Austin Dillon and the No. 3 TRACKER Off Road/Bass Pro Shops/E-Z-GO Chevrolet Team Fight Their Way to Top-20 Finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL But Come Up Just Short of Advancing in the NASCAR Playoffs
Finish: 19th
Start: 6th
Points: 9th
“We tried our hardest, but nothing fell our way today on this No. 3 TRACKER Off Road/Bass Pro Shops/E-Z-GO Chevrolet team. We were looking pretty good at the end of Stage 1. We took tires and got to fifth by the end of the stage, but an unlucky caution happened and that cycled us. We knew we were dead meat at that point because we didn’t have dry tires on, so we pitted at the end of Stage 1 to try and jump some people. That backfired on us because we had to go to the tail end of the line since pit road wasn’t open. We just had a lot of stuff happen to us today. Again, a caution fell late in Stage 2 while we were running 12th. We had no help from cautions. The race just didn’t play our way. I’m actually pretty happy with our performance as far as my road course racing has been. I feel like I’ve improved. I raced hard all day. We finished 19th, and that shows some progress. I think if we would have been up further in the field and had track position, we would have maintained just fine. I’m proud of this team, and even though we are no longer in the NASCAR Playoffs, we still have several races to go in the season and will do our best to get another win. We’re already looking forward to next season.” -Austin Dillon
Tyler Reddick and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Team Earn Hard-Fought 12th-Place Finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL
Finish: 12th
Start: 16th
Points: 19th
“Every time I come to a road course, I grow as a driver. We had a great No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet today, and I want to thank my team for working with me all day long. It wasn’t an easy day, but we all kept with it and improved throughout the race. It took a little bit of Stage 1 to re-familiarize myself with the course, so I spent a lot of that stage being careful to not overstep and wreck. After a pit stop and adjustment during the second stage, I was able to rotate a lot better all throughout the track, which helped me gain a lot of traction on the field. We had a couple cautions fall later during the race that helped us with some track position a little bit, overall, it was a really good effort by my No. 8 team today. They kept with it and remained patient with me throughout the day, while relaying information on areas of the track to continue to work on. I definitely learned more about this track today and will put that in the notebook for next year.” -Tyler Reddick
It was deja vu for Chase Elliott, who rallied from an unscheduled pit stop nearing the midway point to address a loose wheel to muscle back to the lead with 18 laps remaining and power away on a restart with 10 laps remaining to win the third annual running of the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on a cloudy, slick afternoon on Sunday, October 11. With his third victory of the season and his ninth NASCAR Cup Series career win, Elliott became the first repeat winner of the Roval in the Cup Series and he raced his way into the Round of 8 in the 2020 Cup Series Playoffs.
The starting lineup was based on four statistical categories: current owner’s standings, the driver’s result from a previous Cup race, the team owner’s result from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race. With that, Denny Hamlin, coming off his thrilling victory last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Chase Elliott.
Prior to the race, Josh Bilicki started at the rear of the field due to a driver change. In addition, Erik Jones also started at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments and after his crew worked on his car on pit road.
The race started with rain tires, which marked the first time a Cup Series race utilized rain tires for a race. The move came a day after the NASCAR Xfinity Series endured a dark, wet and wild event on the Roval a day earlier, where a number of competitors slid across every wet turn and where A.J. Allmendinger came out on top to win amid the Xfinity Playoffs.
When the green flag waved and the race started on a wet, cloudy afternoon, Hamlin jumped ahead with the lead while Elliott and Brad Keselowski pursued closely behind him. Following an intense battle through the infield turns, the outer track turns and the backstretch chicane, Keselowski was able to pull ahead of Hamlin and Elliott. Coming back to the start/finish line, Keselowski was able to lead the first lap as everyone else behind was able to cycle their way through one full lap around the wet, racing surface on the Roval.
Keselowski continued to lead following the second lap while Hamlin and Elliott pursued. Kevin Harvick was in fourth place followed by Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. Meanwhile, Ty Dillon, who started 17th, moved up to seventh place followed by Kyle Busch, Alex Bowman and Austin Dillon.
By the third lap, Elliott moved up to second place over Hamlin and Harvick while Ty Dillon moved up to fifth place. By then, Keselowski extended his advantage to more than a second.
The following lap, Ty Dillon continued to flex his muscles on the wet, slick surface of the Roval by moving up to third place. Truex also moved up to fourth place while Hamlin fell back to fifth place. In addition, Harvick fell back to eighth place while Logano and Kyle Busch each moved up a spot.
By the fifth lap, Keselowski was leading by nearly a second over Elliott, with both ahead of third-place Truex by more than three seconds. Ty Dillon retained fourth place followed by Logano while teammates Hamlin and Kyle Busch battled for sixth place. Shortly after, Clint Bowyer, who announced his retirement from full-time racing three days ago, moved up to sixth place.
Entering the backstretch chicane, Elliott was able to narrow the gap between himself and Keselowski to one car length, though Keselowski retained the lead. A lap later, Elliott was able to take the lead from Keselowski through Turns 2 and 3. While Elliott started to extend his advantage to a second, Truex and Bowyer started to reel in on Keselowski for the runner-up spot.
A lap later, Truex moved up to second place and Bowyer also moved up to third place while Keselowski fell back to fourth place. Though Truex and Bowyer started to pounce on Elliott for the lead, Elliott was able to retain the lead through the 10th lap and when the competition caution flew.
At the time of competition caution, nine of 12 Playoff contenders were running in the top 10 while Ty Dillon was the only non-title contender in the top 10, running in fifth place. Logano was in sixth place followed by Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Kurt Busch and Harvick. Alex Bowman and Austin Dillon were in 13th and 14th while Aric Almirola was mired back in 22nd place.
Under the competition caution, some like Harvick, Ty Dillon, William Byron, Austin Dillon, Ryan Blaney, Almirola and Matt DiBenedetto pitted while others led by Elliott remained on track. During the stops, Ryan Newman and Ty Dillon opted for slick tires.
When the race restarted on Lap 12, Truex jumped ahead with the lead past the start/finish line and through Turn 1 while Bowyer moved up to second place over Elliott. Entering the frontstretch chicane, however, Bowyer made a move beneath Truex and took over the top spot.
By Lap 15, Bowyer continued to lead the race over Playoff contenders Truex, Elliott, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Keselowski, Hamlin and Logano. William Byron was in ninth place followed by Christopher Bell, Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece, Harvick and Austin Dillon. Bowman was in 17th ahead of Blaney while Almirola was in 21st in between Michael McDowell and Bubba Wallace. Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth were in 26th and 27th behind Cole Custer and Matt DiBenedetto. Chris Buescher, who was penalized for a crew member jumping over the pit wall early prior to Buescher’s pit stop, was back in 28th place. Teammate Newman, who spun in Turn 4, dropped all the way back to 38th, last place.
Three laps later, Bowyer stabilized his advantage to more than two seconds over Truex while Kurt Busch moved up to third place over Elliott. By then and with the sun starting to peak amid the clouds, Bell and Jimmie Johnson pitted for slick tires. Shortly after, more pit stops under green continued as Reddick, Blaney, Wallace, Custer, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and John Hunter Nemechek pitted for slick tires. Logano, Byron, Jones, Preece, Harvick, Bowman, Kenseth and Buescher also pitted for slick tires.
