wanted to drive eventually. I didn’t necessarily have a timeline on when if I didn’t have anything I was gonna come back, but it had been two years that I was down there and didn’t have anything. Literally the day I was driving home I remember I was in Kentucky, called my mom. I was in tears and told her I was moving back home. I was over it. I had been down there for two years and didn’t have anything. I was gonna go run a midget that weekend and the following Monday I was gonna drive back down, get my stuff and go back home. Two hours later after I hung up the phone I got a call from an ARCA team asking me if I was interesting in coming and doing a test and that was the Cunningham Motorsports team. I went there that following Monday and started volunteering my time. I’d been sleeping on couches for almost two years to that point and just started hanging out around their shop trying to be the first one to be there and the last guy to leave. I think I volunteered for a full nine or 10 months until I even got in a race car and they somehow, I don’t know why, they decided they were gonna let me race for them and we went and ran for the championship in 2016 and was able to win the championship. That following season got me a Ford deal, which got me to Brad Keselowski Racing, which then shuts down unexpectedly and kind of leaves me in the same situation where I don’t know what I’m gonna do. Then 2018 comes and I’m part-time now. I’m probably gonna lose my Ford development deal I feel like and I win the Roval, which that following Monday kind of spirals everything into 2019. Twenty Nineteen we race full-time and doesn’t necessarily go how I want it to. I get told in October I’m good to go for the year and then come November I don’t have a ride again and then literally three days away from not having anything for the 2020 season and that’s when the HighPoint.com stuff comes together. That was the beginning of January I want to say and now we’re sitting here two weeks away from the Daytona 500. So, there have been so many doors that were so close to closing. There were so many doors that probably shouldn’t have been opened that were somehow able to get opened. When that popped up today I just think of all the people that were willing to give me an opportunity when I didn’t have a resume. I certainly didn’t have any money to bring to the table. How many people have helped me along the way and it even was another full circle moment that the guy’s couch I slept on for a year-and-a-half, Ross Wece, he just started at SHR today as a video guy, so just crazy how all this stuff came back full circle. Now that I’m getting ready to drive the Daytona 500 for specifically the team I’ve always dreamed of racing for and even more specifically the car I cheered for growing up, so just a crazy ride for sure.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MIGHT BE LIKE TO START THE DAYTONA 500? “I think it’s gonna be different just because it’s not the full capacity, it’s not all of the pre-race stuff, all those things – not riding around in a truck. I don’t even know if we’re gonna do that, so all of that I think is gonna be a little bit different. It probably won’t hit me as hard, I think, because of that, but I remember the first time I got to run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I cried on the truck riding around there waving to people just because I was getting to race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I’m a pretty emotional guy. I’ll probably tear up at the Daytona 500 as well just knowing that I’m about to run that race. It’s just gonna be special. It’s something that I never thought I would get to do one of them. Hopefully, I get to do many, many more, but just getting to savor that moment of racing in one of them is gonna be special, whether it’s full capacity or a third of the people there it’s still the Daytona 500 and it’s just crazy to think I’m gonna be able to run that race.”

DO YOU THINK YOU CREATED A MONSTER WITH CHASE ELLIOTT DOING HIS USAC MIDGET DEBUT? “I’m sure Hendrick is probably not too happy with me. I was blown away. Chase called me a couple weeks ago and told me he was gonna run for Chad at Ocala, but I was kind of hesitant to be honest with you. I didn’t ever think he’d run at a place that big, but I’m glad he’s doing it. I think it’s really cool to see the reigning Cup champion run grassroots stuff and to run USAC Midgets at Ocala is super cool, that a guy like him is wanting to go back and run it. Just getting to know Chase over the past couple years and even the past couple months even better and just seeing how big of a fan he really is, obviously driving them but even just watching him. It’s really neat to see, so I’m excited for him. I’m gonna definitely be tuned in on Flo to see how he does and I’m just excited he’s up for the challenge. He could have easily just ran Chili Bowl and call it good, but he legitimately wants to get better at it and he’s already really, really good. So, it’s gonna be fun to watch him and I’m excited for him and Chad to be able to see what they’re able to do.”

IF YOU COULD HAVE SOMEBODY FROM THE DIRT RACING WORLD TO RACE AGAINST AT BRISTOL WHO WOULD IT BE? “I would love to see Jack Hewitt at Bristol. I think that would be awesome to see Jack come out there. Obviously, with his age and everything now that’s not really possible, but I think there’s a lot of really good dirt guys that deserve a chance. Logan Seavey comes to mind. Tyler Courtney, there’s a lot of guys – even like a Donny Schatz and guys that are just phenomenal dirt racers that really deserve on a national scene, not a national scene but the NASCAR scene to be able to finally see what they can do. There are so many out there. You could sit here and name guys for literally an hour who deserve to be here, but it’s all about getting an opportunity and it would be cool to see a guy, another one like a Tanner Thorson get an opportunity on this stage and really show what they can do. It could really change their career and turn it around and get them more opportunities.”

HOW MUCH OF A LEARNING CURVE ARE YOU EXPECTING? “Yeah, I think for sure there’s gonna be quite a bit of a learning curve – just the length of the races. There are a couple of other variables – pit road is gonna be way busier than anything I’ve ever experienced, green flag pit stops, something I don’t really have a ton of time doing, where in the Cup Series you’re gonna be doing a ton of those every race. I think those are probably the variables I’m the most concerned about trying to learn. I think the length of the races will be something that is gonna be noticeable, but it’s not gonna be crazy. I think keeping your car taking care of with the steel body, you can’t touch the wall at all or really your day is done, where in the XFINITY car you could beat off of it a couple times and it would still be okay. All of those things are gonna be different, and then just how the cars drive. I’d love to have just a couple laps of practice, just to kind of feel it out before we go green, but it’s the same for everybody. It was the same for Bell and Custer and Reddick last year and they were able to figure it out and run up front, so I feel like I’m capable of doing it. I’m just really excited to see where I stack up against these guys and figure out where they’re beating me or where I’m comparable to them at and with the SMT and all the things we have now, it’s gonna be easier even in the race to try to learn and figure out what some of them guys are better than you are.”

