Ford Performance Notes and Quotes

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Stewart-Haas Racing announced this afternoon that Riley Herbst will drive the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang in 2021. Herbst, who started all 33 series events last season, will replace Chase Briscoe, who has been promoted to the NASCAR Cup Series. Here is a transcript of today’s Ford Zoom call with Herbst and members of the media.

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN MAKING THE MOVE TO FORD AND STEWART-HAAS RACING? “I’m just excited. I’m happy to be here and ready to get down to Daytona.”

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT HAVING RICHARD BOSWELL AS YOUR CREW CHIEF? “That was a big proponent of me coming over here to the 98 camp. I’m really looking forward to working with Richard and everybody on his team that he has assembled. I’ve spent a little bit amount of time with him so far and he’s a really down to earth guy and he’s a racer and wants to win races, but he also puts in a lot of work behind his effort so I’m looking forward to it.”

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU IN A CREW CHIEF AT THIS STAGE OF YOUR CAREER? “Somebody that will learn with me and grow with me and have some patience. I have a learning curve to be on, I’ll be the first to admit that, but I want somebody to walk me through that and help me get to where I want to be and obviously that’s in the Cup Series and win races in the Cup Series and be competitive week in and week out and Richard is the man and he’s gonna be the man to help me do that and I’m excited.”

DOES THIS FEEL LIKE STARTING OVER IN A WAY FOR YOU? “A little bit. I feel like I’m kind of 17 again and moved out to the east coast because I’ve been over in the JGR family for four years now, so it was a big transition but it’s one I think I needed and I’m looking forward to it. All these new faces kind of give me a blank sheet to start up again and see where this can take me.”

WHAT WOULD A SUCCESSFUL 2021 SEASON LOOK LIKE FOR YOU CONSIDERING WHAT CHASE BRISCOE DID IN THIS CAR A YEAR AGO? “I have to win races. I have to be competitive. This car was the best car week in and week out last year. That has a lot to do with Chase Briscoe. As you can see he’s in the Cup Series now. He’s a heck of a wheel man himself, but I know Richard Boswell and all the guys on the 98 team are really smart and know what they’re doing and they’re gonna bring me just as fast race cars as they did last year with Chase, so it’s on me.”

YOU HAD A SOLID ROOKIE YEAR AND HAD TEAMMATES THAT WERE ABLE TO BREAK THROUGH WITH MULTIPLE WINS. HOW TOUGH WAS THAT TO SEE AND HOW IMPORTANT IS IT NOW TO BE HERE AT SHR AND FORD AND BEING THE MAIN FOCUS OF THIS TEAM? “It was difficult for the first half for me to process, but my teammates last year had a lot more experience than I did on these race tracks. Brandon has been in the series for quite some time now and he’s a good driver as well and Harrison has been in the truck series and he knows what it took to compete in the top three national series. Harrison is really fast himself, so I wasn’t surprise that they won races. I was a little surprised that we couldn’t break into victory lane. That did shock me a little bit, but, then again, with the whole Covid protocols and being at these race tracks I’ve never been to before with no practice and no testing I think people forget about that and I was just showing up to race tracks I’ve never seen before and having to race. I think we adapted well to it. Do I think I performed to my expectations or anybody’s expectation? I don’t think so at all, but I think that’s what this upcoming year is for with the 98 team.”

WHAT WILL IT BE LIKE TO NOT HAVE TEAMMATES THIS YEAR? “Kind of going back to 2017 and 2018 when I ran the ARCA Series I didn’t have any teammates there. It’s definitely a different change of environment. You can’t really bounce things off your other teammates during race weekends and things like that, but, like I said before, Richard’s got a really deep notebook so I can lean on Richard super hard for notes and questions like that and trust his setups and trust his notebooks.”

DO YOU FEEL YOU GOT WHAT YOU NEEDED OUT OF JGR TO TAKE THIS STEP TO ANOTHER TEAM? DO YOU WISH YOU HAD DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY? “I don’t know. That’s a tough question. Like I said, I think my time at JGR just came to an end. We left on really good grounds over there. I’m really good friends with Ty and the whole family over there, that they truly are family to me and I loved working with the people over there, but it was time for a change for myself and for my career to try and revitalize it and try to go get wins. Hopefully, I can make it.”