By Lap 20, Bowyer continued to lead by less than two seconds over Ty Dillon, who continued to pounce, while Truex was in third place ahead of the Busch brothers. Elliott was back in seventh place behind DiBenedetto.
A lap later, Ty Dillon and the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE moved into the lead over Bowyer entering the backstretch chicane. By then, Keselowski and Hamlin pitted for slick tires. Following his stop, however, Hamlin spun in Turn 4 and sustained damage to the front nose of his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry. He was able to re-fire, drive his car out of the grass and continue with the race remaining under green.
With three laps remaining in the first stage, the caution flew due to Nemechek driving off the track in Turn 6 and getting stuck in the grass. By then, Elliott, Corey LaJoie and Almirola pitted for slick tires while Ty Dillon was leading over Bowyer, Truex, DiBenedetto and the Busch brothers. Despite his incident, Nemechek was able to re-fire his No. 38 Citigard Ford Mustang and drive away, though he took part of an EchoPark billboard with him.
Under caution, Bowyer, Truex and Kyle Busch pitted for slick tires while Ty Dillon continued to lead followed by DiBenedetto and Timmy Hill.
With the race restarting on a one-lap dash to conclude the first stage, Ty Dillon was able to retain the lead over DiBenedetto while Christopher Bell moved up to second place. For one full lap, Ty Dillon was able to retain the lead and hold off Bell to win the first stage on Lap 25 and claim his first stage victory of the season. Bell settled in second place followed by DiBenedetto while Byron overtook Timmy Hill entering the frontstretch chicane to finish in fourth. Newman, Blaney, Logano, Wallace and Jones settled in the top 10. By then, Keselowski and Kurt Busch were in 12th and 13th, Bowman was in 17th and Harvick, Elliott and Almirola were in 19th, 20th and 21st. Hamlin was in 24th, teammates Kyle Busch and Truex were in 26th and 27th and Bowyer was in 29th. Austin Dillon was in 37th.
Under the stage break, some like Harvick, Hamlin, Ty Dillon, Hill, Wallace, Kurt Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Quin Houff, LaJoie, Brennan Poole, James Davison and Josh Bilicki pitted while the rest led by Bell and DiBenedetto remained on the track. By then, with his result in the first stage, Harvick clinched his spot for the Round of 8 in the Playoffs.
The second stage started on Lap 28 and Bell was able to retain the lead while Byron challenged and overtook DiBenedetto for the runner-up spot through the first three turns. Behind, Newman, who rallied from spinning in the first stage and falling to the rear of the field, moved up to fourth while teammates Logano and Blaney along with Jimmie Johnson battled for fifth place.
By Lap 30 and with a multitude of on-track battles ensuing, Byron moved into the lead over Bell and DiBenedetto while Penske teammates Logano and Blaney overtook Newman for spots in the top five. Behind, Johnson and Erik Jones battled for seventh place while Keselowski joined the party when Johnson, Newman and Jones battled entering Turn 1.
Three laps later, Byron and his No. 24 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE stretched out by less than two seconds over Bell and his No. 95 Rheem Toyota Camry while Logano and Blaney overtook DiBenedetto for third and fourth on the track. Jones and Keselowski were in sixth and seventh while Johnson was in eighth ahead of teammate Alex Bowman and Elliott. Kyle Busch was in 12th while Bowyer and Truex were in 14th and 15th. Kurt Busch was in 17th ahead of Almirola while Harvick was in 25th. Hamlin and Austin Dillon were mired back in 30th and 31st.
A lap later, Keselowski spun in Turn 4 as Jones and DiBenedetto came to a full stop to avoid hitting Keselowski’s No. 2 Western Star/Alliance Parts Ford Mustang. Though he continued, Keselowski reported a little vibration to his car. Another lap later, Bell spun in Turn 4 while running in second place. Though he continued, he dropped back to ninth place. Despite all of these incidents, the race remained under green and with Byron leading Blaney, Logano, Elliott and Bowman.
A few laps later, Almirola and Newman each spun. Amidst the spins and with the race remaining under green, Byron continued to lead while Blaney started to reel in for the lead. Logano, Elliott and Bowman continued to run in the top five followed by Kyle Busch, Custer, Bowyer, Truex and Bell.
On lap 39, Blaney emerged as the new leader over Byron after passing Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet in Turn 1. Logano, Elliott and Bowman continued to run in the top five while Kyle Busch settled in sixth place ahead of Custer.
Three laps later, Blaney extended his advantage to more than three seconds over Byron while Logano trailed by four seconds. Trailing behind by more than 13 seconds was Elliott while teammate Bowman settled in fifth place. Kyle Busch, Custer, Bowyer, Truex and Bell settled in the top 10 ahead of Kurt Busch, Johnson, Jones, Keselowski and McDowell.
With five laps remaining in the second stage, Blaney continued to lead by less than four seconds over Byron, who started to have Logano close in and ignite a challenge for second place. Hendrick Motorsports’ teammates Elliott and Bowman were in the top five while Kyle Busch retained fifth place over Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Bowyer and Custer. Truex was in ninth place followed by Kurt Busch, Jones and Keselowski.
Shortly after, the caution flew due to J.J. Yeley getting stalled in Turn 5. By then, Hamlin pitted. Harvick, Almirola, Bell and DiBenedetto also pitted. Some like Byron and Kyle Busch pitted while others led by Blaney and Logano remained on track.
With the race restarting on a two-lap dash to conclude the second stage, Blaney jumped ahead with the lead while Elliott and Logano battled for second. The following lap, Elliott overtook Logano for second place while Bell and Truex closed in for more. Behind, Kyle Busch fell off the pace due to sustaining a flat left-front tire and minor left-front damage to his No. 18 M&M’s Toyota following contact with Bowyer in Turn 4. In addition, teammate Hamlin spun out of Turn 8, but he continued as the race continued under green.
Towards the front, Bell and Truex overtook Logano for third and fourth while Blaney continued to lead. With no one having anything for the leaders at the front, Blaney was able to hold off Elliott to claim the second stage victory on Lap 50 and for his fourth stage victory of the season. Elliott settled in second followed by Bell, Truex and Logano while Bowman, Byron, Reddick, McDowell and Keselowski settled in the top 10.
Under the stage break, some like Blaney, Elliott, Truex, Logano, Bowman, McDowell, Keselowski, Newman, Brennan Poole, Houff, Bilicki and Hamlin pitted while others led by Bell remained on the track. Kyle Busch also pitted to have the left-front tire changed along with the damage repaired as he restarted at the rear of the field. Following the pit stops, Truex was assessed a speeding penalty for speeding on pit road as he also dropped to the rear of the field.
With 56 laps remaining and with the sun continuing to shine amid the clouds, the final stage commenced with Bell and Byron on the front row ahead of Reddick, Keselowski, Harvick, Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Buescher, Custer and Johnson. Prior to the restart, however, Elliott surrendered his track position and made another pit stop to address a loose left-front wheel on his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. At the start, Byron overtook Bell for the lead. Behind, Custer spun in Turn 6 along with Hamlin, who spun following contact with James Davison. Hamlin was able to reverse his damaged No. 11 FedEx Toyota out of the grass in Turns 6 and 7 and return to pit road.
