Ford Performance Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series
Martinsville Speedway | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2020

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
2nd – Ryan Blaney
3rd – Joey Logano
4th – Brad Keselowski
7th – Aric Almirola
8th – Clint Bowyer
10th – Matt DiBenedetto
13th – Cole Custer
17th – Kevin Harvick
18th – Ryan Newman
25th – Corey LaJoie
26th – John Hunter Nemechek
28th – Michael McDowell
31st – JJ Yeley
34th – Joey Gase
36th – James Davison
38th – Chris Buescher

FORD PERFORMANCE QUOTES

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang — DID YOU BELIEVE COMING INTO TODAY THAT THIS WAS A POSSIBILITY? “For sure with the way that we’ve run here in the past. Everybody kept battling there. I tried to run into the door of the 18 as a last-ditch effort there and spun him out. Sorry to put him in the middle of trying to gain a point, but not a great three weeks. It didn’t go our way. We fought for everything we had and it just came up short.”

FOR ALL THE WINS THIS YEAR TO NOT MAKE IT TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP 4 WHAT ARE THE EMOTIONS? “Look, these championship aren’t like winning like Petty and Earnhardt used to win them. You have to put them together three weeks at a time and it comes down to one race and it came down to one race for us tonight and came up short.”

IT WAS A STRUGGLE TODAY. “Yeah, we just weren’t good and everybody on our Mobil 1 Ford just kept battling to make it better and gave ourselves a shot there at the end. I tried to drive into the door of the 18 to get that last point to make it and spun him out. I don’t usually drive like that, but you’re trying to make it to the Championship 4 and doing everything you can. Just came up short. Just not the night we needed.”

KEVIN HARVICK POST-RACE ZOOM

DID YOU FEEL LIKE THE MOVE ON KYLE WAS GOING TO WORK OR WAS IT ONE OF THOSE YOU WHERE YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO CRASH AS WELL BUT YOU HAD TO TRY IT? “It was just a move I had to try knowing that I needed one point. I needed to hit him square in the door, but at that point I was too late and wound up hitting him in the back. It was just a Hail Mary that didn’t work out.”

ARE YOU STILL OKAY WITH THIS SYSTEM? YOU HAVE 9 WINS AND DON’T MAKE THE FINAL FOUR. “We had a great year. Like I said earlier, they aren’t won the same way that Earnhardt and Petty did. You have to put together a few weeks and we didn’t put together these last few weeks like we needed to and just came up short.”

IS THIS UP THERE AS ONE OF THE WORST GUT PUNCHES YOU’VE HAD TO TAKE? “No, I’ve been punched in the gut a lot harder. We won nine races, had a great year, and, like I said, the championship is kind of a bonus. It would be great to win it, obviously, but I’d rather go through the year and win races and do the things that we did and just came up short.”

HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY TO PEOPLE THAT YOU WON’T BE RACING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP WHEN YOU ARE CLEARLY ONE OF THE TOP FOUR TEAMS THIS YEAR? “That’s the system that we work in and it’s obviously skewed more towards entertainment than the whole year, so it’s exciting to watch and has that format that goes with it and you take them as they come and we race within the system that they give us and do our best. It just didn’t work out for us. The last three weeks didn’t go exactly how we needed them to and you’ve got to be right when you get to this Round of 8.”

WHAT IS IT WITH MARTINSVILLE THAT GIVES YOU AND RODNEY DIFFICULTY? “We just got to make our car handle better.”

WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO WIN AT PHOENIX AND RAIN ON THE CHAMPIONS’ PARADE? “It’s been a great racetrack for us and obviously that’s what we want to do. I just want to get the season over with.”

YOU WERE NOT ON THE LEAD LAP FOR MORE THAN 200 LAPS. HOW DID THAT IMPACT THINGS FOR YOU OR WAS THAT MORE OF A SYMPTOM OF THE CAR WASN’T GOOD AND THAT WAS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF THE STRUGGLES ALL NIGHT FOR YOU? “No, we had a flat tire and had to pit under green. We got a couple laps down and every time we’d get close one of the other cars would get lapped and so it just wound up not working out for us quick enough to get back where we needed to be.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang — WHAT WAS IT LIKE IN THE CAR KNOWING YOUR PLAYOFF LIFE WAS ON THE LINE? “I thought I was part race car driver part mathematician. I can only imagine what my wife was feeling. She’s here in a suite watching, let alone my fans, but I’m really happy for Team Penske to have two cars in. Just a hard fought day. Got a speeding penalty there with like 70-80 to go and I’m not sure how. The box where i got the speeding penalty is where my car was pitted, so I don’t know. I’ll have to figure that one out later, but just really thankful to be going to the Championship 4.”

