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John Hunter Nemechek Post-Race Report: Kansas

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Official Release
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Track: Kansas Speedway, 1.5 Mile Tri-Oval
Race: 33 of 36
Event: Hollywood Casino 400 (400.5 miles, 267 laps)

John Hunter Nemechek
No. 38 Speedy Cash Ford Mustang

Started: 32nd
Finished: 17th

Stage One: 20th
Stage Two: 26th
Stage Three: 17th

John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway in the 32nd position. Shortly after firing off, he noted that his No. 38 Speedy Cash Ford Mustang was “a little snug off but not bad.” He quickly made his way into the top 20 and took 4 tires with a slight air pressure adjustment, fuel and a packer adjustment at the Competition Caution. By Lap 43, Nemechek said there was “splitter bounce into [Turn] 1” and he was a touch free. He would go on to take the green- and white-checkered flag to finish Stage 1 in 20th place.

After pitting at the Stage Break Caution for 4 tires with an air pressure adjustment, fuel, packer adjustment and grille tape, Nemechek began Stage 2 in the 28th position. He was tight to fire off but mostly satisfied with the handling on his No. 38 Speedy Cash machine when he pitted under green partway through Stage 2. He radioed on Lap 137 that his splitter bounce had gone away and was “just a tick on the snug side, but I like it.” With two laps to go in the Stage, Nemechek picked up some right-side damage that knocked in the right front and right rear fenders. He would finish Stage 2 in 26th place and would pit multiple times during the Stage Break Caution for damage repair.

Still rolling, Nemechek began the day’s Final Stage at Kansas Speedway in the 27th position. He was able to make his way back through the field and into the top 20 with 50 laps to go. When a caution came out on Lap 220, he radioed to the team that his No. 38 Speedy Cash Ford Mustang “takes a while to come in,” but didn’t feel a need to make any adjustments on his next pit stop. Nemechek would restart the race P16 with 44 laps to go and take the checkered flag in 17th place.

Nemechek on Kansas:

“Our No. 38 Speedy Cash Ford Mustang was ‘speedy fast’ today. We fired off pretty decent and made a couple of slight adjustments throughout the day to get us to an even better place. We picked up some damage at the end of Stage 2, but my guys on pit road did a great job and we were able to overcome and stay competitive for the rest of the race. We never gave up and managed to come away with a top-20 finish. I’m really proud of my Front Row Motorsports team and so thankful for the effort these guys put in each and every week. A huge thanks to our partners at Speedy Cash for coming on board with us this weekend for their final primary race of the year. Hope we can see them again soon.”

Michael McDowell Post-Race Report: Kansas

By
Official Release
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Track: Kansas Speedway, 1.5 Mile Tri-Oval
Race: 33 of 36
Event: Hollywood Casino 400 (400.5 Miles, 267 Laps)

Michael McDowell
No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Prime Inc. Ford Mustang

Started: 26th
Finished:19th

Stage One: 27th
Stage Two: 19th
Stage Three: 19th

It was a chilly Sunday afternoon at Kansas Speedway when Michael McDowell and his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Prime Inc. Ford Mustang hit the track for 267 Laps. McDowell took the green flag from the 26th position and would be scored in 24th at Competition Caution on Lap 27. Under caution, McDowell told his team that “the front end turns good; I just need more to lean on on the right rear … wind is pretty strong and the track is starting to tighten up.” He would pit for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. Once racing resumed, McDowell noted that his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Prime Inc. Ford Mustang was still “a little bit too free on the way in … center-off, I need more to lean on, right rear;” and would go on to finish Stage 1 from the 27th position. During the Stage 1 Caution, Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer made the call for 4 tires, fuel, an added spring rubber and a wedge adjustment.

Halfway through the second stage, McDowell came over the radio to say that his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Prime Inc. Ford Mustang was “a little bouncy in the front” and “built free on the long run.” Shortly after, green flag pit stops would begin but McDowell would stay on track longer than most of the field and advanced his position to as high as 2nd before Blickensderfer called him in to pit on Lap 143. Just as McDowell was getting ready to enter pit road, the caution flag would fly and McDowell would make an evasive right turn to avoid pitting and stay on track to hold on to 9th place. Under caution, the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Prime Inc. Ford Mustang came to pit road for 4 tires, fuel and a trackbar adjustment. McDowell would go on take the Stage 2 green- and white-checkered flag from the the 19th position. Under the Stage 2 caution, McDowell would pit for 4 tires, fuel and wedge adjustment, however an uncontrolled tire would send the No. 34 to the rear of the field to take the Stage 3 green flag.

In the early laps of Stage 3, McDowell would make a handful of passes to advance his position to 22nd before the caution flag would fly on Lap 197, to which McDowell would pit for 4 tires, fuel and added grille tape. On Lap 220, the second caution of the stage would occur and McDowell would be called back to pit road for 4 tires and fuel. In the closing laps of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400, McDowell would race his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Prime Inc. Ford Mustang into the Top-20 and take the checkered flag from the 19th position at Kansas Speedway.

McDowell on Kansas:

“It was definitely a long day for us here at Kansas. We didn’t start off that great, but Drew and everybody on this Love’s Travel Stops team did a really good job of getting our race car faster near the end of the race and we were able to make up some spots and bring home a Top-20 finish. It was a decent day, but we definitely had higher expectations, for sure. It was just really nice to get a decent finish, as the last few weeks have been pretty rough for us. I’d like to thank. Love’s Travel Stops and Prime Inc. for coming on board today. I’m excited to head back to Texas Motor Speedway next weekend with Love’s and hopefully keep up the momentum.”

Newman Rides Up and Down Day to Finish 22nd in Kansas

By
Official Release
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KANSAS CITY (Oct. 18, 2020) – With a fresh Hy-Vee scheme on board his Ford Mustang, Ryan Newman and his team utilized smart pit strategy to get to the front of the field before a chaotic final stage resulted in a 22nd-place finish at Kansas Speedway Sunday afternoon.

Newman began the day from the 28th spot – and as teams cautiously tracked handling amidst lower than expected temperatures – maintained his track position to finish 29th at the conclusion of the opening 80-lap stage. He steadily worked his way forward from there, as the team put him in position for a strong finish in the closing laps of stage two. As most teams hit pit road with less than 20 laps to go in the stage Newman stayed on track, and the strategy paid off as a caution was displayed at lap 143 with Newman running second.

