NASCAR CUP SERIES
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020
DRYDENE 311 – DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST RACE QUOTES

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
4th — Kevin Harvick
6th — Clint Bowyer
8th — Joey Logano
9th — Brad Keselowski
11th — Cole Custer
14th — Ryan Blaney
16th — Chris Buescher
17th — Aric Almirola
19th — Ryan Newman
20th — Matt DiBenedetto
24th — John Hunter Nemechek
26th — Michael McDowell
29th — Corey LaJoie
31st — JJ Yeley
35th — Joey Gase

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang — “I wasn’t very good all day. Overall, our Mobil 1 Mustang just never would turn and then we got it so it wouldn’t turn and too loose. We had trouble on pit road and had to come back in at one point, but everybody kept battling and doing everything that they could and wound up with a top five.”

IT WAS NOT EASY FOR YOU TODAY TO FINISH FOURTH. “We fought everything all day with our Mobil 1 Ford Mustang. We had a lot of trouble on pit road. We could not get the front of our car to turn up off the corner and at the end it started just sliding the back everywhere and it wouldn’t turn off the corner, so we definitely have some work to do. The guys did a great job hanging in there and battling back through all the adversity today, but definitely not where we wanted to be.”

YOU CAME THROUGH THE FIELD IN THAT FIRST STAGE. HOW DO YOU KEEP THAT KIND OF SPEED ALL DAY TOMORROW? “I think the first run of the race, even the second run of the race there after we got the penalty, our tight race car was okay when everybody else was really loose and then it kind of swung the other way. Everybody got a little bit tighter and we got even tighter yet than what we started, so we just have to figure out where to start our balance for tomorrow.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Wurth Ford Mustang — “It was a decent day. Nothing to write home about, but not bad. We kind of ran solidly in the top 10 all day. We had a really good restart there in the first stage and got us third in stage one and then was just kind of okay from there. We took a little shot at running long in stage two hoping for a yellow and didn’t get it — part of the deal, just trying and ended up ninth. There’s not a lot to say other than that. The Gibbs cars were pretty much lights-out faster than everybody and we did the best we could to get what we had out of our day.”

WITH THE SHORTENED RACE TODAY AND 750 PACKAGE DID THE RACE PLAY OUT THE WAY YOU EXPECTED? “Yeah, pretty much. Long green flag runs. There were one or two incidents. The tire Goodyear brought was very durable. I didn’t see any issues there. I would say it was your atypical Dover race.”

THE SECOND RACE WITH THE CHOOSE RULE. HOW DO YOU THINK IT WENT? “I probably liked it here a little better here than other places because at this track there’s such a gap between the top and bottom lanes. I thought that was interesting the choices that people made, so it’s growing on me for sure.”

WHAT KIND OF CHANGES CAN YOU MAKE FOR TOMORROW AT DOVER, WHICH IS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN MICHIGAN AND POCONO? “I’m aware it’s different. I think this track is maybe a little bit more sensitive to changes in the car. I know the knobs here are a little more sensitive for sure.”

CLINT BOWYER, No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Mustang — “Our No. 14 Haas Automation Ford was great right up there until the final 40 laps or so, but we did what we needed to do today. We put some stage points up on the board and got a good finish. We are getting better each week and this is a great time of the year to do that. That was a lot of fun. Let’s do this again tomorrow!”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Digital Ally Shield Cleansers Ford Mustang — “There may have been 10 or 12 guys who had really good speed. You didn’t see a ton of cars on the lead lap even in a short race. We had good speed, but it was tough to pass for everyone. So, we just had to work track position and strategy. We’ll have to do the same tomorrow. But, I think we can take some notes to get some good adjustments into the Digital Ally Shield Cleanser Ford Mustang. We’ll need to have a good start and just grind to stay up there. We’re close, the result doesn’t show it, but I think we can have a good run on Sunday with just a few adjustments.”

