Events: Coke Zero Sugar 400
Venue: Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, Florida)
Date/Broadcast: Saturday, August 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC

Sixth-place. That’s the position that Go Fas Racing driver Corey LaJoie was scored in when the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 ended prematurely due to inclement weather in the Daytona Beach, Florida, area at the time.

While the 400-mile event was declared official 33 laps short of the planned 160-lap distance, LaJoie’s sixth-place result marked a career-best finish for the North Carolina native, as well as the highest finish for the single-car operation of GFR since its inception in 2014. Over a year later, that still stands as the best finish for the No. 32 team.

On Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Florida for the 2020 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway for the final race of the regular season.

When you think of Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway, you think of the pack-style, high-speed action and the potential for striking crashes that can take place at any moment and wipe out a sizable portion of the field. But with Sunday’s race serving as the final opportunity to secure the final spots in the 16-driver playoff field, the intensity level is sure to be significantly elevated.

For LaJoie and his team, they have their focus set on being in position at the end to potentially go for a win or finish in the top-five at the World Center of Racing. The 28-year-old finished eighth in season-opening Daytona 500, despite being involved in a crash on the final lap.

The GFR Ford will wear the familiar Trump 2020 paint scheme for the last race of the regular season in the Sunshine State, as part of the No. 32 team’s partnership with Patriots of America, a political action group calling for the reelection of Donald Trump.

Now under 70 days until Election Day, LaJoie and his team are hoping to help get NASCAR fans to the polls in November. Out of an estimated 75 million NASCAR fans, about 15 million are not registered voters.

As LaJoie and the Trump 2020 team head to the high banks for a battle under the lights, get ready to cheer on the No. 32 Ford at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday by tuning in to NBC.

LaJoie on the upcoming race:

“We’ve got one last Hail Mary to throw this weekend at Daytona. This is a track that we run well at and who knows what can happen on Saturday night. We’ve got a good strategy worked out with [Crew Chief Ryan] Sparks and we plan to be there at the end. Our Patriots of America PAC Ford Mustang will hopefully be in contention when the checkered flag flies on the regular season.”

LaJoie’s Cup history at Daytona International Speedway:
Starts: 7
Best Finish: 6th (2019)
Average Start: 33.6
Average Finish: 19.7

Looking back on the Dover Double:

Saturday:
Corey LaJoie kicked off the Drydene doubleheader weekend at the Monster Mile by starting in the 29th position in the first race of the weekend. During a caution on lap 7, LaJoie reported that the Drydene Ford was about a four tight, and headed to pit road for adjustments only. He returned to pit road for service during the competition caution and finished stage one in the 28th position.

He fired off from the top-25 for the start of stage two and reached seventh in the midst of green-flag pit stops until Crew Chief Ryan Sparks called the driver to pit road on lap 144 for four tires and fuel. When the green-and-white checkered flag flew to end stage two, LaJoie was in 26th.

Under the stage break, the Drydene machine took the wave around to gain a lap back in preparation for the final stage at Dover. On lap 228, LaJoie radioed to the Go Fas Racing crew that his car had no grip before making his final stop of the day on lap 235 for four fresh tires and fuel. With 60 laps to go, he was in the 30th position, but secured 29th over the final stretch and remained there until the checkered flag flew.

Sunday:
On Sunday, LaJoie and the No. 32 team took the green flag from the 30th position. An early caution for debris allowed the driver to pit for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment from the 26th position. After the restart, LaJoie got pinched by a fellow competitor and drifted back to the 29th spot, but would drive back to 28th by the end of stage one.

Sparks called the North Carolina native back to the attention of the Drydene pit crew to get four tires bolted on and to receive fuel ahead of the final segment. On lap 100, a caution flew as LaJoie got spun, causing left-rear damage. The No. 32 team assessed the damage on pit road and made adjustments to help loosen the Drydene Ford. When stage two concluded with LaJoie in 26th, he reported that the car “lost overall grip, mostly front-turn.”

Stage three went green, but a spin at the onset brought out the yellow flag giving LaJoie the opportunity to take the wave around. With 75 laps to go, he had charged to the 23rd position, but still needed to pit. On lap 289, LaJoie cut a right-rear tire and sustained fender damage. After a trip to pit road, LaJoie restarted 28th with 18 laps to go. Despite the curveballs throughout the day, LaJoie rallied back to secure a 23rd-place finish.

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About Our Team

About Go Fas Racing:
Go Fas Racing (GFR) currently fields Ford Mustangs in the NASCAR Cup Series for driver Corey LaJoie. Located in Mooresville, North Carolina, GFR has competed in the NASCAR’s premier series since 2014; fielding cars for some of NASCAR’s top drivers, including past champions. To find out more information about our team please visit www.GoFasRacing.com.