Following his scheduled service under the yellow – and a subsequent restart – the 2003 race winner ended the stage in 18th. A strong pit stop to change tires and adjust the handling of the car set Newman up to fire off 16th for the final stage. With under 75 to go as another yellow came out, Newman reported he had the best balance of the day and continued to battle the 1.5-mile track.

The final restart came at lap 225 with just over 40 to go, as Newman fired off 24th. From there, he picked off a pair of positions to finish 22nd in the Hy-Vee Ford Mustang.

Newman and the No. 6 team return to the track next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Race coverage on Sunday begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

Buescher Battles to Finish 21st in Kansas

By
Official Release
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KANSAS CITY (Oct. 18, 2020) – Falling temperatures on a brisk fall day at Kansas Speedway threw a curveball to teams preparing for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 with no practice or qualifying sessions. Chris Buescher and his team worked to adapt to the difficult conditions, ultimately bringing home a 21st-place finish for the No. 17 Fastenal Mustang.

Buescher began the event from that same 21st position and spent the early portion of the race feeling out changing handling conditions with a colder than expected temperatures at the track. With other teams in the field doing the same there was little passing in the first stage of the race, which Buescher finished in the 23rd spot.

The second stage introduced differing pit strategies to the equation, with crew chief Luke Lambert electing to pit early in the cycle to take advantage of fresher tires. Just a few laps after the No. 17 Fastenal Ford hit pit road, a caution came out with Buescher two laps down to the lead cars who had not pitted yet. He was able to get one of the laps back by waving around during the caution, and furiously battled at the end of the stage to finish in the free pass position. He would be scored 27th at the end of the second segment, but earned his way back onto the lead lap for the third and final stage.

The team was able to dial in the handling of the Fastenal Ford during the stage break, and Buescher began to move forward through the field. He worked his way to 19th with less than 50 laps remaining, but an incident just in front forced him to hit the brakes and lose positions. Buescher was able to battle back from the interruption and finish the day 21st.

Buescher and the No. 17 team return to the track next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Race coverage on Sunday begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

Toyota Racing – NCS Kansas Quotes – Martin Truex Jr. – 10.18.20

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Official Release
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Toyota Racing – Martin Truex Jr.
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

KANSAS CITY (October 18, 2020) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. was made available to media via videoconference in advance of the race at the Kansas Speedway:

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How much of an advantage do you believe it is to win at either Kansas or Texas?

“I don’t know. I think it’s a little bit of an advantage just because you kind of know your game plan and you know you are going to Phoenix and you get to work on it, so you don’t have to spend quite as much time on Texas and Martinsville, depending on which race you win. It just gives you a little extra time to prepare. You lift two weeks off the hot seat there. It’s pretty relaxing. It just gives you a little more time.”

Do you think it’s bigger from a mental stand point or a team preparation stand point?

“Definitely, team preparation.”

I’ve heard you may have to start from the back today. How big of a challenge is it starting from the back?

“I just heard I was. It’s not optimum. It’s not what you are hoping for. I don’t know. We will see. We have done it a lot this year. It is what it is. We will deal with it. This place, fortunately, there are a lot of lanes that you can run, really the whole racetrack works. You just have to go where they are not and pick them off one-by-one.”

How do you keep perspective coming into the Round of 8?

“It’s just another race, really. Obviously, there is a lot on the line. The next three are very important. The next three are probably the most difficult. It’s been whittled down to the best eight and you have to beat half of them. It’s definitely a challenge. I definitely feel like we are up to it. As far as my approach, I approach this as just another race, because you kind of have to. You can’t change who you are just because of what race it is and where you are at. We will go do our thing today and hopefully have a solid day. I feel like we probably had the strongest car last time we were here, and it didn’t quite go the way we needed it to the last 50 or so laps of the race. We lost track position and had to battle back from it, but the weather is a lot different today. It’s a few months later and guys are really pushing, probably, pushing with new stuff for the Playoffs, so we will see how that plays into it, but optimistic. This has been a good track for us. I’m looking forward to see what we can do today.”

How does the cold weather affect the driver?

“The biggest thing is when it’s cold out the driver is nice and comfortable. Normally, when it’s hot, we are not very comfortable at all. That’s the biggest thing. It’s going to be nice in the car today. It will be nice and comfortable with the heater on. The track is going to be really fast. A lot of on throttle time. Generally, it makes it a little bit harder to pass when it’s cool because the bottom is going to be more dominate, I would say. Everybody is going to handle pretty good. No one is going to be really bad, like when it’s hot out, slippery. It’s going to be a challenge for sure, but hopefully the tires will wear enough that we can get the track widen out and move around a bit.”

# # #

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.

Briscoe wins the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas

By
SM Staff
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KANSAS CITY, KANSAS - OCTOBER 17: Chase Briscoe, driver of the #98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford, drives during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway on October 17, 2020 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Chase Briscoe dominated Saturday nights NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway. Briscoe led 159 of the 200 laps to capture his ninth win of the season and gives Briscoe an automatic position into the Championship 4 round for the season title.

“First off, I just want to dedicate this to Brian Egans. He lost his life last week and was a close family friend’s brother-in-law. I am happy we got him in victory lane. I am super happy to be locked into Phoenix. It is going to be a lot less stressful the next two weeks. That will be nice. I can’t say thank you enough to everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing. This Ford Performance Racing School Mustang was lights-out.” Briscoe said.

Daniel Hemric finish second, Ryan Sieg led 23 laps and finished third, Justin Haley fourth and Austin Hill finished fifth.

Briscoe leads the seried standings with 3120 points, followed by Justin Allgaier with 3068 points (-52), Brandon Jones 3066 points (-54), Austin Cindric 3059 (-61), Justin Haley 3057 (-63), Ross Chastain 3047 points (-73), Ryan Sieg 3042 points (-78), and Noah Gragson 3026 points (-94).

