Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR Media Day | Friday, February 5, 2021

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light #TheCrew Ford Mustang – DID YOU GET THE IMPRESSION OTHER TEAMS WERE LOOKING AT RCR FOR SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS IN 2001 AFTER DALE EARNHARDT’S ACCIDENT? DID YOU FEEL ANY EXTRA RESPONSIBILITY? “I did not. I think as I look back to 2001 it was really NASCAR that kind of took the bull by the horns and really led that charge. I think for us, and especially our team, I would venture to say it was the exact opposite – a little bit of confusion and not really understanding exactly where we needed to be, what was right, what was wrong. There was so much change during that particular time period that it was hard to keep up with a lot of things. I know one of the first things to come out was the Hutchens device, which obviously came within our organization, but I think as you look at the sport in general that’s really something that has continued through today as we sit here today has been a charge that was 100 percent led by NASCAR, and all the things that they changed with the racetracks and the mandates that were put into place through the years to where we are today. That’s been a huge effort from their part and a huge undertaking, but I think that day things changed forever and I would give all that credit to NASCAR. The teams have been part of that innovation, but there’s also been a lot of safety companies that have put so much time and effort into making their products better. You look around the world and you look at all the innovation and things that have changed through the years, it’s been pretty dramatic from what we raced on that particular day.”

WHAT HAS THE PROCESS BEEN LIKE GOING THROUGH KEELAN’S RACING CAREER? “That’s a loaded question. I think, for me, this would have all never started if it wasn’t for COVID. We were really kind of set in our plans of the things that we wanted to do and where we wanted to go and how we wanted to spend time with our kids, and he had really not shown a lot of interest in going to the racetrack. When COVID started the iRacing stuff started. We were not really in school. Everything was kind of virtual once it started back and he looked over one day while we were sitting on our iRacing simulators and he said, ‘Why aren’t we racing?’ I’m like, ‘Well, you never asked.’ So, we started going to the racetrack some more and getting prepared for the first club race at Go Pro when they finally opened up and ran the first club race and he qualified on the pole for the first club race and really the rest has kind of been history – not even a year really since that particular point. It’s really the first thing that he’s shown that amount of interest in, that he actually wants to practice first of all. Everything else he didn’t want to practice, but I think for us it really kind of changed the way that we lived, the way that we did things along with COVID, and really changed a number of things in our lives and the way that we went about things. For the relationship part of it has been really good for us as a family. It’s been really good for Keelan and I. It’s also very challenging to be the teacher and try to basically build a race team. I mean, you have to race at the level that he’s going to race at you have to treat it like it’s an actual race team because it is, so I think there’s a number of things that have happened with our personal relationship, that bond getting stronger, that driver/mentor relationship, trying to find that balance as being dad as well was and still is challenging, but, look, if it’s something he wants to do I’m gonna push him hard to do the things that he wants to do. He still has to have fun, but if you want to be good at it, you have to have your boundaries pushed on a daily basis and I feel like I do that. It’s also been really good for me to understand and remember why I love racing, and going to the racetrack and seeing all the things and the challenges that come with not only teaching him, but putting the vehicles together and it reminds me a lot of the things that we’ve done at KHI in the past and I remember why I like those things because it’s a different way of competing and I love to compete, so I think from that standpoint I now remember why I love going into that shop everyday and talking to the people and understanding what was going on. So, from an all-around racing aspect of it, it’s reminded me of why I love so many aspects of this sport and from a family standpoint and a father-son relationship it’s made us stronger from both ends.”

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR FIRST WIN AND THE LAST LAP OR TWO? “There’s a number of things that I don’t remember. There’s a few things that I vividly remember about everything that went on on that particular day. The first thing that I remember was the five of us racing there at the end and then it kind of dwindled down. I remember some random things. I think as I look back at that race I kind of caught myself wandering with a couple laps to go because it was hard not to notice the people hanging on the fence on the back straightaway – were right next to the fence on the back straightaway – and, really, it’s those moments that I remember how loud the crowd was after I did my burnout and driving around that racetrack backwards. That’s really about it. The rest of it is a little bit confusing as to what you remember, what you don’t remember. It was obviously a moment I don’t think any of us expected, weren’t supposed to be in, but there are a number of things that obviously changed in the weeks before that and continued to change. So, for us, that was supposed to be my first race in the Cup Series with America Online as our sponsor with my Busch Series team at the time going up together, and obviously everything changed on that side after the Daytona 500. It took me a long time to really get comfortable to really even think about things that happened that day. There were so many things that happened backwards in my career. I look at my very first Cup Series press conference and that’ll be the biggest press conference with the most notoriety or anything that ever comes from a moment like that, or a moment in general because of a moment like that. Your first experience will always be your biggest one from my standpoint, so then you look at the first win and you’ll probably never receive or get that type of notoriety or attention or anything that came with that. For a number of years I was uncomfortable with all that because it was so overwhelming in the beginning and really turned defensive in a lot of different ways because I just wasn’t anticipating any of that and understanding the magnitude of all those things that came with driving the car first, then winning in the car, and a lot of that didn’t really come into play and take effect until 2002 when you had to start making decisions, and then by that particular point you’d made some people mad and had to start changing things and then people didn’t like it and it wasn’t their same situation and wasn’t my same situation, so there was just a number of things that changed through 2002. But I raced through so much in 2001 that it just covered a lot of that stuff up because I didn’t have time to prepare or stop and think about it. There was just a number of things that were extremely overwhelming with that whole scenario.”

HOW DO YOU FOLLOW UP ON THE SEASON YOU HAD A YEAR AGO? IT’S A TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW. “Yeah, the expectation is to go out and be competitive. I think as you look at last year that’s one of those that you check off as a career year and you obviously want to do that again, but I’ve been around this long enough to understand that those types of seasons don’t come around all the time. But, look, it’s not to say that it’s not possible because that’s surely the goal – to try to repeat that and do that again. The expectations are obviously the same as they were every other year. I think as you look back you capitalized on the days you’re good. You capitalized on some days when people have trouble and we ran well at the racetracks we were supposed to run well at and made good days out of them. It was definitely a great year. I think as we go into this year the expectations are to be competitive and try to put yourself in position to win races again. This is something that we do every year and last year we were just fortunate to put ourselves in victory lane a few more times than we had in the past, so they’re not all gonna go like that, but that’s the goal.”

HOW MUCH INTERACTION HAVE YOU HAD WITH BEN KENNEDY? WHAT’S YOUR IMPRESSION OF HIS ROLE? “I really haven’t had hardly any interaction with Ben. I don’t really know him that well, so I’m probably not the right one to speak on that particular person.”