With the race reaching its halfway mark in between Laps 54 and 55, Byron continued to lead by more than a second over Bell while Keselowski, Bowyer and Kurt Busch were in the top five. Johnson was in sixth followed by Reddick, Harvick, Jones and Buescher.
With 50 laps remaining, Byron stabilized his advantage to less than a second over Bell while Keselowski, Bowyer and Kurt Busch were in the top five. Harvick was in seventh behind Johnson while Austin Dillon was in 12th. Behind, Kyle Busch, facing a “must-win” situation, was in 22nd behind Logano and Bowman while Truex was in 17th. Elliott was in 24th ahead of Almirola, who was also in a “must-win” situation. Hamlin, meanwhile, was in 32nd.
Nearly five laps later, the caution flew due to debris in Turn 6 and at the time where Ty Dillon also spun in the turn. He continued with damage on the left-front nose of his No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet. Earlier, Keselowski got off line and was overtaken by Bowyer for third place while Byron continued to lead over Bell.
Under caution, a majority of the field pitted while some like Byron, Bell, Bowyer, Johnson, Harvick, Blaney, Buescher, McDowell and DiBenedetto remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Newman was assessed a speeding penalty for speeding on pit road.
With 42 laps remaining and with dark clouds returning to the track with reported rain approaching the speedway, the race restarted under green with Byron and Bell on the front row ahead of Bowyer and Johnson. At the start, Byron retained the lead while Bowyer moved up to second place. Bell fell back to third place ahead of Johnson while Harvick was in fifth ahead of Kurt Busch and McDowell.
Two laps later, with 40 laps remaining, the caution returned when Austin Dillon spun and made contact towards the inside wall near the frontstretch chicane following contact with Kyle Busch. By then, Byron was still ahead with the lead over Bowyer and Bell while Blaney moved up to fourth place. Johnson was in fifth place ahead of Kurt Busch while Logano, Elliott, Stenhouse and Harvick were in the top 10.
Under caution, most of the leaders led by Byron pitted while some like Blaney, Stenhouse, Jones, Preece, Bowman, Kyle Busch, Gray Gaulding, Wallace and Houff remained on track. During the stops, Bowyer lost a multitude of stops following a slow pit stop. Following the stops, Byron was assessed a penalty for speeding on pit road.
The race restarted with 37 laps remaining and Blaney retained the lead through the first turn. Behind, Wallace made contact with Stenhouse, who spun as Bowyer sustained front-nose damage. Shortly after, Bowyer reported no power steering to his No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang as his hopes of winning and transferring to the Round of 8 were diminishing. Back at the line, Blaney continued to lead followed by Preece, Bowman, Logano and Jones. Wallace continued to run in sixth place followed by Gaulding, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Elliott.
Two laps later, Preece emerged with the lead after Blaney spun in Turn 3 and plowed his No. 12 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford Mustang into the infield grass, where he was also dodged from the oncoming traffic. With Blaney’s misfortune, Bowman moved up to second place followed by Logano, Jones and Wallace. The situation went from bad to worse for Blaney, who sped on pit road and was assessed a drive-through penalty on pit road after pitting following his on-track spin.
At the front, Preece, racing in his No. 37 Maxwell Houses for Heroes Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, continued to lead followed by Bowman and Logano while Jones, Elliott and Kyle Busch were running in fourth through sixth.
With 30 laps remaining, Preece retained the lead followed by a hard-charging Bowman while Logano, Elliott, Jones and Kyle Busch started to join the party.
Two laps later, Bowman emerged with the lead and teammate Elliott along with Logano and Kyle Busch moved up while Preece fell back to fifth place. At the front, the two Hendrick Motorsports’ teammates battled for the next two laps before Elliott, who rallied from his late loose wheel pit stop, reassumed the lead through Turns 5 and 6.
With 24 laps remaining, Elliott continued to lead by more than a second over teammate Bowman, who was retaining one of the final transfer spots to the Round of 8 in the Playoffs. Kyle Busch was in third place and in a “must-win” situation ahead of Logano, who was also battling for one of the final transfer spots to the Round of 8. Shortly after, the caution returned due to debris spotted in Turn 4. In addition, Matt Kenseth wrecked into the tire barriers in Turn 3.
Under caution, a majority of the leaders pitted while some led by Kyle Busch, Bell, Hamlin, Jones and Blaney remained on the track.
With 20 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Kyle Busch and his No. 18 M&M’s Toyota jumped ahead with the lead followed by teammates Jones and Hamlin. With Elliott moving up to fourth place and reeling in on Hamlin for more on fresh tires, Jones moved into the lead with 19 laps remaining through Turns 5 and 6. Elliott quickly made his way into second place over Kyle Busch.
A lap later, Elliott reassumed the lead following a crossover move on Jones through Turns 7 and 8 and started to pull away. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch was still in third place, but he had brother Kurt along with teammate Hamlin and Logano reeling in behind him. Shortly after, John Hunter Nemechek spun on the frontstretch, but he continued and the race remained under green.
With the laps winding down, Elliott continued to stabilize and extend his advantage over Jones, who had Kurt Busch closing in for the spot. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch was in fourth place ahead of Logano, Hamlin and Blaney.
Under 12 laps remaining, the caution flag returned due to the stalled car of Brennan Poole. By then, Elliott was leading by more than two seconds over Jones while Kurt Busch, Logano and Kyle Busch were in the top five. Blaney was in sixth followed by Hamlin, Bowman, Truex and Byron.
Under caution, some pitted while others remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Buescher was sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road.
The race restarted under green with 10 laps remaining and with Elliott and Jones on the front row. At the start, Elliott retained the lead while Logano moved up to second place over Jones. Kurt Busch and Blaney moved into the top five over teammates Truex and Kyle Busch.
With seven laps remaining, Elliott stabilized his advantage by less than two seconds over Logano while Jones, Kurt Busch and Blaney continued to run in the top five. Truex was still in sixth place ahead of Kyle Busch. Bowman was in eighth place ahead of teammate Byron and Reddick while Almirola was in 12th in between teammates Custer and Bowyer. Johnson was in 14th ahead of Keselowski, Harvick and Austin Dillon. By then, McDowell spun twice on the track’s two chicane areas, but he continued with the race remaining under green.
With five laps remaining, Elliott continued to lead by more than two seconds over Logano with Kurt Busch, Jones and Blaney trailing by four seconds or more.
Down to the final three laps of the race, Elliott stabilized his advantage by more than two seconds over Logano. Kurt Busch and Jones continued to run in third and fourth while Truex moved into fifth place. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch ran out of fuel and pitted as his hopes to advance to the Round of 8 and defend his titles hopes evaporated.
A lap later, Newman spun in Turn 1, but he was able to straighten his car and proceed with the race continuing under green. Across the backstretch chicane on the same lap, Kurt Busch and Truex spun, but both continued while Jones moved up to third place. Despite the spins, Elliott was able to come back around the frontstretch and start the final lap of the race.
With no mistakes made and no challengers closing in, Elliott was able to cycle back around and cross the finish line to win as he continued to flex his dominance and winning streak on road course events.