Stay up-to-date on Corey LaJoie:
To get live updates during the race weekends follow @coreylajoie on Instagram and Twitter. Make sure to give Corey a “like” on Facebook – “@CoreyLaJoieRacing”. For a detailed bio and updated in-season statistics, please visit www.coreylajoieracing.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
COKE ZERO SUGAR 400
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
August 28, 2020

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 KCMG CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference and discussed his focus on winning at Daytona this weekend to make the Playoffs, what it would mean to win, how the season has gone thus far, Rookie of the Year battle, and more. Full Transcript:

TALK ABOUT YOUR MINDSET HEADING INTO THIS WEEKEND AT DAYTONA
“Well, it’s very straight forward. There’s not a lot of distraction. I’ve got one going and that’s to win the race. So, there’s not a lot of cloudiness to it. It’s just very straight forward. I think 160 laps is the scheduled distance. We could see a couple of overtimes but hopefully the last lap is completed under green flag conditions and we take home the checkered flag.”

AS YOU FIELD WHAT COULD BE SORT OF A HAIL MARY PASS TO GET IN THE PLAYOFFS. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR AGGRESSIVE STYLE? DO YOU RAMP IT UP AND CAN YOU RAMP IT UP AT DAYTONA?
“Well, I think for me, it’s just to go out and treat this like a normal race. Obviously, we all know what’s at stake. We have to win this race in order to make the Playoffs. But, there’s really no other weird way I guess I could end up losing it, you know? I’m not going to lose it on points. I’ve got to just go win. And that’s very simple. So, for me I’m just going to go about this race how I normally would. I don’t feel like I have to hold back and lay back. I think from the very get-go, we just go and see what our car is capable of and start working with the different cars around us and hopefully finding friends and people that I want to work with. And be in that position most of the day and understand what it takes in our car and what it’s going to take, condition-wise, to put ourselves in the best spot to win.”

DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT A CRAPSHOOT IT IS? DOES THAT GO THROUGH YOUR MIND MUCH OR DO YOU JUST FLUSH THAT OUT AND GO DO WHAT YOU DO?
“I don’t think it’s a crapshoot at all. A lot of drivers and fans and teams and individuals all claim throughout the many years that this style of superspeedway racing has taken place, it’s all luck. When I go back and look through history and when I look at more recently, Denny Hamlin and his domination and ways he’s been able to go out and win races; and Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano; and even back to Dale Earnhardt and some of those greats, it’s not luck. They know what they’re doing, and they have a very thought-out way of going about winning this race and how they want to dictate the race the entire event long. So, for me, that gives me hope. It’s not a crapshoot for me, it’s what is the best strategy for me to go out and win this race; and with the conditions we’re faced with, it’s very straightforward. Just go compete all day as hard as we can.”

ALONG THOSE LINES, HOW RECKLESS CAN YOU BE TO GO FOR THE WIN WHEN IT COMES TO A PLAYOFFS SPOT? AND, IS IT ANY DIFFERENT THAN WHEN YOU’RE THERE IN FEBRUARY FOR THE DAYTONA 500?
“Honestly, it really shouldn’t be. The end result that you want is still the same. Granted, the Daytona 500 is very high-up in a lot of drivers’ lists for different reasons than this weekend. This weekend has always been a big race for drivers to win before it was put in the position that it is now with it being the regular season cutoff. So, I don’t think you approach either much differently. The conditions of the track will be different, and we’ll be racing at night. But I think you approach them pretty much exactly the same. The 500 is a little bit longer and it’s the first race of the year so there’s a sense of a new season and make sure we know how to race. But we’ve been back racing for a while now. So, all of us are not really concerned about that.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON AND DENNY HAMLIN SAID EARLIER TODAY THAT THERE HAS BEEN SOME DISCUSSION AMONG DRIVERS ABOUT SOME SORT OF RESPONSE ON SOCIAL ISSUES AND KENOSHA. YOU HAVE BEEN PRETTY VOCAL IN THE PAST. HAVE YOU BEEN PART OF ANY OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND DO YOU HAVE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS?
“I haven’t made any recommendations. But, as other drivers have noted, it’s very disturbing what has been taking place in Kenosha. It’s important for us to stay caught-up and continue to educate ourselves about what is going on in this world and, what can we do to make it a better place. As drivers in this position, we have a lot of people that look up to us and I feel like it will continue to be important for us to just press the importance in of educate yourselves and look into what’s going on around you. How can we all make this world, this country, a better place together.”