BRAD AND JOEY ARE GOING INTO THEIR NINTH SEASON AT PENSKE. YOU HAVE NOT HAD A LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP WITH A TEAMMATE. IS THAT REALLY AS IMPORTANT FOR SUCCESS AS SOME PEOPLE SEEM TO THINK IT IS? “I don’t know that it’s completely important. The most important thing is to have other competitive cars. I think that’s really what pushes the race teams to get better at a more rapid pace and cover more details is the fact that it’s a fact that when you have more competitive cars you can make things happen faster, and it’s just better for the company in general. No matter who is driving the cars, you want those cars to be as competitive as possible because it helps you as a teammate and as a crew chief or whatever the situation is you need somebody to be able to bounce ideas off of. You need other cars to run well in order to try different things and keep your mind open to different things as well, so there are a number of benefits to having as many cars as possible running well in order to make yourself better and make the company better at a more rapid pace.”

AFTER JEFF AND TONY CAME IN THE SEARCH SEEMED TO FOCUS ON MIDGET, SPRINT CAR, AND USAC TYPE DRIVER TALENT. WITH THE WAY CHASE ELLIOTT HAS PERFORMED DO YOU FEEL THE MODEL HAS SWUNG MORE TO MORE LATE MODELS, ARCA, XFINITY? “I don’t think so, and I think over the next couple weeks you’ll have a very firm understanding of where my mindset is as far as driver development and what that path needs to be. As I look at that and we’ve been working on a number of things in that category to try to put ourselves in position 10 years down the road from a KHI Management standpoint and be associated with what we think is the next generation of drivers. I think as you look at, I think you’re gonna have to be very versatile. I think our sport is going to continue to change. I think you’re gonna have to be an extraordinary road racer as you go into the next five years, just because of what you’re seeing this year and the opportunities of where you can race and the different racetracks and things that we can go to. Obviously, when you look at Bristol Dirt, it’s not going to be a late model dirt race or a midget dirt race, but having those backgrounds is going to be important, I think. When you look at just a straight-up asphalt oval late model racer, I don’t know that that’s going to be 100 percent where you need to be. I think you definitely have to have that background, but I think being versatile and having that car control that is taught from a midget, sprint car standpoint – you look at road racing and whether you can just get so many opportunities in so many different forms of racing at such a young age I think it’s very important as you go forward to really consider how much time you spend on one craft in trying to put yourself into being just a good oval racer is not going to work as you go forward. You’re going to have to be a good oval racer, but you’re also gonna have to be a very good road racer, in my opinion.”

WHERE DO YOU FEEL YOUR TEAM IS IN ITS ROAD RACING PROGRAM? “I’ll tell you in a few days.”

DO YOU THINK EVERYONE ON THE TEAM HAS TURNED THE PAGE ON 2020 AND READY FOR THIS SEASON? “If they haven’t, I don’t want to talk about it. I think as the season ended and we got about a week through it I was done and over with it and had a lot to do moving forward. In this business you just don’t have time to dwell on it. If you’re gonna continue to be good at what you do, you have to be able to put your mind back to work and take the things that went wrong and make them better, re-focus and you have to use those things as motivation in order to make those particular things better. I think those guys know that, I feel like I’m wasting my breath talking about everything that happened last year because we’ve talked about what went wrong and I’ve moved on and tried to be ready for this particular season – to do the things that you need to do in order to get the season started right and be competitive on a week to week basis. They know that I’ll get pretty frustrated if they want to sit and dwell on what happened last year when we’re already into just over a week away from the Daytona 500. They better have moved on. If they haven’t, they don’t talk to me about it.”

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS GOING INTO THE BRISTOL DIRT RACE? DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING PLANNED TO PREPARE? “Not at this particular point. I think in the end it’s one race, so I think a lot of what we’ve done is prepare for the majority of the schedule. I think as you look at Bristol Dirt it’s not going to be like racing a midget or a dirt late model. As Ken Schrader would put it, you’re still gonna drive a Cup car. I think the things that happen and the things that go on are obviously going to be different. It’s probably the all-time longest dirt race ever at 250 laps, so we’ll see what happens to the racetrack and I think it’s gonna be a little bit of a learning experience for everybody. I’ve not driven any of these cars on dirt, so I think at that particular point, and I’ve told Rodney this, I think you lean on the guy that has the most experience and he’s our newest guy and that’s Chase Briscoe. He’s obviously run and won on the dirt at Eldora, has a dirt background, and we’re just gonna kind of take a backseat and follow the guidance from somebody who knows what they’re doing and try to be good students. I think as that weekend progresses and, luckily, we get some practice and we have some plans of things that we’re going to do as we get closer to the race, but for the most part you can’t get too far ahead of things and try to work on something that’s only one race.”

HAS THERE BEEN ANY REFLECTION ON HAVING SUCH A HUGE SEASON AND NOT GETTING TO THE FINAL FOUR, OR DO YOU JUST PUT IT BEHIND YOU? “My focus is always on week to week winning races. I think in the end it didn’t really matter. We ran terrible at Phoenix, so it’s not like you were gonna win the championship anyway. It didn’t really matter as we got to Phoenix and with the way that we ran. I think you look back on it and, like I said earlier, you take the things that you did at each one of those racetracks and you try to make them better because that’s really what it’s all about is, ‘How do I stay focused on a week to week basis? What did we do last year at this particular racetrack? What did we do good? What did we do bad? Show me the strengths. Show me the weaknesses. Show me where we beat them. Show me where we were getting beat.’ And it’s the same preparation over and over and over, and the whole championship layout is something that is what it is, but it changes zero in your preparation. It really doesn’t change a thing. You go to the racetrack and, for me, I’m not gonna go to the racetrack and points race. We’re gonna go to the racetrack and try to put ourselves in position to win the race and then the second thing when you can’t do that is gain the most points that you can on that particular day and you go home. It’s just not something that I overthink. It’s not something that really gets me up or down, winning or losing. It doesn’t. It doesn’t really affect how I prepare on Monday. We can finish dead last or we can finish first and I’m gonna do the exact same thing when it comes to Monday morning. That part doesn’t change for me.”