With his win, Elliott joined Jeff Gordon as the only competitors to achieve four consecutive wins on a road course, a streak that spans back to Watkins Glen International in August 2019 for the Dawsonville, Georgia, native. In addition, he recorded the 20th road course victory for Hendrick Motorsports. By advancing to the Round of 8 in the Playoffs for the fourth consecutive time, Elliott will attempt to secure a spot in the Championship Round at Phoenix Raceway in November and battle for his first Cup title.
“Well, [I] just had another really fast NAPA Camaro and really appreciate the effort,” Elliott said on NBC. “I feel like road courses have been fortunate to us the last few trips, but I feel like we just try to get a little better every time, tweak on the small things. [I] Felt like I tweaked on some small things and got a little better than what I was last year, which was good. Just really proud of the effort. It’s always special to win here at Charlotte with the [Hendrick Motorsports] shop being right across the street. Appreciate all the effort there. Best way to get to the next round is to win. Hopefully, we can do something with it.”
Logano finished in second place followed by Jones, Kurt Busch and Blaney. Byron finished in sixth place while Truex, Bowman, Custer and Bowyer, who had no power steering for the remainder of the race, rounded out the top 10. Jimmie Johnson finished 13th in his 40th and final run at Charlotte.
Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman and Kurt Busch advanced to the Round of 8 and all will continue to pursue this year’s championship next weekend at Kansas Speedway. Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Aric Almirola and Clint Bowyer have been eliminated from title contention.
Of the four competitors who failed to advance beyond the Round of 12 following their runs at Charlotte, no one was more disappointed than Kyle Busch. By finishing in 30th place, the reigning two-time Cup champion will not advance to the Round of 8 for the first time since 2014 as his hopes to defend his title came to an end. Through 32 of 36 races this season, Busch has yet to record his first Cup victory of the season
“It’s just been unfortunate circumstances, a lot of bad luck,” Kyle Busch said on NBC. “These guys on this M&M’s team, they never give up and they fight all year long. Every race and every lap and every pit stop as we can see. Man, one of them off-years. Terrible year for me but as other great sports would say, there’s many other drivers that would love to have the year that we’re having but man, it’s just frustrating to know how good we are, what we’re capable of and being champions from last year, to not come out here and to be able to succeed and be able to win. The fact of the matter, we win and we’d be a hell of a lot better better off, but I knew this round was gonna be trouble with the year that we had. Yeah, I was right…We still got a lot of work to do to try to get better. I’m not sure what it is but man, we lack a lot of drive, drive off the corners with laps.”
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.
“We were looking pretty good at the end of Stage 1,” Austin Dillon, who finished 19th, said on NBC. “We had took tires again and got to fifth in the stage, and that unlucky caution happened in that cycle. We knew we were dead meat at that point because we didn’t have drys [tires] on. So, we pitted at the end of Stage 1 just trying to jump some people, then we had to go to the tail [end of the field] because pit road wasn’t open. Just a lot of stuff and again, that caution fell late in Stage 2 when we’re running 12th. No help from cautions. The race just didn’t play our way. I’m actually pretty happy with that as far as my road course racing has been. I raced hard all day. We finished 19th. That shows some progress. I think if we would’ve been up there track-position wise, we would’ve maintained just fine.”
“It was tough,” Almirola, who finished 16th, said on NBC. “I struggle here in particular. I’m not the greatest road-course racer, but specifically here, it’s always been a challenge. Just struggled all day. Really struggled on the rain tires. I spun out over there in that water that was draining across the race track in Turn 4 and then, we had an issue with a pit gun or something on pit road and got a lap down. We fought hard, it was definitely a fight. Just not the day we needed to move on. We still got a few races left to go perform at the highest level we can and try to get the most points we can. Still really proud of our season and proud of the effort of this team. We’ve got some racing left to do and hopefully, get this Smithfield Ford Mustang in Victory Lane in one of these last few [races].”
Following his run, Bowyer made a trip to the infield care center, where he was evaluated and released, though his hopes of winning his first Cup title came to an end in his final full-time season of racing.
There were 17 lead changes for 11 different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 16 laps.
Results.
1. Chase Elliott, 27 laps led
2. Joey Logano
3. Erik Jones, one lap led
4. Kurt Busch
5. Ryan Blaney, 14 laps led, Stage 2 winner
6. William Byron, 27 laps led
7. Martin Truex Jr.
8. Alex Bowman, two laps led
9. Cole Custer
10. Clint Bowyer, nine laps led
11. Kevin Harvick
12. Tyler Reddick
13. Jimmie Johnson
14. Ryan Preece, eight laps led
15. Denny Hamlin
16. Aric Almirola
17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
18. Brad Keselowski, seven laps led
19. Austin Dillon
20. Chris Buescher
21. Bubba Wallace
22. Matt DiBenedetto
23. Ty Dillon, five laps led, Stage 1 winner
24. Christopher Bell, six laps led
25. Daniel Suarez
26. Gray Gaulding
27. Corey LaJoie
28. Quin Houff
29. James Davison
30. Kyle Busch, three laps led
31. Ryan Newman
32. Michael McDowell
33. Josh Bilicki, one lap down
34. Matt Kenseth, one lap down
35. J.J. Yeley, one lap down
36. John Hunter Nemechek, four laps down
37. Brennan Poole – Suspension
38. Timmy Hill – OUT, Engine
Bold indicates Playoff contenders
Playoff standings.
1. Kevin Harvick – Advanced
2. Denny Hamlin – Advanced
3. Brad Keselowski – Advanced
4. Chase Elliott – Advanced
5. Joey Logano- Advanced
6. Martin Truex Jr. – Advanced
7. Alex Bowman – Advanced
8. Kurt Busch – Advanced
9. Kyle Busch – Eliminated
10. Clint Bowyer – Eliminated
11. Austin Dillon – Eliminated
12. Aric Almirola – Eliminated
The Round of 8 in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will commence next Sunday, October 18, at Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400. The race will occur at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, 2.28 Mile Road Oval
Race: 32 of 36
Event: Bank of America ROVAL 400 (252.88 miles, 109 laps)
John Hunter Nemechek
No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang
Started: 19th
Finished: 36th
Stage One: 38th
Stage Two: 38th
Stage Three: 36th
John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag in Sunday’s highly anticipated NASCAR Cup Series race at the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the 19th position. With track conditions starting off wet, all drivers were required to use “wet” tires at the beginning of the race. At the Competition Caution, Nemechek said that his No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang was lacking front grip and he needed to turn better, but “drive off isn’t bad.” He would stay out under caution but came to pit road on Lap 18 to change to “slick” tires and take fuel under green. On Lap 23, Nemechek would spin and hit the wall in Turn 6, bringing out a caution and damaging the right side of the car. He would finish Stage 1 in 38th place.
While on pit road for the crew to work on the right-side damage, Nemechek would have too many pit crew members over the wall under NASCAR’s Damaged Vehicle Policy. He would have to return to pit road, where his No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang would be held for a two-lap penalty, ultimately putting him three laps behind the leader. Nemechek soldiered on to take the green- and white-checkered flag to finish Stage 2 in 38th place.
