NASCAR Cup Series
Talladega Superspeedway
Round of Eight: Race Two
Team Chevy Post-Qualifying Report
October 18, 2025

McDowell Tops Final Round of Qualifying to Claim Pole Position at Talladega Superspeedway

• At the conclusion of the final round of qualifying, it was Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell that topped the speed chart to claim the pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. McDowell set the pole-winning pace with a lap time of 52.481 seconds, at 182.466 mph, around the 2.66-mile Alabama venue to claim his second pole of the 2025 season.
• McDowell, who now leads the series’ active drivers with three career pole wins at Talladega Superspeedway, delivered Chevrolet its 12th NASCAR Cup Series pole of the season – earned by seven drivers representing four different Chevrolet organizations.

Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 Starting Lineup

Pos. Driver
1st – Michael McDowell
3rd – Kyle Busch

Chevrolet’s statistics heading into the 34th NASCAR Cup Series race of the season:

Wins: 14
Poles: 12
Top-Fives: 61
Top 10s: 135
Stage Wins: 25

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet – Pole Winner Quotes

McDowell on his pole-winning lap:

“For qualifying at Talladega (Superspeedway), there’s not a whole lot the driver does but try not to make any mistakes. But more than anything, I talked about it before I went out there, Daytona got rained out for qualifying and we were looking forward to seeing where our car was at and if we’ve made any gains from the first-two superspeedway races. We didn’t really know where we’re at today, just because we didn’t have that baseline at Daytona. But yeah, really proud of the effort from everybody at Spyro Motorsports. We’ve worked really hard to find some speed, and everybody at the Hendrick Engine Shop, as well, just trying to catch-up on these superspeedway’s. Having a fast car is important. Being able to lead lanes and control lanes, you have to have speed to do that, so the pole is awesome. But more importantly, just knowing you got a fast car going into the race tomorrow.”

What was the difference between your two laps? You had a pretty dramatic improvement from the first to the second…

“Yeah, without giving away too much, our first lap was good. We felt like we probably had a little bit more room to get a bit more speed out of it with some adjustments, and we were able to do that. A lot of times, you sort of nail it that first time and you’re afraid to do too much more because you can make it worse. We felt like we had a little bit more room to go, which is a chance because without practice, you just don’t know what’s too much. But we knew that we were close. Like anytime you’re in that top-five or six, you’re close. So for us, we are about a tenth off of the best car and we felt like if we left it the same, we’re weren’t going to have a shot, so we might as well go a little bit and see if we can gain some more.”

Do you have a car that can do everything you need to do to keep the lead? I

“I hope so. I’ll tell you tomorrow. We’ve talked about that a little bit before. For me, I’ve sat on a lot of these poles now, and I don’t feel like it’s taken away from my car’s ability to race. I haven’t felt like I’ve been at that compromise cross-point yet, so I hope so. You don’t know until you know. Even though I haven’t had the results here the last couple years, I’ve been really close to getting to the checkered flag. I’ve led coming to the white flag a few times. And so yeah, I think that it hasn’t hurt my ability to move and make moves and take a push and be pushed. But you know, that’s the first time I’ve been in the No. 71, in a Chevy and in this spot, so I’ll learn a lot more tomorrow. But I felt like our speed at Daytona was good and our cars took pushes, pushed well and raced well, so I’m not nervous going into it at all now.”

There are not many Chevrolet’s up toward the front. You have Kyle Busch behind you. I’m guessing he’ll start right behind you, so how much have you worked with Kyle in this type of racing? How do you maybe make that work to keep you guys controlling the lane, at least?

“Yeah, for sure. Both of us have been doing it a long time, so I’ve worked with Kyle a lot. On superspeedway’s, more than anything, you just build trust of knowing how aggressive to be; when to be aggressive, when to take those big pushes and when not to. You sort of build that rhythm on-track with the handling that you have that day. There is some chemistry between drivers, for sure. But I’ve worked with Kyle before and he’s got a really fast car, as well. I sort of thought that he was going to be the one that could beat us there as he went out, just because he’s a bit quicker. I felt like we hit it well where the wind was changing quite a bit in the qualifying session and the sun was coming a little bit in and out. It’s not a huge deal here, but the wind is a big deal. I felt like he was probably the closest condition-to-condition. We were just able to pick up a little bit more that last run.

