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.

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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.”

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

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference to discuss his outlook going into the last race of the regular season at Daytona International Speedway, what it’s going to take for him to make the Playoffs, his confidence going into the Coke Zero Sugar 400 with his superspeedway experience, and more. Transcript:

RICKY, YOU’RE ONE OF THE FINEST SUPERSPEEDWAY RACERS THAT WE HAVE IN ALL OF NASCAR. HOW EXCITED ARE YOU TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY COMING UP THIS WEEKEND AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY?
“Yeah, we’re excited about it – the whole team is. Everybody has been working hard on our superspeedway car – been polishing on it, massaging on it, getting it ready to go. I know that I’ve got a lot of confidence in what they build, and what we brought to Daytona earlier in the season was obviously really good, really fast and drove good. We were up in the top-five and I made a mistake – went below the yellow line there on the back-straightaway. It really cost us a shot at winning the Daytona 500. But then we showed up to Talladega, put ourselves in position and just came up a couple inches short.”

LOOKING AT THE STARTING LINEUP FOR THIS WEEKEND, YOU HAVE A PRETTY GOOD GROUP OF CHEVY’S BACK THERE WHERE YOU’RE AT. ARE YOU LOOKING AT THAT LINEUP AND TALKING TO THESE GUYS BEFORE THE RACE GETS GOING OR ARE YOU LETTING THINGS JUST FALL INTO PLACE WHERE THEY DO? THERE’S A PRETTY GOOD GROUP OF DRIVERS BACK THERE ALL DRIVING CHEVY’S.
“Yeah, Jim Campbell and everybody at Chevrolet generally get with us and just kind of have a general talk of superspeedway strategy – trying to work with our partners at Chevrolet and our other teammates. But then also, we kind of let the cards kind of play where they fall. Sometimes you’ll find yourself in the mix. I’ve re-watched the Daytona race and there were a lot of times where I was the only Chevy in the top-10. At that point, you just have to pick and choose who you want to draft with. You run the whole race and kind of figure out who’s your drafting partner – who you draft well with, who you can keep track position with and who’s on the same strategy. Kind of let the cards fall where they fall, but also help your other Chevrolet teammates as well.”

DO YOU SEE DAYTONA RACING ANY DIFFERENTLY WITH A LITTLE LESS HORSEPOWER AND THE CHANGES THEY MADE GOING INTO TALLADEGA?
“Yeah, I’ve re-watched the 500 and I re-watched Talladega, just trying to see those differences. Obviously, both racetracks race a little different in itself. I don’t see a whole lot of difference. I think you’ll be able to keep your track position a little bit better if you’re at the front of the field. The runs won’t be as big and so you might be able to block a little bit easier and keep that track position with Daytona being a little bit narrower. The difficult thing at Talladega is that it’s so wide. You block one run and they can kind of go the other direction and have enough room to do that. Track position is more key at Daytona with as tight as it is.”

THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A SHOT AT THE PLAYOFFS. CAN YOU BE MORE AGGRESSIVE? DO YOU TAKE MORE RISKS SATURDAY NIGHT THAN YOU DO IN THE DAYTONA 500?
“For me, I race every speedway race the same. I felt like we had a good strategy going into the 500 – be up front in all the stages, get stage points and just put yourself in the right positions to keep track position when it comes down to the end of the race. You don’t want to start a stage in the back – I think you definitely need to be up front. If you’re in the back, it’s not a killer, but it’s definitely going to make it a little more challenging. We’ll try to keep our track position, race aggressive and just stay up front. I treat the stages similar to the end of the race – kind of practice my moves, especially if I’m in the top-five, what moves can I make to get to that green-checkered finish at the point of where I want to. Gain positions and see if I can practice that twice before we get down to the actual checkered flag.”