HOW AWARE WERE YOU IN THOSE FINAL LAPS THAT IT WAS CRUCIAL? “Not enough. There was nothing I could do other than just pass as many cars as I could and look forward. The last two runs, I don’t know if we were the best car, but we were close to it. Credit to Jeremy Bullins and the team. They just kept adjusting on it at the end and we got good when it counted. It was just frustrating because that pit road penalty I did not see it coming, to be honest with you.”

DID YOU DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT? “No. It’s the same thing I’d been doing and the place where I got the penalty was right outside my box, so I didn’t even think it was possible to speed right there, and I was wrong.”

WHAT DID YOU BUILD ON HERE FOR NEXT WEEK? YOU FOUGHT BACK HARD, DOES THAT HELP? “Oh, yes. I know we’ve got great cars on these short tracks and one-mile tracks. At the end of the race we might have had the best car. It was probably pretty close between Chase and I. If we bring this kind of an effort at the end of the race at Phoenix, we’ve got a great shot at it.”

RYAN BLANEY POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

Q. How are you?

RYAN BLANEY: Could be better.

Q. Overall, go through your run. What was it like battling up front with your teammate for the lead?

RYAN BLANEY: Yeah, pretty decent all day. We got progressively better. I sped on pit road before that first stage. That really set us back. Good thing we had a lot of time to get back up through the field after that.

We got the lead there, which was good. We were riding around, biding our time. Caution came out, we lost a spot on pit road, lost the lead, lost control of the race. Started third or fourth on the restart. Got back to second.

Trying to run the 19 down. Caution came out. Lost a couple more spots on pit road. Could never get back up there. By the time we got second, the 9 was completely gone.

Overall not a bad night. It sucks to finish second here, though, both times this year.

Q. Was it the cautions that killed you?

RYAN BLANEY: Cautions maybe. If we just maintain on pit road, I thought we’d have a good shot at it. We just didn’t do that tonight.

Q. Your fourth consecutive top‑10 finish over this Playoff stretch. Do you think you and the No. 12 team are building strong momentum towards 2021?

RYAN BLANEY: Yeah, I mean, that’s what it’s all about, right? Our Playoffs ended pretty maturely there, being eliminated in the first round. Obviously bums out everybody.

We wanted to show that we can run up front, contend for wins. Main goal when we got knocked out was to run as well as we can, try to win races, get ready for next year. That’s the main thing.

Yeah, proud of this 12 group. The past 10 full weeks we’ve been strong. Had a chance to win a couple races. Just need to put it all together. Yeah, definitely hoping we can have a good day at Phoenix, we can have a really good off‑season headed into next year.

JOEY LOGANO POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

Q. It’s got to be really exciting for you, given you kicked off the Round of 8 with a win at Kansas, now going to Phoenix, a good track for you. How excited are you to battle for your second championship?

JOEY LOGANO: Yeah, of course we’re excited. We’re ready to go. This is a great opportunity. We were able to lock ourselves in a couple weeks ago, be able to breathe for a minute, get through these last couple races. What a crazy race it was today for those guys trying to get their way in.

Glad we were able to Keep some momentum up, get a good starting spot. I don’t know where we’re going to be for next week yet. Hopefully it’s a good starting spot. We’ll fire away and try to get our second championship.

Q. You mentioned at Charlotte you have the competition right where you want them, that you wouldn’t be the most favorite title contender, but you’re in it. How would you say it’s been to have this finish for your team?

JOEY LOGANO: You guys told me we weren’t the favorites in 2018, so…

We’ll believe what we want to believe and we’ll believe in ourselves first. I’ll tell you again we’re the favorites to win this thing. That’s how it is in my mind. I said that a couple weeks ago, doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.

Q. Obviously your win at Texas denied Harvick that win, then Harvick gets knocked out. How big a deal is it to have Harvick out of the Final 4?

JOEY LOGANO: That’s surprising, that’s for sure. Obviously we know what Kevin’s record is at Phoenix. We all thought he’s got as good a shot as everyone. He’s strong there. Finished second right behind us there when we were there in the spring.