AT WHAT POINT IN YOUR CAREER, IF ANY, DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU STARTED COMING OUT OF HIS SHADOW AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HIS LEGACY AND IMPACT ON NASCAR, WHERE DO YOU THINK HE HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT? “I think when you look at the affect that, in my opinion, that Dale had on the sport it was in a number of different ways. First off, Dale had a great relationship with NASCAR and could move the needle when things needed to be moved from a competitor’s standpoint like really no other driver has been able to do, ever. I think the impact that he has had after his death on the safety of this sport has been something that’s just far greater than would have happened with anybody else, and I think that impact will probably be his impact from a competitor’s standpoint that some of them at this particular day and age might not even realize the impact that he has had on the safety side of it. I think when you look back he changed so many things about our sport in so many different ways just because of A, the relationship with NASCAR, but, B, he was just willing to do things differently and think outside the box and got connected with the right people in different scenarios of what they did. You look back and you look at the souvenir side of things, as he wrapped his arms around a lot of the other drivers in the sport and created a souvenir business that was obviously very large in the heyday of souvenir sales. He’s changed the game on a number of different levels throughout the sport and just having that demeanor and the way that he went about giving it everything that he had, to do whatever he had to do to try to win a race or gain a position was just something that the fans always latched on to and liked, so there’s just a number of things that he will forever had his hand in and change for a number of different reasons. As far as the shadow was obviously big and it was something, for me, that I always did things the way that I liked them and always had kind of beat my own path as I went about things and made changes and drove the car and things that you did, and for the first four or five years it was difficult just because of the fact that everything that you did was always compared to everything that Dale did. It was always, ‘it wouldn’t have been handled this way or it would have been handled this way, and this guy did that and that guy did this,’ and it was just never something that was comfortable because as I said earlier I became defensive about, ‘well, I’m just not doing it that way in anything.’ I didn’t want to do anything that was the same way just because I got tired of hearing it, so as you got through the Goodwrench days and they kind of gravitated off the car and you had been in position to win a few races and start to get your own sponsors and really start to be able to have your own people around you and that really, for me, made things more comfortable because of the fact that you were living on your success and it wasn’t something that was given to you or position that you were in that you didn’t deserve. It was a position that you had earned, which was always the way that I felt like I wanted to go about things was you needed to earn it in order to be where you were. I feel like you totally got out from underneath all that because it still, I mean we’re 20 years later and it’s forever going to be compared just because of the fact of the way that everything went, but when I changed teams and went to Stewart-Haas Racing I felt like that in 2014 was really the year that you were able to legitimize everything that you had done and doing just because you were capable of driving the car and being around people and doing the things that it took to win races and win a championship, so it took a long time.”

DERRIKE COPE IS IN HIS SIXTIES AND WILL BE IN THE 500. DOES AGE MATTER TO SUCCESS IN NASCAR? “I think that depends on how successful you are. I think as you go through this sport you have to be committed to what you’re doing. You have to have a great team around you. You have to have all the things in place and order to be successful and win races. In the end, that’s really what it comes down to. If you’re not capable of winning races and being in position to be competitive, it’s just not as much fun, it really isn’t. I think, for me, I love the sport and I love driving the car and I love being around the people and I love competing, but not being successful would definitely make it a lot more difficult to go week to week and do the things that we do. I love the fact that I can show up with my group of guys, we can get to the racetrack and we can beat the group next to us. Being able to go back to the shop and in today’s world do a fist bump or elbow bump and know that you showed up and beat those guys on a day when you shouldn’t have beat them or a day should have beat them doesn’t matter, you want to be successful with that group of guys because those are the guys you’re at battle with and there’s just something about that feeling that makes you want to go back and do it again. There’s no more satisfaction than winning a race and being able to know that you can wrap your arms around those guys and know that they’re a part of that success and we’re all successful together.”

HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU SEE DIVERSIFYING YOURSELF AT THIS STAGE OF YOUR CAREER, AND HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR GUY LIKE YOU AND CHASE ELLIOTT TO DABBLE IN GRASSROOTS RACING TO GROW THE BRAND OF NASCAR? “I think as I look at the things that I’ve been able to experience and as I talked about earlier, I look at the things that Denny Hamlin has done with the race team and being able to push those buttons and build those buildings and build those cars and put those people together, that’s something that as I’ve gone through this last year with Keelan I think I realized that I enjoy. I would thoroughly enjoy being in a situation like that as I go forward, whether it’s the next 5-10 years, whatever that is, there’s a number of things that I enjoy from that side of things that I’m not telling you I want to own a race team, I’m telling you I’d love to be involved in running one. I love the fact that I can still compete in the car and that’s the number one priority. Look, the TV stuff is obviously interesting as we move forward, but, right now, it’s way more fun to be in that car and competing on a weekly basis to go out and try to accomplish something as a group and be able to do that year after year is something that I think we all take pride in. As far as competing at the grassroots level, I think you have to have something that you enjoy and I think especially for somebody like Chase, who has obviously become a champion and knows that he’s going to be around this sport for a long time, being able to race different things and be able to enjoy being inside of a race car, no matter what it is, where it is or what type of surface it’s on, I think being able to challenge himself – and that’s really what I took from listening to the things that he said and did at the Chili Bowl – just pushing yourself to do things that you normally wouldn’t do and not be embarrassed or beat yourself up over the fact that you didn’t do well at it. I think as you go back you have to get through that first experience of something that’s new and be over the fear and worry of not being successful and then you can go back and be way better at it the next time and be more competitive and it’s a constant learning curve, especially in that situation as the Chili Bowl was in order to go there and be competitive is not easy, so to step outside of that box and know that you’re gonna go there and struggle, but you’ve got to go there at some point to learn how to do that is something that takes a lot of guts. I think to see him do that and see him just show up to the event and do what he did was fun for me to watch and really understanding the type of courage that it takes to do something like that because of the criticism and all the things and all the chatter around you that will come with that it was pretty awesome to see, so I think it’s important to be at the grassroots level in some way, shape or form as you go through your years of time on the Cup side.”

The Leading Mortgage Company’s “Believe You Will” Campaign to Be Focus of 60-Second Spot in Game’s Fourth Quarter

CONCORD, N.C., (February 5, 2021) – With NASCAR’s version of its Big Game just around the corner with the Daytona 500 (Feb. 14, 2:30 p.m., FOX), Sunday’s upcoming Super Bowl will feature Ryan Newman in a different way, in a 60-second ad for Guaranteed Rate, one of his primary partners on the No. 6 Ford Mustang.

“Anytime we can receive added exposure for our partners, we’re excited as it allows more eyes to see what our partners have to offer, and in turn, brings more fans to our sport and our team,” Newman said. “Guaranteed Rate has stepped up in a big way dating back to last season with our team, and we’re once again excited to showcase their brand and the content they’ve worked so hard to promote with the Believe You Will campaign.”