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for next week for the O‘Reilly Auto Parts 300 at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Number 30

Kansas Speedway – Kansas City, KS – 1.5 – Mile Paved

Total Race Length – 200 Laps – 300. Miles

FinStrNoDriverTeamLapsS1PosS2PosS3PosPtsStatus
1698Chase Briscoe (P)Ford Performance Racing School Ford20011060Running
238Daniel HemricPoppy Bank Chevrolet20000035Running
3839Ryan Sieg (P)CMRRoofing.com Chevrolet20088040Running
4911Justin Haley (P)LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet200100034Running
52961Austin Hill(i)Toyota Tsusho Toyota20001000Running
62392Josh WilliamsAlloy Employer Services Chevrolet20000031Running
7272Brett Moffitt(i)Destiny Homes/Concrete Supply Chevrolet2000900Running
8111Michael AnnettAllstate Parts & Service Group Chevrolet20000029Running
9519Brandon Jones (P)Toyota Service Centers Toyota20022046Running
1077Justin Allgaier (P)BRANDT Chevrolet20077035Running
111820Harrison Burton #Morton Buildings/DEX Imaging Toyota20034041Running
12410Ross Chastain (P)Dyna-Gro Seed Chevrolet20055037Running
131668Brandon BrownJAGR Construction Chevrolet20090026Running
142244Tommy Joe MartinsAAN Adjusters Chevrolet20000023Running
151351Jeremy ClementsKevin Whitaker Chevrolet Chevrolet19900022Running
163490Dexter BeanSleep Well/Alpha Prime Chevrolet19800021Running
17204BJ McLeodTeamJDMotorsports.com Chevrolet19800020Running
183274Bayley Currey(i)Chevrolet1970000Running
193015Jesse Little #TeamJDMotorsports.com Chevrolet19700018Running
20140Jeffrey EarnhardtForever Lawn Chevrolet19700017Running
211593Myatt Snider #The Original Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet19700016Running
223113Timmy Hill(i)RoofClaim.com Toyota1970000Running
231036Alex LabbeCan-Am Chevrolet19700014Running
24217David StarrAmerican Rebel Safes Chevrolet19500013Running
25245Matt MillsJF Electric Toyota19300012Running
262652Kody Vanderwal #Triple R Performance Engines Chevrolet19100011Running
273599Jesse Iwuji(i)eRacing Assorication Chevrolet1900000Running
28222Austin Cindric (P)Menards/Richmond Ford1730009Running
292521Anthony AlfredoAndy’s Frozen Custard Chevrolet17243023Accident
301218Riley Herbst #Monster Energy Toyota17266017Accident
312878Vinnie MillerKoolbox Toyota1690006Running
32198Joe Graf Jr #Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet1580005Rear Gear
333647Josh Reaume(i)GPS Tab Chevrolet1010000Brakes
34176Ryan VargasTikTok Chevrolet810003Power Steering
353366Stephen LeichtJaniKing Toyota590002Fuel Pump
3619Noah Gragson (P)Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber Camo Chevrolet160001DVP

CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD ATLANTA: Runner-Up for No. 3 Corvette

By
Official Release
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Corvette Racing; Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia; October 17, 2020 Corvette C8.R #3 driven by Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg; Corvette C8.R #4 driven by Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner, and Marcel Fässler (Richard Prince/Chevrolet Photo)

Garcia, Taylor, Catsburg continue strong season in GTLM championship push

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 18, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg posted a runner-up class finish Saturday in the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The trio narrowly missed sending their No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R to its sixth victory of the season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) class.

After a wild and crazy afternoon, the No. 3 Corvette team finished just 1.779 seconds from its third straight class victory. The result, though, was good enough to increase the Drivers’ Championship lead for Garcia, Taylor and the No. 3 Corvette C8.R team to 28 points with two races to go. Chevrolet grew its lead in the Manufacturers standings to 16 points.

Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler placed fourth in class with the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. Both of the mid-engine Corvettes led multiple times on a topsy-turvy day. Gaps between cars in GTLM rose and fell on a whim in traffic, which wasn’t unexpected around the challenging and undulating 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course.

Garcia began from the GTLM pole, dropped to fourth at the start but regained the lead by the time his 94-minute opening run finished, thanks to skillful driving and great pit work by the No. 3 Corvette crew. The team twice gained three spots on pit stops in the race. Taylor drove a double-stint and again pitted from the lead to hand over to Catsburg near the three-and-a-half-hour mark for his only double stint of the race.

Taylor took back over just past the halfway point and remained in contention into darkness before Garcia’s final triple stint to close. A full-course caution period with 11 minutes left gave Garcia – who earlier took advantage of trouble for Jesse Krohn’s race-leading BMW with 37 minutes remaining to move into second place – his chance to pounce on Fred Makowiecki’s leading Porsche.

Unfortunately a final caution period following the restart with five minutes left meant the race ended under full-course yellow.

Milner drove a triple-stint to start in the No. 4 Corvette and led twice in his opening run after starting the race fifth in class. Fässler was in next and kept the car in contention before Gavin got in nearly three hours in. From that point, the No. 4 Corvette struggled to match the ultimate pace of the race leaders, although both Milner and Fässler drove strong stints in the race’s second half to keep the No. 4 Corvette in contention for a podium finish to the end.