Yeah, he’s going to be fast. I said this before. The top four cars, the Championship 4 cars, are all going to be racing for the win. That’s one thing I think we can be pretty certain of.

Q. Do you like the system? Obviously it helps you this year. Everybody has a chance.

JOEY LOGANO: Yeah, I love it actually. I mean, it brings these crazy moments. I mean, I couldn’t imagine what it was like watching the race tonight with every possible scenario getting thrown out there with the 9, the 19 in the lead, then you got guys racing for points behind them, trying to get every point they can. It’s all within a point. Racing all way to the checkered flag like that, that’s crazy. That’s absolutely amazing.

I believe the system is very fair. It’s just like any other sport, right? In the NFL you can have an amazing regular season, lose the first time and you’re out. That’s just what Playoffs are.

I’m glad we have it in our sport because it produces some amazing moments. There will be another amazing one next week when you have four cars going for it.

Q. Going into the last hundred laps or so, seemed like the Penske cars were the dominant group. What did you see from Chase over the last run that let him sneak up on you guys?

JOEY LOGANO: Saw his back bumper too much (laughter). Seemed like whatever they did to their car the last run, that thing took off. He definitely was able to find some speed there last run, get out ahead of me, ahead of the 19. He just kind of kept going from there.

They made some good adjustments, whatever they did.

Q. You were in a luxurious position with your win at Texas. What did you learn about your car and team over the next two events? What lessons can you take into the finale at Phoenix?

JOEY LOGANO: Really the past two weeks the advantage we earned was to be able to focus on our Phoenix car before everybody. That’s the advantage we had. We get to go to these races not having our tongues hanging out trying to get in. Our batteries are charged up and we’re ready to go. That part is nice.

I think we proved that our pit crew tonight is absolutely incredible. They kept us up front all day long. I don’t think there was one pit stop I didn’t gain at least one spot throughout it. Our pit crew is strong. They’ll be ready to go when we get out there.

I think we’ve proven our team is definitely the team to beat. We’re well‑rounded. I think that’s something that can help us next week.

BRAD KESELOWSKI POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

Q. Earlier this season you called this silently one of your best seasons of your career. Going into the Championship 4, do you still feel that to be the case?

BRAD KESELOWSKI: Yeah, absolutely. Got four wins this year. Making the Championship 4 is a big deal. Credit to Team Penske for that, for having two cars in it, Joey and myself. The way Blaney ran the tonight, shows he’s one of the best drivers out there, too. Could easily have been in the Championship 4 if some things would have gone his way.

Wow, it was a long night, right (laughter)? I thought we were one of the best cars at the end of the race, if not the best car. Was just a little disappointed in the speeding penalty. I’m still not sure I understand it. I didn’t feel like I was speeding.

Either way, great finish for us. I’m really proud of everybody.

Q. How worried were you about Harvick making a charge there on the last lap?

BRAD KESELOWSKI: Oh, very worried.

Sorry, Roger is calling me (laughter).

Q. Bigger name on the other line.

BRAD KESELOWSKI: I’ll call him right back, if you’re watching, Mr. Penske (laughter).

Anyway, he did a great job (indiscernible) so hard to pass cars (indiscernible).

THE MODERATOR: Brad, I think we lost you. It was about half an answer. Would you mind going through that again because you were breaking up significantly.

Q. Just take me through what was going through your mind over the closing laps. You’re getting information, Harvick is getting information, closing in on you.

BRAD KESELOWSKI: Yeah, well, I passed him to gain the seven spots I needed. It was just a matter of I knew he had some teammates in front of him that helped him out a little bit. It was very close. There’s just only so much I can do about him. I was trying to focus on just myself. Of course, I wanted to know, right?

Q. We’ve been going through this Playoff system since 2014. Here we have the guy that has the most wins throughout the season not there fighting for the championship. Do you see anything wrong with that?

BRAD KESELOWSKI: Well, I’ve been there, too. I won six races in 2014, didn’t make the Championship 4. Most of anybody the entire year. I’ll tell you, it stings. I feel for Kevin because I’ve been there.

The format is what the format is. It’s our job to decide the format, it’s our job to race the format.

Q. With the Championship 4 set, is there one driver you see as the biggest threat? If so, why?

BRAD KESELOWSKI: I mean, no. I think all of us are pretty evenly matched going into Phoenix. Denny has had some good runs there, Chase has had some good runs there. Joey won last spring. We’ve been so good on that type of track this season. I think it’s about as even matched as it’s going to get.