WITH YOUR SUPERSPEEDWAY EXPERIENCE, THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF TALK WITH YOU THIS WEEK THAT YOU COULD POSSIBLY BE THE BIGGEST SPOILER WHEN IT COMES TO THE PLAYOFFS AT THE SUPERSPEEDWAY RACE. HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS REGULAR SEASON FINALE FOR YOU COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS REGULAR SEASON FINALES YOU RACED AT RICHMOND AND INDIANAPOLIS?
“Yeah, I think obviously we have a lot better shot to win here than we did at Indy or Richmond in those final regular season races. But, to me, I don’t really feel like I’m going into this race any different than I would if it was in July. I still feel like the July race is our opportunity to make it into the Playoffs. Yeah, it’s kind of a little more dramatic with it being the final race of the regular season and it’s super nerve-racking for those three that are trying to get in on points. So, they will be tiptoeing around and making sure they get to the end, but stage points are also critical for them. It’ll be kind of crazy, as far as that scenario goes – that playoff bubble. And then if somebody like ourselves or somebody outside of the playoffs get a win, I think that’s kind of the thing that’s exciting – makes it come down to the final lap in the last race of the regular season because there’s multiple people that can win and move somebody out of the playoffs.”

DO YOU THINK THIS REGULAR SEASON FINALE COULD BE THE MOST DRAMATIC ONE WE’VE EVER HAD SINCE THE START OF THE CHASE IN 2004?
“Yeah, I think so. There’s some big Richmond races that were pretty dramatic – I don’t know if we’ll top some of those, some controversies there. As far as throughout the race, who’s in and who’s out, I think that changes a lot. Especially with different leaders at different times and the points going back and forth with those three, it’s going to be crazy all the way down to the finish. I think it’s going to keep everybody on the edge of their seat, for sure.”

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

CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference and discussed team leadership, strategy, making it into the Playoffs, Jimmie Johnson’s career success, and more. Full Transcript:

DO YOU FEEL THE PRESSURE? YOU EXECUTE THINGS AND ARE VERY CONTROLLED ON THE RADIO. INTERNALLY, WITHIN YOUR TEAM, DO YOU FEEL THE PRESSURE?
“I feel substantially less pressure right now than I’ve felt trying to recover from a lot of the challenges that came our way earlier in the year. Again, like I said, from the DQ at Charlotte and making sure we stayed on the rails after that; and continue to prepare good and fast race cars after Jimmie missing a race. That race was kind of a double whammy for us because we lost our driver for the race and then we get wrecked on lap 12 or whatever it was, on pit road. That was a big kick in the gut. And we came back and we responded. Went to Kentucky, went to Texas, with fast race cars. Horrible results. Get crashed or had issues on track. So, I felt more pressure then, to make sure that our team continued to have the positive mindset to continue pushing to put fast race cars on track and move forward, and just make sure everybody was in a good peace of mind.

“There were times that I feel right now. It’s a speedway race. There are so many unknowns. All we can do is control what we’re able to. Work with our teammates and have a good plan for the race. The chips are going to fall where they may. And again, I’m proud of the resilience that we’ve showed throughout the year to keep ourselves on the rails. And yeah, we’re in a tough spot, but we’re going to go race them hard on Saturday night.”

IF YOU MAKE IT INTO THE PLAYOFFS, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NO. 48 TEAM HAS FOR A RUN AT IT?
“There are a lot of tracks that typically, when you go into the Playoffs, and I understand there’s a few different tracks this year than there typically are. There’s a lot of really good tracks for Jimmie and the No. 48 over time and history that we can identify. We’ve had great runs at Darlington earlier in the season. We got wrecked on the lead but then we came back and after starting last in the second race, ended up with a nice Top 10 result. So, I have a lot of positive anticipation going to Darlington and the short tracks. We, Hendrick Motorsports, and the No. 48 team, have improved a lot this year over where we’ve been the last few years. So, a lot of positivity going there. And then you have Vegas, Texas, Kansas; all places that have been strong for us, and a few others in the mix; the Roval, of course, which we have good success with Hendrick Motorsports and a near miss for a win a couple of years ago with Jimmie. So, I have a lot of anticipation going into the Playoffs that we can make a strong run at it, assuming that we get in. And, our team has been built and kind of designed to identifying these tracks and making sure that when we go into the Playoffs we’re as strong as we can be.”