Nemechek would continue to persevere throughout Stage 3 in his No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang. On Lap 54, he picked up some additional damage in the scuffle following a spin by the No. 11. He would pit a few laps later under green for the crew to work on the car. A tire rub discovered shortly after returning to the track would force him to pit road under green once again on Lap 63. Nemechek would go on to take the checkered flag in 36th place, four laps down.
Nemechek on the Charlotte ROVAL:
“The ROVAL was not our friend today, unfortunately. Our No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang fired off pretty decent, but the rear end just stepped out on me in the first half of the race and I couldn’t save it. We pitted for damage repair and received a penalty that put us two more laps down and we couldn’t really recover from there. Sometimes mistakes just hurt. Hopefully it was still a good show for the fans. It was great that we were able to have them with us in in person at home. We’ll add what we can to our notebook for next time and get ready for Kansas.”
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, 2.28 Mile Road Course
Race: 32 of 36
Event: Bank of America ROVAL 400 (252.88 Miles, 109 Laps)
Michael McDowell
No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Speedco Ford Mustang
Started: 31st
Finished: 32nd
Stage One: 19th
Stage Two: 9th
Stage Three: 32nd
The No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Speedco Ford Mustang started Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 from the 31st position at Charlotte Motor Speedway. On the first lap of the race, McDowell made a strong charge towards the front as he gained many valuable spots and improved his running position to 18th. At the Competition Caution on Lap 10, Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer made the call for McDowell to stay on track to continue advancing his position. Then, with 7 Laps remaining in the first stage, McDowell would pit under green to trade his 4 rain tires for 4 slick tires and fuel and would go on to finish Stage 1 from the 19th position. McDowell would stay out during the Stage Break Caution and restart in 13th to begin Stage 2.
During the second stage, McDowell began to note that his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Speedco Ford Mustang was “really tight.” The caution flag would fly on Lap 45 to which McDowell would once again stay on track to gain track position. He would battle hard to secure a Top-10 stage finish and stage points as his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Speedco Ford Mustang took the Stage 2 green-and white-checkered flag from the 9th position. Under caution, McDowell told his team that he needed “more turn” and would pit for 4 tires, fuel and a trackbar adjustment.
The final stage of Sunday’s 109-lap race would see a total of 3 cautions. The first would occur with less than 50 Laps to go, to which McDowell would stay out. Shortly after green flag racing resumed, McDowell noted that his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Speedco Ford Mustang was bottoming out on the right rear and would pit under caution on Lap 88 for 4 tires, fuel and an added spring rubber. The yellow flag would come out on Lap 99 for the 9th and final time of the race as McDowell would once again stay on track. With only a handful of laps remaining, the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops | Speedco Ford Mustang would spin twice as McDowell came over the radio to say, “something is broken” and would take the checkered flag in the 32nd position.
McDowell on the ROVAL:
“Well, not the day that we had hoped for with Love’s Travel Stops and Speedco. We had a decent car at times, but then we had something break towards the end of the race and we tried to fix it, but just couldn’t. It’s unfortunate for us because we had two good races: Talladega and then the ROVAL, where we could have scored a lot of points and didn’t. To Love’s Travel Stops and all of our other partners, I’m sorry that we didn’t get you guys a good finish today; but we’ll try to stay positive, keep plugging away, get it figured out and get ready for Kansas.”
NASCAR CUP SERIES
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2020
BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400 – CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST RACE QUOTES
FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
2nd — Joey Logano
5th — Ryan Blaney
9th — Cole Custer
10th — Clint Bowyer
11th — Kevin Harvick
16th — Aric Almirola
18th — Brad Keselowski
20th — Chris Buescher
22nd — Matt DiBenedetto
26th — Gray Gaulding
27th — Corey LaJoie
31st — Ryan Newman
32nd — Michael McDowell
33rd — Josh Bilicki
36th — John Hunter Nemechek
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang — WITH ALL THAT WAS ON THE LINE TODAY IS THIS A DAY WHERE YOU JUST TAKE SECOND AND MOVE ONTO THE NEXT ROUND? “Yeah, we won our league (laughing) because no one was beating that other car — the Chase Elliott and Alan and that whole 9 team. They’re light years ahead of us when it comes to the road course, I mean everybody even their teammates. I can’t really put my finger on it. I got a good look of what it was and watched him cruise around not even trying and he would keep on driving away from me. Overall, I’m proud of what our Shell/Pennzoil team did today. We had to come in here and execute. Obviously, there were plenty of crazy things that could have happened starting in the rain, going to slicks, stage points, trying to get ourselves in position. Obviously, there were times that the 18 was in the spot and we were racing the 88 with only a couple points between us, so it was close, it was stressful, but I feel a lot better now and will be able to sleep well tonight and then fire away to try and get into that Championship 4.”
WHEN THE 18 WAS LEADING WHAT WAS THE PRESSURE LIKE? “It’s life. I learned a long time ago in this sport that pressure is a privilege. That means you’re in the hunt. That means you’ve got something going on. If you have no pressure on you, it means you’re already out or you’re about to be out and you have nothing to lose. I love that pressure. I’ve learned to love it. It’s not comfortable. It’s not supposed to be comfortable, but it’s a good place to be and it’s nice when you’re able to succeed and get through it. It only helps you years and years on as you keep putting yourself in those spots to keep doing that, and not just me, but the whole team. Our pit crew was on it today. Paul had a great strategy to keep us up there and some good restarts as well, so it worked out.”
BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Western Star/Alliance Parts Ford Mustang — HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR DAY? “It started off real strong in the rain and there’s part of me that wishes it would have just stayed raining, believe it or not, but once it got dry I just kept falling off too much on the long run. I’d fire off real good and fall off and couldn’t keep pace, so I’m thankful that’s over. It’s a testament to the four wins we have earlier in the year. It gives us those bonus points and made this a lot easier day than it looked like it was gonna be, and we’ll move on to hopefully four good race weeks for us.”
YOU ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS ON THE RADIO TODAY. IS THAT NORMAL OR WERE YOU MORE CONCERNED THAN NORMAL? “You want to know when you control your own destiny and obviously we were able to do that and then it’s just about, ‘Hey, let’s not ruin our own day,’ so that’s what we tried to do.”
CONFIDENCE IN THE ROUND OF 8? “Yeah, Martinsville has been really good to us. Kansas, we ran second in the fall. Texas is probably our weakest, but I think we can win at the other two.”
KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang — HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS THE RACE? “It was definitely interesting. Our car was just way off handling-wise. We were just way too tight and had no drive up off the corner, whether it was wet or dry. We struggled with our Mobil 1 Ford and still probably should have finished somewhere seventh or eighth, but didn’t have the car where we needed to and wound up on the wrong side of all the strategies and things, but everybody did a good job and kept battling. It was actually a lot of fun.”
HOW STRONG DO YOU FEEL GOING INTO THE NEXT ROUND? “This wasn’t a great round for us, so we definitely need to do better.”
IT SEEMED YOU COULDN’T GET TRACK POSITION. “Yeah, our Mobil 1 Ford Mustang was just off today. It would blister all the rain tires and push really bad in the rain, and then it wasn’t quite as bad on slick tires and then all the strategy and everything with the damage and the caution coming out when we stayed out and had to come in, we just wound up midpack all day and struggled to get the car to handle right.”