The 60-second ad will feature some of the campaign’s ambassadors, including Dustin Poirier, who recently defeated UFC legend Conor McGregor, and Newman, who goes for his second Daytona 500 crown next weekend. The campaign focuses on the power of positivity and believing you will accomplish your goals.

Guaranteed Rate rolled out its Believe You Will campaign after a year of momentous growth for the company as it met record-breaking consumer demand and launched various high-profile sports sponsorships. Well known for its title sponsorship of the Chicago White Sox’s Guaranteed Rate Field, the company sponsored a wide array of sporting events in 2020, from mainstream sports like NASCAR, IndyCar, MLB and NHL, to more niche sports like professional bass fishing, figure skating, bowling and lacrosse.

To preview Guaranteed Rate’s Believe You Will Super Bowl ad, please visit: rate.com/about-us/purpose and follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @GuaranteedRate and #believeyouwill.

About Guaranteed Rate
The Guaranteed Rate Companies, which includes Guaranteed Rate, Inc., Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC, and Proper Rate, LLC, has more than 9,000 employees in over 750 offices across the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, Guaranteed Rate Companies is one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States, funding over $73 billion in 2020. Founded in 2000 and located in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Guaranteed Rate Companies has helped homeowners nationwide with home purchase loans and refinances. The company has established itself as an industry leader by introducing innovative technology, offering low rates and delivering unparalleled customer service. 2017 marked the launch of Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC, a mortgage origination joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in residential real estate franchising and brokerage. In 2020, the company launched Proper Rate, LLC, a mortgage origination joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and @properties, one of the nation’s largest residential brokerage firms. Collectively, the Guaranteed Rate Companies have earned honors and awards including: Top Lender for Online Service for 2018 by U.S. News & World Report; Best Mortgage Lender for Online Loans and Best Mortgage Lender for Refinancing by NerdWallet for 2021; HousingWire’s 2020 Tech100 award for the company’s industry-leading FlashClose^SM technology; No. 3 ranking in Scotsman Guide‘s Top Retail Mortgage Lenders 2019; Chicago Agent Magazine’s Lender of the Year for five consecutive years; Chicago Tribune‘s Top Workplaces list for seven consecutive years. Visit rate.com for more information.

About Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is one of the most successful teams in NASCAR history, fielding multiple teams in NASCAR Cup Series. Set to begin its 34th season in 2021, Roush Fenway is a leader in driver development, having launched the careers for many of the top drivers in the sport. Off-track, Roush Fenway is a leader in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning Social Media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Roush Fenway is co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Jack Roush and Fenway Sports Group, parent company of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox and English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C. Visit RoushFenway.com, become a fan on Facebook and Instagram, and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway.

DUDE Products to Partner with Alfredo During Rookie Campaign

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (February 5, 2021) – Once again supporting Anthony Alfredo, DUDE Products and its popular DUDE Wipes brand will be aligned with the Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate in his first NASCAR Cup Series season. DUDE Wipes will be the primary partner of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports team for six races throughout the year.

A leader in the wipes game, DUDE Products are sold throughout the country and continue to help NASCAR fans stay fresh. DUDE Wipes will be featured on Alfredo’s Mustang at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 28, the dirt race at the Bristol Motor Speedway on March 28, the Kansas Speedway on May 2, Alfredo’s home track, New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 18, the night race at the Bristol Motor Speedway on September 18 and on Halloween night, under the lights at the Martinsville Speedway on October 31.

“DUDE Wipes can guarantee that Anthony will be the ‘swaggiest’ and most fresh on the circuit this year,” said Ryan Meegan, Co-Founder, DUDE Products. “We’re big fans of Anthony since meeting him last year. He’s a great guy, driver and we are proud to have his back during his rookie year.”

DUDE Products is more than just DUDE Wipes. Their full line includes a head to toe assortment of energizing face and body wipes, on-the-go shower wipes and menthol chill body powder. Alfredo will promote DUDE Wipes and all products throughout the season on social media and other digital media with the team. He’s looking forward to the partnership.

“It’s going to be a fun ride this year with DUDE Wipes and our team,” said Alfredo. “DUDE Wipes was quick to step up when I came to Front Row Motorsports and into the NASCAR Cup Series. I really want to thank them for that. They are a young and aggressive company that fits well into what we’re building on this season. I can’t wait to get started next week.”

For more information about DUDE Products, visit www.DUDEProducts.com.

About DUDE Products
DUDE is one of the fastest growing men’s hygiene companies in the U.S., started by four lifelong friends out of Chicago in 2012. Their flagship product, DUDE Wipes, the first flushable wipe marketed to men, is in over 15,000 stores nationwide (Walmart, Kroger, Target, Albertsons, Safeway & HEB). DUDE has expanded its product line and they also offer DUDE Shower Body Wipes, DUDE Face Wipes, DUDE Body Powder and other men’s essentials. In 2015 DUDE Products appeared on the ABC show Shark Tank where they received an investment deal from Mark Cuban.

About Front Row Motorsports

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

5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 28 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: N/A

No. 5 NationsGuard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

NEW BEGINNING: In October 2020, Hendrick Motorsports announced Kyle Larson would partner with crew chief Cliff Daniels in the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, beginning with the 2021 DAYTONA 500. Larson has six NASCAR Cup Series victories, all with Chip Ganassi Racing.

OH SO CLOSE: In 2017, Larson led the field with one lap to go in the DAYTONA 500. However, his Chevrolet ran out of fuel on the final lap and he coasted to a 12th-place finish. In 13 starts at the 2.5-mile track, Larson has four top-10 finishes, including a 10th-place result in last year’s DAYTONA 500.

WINNER AT DAYTONA: In July 2018, Larson won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway. The Elk Grove, California, native led a race-high 40 laps en route to victory.

HOT START: In 2020, Larson scored three top-10 finishes through the first four races of the season prior to the schedule being paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only Kevin Harvick, who finished in the top 10 in all four races, had more.

A RETURN: The 28-year-old Larson will pilot the No. 5 NationsGuard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the season-opening DAYTONA 500, marking the return of the organization’s flagship car number. The No. 5 entry has 45 wins in NASCAR’s premier series with Hendrick Motorsports collecting 38 of those checkered flags. Larson will be the 10th driver to field the number for the organization and will look to be the seventh to record a Cup win behind the wheel. It was most recently fielded by Hendrick Motorsports in 2017.