HOW MUCH TO YOU ANTICIPATING TELLING JIMMIE IN THAT FINAL STAGE, HEY YOU HAVE TO FINISH THIS MANY SPOTS AHEAD OF SO-AND-SO? OR, AT A PLACE LIKE DAYTONA IT’S NOT WORTH MENTIONING CONSIDERING WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN ONE LAP?
“That’s a good question. And right now, my goal is to win both stages and win the race. That takes care of everything. Beyond that, man if it really has to come down to it, I may tell him. But I promise you, we all know Jimmie Johnson and he’s going to be scratching and clawing for every spot no matter what. And, if we’re second or if we’re 12th or 22nd, it doesn’t matter what it is. He’s going to be trying to pass the guy ahead of him. So yeah, I can’t say that we won’t have our eye on it. But to be honest, it’s not going to be a huge point for us. We’ve got to maximize everything that we can. And if he can get his bumper ahead, nose ahead, or set-up a pass on the guy in front of him, that’s our goal. That’s what we’re going to do.”

WHAT WOULD BE THE CHALLENGES FOR YOU IF YOUR PATH BECOMES DIVERGENT FROM THE MANUFACTURER’S PATH? WE’VE SEEN THE MANUFACTURERS ALL WORK TOGETHER. IF THE CHEVYS ARE GOING TO WANT TO PIT AT A PARTICULAR TIME THAT MIGHT IMPACT STAGE POINTS, HOW DO YOU WORK THROUGH THAT? OR DO YOU JUST KIND OF HAVE TO FALL IN LINE WITH THE MANUFACTURER BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF CARS AND THAT’S THE BEST THING?
“I think, in this case, it’s a lot more of an aligned strategy than what you may be describing. The best position we can put ourselves in to succeed is going to be work with our Hendrick Motorsports teammates and our Chevrolet teammates. There are two of the Chevrolets that points mean everything, which is the No. 24 (William Byron) and the No. 48. And then we’ve got a handful of other Chevrolets that winning means everything because they really aren’t within striking distance in the points.

“So, the best way that all of those cars, whether points-related or win-related, can put themselves in a spot to maximize their day is going to be to work with one another. And frankly, that’s why we’ve seen over the last handful of speedway races, the OEM strategy becomes so important is the best position that some of those other OEM’s are going to be in to win is to be to work with each other, right? And it’s the same thing in our case. So, we’ve already been kind of thinking about what our day is going to be like and how to approach it. And I’m sure we’ll have the communication amongst our group at Hendrick Motorsports and the other Chevrolets to make sure we’re optimizing everything that we can for points for the No. 48 and the No. 24. And we want to make sure a Chevrolet is up front at the end.”

AS YOU GO INTO THIS LAST REGULAR SEASON RACE AND KNOWING WHAT YOU HAVE TO GET DONE AND KNOWING WHAT KIND OF COMPETITOR JIMMIE IS, FROM A CREW CHIEF STANDPOINT IS IT ALMOST A NICE SECURITY BLANKET FEELING KNOWING THAT YOUR GUY IS A SEVEN-TIME CHAMP AND HE’S GOT THE PROVEN TRACK RECORD TO BE A GUY WHO IS CONTENDING UP FRONT? AND, IS IT KIND OF SCARY THAT YOUR TEAMMATE, WILLIAM BYRON, IS A YOUNG BUCK WHO IS A LITTLE BIT FEARLESS? IT’S AN INTERESTING BALANCE YOU GUYS ARE WALKING AT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS.
“Yeah, it is. And I think Jimmie has good perspective, and we all kind of do. If things don’t work out for us, in no way does this define Jimmie’s career. His career is already defined, right? So, if everything doesn’t go like we want it to, his success has already been established. Now on the flip side, if things do go well and we have a shot to go make it deeper into the Playoffs and what that end results could be, it could be a defining moment. So, the upside is way higher than the downside. So, I think that provides some good perspective for Jimmie to not necessarily have to make a desperate move or put ourselves in a really compromising position early in the race; and just kind of use his veteran-champion experience to know how to make the moves at the right time. And, of course you’re always going to be subject to, or falling victim to a crash that’s not of doing. We know that of speedway racing. Plus, there’s still a lot as a competitor and as a driver that he can do and that we can do to put ourselves in the best spot. Again, we don’t feel, I don’t feel, and Jimmie does not feel, like everything about his career is just riding on this moment, right? His career is already established. It’s already defined. His success already speaks for itself. So, the downside is would it be disappointing? For sure. The upside, we could swing for the stars and that would be amazing, so we’ll see how it goes.”