THE NEXT ROUND HAS A SET OF TRACKS THAT FALLS IN YOUR WHEELHOUSE. HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU IN YOUR TEAM THE NEXT THREE RACES? “We need to display that our cars are fast and do a good job on pit road and do the things that we did all year. Definitely two good racetracks for us coming up at Kansas and Texas and hopefully we can get a win in one of those two races and go on with it.”
ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang — “It was tough. I struggle here in particular. I’m not the greatest road course racer, but specifically here has always been a challenge for me and I just struggled all day. We really struggled on the rain tires and I spun out over there in that water that was draining across the racetrack in turn four, and then we had an issue with a pit gun or something on pit road and got a lap down. We fought hard. It was definitely a fight, but just not the day we needed for sure to move on, but we still got a few races left to go perform at the highest level we can and try to get the most points we can. I’m still really proud of our season and proud of the effort of this team. We’ve got some racing left to do and hopefully get this Smithfield Ford Mustang in Victory Lane in one of these last few.”
ALMIROLA POST-RACE ZOOM CALL
“We struggled today. It was not the day we were hoping for, for sure. I struggle at this racetrack in particular anyway. It’s not one of my best racetracks, so I knew it was gonna be a challenge. It certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort. I put a tremendous amount of effort in through watching film and studying data and going to the simulator and all the things, but I still can’t put all the pieces of the puzzle together when it comes to making speed here at the Roval. It’s frustrating. I feel really bad for my team. We’ve got a great team and we’ve had a good season. We needed a great run today and a win really, and unfortunately we weren’t able to do that today. I just didn’t do a good job.”
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR THESE LAST FOUR WEEKS BECAUSE YOU’VE BEEN FAIRLY HIGH UP IN THE POINTS ALL YEAR? “Yeah, we have. We’ve been in the top eight or nine in points and I think at one time we were sixth or seventh in points, so we’ve got a few races left and I think our goal should be to go and try and win. I think that’s the one positive is that even though we’re eliminated out of the playoffs we still get to race. We don’t go home and watch on TV. We still get to race and participate, so now we just got to go and make the most of these last four races and we’ve actually got really good tracks coming up for us. I was so hopeful to get through this round of 12. I felt like Talladega was gonna be our best chance and had a good run going there, and an unfortunate end to that. But coming to the Roval I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I was really looking forward to this next round. Kansas, Texas and even Martinsville have been really good racetracks for us, so I’m disappointed to not be in the playoffs still, but they’re still good racetracks for us.”
CLINT BOWYER, No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang — “We had them covered in the rain and we were one of the fastest in the dry, but those cautions at the end of both stages came at the wrong time. Then that wreck killed us because we lost power-steering. The guys gave me a great car today.”
COMMENTS ABOUT GOING TO THE CARE CENTER — “I’m good. Was definitely outta gas. Another couple three laps and I’d have been on the ground after the race crappie floppin’. Self inflicted. I shouldn’t have knocked the power steering out.”
JONES DRIVES TO A THIRD-PLACE FINISH AT THE CHARLOTTE ROVAL
Erik Jones finishes third while Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. advance to the Round of 8
CONCORD, North Carolina (October 11, 2020) – Erik Jones earned a third-place finish in Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race at The ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jones was followed to the line by teammate Martin Truex Jr. who finished sixth in the race. Both Truex and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin will advance to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Kyle Busch finished 30th after being forced to pit late in the race, Busch will not advance into the next round of The Playoffs.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
Race 32 of 36 – 248.5 miles, 109 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Chase Elliott*
2nd, Joey Logano*
3rd, ERIK JONES
4th, Kurt Busch*
5th, Ryan Blaney*
7th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
15th, DENNY HAMLIN
24th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
25th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
30th, KYLE BUSCH
38th, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
ERIK JONES, No. 20 Craftsman ACE/CMN Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
How tough was Chase Elliott in today’s race?
“I knew we were there and had tires. We were in a really good spot, but I knew that 9 (Chase Elliott) was really fast and has been pretty tough to beat here the last few years. They’ve got something figured out, they’re really quick here. I was just kind of losing time to him everywhere. He caught me and I couldn’t hold him off more than a couple cars. The Craftsman Camry was good, it was good to get a top-three. Probably a little bit better than what we ran, but we’ll definitely take it.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 7th
How eventful were the closing laps for you?
“Had a little bit of a run on them coming to one to go and probably stuffed it in there a little too far. Tried to get out from inside of him (Kurt Busch) and hit that water back there and from there it was all over. Little too aggressive there at the end. Overall, just a so-so day for the Bass Pro Toyota. We had decent speed, not winning speed, but had a lot of fun out there, especially in the rain.”
How do you feel heading into the Round of 8?
“For sure. We have some good tracks coming up for us. Looking forward to Kansas next weekend for sure. See if we can’t go get one there, it’s been a while.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 30th
What was the thought process when you stayed out on old tires?
“I don’t know. Just trying to get everything we could get. You come into a race like this and you throw a couple Hail Mary’s and they rarely work, especially when you don’t have the car. That 9 (Chase Elliott) car is spectacular here and it was superfast. I followed him for a lot of laps trying to figure it out and he just gets smaller and smaller as he’s driving away. I don’t know, it’s not just this race. It’s a whole season and it’s a culmination of things that led to this and led to our elimination. We knew it coming into this round that this was going to be the hardest round for us to get through. Pretty much impossible and it was. We weren’t able to make up enough or get a win. We’ll just have to fight for a win here the rest of the year.”
Can you sum up the way the Playoffs played out for you?
“It’s just been the year. Nothing has played out and been on our side. It’s just been unfortunate circumstances, a lot of bad luck. These guys on this M&M’s Camry team never give up and they fight all year long and every race and every lap, every pit stop as we can see. Man, just one of them off years. It’s been a terrible year for me. As other sports greats would say, there’s many other drivers that would love to have a year that we’re having, but it’s just frustrating to know how good we are and what we’re capable of and being champions from last year to not come out here and be able to succeed and be able to win. Fact of the matter, if we could win, we would be a heck of a lot better off. I knew this round was going to be trouble with the year we had. I was right.”
Did you think you had anything to win when you stayed out rather than pit for tires?
“No. We probably would have been third or fourth or somewhere in there. The 9 (Chase Elliott) was stellar. They have the best car here. We got closer this year than we were last year for as fast off as we were last year, I felt like this was at least a decent run or a better run for us. Still have a lot of work to do to try to get better. I’m not sure what it is, but we lack a lot of drive off the corners.”
# # #
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CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 11, 2020) – Ryan Newman finished 31st in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup event at the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Heavy moisture over much of the track created tough conditions for the field, and while Newman was able to finish the first stage in sixth he ultimately found himself on the wrong end of too much misfortune to battle back from for the No. 6 Castrol Team.
In just the third-ever Cup race at the road course, the green flag was dropped on a wet track to begin the 109-lap race with NASCAR requiring teams to begin the race on rain tires. Newman began the afternoon from the 15th spot, reporting early he lacked front turn by the competition caution at lap 10. He would pit in the first opportunity at lap 11 as the team put on slick tires, setting him up 28th for the ensuing restart. He would go for a spin at lap 14, but got his Castrol Ford back rolling.