WHERE DO YOU SIT ON ANY DIRT PLANS WITH YOUR OWN TEAM? “I would love to go do more dirt stuff and I think it’s risk vs. reward for me especially. My whole life, really these last seven years this is all I’ve tried to do is get to the Cup Series and now that I’m finally here I don’t want to necessarily risk going and getting hurt and throwing away this opportunity that’s an opportunity of a lifetime. I’m probably gonna hold off on the dirt stuff during the season. Once Chili Bowl and the end of the season comes around I’ll definitely start running some more stuff, but during the season I’m just gonna focus on the Cup Series and I’m really trying to do the best I can do. I do think that going and running other things certainly helps, but there’s also that risk of getting hurt and just that extra risk that I probably don’t need to be taking right now. I don’t know. I might try to run the Indianapolis race depending on how the season is going and how we’re looking points-wise. It’s something I would definitely like to do more of, just growing up and doing that it’s obviously one of my passions. Even as a team owner it’s something I really enjoy doing, it just financially has to make sense. I would love to be able to give back and go find young kids that don’t have the means to go race in top tier stuff and go give it to them, so maybe down the road that will be something that is a possibility, but as far as me racing this year I’m not gonna do too much. I still have my mini sprint that I’m gonna have Dillon Welch drive out at Millbridge pretty much all season long. I might hop in it a time before the Bristol Dirt Race to have the test day and just trying to get back in the dirt routine, but, other than that, I won’t do any dirt racing.”

WHAT DOES DALE EARNHARDT’S LEGACY MEAN TO YOU, AND WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW MUCH SAFER IT IS TO RACE IN NASCAR? “For me, I remember the day that that happened in 2001 with Dale. I was only six or seven years old at the time, so, truthfully, I didn’t completely fathom what had happened because it just didn’t really make a ton of sense to me. I knew what had happened, but I was so young and kind of green to everything that I had never experienced a family death or anything in my entire life, so I didn’t necessarily correlate everything, I guess. I think his legacy still today lives on. He’s literally one of the best of all time and I think there’s a lot you can take away from how Dale raced and truthfully even in my rookie season I feel like you have to be like Dale in a sense coming in as a rookie, at least for me when I’m racing against people I’ve never raced before, if I see I can take advantage of them in certain areas or they’re hesitant in other areas, if they do it that first time you know that you’re gonna be able to get away with it the next 100 times. As a rookie coming into a new series against a lot of guys I haven’t raced against or they haven’t raced against me, you have to be like Dale in the sense of sticking up for yourself and showing them you’re not gonna be pushed around because if they can push you around once, they’re gonna think they can do it over and over and over again. So, I think his legacy in just how you race still is relevant today and then on the safety side obviously it’s gotten a ton safer. NASCAR has done such an amazing job of really digging into that and trying to make not only the race cars but even the racetracks a lot safer for us. There are still areas we could be a lot better and it unfortunately takes a situation for us to learn sometimes about that. I definitely feel safe every time I get in the race car, but it doesn’t matter if you’re at Daytona, Talladega or even the Bristol Dirt Race it can happen anywhere and you have to be ready and know that. I think you as a race car driver, at least for me, you have to respect what you’re driving and know that it can bite you at any time. Just because we’re only going 100 miles an hour or 205 miles an hour anything can happen and you’ve just got to be ready for that. I think you just have to respect the vehicle, whether it’s a Cup car or sprint car or a midget, motorsports are dangerous. I think that’s kind of the draw that people still watch motorsports because it is dangerous. That’s the unfortunate part of it, but that’s why we all do it is that thrill and that’s why I think as a fan a lot of people are so attracted to motorsports.”

WHAT WILL BE THE KEY AREAS YOU’LL HAVE TO WORK WITH YOUR TEAMMATES ON WITHOUT PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING? “I think just trying to figure out what the track is gonna change like. Guys like Kevin and Aric and even Cole they kind of know how these tracks transition through a 400 or 500-mile race and that’s something that I don’t necessarily know, so just trying to go with them and try to really figure out, ‘Okay, this is what your car needs to do at the beginning of a race or beginning of a run versus the end of it.’ And just trying to figure out how the track changes. I just talk to those guys as much as I can and try to be as well prepared as I can and even like I was saying earlier with green flag pit stops, just knowing what their mark is, maybe there’s a sign on the wall or whatever that they use – just things like that. I’ll certainly be talking to them guys about trying to be as well prepared as I can be because I obviously have three really good teammates that have done it and understand what they’re doing, so just trying to use those guys to my advantage.”

HOW INSTRUMENTAL HAVE GUYS LIKE STEWART, HARVICK AND ALMIROLA BEEN IN GETTING YOU READY? “They’ve been huge, just all three of those guys have such large amount of experience. They all three come from different racing backgrounds. All three have different driving styles, so really just trying to pick their brains about what to do in certain situations. I’m sure once we get to Daytona all four of us SHR guys will sit down and kind of come up with a plan about this is how we’re gonna race today or this is our approach on the weekend. I’m sure it’ll get broader and broader as we get closer to Daytona, but as of right now they’ve been great about just trying to prepare me the best they can because the better I run, the better the whole company is gonna run. Everybody has an invested interest in each other and they’ve done a really good job of making me feel welcome and as one of the guys.”

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT SONOMA LATER THIS YEAR? “I’m just hoping I know what way to turn on the racetrack. That’s the only track I’ve never been to before. Luckily, we have the simulator and iRacing and all these things where I can be the best prepared I can be, but there’s still nothing like getting out there for real and just trying to see the racetrack. I don’t know what the tires are gonna feel like or how much they fall off or how much to save, what curbs you can hit, what curbs you can’t hit. There are so many variables that until I get there it’s gonna be hard to say, but I’m excited. In the past sprint car guys have had a lot of success at Sonoma. Tony was always really good there. Larson is good there. Everybody I’ve talked to says it’s extremely slick and wore out and I love slick and wore out racetracks. Sonoma is one I’ve been really wanting to get to for a long time, so I’m excited to finally go there this year.”