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report
Track: Dover International Speedway
Race: Drydene 311
Date: August 22, 2020

____________________________________

No. 2 WURTH Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski
Start: 7th
Stage 1: 3rd
Stage 2: 5th
Finish: Running
Status: 9th
Laps Completed: 311/311
Laps Led: 9
Point Standings (behind first): 3rd (-136)

Notes:

Brad Keselowski scored a ninth-place finish in the Drydene 311 Saturday afternoon at Dover International Speedway. The driver of the WURTH Ford Mustang racked up his 17th top-10 finish in 24 races this season and his ninth at Dover. Keselowski remains third in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 136 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Keselowski started seventh and battled a loose-handling Ford Mustang throughout Stage 1. He pitted during the competition caution on lap 26 for four tires and a track bar adjustment and restarted 14th on lap 31. From there, Keselowski steadily worked his way through traffic, climbing up to third when the stage ended on lap 70. Crew chief Jeremy Bullins called for four tires and another track bar adjustment during the stage caution on lap 73 and Keselowski restarted fourth when the green waved on lap 77.

Stage 2 ran caution-free and featured a round of green flag pit stops. Keselowski led two laps before making his scheduled stop on lap 139. He ran inside the top-five for the entire segment and raced hard with Kyle Busch for fourth position in the final laps of the stage. Busch found a way by and Keselowski was forced to settle for fifth when the segment concluded on lap 185. Keselowski pitted during the stage caution on lap 188 for four tires and an air pressure adjustment and restarted fifth on lap 192.

The third and final stage also featured long stretches of green flag racing and a cycle of stops under green. Keselowski said his Mustang was free during the middle of the run. He stayed out and led seven laps before making his final scheduled stop under green on lap 261. Keselowski returned to the track and cycled up to ninth position when the pit cycle was complete but couldn’t get closer to the front before the race ended.

Quotes: “We had a decent day in, nothing to write home about but not bad. We ran solidly in the top-10 all day with our WURTH Ford Mustang. I had a really good restart there in the first stage that got us third and it was kind of okay from there. We took a little shot at it running long in Stage 2 hoping for a yellow and didn’t get it but that’s part of the deal. We did the best we could to get what we had out of our day.”

_______________________________________________

No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 20th
Stage 1: 11th
Stage 2: 15th
Finish: 14th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 310/311
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (Behind First): 7th (-203)

Notes:

Ryan Blaney started 20th and finished 14th in Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway. The driver of the Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang ran just outside the top-10 the entire day.

Blaney drove his way up to 11th by the lap 25 competition caution. He reported to crew chief Todd Gordon the Advance Auto Parts Ford was loose on entry and center and tight on exit. He would pit for right-side tires and fuel on lap 26. After restarting seventh, he would fall back to 13th by lap 45. Blaney would regain a couple positions lost on the restart to come home with an 11th-place finish in Stage 1. He pitted under the stage break for four tires and changes.
Stage 2 ran caution free with Blaney restarting in the 12th position. He reported the balance of the Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang was tight on exit. He pitted on lap 187 for four tires and a wedge adjustment. After restarting in 16th position, Blaney finished in 15th-position at the end of Stage 2 and got the free pass back on to the lead lap under the stage caution.

Blaney restarted the final stage of the race in 13th place. Still battling much of the same balance issues he had all day, he made his final stop on lap 253 for four tires and a stagger adjustment. The driver of the Advance Auto Parts Ford crossed the line in 14th, one lap down to the leaders.

Blaney sits seventh in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, 203 points behind Harvick, the series leader, entering Sunday’s race at Dover. Blaney will start from the seventh position on Sunday.

Quote: “We struggled with the balance of our Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang. Todd (Gordon) and the crew made a bunch of good changes all day, but we just could not get the balance where we needed it. We’ll get to work overnight and be ready to go tomorrow.”

____________________________________

No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 5th
Stage 1: 6th
Stage 2: 8th
Finish: 8th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 311/311
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (Behind First): 6th (-190)

Notes:

Joey Logano started fifth and finished eighth in Saturday afternoon’s 311-mile race at Dover International Speedway in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang. Solid pit work and a variety of air pressure and chassis adjustments kept Logano in contention for a top-10 result despite battling a loose condition for most of the event.