ON GUARD: NationsGuard, a program that gives car dealers control of their F&I products and customer experience, will adorn the No. 5 Chevrolet during “The Great American Race” at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 14. It will also appear as the primary sponsor on the car at the DAYTONA Road Course on Feb. 21 and at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Feb. 28. For more information about NationsGuard, visit NationsGuard.com.

TWO-FOR-TWO: In January, Larson collected his second consecutive Chili Bowl Nationals victory, an annual dirt track event held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He followed it with a win in a late model dirt car at All-Tech Raceway in only his second start of the new year. In 2020, Larson had one of the most successful years in the history of dirt track racing, winning 46 total events across various series.

BACKING THE 5: On Tuesday, Feb. 2, it was announced that Cincinnati Inc. and Freightliner have joined Larson and the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team as primary sponsors beginning in 2021. Read more about it here.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 25 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 1st (2020)

No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

DEFENDING CHAMP: Last year proved to be one for the record book for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS team. In 2020, the emerging star won a personal best five races, including the season finale at Phoenix Raceway where he out-dueled three of the best drivers in stock-car racing to become the third-youngest champion in NASCAR Cup Series history. Elliott also scored career highs in top-five finishes (15), top-10s (22) and laps led (1,247). In addition, his banner season included a thrilling victory in the NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he picked up a $1 million bonus.

WHAT OFFSEASON?: While many filled the offseason with rest and relaxation, Elliott kicked his competitive spirit into high gear. The 25-year-old driver laid down laps behind the wheel of different race cars in three different series: a late model in the Snowball Derby, midget dirt car at the Chili Bowl Nationals and sports car in the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA. He finished third in the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway, seventh in the Chili Bowl F-Main, and most recently sixth in the DPi class and eighth overall in the Rolex 24. Along with Mike Conway, Pipo Derani and Felipe Nasr, Elliott spent more than five hours on the track and helped rally the No. 31 Action Express Cadillac after a broken gear lost the team 22 laps with five hours left in the race.

SPEED STREAK: Elliott has seen his share of success during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway. In 2016, he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener, followed in 2017 by his first career Duel qualifying race victory and a second consecutive Duel win in 2018. In addition to those victories, Elliott was in position to win the 2017 DAYTONA 500 before running out of fuel from the lead on Lap 198 of 200.

POLE WINNER: Crew chief Alan Gustafson won consecutive DAYTONA 500 pole awards in 2015 with four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, in 2016 with then-rookie Elliott, and again with Elliott in 2017. He is tied with NASCAR Hall of Famer Waddell Wilson and Elliott’s uncle, Ernie Elliott, for the most DAYTONA 500 pole wins in a row by a crew chief. Wilson earned three straight with drivers Buddy Baker, Bobby Allison and Benny Parsons from 1980-1982. Ernie Elliott accomplished the feat with Chase’s father, Bill Elliott, from 1985-1987.

ELITE COMPANY: On Valentine’s Day, Elliott could become the fifth NASCAR Cup Series champion to hoist the Harley J. Earl trophy in the following season. Dale Jarrett (2000), Gordon (1999), Cale Yarborough (1977) and Richard Petty (1973) are the only four champions who started the following season with the DAYTONA 500 victory.

WORK FROM HOME: For Daytona Speedweeks, defending NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Gustafson will make his annual return home to the “Birthplace of Speed.” He hails from Ormond Beach, Florida, just down the road from Daytona International Speedway. After graduating from Seabreeze High School, Gustafson enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to study mechanical engineering. He returns to Daytona for his 17th full-time season as a crew chief and his sixth year with Elliott.

GUSTAFSON AT DIS: In 2020, Gustafson notched his first home track points win at the inaugural DAYTONA Road Course event. In addition, he has collected two Duel qualifying race victories (2017, 2018) with Elliott. The 45-year-old crew chief has three runner-up finishes on the 2.5-mile Daytona oval: two with driver Kyle Busch (2006 and 2007) and one with Elliott last August. The 2007 margin of victory between Busch and winner Jamie McMurray was the closest ever in the summer race at DIS (0.005 seconds). Gustafson has also won the pole award at Daytona five times with three drivers (Elliott, 3; Gordon, 1; Mark Martin, 1). He is tied with Wilson and Leonard Wood for the most DAYTONA 500 pole awards for a crew chief with four.

NAPA RETURNS FOR 500: For the sixth consecutive year, NAPA AUTO PARTS will kick off the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season on the hood of Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for the DAYTONA 500. Elliott has never started the “The Great American Race” without primary sponsorship from the Atlanta-based company.

WELCOME TO THE TEAM: In December, Hendrick Motorsports announced Eastman Performance Films LLC, a subsidiary of Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE: EMN), would become a primary sponsor of 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Elliott and the No. 9 team after extending its relationship for three more years. The sponsorship, which features the LLumar® brand of window film and paint protection film, will serve as a primary sponsor at the Clash at DAYTONA and the inaugural Cup Series event at Circuit of the Americas. Click here to check out the paint scheme.

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 23 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 14th (2020)

No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

2020 REARVIEW: With a third full year of NASCAR Cup Series competition under his belt, William Byron is ready to keep the momentum going when the 2021 season kicks off at Daytona International Speedway. Byron opened 2020 by adding to his already impressive résumé with a win in the Duel qualifying race at Daytona last February. He followed that with his first points-paying Cup Series win during the August race on the 2.5-mile oval. That first victory at NASCAR’s highest level came at the perfect time, locking Byron into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs for the second consecutive season. When 2020 came to a close, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native was 14th in points with one win, four top-five finishes, 14 top-10s and 140 laps led.

THREE IS THE LUCKY NUMBER: Byron’s first trip to victory lane added his name to an impressive list of drivers who captured their first Cup Series win in their third season. Hall of Famers Bobby Labonte, Alan Kulwicki, and Rusty Wallace, along with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, all earned their first win during their third full Cup Series season.

OLD SCHOOL, NEW TWIST: While the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet has been synonymous with the iconic flames paint scheme, 2021 brings a new look for Byron’s Camaro ZL1 1LE. Keeping an old-school flair with a twist, Axalta Coating Systems unveiled its new colors for the No. 24 team in January. Utilizing a matte black base, Byron’s Chevy features bright stripes in an array of colors that will be impossible to miss on the track. Now in its 29th year of partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta returns as a primary partner on Byron’s No. 24 car for 14 races in 2021. For a better look at Byron’s new No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, click here.

COMING FOR THE CLASH: With his first career points-paying NASCAR Cup Series win in 2020, Byron locked himself into the 2021 Clash at DAYTONA event that kicks off the new season. When the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet unloads at Daytona, it will mark the 23-year-old driver’s second start in the exhibition race. In last year’s event, Byron ran up front, leading four laps before eventually being collected in an on-track incident that ended his night early.