Q. Was that nerve‑wracking? When you’re in the moment, are you just: I need to get this, if I don’t, I don’t?

BRAD KESELOWSKI: You’re just trying to control what you can control. I can’t control the 4 car. I can’t control those other guys. All I can do is really run my own race. That’s what I was trying to do, is run my own race, not get ourselves in any trouble by overthinking it.

I definitely can’t control the 4 car, the 11 car. I knew it was really close with all of us. But, whew, I hope you guys had fun. It was a hell of a race.

Q. You seemed a little bit surprised that you got a speeding penalty. Do you think your lights were off?

BRAD KESELOWSKI: No, I just think something didn’t add up there. Being in the first stall, I shouldn’t be able to speed the first or last segment on the racetrack. I wasn’t even up to speed.

It’s tough because on these rounded corner pit roads you don’t have to be at full speed to be speeding because of the way the math is figured out. It’s a time thing, not an actual speed. I’m going to have to take a look at it.

Q. When you guys incurred that speeding penalty, it would cause a lot of lesser teams to cringe, make excuses. You were back to a great finish and advancement. How proud are you of the resiliency that this No. 2 squad has displayed all season long?

BRAD KESELOWSKI: That was some resiliency. That was certainly some resiliency for sure to make it through a moment like that. I mean, talk about back up against the wall. Oh, my gosh. That’s as backed up against the wall as you can get.

I just drove the best race I could drive and the team did the best they could do with the remaining pit stops and we were back at it.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
XFINITY 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES
NOVEMBER 1, 2020

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE
5th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
6th ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 PLANTERS CAMARO ZL1 1LE
14th MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 1LE
16th TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICOWEEN CAMARO ZL1 1LE

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
2nd Ryan Blaney (Ford)
3rd Joey Logano (Ford)
4th Brad Keselowski (Ford)
5th Kurt Busch (Chevrolet)

UNOFFICIAL CURRENT PLAYOFF RANK (Following Race 9 of 10 / Entering into the Championship Four)
POS. DRIVER (* = Chevy Contender)
1st Joey Logano (Ford)
2nd * Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
3rd Brad Keselowski (Ford)
4th Denny Hamlin (Toyota)

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series seasons concludes at Phoenix Raceway with the Season Finale 500 on Sunday, November 8,, at 3:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, the NBC Sports Gold app, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Race Winner
AT THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME, YOU SEE YOUR FIRST VICTORY AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY. YOUR CREW IS A LITTLE EXCITED, AS YOU ARE TOO, RIGHT CHASE?
“Oh, my gosh. This is the biggest win ever for us. I’m just so proud to be able to be backed into a corner like that and have to win tonight. I feel like that’s what we’ve been missing these past four or five years and perform when we don’t have a choice. And, to do that tonight; we couldn’t ask for a better night. This is unreal. Thanks to the fans for coming out. They’re here and I love to see it! I’ve just got to catch my breath. This is just unbelievable. We’re going to Phoenix with a shot to win a championship and have a beautiful blue NAPA Camaro headed out there with a shot to win a title. What more could you ask for?

WHEN YOU HAD YOUR CAR BACK IN THE PACK A LITTLE BIT AND A COUPLE OF MISCUES ON PIT ROAD, WHAT CONCERNS DID YOU HAVE?
“Yeah, I didn’t think our car was driving as good there at the end as it was at the beginning of the race. But those last couple of pit stops made some really good changes and had a good pit stop on that last one and a good last restart. And that was the difference. Everybody makes this possible. This is unbelievable. I’m just at a bit of a loss for words. Like I said, this is the piece we’ve been missing. I feel like we’ve had the group to do this. We just have to go make it happen and we did tonight.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 5th
KURT BUSCH FINISHES FIFTH, BUT THAT DOESN’T FULLY EXPLAIN THE DAY YOU HAD. YOU GUYS PUT A VALIANT EFFORT TO PUT YOURSELF IN POSITION TO WIN THIS RACE. WHAT MORE DID YOU NEED?
“We gave it all we had. I’m really proud of my guys. Chip Ganassi Racing put up a really good fight this year to get this far, to win and to post top-five’s through the Playoffs. We crossed over our threshold. Last week, we finished seventh at Texas, fifth tonight and we’re walking around kind of kicking the ground – like that wasn’t our best effort or we could have done this or could of done that. When I started here two years ago, we finished in the top-five and were celebrating. We’ve come that far in this short amount of time and I’m really proud of everybody back at the shop, Chevrolet, thankful for Monster Energy, GEARWRENCH and all of our partners at Chip Ganassi Racing. To come here with a shot at it, we knew we had to win. It takes a team all the way through. The driver has to make good decision – spotter, pit crew, crew chief and adjustments. We just came up a little shy. Our weakest area was pit road and we know that we need to work on that. But all-in-all, I can’t thank everybody enough. It’s cool to see the evolution of where we’ve come in two years.”

