TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
COKE ZERO SUGAR 400
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA BEACH, FL
AUGUST 29, 2020

DAYTONA: RACE #26
It’s the famed 2.5-mile superspeedway of Daytona International Speedway where the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) kicked off the 2020 season and the series return will mark the end of the regular season with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, August 29, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The 400-mile, 160-lap event under the lights at the “World Center of Racing” will set the stage for the Playoffs to determine the final 16-driver field that will vie for the title of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. It’s the first time in history that the famed Florida high-banked oval will host the regular season championship for NASCAR’s premier series.

NASCAR is continuing to make steps towards introducing fans to events due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and Daytona International Speedway will play a role in that process. In accordance with public health officials and local, state and federal authorities, a limited number of fans will be on hand for the event to witness the conclusion of the series’ regular season. Seating will include socially-distanced front stretch seating and those in attendance will need to adhere to all health and safety protocols in place.

RACE FOR THE PLAYOFFS
It’s race #26 on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule and there’s one last chance for drivers to secure their spot in the 10-race Playoff battle to be crowned the title of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. Heading into the Daytona International Speedway race weekend, four Team Chevy drivers have locked themselves into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, three by virtue of victory and one has raced his way in by points:

LOCKED IN BY WINS
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hooters Camaro ZL1 1LE – 5th in Standings
Victories: 2 (Charlotte Motor Speedway and Daytona Road Course)
Stage Wins: 6; Stage Top-Five’s: 18; Stage Top-10’s: 35

Alex Bowman, No. 88 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE – 8th in Standings
Victories: 1 (Auto Club Speedway)
Stage Wins: 4; Stage Top-Five’s: 13; Stage Top-10’s: 28

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Dow VORASURF Camaro ZL1 1LE – 9th in Standings
Victories: 1 (Texas Motor Speedway)
Stage Top-Five’s: 3; Stage Top-10’s: 13

LOCKED IN BY POINTS
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE – 13th in Standings
Stage Wins: 1; Stage Top-Five’s: 4; Stage Top-10’s 20

With 13 drivers already locked in by wins or points, there are just three spots up for grabs for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Here is a look where the Playoff cutline battle stands:

       14th    Clint Bowyer (Ford): + 57 points
       15th    Matt DiBenedetto (Ford): + 9 points
       16th    William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE: + 4 points
       17th    Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE: - 4 points

BOWTIE BULLETS:
· Current Chevrolet drivers that have recorded wins at Daytona International Speedway include:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, has three wins (February 2006, February and July 2013)
Austin Dillon, No. 3 DOW VORASURF Camaro ZL1 1LE, has one win (February 2018)
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, has one win (February 2017)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE, has one win (July 2017)

· Of the 146 appearances made by NASCAR’s premier series at “The World Center of Racing”, Chevrolet has recorded 215 top-fives, 432 top-10’s and has led 7,977 laps.

· A Chevrolet has sat on the pole at Daytona International Speedway 50 times, with 22 of them being during the summer race – the most of any manufacturer. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hooters Camaro ZL1 1LE, leads all active series drivers in poles at Daytona with three (February 2016, February 2017 and July 2018). His 2016 Daytona 500 pole made him the youngest Daytona pole winner to-date (February 21, 2016 – 20 years, 2 months, 24 days). In addition, in his 10 career starts at Daytona, Chase Elliott lead all active drivers in average starting position with 9.222.

· Of all organizations, Hendrick Motorsports leads the way in poles at the summer Daytona race with seven: Darrell Waltrip (7/2/88), Greg sacks (7/7/90), Jeff Gordon (7/6/96 and 7/3/04), Mark Martin (7/2/11), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (7/1/17), Chase Elliott (7/7/2018).

· Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, leads all active NCS drivers in wins at Daytona with three (February 2016 and 2013 sweep). He also ties the leaderboard in number of runner-up finishes in the summer race at Daytona with three.

· In his 38 career starts at Daytona International Speedway, Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, leads all active drivers in top-five finishes with 13 (seven in the summer race) and top-10 finishes with 18 (10 in the summer race).

· Austin Dillon, No. 3 Dow VORASURF Camaro ZL1 1LE, leads all active NCS drivers in average finishing position at Daytona with 14.857 in his 15 career-starts.

· In four-career starts in the summer race at Daytona, Ty Dillon, No. 13 GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE, leads the series in average finishing position with 8.667.

DAYTONA HISTORY BOOK
Chevrolet is no stranger to victory lane at the famed 2.5-mile high-banked oval of Daytona International Speedway. On February 20, 1959, the track held its first NCS event (100-mile qualifying race to start on the pole for the inaugural Daytona 500), in which Bob Welborn took Chevrolet to victory lane. Later in Daytona’s debut year and the track’s first summer race, Fireball Roberts put his name in the record books by taking the checkers in a Pontiac. Chevrolet or GM brands Oldsmobile and Pontiac would go on to win the first 17 races at the speedway. To-date, of the 146 NASCAR Cup Series events at Daytona, Chevrolet drivers have scored 47 victories, with Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Buick adding an additional 23 wins. The 2019 Coke Zero Sugar winner was Justin Haley, who’s first-career NCS win in his Chevrolet after a rain-shortened race made him the youngest Daytona summer race winner (7/7/2019 – 20 years, 2 months, 9 days).