WITH THE DQ AT CHARLOTTE AND JIMMIE MISSING THE RACE DUE TO THE COVID TEST, AND ALL THE ADVERSITY THROWN AT YOU, HOW MUCH HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF IN TERMS OF BEING A LEADER AND KEEPING EVERYBODY ON THE RAILS AND MAINTAINING THE FOCUS? THOSE TWO RACES WOULD BASICALLY BE AN END OF SEASON FOR A LOT OF TEAMS, BUT YOU’RE STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE.
“Yeah, we are still very much alive and I’m so proud of our team. And yeah, it does start with a leader and in a lot of the perspective I’m trying to show with our guys and the positivity that I’ve tried to have. I’ll be honest, it hasn’t always been, every step along the way, super-positive or super-easy. There have been a lot of challenges and I certainly have had my own sense of dejection at times, just with the results that haven’t been with they need to be or when we’ve had bad luck. But we have such a strong core group on the No. 48 team. We have a lot of great support from our teammates at Hendrick Motorsports. Just Jimmie and his perspective on his career and this being his final season where there’s been so many things that have come up, obviously totally unexpected; starting all the way back at the beginning of the year with what happened with the COVID shutdowns. So yeah, we’ve kind of leaned on each other, Jimmie and myself, and our whole team, to make sure we keep each other accountable and in-check to stay focused on the job at-hand because there’s no time during the season that just feeling sorry for ourselves because of the challenges and the bad luck is never an acceptable response right? So, if on Monday’s it’s sad because Sunday didn’t go the way that we wanted, but Tuesday morning we’ve been ready to charge and go and fight. And that’s what we’ve done. So, I’m really thankful to have the group that we have. I’m thankful to have the team and the company around us to maintain a positive outlook and just keep fighting. And that’s what we’re going to do this Saturday night.”

WHAT HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS BEEN LIKE WITH CHAD KNAUS THIS WEEK?
“Very close in our communication in what we’re doing with our cars and what we’re doing with our strategy. I’m so thankful, along the course of my career, working with the No. 48. Chad, I was his engineer for a while, and he was a great leader and great mentor. He was very supportive of my switch to the role of crew chief on this team. He still loves Jimmie to death and loves his team. Chad and I were talking the other day and we both want each other to be in the Playoffs, just not quite as much as we want ourselves to be in the Playoffs, right? So, it’s been great to have a relationship with that team. Those guys have done a good job digging out of the few holes that they’ve been in. And I know that they’re going to be strong and tough. And I hope to work with them, and we are going to work with them, all night Saturday night and put ourselves both in a good spot. And I would love to be side-by-side, door-to-door with them, with points in the bag, coming to the finish line for the final checkered flag with those guys. It would be a great position to be in.”

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE GOING TO BE RACING FOR STAGE POINTS. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE TRYING TO LAY BACK AND TRY TO MAKE IT TO THE FINISH, IS THAT FAIR TO SAY?
“Yeah, because the danger there is if you lay back and you don’t get the stage points and you get caught-up in a crash at the end, then you just gave up all your points for the day, right? And we know, the Penske guys, the No. 21, and the other cars that are kind of in contention, those guys are going to get their stage points so they’re going to make sure that they stay up front all day. So, we really have to match that or beat that and make sure that we capitalize on stage points when we can because nobody knows if and when the big wreck is going to happen. And if you lay back all day and then get caught up in a big wreck at the end, then you really have nothing to show, points-wise, for your day. We’ve got to maximize everything we can.”

YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE NO. 24. OBVIOUSLY IF THINGS STACK-UP WITH THE NO. 21 BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN HIS POSITION AND YOU DON’T GAIN THE POINTS, IN THEORY, ON THE NO. 24; AT WHAT POINT DURING THE RACE DO YOU NOT WORK WITH THESE GUYS ANYMORE? HOW DO YOU SEE THAT UNFOLDING?
“With facts on the table, and I think you guys have seen this at previous speedway races, if we decide that we’re not going to work with the No. 24 or any other Chevrolets, who are we going to have to work with? The Fords? The Toyotas? Right. That doesn’t put us in a great position to succeed because they don’t want us to succeed. So, I think through it all, the message, at least within our camp right now, is the best position that we can be in to succeed is going to be to capitalize on help from our teammates. And that does include the No.24. Now, coming to a stage end or coming off of Turn 4, are we going to pull out of line with the No. 24 if we’re behind him? Absolutely. But leading up to that point, I don’t think it would be wise for us to think that we’re doing our own program because we’re not going to have their support if we really do need it. And I would assume that would kind of be the case for the other OEM’s and other teams as well. If you’re going to really take care of your core group, that’s what’s called for because otherwise, you’re going to ask on another group that you’re racing against to take care of you, and that’s certainly not going to happen.”
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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes

NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Matt DiBenedetto, driver of the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang, is battling for one of the final NASCAR Cup Series playoff positions in this weekend’s regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway. He was part of a question and answer session with members of the media this afternoon and talked about his situation.

MATT DIBENEDETTO, No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang – HOW EXCITED ARE YOU TO GET TO THIS REGULAR SEASON FINALE? “I don’t know if it’s excited or anxious or what the emotion is. It’s definitely different going to Daytona with so much on the line than if we were going to a regular short track or whatever you want to call it.”

HAS THERE BEEN DISCUSSION WITHIN PENSKE OF PUTTING THEIR EFFORT BEHIND YOU? “Nothing definite yet, and the thing about Daytona is you can only plan so much, but I think the things we as a team could count on is obviously that we have excellent teammates in Brad, Joey and Ryan, and a lot of great Fords out there. I think the things we can count on is when the situations present themselves, I know that they will work with us well. We’ve always worked with each other very well and I think that they will be sure to not put us in a bad situation. It may be hard to plan. You can come up with all these great plans and be like, ‘We’re gonna work together and we’re gonna line up and do this and that,’ but there are also a lot of other race cars out on the track that will interfere with those plans. But what you can try and do is to not put each other in bad positions and maybe that’s more something that you can plan on and work for, so it’s very tough to plan things at Daytona, but I know we’ll work together very well and they’ve said they’ll work with us.”

DO YOU WANT LOTS OF INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE IN POINTS DURING THE RACE? “That’s really gonna be our whole race and our intention is gonna be focused on those guys that we’re racing for the playoff spot, and also knowing that there could be a surprise winner in there, too. Somebody could jump in the playoffs as well that’s outside of it right now. Daytona is known for situations like that, so there’s gonna be a lot of variables and things, but that will be a big part of the focus is maybe coming to the end of stages, where those guys are, and then obviously towards the end of the race. It’s probably gonna be a game of survival when it comes down to the very end, especially as desperate as a lot of people will be, but, yeah, we’ll be paying pretty close attention to what those guys are doing, where they’re at, if they’re getting into any trouble or anything like that, but it changes lap by lap at Daytona so we’ll probably do that what you asked within reason.”

WON’T THAT BE TOUGH WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO FOCUS ON WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE TRACK? “Yeah, Daytona and superspeedway racing is already hard enough as it is, so my big thing is to make sure that we don’t overcomplicate it and I think our team is pretty good about that. I know my spotter, Doug, and everybody is very good about that. We understand that there’s only so much that you can plan for, so I think we’re making sure we focus on some of the things we can control, pay attention real well through the race, but we’re not gonna over-do it and over-plan, we’re still gonna try and execute it just like any other race for the most part because we can plan all day long and then you drop the green flag and it’ll all go right out the window because there are so many other cars out there trying to get up front and do their thing, especially when you get to the end of the race. All hell will just break loose most likely, so we don’t want to over-think and over-plan it.”