Obviously, we’ll have two fast Chevy’s up there, but it won’t be long. Everything cycles around. As you guys know, there’s an element of fuel mileage and getting into your window and getting into the right lap window that you want to be in. So eventually, we’re going to be all bunched together three and four wide, and you’ll be close to your neighbors and your friends.

So yeah, I think that more than anything, it’s just trying to keep the control early on and get through that first cycle and have the control going into the end of the first stage.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
YellaWood 500 Media Bullpen – Talladega Superspeedway
Saturday, October 18, 2025

A group of Ford Mustang drivers took question from the media as part of the scheduled bullpen session ahead of this weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway.

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT PREPARATION DURING THE WEEK HELPS YOU SUCCEED AT THIS TRACK? “I think it starts with fast cars. Ford has done a good job of understanding what it takes to go fast here, and Roush Yates Engines always does a good job of bringing some good horsepower to these places and that’s where it started. And then it continues over to communication and teamwork within our building, and kind of how the drivers talk to each other, how the crew chiefs communicate, and things like that. So all the little pieces come together and I just feel like we do a great job. I can’t speak for anyone else but I just know in our building that the prep work is top notch and those fast cars always help us too.”

HOW OFTEN DO YOU DISCUSS WITH YOUR TEAMMATES HOW TO BEST SUPPORT EACH OTHER WHEN DRIVING ON A DRAFTING TRACK? “We talked about it a little bit. I feel like it’s just a lot of racing around each other, right? You kind of understand what tendencies that everybody has, but you know your teammates a little bit more because you do sit down at meetings and just kind of go through it. Like asking each other what our thinking was behind certain decisions just to understand their thought process more. I think we just have to communicate that out and make everyone better. I know how Joey and Austin run these places really well and I’m getting to know Josh more and more at these places, just that he’s newer to the program. But you learn that stuff pretty quick. And I feel that if all that information is shared between your teammates and stuff, it just helps you be on the same page a little bit easier. And that kind of makes the teamwork side flow a little bit more naturally.”

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO MINIMIZE MISTAKES ON DRAFTING TRACKS? “I probably still make some, for sure, everyone does at some point. I think it just takes time to figure it out. And I talked earlier this week about trying to be as patient as I can at these places. I always try to let my mind know that I have another shot at this. And maybe I don’t get it, but that’s the way I’ve always approached these races. I try not to get too antsy and just try to be a little bit more patient. Most of the time, something will develop where you do have another shot at it, but it takes a long time. I got to learn from a couple of really good guys too, you know, Brad and Joey coming up around those guys and being their teammate, I think they’re two of the best who have done these deals. And I was able to watch a lot of guys early in my career like Denny and Dale Jr., who were fantastic at these types of racetracks, and that’s where I kind of learned from them and applied my own taste to it.”

HOW DO YOU PUT BEHIND WHAT HAPPENED AT LAS VEGAS LAST WEEKEND AND FOCUS ON REBOUNDING? “I try to tell myself that you can be upset about something, and I allow myself to be upset about it until I wake up on Monday morning, but after that, you do whatever you have to do. When the new week comes and you open your eyes you just gotta be fully focused on the next week, and I think all of the guys on our team do a good job of that. That just comes with time and experience and getting older, and if it’s something like the Vegas thing, I just gotta smooth past it. Otherwise, it just takes your mentality off what’s next. I’m just thinking about what I have to do now and go figure out what I have to do to get myself out of this hole or position.”

DO YOU LIKE RACING AT TALLADEGA? “Yeah. This place has been good to me and it has been bad to me. That’s what these drafting style tracks are gonna do to you. But I’ve always come with the mindset of enjoying Daytona, Talladega or Atlanta nowadays and I’m gonna enjoy this type of racing. I’ve never understood the guys who go to a place and they hate it. You’re kind of behind the eight ball when your mentality is not in a good spot before the weekend. I just always think of each time as a different race, speedway racing is different from everywhere else but I’m just gonna go enjoy it and try our best. Whatever happens happens, and that’s the way I go about being everywhere. And people can get pretty down and not look forward to racing here and I just have never really understood that before you even unload.”