WHAT IS YOUR GOAL FOR THE DAYTONA 500? “I’m going there to win, for sure. I think for me I would love to just finish all 500 miles and in order to win the race you have to do that. I just want to try to get as much experience as I can. If you go out there and wreck 100 miles into the race, that’s 400 miles I didn’t get of driving this new Cup car and getting to be around these guys and earning their trust and just learning how they race. I want to finish first off, and I just feel like if you finish you have a really good shot at winning the race. It seems these past couple of years there’s only 10 to 15 cars even out there at the end of this deal just because so many guys get torn up and wrecked. Finish is the first part, all 500 miles, but truthfully I’m going there to win that race. That’s what Stewart-Haas hired me to do and just because I’m a rookie doesn’t mean I’m not capable of winning the race. I’m gonna go there and try to win. I’m gonna put my best effort forward and trying to win the race you’ve got to finish the race, so that’s the first goal and then hopefully be there at the end and in position to try to make a move to win the Daytona 500.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 33 Verizon Ford Mustang – CAN THE 50 MINUTES OF PRACTICE BEFORE DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING BE OF HELP TO YOU? “Yeah. You’ve got 50 minutes to figure out how to get into the Daytona 500. That’s not easy. That will be my first time in a Cup car. My first time in a speedway Cup car, a lot of different things going on and obviously a lot of things to go through. I mean, even simple procedural things like trying to get used to the digital dash on pit road speeds and doing hot pit roads and obviously figuring out how the cars work in the draft. There are a lot of things I’m gonna have to figure out in 50 minutes, so it’ll be information overload. I’ve got great teammates that will be able to help me through some of that process. I’ve done a lot of prep work so far to try to nail down the small details, but nothing is simple as, like I said, pit road speed or procedural things inside the car is what keeps us out of the race. So, I’ve tried to be as diligent as possible on those things, but it’s the things you can’t control that make you lose a little bit of sleep thinking about it. The easiest way to make it in is on time and our guys at Team Penske are trying to give me the fastest Verizon Ford Mustang possible to do that, so I’m excited. It’s gonna be a great challenge and I think everybody in this position is embracing that task because there’s a lot of great cars that are trying to go for a spot.”

HAVE YOU SPENT TIME FAMILIARIZING YOURSELF WITH HOW THE DASH WORKS? “I’ve honestly probably spent too much time. I kind of geek out on stuff like that, so I think I’m well prepared, at least as much as I can be without making a lap on the racetrack. The cool thing is you can integrate that dash into the simulator, so I can kind of get used to looking for things and understand where the alarms come on and all the small details for kind of worst-case scenarios. It’s definitely different for sure.”

DO YOU HAVE AN ESTIMATE OF WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO QUALIFY IN ON SPEED? “I think that’s a fantastic question and one that I definitely don’t have the answer to. I’m not sure anyone has the answer to that. I will say the factor that’s different this year as far as I’m aware is that we’re qualifying at night, and that makes things a little different. I think the qualifying goes off at 7 o’clock is when it starts, so that adds some different factors – air temp and air-pressure and so on – so it’ll be different. For me, my job is to get up to speed as quickly as possible and hold it wide open and hold a really pretty wheel. Other than that, I’m not sure about the lap times. We’ll have a better idea of that after practice, definitely planning trying to figure out what single-car speed looks like compared to others. I hope it’s enough.”

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO IMPROVE ON IN NXS THIS YEAR TO GET READY FOR 2022? “I’ve never approached racing as looking to prove something to somebody else. For me, I’m just a competitor. I want to go out and win and for us coming back as the defending series champion is fun. It’s a new experience for me. I’m looking forward to embracing that, but also stepping up my game. We’ve got great competitors I that series and I don’t think that should be taken likely. I think there’s potential for this year to be even more competitive than last year, so I’m excited for having some new faces in the garage area and new cars and putting our best foot forward. I feel like Saturdays put on some really great shows last year and I wouldn’t expect that to change.”

WHAT CAN WE ANTICIPATE IN NXS THIS YEAR? ANY THOUGHTS ON COMPETITION? “I think competition-wise you definitely expect Justin Allgaier. He’s a veteran in the series and I think Harrison Burton did a really great job at the end of the year last year. As far as speculating what other drivers in new cars will be able to do, AJ has been really competitive in the races that he’s run, so you have to expect that he’s gonna do a great job. He’s a long-time veteran of this sport, and as far as anyone else I think there’s a lot of potential in the series and I think it’s gonna be really fun for everyone to watch and see who rises to the occasion.”

DID WINNING THE TITLE HELP YOU SHED ANY OF THE PRESSURE OF BEING TIM CINDRIC’S SON? “I’m not sure (laughing). For me, I guess it’s not up to me to figure out what other people think. I’ve accepted that and I feel like it’s probably been a good lesson for me to accept early in my career. Otherwise, it’s just about me doing the job. I’ve got a lot of people that have a lot of confidence around me and that’s built throughout the last three years racing for Team Penske and I think I’m in a really good spot. I’ve got a team that believes in me and a shop that can back it, so a lot of people doing a lot of things for me this year as well. It’s pretty humbling as I kind of looked at rosters for this year and kind of realizing that there are two full teams that are dedicated to me and my competitiveness and what I get to do this year. It’s pretty cool to have that support. I feel like that adds more pressure than anything else. Forget about who my dad is, it’s having that many people dedicated to helping me win races, so I’m excited for that. I’m excited to have another group of people to work with and learn from, and have teammates in the Cup races that I do. That’s something I haven’t had in a long time, so looking forward to being able to learn at a quick pace.”

HAVE YOU WORKED YOUR WAY THROUGH EVERY SCENARIO FOR MAKING THE 500? “I think anyone who makes plans at superspeedways do it because they’re nervous because there’s no way to prepare for these races. There’s no way to prepare for those scenarios. Qualifying is significantly important for both of our opportunities to make it into the race, but also where we start in the Duels. I think we’ll play it as it goes. I’d be extremely unlucky if I didn’t have a Penske-affiliated car with me in the Duels, so that would be nice to have and nice to have teammates. If I get in the race, hopefully I can help those guys get stage points and try and fight for a race win and get a Penske car and a Ford into Victory Lane for the Daytona 500. There’s a lot of work to still do, but there are definitely a lot of different scenarios and a lot of things you have to prepare for and sometimes it will come down to the small details and hopefully it doesn’t have to come down to missing big wrecks and the things you’re accustomed to seeing in speedway racing, but you definitely have to be prepared for.”