THE NO. 8 CAR HAS HAD SOME GOOD RESULTS AT DAYTONA. DO YOU THINK THE AURA OF THAT CAR AT DAYTONA AND YOU BEING IN IT IS SPECIAL? IS THAT SOME OF WHAT HAPPENS THIS WEEKEND OR IS IT JUST A GO-GET-IT ATTITUDE AND DON’T WORRY ABOUT THAT?
“Well, it would be very special for me to get my first win at Daytona. It’s a track where I got my first Truck Series win. I broke through in some really crazy fashion. I think we still have the closest finish in NASCAR history here, which was a lot of fun and really intense with my teammate at the time, Elliott Sadler. So, to me, I have a lot of motivational pieces that I can pull on at any time I want. One thing that’s always motivated me coming here, especially since getting into the Cup Series is I want to be the first driver to win in all three series at Daytona. That’s important to me. What’s also important for me is winning for my team and the No. 8 car. You know, Dale Earnhardt Jr., driving this No. 8 car was a car and driver that I looked up to; I had hung on my walls in my bedroom as a kid. And so, driving that number and then driving for Richard (Childress) is another thing that just is a lot of motivation for me. So, a lot of things and I can continue to go down the list. But you get the idea. A lot of motivation going into this weekend and being in Daytona and being in a Cup car and being in the No. 8 Cup car and having a chance to win and get in the Playoffs, it’s got a lot of things I can really pull on if I need the motivation. But I’ve been pretty motivated all week.”

IS IT TRUE THAT YOU RENEWED YOUR CONTRACT WITH RCR FOR NEXT YEAR ALREADY?
“Well, yeah it was a multi-year agreement, but it was one of those things where we got hey, you’re going to come back type of thing. So that was good to get. As we all know, this year has been very crazy in a lot of different ways for a lot of different people for racing. There’s a lot of uncertainty for next year you know, what’s going to happen with just the sport in general and what direction it’s going to take; the partners and everybody involved are all wondering, as they should be, what’s the future and what are we going to do going forward with NASCAR. So, once we got to that point where I knew I was coming back it just so happened I got asked about it and, it kind of turned into a bigger article that it probably should have been; but yes, I am coming back. It was just one of those things. You want to make sure you’re running good. You want to make sure you’re doing the right things. We have been doing that pretty well this year. So, we’ll get another shot at it next year.”

SO, WAS IT ORIGINALLY A SINGLE-YEAR WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO RENEW IF BOTH PARTIES AGREED ON THAT? IS THAT HOW IT WAS ARRANGED FOR YOU?
“Well, it was like a multi-year I guess with opts-out if things weren’t going right or stuff like that. So, that’s the best way to put it.”

HOW WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOUR FIRST YEAR HAS GONE SO FAR? WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF WANTING TO IMPROVE? WHERE DO YOU THINK THE COMPANY NEEDS TO PICK UP?
“I don’t think there’s, I guess, one area where I feel like we need to I guess, pick-up. It’s just (crew chief) Randall (Burnett) and I are just continuing to learn about these cars and trying to find our comfort zone. Obviously, the easy answer is to say well, if we just make our cars faster and handle better, we’re going to win more races or we’re going to run better. We’re always looking for ways to make our cars better. We’re always looking for ways to improve them. ECR is working very hard all the time to give us the best that they can under the hood. They’re always working to improve that. So, that’s kind of a given. But we’re going to keep working on it.

“I keep trying to hone-in on what my, I guess, little comfort zone is inside one of these Cup cars with the set-up too. So, it’s just been a learning process. For me personally, I’d say the biggest things I’ve needed to work on is maximizing pit road entry and maximizing pit road speed and getting in and out of the pit box. Opportunities to work on that have been all but removed with no practice. So, that’s been one area that has hurt me at times. But we’ll just keep pressing on all these things and keep going forward. I don’t think it’s anything that isn’t too hard to fix. I think it’s all very fixable and all very easy to continue moving in the right direction.”

AS AN ATHLETE, WHEN YOU SEE THE POWER OF ATHLETES AND WHAT THEY’VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS WEEK AND SPEAKING ABOUT SOCIAL INJUSTICES EVEN FURTHER THAN WHAT’S BEEN DISCUSSED THIS SUMMER, WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR YOU AS AN ATHLETE TO SEE THAT TYPE OF POWER? DOES THAT HELP YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN SPEAK OUT EVEN MORE ON THESE ISSUES?
“Yeah, it’s important for us, as athletes. It’s kind of like what Jimmie (Johnson) said earlier, some people feel like we just need to stick to sports and talk sports and live and breathe it, but we are human beings and it’s our right to share how we feel about certain things. And for me, these are things we need to keep improving upon. It’s great to see athletes and individuals come together like they have, and really take a stand for something like that. For us in NASCAR, I can’t speak for NASCAR I guess, but we will continue to search and figure out our way of continuing to go down that path. We really did a lot of good things to be more inclusive as we kind of got our year back rolling and we’ve continued to go down this path this year. We’ve taken a lot of steps that are good in the right direction. So, I’m encouraged that we’ve been going down that path and I’m excited to see where that path continues to take us. But it’s truly moving to see those athletes and individuals stand up for that and take that stand. And you know, there’s more to live than sports. There always will be. Life is life. And I think it’s really great to see them stand up for something like that and put their foot down. So, I’m looking ahead and am curious about what we will do, but we’ll do it in our own way just like NASCAR kind of does with everything.”