STARTING LINEUP
For the remainder of the 2020 NCS season, the race weekend format will consist of no practice or qualifying. The starting lineup for Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 will be set by a combination of the following factors: finishing position from the previous race (weighted 50%), rank in team owner points standings (35%) and the fastest lap from the previous race (15%).

Here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters:

       6th      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE
       7th      Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE
       8th      Alex Bowman, No. 88 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE
      12th    Austin Dillon, No. 3 Dow VORASURF Camaro ZL1 1LE
      13th    Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE
      18th    Tyler Reddick, No. 8 KCMG Camaro ZL1 1LE
      19th    Matt Kenseth, No. 42 Credit One Bank Camaro ZL1 1LE

TUNE-IN:
NBC will telecast the Coke Zero Sugar 400 live at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, August 29. NBCSports Gold will stream the race and live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 5th IN STANDINGS
“I think this weekend is all going to depend on where you are in the standings heading into the race and what you have to do or don’t have to do to make it into the playoffs. There are guys that have to win to get in, there’s guys who are right on the cutline who are trying to be consistent to advance. There are guys on offense, there’s guys on defense. Lucky for us, we are not really having to play the points game necessarily to get in, but we are still battling for regular season points finishing position because that has a direct impact on your playoff points for the final 10 races. We want to better ourselves as much as we can. Obviously, Sunday (at Dover) really killed us picking up some more points. We don’t need to do that this weekend so maybe we can move up a little bit in that regular season standings.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 8th IN STANDINGS
“Going into Daytona this weekend, it is really great knowing that we are already in the playoffs. We had a great top-five finish on Sunday in Dover, so that gives this No. 88 team and really everyone at Hendrick Motorsports some motivation going into Saturday night’s race. Daytona, and really any superspeedway, is a great track for our team. I feel like every time we go to one of these tracks, we always have a chance to bring home a win.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW VORASURF CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 9th IN STANDINGS
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE TRACK, AND WHY?
“My favorite track would probably be Daytona International Speedway, simply because of the memories there. It’s filled with history, and it’s been a fun track for me. It’s been wild there. A lot of things have happened. I’ve torn down the fence and won the Daytona 500, so I have to choose Daytona just from the historical perspective”

ARE YOU A GUY WHO LIKES TO PLAY IT CONSERVATIVELY AT SPEEDWAY RACES, OR ARE YOU A GUY THAT ACTS A LITTLE BIT MORE AGGRESSIVELY?
“It’s a good mix. I think you have to be able to just pick your battles throughout the race. If you can score some Stage points in the race that’s a nice thing. It’s an advantage going into the Playoffs. But you also have to be able to keep your car in one piece so that you can be there at the end of the race and try to win. I like to pick my battles.”

DO YOU THINK IT’S GOING TO BE STRANGE HAVING DAYTONA SERVE AS THE REGULAR SEASON FINALE THIS YEAR? THAT’S QUITE A CHANGE TO THE SCHEDULE.
“Well if Daytona wasn’t already wild enough. It’s now positioned in a spot on the schedule where it makes it extremely crazy. With the race serving as the final race to get into the Playoffs, we’re all going to be doing everything we can, obviously. We already do, but that race is just going to be extreme. I predict some crazy wrecks.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 13th IN STANDINGS
“The goal for me, I didn’t tell anybody about, at the beginning of the year was to make sure we were locked into the Playoffs before this race. The schedule change this year, putting a restrictor plate race as the cutoff for the playoffs, holds so many unknowns and variables. It is such a huge wildcard already. We didn’t want to be reliant on points in order to make into the Playoffs.”

“My congratulations to everybody on the No. 1 Monster Energy / GEARWRENCH Chevrolet team; they did their jobs with consistency. I’ve tried to make the best decisions that I possibly could out on-track to build that up. Of course, we haven’t made it to Victory Lane yet, but Daytona is a great chance for us to do that. With no concerns about points in regards to anything for the Playoffs we can just go for it. We are in position to go for a championship, so it’s just a matter of operating and executing as a team. Our first priority at Daytona is to try to get the No. 42 car a win and get them into the Playoffs. It would be huge for Chip Ganassi Racing to have both cars in the Playoffs. The second priority will be the No. 24 (William Byron) and No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson) cars, with both of them on the bubble, we want to help with Team Chevy. We’ll see how it all plays out. I’m really proud of our team and going back to Daytona this time will be just the same as it was when we raced in July; it’s just that it’s a cutoff race so the craziness is going to be at an all-time high!”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 16th IN STANDINGS
“Whatever way you look at it, no matter where we’re at, our approach isn’t going to change that much going into Daytona. You’re going to have to be aggressive in this race regardless of the situation by trying to get stage points and trying to win the race. We had a Duel win there earlier this year at Daytona, which is great. I absolutely think we can go there and be aggressive and win again. That doesn’t change after how Dover went.”