TWENTY-FOUR TO THE TOP: In four of the last six DAYTONA 500 races, the No. 24 Chevrolet has started from the pole position: 2015 with Jeff Gordon and in 2016 and 2017 with Elliott. Byron most recently added to that statistic by becoming the second-youngest DAYTONA 500 pole winner in 2019, which also marked the Charlotte, North Carolina, native’s first pole award in the Cup Series.

DAYTONA DUELS: Byron will make his fourth start in the Daytona Duel qualifying races next Thursday, Feb. 11. In last year’s qualifying race, Byron lined up in the fourth position and patiently remained in the top half of the field within striking distance of the lead. As the laps wound down, the driver of the No. 24 made a move with two laps to go to take over the top spot, holding on to capture his first win in a Cup Series car and securing a fourth-place starting position in the DAYTONA 500.

BACK AT THE BEACH: The last time Byron was at Daytona International Speedway he ended the day in victory lane. When he and the iconic No. 24 team return, they hope to pick up where they left off – this time with a win in the DAYTONA 500. In fact, Byron has finished first or second in two of his last three races at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, and he’s led 80 laps over his six total Cup starts there – his most at any track. Byron’s success at Daytona doesn’t end there. During his 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship campaign, he qualified third in the July race and led 29 laps to score the victory, becoming the youngest driver with an Xfinity Series win at Daytona at 19 years, 7 months and 1 day.

RUDY, RUDY, RUDY: The No. 24 team has a new crew chief calling the shots for the 2021 season: Ryan “Rudy” Fugle. While 2021 will be Fugle’s first year at the Cup Series level, his voice will be a familiar one to Byron over the radio. The driver-crew chief combo previously worked together in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series during Byron’s rookie year in 2016. They notched a record-breaking season with seven victories and led 21% of all laps run. The duo also scored three pole awards before narrowly missing the driver title, but they still collected the owner championship and driver rookie of the year honors. Before joining Hendrick Motorsports, Fugle spent eight seasons at Kyle Busch Motorsports, amassing 28 total truck wins as a crew chief, which tie him for second all-time in the series. The Livonia, New York, native accumulated 24 poles, 78 top-five finishes and 119 top-10s across his 168 races on top of the pit box for the organization. In those events, Fugle worked with 15 different drivers and visited victory lane with six of them – the third-most by a truck crew chief. Of those six, Byron’s seven wins are the second-most Fugle scored with one driver, behind his 10 with Kyle Busch.

AXALTA ELECTROLIGHT: On Thursday, Axalta unveiled the newest addition to the Axalta Injector at Daytona International Speedway – a newly painted No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports car that will be on display for fans to see all year long. The car on display combines Axalta’s new solventbourne basecoat, Cromax XP, with its 2021 Color of the Year, Electrolight. The refreshing green-yellow hue has been formulated with mobility-technology while utilizing the easy-to-use solventborne basecoat that delivers a high-quality finish.

BEACH BUMS: Kicking off the 2021 NASCAR season in the Sunshine State, three crew members on the No. 24 team will make their way back home. Longtime Hendrick Motorsports rear-tire changer Johnny Roberts hails from Titusville, Florida, just down the coast from Daytona Beach, where he spent much of his time surfing before making his way to North Carolina and trying out with Hendrick Motorsports in 2010. Engineer Brandon McSwain grew up approximately 100 miles from the “World Center of Racing” in Auburndale, Florida. Just a few miles down the road from where McSwain grew up, engine tuner Ben Proctor calls Lakeland, Florida, home.

48 ALEX BOWMAN
Age: 27 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 6th (2020)

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

NEW NUMBER, SAME TEAM: Alex Bowman will have a new car number and a new primary sponsor beginning in 2021. In October, Hendrick Motorsports announced the move of Bowman and crew chief Greg Ives to the storied No. 48 Chevrolet with full-season support from Ally. Bowman will continue working with his playoff-contending road crew and pit crew from the 2020 season, including veteran car chief Austin Konetski. The 2021 No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE has a fun, retro feel that was designed collaboratively between Ally, Bowman, Ives and Sean Cain of Blackbeard Designs. The seafoam, grapefruit and plum colors give the car a fun, retro feel. Check it out by clicking here.

THE CLASH: On Tuesday night, the 27-year-old Bowman will make his fourth career start in the non-points Clash at DAYTONA. In 2017, the driver finished third in his first-ever Clash race, which he qualified for after capturing the pole position at Phoenix Raceway in 2016. In 2019, he started the event fifth and led 11 laps en route to a fifth-place finish. Last season, Bowman started eighth in the Clash and finished 15th after getting caught in a wreck on Lap 74. This year, the Clash will take place on the DAYTONA Road Course, where he finished 12th in the inaugural event last season.

FRONT ROW SUCCESS: In his three DAYTONA 500 qualifying efforts with Hendrick Motorsports, Bowman has sat on the front row each season. The Tucson, Arizona, native captured the pole position for the 60th running of the prestigious race in 2018 and qualified second both in 2019 and 2020. Bowman’s average start in the DAYTONA 500 for the last three years is a remarkable 1.7.

DUELING AT DAYTONA: Bowman will make his sixth start in the Duel qualifying races on Thursday, Feb. 11. The driver of the Ally machine ran the event in 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Last season, he started from the lead in the second Duel after qualifying on the outside pole for the DAYTONA 500. He kept his Camaro ZL1 1LE clean and finished 15th after 60 laps.

IVES’ PLATE TRACK SUCCESS: Two of Ives’ five points-paying Cup wins have come at plate tracks. In 2015, the No. 48 team crew chief visited victory lane three times with driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., including at the Daytona oval and Talladega Superspeedway. Ives won a Duel at Daytona in both 2015 and 2016 with Earnhardt and has three plate-track pole awards, including two at Daytona. In addition, Ives called the shots for Regan Smith in the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series and led the driver to a win at Talladega. From 2006-2012, Ives was a race engineer on the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. During that time, he was part of one win (2006), one pole award (2008) and one runner-up finish (2009) at Daytona International Speedway with driver Jimmie Johnson.

BUILDING ON ’20: In his third full-time season with Hendrick Motorsports in 2020, Bowman had his most successful year to date. He led 440 laps in 36 events, which marked a career best. He captured his second NASCAR Cup Series win after leading 110 laps at Auto Club Speedway, and the team recorded six top-five results and 15 top-10s. In the final 12 events of 2020, Bowman captured nine top-10 finishes, which was the most of all drivers in the series. He secured his third playoff berth and advanced to the Round of 8. The driver finished a career-best sixth in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series standings.