IS THE PRESSURE BECAUSE JIMMIE JOHNSON IS TRYING TO GET IN OR JUST THE FACT IT’S DAYTONA? IT SEEMS YOU HAVE A PACK OF DOGS CHASING YOU. “Yeah, I would say yes to all those things that you said. That kind of sums it up pretty good because there’s just so much going on. It’s a very chaotic week with it being a cutoff race at Daytona. As far as where my emotions are at I haven’t been able to answer it real well because it’s like, man, am I excited that we have a shot to make the playoffs? For sure. Am I frustrated that we had a much bigger cushion and we had a bad couple Dover races and lost a whole bunch of points? Yeah. Am I a little uneasy knowing that the cutoff race is Daytona and not like a short track or some more straightforward race? Yeah. So, pretty much yes to all of those answers, but, like I was saying earlier, all I can do is – luckily I think my experience will pay off and the fact I don’t really get spun out, I’ve been through extremely stressful situations in my life. That’s what my career has been fully comprised of, so nothing really fazes me a whole lot at this point in my career, so all I can do is just not really stress. I let my wife do all the stressing for me. She’s been a basket case of emotion this week, so I pretty much hold it together and just know that whatever is meant to happen will happen and all we can do is do the best we can.”

HOW DO YOU FIND YOUR HAPPY PLACE GOING INTO A RACE LIKE THIS WITH SO MANY VARIABLES? “I think just my path and my journey to get here has been so out of the ordinary and so tough, where I fight and claw. It’s just taught me that all I can do is worry about what I can control because there are always gonna be things that are out of my control that I really just can’t sit and worry about too much, and my path to get here has taught me that because I have pushed and pushed and pushed as hard as humanly possible and dedicated my entire life to it, but even aside from all the hard work, a million different things out of my control had to happen for me to still be here and this playoff situation is another one of those instances that my whole career has been packed full of is there’s gonna be things that are out of mine and our control because Daytona is just kind of a crazy race. You can’t be in control of what everybody does in the field that can affect you, so as my dad put it this week he was like, ‘Do the best you can and the rest of it is gonna be in God’s hands, so don’t sit and worry about it too much all week.’”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS? SO YOU VIEW IT AS VALIDATION? “Yeah, I think so. Again, because of my path to get here I appreciate all the little things a whole lot more and this is a big thing. If, and hopefully we make the playoffs, I know my wife would be just absolutely in tears crying and it would be a very special moment for us that just kind of is a small glimpse into the appreciation that we would have as a family for just making the playoffs because the path to get here has really consisted of a lot of fighting and clawing and the little things that make you appreciative, so, yeah, it’s a big deal, but also that was the goal going into the season with a good team here that we knew we could make it into the playoffs. So I would be excited to get in and make it, but also knowing that if we make them we would really be able to perform well in the playoffs, especially looking at the tracks that are ahead and we’ve been getting better as a team – just forget about Dover – but aside from that we’ve been really getting better and faster as a team, so we feel not only just make them and be there, I feel like we fully deserve to be there and compete in the playoffs.”

HOW HARD IS IT TO NOT LOOK AHEAD? “I think I’m a one step at a time kind of guy. Honestly, I’ve been so focused solely on making the playoffs that I forgot Darlington was even the race next week after Daytona until I saw a commercial for it, so if that shows you how one-track minded I’ve been on getting to Daytona and making the playoffs, so I’m just kind of a one step at a time kind of guy, but, to your point, this stuff is life-changing for me if we make the playoffs because not only knowing that we could just make them and be there, knowing that we have the speed and the team to really go and compete and hopefully make it through rounds and make a big splash in the playoffs and you’re in the fight for a championship. All that is a huge deal and a life-changer for me and a really big deal for this whole team, so there’s a lot on the line and it’s gonna work out however it’s supposed to work out, I guess. I really, really hope that we make it in this thing because it’s gonna mean a lot to all of us.”