During the opening laps, Logano kept the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang inside the top-five despite battling an extremely loose handling condition. On the competition caution, crew chief Paul Wolfe elected to pit Logano for two tires and a trackbar adjustment to provide more entry security. Logano reported the handling had improved through the second run of the race, but ultimately finished in the sixth position at the end of the first stage.

Through the second stage, Logano continued to run inside the top-10. He reported late in the opening run of the segment that the front tires had stopped rotating. On a lap 136 pit stop, the team adjusted with air pressure to work on maintaining center-turn longer into the run. Logano finished Stage 2 in the eighth position, reporting the No. 22 Mustang would not pivot properly in the center of the corners.

Logano continued running in the top-10 as green flag pit stops began with the Shell-Pennzoil crew pitting at lap 252 for four tires and an air pressure adjustment. He raced on with the handling improved slightly, ultimately finishing the race in the eighth position.

The driver of the Shell-Pennzoil Ford claimed his fifth consecutive top-10 result, and the sixth in the last seven races. By virtue of his eighth-place finish, Logano will start in 13th position for Sunday’s 311-lap race.

Quote: “We had a top-10 day with the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang. The pit crew did a great job maintaining or gaining positions on pit road. Track position was pretty important. We fought a little too free at times and lost a little center turn when we adjusted on that. The good news is that we’ve got another race tomorrow and we can adjust on the car tonight and hopefully find a little more speed to battle in the top-five and for a win.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DRYDENE 311
TEAM CHEVY PRESS POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
AUGUST 22, 2020

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
5th CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 MOUNTAIN DEW/TEAM RUBICON CAMARO ZL1 1LE
7th JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
10th RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE
13th TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT APP CAMARO ZL1 1LE
15th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW/BEHR ULTRA SCUFF DEFENSE CAMARO ZL1 1LE

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
2nd Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
3rd Kyle Busch (Toyota)
4th Kevin Harvick (Ford)
5th Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)

The NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader race weekend at Dover International Speedway continues with the Drydene 311 tomorrow, August 23, at 4:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBCSN, the NBC Sports Gold app, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 MOUNTAIN DEW/TEAM RUBICON CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 5th
“I think we had a decent Mountain Dew Chevrolet. We were off there to start and then had to take some extra time on pit road. Luckily, we got it close after we messed with it a good bit and made some adjustments, which helped. I was proud to be able to drive from the back, back to the front. We had some really good pit stops that put us in a decent position there too. I think we just needed a little more to run with Denny (Hamlin), Kevin (Harvick) and those guys so we will try to get a little better for tomorrow.”