With a large majority of the field still on rain tires the team would pit around lap 20, giving Newman back track position just prior to the stage break at lap 25. With the yellow being displayed with three to go in the segment, Newman was eighth and ultimately crossed the line sixth for the opening stage.
After staying on track under the break, Newman fired off fourth at lap 28th, but spun a few laps later from inside the top-10. Following another spin at lap 35, Newman ran 36th, but battled back to 27th at the end of stage two.
From there, he battled the handling in the No. 6 machine the remainder of the afternoon before finishing 31st in the Castrol Ford Mustang.
Newman and the No. 6 team return to the track next weekend at Kansas Speedway. Race coverage begins Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.
CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 11, 2020) – Chris Buescher continued his strong run late in the 2020 season as he battled challenging conditions to put himself in position for a top-10 finish at Sunday’s Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course race. An untimely penalty with just ten laps to go sent Buescher’s No. 17 Fastenal Ford to the tail end of the field setting up a late race run that would see the No. 17 Mustang power through the field – picking up 12 positions to finish 20th.
Buescher began the day from the 21st position, with threatening skies forcing NASCAR to begin the race with treaded rain tires on all cars. The weather began to subside, leaving dry spots on the track and challenging driver abilities in the mixed conditions. At the lap 10 competition caution, Buescher found himself in the 25th position before a penalty for crewmembers over the wall too soon forced him to the rear of the field for the first time in the race.
Though some competitors switched to traditional slick racing tires, the Fastenal team elected to stick with the rain treads as much of the track remained wet. The safe strategy helped the team to avoid early troubles, and Buescher finished 25th in the first stage of the event.
The team dialed in the handling of Buescher’s Fastenal Ford in the second stage, as he drove through the field despite minor damage and steadily worked his way to 14th, where he would finish the segment. Continued adjustments gave Buescher an opportunity to challenge the front of the field in the second half of the race, where he drove as high as 7th.
Buescher maintained his strong pace until a late caution fell with just 12 laps to go. Buescher hit pit road with the majority of the field for tires and fuel to set up a final shootout, where he was set to restart 11th. NASCAR then announced that the No. 17 would be penalized for speeding on the entry to pit road, forcing the team to the rear of the field with just 10 laps left in the race. Buescher was aggressive in the closing laps with a strong Fastenal Ford Mustang, passing 12 cars under the green flag to finish 20th.
Buescher and the No. 17 team return to the track next weekend at Kansas Speedway. Race coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.
NASCAR CUP SERIES CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT OCTOBER 11, 2020
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference and discussed the weather and challenges of today’s race at the Charlotte ROVAL, upcoming races at Kansas, Texas, and Martinsville, mentoring his future teammate, Ross Chastain, and more. Full Transcript:
IF YOU’RE GOING TO WIN THIS CHAMPIONSHIP, IT WILL BE YOUR SECOND TITLE, 16 YEARS APART. IF YOU EMERGE WITH THIS, IS IT YOUR BEST CASE FOR THE HALL OF FAME? “I feel like you’re going to have to win out in this Round of 8 and the championship race in Phoenix. This group, the elite eight, that will make it, are the best of the best; and can win each and every week. And so, with Kansas not being one of my best tracks, but it is a 1.5-mile, where we have won twice at Chip Ganassi Racing. Texas is a 1.5-mile that we’ve been very good at. And Martinsville has been a nice surprise since I switched to Ganassi. I’ve been running much better with the balance of the car that they have there. And then with Phoenix, if we can get there, that would be huge. It would give me an opportunity to win the championship for Chip Ganassi Racing, my second title. Those things and Hall of Fame talk will all handle itself after my racing career is done. I just keep plugging away and adapting. I’ve got a great sponsor with Monster Energy to help.
YOU HAVE NOT WON AT KANSAS. HOW CAN YOU PULL THIS OFF? “It’s been a tough track for me. I’ve got a couple of second place finishes, I believe. And one of them was a set-up that (Kevin) Harvick happily agreed (laughs) to run when we were running with Furniture Row. We were at RCR together. And, that’s what it takes. It takes that comradery and balance of teamwork and also pushing the envelope. Kansas is one of those very aero-dependent tracks. And so, you’ve got to be on top of your game with the aero side of it to win there.”
LOOKING AT THE CONDITIONS TODAY, THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF RAIN. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND AT WHAT POINT DO YOU SAY WE CAN’T KEEP DOING THIS AND WE NEED TO STOP? “We had the Daytona Road Course a month or so ago and I didn’t even send my motor home down there as far as pre-race or normal sequence, because I’m like, we have rain tires. We’re going to race. And so today, yeah, this is a little bit different with battling remnants of a hurricane. And if it’s consistent light rain, we’re good to go. If we have our downpours, we’re going to have to red flag the race. I think NASCAR learned a lot watching the Xfinity guys and calling that race. It’s still, again, whatever it takes to adapt and to be there to win. That’s what I’m doing today. I’m ready to race no matter if we’re hydroplaning or if the sun comes out and we’ve got to switch to the dry (tires). You’ve got to be ready for any condition change.”
HOW MUCH IS YOUR MINDSET IMPACTED BY THE FACT THAT YOU KNOW YOU’RE GOING TO BE IN THE ROUND OF 8 REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS TODAY? “Yeah, I’m on easy street. Me and Denny (Hamlin) might be the happiest guys to talk to. Harvick is probably pretty good in points. This race was positioned on the calendar for this reason; to be a cutoff and to create all the anxiety and all of this stress. And so that’s what that win at Vegas did for us at Chip Ganassi Racing is that it gave us an ease of operation today; and hopefully that loose, fluid feel will stay with us and we’ll make the right calls to win this.”
YOU SEEM TO BE A PRETTY HAPPY GUY RIGHT NOW. WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE KURT BUSCH AT THIS STAGE IN YOUR LIFE? “Just racing with Chip Ganassi Racing and a great sponsor with Monster Energy and a manufacturer with Chevrolet, and the teamwork. The team comradery is a different element for me now. I love to teach young engineers and young crew members how to evolve in this sport and to do it at a championship level. And so just being older and wiser, and still having that passion and that drive to adapt to the new technology and the new ways of winning, that’s something that my father instilled in me, that work ethic, from a young age. And with my wife, Ashley, she loves sport. She’s an athlete herself. And her support and her love has been a new direction for me these last five years.”
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MENTORSHIP YOU’LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TO ROSS CHASTAIN, YOUR NEW TEAMMATE NEXT SEASON? “Yeah, that will be a big part of how this season concludes and how the off-season progresses, and preparations for next year. Ross Chastain is a good kid. He’s worked hard. And he’s gone through some setbacks and he continues to persevere. And he’s put himself in position for a top tier ride at the NASCAR level. So, I feel like it’s a perfect fit to help mentor him, and to coach him, and to give to a driver that I think will have a long career in this sport.”