WHAT MAKES TALLADEGA SO SPECIAL? “I came here a lot as a kid. I remember seeing these guys four wide, ten rows deep, and watching my Dad do it always fascinated me. I mean, the on track stuff and the good days and the bad days, they are what they are. I think the community around here is pretty neat. I haven’t had a night out on the Boulevard in a while, but I think that’s just cool that everybody comes together and camps and has a good time. There’s always good concerts. And Dad always had good runs here too, got a top five a couple of times in 2011 and 2012 and I was a young adult by then. But it’s always just been a unique place for me and the history behind this place and how they built it in such a short amount of time, it just has a lot of cool history to it.

DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE TO CUT INTO THE POINTS DEFICIT? “I don’t think going into this weekend that I’m in must win right now. Some things can happen during this race and I can have a big day short of winning, and it can flip. You know, I went to Vegas six above and now I’m 31 back and I can make a lot of that up. It just depends on how the race goes. The mission is always to gather stage points and put yourself in a spot to have a good run at the end of the day. Martinsville then will kind of decide, and it could be decided by the end of the first stage whether this is a must win scenario or not, so you just got to see how the race plays out.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT PHOENIX REMAINING IN CHAMPIONSHIP HOST ROTATION? “I think they should stay in rotation. I think you can rotate it between Phoenix, Miami, also Kansas would make a good race, Vegas would be a good spot too. So there’s a handful of tracks that you can rotate in.”

JOSH BERRY, No. 21 eero Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW DO YOU TAKE IN ACCOUNT THE DIFFERENCES IN STAKES FOR PLAYOFF DRIVERS? “We all want to do what we can and we’ve done a good job working together on superspeedways anyways. This is not really something that’s new, it’s just higher stakes for those guys.”

ARE THERE CONVERSATIONS THIS WEEK ABOUT THE EMPHASIS BEING ON RYAN AND JOEY? “I think we know the situation. We just want to help those guys the best we can, and hopefully if one of us is up front then one of us can get it.”

WHAT HAS IT MEANT TO RUN IN THIS CAR AND TO BE A PART OF THIS ORGANIZATION WITH WHAT YOU’VE ACCOMPLISHED THIS YEAR? “Yeah, it’s been a lot of fun, going to victory lane and being in contention for several races, it’s been a lot of fun working with Wood Brothers. I feel like it has been a great fit for all of us and I think more about the missed opportunities than anything. When I look back at it, we had things out of our control and we’ve made mistakes, and it just feels like there is so much potential with our group and I’m excited to build off that.”

WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU DO DURING THE WEEK TO PREPARE AND ON TRACK THAT SEPARATES YOUR TEAM FROM OTHERS? “I think we just try to talk a lot about it beforehand and just try to stay committed to working with each other. I think it’s important to have friends in this style of racing, and obviously our cars are really fast. I’m sure we’ll be up front this weekend and we have to use that to our advantage and maximize that.”

HOW IN DEPTH DO YOU TALK ABOUT HOW THE OTHER FORD DRIVERS DRIVE EACH DIFFERENT TRACK? “I’m still adapting to all of that, with this being our sixth race together with them on a drafting track, and I’m just trying to listen to what they say and apply that to my own studying and process and learn from those guys as much as I can.”

RYAN PREECE, No. 60 Trimble Ford Mustang Dark Horse –HOW MUCH DO YOU LEARN BEING A PART OF THIS ORGANIZATION IN RACES LIKE THESE RUNNING AT THE FRONT? “It’s just a different mindset, and that’s the challenging thing that I don’t think people in the media understand, that we’re told to do certain things at times. And some of those things are telling us whether or not to race for stage points or if our priority is to be there at the end. Because, for most of the season, if you win at that race, you’re locked into the playoffs and that can change your entire season. So that’s just the mindset and where it is now, do your rack up stage points or try to go for the win.”

IS THAT THE SAME INTENSITY THIS WEEKEND WHILE OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS? “Yeah. I’m going to try to win, absolutely. I wouldn’t wait around in the back and play it safe. I’m a big believer in not changing things if they’re working for us, because unless someone has a big block or a wreck in the first two stages there shouldn’t be a wreck. A lot of that typically happens when things ramp up and get more aggressive, so I’m just gonna race it.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Kroger/Thomas’ High Protein Bagels Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT IS YOUR MENTALITY GOING INTO THE RACE HERE AT TALLADEGA? “Lots of options during the race and it’s all guesswork. Ultimately, we know we’re coming into this thing and you’ve gotta be there at the end and survive all the chaos. And fortunately at Talladega, you have more lanes, so that you can stay clear and make more passes at times to kind of work around the fuel saving side of things. It’s this big speedway racing that can be a little frustrating at times, but we’re all playing the same game and it’ll be chaos as usual.”