DOES IT CREATE AN ODD RELATIONSHIP WITH MATT DIBENEDETTO FOR THIS YEAR KNOWING WHAT 2022 IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE? “No, I don’t think much, honestly – not as much as you’d expect maybe. Last year, I think he and I developed a really good relationship and we talked pretty much on a daily basis, whether it was sending each other stupid pictures or communicating about racing stuff. I’ve enjoyed my relationship with Matt and we’ve joked about it. We’ve talked about it, even throughout the process of not really knowing what next year in 2021 or 2022 looked like for either of us. We used each other as sounding boards as far as what’s going on, but as far as him I think I fully expect him to be the guy that delivers the Wood Brothers their 100th win. That’s something they’ve been looking for for a lot of races now, a couple seasons, and I think he’s the guy to do it. I fully expect to be racing for triple digits by the time I get in the car, so I look forward to seeing him do that and prepare for that. They’ve built a great team between him and Greg and looking forward to stepping into that program and putting my best foot forward.”

DOES IT SEEM STRANGE TO BE WITH A TEAM THE CALIBER OF PENSKE AND HAVE TO RACE YOUR WAY INTO THE 500? “It’s gonna be different. I wouldn’t say it’s the first time in my career I’ve had to do it. When I raced the 2 truck in the Truck Series for BKR it was kind of the same scenario – we had to qualify our way in – and if there’s a rainout we don’t get in. So, I’ve been in that position, but at the highest level for the biggest race of the year, yeah, it’s completely different than what I’m used to. There’s a lot of people in that boat. You’ve got guys who have won the race that are having to qualify their way in, so it’s definitely a challenge and it’s unique to this race. I think it gives fans something to be excited about on Wednesday and Thursday, a reason to watch the Duels probably more than any year before, at least in recent years. I’m excited for that challenge. Hopefully, we qualify our way in and I don’t have to lose too much sleep at night on Wednesday night, but, otherwise, every bit of my effort so far has gone into figuring what it’s gonna take to qualify in in those Duels and put our best foot forward.”

DO YOU FEEL ANY MAKE OR BREAK ASPECT AS FAR AS YOUR CUP SCHEDULE ON WHETHER YOU MAKE THE 500 OR NOT? “No, I don’t think so. I think I’ve come to peace with the reality of it. I think our sponsors also understand that it’s a pretty big challenge to try and do this, so I don’t feel pressure. I don’t feel like it’s gonna be out of the realm of disappointment. Obviously, we’ll be disappointed if we don’t qualify our way in, but I’ll be at peace with it. I’ve also got a job to do on Saturday, so that’s where our season starts and that’s where my number one priority is, so I’ll know that before I even sit in my XFINITY car. It’s definitely different, but I look forward to the idea of doing double duty and hopefully being able to learn as much as I can and apply it to years in the future.”

DO YOU VIEW YOUR CUP SCHEDULE AS MORE OF AN ELOGATED TEST SESSION FOR 2022? “I think in my head I’ve kind of compartmentalized Daytona 500 is a separate program than the rest of the races we’re gonna try and run. That schedule is still to be determined, but for those races with no practice that we’ll try to run, if we’re able to get in, those will be a challenge. I think the first challenge would be probably starting at the back and trying to not go a lap down before the first caution. You try to learn as much as you can and hopefully be able to squeak a result out of it either way. I feel like I’ll be able to have a great gauge of my strengths and weaknesses moving forward into a full season in 2022, and I think that’s the number one goal is to figure out where I am in those regards. Otherwise, for Daytona it’s a challenge for sure. In that 50 minute practice session we’re gonna have to be really, really efficient. A red flag could really screw up our day, our prep work, or at least make it a little bit more blind. I’m hoping for a green 50 minutes and being able to use it as efficiently as possible.”

DO YOU VIEW THE NEW ROAD COURSES AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A GOOD RESULT SINCE SOME MIGHT BE NEW TO A LOT OF DRIVERS IN THE FIELD? “I’d certainly like to. That would be a lot of fun. That’s the highest level and the best drivers, so we still haven’t figured out what races those are, but I would definitely like to do some. The great thing is a lot of those road course races this year will be some races with practice, so I think that gives us a better shot of contending higher up in the field, but I’m not gonna put any pressure on myself or expectations to be able to go out and do that. Like I said, it’s the best of the best, so take it as we go and see the speed we have and more forward, but I think number one the thing is to just learn as much as you can.”

ARE THE PLAYOFFS A GOOD WAY TO DETERMINE THE CHAMPION? “It’s definitely different. I think it’s format-oriented for the entertainment because when it comes down to one race it’s high stakes. You’ve got to do everything perfect and you’ve got to showcase that. From the standpoint of the Cup Series last year, or even in all three series, in the Truck Series and the Cup Series the regular-season champion did not go on to win the championship. In our case we did, so that’s kind of cool. We also scored the most points, so in any format we would have been the champion last year and I know that, so I can go to bed knowing that either way we did the best job we possibly could compared to our competitors. Otherwise, it’s a different format and everybody has to play in the same field. Everyone knows what the challenges are, so I don’t think it changes if someone is a legitimate champion or not. I think it’s whatever the challenges are. In basketball if your three-point shot was five feet further back, some guys would probably miss it more and if it was further forward some guys would probably make it. It’s just a different challenge and everyone knows it and everyone has to prepare for it.”

CAN YOU GIVE ME A SENSE OF THE PROGRESSION YOU’VE MADE ON THE SUPERSPEEDWAYS? “From my first race at Talladega in the Truck Series, in the 2 Truck, to where I am now, I definitely have a greater understanding of what to expect. A lot of that is your relationship with your spotter, and I try to do a great deal of prep work into these races and trying to understand how runs are generated and how you can do your best to stay out of trouble because that’s the number one thing to start with. At Daytona, I have not done a very good job at staying out of trouble, whether that’s my fault or not, but either way I look forward to trying to continue to improve on that. We’ve set some goals as a team earlier this year and I would say one of my extracurricular goals is to try to win a superspeedway race because at the end of the day the biggest race in NASCAR is a superspeedway race and whether it be for a confidence boost or understanding how to control the pack. That’s something that I feel like has been my biggest challenge to understand because you don’t get a lot of time to lead, and to win a race you’ve got to know how to lead a race, so I feel like I’ve grown a lot to understand where those runs come from and the mindset you have to be in and how that changes from being in the middle of the pack to being the pusher and how you get yourself there and how you stay there. It’s definitely a fine art and there are some guys that do a really great job at it, and it all starts with the prep work.”