WITH EVERYTHING THAT’S HAPPENING AND WITH HOW AWARE THAT YOU ARE OF THESE ISSUES, IS IT DISTRACTING TO THINK ABOUT THIS AND STILL TRY TO LOOK AHEAD TO THE NEXT RACE AND TRYING TO GET IN THE PLAYOFFS? HOW ARE YOU DEALING WITH THESE THINGS THIS WEEK ON A PERSONAL LEVEL?
“Well, it is crazy. These things can happen to anybody. And it is very disturbing like we’ve all seen in Kenosha. Two different people getting treated in very different ways. It makes you always wonder how did we get to this spot. What’s good is the people responding and being avid and continuing to get the message out just like the individuals in sports have. Go out and educate yourself and learn more about it. I obviously spoke up, but I too need to continue to educate myself and learn more (like) how we can keep the ball rolling in the right direction and achieve that true equality for every human being that lives here in this country.”

YOU ARE A TWO-TIME XFINITY SERIES CHAMPION AND CAME INTO CUP THIS YEAR WITH A HERALDED ROOKIE CLASS WITH CHRISTOPHER BELL AND COLE CUSTER AND JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK. TALK ABOUT WHAT THIS SEASON HAS BEEN LIKE FOR YOU AND BEING A PART OF THIS ROOKIE CLASS AND ROOKIE OF THE YEAR RACE?
“It’s been a lot of fun. We’ve raced amongst each other in the Xfinity Series and Trucks, so we’ve raced around each other for a few years now. And we’ve all made it to Cup, which is the top level and that battle has continued on. But, Cole put the pressure on us by going out and winning at Kentucky and getting himself into the Playoffs and taking Rookie of the Year lead. We’re in a spot obviously, where we pretty much need to do the same thing he did. We can’t play out way into the Playoffs, so we need to win this race at Daytona and take the Rooke of the Year battle point lead back, and for other reasons too, to get into the Playoffs and keep this fight for the championship and Rookie of the Year battle alive.”

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About Chevrolet
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Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (August 28, 2020) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to media via videoconference in advance of the race at the Daytona International Speedway:

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

Talk about the special scheme that you are running at Darlington next weekend.

“Yeah, this is one that has been asked for us to run for a very long time. This is a throwback to 1973 when the company was started by Fred Smith. It’s the old Federal Express car. If you look at the numbers, the font is actually from when Cale Yarborough won Darlington that year, so it’s kind of a throwback to Cale and a throwback to the company of FedEx, which has been such a great supporter of Joe Gibbs Racing and myself for the last 15 years.”

Is your mindset different heading into the Playoffs and this race this weekend?
“It’s a little bit different this year. We are going to be coming into the Playoffs with more Playoff Points than what we have ever had. I think our team is performing at the highest-level right now, so everything is really good for us. I just think that we have got all the momentum we need. We will have the Playoff Points that we need and it just up to us to go out there and hope that we can execute as well as we have for most of the season. If we do, we are going to give ourselves a chance to win the championship at the end of the year. We are just trying to win every week we go to the track. That’s our main objective and then the biggest obstacle is to go out and win the last race of the season.”

How do you look at Daytona for you?

“I don’t know exactly what my strategy will be with Daytona. I want to give myself a shot to win, and I also want to – if I can help my teammates at all and have them have a shot to win – I need to be around at the finish. I typically try to race as much as I can up towards the front. I’ll probably try to do that strategy as well. You just never know. This race in particular seems to have a little more attrition than even normal superspeedway races have.”

There is so much chatter going on. Can you say if you are trying to invest or find an investor for RPM (Richard Petty Motorsports) and is your plan to stay at Joe Gibbs Racing no matter what happens if you have any involvement in this?

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t have anything to announce or to speak about when it comes to it. I think that I’m always looking towards what I’m going to do after my driving career is over. I’ve got some great partners that support me and my decisions in what I will do for years to come. So, I don’t know. I wish I had something to announce, but I really don’t. There’s a lot of things up in the air that are still getting worked on, but I just got – I’ve got to win this weekend and next weekend, and that’s where I’ve got to focus, but certainly I believe that, no matter what, my career will be with Joe Gibbs Racing and FedEx as long as I want to drive.”