DO YOU THINK THE POSSIBILITY OF RAIN TOMORROW MORNING WILL PLAY INTO THE TRACK TEMPERATURE? “I don’t think so. Even if it does rain, the track temps are pretty mild when you look at it, so I don’t feel like handling is going to be much of an issue at all no matter what. So with the rain and the temperatures going down a bit more, I couldn’t see it being a big factor tomorrow.”

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF GOING TO TALLADEGA? “It’s always fun to come in and see the infield packed out. You always got concerts on Saturday night for everyone to go see there, so I think it’s just a fun place to come to. And we don’t get on the track very much except for only one lap in the first two days so we get some time to explore the area. It’s just been a place where we’ve enjoyed throughout the years to travel to. I got some really good friends I met back in the ARCA days I usually get to touch base with as well and hang out with.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
OCTOBER 18, 2025

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Talladega Superspeedway.

Media Availability Quotes:

We’re 33 races into the year. You’ve got three left. You only had one break since Easter. Is the grind starting to get to you at this time of the year, or does the fact that the playoffs are still going and you’re still very much in it make a difference in terms of avoiding any type burn out?

“Yeah, I mean, I think still being in the playoffs and competing for a championship distracts you from the grind in a way or that it has been as long as it has been since we’ve had a break. I think the guys who didn’t make the playoffs or who got knocked out in a round — yeah, they’re probably just counting down the days until the season is over. But for us, we’re still in it, so I haven’t really felt like I want the year to be over.

But yeah, it’s definitely a long year… it always is. I mean, even if they threw in one more off weekend, it’s still a lot. But yeah, I mean it kind of is what it is. It’s probably tougher on the crew and the mechanics than it is for us drivers because they live it every single day of the week and work long hours, especially this time of year. But for the driver, sure, I would love another break or more, but it’s probably tougher on the mechanics.”

I feel like this is a talking point a lot of superspeedways, but you look at your success this year and you’ve scored the most points in the series. Why do you feel like you’ve had that success this year?

“I’ve finally gotten lucky (laughs)… I don’t know. I mean honestly, like that’s me being a little funny, but our average running position probably during the race is no different, I would assume. We’re just not getting caught up in the crashes at the end of them, for whatever reason, so I hope that’s the case again tomorrow.

In the past, it’s easy look on paper and be like Kyle Larson is the worst ever on superspeedways. But if you really watch the race, we’ve been a top contender in the Next Gen era, especially. So yeah, hopefully we can just stay lucky.

This is also your 400th Cup start this weekend. What would it mean to join the elite list that have won in their 400th career start?

“Yeah, I think I read that earlier this week. It’d be pretty neat. I would have liked it go to like Bristol or something for my 400 start (laughs), but It would be extra special to get my first win on a superspeedway in my 400 career start. That would be pretty awesome. We’ll give it our best effort tomorrow and hopefully join that list of Hall of Famers. That would be incredible.”

Can you give a sense of the effort and work that you’ve put into being good at these places that maybe you haven’t had there, even though you haven’t had the results? What do we not understand about what you do to almost be in these positions and potentially be in this position come tomorrow to win the race?

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know. I wouldn’t say it’s like any bit of different prep than a normal weekend. We have our pre-weekend meeting, as always, and kind of look at different scenarios. I do think something that the good guys do good here, and I would consider myself one of them, is the part that you guys don’t really see — leading into the green flag cycle of fuel saving, getting established with good track position while also saving fuel, and then executing. It takes more than just a driver, but your team executing that green flag cycle really well; getting to the yellow line as quick as you can and getting organized as we do with Team Chevy pretty well. And then getting to your pit sign good and your fueler engaging good. Cliff (Daniels) on the stopwatch, nailing all that. Just executing that whole cycle is important.