“Daytona is an accept-it-as-it-happens kind of place, which makes it a challenge. You have to go in expecting that things aren’t going to go your way, and hopefully they do. It’s one of those things that you have to go in with low expectations, try race as hard as you can, and hopefully you come out on the good side of things. No one knows exactly what to expect but I am excited and hopeful that we’ll have a good run.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 KCMG CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 19th IN STANDINGS
HEADING INTO DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY THIS WEEKEND FOR THE FINAL RACE OF THE REGULAR SEASON, WHAT IS YOUR PLAN TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS?
“It’s very simple for myself and the No. 8 KCMG team this weekend. We have to win to make the Playoffs. For a while, it was looking like if those surprise winners had not jumped us, maybe we would have made it in. These past few weeks have been tough though, so we’re on the outside looking in right now and know what we have to do to make it. We’ve had speed at times this year, so I’m looking to running a strong race on Saturday from start to finish. I’d like to run up front all day and run around the drivers I’d want to work with at the end. There is always the strategy to run in the back, but I just feel like right when it’s go time and you start moving up through the field is when the big one happens, and you’re caught up in it. So, my plan is to run up front, see who can push me well, see who I can push well, and make a game plan on who to work with at the end. I was able to do some of that at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this year, so hopefully other drivers will remember that and be willing to work with me.”

MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 28th IN STANDINGS
“It’s fun to go to Daytona, but plate racing is always unpredictable. Not sure what it will be like this weekend, since it’s the last race before the Playoffs. There are a lot of us that have to win to get in, and are going to be pushing hard to try to be in the front. You’ll also have drivers that are already in the Playoffs that are probably going to be more careful. I expect a lot of aggression out there, but also some guys who are trying to keep their spot in the points. It certainly mixes everything up and gives more of an equal opportunity to get into the post season with a win. We just need to keep from getting torn up and stay in that lead group toward the end to have a shot.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2019): 39
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Drivers Championships:
Total (1949-2019): 31
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016

Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2020 STATISTICS:
Wins: 4
Poles: 3
Laps Led: 1,394
Top-five finishes: 30
Top-10 finishes: 82

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 790 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 717
Laps led to date: 235,700
Top-five finishes to date: 4,044
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,364

Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date

       General Motors: 1,124
       Chevrolet: 790
       Pontiac: 154
       Oldsmobile: 115
       Buick: 65

       Ford: 800                                                         
       Ford: 700
       Mercury: 96
       Lincoln: 4

       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
       Dodge: 217
       Plymouth: 191
       Chrysler: 59

       Toyota: 150

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.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
COKE ZERO SUGAR 400
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
August 27, 2020

CHAD KNAUS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference and discussed the upcoming race at Daytona, his approach to his job, the leadership role he plays with the No. 24 team, and more. Full Transcript:

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO MAYBE BE RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING JIMMIE JOHNSON OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS IN HIS FINAL SEASON?
“Weird question. Why do you guys always try to pit us against one another?

YOU GUYS ARE GOING AGAINST EACH OTHER FOR THE FINAL PLAYOFFS SPOT
“it’s cool. It’s all part of it. It’s unfortunate that we’re in these positions. Obviously, sans a problem with Charlotte for the No. 48 and then Jimmie needing to sit out for COVID, he would be locked-in for sure. And, unfortunate for us. We’ve had some bad things happen on the race track with tires, etc., you could just name a thousand things out there. But, it’s unfortunate we’re in this position, the both of us. And, it’s racing.”

INAUDIBLE
“Oddly enough, as I got home from Dover, I was doing the post-race notes. And I was just pondering a little bit. It was like midnight, or something like that, as I was doing my notes. And I was like man, it’s so weird that I’m going to be battling the No. 48 car going into Daytona. And then the next morning, at like 8:00 a.m., he sent me a text. He’s like man, isn’t it weird that we’re competing with one another for this? So, we a text right there and then we had a phone conversation a little bit later in the week. And hey, it is what it is. We’re both professionals here. We understand what’s going on. And it’s racing. And it’s competition. And, we’ll go down there and hopefully, we both get in, you know? I think we’ve got that possibility. We both run really well at super speedways. Hendrick Engines and the guys at the shop build some amazing race cars. So, hopefully we can get out there and get some stage points and race well and get both the No. 24 and the No. 48 into the Playoffs.”

HOW SIGNIFICANT IS IT TO YOU THAT YOU’VE MADE THE POST-SEASON EVERY YEAR IN IT’S FORM IN NASCAR? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT’S SIGNIFICANT OR IS IT QUITE FRANKLY, THE WAY YOU VIEW IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS EXPECTED AND NOT REALLY WORTHY OF MUCH DISCUSSION BECAUSE THAT’S PART OF YOUR JOB?
“You know, quite honestly, up until this year, I always thought it was pretty easy to make the Playoffs, honestly. So, I hadn’t put a whole lot into it. Obviously, the desire is extremely high to get into the Playoffs. That’s what I want to do for sure, one hundred percent. But I hadn’t really thought about that a whole lot. It’s just what you’re supposed to do. It’s just part of the job, right? The expectation is to be in the Playoffs. I never looked at it as anything other than just what you’re supposed to do. Does that make sense?”