Bubba Wallace has a series of tweets last night about what’s going on in the country and what some of the other leagues are doing about it. I know he indicated that there is no talk to not race. Do you guys have discussion about this and/or is Bubba, sort of, forced to be a spokesperson on this for the whole series?

“I don’t think he’s forced to be; I think he does it willingly. I think that the industry as a whole comes together when these issues come about and figure out the best way to address it. I’m not aware of anything that will go on this weekend. I know we are all planning on racing. Bubba supports that. I certainly think that the NASCAR industry will respond in the correct way. I’m confident in that. I know that those discussions are ongoing, even today.”

Do you think that you should race?

“Yeah, I do. It’s just my personal opinion. I certainly think we need to continue our discussions about social and racial injustice, and we continue to educate ourselves. I know I certainly educated myself by going to the Civil Rights Museum and putting action behind words that we said. So, I certainly believe that we are moving the right way.”

Can you talk about the battle you have had with Kevin Harvick this season? How much fun are you having this season?

“It’s certainly raising each other’s game for sure. Every time we have the most wins for a while, he matched it and then beat it, and then we matched it and he beat it again. It’s a battle and certainly I would love to have my shot at him on Sunday on that second part of that doubleheader, but we had that loose wheel once we finally got to second, but I would have loved to see how it would have played out but he was extremely fast and going to probably be impossible to beat with the speed he had. It’s certainly a lot of fun from our stand point. I’m sure that there are 36 other guys that are not as amused by it, but certainly I think that we’re just doing everything right, right now. We’re having cars that are fast. I’m doing the best that I can to prepare and give myself the best chance I can to win by putting myself in good positions throughout the entire race and just being smarter about things. I think that’s really helped with our on-track success.”

How do you get a leg up on Kevin Harvick at this point and put yourself in the best position to win in Phoenix?

“Well, I think it’s all going to come down to – we both have to make it through the Playoffs, but if we make it to the Final Four, it’s just winner-take-all, so I just hope that we’re better than him on that day or the two other guys. We are going to have to battle to get to the Championship 4. There are three other guys racing for a championship. I agree with Harvick when I saw his comments. You can’t sleep on the competition out there. I think that this is not a two-man race. I think there are many, many people that when the Playoffs start find a way to win and move and advance on. We’ve seen it for the last, maybe, couple years, the champion that wins is one that hadn’t been strong all year. They just won the final race and so that crowned them the champion. It’s a different formula now. You just have to play by the rules, and make sure you are the best in that final race, but with no practice, and no qualifying. I’ll cross my fingers that I’ve got a fast car. That’s all I hope.”

Do you have any regrets that the championship race is now in Phoenix instead of Homestead?

“No, not really. We did dominate Homestead this year, which was good, but I think Phoenix is just as good of a race track. We dominated Phoenix’s fall race last year. It’s a different aero package so things will be different, but we have the ability to dominate any given week.”

Does the Next Gen car make it more attractive to get into team ownership?

“When I look at my career in racing, I’ve been around for 15 years in the Cup Series. I always think about what I want to do afterwards. I don’t know that ownership will be it. I don’t know what my role will be, but I know that it will probably be in NASCAR in some kind of way, shape or form. I’m always looking at avenues that would allow me to stay in the sport beyond driving. Certainly, it’s a sport that I believe in. Certainly, the financial model hopefully will get better in the next few years for the team owners, regardless if I’m in it or not. But I don’t know. My focus has got to be on driving and winning a championship for Toyota and FedEx right now. If there’s ever opportunities to prepare myself for the future, then I look to capitalize on those.”

Talk about your relationship with Michael Jordan and just how his mentality has worn off on you.

“He’s a fiery competitor and a guy that tries to win at everything he does. I appreciate my partnership with him that’s going on 10 or 11 years now. He’s just been more of a friend than a business partner to me. We’ve got that great relationship and we are performing at that type of level. It’s fun to get texts from him each week that we are winning and even when we are not winning making sure that we know that he’s tuned in that week and he always questions our questionable strategy calls, so he knows what is going on and he loves racing.”

You won the Daytona 500, but it was obviously marred by the horrific crash with Ryan Newman. Thankfully, he is fine, but how much do you want to win to hopefully have a proper celebration in victory lane?

“Yeah, that was definitely a difficult situation for everyone on the team. We were really excited, and I was definitely really excited. I didn’t know anything was going on. When I get into victory lane, it’s just very quiet. You kind of knew that something was a little bit different, and when they came to the car and told me, certainly it changed our outlook and our celebration from that point forward. Daytona Victory Lane is a place I know exactly where it is. I think we’ve won about nine times now at Daytona in different Cup races, whether that be Shootouts, or Duels, or 500s. We’ve won there a lot, it’s just a track that I love to race at. I love the technique of it, the strategy of it and what it takes to win there.”

Are there any drivers in the rookie class that you feel like have stood out to you?