I think that’s something that we on the No. 5 team, as well as the other key partners in Chevy, do well. And that’s why I think we are in contention typically at the ends of the stages and at the end of the race. You know, sometimes it works out where you finish and sometimes it doesn’t, but I think that’s something that we’ve worked really hard on as a group the past three or four years. I think we’re one of the best, if not the best, at doing that.”

What kind of an accomplishment will it be for you to win one of these after all the misfortune and tough luck and being up there at times? Of all the things you’ve done, how big is this hill for you to climb?

“Yeah, I don’t know. I think for a long time, like at least early to the mid-portions my career, I always had a thought in my head like anybody can win on a superspeedway, so it’s not going to feel that special when I finally do win. But now, it’s gone so long and I haven’t even had many top-10s or top-fives that hopefully if I ever do win, I don’t know what the feelings going to be like, but I would assume that it’s going to feel really big. And I will take it anywhere… I would take it here (at Talladega). I’ll take it at the DAYTONA 500 or Atlanta… like I don’t even care at this point, I just would love to get a win.”

What makes this track so special, even beyond the racing?

“I mean, I don’t find myself on the boulevard much anymore, but I would say just the atmosphere here as the sun goes down his is really, really awesome. I remember back when we had like the three-day weekends — I’m sure they still do it, but I don’t know if many drivers participate in it as much anymore, but like they had a parade. I don’t know if they still do it on the boulevard, that was always fun being a part of that and throwing beads at fans and then seeing what kind of crazy event they have at the end of the airstrip there. And then yeah, all you had to do is run one lap the next day, so you go out pretty big Friday night, so that was always fun to look forward to that. And then Sunday, the crowd is always really big and really into it. You feel it during pre-race. You feel it in the midway and all that.

I don’t love the racing here, but I do enjoy coming here because the atmosphere is always great.”

What should we watch tomorrow in terms of how people will approach stage points? If you’re in the playoffs, yeah, those would be really valuable, but you could also get up there and get yourself into a mess that could ruin your day? But then if you let everybody else get stage points, then you’re kind of screwed, too, so how do you think people will play it or do you have any sense of how you might approach that?

“Well, I don’t know. We haven’t talked about those sorts of scenarios. I would assume we’re just going normal and trying to execute the green flags cycles, like I mentioned, and get stage points. I think maybe Denny Hamlin would be the only one that wouldn’t be doing that, but I think the seven of us are probably all going to try and get stage points because, as you mentioned, I’m plus 35, but you know if somebody below the cutline or even just anybody behind me goes and wins both stages, that’s 20 points to my zero and that’s a lot. But yeah, I mean there’s a risk that comes with it. I don’t know… hopefully you’ve executed well enough that you are in the front of that group. If not, then yeah, I mean maybe you just got away that risk, but it’s hard to kind of pick your way to the front if you’re outside the top-10 anyways So yeah, we’ll see. Hopefully we just execute good and we can maximize our day like we have been on the speedways.”

There’s a lot of talk about Ryan Blaney and then Penske at Martinsville in the fall. But looking at your stats, you guys are in the ballpark. Where do you feel like you’re at going into Martinsville?

“Yeah, I feel like we’re in the ballpark, for sure. I think our team has done a good job to execute the strategies, whether it be whenever you take two tires and stuff like that and I have good restarts and things. Points earned wise, it’s probably one of our better tracks, but it’s not somewhere that I go and I feel like I’m going to have a shot to win here. I still don’t feel the best there. It takes me a while to get into a rhythm. And even when I get into the rhythm, there’s still three or four or five guys that I feel like are better than me there.

Yeah, I mean, Ryan (Blaney), at least in the fall race, has been by far the best the last few years. But yeah, you can’t ever expect to do good anywhere. With our previous results, I think we could go there and score good points if nothing crazy happens.”

You have a 35-point advantage heading into tomorrow’s race. Do you feel that playing it safe might be the way to go this year, given your past experience here?

“No, I don’t I don’t think so. I don’t think ever playing it safe is ever the right call in the Cup Series. At least for me here, you’ve got to assume a guy below the cutline or even below you is going to win, so then it’s going to bring you closer to the cutline.

So no, I think you need to go and try to score as many points as you can. And obviously get a win would lock you in. So yeah, I would say we’re not approaching this race any differently than we would in the spring race here. We’re trying to score as many points we can and get a win, if possible.”