Corvette Racing’s next event is Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTLM: “The late yellows may have been the difference. We didn’t have the pace against the 24. I tried very hard in my first stint when I got back in the car at night. We managed to gap both of the Porsches, and they went on a different strategy than us. I got held up by the 25 BMW, and that hurt. I don’t know if he didn’t know I was there. I had to pit a little sooner than expected, and from that point we were on the back foot. My middle stint wasn’t as good compared to the 911, and even if I picked up the pace at the end of the stint then it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t defend against him when I came out of the pits on cold tires (with 45 minutes left). Without a yellow, it would have been a question as to who would make the tires last the longest. We were both pushing hard. There was a chance for us but it was another second at Petit Le Mans. Looking back at the season, if this is a bad result then I will take it! We are in good shape for the championship. From that standpoint, we can be very happy of the consistency and being able to fight at every single race. We’ll go and try to win the last two and close it out.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTLM: “That was a tough race, but was a good day overall for Corvette Racing. When you look at the whole day, it was pretty flawless for the No. 3 side – no issues on the track, no issues in the pits, perfect strategy and perfect in the pits. To come away with P2 is great. It’s good for the points. But you always want to win these big ones when you have the opportunity. I think if we had gone green at the end then Antonio would have had something for the 911. It was unfortunate to see it go yellow at the end, but overall it was a good day.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTLM: “It was a nice race but very busy. It’s cool to be on the podium at this event with this car, this team and these teammates. Somehow it feels like we could have gotten a win, but I’m still happy with P2. It’s been a good event for us. The team and drivers did a faultless job. Maybe we didn’t have the pace at the end, but this was still a cool event for us. I had a moment with one of the Porsches that went too far in my opinion. He was racing like it was the last lap of the race and was pretty unacceptable. I think he got a drive-through penalty for it. But other than that I was quite happy with the double-stint I did and am looking forward to being back in the Corvette at Sebring.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “This was the most difficult Petit Le Mans that I’ve ever done. I’ve had hurt ribs after an incident biking earlier this week. I felt good around Wednesday but it became apparent Thursday that it was going to be a struggle in the car. I received a number of different treatments trying to get as comfortable as possible with the goal of doing a stint or two in the race. It just was too much pain and discomfort in my stint and we elected to get Marcel back in during the caution. He and Tommy did an amazing job under the circumstances, especially in a race as unpredictable as Petit Le Mans. Thanks to them and the team for all the effort and encouragement. We’ll try to get back on the right track at Laguna Seca later this month.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “We just weren’t good enough today. It was tough and frustrating. At times the car was good. It looks like we were off a little bit there at the end pace-wise compared to everyone else. We were hoping for a yellow late and got it, and thought we could have done something with it. I maybe had an opportunity or two with the 24 in the first few corners but it would have probably been more crashing and mayhem; it wasn’t worth running somebody off the road just for a spot. That’s not how I like to race. We’ll learn what we can, go to Laguna Seca and try again.”

MARCEL FÄSSLER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “My first run in the race was quite good, but I think I pushed a little too hard on the tires because they dropped off toward the end. That meant I struggled with some pace. The middle stint was good, and I was happy with the balance of the Corvette. The night portion was quite tough because somehow I couldn’t get the front tires to work. It was an issue and I lost a lot in traffic. We were hoping for an earlier caution to help us out. It was not easy out there with the traffic. But the Corvette C8.R showed it has great pace. The pit stops were perfect all day, and the team had a great day in the championship. I’m looking forward to Sebring and hoping we can have a better run and be back on the podium in the No. 4 Corvette.”

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.

No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R Team Wins 23rd Running of Motul Petit Le Mans

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Official Release
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No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R Team Wins 23rd Running of Motul Petit Le Mans

Braselton, GA (October 18, 2020) In another thrilling finish at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team secured its third win at the famed Motul Petit Le Mans and second endurance victory of the season. After 10 hours and 460 laps of hard-fought battles, Renger van der Zande brought the blue and black Konica Minolta car across the line first, winning overall and extending the team’s lead in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship by eight points.

After qualifying fifth, Ryan Briscoe started the endurance-classic on a beautiful crisp fall afternoon in Braselton, GA. With no inclement weather on the horizon, the 10-hour endurance classic was to be an all-out battle from the very first lap. While the No. 10 Konica Minolta drivers of Briscoe, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon joined in on the action from the drop of the green flag, they did so with the overall goal of preserving their Cadillac-powered machine to the end of the challenging event.

Through clever pit strategy and fuel conservation by the drivers in the early stages of the race, the No 10. Konica Minolta Cadillac team were always able to go further than its immediate competitors, therefore gaining an advantage in being able to open up wider pit windows towards the tail end of the event. After several clean stints and never falling below the Top 5 during the daytime, Briscoe, van der Zande and Dixon really brought the heat as the sun started setting at the picturesque venue. As night set in and temperatures dropped, the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R came into its own and the team found themselves well inside the Top 3.

But it would all come down to the final stint. Renger van der Zande slashed a 25-second gap to the leaders all the way down to 10 seconds with just 10 minutes remaining. As the Dutchman looked set to challenge for the lead before the end of the race, the two leaders made contact while battling for position, both going off course. In a great display of heads up driving, van der Zande was able to avoid the chaos at turn six and take the lead.

With a full course caution out as a result of the incident, van der Zande now had the entire field to fend off at the final restart with some five minutes remaining. The two-time Motul Petit Le Mans winner did not falter under pressure and made a terrific restart to jump into a sizable lead after just a few corners. In keeping with the theme of aggressive driving, another full-course yellow was to fall shortly thereafter which would see the race finish under caution. After 10 hours of perfect execution and being in the right place at the right time, the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R crossed the line first, scoring its second endurance win of the season, having dominated the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA in January.

Thanks to a flawless drive, the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team not only grabbed its third overall win at the Motul Petit Le Mans, but also extended its lead in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to eight points with two races remaining. With the victory, van der Zande and Briscoe both grab their third wins at the famed event, with Dixon scoring his first ever win at the endurance classic as well as his first non-Rolex 24 at DAYTONA win in IMSA.

“I’m almost speechless,” exclaimed team owner Wayne Taylor. “This is one of the hardest races and now I’ve won it four times, once as a driver and three as a team owner. We had so many problems going on throughout the race that people don’t know about and we didn’t know where we would end up. It’s a tribute to the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team. These guys work so hard and never give up. It all paid off really well and gives us a greater points lead in the championship, so I’m very happy about that. I can’t say enough about Renger, Ryan, and Scott. I’m blown away. “

“We’re super happy,” commented Renger van der Zande. “ It was a crazy race where we were lucky at the end, but we kept chipping off lap time to get up to the leaders. We had all kinds of issues during the race, a battery issue where it was going down and we had to drive with low power steering, so it was hard to drive and had no air conditioning so it was very hot in the car, but those just make the win that much sweeter.”

“Great day,” mentioned Ryan Briscoe.” It was a hard-fought weekend. We started out with some issues on the car, we had to change the whole brake system. During the race when Renger got in the car for the first time the car shut off twice out on the race track. Our battery voltage was dying, so it was actually very scary the whole race and we weren’t sure if we were going to make it to the end. The start of the race the car was not great, but we set it up for the night and for the finish, so when the track rubbered in the car got better and better. We had a plan and it went to plan and Renger was doing some awesome lap times at the end and was bringing down the gap, then those guys crashed, and we got the win. It’s just fantastic. “

“I have to say I really enjoy being a part of this team.” said Scott Dixon. “I’m two-for-two while being with Wayne Taylor Racing. Daytona was obviously a crazy start to the season, and this was such a big weekend with the championship fight being so close. This was such a big weekend for Wayne and the team. And it’s always such a pleasure to drive with Renger and Ryan. All I try to do is not fire it off the track and create too much of a deficit. It was an enjoyable weekend. We had a little bit of luck, but we had the pace. The car was super-fast and Renger drove the wheels off of it at the end where we closed an almost 20 second deficit towards the final few laps.”