“Well, they all have at certain times. They are all good. I mean, this rookie class, when I think about it, is certainly one of the strongest rookie classes that we’ve seen since probably the class that I came in with (Clint) Bowyer and (Martin) Truex in 2006. You know you have got at least one of them that are going to be a part of the Playoff picture. I would not be surprised to see if any of those other two or three, John Hunter Nemechek as well, you can’t leave him out what he’s being doing. Any of them can win this weekend and put themselves in. They are all really good, and they all have bright futures. Especially from what I’ve seen on track, I think they have been really smart and strategic. You’re not seeing them make those big rookie mistakes that typically you see rookies make.”

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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.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
COKE ZERO SUGAR 400
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 28, 2020

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference to discuss his outlook going into the final race of the regular season at Daytona International Speedway, what it’s like racing with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, for a spot in the Playoffs, and more. Transcript:

CHAD (KNAUS) TALKED THE OTHER DAY THAT YOU TEXTED HIM MONDAY MORNING AND THAT YOU GUYS ALSO LATER TALKED ON THE PHONE THIS WEEK ABOUT RACING EACH OTHER AND THE WEIRDNESS OF IT. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU TALKED ABOUT AND ALSO WHY IS IT WEIRD BECAUSE YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN RACING AGAINST EACH OTHER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. IN YOUR MIND, WHY DID YOU SEND THAT TEXT ABOUT HOW WEIRD IT WAS AND THE FEELINGS IN GOING UP AGAINST CHAD FOR A PLAYOFF SPOT?
“Chad (Knaus) and I are great friends and have stayed really close through all that’s happened. Sure, it wasn’t easy and it wasn’t fun at some different points here recently, but I wish him the best. We talk often. I want the best for Chad and his family, and for Chad and his race team. To go into Dover, we could all sense and see the picture and the way it was unfolding. I knew they had a tough Saturday and the toll that it took on William and Chad both, and then they rebounded on Sunday. I’ve been there – I’ve had him coaching me along and I just know where his head is, and I know how difficult and weird it is to look at the 48 car as the guy you have to beat. And the way you go about motivating yourself to beat your competition. I’m sitting on my side going through the same thing and it’s William and Chad, and specifically Chad. Through our friendship and our relationship, I just reached out to him and we had a good laugh about it. We certainly both look at the year and know there are moments that could have kept us both from being in this position, but it is what it is and we’re going to Daytona, which makes it even more awkward. We’ll see how things play out.”

EARLIER THIS YEAR, YOU KIND OF LED THE DRIVER EFFORT IN RESPONSE TO SOCIAL JUSTICE. I’M CURIOUS IF THERE HAS BEEN ANY DISCUSSIONS THIS WEEK ABOUT ANYTHING DRIVERS WILL DO ON SATURDAY IN RESPONSE TO KENOSHA?
“Yeah, there’s been some early talks. I’m not sure where it will end up just yet, but I know the drivers have had some conversations and I know that NASCAR, as well, is in that conversation. These things seem to develop a little later, based on past experience, but I know that many, including myself, are extremely disturbed in what we saw at Kenosha. We’ll see how things develop for tomorrow’s event.”

YOUR CAREER IS OBVIOUSLY DEFINED ALREADY – SEVEN CHAMPIONSHIPS, HALL OF FAMER, ALL OF THOSE THINGS. BUT WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO GET THE GAME-WINNING BASE HIT IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH TO GET YOURSELF INTO THE PLAYOFFS THIS TIME AROUND, CONSIDERING ALL THE ADVERSITY – THE LOSE OF POINTS AT CHARLOTTE, MISSING THE INDIANAPOLIS RACE. WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY TO GET OVER THE HUMP AND GET IN? WOULD IT BE EVEN SWEETER TO GET IN WITH YOUR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS TEAMMATE?
“Yeah, of course we want all four cars in the Playoffs and to go through the rounds in the Playoffs. So, that would be the sweet thing. For me, I feel like I’m racing more for my team. On top of that and an extension of that would be for the fans. I know where I am in my heart and I know that I’m still very, very competitive, can get the job done, win races and be a threat for the championship. There’s just more variables to the reality of that than I think even I realized. I’ve had it so good with all those variables in place and was able to win five championships in a row, win all those races and seven championships in total. But I’m a better driver today than I was then and I firmly believe that. Watching my team develop, grow and end up where we are today led by Cliff Daniels, it’s been a tough three years – there’s no way around it. But we are coming and this team is on track. I do feel like we can get that base hit and I do feel that we can go rounds. And I do feel like we can get hot and be a championship threat. Yes, that will mean a lot to me, but for my team – they’re my motivation right now. Watching these guys give everything that they have week in and week out and they really are my motivation right now to go in addition to my competitive nature and what I want to accomplish. We’ll see how it all plays out. It could be a storybook ending for us, which would be amazing and I know the fans would really appreciate that and enjoy it. But all I can do is give 100 percent – that’s something that I’ve learned over these last three years that our performance on Sunday is more than just my will, my desire and how good I want to do. It’s really more of a team sport than I’ve ever imagined.”