Joey Logano was in here earlier and he said it’s sometimes a difficult decision when you’re up front there racing and you make a decision that could either give you a shot at the win or could cost you big time. Given the points circumstances, are you going to go all out for the win or are you going to just say this looks a little risky…

“I mean, I don’t have a crystal ball, so I don’t know where I’m going to be running at the end of the stages or at the end of the race. But yeah, I mean you’re just kind of making decisions in the moment. The difficult part about speedway racing is that you never know what the right decision or wrong decision is until after you make it. You just don’t know.”

Besides the Chevy Allegiance to your fellow Team Chevy drivers, what qualities do you look for in a driver out there to run with and who are some of your favorites you do run with in the in the draft besides Team Chevy?

“The Fords are particularly really good at these types of tracks. They’re really fast. They’re really stable. They’re really good at pushing. They’re really good at receiving pushes. So I would say all of us in the field probably look for a Ford, just because they’re by far the fastest. But also, you know when it comes down to the details of pit road and executing the green flag stops, you look for your Chevy Alliance teams. Like I said, I feel like we’ve worked really well together and even making certain moves on the track. But if you’re trying to get sheer speed and stuff, you want a Ford behind you.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

Toyota GAZOO Racing – Christopher Bell
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

TALLADEGA, Ala. (October 18, 2025) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was made available to the media on Saturday prior to qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Does the grind get to you at this point of the season with three races remaining?

“I mean, that’s a really good question, obviously. And the answer would be, yes, absolutely. If it wasn’t for the Playoffs and being in the thick of racing for championship. Unfortunately, I’ve been in this position for a number of years in a row now, but yeah, I couldn’t imagine being knocked out of the Playoffs and not being able to race to the championship and being so close to the end. For me personally, this has been a really, really long stretch of races, and I’m sure that most of the industry would say that. Our off week came really early in the year, so, this has been a grueling part. But with what we’re racing for, and this stage of the championship hunt you’re as focused and tuned in as ever. Maybe that’ll make the burnout a little bit tougher after the end of the year, but certainly right now, we’re all in all in.”

Do you think if NASCAR changed the format that it would help to avoid burnout and keep drivers racing longer?

“Well, I think that’s a very slippery slope. And that would concern me. What we don’t want is — we don’t want to go to Daytona and crown a champion with 36 race cars eligible for it. I think that there’s a really fine line between – I just think that’s a slippery slope, and I don’t know how else to say it. I would be concerned about changes that compress the field even more than what we have. Yeah, I don’t know. That’s tough. It makes me nervous hearing that, though.”

Has it been a nerve-racking week and was it a difficult thing for you to handle?

“Honestly, I felt probably better this week than I did last year going into Homestead. Just because I kind of view Talladega as there’s certainly a lot less in my control than going to a normal race track. You know, qualifying, will be pretty much no stress when you go out there and hold it wide open and see what my car’s got. Last year with Homestead being in there, it’s a very driver demanding race track. The driver really has to dot your i’s and cross your t’s to make sure that you maximize your day. Here in Talladega, it’s a lot more circumstances, so while it is a little bit scarier because it’s out of your control, I’ve taken the approach of it’s going to be what it’s going to be, and then we’ll restack the deck in Martinsville.”

Do you think the strategy will be similar to what we saw in the spring race here?

“The strategy is really dictated by the yellow flags, and I don’t exactly remember what happened in the spring race. I got wrecked out early in stage one. I don’t remember how stage one unfolded. But certainly, if the yellow flags fall at the right time, then there is no fuel saving, and we can just go out there and race. I think that happened at Daytona, too, maybe, where there just the way the yellows fell, we didn’t have to worry about fuel mileage. And I think that’s what all of us want, is we want to be able to go out there and race and not have to worry about saving fuel. So, right now, the way that the stages are broke up, there’s going to be a large element of fuel saving until the yellow flags break it up and make us all come to pit road. So right now, I think the strategy’s going to be similar to what we’ve had in previous Talladega races and then the yellow flags change from there.”

How many points above the cutline would you feel comfortable leaving Talladega with?