The 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship continues in just two weeks with a two-hour, 40-minute sprint race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Full-time drivers Ryan Briscoe and Renger van der Zande will be behind the wheel at the Monterey, CA venue, and will be joined again by Scott Dixon for the season finale at Sebring International Raceway and the 12 Hours of Sebring on November 14th.

About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future™ with its expansive smart office product portfolio from IT Services (All Covered), ECM, Managed Print Services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for thirteen consecutive years, and is proud to be ranked on the Forbes 2017 America’s Best Employers list. The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for eight consecutive years has spent three years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. It partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and work to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Wright Motorsports Produces Strong Points Day with Top-Five Finish at Petit Le Mans

By
Official Release
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BRASELTON, Ga., (October 18, 2020) – The 23rd Annual Motul Petit Le Mans delivered its usual excitement Saturday evening at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The Wright Motorsports No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3R delivered a strong performance after starting tenth to finish fourth, earning their eighth top-five finish in nine races. The fourth-place finish brought solid points for drivers Ryan Hardwick and Patrick Long, who were joined over the weekend by endurance race addition Jan Heylen.

“Again, our guys executed a flawless race,” said Team Owner John Wright. “No one made a mistake all race, and we were able to fight up front for a while, but in the end, we were fighting for that third spot on the podium. We’re still very much in the hunt for the championship, and we’ll be strong at the final two races.”

Race morning brought Road Atlanta the coldest temperatures the competitors had all week, staying in the high 40s for the morning warm-up. Under clear blue skies, Ryan Hardwick started from tenth, avoiding any conflict during the car’s opening stint. He held off pressure from the No. 23 Aston Martin to charge after the No. 14 Lexus, and pitted from 12th under caution for his first stop for tires and fuel. The speed of the Wright Motorsports crew in pit lane put the No. 16 in the position to restart from 11th.

Jan Heylen took over with just under two hours complete, joining the race in 12th, 8.4 seconds behind the No. 14 Lexus of Jack Hawksworth. In the opening laps, Heylen shaved a second off that gap, and 15 minutes later gained two positions. After passing the 14 of Jack Hawksworth and the No. 44 Lamborghini of John Potter, The No. 16 Porsche had a 21-second gap to the No. 23 Aston Martin of Darren Turner. Within 15 minutes, Heylen cut that gap in half, gaining with every lap. He finished his stint in eighth and handed the No. 16 Porsche back over to Hardwick with fresh tires and a full tank of fuel.

With more hours of this year’s Petit Le Mans set to run in the cover of night than ever before, Wright Motorsports elected to set the car up to be its strongest for the final stints. However, that made Hardwick’s stints more challenging to drive in the heat of the afternoon. The hometown hero still delivered, rejoining the race in eighth and gaining a position during his brief stint.

Patrick Long took over the driving duties from Hardwick, rejoining 11th but made quick work to take tenth. A full-course caution brought the field back together, and a pass-around and pit strategy allowed all of the lapped cars to gain their lost lap back. After the pass-around, the No. 16 pitted, and again, stellar work by the Wright Motorsports crew gained the Porsche two more spots before going back to green. Long was ready to race, and as soon as his tires were up to temperature, he charged forward, gaining half of a second on the No. 14 Lexus ahead. The Lexus pitted for a full-service stop, moving Long up to sixth, and right behind the No. 23 of Ian James. Long made the pass on the Aston Martin for fifth just as another full-course caution paused the racing.

The GTD field poured into pit lane under caution, and due to one car short-fueling, the No. 16 Porsche exited pit lane to restart in sixth behind the No. 57 Acura. Heylen reclaimed fifth when contact between the No .57 Acura and the No.9 Porsche in turns 10 A/B dropped the 57 down the charts, and the No. 9 followed shortly after. The No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche claimed third place as dusk began to fall around the Braselton, Georgia road course. The No. 48 Lamborghini, still on their alternate fuel strategy, pitted early, moving Wright Motorsports, the fastest car in class, up to second.

Patrick Long took over from second place just before the fourth full-course caution of the day at 7:00PM, after almost six and half hours running. He had rejoined the race in third and came in for a quick splash under caution. For the third time in 6.5 hours, the crew gained the No. 16 Porsche a position in pit lane, coming out ahead of the No. 63 Ferrari. The fourth green flag of the race immediately produced a three-way battle for the second position between the No. 14 Lexus, No. 16 Porsche, and the No. 63 Ferrari.

By 8:00PM, the track was in full darkness, and Patrick Long brought the Porsche to the tail of the leader, fighting with every lap to take the lead position. The No. 48 again pitted early, and Patrick Long led the GTD field to the end of his stint. Heylen resumed his duties, rejoining in eighth. The Porsche 911 GT3 R seemed to have a longer time getting up to speed on cold tires, but still made moves to climb back up to third place. With 52 minutes remaining, the team made their final pit stop, with Heylen rejoining in sixth.

Tensions reached an all-time high in the final half-hour, bringing out two full-course cautions, limiting the time competitors had left to fight for position. Heylen captured fourth place and started to reel in the car in third just as the final caution came out, running to the checkered flag. The strong run at Petit Le Mans keeps Wright Motorsports second in the team championship standings, two points behind AIM VASSER Sullivan. Provisionally, Hardwick and Long stand third in the driver, just four points behind Aaron Telitz.

The Wright Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA had an incredibly successful weekend with Charlie Luck, driver of the No. 45 Porsche sweeping all three wins in the Road Atlanta tripleheader. Provisionally, he stands second in the Masters driver point standings. Joseph Lombardo, driver of the No. 92 Porsche earned two third-place finishes, joining luck on the Masters Podium.

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA next head to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, October 30 to November 1.

Driver Quotes

Ryan Hardwick
Fourth place at my hometown race. I’ll take it. It’s a shame because I think we were very close to battling for another podium. Our podium streak has ended, but our championship hopes are more alive than ever. We’re four points out of the lead and looking forward to finishing the season at tracks that we’re strong at: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Sebring International Raceway. I’m looking forward to taking this championship fight to the final lap.