I SEE YOU IN THE COACH ROLE SINCE YOU SAID IT WAS SOMETHING YOU HADN’T THOUGHT OF AS MUCH IN YEARS PAST. SINCE YOU’VE HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE GRIND HERE RECENTLY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, HOW HAS THAT CHANGE HOW YOU COACH OR DIRECT YOUR TEAM BECAUSE IT’S A DIFFERENT SITUATION THAN WHAT YOU’RE USED TO?
“It is a little bit different, for sure. We actually just had a team meeting not too long ago. And I was chatting with the guys and here’s the way I take this, right? In all my years of being in this sport and being in different levels of success, somebody is always trying to give me advice on how to handle things and how to approach the weekend, how to approach a race, how to approach a championship. And I told them, I said, you guys need to tell whoever it is that’s trying to tell you how to handle your emotions in this type of situation to just go away and let you deal with it your way because you’re a professional and you guys are doing things the way that you can to the best of your ability. The only thing that’s going to happen if people start giving you advice is that you’re going to cloud you and misdirect you. So, you’ve got to believe in your heart. And, that’s just the truth.

“And, from my standpoint, I fall back on what my experiences are. I fall back on my teammates. We’re going to try to lift each other to the highest level we possibly can this weekend to go out there and compete and hopefully come out of there with not only a Playoff berth, but a race win because that’s what we’re ultimately trying to do, right?

“So, we’re working hard on that, from that respect. I think we’re capable of getting down there and racing really competitively. The thing I think I’m most excited about, quite honestly, is the race tracks that are coming up afterwards. With the lack of practice this year, it’s no mystery that the Chevrolet Camaro has been a little bit difficult for us to try to get on top of; but if you go back and you look, I think our performances at second races, or a second time at a given race track have been pretty good. So, I’m really looking forward to getting back to some of these race tracks for a second time (like) Darlington and Martinsville. You look at Kansas and Vegas. Some of these tracks, I really thing we’re going to perform exceptionally well and get Hendrick Motorsports back where it needs to be.”

YOU’VE OBVIOUSLY DONE THIS WITH A LOT OF SUCCESS IN YOUR CAREER. BUT THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF DAYTONA BEING THE CUTOFF RACE WITH EVERYTHING THAT’S ON THE LINE, DOES YOUR CHAIR EVER GET COMFORTABLE WHEN YOU’RE DOWN THERE? IT’S SUCH A WILDCARD.
“Yeah, I won’t be comfortable until I get my butt on the airplane and fly out of that place, I can tell you that. It’s a treacherous race track. Obviously, it’s in the time slot it is for a reason, right? We like that unpredictability and excitement when it comes to cutoff races for the Playoffs or to make the Playoffs. It’s all there by design, right? I love Daytona. It’s a great race track. It’s been really good to me over the years. We’ve had a lot of success from the teams that I’ve been a part of; whether it be the old No. 24 to the No. 92 car to the No. 48, to the new No. 24 team. So, uncomfortable is not really what’s going to be going on or those 400 miles down there in Daytona.”

RELYING ON EXPERIENCE AND FALLING BACK AND WHAT YOU’VE DONE AND LEARNED MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. BUT YOU’RE WITH A YOUNG DRIVER NOW. WHEN YOU FALL BACK ON THE EXPERIENCE AND WHAT YOU’VE DONE, ISN’T IT A TOTALLY DIFFERENT PICTURE, OR NOT?
“When you’re a young driver, you’re saying? This is kind of what I was trying to get at. He (William Byron) and a lot of the members of this team are young, for sure. Not just young in experience, but young in age. The thing is, they’re all in this position for a reason. And, that’s kind of what I was really trying to reinforce is that you just do what it is that you’re good at and rely on what has gotten you here. William has had a lot of success at super speedways over the years in Trucks and the Xfinity Series. And we won the 150 earlier this year. We’ve run really well at a lot of the races. Unfortunately, like a lot of the folks out there, our finish rate is pretty low, which is always frightening. But our performance has always been high. So, as long as he does what it is that he needs to do, which I think he will, he’s going to do just fantastic. William is a very calculated guy.”

INAUDIBLE
“That’s why I do it. I enjoy the competitiveness of it. I enjoy the puzzle. Everything is a riddle. And, you’ve got to try to solve the riddle and that’s to be first at the end of 400 miles at this race and to have the championship at the end of the season. And, it’s a daunting task as you look at the races and the things you try to navigate throughout the course of the year. Yeah, the stress is high. But, it’s why we do it, right? I love my job. I’ve got one of the coolest jobs in the world. And I’m very, very fortunate to be able to do what it is that I do.”

YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE STRESS AND PEOPLE GIVING ADVICE ON HOW TO HANDLE THE EMOTIONS. WHAT HAS YOUR EMOTION BEEN THIS WEEK? IS THERE EXCITEMENT? IS THERE STILL FRUSTRATION ABOUT WHETHER JIMMIE MAKES IT OR NOT FOR YOU?
“I learned quite a while ago to be able to put things to bed pretty quickly from a previous weekend and I definitely don’t reflect back too much on what happened throughout the course of the year to put us in this situation because that’s a waste of energy. I’ve got a lot more important things to do. So, I don’t really worry about that a whole lot, honestly. The thing about Jimmie, man, who knows what’s going to happen? Like I said is my intention is for Hendrick Motorsports to put both of these cars in the Playoffs. We’ve got a shot at it, right? And that’s what we need to try to do. I’m hoping Jimmie makes it. I hope to hell the man goes out there and wins the championship, honestly. And, that would just be spectacular to see him be able to do that and knowing that I was a part of that would be really awesome, right? But we’ll just have to see how the cards fall. It’s a tough spot. It’s a tough race. It is what it is.”

HAVE YOUR PRIORITIES CHANGED SINCE BECOMING A FATHER?
“Well, of course. I mean you’ve got a couple more little responsibilities you’ve got to stick in there. Anybody who says that they don’t would be lying. It’s changed my life a little bit, but I don’t think it’s taken away from what we do at Hendrick Motorsports much at all. I’ve got a great wife that understands my job and understands what it is that I do. She’s able to give me the freedom that I need to have to work and work long hours and be gone on weekends and things of that nature. So yeah, it’s definitely changed. But it’s not like I’m doing things a whole lot different, to be honest.”

SO, DO YOU ENJOY IT AS MUCH? YOU ARE GETTING QUESTIONS ABOUT EMOTIONS. DO YOU ENJOY GETTING UP AND COMING TO THE SHOP AS MUCH NOW AS YOU EVER HAVE?
“Absolutely. One hundred percent. I don’t know how to explain it. So, my alarm goes off in the morning. And, I hit ‘snooze’ once. And then my feet hit the floor. And then I’m in a mad rush to get teeth brushed, shower, shave, dressed, in the car, drive down Highway 85, usually about 85 mph, so I get here as fast as I can and get in here and get to work. And I’ve been doing that now for I don’t know how many years. But, a long time. And I don’t foresee that changing any time soon. I love coming here. I love coming into this complex. It’s the coolest place in the world. For folks that haven’t been here, or who haven’t been here for a while, it’s just amazing what we are able to be a part of here at this facility. And my number one goal is to get the No. 24 car into Victory Lane and running the way that it’s supposed to be, and all of the cars here at Hendrick Motorsports.”

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.

Richard Childress Racing at Daytona International Speedway … In 181 career starts at Daytona International Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned six NASCAR Cup Series wins, including three Daytona 500 victories, 38 top-five, and 73 top-10 finishes. The Welcome N.C. organization has also scored six NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at the World Center of Racing.

Catch the Action … The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway will be televised live Friday, August 28, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

The NASCAR Cup Series’ Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway will be televised live Saturday, August 29, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

This Week’s Dow VORASURF Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Daytona International Speedway… Dillon, the 2018 Daytona 500 Champion, has 14 previous starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway, acquiring one pole award, two top-five and seven top-10 finishes. The Welcome, North Carolina, driver, who grew up attending races at Daytona International Speedway with his family, has 10 starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with one win, seven top-five and seven top-10 finishes. He has two starts at the track in the NASCAR Truck Series.

Dow brings a science and engineering crew who is driven by limitless curiosity to the RCR Team … Austin Dillon and the RCR team are again supported by Dow’s materials science expertise and technologies this season. Backed by the power of data analysis and virtual modeling, Dow develops and manufactures high-performance components and materials custom-made for the No. 3 car. Dow and RCR’s partnership has expedited innovation and shortened testing time in the automotive industry by recreating in the lab one of the most extreme environments – the racetrack. After 7 years of collaboration, Dow scientists and RCR engineers are continuing to work together to make the No. 3 car faster, safer and more precise. Stay up to date with Dow’s exciting developments at www.dow.com/sports and follow us on Twitter @DowSports & @DowNewsroom.

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AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
Do you have a favorite track, and why?
“My favorite track would probably be Daytona International Speedway, simply because of the memories there. It’s filled with history, and it’s been a fun track for me. It’s been wild there. A lot of things have happened. I’ve torn down the fence and won the Daytona 500, so I have to choose Daytona just from the historical perspective”

Are you a guy who likes to play it conservatively at speedway races, or are you a guy that acts a little bit more aggressively?
“It’s a good mix. I think you have to be able to just pick your battles throughout the race. If you can score some Stage points in the race that’s a nice thing. It’s an advantage going into the Playoffs. But you also have to be able to keep your car in one piece so that you can be there at the end of the race and try to win. I like to pick my battles.”