“Well, that’s another good question too, and I think a lot of people get kind a false narrative by looking at the number alongside the plus or minus, but it really has to do with how many winners you have. So, right now, I think I’m what — I’m plus 20 to the cutline, but any time you get a winner, then that cutline gets bumped up. So, the likelihood of not having another Playoff winner is low, I would say. So that means if there is another Playoff winner, right now, as we sit today, I would be plus five on my teammate (Chase) Briscoe. And then if there’s two Playoff winners, then I’m minus 15 on (Kyle) Larson. So, I think that this is going to be a huge turning point in the Round of 8. It always is, but if we have a Playoff winner, it changes the game dramatically. If we don’t have a Playoff winner, it certainly makes us feel a lot better about it. But either way, you look at it, we’re going to be in a super tight battle, because I don’t think we’re going to get out of here with two non-Playoff winners between here and Martinsville. So, it’s going to be — the points are going to be really tight, and we all know that. So, the only way that I would feel comfortable is if I was the lead points car going into Martinsville, and even with that being the case, that’s where I was last year and I didn’t transfer. So, it’s going to be a battle all the way to the checkered flag. It always is.”

Where do you keep your Martinsville clock?

“It is actually the one trophy that I keep in the living room.”

Why is that?

“All my other trophies are either at my race shop or in my office. So, yeah, I have plenty of room in the living room for another Martinsville clock.”

Is that because it’s different than everything else?

“It is, yes. It’s a bit more home décor than the other trophies.”

Was that your decision or your wife’s decision?

“I don’t know. I think it was just kind of — I don’t even remember how it went. I think it’s kind of expected that we don’t have trophies in the living area, but then the Martinsville clock is a little bit different. It’s a Grandfather Clock. But yeah, we have a pretty good place for it and there’s another perfect place for the second one, too.”

How are you a better driver from this time a year ago?

“Heck, I don’t know. I mean, I think I’m definitely a little bit more seasoned, and I think I definitely understand the way that the Round of 8 goes. Last year, I’ve talked about being the top points car, had a big, bonus going into Martinsville, and we still didn’t transfer. So, I think it’s changed my approach going into the Round of 8, and certainly made, I don’t know if it’s made me drive any different, but my mentality’s been a little bit different going into last week and then the next two races. But I don’t know. I think, at least in my age, I should continue to improve and get better up to a certain point, and hopefully I haven’t reached my ceiling.”

How do you and Adam Stevens still work well together and how does he help you?

“I think it kind of goes hand in hand with experience, and — you always ask the hard-hitting questions. The deep questions that aren’t very easy to answer. No, but you just always get my brain spending here. So, how do Adam (Stevens, crew chief) and I work better together, right? That’s the question. I’ve been really proud of him, certainly since the start of the Playoffs. Obviously, I had a big blow-up there at Gateway and I think he and the team and myself, we all rebounded really well. And the performance has uptick since that moment at Gateway, and we’ve been on quite the role. And I’m just proud of how they responded, proud of myself for being able to put it behind me and correct my attitude or whatever it may be, and we’ve been doing good.

Do you regret saying that or was that needed to be said at that point?

“Do I regret saying it? I think I went about it the wrong way, yes. I think there was definitely better ways to go about that. But I think better came out of it and we’ve been performing better since then.”

What makes Talladega so special beyond the racing?

“I would go with the history. It’s just a very historic race track, and it kind of speaks for itself. Yeah, it’s a historic place that is hard to win at. A lot of things have to go right to win at, and I think that’s what it’s known for.”

What keeps you looking so young? What do you do?

“I don’t know if this is an easy question or not. I guess the answer is easy. I don’t do anything. I don’t know. My parents tell me I’ll enjoy it later, so hopefully that’s the case. I don’t have any magic. I just have a baby face.”

Is the 11 a wild card heading into tomorrow’s race knowing he’s locked in and what is Denny Hamlin’s role going to be in tomorrow’s race?

“Yeah, man, it’s tough because, obviously Denny (Hamlin) being locked in, the outcome of the race for him doesn’t matter. So, certainly we would love to have him be on our side and pushing the 19 (Chase Briscoe) and 20 to try and get locked in. But, from his sake, he really has everything to lose tomorrow, especially at Talladega. Speeds are up, it can be a dangerous race track. So, he’s got everything to lose and nothing to gain. And so, I don’t know how he will race the event, but certainly him pushing us would be greatly appreciated and we’ll have to see how the strategy works out.”

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