HOW DOES THIS WEEK COMPARE TO WHAT YOU WERE FEELING AND EXPERIENCING? ARE YOU MORE RELAXED AT THIS MOMENT? “Luckily, I don’t think anything quite matches the emotion I was going through around this time last year when I was unsure if I had a job or anything. That was next level, so this situation is a little bit different, but stuff like that though, the example you gave, my situation last year and all that is what’s made me a lot mentally tougher to come up on instances like this, where there’s a lot of pressure and a lot on the line — going into Daytona, which is crazy, and trying to make the playoffs and your whole season basically rides on right now. A lot of normal people would probably be freaking out and on edge, kind of like my wife is. That would be normal. She’s having a normal reaction. She’s kind of a basket case every day and having heart failure and just can’t wait until Saturday night gets here and praying every day that we make the playoffs. Those are normal human reactions to this type of stressful situation, and I think I’ve just been groomed and been through so much stress and crazy situations to fight to get here that being in this really tough situation has made me extremely mentally tough and prepared for something like this to where I’m able to stay very focused.”

LAST NIGHT OTHER SPORTS LEAGUES POSTPONED GAMES IN LIGHT OF RACIAL INJUSTICE AROUND THE WORLD. WAS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT DOING SOMETHING THIS WEEKEND OR ADDRESSING THAT AS A GROUP? “No, honestly I’ve just been so focused on competition stuff. I’ve been pretty well removed from anything else, but I’m just proud and glad that I was raised very well by a great family. I love and respect all people no matter their color or race or anything like that. It’s just a crazy year.”

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE A SHOT AT THE PLAYOFFS NOT ONLY FOR YOURSELF, BUT THE WOOD BROTHERS AS WELL? “It’s crazy the timing of everything is unreal and that’s kind of the stuff I was talking about earlier of so many things happening out of my control. The timing of all these things like go to BK Racing and then the 32 and then the 95, Kasey Kahne had to step out of that ride and retire for me to have that shot, and then Paul Menard had to step out and retire for me to get the 21. The timing, everything has worked out perfect, and to drive the 21 car is unreal and, yeah, it’s a big deal for us – for the 21 team, for the Wood Brothers, for us to be fighting. To make the playoffs would be an amazing accomplishment for us and for the team most importantly. It’s so cool to be having this opportunity, but I think 2020 has been a crazy year, a lot of variables thrown in that we didn’t expect, but I think us as a team are just getting started. I really feel like we have a lot of room for improvement still. I feel like we’re just barely getting on our feet to be honest with you. I think in years to come we have way, way more to continue to gain. We’re just barely getting going and 2020 obviously threw a lot at us when we’re a new team, new crew trying to work together. My first year with the team and everything. I feel like there’s a long ways to go and a lot of great things to come with us together.”

STARTING 15TH ON SATURDAY ARE YOU PLANNING TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE FRONT OR DROP BACK AND WAIT UNTIL LATER TO STRIKE? “That kind of goes back what I was talking about earlier where you can only plan so much. I’ve learned over the years, I don’t know if it’s the right thing because I’ve crashed at many speedway races just like everyone else too, but I just play the races a lot by feel and play it by ear. So, we drop the green and I’ll be kind of what I call patiently aggressive, my normal style. I’ll play it by ear. Don’t put ourselves in any stupid positions or cause any crashes or anything, especially not so early in the race, so I would like to work our way up there in a smart fashion. I always try to make sure that I’m a guy at speedways that people feel comfortable and confident being around, making smart decisions and smart moves and work our way up there in a good manner. We know the Fords are fast. The 21 car is really fast. We’ve got the Roush Yates power under the hood. We’ve got all the great things to know that we have a race car to work our way up there, but there’s a lot of variables and you’ve got to play it by ear and by feel.”