Do you think it’s going to be strange having Daytona serve as the regular season finale this year? That’s quite a change to the schedule …
“Well if Daytona wasn’t already wild enough, it’s now positioned in a spot on the schedule where it makes it extremely crazy. With the race serving as the final race to get into the Playoffs, we’re all going to be doing everything we can, obviously. We already do, but that race is just going to be extreme. I predict some crazy wrecks.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 KCMG Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Daytona International Speedway … Tyler Reddick has two NASCAR Cup Series starts under his belt at Daytona International Speedway as he enters the final weekend of the regular 2020 season. Reddick, who will have one last chance to make the NASCAR Playoffs this weekend, has won in both the NASCAR Xfinity and NASCAR Truck Series at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender also has two top-10 finishes and two pole awards in the Xfinity Series at the track.

About KCMG … KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) is an international motorsport services group established in 2007 by Dr. Paul Ip. The group, with its headquarters located in Hong Kong, has operations reaching across Europe and the Asia Pacific region. KCMG operates closely with many partner companies and racing organizations around the world to provide unrivalled Motorsport Services, Equipment, Team Management and quality distributorship in the Automotive Industry. 2013 saw KCMG become the first Chinese outfit ever to race at the world famous Le Mans 24 Hours in its 90-year history and participate in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The Hong Kong-based team later on took an historic LMP2 victory at Le Mans and was Vice Champion in FIA WEC in 2015. With years in the motorsport industry, KCMG has been involved in a wide range of Formula, GT and Le Mans prototype endurance racing series across the globe. For more information please visit www.kcmg.com.hk or email info@kcmg.co.hk.

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TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:
Heading into Daytona International Speedway this weekend for the final race of the regular season, what is your plan to make the Playoffs?
“It’s very simple for myself and the No. 8 KCMG team this weekend. We have to win to make the Playoffs. For a while, it was looking like if those surprise winners had not jumped us, maybe we would have made it in. These past few weeks have been tough though, so we’re on the outside looking in right now and know what we have to do to make it. We’ve had speed at times this year, so I’m looking to running a strong race on Saturday from start to finish. I’d like to run up front all day and run around the drivers I’d want to work with at the end. There is always the strategy to run in the back, but I just feel like right when it’s go time and you start moving up through the field is when the big one happens, and you’re caught up in it. So, my plan is to run up front, see who can push me well, see who I can push well, and make a game plan on who to work with at the end. I was able to do some of that at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this year, so hopefully other drivers will remember that and be willing to work with me.”

Anthony Alfredo and the No. 21 Pyro Putty Chevrolet Camaro at Daytona International Speedway … After an action-packed double-header weekend at Dover International Speedway, Anthony Alfredo will be back behind the wheel of the No. 21 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry for Richard Childress Racing. Friday night will mark Alfredo’s first career start at the historic Daytona International Speedway. Earlier this season, Alfredo lead laps at Talladega Superspeedway en route to a strong sixth-place finish.

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Fast Start for Fast Pasta … Running a limited schedule in the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing, Alfredo has secured six top-10 finishes and has an average finish of 11.2. He also won an eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series Saturday Night Thunder Race at Dover International Speedway during NASCAR’s hiatus from on-track competition.

ANTHONY ALFREDO QUOTES:
What does it mean to you to be racing at Daytona International Speedway for the first time in your career this weekend?
“Every race is a blessing to me, especially competing at this level for an organization like Richard Childress Racing. With that being said, the first race I ever attended as a fan was the 2012 Daytona 500. To roll out onto the track as a competitor at one of NASCAR’s highest levels is an indescribable feeling. It’s also going to be crazy because my first lap will be the green flag since we still don’t have practice or qualifying. Regardless, I am very excited for the opportunity and our only goal is to go win the race in our No. 21 Pyro Putty Chevrolet Camaro.”

You and your team had a strong performance at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this season. What will it take to find victory lane at Daytona on Friday night?
“We’ve had extremely fast Chevrolet Camaros at just about everywhere we’ve been this year, but the superspeedways have historically been some of the best tracks for RCR. We definitely proved how fast we were at Talladega earlier this year when I was able to lead my first career laps in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The biggest challenge is just going to be keeping our No. 21 Pyro Putty Chevrolet clean throughout the race and avoiding the big wrecks. If we can do that, I believe we can put ourselves in position at the end to bring home our first checkered flag.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
COKE ZERO SUGAR 400
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 27, 2020

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY 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, the pressure of racing on the Playoff bubble, and more. Transcript:

ARE YOU SLEEPING GOOD AT NIGHT? DO YOU DREAM ABOUT RACING AND POINTS? DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR TEAMMATE?
“Honestly, I’ve thought a lot about the race, but I think I’m the least stressed about it just because I feel like at Daytona, you always have an opportunity. You always have a chance to do well or even for things to go wrong. The track doesn’t really owe you anything. I’ve had some great results – I’ve won at Daytona in the Xfinity Series, I won the Duel this year to start the season. I’ve also had some unfortunate ones, like the Daytona 500 this year where we finished dead last. So, I think it’s honestly it’s just one of those places that never owes you anything and I don’t stress about it as much as maybe a place like Bristol or Dover, where you can run poorly just based on performance. I think it’s a great opportunity for us, that’s really how I look at it and I’m just excited to get down there. It’s going to be very difficult to points-race. Honestly, I’m going to try to approach it the same way that I did the Playoff race last year at Talladega when we were trying to make it into the Round of Eight, which was try to go out there, win stages and see where that puts us.”