HOW WOULD YOU EVALUATE YOURSELF AS A DRIVER NOW VERSUS WHEN YOU WERE DRIVING THE 60 CAR A FEW YEARS AGO? “I would look further back than that. It always surprises me when I go back and do a different type of racing how much more comfortable I am around other cars. When you’re racing in IMSA you qualify and qualifying is extremely important and you want to establish your track position and then execute a perfect race from there, whereas in NASCAR it doesn’t really matter where you start and try to figure out how the track changes and how observant you can be to be ahead of the game on that. Even when I go back and do some of those races the moves I can make, the comfort I have it’s completely a different type of driving. I feel like driving in NASCAR it really kind of expanded my horizons as a driver and helped me progress to being a professional probably a lot faster than any other type of racing has, so I feel like I’ve grown a lot in a lot of different ways. My NASCAR career has been I wouldn’t say under a microscope, but you’ve seen all the mistakes I’ve made because they’ve all been on TV, so from my first race in the truck to my last race in the XFINITY car I’ve learned a lot of you kind of don’t know what you don’t know and that’s the same way I approach the Daytona 500. There are a lot of things that I don’t know right now about how to drive one of those cars and how to prepare for this race, so leaning on a lot of experienced members of our team, whether it be my crew chief or my teammates and applying that to trying to make it in the Great American Race.”

WHAT ROAD COURSE ON THE CUP SIDE DO YOU THINK YOU COULD RACE ON THIS YEAR AND SURPRISE EVERYONE? “I can’t really speculate on that, but I can tell you the one race that I definitely want to do it the Fourth of July race at Road America. I’ve said it because it’s gonna be an awesome event. That place at that time of year is already a party in itself, and that’s an incredible facility and something I think is gonna be a staple of the Cup schedule for a long time for those reasons. It’s an historic racetrack, so I hope to be able to get to do that event because it’s gonna be cool. It’s gonna be the first one and, like I said, I think it’s gonna be the first of many, so I’m excited for that event. Hopefully, I get to be part of it, but otherwise I think if I’m driving for Team Penske I’ve got a great shot at every race that I go to, so I don’t think it would be a surprise, but it’s definitely racing against the best of the best and I don’t know what that’s like yet. I’m excited to see what that challenge is like and learn from those guys and hopefully represent ourselves and our sponsors as well as possible in those scenarios.”

IS THERE AN UNDERDOG YOU SEE IN THE DAYTONA 500? “You’ve got to look at who is left. That’s the hardest part about this race. If you’re still in it, you’ve got a shot. We’ve seen races in year’s past where there are four or five guys that will have damage. If you don’t have damage, you’ve got a shot to win the race and that goes from if you’re a top 10 car to a top 30 car. I think that’s the number one goal for most people is just to stay in the game. For us, we’ve got to be in the game first to stay in the game, but I think you’ve got a lot of new guys in a lot of different cars that are gonna be learning a lot of things for the first time and I think those would be great stories for first time winners or guys in new situations, so I think that’s what makes this race exciting because there is a lot of newness to it because it’s the start of the year, a lot of new faces in new cars, but definitely a challenge for everybody as far as just getting to the end.”

ARE YOU GLAD TO NOT JUST BE CONSIDERED A ROAD COURSE RINGER AND DO CUP DRIVERS NEED TO START PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO YOU? “I’m not sure about everybody else, but I definitely feel like I’ve always wanted to be described as a race car driver because I want to do different things. I want to drive race cars, but I’m definitely focused on NASCAR racing, so in a sport that races primarily on ovals, I feel like you have to be good at them to be successful, so, yeah, to cross that bridge is great. For me it’s about what’s next and for me what’s next is trying to figure out how the best are the best and how to be the best of the best. That’s probably gonna be a longer road than winning on an oval, so I’m excited to have a sneak peak at that this year and be able to get a taste of what that’s like, where my strengths and weaknesses are and being able to go out and replicate or try and do better and add something to our program.”

MATT DIBENEDETTO, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang – ARE YOU ABLE TO BUILD ON YOUR LAST SEVEN RACES OF 2021 WHEN YOU HAVE FOUR TOP-10 FINISHES? “Yeah, 100 percent. I’ve talked about that a lot lately because last year with COVID and everything and no practice and all the variables that we had to overcome being a new team working together, it felt like the last half of the season – especially the last third of the season – is where all of a sudden it really clicked for us as a team. That’s why you saw us clicking off top 10s consistently, running up front, competing for wins because I felt like we were getting to where we needed to be as a team. Yeah, that 100 percent that momentum I feel confident is going to carry directly over into the season just because we have all that time together, we have all those notes together and that’s where it’s really coming together, so I’ve been pretty pumped about this season because of that exactly.”

YOU’VE DRIVEN FOR SOME SMALL TEAMS BEFORE. WHERE THERE EVER TIMES YOU ASKED FOR SOMETHING FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT? IF SO, WHAT WAS THE REACTION? “I’ve always felt really good even driving for small teams when I was at Go FAS and BK. I always felt really good about my safety in the race car. I think NASCAR has done such a good job at that to where it may sound silly, but I feel safer sitting in my race car going 200 miles an hour than I do driving my street car down the road. Just being with other people on the racetrack the cars have just gotten so safe nowadays that I feel very good about it.”

DO YOU ENTER THIS YEAR FEELING YOU HAVE TO WIN? “I don’t know. That’s a tough question to answer because I try to focus on executing to the best of our ability as a team, which we were doing finally toward the last third of last season – last half, last third, whatever you want to call it of last season. That’s my main focus is making the most of our race cars and executing. As far as winning, I think we are ready to win now would be the best way that I could answer your question. We are ready as a team. The first bit of last year I don’t think we were ready to win because we had a lot to learn, we had a lot to learn about each other, and then it finally clicked like I was talking about and then I felt like we were ready. On top of doing everything perfect things have to fall in your favor and fall properly. You have to have good luck on your side to close one of these things out. The best car doesn’t always win, so I think we are ready to put ourselves in position consistently to win and I think that’s how it’s gonna come for us and I feel like this year is definitely our year if that answers your question.”