“We started too far off there at the beginning and then had to come in and make an extended pit stop there to get things right, but I feel like our Mountain Dew team did a really good job to get things close after that. We just got a little too far behind, I think, to run with those guys and we still probably needed a little bit to run with Martin (Truex Jr.) and Denny (Hamlin). Just got behind and took the rest of the day to get back to where we did. I think we have a little work to do over night. Looking forward to getting our NAPA Camaro on track tomorrow and trying to improve. I think we were in the ballpark, we just still needed a little bit to run with the leaders.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 7th
“Solid day for this Ally Chevy team, we have some work to do but we will go to work tonight and get it right. Everyone did a great job, we have something to build on tonight and we will come back tomorrow and have something left for them. Bittersweet day tomorrow for me – my final Dover race.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 10th
“That was a fun race in our No. 47 Kroger Chevrolet to mark off another top-10 finish. We were really tight at the start of the race, but Brian Pattie made some really good adjustments throughout the race to help us get faster and faster. Our cars this year have been some of the best I’ve had in my career, and this gives us a lot of confidence heading into tomorrow’s race. We learned a lot today and I’m excited for tomorrow to continue tuning this up tonight and have an even better day tomorrow at Dover.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT APP CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 13th
“Today was a good start to our doubleheader weekend at Dover International Speedway. Our No. 8 Cat App Chevrolet was fast from the start and just needed some tweaking on handling. The track built really tight at first today, but changed over the course of the race. I struggled with being too loose in the rear of our Camaro for the second half of today, which prevented me from trying a couple different lines on the track, so that’s something we’ll need to adjust on for tomorrow’s race. But the good news is we get a second shot to finish even better tomorrow and we definitely have a solid Cat App Chevrolet to work with. This is the best start to a doubleheader weekend that we’ve had this year, so I’m looking forward to getting back after it tomorrow.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW/BEHR ULTRA SCUFF DEFENSE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 15th
“We had a fast Dow Coatings Chevrolet today and it felt good to race at Dover International Speedway with plenty of speed. We just need to work on the handling a little. I feel like I covered every inch of this place, experimenting and looking for the best line around the track for our tight-handling condition. We opted to stay out for the competition caution in Stage 1 and our gamble paid off with the race lead. Clean air was everything. We had a commanding lead early in Stage 1 but I just got too tight to hold the lead for the end of the Stage. When we pitted at the end of Stage 2, we were issued a speeding penalty and had to restart at the tail end of the longest line. That mistake is on me. We ran long before pitting at the end of the race but a caution didn’t fall the way we hoped it would and we ended up finishing 15th. I’m sure we could have finished a few positions higher if more things would have gone our way today, but that’s the beauty of having another race at Dover International Speedway tomorrow. We’re going to work on it overnight and get it dialed in for tomorrow. Our Dow Coatings Chevrolet has plenty of speed. We just have to get the handling right.”

TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 18th
“My GEICO-Germain Racing guys did a good job today and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s race. Dover is a very physically demanding track. I’ve been working really hard on my physical shape this season, so I’m excited to put it to the test. We have been really strong in the doubleheaders this season. The Sunday races have been our stronger race each time, which we will try to do again. We came out of the gate strong today and will look to translate that momentum into another solid finish tomorrow.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 ACRONIS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 21st
“This isn’t how we wanted to start off the doubleheader weekend. Getting that damage early on really affected how our car handled. The guys did all they could on pit road, but we were playing the cards we were dealt. Not the first outing we wanted for Acronis, but we will make adjustments and changes tonight and be prepared for tomorrow’s race.”

BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 DOOR DASH CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 27th
“Not the best effort today for our Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 DoorDash Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team. I thought we were going to have a decent day, and then we kind of lost it the second-half of the race. We lost the handling on our Chevrolet Camaro and just could not really gain it back. Our DoorDash team tried to pull some strategy to salvage a decent day and it did not go our way. We have another shot at it tomorrow with our partner Columbia for their first race, so we are excited about that. Dover (International Speedway) is one of the best tracks we go to. We still have a lot of work to do. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

KURT BUSCH, NO 1. GEARWRENCH CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 6; Finished 40th
“What an unfortunate way to have our day end on lap six. Way too early to be racing like that. We didn’t even have a chance to get a feel for the car. Just disappointing for all of the guys that work so hard, especially on the doubleheader weekends like this. Hopefully we can turn our luck around tomorrow and have a strong run for the GEARWRENCH Chevy”.

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.

Austin Dillon And The Dow Coatings Chevrolet Team Lead Laps and Highlight Speed In Saturday Afternoon NASCAR Cup Series Race at Dover International Speedway