TONY STEWART HAS A HISTORY OF TAKING ON DRIVERS THAT MAY HAVE HAD A ROUGH STRETCH AND WHERE PEOPLE MIGHT SAY, ‘WHY DID HE PICK THEM?’ HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT BEING PART OF SHR AND BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A TEAM THAT BRINGS THE MOST OUT OF A COMPETITOR? “I’m hoping it does the same thing as it’s done to previous drivers. I hope that they can find the most out of me. That means good for me. That means good for the team, so that’s what we’re trying to do. When it comes to what people say it sucks. Everybody would like everybody to be happy for everybody, but that’s just not how this world works nowadays. People are just straight-up mean, so it doesn’t really bother too much anymore. A few years ago it did, but those people are probably just haters, so it’s all good.”

HOW DID YOU FEEL LIKE THE COMPETITION WAS IN THE XFINTY SERIES COMPARED TO WHAT YOU WERE EXPECTING, AND HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NEXT SEASON? “The competition in the XFINITY Series is really difficult. All of the guys are really good and I kind of expected that coming up. I knew it was gonna be a challenge to race in this series and those guys were there for a reason and they’re really fast. I hope I’m in a better position to go win races this year, just with that year of experience underneath my belt and with this new team I’ve joined at Stewart-Haas Racing I feel like this is my best foot forward to try to go win races for sure.”

HOW MUCH PRESSURE DO YOU PUT ON YOURSELF IN 2021 AND NOT TRY TO REPEAT WHAT CHASE DID LAST SEASON? “I kind of just worry about myself. Like I said, Chase Briscoe is a really, really good race car driver. He had a phenomenal season last year and he’s in the 14 Cup car now for a reason, but I’m kind of just gonna put my horse blinders on and work with Richard and the guys and try to go out and win races and do the best that I can do.”

WELCOME, N.C. (December 10, 2020) – TaxSlayer, a leading online professional tax and financial company, will continue its partnership with Richard Childress Racing and Myatt Snider in the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series. The second-year RCR driver will compete full-time in the No. 2 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro with returning crew chief, Andy Street.

“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Myatt Snider and Richard Childress Racing to engage NASCAR fans across America,” said TaxSlayer President and CEO, Brian Rhodes. “It’s our goal to provide taxpayers with a high-quality, low-cost tax prep option so that they can file quickly and get back to the things they enjoy like watching NASCAR. We have been impressed with Myatt Snider both on and off the track and look forward to continuing our success in 2021.”

TaxSlayer is a family-owned and operated company focused on providing customers with a remarkable tax filing experience. Founded over 50 years ago in Augusta, Georgia, TaxSlayer has evolved into an innovative tax preparation and financial technology company that retains its founder’s commitment to its employees, customers and community.

“We’re proud to be continuing our relationship with both Myatt Snider and TaxSlayer for the 2021 season,” said Richard Childress, chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “TaxSlayer is a great tax and financial company, who prides themselves on being family-focused, much like RCR. We’re looking forward to showing our fans the benefits of using TaxSlayer, as we approach both the racing season and tax season. I know that Myatt will do a great job representing both TaxSlayer and RCR on and off the racetrack.”

Snider, a talented short track racer and road course competitor with experience racing overseas in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, accumulated two top-five and three top-10 finishes under the RCR banner in 2020 while competing in a partial schedule for the Welcome, North Carolina-based team.

“I was so thankful last season to run a part-time schedule with RCR, but knowing I’m going to be racing full-time now with a chance to compete for a championship in the NASCAR Xfinity Series means the world to me,” said Snider. “I can’t thank Richard Childress, everyone at RCR and ECR, my family, and TaxSlayer enough for believing in me. Between the quality of people and resources available to me at RCR and Chevrolet, I will have all the tools I need to succeed. I had a lot of success with the No. 2 early in my racing career, so it’s really special to have the opportunity to compete with that number again, especially with all the history it has at RCR.”

“I am so excited and appreciative to have TaxSlayer back on board with us for the 2021 season,” Snider continued. “Despite how crazy last season was, we were able to still accomplish some incredible feats together like winning the pole at Daytona and contending for wins throughout the season. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in 2021, starting at Daytona.”

To learn more about TaxSlayer, visit www.taxslayer.com.