WE KNOW YOU AND CHAD (KNAUS) ON THE RADIO – WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM YOUR CREW CHIEF DURING THE DAYTONA RACE? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM HIM AND WHAT DO YOU NOT WANT?
“I think we do a pretty good job on the speedways of just communicating well. I don’t think there’s going to really be any stress in terms of where we’re running. I think we’ve got a good approach. Hopefully the strategy goes our way and we kind of get that track position to end the stages and be able to go race it out for points there. I think it’s honestly kind of out of his hands at a place like this – it’s really myself and Tab Boyd, my spotter, it’s just us communicating about the runs and the momentum. And he just kind of stays quite until it’s time to pit.”

WITH THE POINTS SITUATION YOU’RE IN, OBVIOUSLY THE CHEVY TEAMS WILL LIKELY RUN TOGETHER OR TRY TO BE GROUPED TOGETHER AS WE’VE SEEN IN THESE TYPES OF RACES BEFORE, HOW DO YOU RACE JIMMIE (JOHNSON)? I KNOW IT WAS DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES LAST YEAR, BUT OBVIOUSLY YOU TWO WERE VERY CLOSE TOGETHER THAT LED TO CONTRIBUTING TO HIS INCIDENT AT INDIANAPOLIS IN WHAT WAS THE REGULAR SEASON FINALE. HOW DO YOU RACE A TEAMMATE WITH THAT AS PART OF THE HISTORY AND KNOWING YOU’RE LIKELY GOING TO BE AROUND HIM, POTENTIALLY A GOOD PART OF THE DAY?
“I think we’re going to be around each other, there’s no question, at some point of the race. But there’s also so many cars that come into play at a place like Daytona. Dover, we were around each other at the finish. Things went well and we were able to race clean and all of that. I’ve never had issues with Jimmie (Johnson) – maybe my rookie year a couple of times, but that was just learning situations and understanding the Cup Series. I think we’ll be fine. Last year, we were locked in on points. I think were three-wide, Indy is a narrow track, so I don’t really think that applies at all this year. We’re going to race and try to push each other towards the front and try to get both of us into the Playoffs. I think we have a chance and an opportunity to get both Hendrick cars in and be able to bump the No. 21 out. So, that’s kind of our goal and hopefully it works out that way. Speedways are really unpredictable. It’s all situational, so hopefully we’re together at the end, we can push each other to the lead and hopefully finish 1-2.”

THERE COULD CERTAINLY BE A SITUATION WHERE SOMEBODY ELSE NEEDS TO MAKE A CHOICE OF WHETHER TO PUSH JIMMIE (JOHNSON) OR TO PUSH YOU. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO DURING THE RACE TO TRY TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO PUSH YOU?
“Just block really well (laughs). You just have to block like crazy at these places. The only way you’re going to make them push you is if you block well enough to where they can’t get around you. I intend on using the mirrors very heavily. My spotter does a good job of keeping me up-to-date on what runs are coming and just going to have to block extremely well so they push you.”

ARE YOU BRINGING CANDLES TO YOUR MOTORHOME FOR A PRE-RACE RELAXATION OR WHATEVER YOU’RE SHOWING US ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
“I’m a big candle guy lately. I was actually at Cracker Barrel at Daytona for the road course race and I was going to get some food. I had to wait a little bit, so I got some candles. I just like all various candles. I live in a pretty small apartment, so every time I walk in, I can smell whatever recent the candle was that I was burning. Maybe I’ll start hoarding a bunch of different candle brands.”

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO GO FROM BEING THE KID THAT ONCE TRICK-OR-TREATED AT JIMMIE JOHNSON’S HOUSE TO NOW POTENTIALLY BEING THE GUY WHO KNOCKS HIM OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS IN HIS FINAL SEASON?
“I think it’s a great storyline. Jimmie is the guy that I looked up to as a kid. I was really a 48 fan through and through. I’ve got a lot of 48 stuff at my parent’s house and a lot of different diecast cars. But I really don’t look at it as me versus him. I know that’s what the bubble is right now, but it really is an opportunity for both of us to get in. Trying to look at it as that. That’s ultimately the goal – to get both of us in. Jimmie is an awesome competitor and somebody I really look up to.”

AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF YOU GET IN AND JIMMIE DOESN’T, MIXED FEELINGS THERE ON YOUR PART?
“Unfortunately, the way this sport is, your race team is the No. 24 team. So, the guys that I answer to are Chad (Knaus), my engineers, my Car Chief Tyler (Jones), my sponsors. Really trying to just do the best I can for them.”