Patrick Long
Fourth place finish. We had a good charge at the end. There was a ton of strategy and contact between all the classes. It was one of those finishes that you wanted a few more laps, but I’m proud of the effort. The guys were flawless in the pits all day. We had the pace and it was a good points day. We retained second place in the team points, and sit third in the driver standings. We just have to keep putting these solid positions on the board and let the year take its own shape.

Jan Heylen
It was a really cool race. I’m really happy that I could do it with the team. We were hoping for a podium, and it was definitely within our grasp, but we had a couple of things that didn’t come our way right at the end. The car had really good pace when the tires were hot, but we weren’t as good as some on cold tires out of the pit. I think that’s where we gave up a possible win or podium. We had the speed to win the race, but not on cold tires. It’s something we need to look into and see what we can do better for the next run. It was a crazy race. It was flawless for our team. We had good pit stops, and nobody made any mistakes. It’s tough to have everything go well and have the pace to compete for a win and not come away with a podium. It’s a little disappointing, but it was a really good points day for the team. In the end, that was the big picture. Now we have two races left and the team is in the best position to try to win the championship now. That’s exciting and we all did a good job.

1st Phorm
1st Phorm is a sports nutrition company based in St. Louis, MO. In 2009, CEO Andy Frisella and his business partner Chris Klein started the brand, and since then, it has become the fastest growing supplement company in the world. 1st Phorm has set the standards in the industry for quality and helping people reach their goals. This new racing partnership is not their first time in the exotic car scene either. 1st Phorm has been the title sponsor for the Gold Rush Rally for six years running. With over a million followers across social media, 1st Phorm has amassed a huge cult-like following known as, “The Legion of Boom.” They stand for a movement in the fitness world. To turn it back to what it was meant to be. Helping others improve their lives, to be a good human… and to drop the excuses and do the work. 1st Phorm is a winning brand and they don’t expect anything less when it comes to their race team. For additional info: www.1stphorm.com

Mountain Motorsports
Mountain Motorsports is a group of motorcycle and powersports dealerships with multiple locations in the southeastern United States. The company was founded by lifelong friends Ryan Hardwick and Justin Price when they opened their first location as a single-line Honda dealership in Sevierville, Tennessee in 1999. The company has since grown into one of the largest retailers of motorcycle and powersports vehicles in the nation, spanning eight dealership locations representing eleven of the industry’s most well-known brands. For additional info: www.mtn-motorsports.com

Una Vida Tequila
Una Vida translates to One Life. That is how this brand started. By people who want to live their “One Life” to the absolute fullest and to their highest potential. A group of guys from the Midwest who love great quality tequila, and want their One Life to have meaning and impact others.

One Life, One Tequila is our CORE BELIEF. We’re building the only tequila brand you will ever need to drink. Una Vida is bigger than just tequila we’re also building a culture of people who want to live their life to their utmost potential.

Our story begins and continues to grow bottle by bottle. It’s a life mission for us to create a community of people who all raise a glass knowing they’re living their ONE LIFE! For more information, visit unavidatequila.com

Henry Repeating Arms
Henry Repeating Arms is one of the leading rifle and shotgun manufacturers in the United States and a world leader in the lever-action category. The company motto is “Made in America, or not made at all” and its firearms come with a lifetime guarantee backed by award-winning customer service. The company is also known for its charitable endeavors under its Guns For Great Causes program, which focuses on sick children, both individual cases and children’s hospitals, veteran and wounded veteran organizations, Second Amendment and wildlife conservation organizations. The company currently employs 535 people and has 250,000 square feet of manufacturing space in its Rice Lake, Wisconsin and Bayonne, New Jersey facilities. The company is named in honor of Benjamin Tyler Henry who invented and patented the Henry rifle in 1860 – the first repeating rifle, the lever-action rifle, which is America’s unique contribution to international firearms design and is one of the most legendary, respected and sought after rifles in the history of firearms. Visit Henry Repeating Arms online at www.HenryUSA.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HenryRepeating, and on Instagram @Henry_Rifles.

Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series, international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013 and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. The 2020 season will see the team return to IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship. For more information, visit wrightmotorsports.com

Ford Performance NASCAR: Briscoe Dominates For Xfinity Win at Kansas

By
Official Release
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NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2020
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST RACE QUOTES

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
1st — Chase Briscoe
28th — Austin Cindric

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang (FINISHED 1st) —

VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW – “First off, I just want to dedicate this to Brian Egans. He lost his life last week and was a close family friend’s brother-in-law. I am happy we got him in victory lane. I am super happy to be locked into Phoenix. It is going to be a lot less stressful the next two weeks. That will be nice. I can’t say thank you enough to everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing. This Ford Performance Racing School Mustang was lights-out. This is the car we had at Vegas. I want to take it to Phoenix because of how good it was. It is so cool to get all our partners in victory lane. HighPoint.com, Fields Production Alliance Group, Mobil 1, Go Bowling. It has been an unbelievable year but we have three more to go get.”

WHAT ADVANTAGE DOES THIS GIVE YOU FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS TO BE COMPLETELY FOCUSED ON PHOENIX AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT TEXAS OR MARTINSVILLE? “It allows the guys at least to focus on the car. I am glad after all the chaos at the beginning of the race, a lot of those guys are going to be in scary points situations. I am glad we don’t have to deal with that. It is crazy to win nine races this year. It has been an unbelievable year and hopefully we can finish it out strong.”

WITH ALL THE CHAOS THIS EVENING, WERE YOU WORRIED YOUR MOMENT MIGHT HAPPEN? “I was so close down the backstretch when Noah (Gragson) and Austin (Cindric) and them guys crashed. Honestly Austin, I don’t know how he kept it going straight. He was wrecked in front of me three or four times. That is a good thing that my Ford Performance teammate kept it straight because we were definitely in that one and that would have ended our night. I am looking forward to going to Texas with no stress.”

CHASE BRISCOE POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

NINE WINS AND YOU ARE LOCKED INTO THE CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR. HOW ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT NOW? “I feel great. It was definitely a really good night and it is just awesome to start both rounds of the playoffs the way we did to dominate. The car we ran tonight was actually the same car we ran at Vegas. I wish we could take this thing to Phoenix because it has been unbelievable this year. It has won three races and ran second in the other one. Hats off to everyone at Stewart-Haas to bring the caliber of cars that we have brought to the playoffs. Hopefully we can continue this the next three weeks and most importantly at Phoenix.”