YOU’VE HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY YOU GUYS ARE AN UNDERDOG COMING INTO THIS ROUND OF EIGHT. I KNOW YOU GUYS MAYBE HAD A LITTLE MORE CONFIDENCE THAN THAT. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU SHOWED THAT WITH THOSE TOP-FIVES AND THE SPEED YOU HAD HERE IN THE ROUND OF EIGHT?
“You’re an underdog when you go in ranked eighth out of eight. We had an engine problem at Kansas and that just kicked us straight in the shin. From there, we had to win. Texas, we just didn’t get the job done – we got seventh. Today, we got fifth. Those are great quality finishes, but you can’t rely on those in the Playoffs against the best of the best. Right now, (Kevin) Harvick’s not in. That just shows you how tough this competition is.

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 PLANTERS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 6th
“I drive this place so wrong. I try to roll the center really fast and then I am like oh we don’t have any drive off. You would think I would figure it out, but I kind of know what I need to do. All in all, a good day for our Planters Chevrolet. Mr. Peanut looked pretty cool. Really proud of Chase (Elliott) and making the final four there. Bummed we aren’t a part of it, but I think we have a solid shot at getting fifth in points. The progress this team has made over the past two months has been incredible. This is something they really deserve.”

TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICOWEEN CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 16th
“Today was a good day for our Germain Racing team. Our GEICOween Chevrolet Camaro would build tight over the run, but Matt (Borland) and the guys continued to make it better with every adjustment. Our team never gives up and I had a lot of fun behind the wheel today. To finish 16th is a great way to end our final Martinsville start together as a team. We are going to head to Phoenix next week and give it everything we have to make the last race for Germain Racing a memorable one.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 MOTORTREND CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 24th
“This was only my second time at Martinsville Speedway in four years, and I definitely learned a lot today in the No. 8 MotorTrend Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. We fought pretty much the same problem all day, just too tight in the turns from about two-thirds of the way in through the exit. My team did everything they could today, and we tried every adjustment we could think of to loosen our car up but nothing seemed to stick. Our changes would help for a handful of laps on each restart, but then the track would rubber up and the tightness would return every time. Not our day, but I’m thankful for my team for sticking with it all race long and continuing to fight. We’ll look to finish out the season strong at Phoenix Raceway next weekend.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

HAMLIN SCORES TOYOTA A SPOT IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP 4
Denny Hamlin makes the Championship 4 with a 11th-place finish

MARTINSVILLE, Virginia (November 1, 2020) – Denny Hamlin qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 with two strong stage finishes and an 11th-place finish in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday evening. Martin Truex Jr. led over 100 laps and was in position to win his way into the Championship 4 before a late-race pit stop for a loose right-front wheel ended his chance to score the victory.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Martinsville Speedway
Race 35 of 36 – 500 miles, 263 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Chase Elliott*
2nd, Ryan Blaney*
3rd, Joey Logano*
4th, Brad Keselowski*
5th, Kurt Busch*
9th, KYLE BUSCH
11th, DENNY HAMLIN
12th, ERIK JONES
15th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
22nd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
27th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
29th, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Shipathon Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 11th

What was the closing laps of that race like?

“It was tough. Our car was fading a little bit. I was also getting into some spots where I was getting roughed up by some teammates, not really ours, just some of the guys that are in the battle. I didn’t even want to be a part of it, so I would just get out of it and then I put myself in an interesting spot where the 4 (Kevin Harvick) was going for it a little bit and we were very fortunate he didn’t go for it any further than he did. We did just enough. That’s what we needed to do – is do enough to make it to Phoenix and give ourselves a shot at the championship. This FedEx team definitely deserves to be in the top four and glad that we are able to give it a shot next week.”

Handicap your chances next week?

“I think we can win any given week for sure. The short tracks haven’t been great for us all year, but you just never know. Last year, we went there and nearly lapped the field, so who knows how it’s going to turn out. One race, winner take all, you never know.”