Finish: 15th
Start: 32nd
Points: 18th

“We had a fast Dow Coatings Chevrolet today, and it felt good to race at Dover International Speedway with plenty of speed. We just need to work on the handling a little. I feel like I covered every inch of this place, experimenting and looking for the best line around the track for our tight-handling condition. We opted to stay out for the competition caution in Stage 1, and our gamble paid off with the race lead. Clean air was everything. We had a commanding lead early in Stage 1, but I just got too tight to hold the lead for the end of the Stage. When we pitted at the end of Stage 2, we were issued a speeding penalty and had to restart at the tail end of the longest line. That mistake is on me. We ran long before pitting at the end of the race, but a caution didn’t fall the way we hoped it would and we ended up finishing 15th. I’m sure we could have finished a few positions higher if more things would have gone our way today, but that’s the beauty of having another race at Dover International Speedway tomorrow. We’re going to work on it overnight and get it dialed in for tomorrow.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and No. 8 Cat App Team Forge a Top-15 Finish at Dover International Speedway

Finish: 13th
Start: 16th
Points: 17th

“Today was a good start to our doubleheader weekend at Dover International Speedway. Our No. 8 Cat App Chevrolet was fast from the start and just needed some tweaking on handling. The track built really tight at first today, but changed over the course of the race. I struggled with being too loose in the rear of our Camaro for the second half of today, which prevented me from trying a couple different lines on the track, so that’s something we’ll need to adjust on for tomorrow’s race. But the good news is we get a second shot to finish even better tomorrow and we definitely have a solid Cat App Chevrolet to work with. This is the best start to a doubleheader weekend that we’ve had this year, so I’m looking forward to getting back after it tomorrow.” -Tyler Reddick

HAMLIN DRIVES TO SIXTH VICTORY OF THE 2020 SEASON
Joe Gibbs Racing sweeps the top-three spots for the first time this season

DOVER, Delaware (August 22, 2020) – Denny Hamlin earned his sixth NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) victory of the season in the Drydene 311 at Dover International Speedway on Saturday afternoon. Martin Truex Jr. (second) and Kyle Busch (third) joined Hamlin in the top-three to give Toyota their first top-three sweep and 10th in Toyota’s history. It is the seventh NCS victory for Toyota this season and 150th NCS win in Toyota’s history.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Dover International Speedway
Race 24 of 36 – 311 miles, 311 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, DENNY HAMLIN
2nd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
3rd, KYLE BUSCH
4th, Kevin Harvick*
5th, Chase Elliott*
12th, ERIK JONES
22nd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
30th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
34th, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 1st

What was it like to find the line to beat your teammates this afternoon?

“I’ve been running down the leaders these last few weeks, but I haven’t been able to get there. We just didn’t control that restart there and we just had to battle back. We had to go back and get it. I was able to work the top line there a little bit to get the momentum. It looked like our car was just a little bit better at moving around to different lines. Proud of this whole FedEx Office team. This Camry was fast today. It was just unbelievable how good it was. The pit crew did an amazing job. Have to thank all the partners – Toyota, Coca-Cola, the Jordan Brand, FedEx and all the employees, I appreciate them. Win 43, this is pretty awesome.”

What does it mean to finally win at Dover after 29 starts?

“People always ask what your least favorite track is and I say Dover just because I’m not that good. I love the track; I just haven’t been very good here. We just have unbelievable cars right now. It seems like we’re coming to the race track prepared. I’m putting the work in and we’re getting results out of it.”

What are you doing to stay on top of your game?

“Just working hard. Working as hard as I ever have. I can’t complain about anything right now. It seems like we just have things going. I have faith. I have faith when it comes down to it. On that last run, when he (Chris Gabehart, crew chief) says, ‘Go get it,’ I just go get it.”

What is it like when you’re running second and suddenly you’re able to track down the leader?

“I just wanted to go everywhere he’s (Martin Truex Jr.) not, that’s the biggest thing. Our car was able to move around. We were able to make some moves right there on the high side of three and four. That really got us some good momentum going. We just really did a good job of adjusting on the car throughout the day. Our car was not very far off at any point, but we just lost track position there and glad I was able to get it back.”

How much did the race track change as the race progressed?

“A little bit. The track definitely changed. It rubbered up quite a bit. The biggest change was from after a yellow flag to 10 or 20 laps in. The track stayed pretty consistent there. I thought I had a loose wheel going, but it seemed like everything was fine. Just grinding our way through it. We were able to move around traffic and we were able to get around them quickly and that allowed us to get to Martin (Truex Jr.).”