YOU HAD SAID THE CAR WAS LOOSE AND HAD A VIBRATION EARLY IN THE RACE. WERE EITHER OF THOSE THINGS THAT BIG OF A DEAL? “The vibration was really concerning because it was right from the get-go, lap one of that run. It continued to get worse and then it seemed like the last 10 or so laps it kind of mellowed out. that was a huge concern. I thought for sure we had a loose left rear. The freeness didn’t necessarily worry me, just because I knew if I maintained the lead I would be alright. The 19 was able to run with me the first 15-20 laps of a run and I was worried if we got in a late race situation, kind of like we did, that if I didn’t let the guys know how loose I was that we might not get on the other side of it. We made the adjustment at the end and it was certainly a lot better.”

SOME OF US IN THE MEDIA ARE PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT WE KNOW WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING NEXT YEAR. ARE YOU AS CONFIDENT AS WE ARE? “I talked to Tony (Stewart) and everybody at SHR this week and they said to focus on this week and then we will talk about it. I think winning the race is certainly going to help that situation. We will go into next week and anytime you can bring a trophy back it helps the cause. We are staying hopeful though.”

RYAN SEIG ADMITS THEY DON’T HAVE THE EQUIPMENT OF MOST PEOPLE. I AM CURIOUS, YOU PROBABLY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO RUN AROUND HIM A LITTLE MORE THIS YEAR THAN PAST YEARS. IS THERE MUCH YOU SEE THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM HIM AND THAT CAR? “Yeah, for me, I was so excited to see Ryan run that good and the same with any of the underdog guys. I am not great friends with Ryan by any means but I love the underdog story. It reminds me a lot of myself just because literally four or five years ago I was sleeping on couches and volunteering in race shops just trying to get the opportunity. To see Ryan get the opportunities he has been getting this year to drive faster race cars, he has proven that he can do it if he is in good stuff. It is cool to see guys like that outperform what their equipment is considered and shows how good of a race car driver he is. If the roles were reversed he could win races. It is cool to see those guys run good and it is fun to race with Ryan all year long and see him up in the front.”

LOOKING TOWARD NEXT YEAR FOR YOU. THERE IS A LOT OF DISCUSSION IF IT IS WORTH MOVING DRIVERS UP FOR ONE YEAR BEFORE THE CAR GOES TO NEXT GEN THE FOLLOWING YEAR. FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, IS A CAR A CAR OR DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE? “I get both sides of it. At the same time, to me, the amount of experience you would gain just running one year even of the old car and getting to race against those guys and see their tendencies and get humbled quite a bit and make you go learn more, to me that experience is invaluable. I think regardless of what the car is going to be, yeah you are at a deficit already from an experience standpoint but if you wait until the new car you will be at a deficit from an experience standpoint. If you can get that experience, even in a totally different car, I think just that experience of running longer races and getting to learn how those guys race and what they do on restarts and certain situations. I find myself everytime that Kyle (Busch) or Denny (Hamlin) come and run the Xfinity Series I learn so much just being around them. If I was able to move up to the Cup Series next year, I feel like I could learn so much by getting to race 36 races against them. I get both sides of it. I get the people that say you probably shouldn’t move up if it is an irrelevant car but at the same time the experience of getting to go racing against those guys is almost more valuable than just throwing away that car for a year.”

YOU HAD CLINT BOWYER’S PIT CREW TONIGHT. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN DOING BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC SITUATION? “No, we have had Clint’s pit crew all year long. The SHR guys, last year we had the 10 or maybe the 14’s pit crew. Cole had the other. That is just something we do and we have used them all year long from Daytona on. They have done a really good job for us. I think week in and week out we have been the best pit crew on pit road and I can’t think of a single time we have lost positions.”

YOU SAID YOU WERE DEDICATING THIS RACE TO SOMEONE? “His name is Brian Eagans. He was diagnosed with cancer two months ago. A really close family friend of ours, his brother-in-law. My dad went to school with him. I went to school with his son and we graduated together. A guy from Mitchell that is a family friend.”

DO YOU THINK YOU WILL BE IN THE CUP SERIES NEXT YEAR? “Honestly, I don’t know right now. I think me doing what I did tonight will only help my cause. I don’t think it will hurt it by any means. If I can keep doing this the remainder of the playoffs, not that it will make their decision easier or harder, but I am only helping my situation anytime I go win a race. That is all I am focused on right now.”

HAS SHR TOLD YOU ANYTHING ABOUT THE PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR? “No, I have asked them as soon as Clint announced his deal. They said they are working on it and trying to figure something out and that I should just focus on the playoffs. I know they said we would circle back next week and obviously a win will help.”

ARE YOU THE CHAMPIONSHIP FAVORITE? “I don’t know. There are so many guys in this series that can win week in and week out. We have to do our deal. We have to go there and focus on the 98, nobody else. I would certainly say that if Allgaier or one of those guys makes it to Phoenix, he is pretty unbelievable there. I think it is up in the air. Whoever the four guys are, they all deserve to be there and anybody can beat anybody on any given day, so we have to go there and do our job.”

HOW DO YOU APPROACH TEXAS NOW? “Same as it has been all year long. Go there and try to win. I keep saying that every race is an audition to try to go to the next level or stay at the level you are at. For me, there are still things that I can do better and three races left to still win. I don’t think we treat it any different. Point wise, we don’t have to worry about points anymore but we will go there with the mentality to win and try to lead every lap. That is the mentality we have had all year long.”