How stressful were the last 100 laps with the points getting so close?

“I think we were in most of the time. Just lost the handling there as soon as it went night. We were not very good. A lot of that too, I got up into sixth or seventh and some guys teammates were kind of rubbing up against you and it’s like, ‘yeah, I don’t want to cut a tire,’ so I backed out of that. Then we just fell to a spot that was a little more open. Proud of this whole FedEx Shipathon Toyota team. I feel bad for Kevin (Harvick), they probably deserve better than that. It’s just the format, I guess. Everything you do for eight innings doesn’t matter if you don’t have a great ninth inning. It’s just tough to see. I really wish we were going to race those guys next week. It will be a tough battle with those other three that we’re going to have to race. We’re definitely going to have to step up our short track program.”

Are you surprised the 4 team isn’t in the Championship 4 next week?

“I think they deserve to be in. They have nine wins. There’s not a person on this planet that would say they aren’t a top-four team. We wanted to create a Game 7 moment, so this is what you get. If you have a bad race or two in a three-race series, you’re out. We’re very fortunate with our FedEx team to be able to lean on all the work that we did in the regular season to get Playoff points and win the most stages throughout the season than anyone else. We’re optimistic, we’ll see.”

How do you feel about Phoenix?

“It’s an entirely different ballgame now. It really is. The aerodynamic package is a lot different. There’re no similarities that you can really draw to it. You just never know. Obviously, we’re going to be ready and we’re going to be prepared and hopefully we’ll go out there and show what we’ve got.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Auto Owners Insurance Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 22nd

How disappointing is this finish knowing how strong your car was throughout the race?

“Yeah, for Martinsville. We had a great car all day long and just kept making adjustments waiting for it to cool off and get dark. That last run there before the final pit stop, the thing was on rails and it was perfect and we were driving away. I felt really good about it. Then we pitted and had a pretty good pit stop. Came out with the lead and right away I knew something was wrong. I was really, really tight and had a vibration. The 9 (Chase Elliott) car passed us and we started dropping and had to pit for a loose wheel. Unfortunate. I think we should be the one in victory lane right now, but you have to do it all. Just a little mistake there.”

# # #

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Track: Martinsville Speedway, 0.526 Mile Oval
Race: 35 of 36
Event: Xfinity 500 (263 miles, 500 laps)

John Hunter Nemechek
No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang

Started: 23rd
Finished: 26th

Stage One: 22nd
Stage Two: 25th
Stage Three: 26th

John Hunter Nemechek started Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway in the 23rd position. His No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang struggled at the beginning, losing a lap before the Competition Caution on Lap 60. He radioed to the team that he was “loose in, loose off, tight center… hard to get power down.” He would take 4 tires, fuel and a packer adjustment on pit road. By the time a caution came out on Lap 73, Nemechek was in the Lucky Dog spot and would regain his lap after pitting for a track bar adjustment. Finishing Stage 1 in the 22nd position, Nemechek noted, “drive off is decent, roll is okay, still snug center.” He would pit for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.

Nemechek restarted the race in 23rd place. When another caution came on Lap 145, it appeared as though Nemechek had made contact with another car, but there were no issues with his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee machine. On Lap 186, he noted that he was still “tight center” and struggling to roll, and would pit for 4 tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. By the time he took the green- and white-checkered flag to finish Stage 2 in 25th place, Nemechek felt that the balance was getting worse and the car bounced a lot, particularly in the turns. He pitted at the Stage 2 Caution for 4 tires, fuel, an air pressure adjustment, packer and track bar adjustments.

Nemechek would take the green flag to start the Final Stage of the day at Martinsville Speedway in 23rd place. He noted on Lap 294 that he needed “more drive” in his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang. When the tenth caution of the day came on Lap 352, Nemechek radioed that he was “free off, tight center… no lateral or forward drive.” He pitted under caution for 4 tires, fuel and added spring rubber. By Lap 401, Nemechek said, “center was better, but super free.” His handling did not improve much throughout the remainder of the race, and Nemechek would cross the finish line in 26th place, two laps down.

Nemechek on Martinsville:

“Not exactly the day we were hoping for in our No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang. We struggled pretty much from the start. We were pretty tight and bouncing a lot on entry [into the turns]. We kept trying different adjustments throughout the race but couldn’t quite get it to where we needed the handling in order to make a strong push towards the front. I’m thankful for my team for always sticking with me. A huge thanks to Death Wish Coffee for coming on board this weekend. It was great to recognize our ‘Thank A Trucker’ contest winner, Jason Griffith, with them at Martinsville. Thank you to all the truck drivers out there who have worked tirelessly all year long to keep us going.”