HOW MUCH INFORMATION DO YOU WANT DURING THE RACE? AS FAR AS THE POINTS, YOU’RE REALLY JUST RACING TWO GUYS. DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE THEY ARE OR IS THERE SO MUCH GOING ON THAT YOU JUST WANT TO PUT THAT OUT OF YOUR MIND UNTIL THE VERY END?
“I think you have to get the points in the bank during the stages. So, you’re going to kind of be aware of where those guys finish in the stages. And if not, I might get a reminder of just how many points each of us have racked up in the stages to just get an idea. Honestly, the way I approach it is I kind of have a temperature check in my mind. Like at Dover on Sunday, I knew we had gotten quite a few stage points – we finished third in the first stage and sixth in the second. So, I knew we were in pretty good shape. So if we just got a solid finish, which we did finishing in the top-five, we got a lot of points out of that day. So, you kind of honestly know at this point. We’re all smart enough race car drivers to understand how many points are awarded and you have that instinct in your head of what it looks like. And I know what the other race cars look like that I’m racing against – I know what the 21 looks like and obviously what Jimmie’s car looks like. So, I have an idea so I just do it that way. Typically, it works out – plus or minus a couple of points. Which might be the difference this week, so I might be needing to get a reminder. But when it comes down to the end of the race, you’re going to be running as hard as you can to try to get as many points as you can. It might be one of those situations where you cross the line and you’re in by a point or whatever. So, we’ll see what happens.”

WE ALL HOPE THAT YOU MAKE IT, BUT HAVING BEEN IN THE PLAYOFFS, HOW DISAPPOINTING WOULD IT BE IF ONE OF THESE SCENARIOS POP UP AND YOU MISS IT BY A POINT OR TWO?
“We have all year – we’ve had 25 races so far to get in. We’ve had some really unfortunate circumstances that have taken us out of some really good runs – I think of Indianapolis blowing a tire leading the race, I think of the first race back at Darlington having another tire issue there running second or third in the race. We’ve had some really unfortunate things happen for us, which really just falls on us. I think it will be unfortunate, but it’s not just about one race – it’s about 26. We’ll go hard into the next 10 and try to win races there.”

WITH THIS INTERESTING SITUATION WE HAVE GOING AT DAYTONA, MY QUESTION TO YOU IS WHAT HAS THE COMMUNICATION BEEN LIKE IN THE HENDRICK HEADQUARTERS THIS WEEK? IT’S AN INTERESTING SITUATION WHERE CHASE (ELLIOTT) AND ALEX (BOWMAN) COULD BE FIGHTING FOR PLAYOFF SEEDING IN TERMS OF ANOTHER WIN, AND YOU AND JIMMIE (JOHNSON) ARE FIGHTING FOR A PLAYOFF SPOT. WHAT HAS THE COMMUNICATION BEEN LIKE, ESPECIALLY IN THIS ERA OF SOCIAL DISTANCING IN THE HENDRICK STALL?
“It’s been good. We have our normal Monday meetings that consist of going over the previous races. It’s been fine. I think we always work well together on the speedway races. Chase has a few wins on him and I’ve got either a few stage wins or the Duel win to look back on. Alex has done really well – I think he’s finished top-five in a lot of these races. So, I think honestly we just work together well. We have fast cars and hopefully they’re even faster this weekend. I don’t worry about it too much. I think we all have pretty good relationships.”

THE FACT THAT THIS IS THE FINAL RACE OF THE REGULAR SEASON AT DAYTONA, ANYONE IN THE FIELD OF 40 HAS A CHANCE OF WINNING THAT RACE. THERE ARE SOME DRIVERS THAT ARE BELOW 16TH IN THE STANDINGS THAT COULD BE IN THAT SCENARIO WHERE THEY COULD TRY TO PULL OFF THE MUST-WIN SITUATION AND IT COULD LEAD TO POSSIBLY YOU BEING THE FIRST DRIVER OUT BASED ON POINTS. DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT THAT, WITH SOME UNDERDOGS TRYING TO PULL OFF THAT BUZZER-BEATER TYPE OF SCENARIO?
“It would be unfortunate for us. I think it would definitely be disappointing, but I don’t really know what you do at that point about it – it is what it is. Honestly, at that point, I would just accept it after a few hours and move on. Hopefully we can be that guy that wins and all these problems won’t be issues. That’s our goal.”

WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL THOUGHT OF NASCAR MOVING THE SECOND DAYTONA RACE TO THE FINAL RACE OF THE REGULAR SEASON? WITH ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS HAVE YOU’VE MENTIONED, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE KEY IS TO NAVIGATING A TRACK LIKE DAYTONA WITH ALL YOUR EXPERIENCE?
“I hoped that we would be in a little better position to not be on the bubble going into this final race, but unfortunately that’s what we’re in. So, I think we’ve accepted that. I’m excited about it – I think Daytona is an awesome, historic place. We had a chance to race there on the road course, which I thought was a great event and very challenging. I’m just excited for this weekend. It’s going to be great from a fan’s perspective. It’s going to be stressful in the car, but sometimes those are the most fun times and the most rewarding times in the race car – those times where you’re under pressure. It should be fun.”

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