YOU MENTIONED WHAT NASCAR LEARNED FROM THE XFINITY RACE LAST NIGHT. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THAT AND WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT? “This track, even when it’s dry, is like a bull in a china shop. It’s a big heavy stock car with all this horsepower and there are tons of braking zones and tons of turning in and trying to accelerate. And the tires will only handle so much. Sprinkle in the rain, with the rain tires with having hardly any data at all; and then watching the race, you know how there were these slick areas of the track. There was water standing in certain spots that you have to avoid; the treachery of the oval section, it looked like. And our cars have way more horsepower than the Xfinity cars. We have the possibility of looping it on the oval if we’re not careful. Today will be one of the most historic days of NASCAR, with racing these big, heavy cars on a road course; and this isn’t just a normal road course. This is a ROVAL. So, there are lots of things to watch out for and hopefully we protect our car to put it in position to win it.”
WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE HARDEST PART ABOUT TODAY’S RACE? “I think the toughest part will be visibility. Our cars generate a lot of heat. And the windshields are prepped as best as they can be, but this is our first time. And throughout Chip Ganassi Racing, we’ve relied heavily on the IndyCar guys to help us. Common sense is the key, as well. But then there are so many areas that these cars aren’t sealed off and I think visibility will be tough with the windshield wiper and the mist and the rooster tail from the other cars; and just how the water gathers in certain spots at this track. And also, the radar. The radar looks relentless right now. It’s not giving up. And so, we’ll see how that plays out.” 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.
Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
CONCORD, North Carolina (October 11, 2020) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to media via videoconference in advance of the race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course:
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Are you are prepared to run in the same conditions that the Xfinity Series ran in?
“I think that they will monitor track conditions. We got a long message from them last night after the Xfinity Series race about some things they would change or do different. No one’s prepared to run in puddles on the race track, so I think they will monitor that and make sure it’s legit driving conditions.”
How much do you think you will need a win in the next round?
“I don’t know. I don’t know if we will need too, but we will certainly need to run really well. I don’t know. I think we will just have to play it by ear. I think after the first race, we will have a better idea of – it’s a little easier to predict the guys that will be winners or points guys after that.”
What at Kansas works so well for you?
“Well, I have a good setup. That’s all that I can equate it to. In years past, Kansas has not always been a strong suit. Mile-and-a-halves in general haven’t been a super strong suit for most of career. I don’t know. You could argue the statistics and wins would say otherwise, but it seems like on the mile-and-a-halves we’ve got a really good package or setup going that seems to be working. We nearly won Vegas, and that was the track that – if we could finish in the top-15, I was going to be happy. I adjust my expectations based on how I feel after the first 10 laps of the race. I’m confident. I feel like we’ve got a good grasp on Kansas. Nothing really much has changed other than the tire, which that tire was run at Vegas, so it looks like we’ve accounted for it pretty good in our setup. I’m as optimistic as anyone going into that race track.”
What is the point for you where you would like to see NASCAR jump in on weather conditions today?
“They did once yesterday. The issues were once the caution falls and the cars would stop going around the race track and the rain would pick up, the track would form puddles in certain spots. Big, big puddles. I mentioned on social media last night. This is not a purpose-built road course. The drainage is not made for it. We tried to spice up the Charlotte oval by making us go through the infield and through parking lots. This is just a tough place given the conditions. You’re going to need very light rain for us to be able to run without it being a complete shit show.”
Would you like to NASCAR postpone the race tomorrow?
“It’s not up to me, but I mentioned to them that people’s seasons are on the line. Good and bad. Ours isn’t, but I could not imagine having to either protect points or gain points in crazy conditions, such as what we had. You could argue it is the same for everyone, but how are we supposed to predict a puddle or a stream running across the race track. Add a jump to the backstretch and it would be complete.”
How happy are you that you don’t have to worry about points today?
“I certainly have the tone to be able to send the first three rows into Heartburn Turn right off the bat by starting on pole (laughter). I don’t know. It’s going to be the blind leading the blind. I’m sure there is going to be some guys that are going to be pretty aggressive early on, but I don’t know that I will particularly be one of them but I’m very, very happy and blessed that I don’t have to worry about finishing first or last today.”
Can you talk about your relationship with David Wilson (President, TRD U.S.A.) has changed over the years?
“Toyota and TRD is a very hands on manufacturer. As they like to say, they are not check writers, they like to be integrated in teams. They like to be partners with their race teams, and I kind of knew Dave simply through the JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) relationship on the competition side, so I really didn’t have a strong – I knew David, I talked to David quite a bit, but never really grew that partnership until we started talking about this race team, and from that point on, I guess he’s probably one of my favorites in my phone at this point. We’ve grown that. We understand each other’s vision and I think that certainly it’s been a partnership that has grown very quickly in a very short amount of time. So, I’m very happy to form that relationship with him and hopefully expand upon their future in NASCAR.”
Next weekend, you are returning to a 550-track. Can you compare the difference in passing with this package compared to the previous package?
“It’s easier and it’s harder. It just depends. I think that it allows you to protect more as the leader, however the runs come. Even if the car behind you is slower with the draft – especially on restarts – it’s easier to pass. I think the net gain or loss is about the same through high downforce or low downforce. At some of these race tracks, if you slowed us up just five MPHs more you would have even more drafting, even more slingshot passes. Things like that. The package is just perfect at some places. It needs tweaking at others, but I think these teams and manufacturers want to keep things a little bit simpler when it comes to rule packages. I know Goodyear is trying to keep things a little simpler on the tires side, reducing d codes and what not. It’s really helping with costs, but I don’t know that going back to a low downforce package on the 550’s is necessarily the right thing. I think that we have all adapted. Passing, while difficult, it was difficult before, so we have all adapted.”
Do you think hydroplaning is going to be an issue today? Have you ever had that issue in the race car?
“Not that I know of. The only time that I remember ever hydroplaning in a race car would be at my local short track when they don’t have jet dryers and they would drag tires around the race track to get it hot and get it dried up, and we would go out there in our race cars to help dry the race track and streams of water would be running across the track and you would hit them and everything just takes off, but it’s a much smaller stream than what we were seeing yesterday. That was more of a weather issue yesterday that I saw. A lot of the runoffs were running from a much higher point, but it was running across the Roval in different spots. Very, very difficult. I can’t imagine, but I will here in just aa few hours.”
As a new team owner, do you think you would like to see the driver’s council return? How is communication with NASCAR?
“I could see it both ways. It used to be those meetings were held annually, then semi-annually, then it was quarterly, and now they have more of a direct contact with us through GroupMe. The dialogue is open each and every day, where the drivers give input, NASCAR gives input and changes as well. So, it’s actually quicker now than ever. I know for instance the tire. The big change for the Kansas, Texas, and Las Vegas tire. All of the drivers hated it. It was an awful tire. The side wall was way too stiff. It was not good. That feedback was given to them right away, and they made that change. That would have been something that would have happened in the next quarter meeting. They got that feedback instantly. They were able to go to Goodyear, get another tire made and implement before the season was over. Normally, that tire wouldn’t have been able to move till next year, so if anything, it’s not totally necessary. I think they are doing a good job of it. The big major hitters, the marketing side of things, the social side of things, they will still have those meetings, I’m sure next year, once the COVID stuff settles down, but as far as the competition side, I think they have a good grasp on it now.”
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