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road/E-Z-GO Chevrolet Team Hang On at Martinsville Speedway For 23rd-Place Finish

Finish: 23rd
Start: 14th

“That’s not the finish we wanted in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road/E-Z-GO Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway tonight, but we hung on all race and tried our hardest. We just missed the balance. For most of the race, we were too tight and the car just wouldn’t turn. Even though our team worked on our Chevy all race, we never got it. It’s not what we wanted, but I’m proud of this team for never giving up. We’ll go to Phoenix Raceway and finish this season off.”-Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and No. 8 MotorTrend Team Show Perseverance During Martinsville Speedway Run

Finish: 24th
Start: 17th

“This was only my second time at Martinsville Speedway in four years, and I definitely learned a lot today in the No. 8 MotorTrend Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. We fought pretty much the same problem all day, just too tight in the turns from about two-thirds of the way in through the exit. My team did everything they could today, and we tried every adjustment we could think of to loosen our car up but nothing seemed to stick. Our changes would help for a handful of laps on each restart, but then the track would rubber up and the tightness would return every time. Not our day, but I’m thankful for my team for sticking with it all race long and continuing to fight. We’ll look to finish out the season strong at Phoenix Raceway next weekend.” -Tyler Reddick

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (Nov. 1, 2020) – In a chaotic elimination race at Martinsville Speedway Sunday afternoon, Ryan Newman showed speed early on with a 10th-place finish in the second stage before ultimately placing his Guaranteed Rate Ford 18th in the 500-lap event.

Newman fired off for the race 21st, but quickly moved his way forward. With the competition caution at lap 60, Newman – a 2012 winner at ‘The Paperclip – ran 15th, and reported he was mostly happy with the balance in the opening run.

With a pair of cautions falling just past lap 100, Newman restarted 13th with 10 laps remaining in the opening stage and drove to an 11th-place result. After rolling off 15th for stage two, Newman maintained the spot for much of the run, reporting he was a little free in the corners in the Guaranteed Rate machine.

Restarting outside the top-15 later in the stage, Newman again powered his way back up through the field, ultimately driving to a 10th-place run in stage two. He would fire off from the same spot to begin the third stage, before tires came into play late in the going. With a caution coming at 100 laps to go, Newman pitted and the team put on scuff tires, leaving one last set in the pit stall.

When the final caution was displayed at lap 441, Newman again pitted – this time for fresh tires – to restart 18th in what resulted in a green-flag run to the end of 51 laps before Newman finished 18th.

The 2020 NASCAR season comes to a close next weekend out West, where Phoenix Raceway hosts the season finale on Sunday. Race coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (Nov. 1, 2020) – After driving up to the 17th position early in Sunday’s 500-lap event at Martinsville Speedway, Chris Buescher’s No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford was collected in a multi-car accident during the race’s second stage – ending his day prematurely. At lap 145, Buescher was caught up in a chain reaction that caused heavy damage to the No. 17 Ford. The team took to pit road to see what could be done to the busted radiator. Unfortunately, the damage proved too severe for the team to return to the track, with Buescher ultimately finishing the race 38th.

Buescher rolled off the grid in 28th, and quickly got shuffled to the back of the field with reports of left rear tire issues. When the competition caution flag waved at lap 60, the driver was right back up to where he started. The team visited pit road with the caution with reports of a tight No. 17 Ford. Buescher restarted 23rd after a quick stop for wedge adjustment, air pressure change, fuel and four tires. A few laps later, another caution flag waved and the team stayed out for track position to gain two more spots on the next restart. Another caution came at lap 103, just 27 laps before the stage break. The team pitted for tires, fuel and another air pressure adjustment and restarted 20th. True to short-track racing, another caution flag waved at Lap 114. The team stayed on track and restarted 17th, but got shuffled back at the green flag. Buescher took the green-white checkered flag for stage one in 25th.

The Prosper, Texas native traveled to pit road during the stage break for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. After restarting 24th, the team got to work looking to move through the field, before getting caught up in the accident.

The No. 17 team returns to track for the final race of the season next Sunday, November 8 at Phoenix Raceway at 3 p.m. EST on NBC, MRN and SIRIUSXM Channel 90.