About TaxSlayer
TaxSlayer makes online tax filing accessible for millions of Americans, with an easy-to-use platform and unlimited support at a fraction of the cost of the competition. Trusted for over 50 years, the Augusta-based tech company successfully completed more than 10 million state and federal e-filed tax returns in 2020 and processed $15 billion in refunds. TaxSlayer achieved a 4.5/5 TrustScore on consumer review site Trustpilot, with 87% of its customers rating the tax filing platform Great or Excellent.

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

Longtime Crew Chief to Lead Annett’s Championship Charge in 2021

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Dec. 10, 2020) – JR Motorsports announced today that Mike Bumgarner will be the crew chief for driver Michael Annett on the No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet in 2021. The 45-year-old North Carolina native returns to the pit box after a seven-year stint as the team’s director of race operations from 2014-20. Prior to assuming that position, Bumgarner was a full-time crew chief for the team in 2013.

“Mike is the type of person that will do whatever it takes to get the job done,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager of JRM. “He has been a big part of all three of our NASCAR Xfinity Series championships in a variety of roles, and returning him to the crew chief position of our No. 1 team is huge for JR Motorsports. Mike is a natural leader that I know our group will rally around, and I can’t think of anyone better to lead the No. 1 team with Michael Annett.”

Bumgarner, a native of Huntersville, N.C., has 64 starts as a crew chief in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on his resume since 2007, including four victories, and was a NASCAR Cup Series car chief in the past at Hendrick Motorsports. Bumgarner most recently called the shots atop the pit box for JRM in September of 2018, leading Dale Earnhardt Jr. to a fourth-place finish at Richmond Raceway. Bumgarner was also on the No. 9 team’s pit box at Michigan earlier that year, guiding eventual series champion Tyler Reddick to a seventh-place finish while subbing for Dave Elenz. In 2016, Bumgarner’s skills were called upon as a fill-in for Kevin Meendering in the inaugural winner-take-all championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway with driver Elliott Sadler. Sadler eventually finished third in the race and second in the championship.

“I’m very excited to be the leader of the No. 1 team here at JR Motorsports,” Bumgarner said. “What the team has established over the last few years with Michael and Travis Mack…they’ve made a lot of gains. Travis did a heck of a job with the team and they got better, and I am looking to add to that. Looking at where those guys ended the 2020 season, I want to continue on that path in 2021.”

In his position as race operations director, Bumgarner was responsible for getting JRM’s cars prepared on a weekly basis in conjunction with the individual teams.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a big change,” Bumgarner said of the transition. “If anything it’s going to help me be better. I haven’t been able to go to the race track and see what things are going on. You try to learn as much as you can from what the teams bring back to the shop and add that to our cars. Being more involved is a positive and I’m excited for that, being able to go to the track again. I’ll have to learn the stage-racing side of it, and I’m looking forward to that challenge.”

Bumgarner comes to the No. 1 team a season after Annett set a career high in top-10 finishes with 22, three better than the previous mark of 19 set in 2019. The latter season also included the Iowa driver’s first career NXS victory at Daytona International Speedway in the season opener.

The 2020 season was one of steady consistency for the No. 1 team, as Annett challenged for victories at both Daytona and Talladega in the stretch run and had a second-place finish taken away in post-race inspection at Talladega. In the season finale at Phoenix, Annett earned a season-best fourth-place finish and ended the season ninth in series points.

“Mike is a great addition to our No. 1 Pilot Flying J team,” said Annett. “The respect he has throughout the organization and the sport is second to none. We know him and how he works, and he has been instrumental in the building of our cars as a company. I am looking forward to the 2021 season and continuing our mission to earn another championship for JR Motorsports.”

Further details regarding the No. 1 team at JR Motorsports will be announced at a later date.

ABOUT JR MOTORSPORTS:
JR Motorsports is the management company and racing operation for Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s 15-time Most Popular Driver and winner of 50 NASCAR-sanctioned races. Now in its 19th year of overall competition, JR Motorsports races in multiple divisions, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series where it won championships in 2014, 2017 and 2018. The company also competes in Late Model competition and owns four championships in regional late model divisions. To learn more about the organization, its drivers and its sponsorship opportunities, visit www.jrmracing.com.