TWO YEARS AGO YOU WERE A BASIC UNKNOWN AND NOW YOU ARE ON THE VERGE OF A CUP RIDE. WHAT HAS THAT BEEN LIKE, THIS RIDE FOR YOU? “It has been unbelievable. Truthfully every day I still wake up and can’t believe that I am in the position that I am in. 2015 I was literally sleeping on couches and volunteering at race shops. I was moving back to Indiana. I was over it. I had been in North Carolina for over three years without a single test or ride or anything. I was getting turned down to even go volunteer at race shops. I was just over it. I didn’t think there was anything for me down here. Literally the week I was moving back home is when I got a call from Cunningham motorsports and they changed my life by giving me an opportunity to go run their ARCA car. The success we had in 2016 got me a Ford Development deal. I was supposed to be with Brad’s (Keselowski) truck team for two years. It gets shut down and kind of throws everything in a spiral. I go and do a part time deal between Roush and Stewart-Haas and truthfully ran terribly. In my opinion I was going to lose my Ford deal at the end of 2018 but I go and win the Roval and then the next thing I know they were trying to keep me at Stewart-haas. My career has been so close to ending so many times. To have the success we have had this year is just unbelievable to look back on. For me to get to drive for Tony Stewart is unbelievable. When I go back to Indiana in my hometown, my bedroom still has Tony Stewart stuff everywhere. I was a die hard Tony Stewart fan. I used to literally dress up in a Home Depot uniform and helmet and play my Sprint Car video game every single day. And now I get to drive for the guy and got a win at Indianapolis for the guy and won eight other races. It is unbelievable. Hopefully I can win the championship.”

YOU’VE KNOWN HUNGER, BOTH LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY AS YOU HAVE TRIED TO CHASE THIS. HOW MUCH DOES THAT MAKE YOU A BETTER DRIVER OR A POTENTIALLY MORE DANGEROUS DRIVER GOING FOR WINS. THE HUNGER FACTOR. HOW DOES IT PLAY IN? “I think that has been the biggest thing for my entire career. Nothing against these guys that come in and buy rides but they don’t have to win races or run good. They can run 10th-15th evey week and they are fine. I have to win races to prove my worth because I don’t come with money. Having that hunger, I think a lot of that too helps me keep things in perspective. Perfect example, last year I was 12 laps away from locking into the final race and I get crashed by a lap car. I could have been mad and upset but at the end of the day I am getting to drive race cars for a living and never thought I would get to do that. I think it helps me keep things in perspective but also helps me be hungry and that helps in situations like this.”

TONIGHT WAS YOUR NINTH WIN OF THE SEASON, ONE WIN SHY OF THE RECORD FOR MOST WINS IN A SEASON BY AN XFINITY SERIES REGULAR. 10 WINS ON THE YEAR, CAN YOU DO IT? “I’d like to hope so. The sickening part is I think we have given four or five a way where we were 10 or less laps away from winning the race and I threw it away or sped on pit road or something like that. that is going to happen and you can’t hang your head on those but we have three opportunities to go win races and that is what I want to go do. It is crazy to be even in the conversation with guys like that and to be able to win one race at this level is unbelievable, let alone nine in one season. It has been an incredible year and we have three races to try to win and that is what we are going to try to do.”

YOU ARE KIND OF KNOWN AS THE PEOPLE’S CHAMPION IN THE WORLD OF SOCIAL MEDIA. WHEN YOU GET THESE WINS, HOW COOL IS IT FOR YOU TO SHARE THESE WITH THE FANS ON REDDIT AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS? “It is super cool. This year, that is the only way we can interact with them. Reddit has been great to me. I am on there 24-7 it seems like. My wife gets mad. Between Twitter and Reddit I am always scrolling and that kind of makes her upset. When I get on the plane, I am going to load the race thread that is on Reddit and I will literally go through and read every comment that is good or bad. If they are bad I will kind of joke around with it and have fun with it and same with people that congratulate me. I have always enjoyed doing that. It goes back to when I was a fan. I would tweet at drivers and if they liked it I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I try to be that same way. It is literally hitting a heart on a tweet or whatever that can make someone’s day and I love doing that. I wish that we could have fans here week in and week out but social media is the only way we can interact with them right now and it is fun to get on there and see how it has evolved.”

YOU HAVE BEEN A MAN OF FAITH THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER. WITH THE INCREDIBLE SUCCESSES AND LOWS YOU HAVE HAD, HOW MUCH HAS YOUR FAITH HELPED YOU KEEP A BALANCED APPROACH? “I think your faith is easy to be good when times are good. It is easy to say your faith is great when everything is going good. It is when you have the bad times that you lean into that. For me, the stuff that me and my wife experienced this year was the hardest thing I have ever experienced in my life. To go through the emotions, literally from one day to the other, the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. I wouldn’t have gotten through that without my faith. I think that is one thing that separates me from a lot of people. I try to really show my faith and try to kind of be that light for other people. That even goes for my victory celebration and my thing that I do every time. It blew my mind the amound of poeple that had seen oru story from the miscarriage and had been lead to faith. A perfect example, a couple weeks ago, someone on Reddit said they got baptised because of that story. If we can help one person going through something bad then it is all worth it.”

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT AT THIS POINT IN THE SEASON THAT YOU WOULD BE RIGHT UP THERE WITH LEGENDS OF THIS SERIES IN WINS AND GETTING CLOSE TO THAT DOUBLE-DIGIT WIN MARK? “I knew that we were going to be able to compete for wins this year. That is why I said what I said at the beginning of the year. I truly felt like we could go win eight races. I don’t know if I would have thought that we would have won some of the races that we did. I felt like we could go win places like Homestead and stuff like that but I never would have thought that we would win at the Indianapolis road course or Pocono or even Bristol. Places that are iconic in our sport. It has been a crazy year. To have your name even close to those guys is very humbling and a huge honor. I would love to get into the double-digit marks but like I keep saying, regardless it has been an amazing season. Whether we win the championship or not it isn’t going to definie the year that we have had. I think that we have had a great season and that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to try to win the next three and the championship but it has been an amazing year and I can’t say that enough.”

PHOENIX IS A PLACE YOU HAVE STRUGGLED AT IN THE PAST SO HOW MUCH OF AN ADVANTAGE IS IT FOR YOU TO HAVE TWO WEEKS TO PREPARE? “I don’t know if it gives us any advantage. Truthfully we have been working on the Phoenix car for a while now. If anything it allows us to be a little less stressful the next two weeks. Like you said, Phoenix is a place that is not my best race track and not one I necessarily look forward to. I wish Homestead was still the final race because I feel like that is probably my best track on the schedule but with the schedule change it didn’t work out that way. If we can win the championship, it is going to take winning the race I feel like. For me, winning at Phoenix would be a huge accomplishment and one of the proudest things I have done because I know how bad I have been there and how much work and effort I have put in to get better there. I feel like I have made progress every time we go but there is still a lot to go and hopefully we can close that gap to the 7 and guys like that and go there and run good.”

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