IS YOUR FUTURE UNCERTAINTY OFFSET BY THE FACT YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY THIS YEAR TO CONTEND FOR WINS? “Yeah, 100 percent. It may sound crazy, but this is the best I feel about it because I have such a good team behind me and especially because we had all that time last year together where we were really rocking and rolling the last part of last season. So going into this year even with the uncertainty you can call it about 2022, I feel the best I’ve ever felt in my career going into this year even without knowing my plans for next year because this is all I can ask for is to have the seat time that we had last year together, to have the speed, have the equipment behind me, all the things that are lined up for success for this year and if we go out there, we win, run up front consistently, compete in the playoffs – hardcore – all the things I know that we are 100 percent capable of doing this year more than ever, the rest will take care of itself.”

WHAT WAS THE DETERMING FACTOR TO KEEP YOU IN THE 21 CAR THIS YEAR? “I think there’s just a lot of different people that go into the equation of driving the 21 car. Not only do you have the Woods, but it’s not ultimately completely their decision. We have a lot of great sponsors. We have Motorcraft and Quick Lane and Menards and all their vendor partners, and then we have our alliance with Team Penske and then our relationship with Ford, which is obviously everyone knows how great the relationship is between the Wood Brothers and Ford. Basically, what I’m getting at is all those people have to be on the same page and knowing a plan for the future and also with Ford and Team Penske having Austin Cindric in their lineup how does this work for everybody? That’s basically what all of them were trying to work on and they knew and understood that we were just getting rolling the last second half of last year, so they didn’t want to just sweep the rug out from underneath us, especially when we made the playoffs and I felt like we were just barely even getting going, barely scratched the surface. So there were a lot of people involved in the decision-making and that’s why this was kind of the best fit for everybody and kind of worked out for everyone moving forward.

HAVE TALKS STARTED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOUR NEXT MOVE IS GOING TO BE? “My whole career has had an expiration date. I’ve thought it was over 1,000 times, so it don’t even phase me. I’m pretty mentally tough at this point. There hasn’t honestly been any talks. I haven’t even hardly thought about 2022 just because my whole focus is on 2021 and driving the 21 car. Clearly it’s a sign that it’s our year. It’s ’21, so that’s been 100 percent my main focus, just knowing that all we need to do is go out there and kick ass and perform and the future will take care of itself, so I haven’t had any talks with anybody moving forward, but I’m still under contract with the Wood Brothers and with Team Penske as well. I think it will all just play out later in the season when it comes to, I don’t know, July or August – somewhere in that area.”

HOW HAS BEING PART OF AN ALLIANCE WITH JOEY AND BRAD MADE YOU A BETTER DRIVER? “I was just talking about this yesterday. I spent some time with the whole Team Penske group of drivers just recently and every time I’m around them, whether it’s in a competitive setting or even on personal time when we all went out to dinner together or whatever it is, I always come away just so blown away by how great of leaders all of them are, and not only that, but how positive of an environment it is. All you guys know. You interact with all the different drivers in the garage and they are all so positive, don’t have any negativity in them whatsoever. They’re always looking at how we as a group can be the best we can be, be great leaders for our team and not negative and not whiners or anything like that. They all, and myself included, appreciate our jobs so much and what we do, so that attitude carries over to the entire organization. When you have that as your driver setting a great example, it affects the entire organization at Team Penske and Wood Brothers with us having that alliance, so it’s really an incredible place. You guys probably see how respectful all the Team Penske drivers are. I hope you like me too. I feel like I’m not too bad of a guy (laughing), but it’s great to have those folks to lean on and to have and to go to for advice and to continue to want to get better and we all lean on each other.”

DO YOU STILL FEEL LIKE YOU GET TO SPEND PERSONAL TIME WITH THEM TO GET STUFF FROM THEM WITH ALL OF THESE RESTRICTIONS? “Yeah, I think even if it’s just simple stuff like we’re all in a group text together – all of us drivers. Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, Joey, Brad and myself and even some of us just lighthearted. We were playing a card game We were playing rummy together and even if it’s just talking about that stuff and laughing we have that kind of a great relationship with each other to where even if it’s not in person, we’re so comfortable with each other that a text or a phone call is no big deal for any questions I’ve had. And for coming into this camp, the Wood Brothers camp and our alliance with Team Penske it’s been great to be so comfortable to be able to lean on them to make sure that I feel like I’m doing everything to the best of my ability coming into this camp and doing the best I can for our team.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT BEING IN THE CLASH AND HAVING THE RACE BE ON THE ROAD COURSE INSTEAD OF THE OVAL? “I still look at it as a great opportunity because, and actually probably the best opportunity this way because I felt like our road course program last year was where we needed the most improvement. That was probably our weakest area last year, not that it was terrible, it just needed some work. So I’m actually glad that the Clash is on the Daytona road course because that was probably one of our weakest races of the year, but we know the things that we need to work on, so I still feel very good about our chances when we go there here next week. I’m glad it’s on the road course, so then we basically have a race to evaluate what gains that we’ve made and how to continue to get better at those places because you guys saw that our speed on the short tracks, on the intermediates, on those places were excellent, especially the last bit of the year. We were really flying at those places, so glad we get an extra opportunity at the Clash to go out there and try and see what we’ve gained on and go try and win.”

IS THE RELATIONSHIP WITH AUSTIN CINDRIC WEIRD AT ALL? HE SAYS IT’S NOT. “No, not at all. Actually, Austin is a great friend of mine. We text, snapchat. We literally snapchat each other every single day, so if that explains to you our level of friendship. We get along excellent. I love hanging out with Austin. It’s not weird at all. This sport is a business and everyone has the same goals. Austin grew up his whole life and wanted to be a winner in racing and in NASCAR and he’s doing everything he can to perform and accomplish those goals. I have the same goals to be successful and win races and championships and everything and be around this sport for a very long time, which I know that I’m gonna be here for a long time. I’m confident, especially with the opportunities I’ve been given, so, no, it’s not awkward at all. It’s just part of the business and things work out the way that they’re supposed to, and I think there are gonna be great opportunities for me in the future and I’m just pumped about this year. I’ve been through so much to where I’m just super pumped to be driving the 21 and with our seat time that we had last year and our experience and all the momentum we have, to go out there and have the opportunities to go win and kick butt this year that’s all that I need and the future will take care of itself. So, there’s nothing weird between me and Austin. He’s a great kid.”