WITH WHAT’S ON THE LINE TOMORROW, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THIS WEEK TO KIND OF KEEP YOUR MIND AWAY FROM RACING?
“I’ve been training pretty hard – that’s always been a great escape for me. With restrictor plate racing, there’s only so much you can do to prepare and get ready for it. The rules are locked in, we don’t have practice, we don’t have qualifying. To burn off nervous energy for me has always be training, so I’ve been on the mountain bike quite a bit this week.”

IT’S DAYTONA AND THIS COULD BE YOUR LAST RACE AT DAYTONA. WHAT’S YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THAT THINKING ABOUT YOUR LAST RACE AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY AND ON A SUPERSPEEDWAY?
“Honestly, just lay it all out on the line. We have a lot at stake and, again, it could be a great storybook ending for my last full-time race or race on an oval at Daytona. We all understand the storylines. I’m excited, I’m ready to go. I’m not one to spend too much time getting overly sentimental. I’m more excited about the opportunity to go racing and drive that 48 car. So, I’m just excited to get there and get to work.”

AFTER DOVER, YOU SORT OF MENTIONED JUST LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NEXT RACE AND NOT REALLY BEING TOO REFLECTIVE. I’M WONDERING, OVER THE COURSE OF THE WEEK, HAVE YOU TAKEN ANY MORE MOMENTS TO REFLECT OR HAVE YOU SORT OF CHANGED HOW YOU’RE THINKING GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND?
“My mindset has really just been competition focused – trying to win races, trying to gather points. That’s so stressful that I believe it’s helped me not focus too much on the sentimental stuff and the emotions that come with that. I think I’m just wired that way and I believe a lot of competitors are – that you don’t want to stop and really reflect. I know at some point that I won’t have a choice and that will be in the forefront of my mind, but the longer I can defer that, I think the more that it allows me to focus on my job and to do my job. We’ll see how things go after the Playoffs. Hopefully we make the Playoffs and I can stay focused in the right areas on competition, and require to and have to. If we don’t make the Playoffs, maybe that shifts things a little bit. But again, I want to win a race so bad that that’s way more important to me than any type of reflection. I have years to reflect back – I don’t plan on being away from our sport. I might not be there week in and week out, but this is a sport that has given me so much that I plan to be around and I feel like there will be plenty of moments in the future to reflect, and this year is much more about performance.”

YOU’RE GOING UP AGAINST A HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS TEAMMATE IN WILLIAM BYRON AND A GUY THAT’S COME UP THROUGH THE ORGANIZATION – SOMEONE WHO’S RISE YOU’VE WATCHED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS. WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT A DRIVER LIKE WILLIAM BYRON AND WHERE HAS HE IMPROVED SINCE ENTERING INTO THE CUP SERIES A COUPLE YEARS BACK?
“He’s a true student of the sport and his life is dedicated to racing. With his interest in sim racing, he can literally day in and day out learn tracks, drive cars, think about racing, think about setups, interact with his team on that level. During my generation, we could go test quite a bit and we did a lot of that. But still, I think he can get more reps in today’s world than the world that I grew up in and it’s been really interesting to watch him grow in his path. I think he probably has the fastest path to a NASCAR Cup car in the history of our sport. Hats off to him – he’s doing a great job and I know he’s going to be a tough competitor at Daytona.”

I KNOW YOU SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE YOUR FINAL SEASON, BUT I’M SURE YOU DIDN’T ANTICIPATE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THEN CONTRACTING THE DISEASE YOURSELF, AND NOT HAVING ANY FANS IN THE STANDS, WHICH PREVENTS YOU FROM GETTING THE PROPER SENDOFF SAY THAT TONY STEWART AND JEFF GORDON GOT. AT ANYTIME DID YOU START HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT HIS BEING YOUR FINAL FULL-TIME SEASON? AT THIS MOMENT, ARE YOU STILL CONTENT WITH YOUR DECISION?
“Yeah, I made that decision and it takes a lot to make that decision. So, for me, since I’ve made it, it’s in motion – it’s happened, it’s where my heart is. This is my final year in the car full-time in NASCAR. It doesn’t mean that I won’t come back and run some NASCAR races. I’m certainly working hard to stay racing next year. So, the fans will still have their opportunity I believe to see me in race cars at a high level and we can have some great experiences there. The farewell tour that I hoped to have, the interaction with fans and that sentimental experience – the pandemic got it. It’s an unfortunate truth, but it is what it is.”

YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT IT WAS AWKWARD WITH THE RACE BEING AT DAYTONA AGAINST CHAD (KNAUS). WHY AWKWARD?
“The awkward piece of racing my teammate and then to be at a track where there’s so many variables and so many ways to lose points. It’s just an awkward weekend. Normally, my history of racing, especially trying to make the playoffs, you’re used to a certain series of races that lead up to it, and then a cutoff race and what happens there. This is just all new and it’s different. I think from a fan’s perspective, it’s going to be very entertaining and the fans are going to tune in. For us guys in the pressure cooker, it’s more intense than any situation that I’ve been in the past.”

HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY DISCUSSIONS AT ALL OF WHO MIGHT REPLACE YOU NEXT YEAR AS THE DRIVER OF THE 48 CAR? HAVE THEY BOUNCED DIFFERENT DRIVERS OFF OF YOU?
“Yeah, I’ve been involved a little bit. It’s a big decision for the company and for our sponsor Ally. So, the weight really lies in their hands and the direction they want to take. (inaudible). I believe in Hendrick Motorsports – the decision they make and who they decide to put in the car. And, of course, Ally goes along with that as well.”

MATT DIBENEDETTO TALKED ABOUT HIS WIFE PRETTY MUCH CRYING AMID ALL THE PRESSURE AND I SEE WILLIAM BYRON WITH SCENTED CANDLES ON HIS INSTAGRAM. I’M CURIOUS, WHAT’S LIFE LIKE FOR JIMMIE JOHNSON THIS WEEK?
“Life is kind of interesting for me and certainly different than those two. We have chosen to do homeschooling for our kids until the season is over. Obviously, with the pandemic, missing a race already and for our children’s safety, we’ve decided to do distance learning. I was up at 5:45 this morning so my daughter, Lydia, could do a Zoom conference with one of her teachers at 6:30 MT because we’re in Colorado. It would be great if we were still in Charlotte right now on the east coast – the time would be much better (laughs). But our focus is on our homeschooling and all week long connecting our kids to their classes have meant very early mornings. Very different lifestyles for all three of us. And just where we are in age and what we have going on. The stress of the job – I’ve been through this in some many different ways. I feel like it’s one of the advantages experience brings. I’m sure I’ll feel it, but I think it will really just show up on race day in the car in the moment and the days leading into it are a little more relaxed for me.”

CERTAINLY, THIS YEAR WE’VE SEEN THE ROLE OF ATHLETES SPEAKING AGAINST SOCIAL INJUSTICES IN WAYS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SEEN BEFORE AND CERTAINLY SEEN IN THIS SPORT. I’M CURIOUS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THAT AND HOW IT’S CHANGED EVEN FROM AN ATHLETES POINT-OF-VIEW WITH THE PLATFORM YOU’VE HAD ALL THESE YEARS. WHETHER IT’S THE COMFORT FACTOR OR BEING ABLE TO SPEAK UP AT THIS POINT AS OPPOSED TO YEARS PAST AND CERTAINLY SEE IT MORE IN OTHER SPORTS AND ATHLETES AS WELL IN THE CHANGING TIMES. AND WHAT THIS NEXT GENERATION OF ATHLETES AND DRIVERS IN THE SPORT – HOW THIS MIGHT CHANGE HOW THEY LOOK AT THINGS MOVING FORWARD.
“Yeah, these are changing times and I know many don’t want to see the opinions of the athletes, and they want the sport to be the sport and the athletes just to be quiet. But I think there’s been so much going on over a long, long period of time and various topics, as well, that we have an opinion – athletes have an opinion and we have a right to share our opinion. I think with age, I’ve become more comfortable to share my opinion. And then as I learn more about various issues, my own emotions come into play and I’m led to having different conversations or use my platforms in a different way – to focus our foundation and some of the work it does in a different direction. We all have our own journey with it all and I think we all definitely have that right and should not be judged to have that right. It’s just changing times – a big election year, a lot of different opinions, and in my opinion, a country more divided than I’ve ever seen or experienced in my lifetime. So, it’s an important time in everyone’s life right now and I feel like the younger generation is watching and learning. And I’m very encouraged by watching my kids and the way our school is teaching them to learn, to have an opinion, to really educate themselves on various topics. At times, I’m discouraged by where we sit as a nation, as a world and just how divided we all are. But then when I see my kids, their questions and their genuine concern about the future of our country, of our environment, of racial inequality issues, gender-related issues – I do become encouraged. To hear a 10-year old and a 6-year old weigh in on some conversations really has blown my mind. So, I do have some optimism for the future. Clearly, it’s a critical point in time right now for us all. It’s a big topic and a journey that’s not going to resolve anytime soon for generations to come.”

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

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