PRESEASON WINNING: On Jan. 26, the Hendrick Motorsports pit crew athletes representing each team competed in a preseason scrimmage in preparation for Daytona. The scrimmage was valuable practice for the over-the-wall crew and the team members who play crucial roles behind pit wall during a stop. The No. 48 pit crew is comprised of tire changers Scott Brzozowski and Devin DelRicco, tire carrier Allen Stallings, jackman and tire carrier Dustin Lineback, and fueler Jacob Conley. At the conclusion of the 2021 scrimmage, the No. 48 team earned the win with the overall best performance.

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: In 2020, the former No. 88 team lost some of its valued members. On Aug. 19, aerodynamics engineer Bryce Whitson Jr. passed away after a three-year battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. When the COVID-19 pandemic paused the NASCAR season and the series participated in iRacing events, Whitson helped Bowman and Ives. On Nov. 24, just three days after getting married, tire carrier Rowdy Harrell and wife Blakley were tragically killed in a head-on collision while on their honeymoon in the Florida Keys. Harrell was a stand-out performer for Hendrick Motorsports for the last eight seasons. Before joining the organization, he won three national championships as a walk-on middle linebacker for the University of Alabama football team. Throughout 2021, the No. 48 Chevrolet will carry a special decal in remembrance of Whitson and the Harrells.

MEDIA DAY: On Monday, Feb. 8, beginning at 9 a.m. ET, car owner Rick Hendrick and the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers will be available to members of the media via video conference as part of NASCAR’s 2021 DAYTONA 500 preview. Schedule and participation details are available at NASCARmedia.com.

CHASING PETTY: Hendrick Motorsports enters the 2021 season within striking distance of one of stock car racing’s most enduring achievements: Petty Enterprises’ all-time team record for NASCAR Cup Series victories. The legendary Petty organization captured the wins record from Carl Kiekhafer Racing more than 60 years ago when Lee Petty took the checkered flag at Orange Speedway on May 29, 1960, for the team’s 53rd victory. Its 268th and final win was delivered by driver John Andretti on April 18, 1999, in the organization’s 1,703rd race (when Hendrick Motorsports’ victory total stood at 88). Since its inception in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 263 points-paying Cup Series wins and currently needs six more to break the record at NASCAR’s highest level. Owner Hendrick’s organization has won at least six races in 22 of its 37 seasons, including 2020 when the team recorded seven victories.

HIGH-WATER MARKS: Going into 2021, Hendrick Motorsports holds the NASCAR Cup Series team records for championships (13), different drivers to win a title (four), different drivers to win at least one race (19), consecutive seasons with a victory (35), runner-up finishes (240), top-five results (1,101), top-10s (1,900) and laps led (70,823). The organization is currently tied with Petty Enterprises for the most total seasons with at least one points-paying race win (36).

BE MINE: The 2021 DAYTONA 500 will take the green flag on Sunday, Feb. 14, which is the anniversary of Jeff Gordon’s 1999 victory in “The Great American Race.” The NASCAR Hall of Famer and four-time Cup Series champion led 17 laps to win from the pole position and earned his second of three career Harley J. Earl trophies. It also marked the fourth DAYTONA 500 triumph for Hendrick Motorsports.

DAYTONA HISTORY: Hendrick Motorsports has notched eight DAYTONA 500 wins, which is one shy of tying Petty Enterprises’ record of nine. The team’s victories have come with five different drivers: Gordon (1997, 1999, 2005), Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2013), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2014), Darrell Waltrip (1989) and Geoff Bodine (1986). It has won “The Great American Race” in a record-tying four different decades: the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.

SPEEDWEEKS STREAK: In each of the last eight seasons, Hendrick Motorsports has visited victory lane in at least one event during Daytona Speedweeks in February. The team won the DAYTONA 500 in 2013 and 2014, at least one Duel qualifying race from 2015-2018, the Clash at DAYTONA in 2019, and another Duel qualifier in 2020.

POLE-STERS: Hendrick Motorsports has won the DAYTONA 500 pole position a record-setting 13 times, including five of the last six and eight of the last 13. The team has won the pole for 35% of the DAYTONA 500s in which it has competed (13 of 37) and 21% of all poles in the event’s 62-race history.

DAYTONA DATA: In addition to poles, Hendrick Motorsports enters the 63rd running of the DAYTONA 500 as the event’s all-time leader in top-five finishes (28), top-10s (47) and laps led (1,295).

ADD ’EM UP: Hendrick Motorsports has 43 combined wins at the Daytona International Speedway facility. In addition to its eight DAYTONA 500 victories, the team has seven points-paying Cup Series wins in the annual summer oval event and one on the venue’s road course. It has recorded 16 victories in the DAYTONA 500 Duel qualifying races and seven in the annual Clash at DAYTONA exhibition. In addition, Hendrick Motorsports has four NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at “The World Center of Racing.”

YOUNG GUNS: With an average age of 26 years old to start the season, Hendrick Motorsports will field its youngest four-driver lineup since 2005 – and youth has proven to be a benefit in DAYTONA 500 qualifying. In fact, five of the six youngest pole winners in the history of “The Great American Race” have been Hendrick Motorsports drivers. Chase Elliott is both the youngest (2016) and third-youngest (2017) DAYTONA 500 pole sitter. Teammates William Byron (2019) and Alex Bowman (2018) rank second and fifth, respectively. The pole won by Johnson in his 2002 rookie season puts the recently retired seven-time NASCAR champion as the sixth-youngest. Hendrick Motorsports also fielded the oldest DAYTONA 500 pole winner: Mark Martin, who won it in 2010 at 51 years old.

YOUNG GUNS II: Although Hendrick Motorsports will field the youngest multi-car team in the Cup Series this season, you wouldn’t know it by looking at the statistics. At NASCAR’s top level, the organization’s four drivers – Bowman, Byron, Elliott and newcomer Kyle Larson – have won 20 combined points races, secured 14 playoff berths, earned three Cup Series rookie of the year awards and won two NASCAR All-Star Races. Elliott is the defending Cup Series champion and has been voted the series’ most popular driver three consecutive times.