WILL YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO LET THE OVERALL PICTURE CREATE SO MUCH PRESSURE THAT WHEN YOU ARE IN A POSITION TO WIN THAT IT OVERWHELMS YOU? “I think going back to a little bit of what I said earlier is my whole, I think people understand a little bit of my path to get here and the struggles and the pressure and everything that I’ve overcome. I mean this in a humble way, it’s humbled me to an extreme that I couldn’t possibly explain, but it’s also made me so mentally tough, and I’m thankful for that because it’s made me who I am today to where I don’t even think about that type of stuff or the pressure. I more look at it as great opportunity and I would have done anything my whole career to be sitting in this position where I’m really establishing myself in the Cup Series driving the 21. We have all this momentum to go out there and have what I feel like will be the best year of my career by far, so, no, to answer your question. I’m pretty mentally tough at this point and I’m thankful for that and it honestly doesn’t even pop up in my brain. I’m just excited and focused on the competition side and the opportunity we have this year to go kick some butt.”

DO YOU THINK THE NO QUALIFYING LAST YEAR HELPED YOU GUYS MORE THAN IF THERE WAS PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING? “No, actually I think on the flip side it actually hurt us more than most because of us being – me and Greg Erwin, our engineers and our team being new to each other – the things that we would have normally learned in practice and maybe qualifying in some instances, but mainly that we would have learned in practice like, ‘Oh, Matt likes these shocks at these places and this type of feel. Matt likes his cars to be a little tighter or this or that.’ We’re learning them in the race to where you really can’t change it and then you’re learning it by trial and error in races versus in practice, so that’s exactly where I felt like it took us a little bit to get going. It’s because we had that stripped of us, that valuable time of practicing, figuring each other out, what I need in the race car, how I need to best communicate with my guys, all that. We’re doing it cold turkey in the race, and driving the 21 car for the Wood Brothers and kind of being a standalone team we have such excellent support from Ford and from Team Penske that our equipment is great. Our race cars are super fast. I’m driving a Ford with Roush Yates power. We’ve got it all, so I’m just glad we kind of got that trial and error mostly out of the way to where we feel really confident about our setups and our communication and all that momentum we have going into this year.”

IS THE JULY/AUGUST PERIOD THE LATEST WINDOW YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW WHERE YOU WILL BE DRIVING, AND IF YOU WIN A RACE WILL THAT LIFT A WEIGHT FOR 2022? “Yeah, winning takes care of it all. That’s the best goal, so that’s goal number one. I think those talks and all that stuff start popping up around summertime. Most people have deadlines in their contracts, I think mine is like September 1. I have two multiple contracts with Team Penske and with the Wood Brothers, so probably around that last summer is when the discussions or you hope to kind of have an idea of what’s going on. You’ve got to be willing to kind of go with it and let it all happen as it’s supposed to. You can’t control everything. You’ve got to go out there and just perform and sort of let some things take care of themselves, which is nice that I’m in that position where I have the team and the equipment to do so.”

IS THERE ANY PLACE YOU HAVE YOUR EYE ON? As far as specific places, I felt really good the second half of last year about pretty much everywhere. The superspeedways are fast because everyone knows the Fords just kind of fly on those anyways. They’re really good. Our mile-and-a-half program got excellent. The cars were super fast. The short tracks were excellent Road courses needed some work, but when we’re that versatile as a team and we got to where we were fast at all the different places we’re going to really makes you extra excited about this year. I’m not circling off Bristol or Martinsville. I’m like, ‘We’ve got pretty fast cars about everywhere.’ That’s why the last bit of the season we were getting tons of top 10s at very random different racetracks, which is a great sign.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO WIN, ESPECIALLY WITH THE NEXT ONE BEING #100 FOR THE WOOD BROTHERS? “It’s huge and you’ve got to win and perform. That’s everything, but we’ve been so dang close to them now that it’s painful. I mean, that’s a good sign is that when you have that momentum and you’re that close and you’re in position as many times as we have been now, and then knowing that we’re going into this season with the momentum that we have, I think we can do it much more consistently. If you keep putting yourself in position to get that win, that’s when it has the ability to come. You’re not always gonna win every one of them that you’re in position to win, but you have that opportunity, so I’m excited about that. Also, from a personal standpoint I so badly want to get the 100th win for the Wood Brothers because they are family. Anyone who knows the Woods knows when you drive for them you’re not friends you’re family to them. They are family and I want it so bad for them and for the whole entire family, so that would be an amazing accomplishment there. We’ve got to go out there. Now that I know we are ready as a team, I feel the last bit of last year and going into this year I feel we are 100 percent ready to win. I’m honest. Early in the season last year I did not feel like we were ready. We had a lot of thing we had to work on and you have to be perfect. Your team has to be excellent to win, so I did not feel like we were a winning team at the beginning of last year because of the circumstances. We had the people and the equipment and all the things, but we needed time and we got that now, so going into this year I think it’s our time and the goal is to win, to run up front, to compete and to compete all the way down to the end because I know we can do it.”

HAVE YOU TALKED TO LEONARD WOOD ABOUT THE DIRT RACE AT BRISTOL? HE WAS AROUND WHEN NASCAR RACED ON DIRT PREVIOUSLY. “The ingenuity and the support from the Wood Brothers as a whole, and the stories and advice that they can give in general because they have been around this sport far longer than I’ve been alive – a lot longer than I’ve been alive. It’s always super useful and it’s useful in many different aspects. One, they’re amazing stories that you just enjoy hearing. Two, the positivity and the support that you have from them and then the experience that they have that they can pass along. That’s excellent. I’m looking forward to that Bristol Dirt Race for different reasons. One, because I grew up dirt racing. Loved it. Anytime I’ve hopped in a dirt car it’s still been like riding a bike. It comes right back to me naturally and I love it, so that part is fun. And then also super excited because the reaction from the fans and friends, the amount of text messages and calls and comments I’ve gotten about the Bristol Dirt Race, you get ones a lot about the Daytona 500. That’s coming up, so I get tons of stuff about that knowing our car is fast at that. And then the Bristol Dirt Race has been another one where I felt like, ‘Man, that’s amazing to see that kind of excitement for those couple races.’”

HAVE YOU TALKED TO LEONARD ABOUT IT? “Not about that specifically. Actually, I talked to him recently about he built me an RC car – nitro-powered RC car handmade – and it has a plaque on it, handcrafted by Leonard Wood. That was actually the last conversation that we had was how much that meant to me. That was my Christmas gift, but with COVID and stuff I haven’t been able to actually go up there to their shop as much as I would like to, but we talk more about casual stuff. But I’m sure I’ll get some good stories about that since Bristol dirt is coming up, so that’s on the agenda.”

IS IT AN ADVANTAGE TO RUN THE CLASH ON THE ROAD COURSE WITH THE ROAD COURSE RACE TWO WEEKS AFTER THAT, AND DOES THAT MAKE UP FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO GO HOME AND RACE IN CALIFORNIA? “I’m sad that we don’t get to run out there in Fontana because it’s a cool racetrack. I love that aspect of it and the fans out there are great. I could look at it both ways. I think it’s an advantage for us that we get that race of the Clash to evaluate where we’re at with our road course stuff. I’m excited about that and then having that race and all the extra laps and track time, but you can also look at it in the different fashion of a lot of your field is in that race as well and a lot of extremely competitive, good race cars. So, they’re getting that track time as well. It’s pretty much still a level playing field, but where I’m excited about it for our team to have that since I thought that was a point we needed to work on a little bit last year that we have that race to go out there and see where we’re at.”

THOUGHTS ABOUT RUNNING THE CHILI BOWL SOME DAY. “I’m working on it pretty much as we speak. I’ve been in conversations already about maybe running a couple of races that work out with our schedule this year to get maybe two races under my belt or something like that to get a little seat time in a midget. Knowing that our schedule is becoming more diverse it’s making me look into different things because our schedule has seven road courses on it, we have a dirt race now. I’m looking at it like, ‘Oh, man. I think I need to start exploring different opportunities to continue to hone my skills.’ I always want to be the best I can possibly be at what I’m doing, so I’m gonna try to get a couple of races in. Stay tuned. There might be more info on that pretty soon, hopefully. I’m working on it. I don’t know the details yet, but I’m looking to work on that and hopefully get a couple races and then run the Chili Bowl. I’ve always wanted to. I grew up dirt racing. Larson has told me do it and work on it, so I’m like, ‘All right, now I think is the time. We have a dirt race on the schedule. I want to keep honing my skills and get better at everything.’ Then we’ve got the road courses, a lot of road courses on the schedule, so I’m looking at ways to try and get more track time on road courses in different kinds of cars, things like that. So it’s pretty exciting that the schedule is becoming so cool and diverse.”

WELCOME, N.C. (February 1, 2021)—Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) announced today a partnership with RP Funding, Florida’s No Closing Cost refinance lender. RP Funding will serve as the primary partner on the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE driven by Erik Jones in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Busch Clash At DAYTONA. The Busch Clash at DAYTONA will open the 2021 NASCAR season under the lights on Tuesday, February 9, featuring an elite field of NASCAR Cup Series drivers on the iconic DAYTONA Road Course.

RP Funding has entered into a single-race partnership as the primary partner in the non-points exhibition race to help kick-start the brand’s involvement within NASCAR.

Through the partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports, Robert Palmer, president of RP Funding, aims to highlight that the Orlando-based company offers customers the best deal on a Florida mortgage with No Closing Cost Mortgages. As one of the fastest growing companies in Florida, RP Funding has paid over $40 million in Closing Costs for customers on their refinance. NASCAR fans can get a great deal on a refinance and will not pay Closing Costs with RP Funding.

“RP Funding is proud to partner with Richard Petty Motorsports and driver Erik Jones,” Palmer said.

“Having the opportunity to display RP Funding in the Busch Clash will be highly beneficial to broaden our community awareness as Florida’s No Closing Cost refinance lender. We hope that NASCAR fans will call RP Funding for their mortgage needs in Florida.”

In contrast to the tightly packed competition on the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway’s famed 2.5- mile high-banked-tri-oval, the reimagined Busch Clash at DAYTONA will utilize the track’s 14-turn, 3.61-mile road course for the 35 lap, 126.35 mile race. In the 43rd annual Busch Clash at DAYTONA, fading blue and white colors will adorn the No. 43 RP Funding Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE.

“I am looking forward to the Clash at DAYTONA, and getting started for the first race of the year with a new team,” Jones said.

“Obviously, getting to race on the road course will breakdown what our race cars are doing and, also help us to look ahead for the points race as well. I am excited to get to Florida with those guys and get to business. We are looking forward to having our new partner, RP Funding, on-board for that race as well. It will be pretty cool. I am excited to get to know those guys and have them on the car and hopefully go out and get a strong first run for them.”

The 24-year-old Byron, Michigan, native will be part of the field that meets exclusive criteria: 2020 Busch Pole Award winners, past Busch Clash winners who competed full-time in 2020, DAYTONA 500 winners who competed full-time in 2020, former DAYTONA 500 Busch Pole winners who competed full-time in 2020, and last year’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers, NASCAR Cup Series race winners, and NASCAR Cup Series stage winners. Jones is one of 24 drivers that are eligible for the Busch Clash at DAYTONA.

Last year, in the longest Busch Clash at DAYTONA in the 42-year history of the race, Jones prevailed after three overtime attempts. By the time he crossed the finish line, there were only six remaining entries in the 18-car field. With the nose of his car held together with tape, Jones led the final lap to collect his first victory in the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series exhibition race. For Jones, it was his second victory at the Daytona International Speedway (2018).

The Busch Clash at DAYTONA will be broadcast live on FS1 on Tuesday, February 9 at 7:00 p.m. (EST). It will also broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

RP Funding, Inc. NMLS #70168 * OFFER TO PAY CLOSING COSTS: Offer to pay Closing Costs on REFINANCE only available in Florida on conventional loans. Additional terms and conditions apply, visit RPFunding.com for details.

About RP Funding
RP Funding is the original “no fee” mortgage lender known across Florida for its No Closing Cost refinance. Since 2016 RP Funding has paid over $40 million in Closing Costs for its clients, saving them thousands. RP Funding is a Champion of the Community partner with the Orlando Magic as well as the primary sponsor for the Jacksonville Armada FC. For more information about our services visit www.rpfunding.com.

About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM), co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. RPM is the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history with 273 wins and has business partnerships with national and global leaders. Today the race operation fields the famed No. 43 in the NASCAR Cup Series with driver Erik Jones. The team is headquartered in Welcome, N.C.

For additional information, news and the latest updates, please visit www.richardpettymotorsports.com or connect with RPM on Facebook (Richard Petty Motorsports), Twitter (@RPMotorsports) or Instagram (@richardpettymotorsports).