CAR SHOW: With the return of the No. 5 Chevrolet and the No. 9 team coming off a championship season, Hendrick Motorsports will field all four of its title-winning car numbers in 2021. Of the organization’s record 13 NASCAR Cup Series championships, seven have come with the No. 48, four with the No. 24 and one each with the Nos. 5 and 9.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on returning to the DAYTONA 500: “I’m excited for Daytona for a lot of reasons. It’s great to be back in a Cup car with such an amazing organization that just won a championship. I’m looking forward to getting back in the garage with a lot of friends, competitors, and just getting into battles on the racetrack.”

Larson on being back in a Cup race car for the first time since last March: “I don’t know what to think about that. I’m nervous. I’m excited. Normally when you go to a new race team you can get some sort of testing to see how the cockpit feels or if you need to work on this or work on that. So far, I sat in the car and drove it around the parking lot at Hendrick Motorsports and we made a couple of adjustments.”

Larson on working with Cliff Daniels: “I’m definitely excited to have Cliff as my crew chief. He has a totally different style compared to other crew chiefs I’ve had before. He’s driven and he’s a perfectionist.”

Larson on getting acclimated to Hendrick Motorsports: “Hendrick Motorsports seems twice as large as what I’m used to. Meeting everyone is a bit difficult right now – especially when you can only see half of their face! But it’s cool to experience the winning culture and see all the resources. There are a lot of talented people that I’m excited to work with.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his team’s goals for the year: “Our goal is to win races and contend for the championship. How do you do that? You do that by stacking the fundamental building blocks. That’s communication, the way we work through problems and issues, the balance of the car, find speed in the car, make Kyle comfortable. All those things are the foundation. We want to set a path to get that established early.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his outlook for the 2021 season: “Coming off our championship last year, the good thing for myself and the No. 9 team is that we still have improvements to make. I don’t think we were at our best in every single area throughout the entire season that we could be. I think that’s really cool to know – that we had such a successful year and we still have areas we can improve on. We’re looking forward to doing more of that in 2021.”

Elliott on what the DAYTONA 500 means to him: “Since I was a kid, the DAYTONA 500 has always been a larger-than-life event. From the history of the race to the hype around the event, it all sets the 500 apart from every other race. It’s just such a big deal for all the drivers and teams. When I was growing up, I felt like the race was something that everyone knew about, watched and supported. As a kid, that has a big impact on you and makes you appreciate it more as you grow up.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his outlook for 2021: “The No. 9 team will have the same group, and we’re excited to move on into the new season. We like to be around each other, we like to compete together, and I think stability is a big deal. Having stability and being able to continuously make progress is important. A lot of times, with someone new you have to take a step back and kind of re-train. That’s not always a terrible thing, but we like the group we have, and fortunately for us we like to be around one another, and we are going to keep pushing forward as a team.”

Gustafson on the Clash at DAYTONA and having Elliott behind the wheel during road course races: “There’s a lot of times that the fastest setup is really one of the most difficult to drive, and you have to have somebody who can manage it and handle the car. Road racing is a series of compromises – you’re turning left, you’re turning right, slow speed, fast speed, brake zones, different styles of brake zones. At some point in time the car is not going to be ideal, so you can look at the areas of the track that are ultimately going to give you the most performance, and then there are other areas where you are not going to be able to optimize the car and the driver is going to have to deal with it. Chase certainly does that with flying colors. He enables us to put the fastest, most aggressive car on the track, and he manages it really well. It’s definitely a luxury, and everybody who has been fortunate enough to work with a guy of that caliber knows that’s a key component.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on being eager for the start of the 2021 season: “I’m excited to get back to Daytona and get the season started. I’ve put in a lot of work in during the offseason preparing for this year, and I know Rudy (Fugle) and the team guys have done the same. We want to be as prepared as we possibly can be to get the season started off on the right foot. Good finishes in the first few races of the year can really change the strategy and dynamic compared to a few bad ones that put you in a hole. As a team, we’re all on the same page and all have the same goals, and that is to improve off last year, get as many wins as we can and hopefully be in contention for a championship at the end of it. I think we’re fully capable of that.”

Byron on working with Fugle again: “It’ll be great to work with Rudy again. We had a lot of success together in the truck series. Since then, I have gained a lot of on-track and off-track knowledge. Rudy’s worked hard to get adjusted this offseason, and I think all of our efforts will benefit us. We’ve always had a good working relationship and level of communication with each other. I feel like we have basically picked up where we left off and that familiarity will hopefully translate to our on-track performance.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the offseason prep with his new team: “While I’m new to Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 24 team, it really has been a pretty smooth transition getting ready for the season. I’ve done what I can to learn the processes and get up to speed, and now we’re working on improving as one unit. William has definitely put in extra time this offseason as well to take us to that next level. Every week is going to be a building block to put us in the position we want to be in. I fully believe that this team is capable of winning races early on and that’s going to be our goal.”

Fugle on the opportunities Daytona offers: “I think Daytona provides a good opportunity to get the season started off on the right foot. We have so much track time between the Clash, the Duels and practice sessions, that you really should have your car and strategy dialed in when you get to the start of the DAYTONA 500. If you get through that opening week of racing with good results, that only strengthens your team and gives you an extra boost of confidence heading into the few weeks.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on starting his first race with full-season primary sponsor Ally: “Hendrick Motorsports has seen a ton of success at superspeedways in the past, and that is a great feeling going into the first race of the year with Ally. Daytona is a place where anything can happen at any moment and you must try to stay out of trouble. This No. 48 team worked hard over the offseason to build off the momentum that we ended with last season. Every year, we bring a fast Chevrolet to Daytona, and I’m excited to finally be able to get on the track with Ally on board. It feels like it has been forever since we announced the move to the (No.) 48 with Ally’s support, so we are pumped to finally be able to go.”

Bowman on the various components of Daytona Speedweeks: “Daytona Speedweeks has so many different elements with the Clash, qualifying, Duels, and the DAYTONA 500. It’s going to be exciting and interesting to run the Clash under the lights on the DAYTONA Road Course. Last year, we battled some issues (on the road course) here and there, but we fought hard and finished inside the top 15. Our summer run on the oval ended with a top 10, and that provides some good momentum going into the Duels and the 500. We’ve qualified well at Daytona in the past, and that will determine the strategy for the Duel event.”

Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on carrying momentum into the 2021 season: “The excitement of heading to Daytona has always been prevalent throughout each offseason. The design of the new paint schemes, uniforms, equipment redone, and improvements to the team as a whole bring anxiousness to get to the track. Add in the fact that we will be working with Ally and bearing the (No.) 48 has us wanting to continue the prestigious history. Our 2020 playoff run is the level where our team needs to continue to perform, and, with the consistency in the team we have, there’s no doubt we can pick up where we left off.”