What does it mean to win at Dover for the first time?

“It feels good. These tracks are really hard to win at. This has been a difficult track for me throughout the course of my career, but it’s not because I dislike the track, I’ve just never had the technique that’s been very good here. It really rewards you charging the corners and that’s not really my style of driving. I adapt and this is the results we get.”

How do you feel you protected the car for tomorrow’s race?

“We have to take care of it for sure. He (Chris Gabehart, crew chief) told me I have to take care of it so we can win tomorrow. We’ll see, we’ll make some adjustments and there’s no doubt this car will be better tomorrow than it was today.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 SiriusXM Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

What more did you need to hold off Denny Hamlin in the closing laps?

“Really, I think of the 10 (Aric Almirola) car just wasn’t pinning me on the bottom and running me up, it would have been fine. Every time I tried to move up and get some air on my car, he would just slide up in front of me like an idiot. He’s the reason we lost the lead, but at the end we just weren’t good enough. I thought the 11 (Denny Hamlin) was better than us all day long. We got the lead there in the pits and was able to use clean air to our advantage. I was never happy with the car all day long. The SiriusXM Camry was fast, but the balance was all over the place. It was firing off tight and getting loose on long runs. At the end, just nothing I could do. It was out of control, sideways.”

How do you fix the car for tomorrow’s race?

“I know we can definitely make it better. I hate to say we can’t. It was pretty far off from what all I hear. We’ll keep working on it, but overall a solid day again.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

How was the race for you overall today and are you pleased with the third-place result?

“Top-three – the Interstate Batteries Camry was strong there. I was following (Martin) Truex Jr. there for a little while on that last restart and we kept fading. Kept fading loose and then we came in for our final pit stop and the damn car went four numbers tight. Just crazy. The flip-flop of balance that we had, it was so bad. I don’t think we changed a whole lot. I have to get with Adam (Stevens, crew chief) on that, but overall, we got really good there the previous time we put tires on under green and I was driving through a few people and getting to the front. I was optimistic about putting tires on it and going, but then it just went stupid tight. I don’t know. Thanks to Interstate Batteries, M&M’s – it’s good to get a solid top-three. Hopefully, we can make a few changes tonight. We were close. We had some speed so try to work on it.”

What happened on the last run?

“I don’t know what happened, we have to figure that out. We had a pretty fast Interstate Batteries Camry and we made it all the way up front. Did a good job there. The time that we put tires on under green, the car was really fast, really good. I was optimistic keeping up with (Martin) Truex that once we got tires on it, I could maybe keep up or be faster and it just was so tight at the end. It went from being four or five numbers loose to four or five numbers tight. That’s a 10 number swing in just putting tires on. Crazy how that happens. Come home with a good, solid third-place. Got two good teammates here with a notebook that they’ve got to lean on and hopefully we can work on some things tonight and get ourselves better and come out here and win tomorrow.”

How tough is this race track when your car is as difficult to balance as your car was?

“You don’t know what to adjust. The beginning of the race, we were loose. We tightened it up and we were plowing tight the next run. Then we freed it up a little bit and it was loose the next run. We put tires on it under green and it was fine. Every single run it was back-and-forth, it was crazy. There was just no keeping up with it there. Try to do what you can and the best you can with what you’ve got and that’s all we had.”

ERIK JONES, No. 20 DeWalt Atomic Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 12th

How did the damage change your day?

“I mean, it hurt it. First off, I want to apologize to Kurt (Busch) and the whole 1 team. I got into him on lap 1 or 2. That’s my mistake. I got tight and it ended their day really quick. I feel bad. I’ve raced with Kurt now awhile, and we have never had an issue and raced really well, so I want to say sorry to him first. Our day was kind of tough from then on, we had to cut the left rear quarter-panel off after that and I think that hurt our balance a little bit. I mean, it’s not like night or day, but it definitely didn’t help. The DeWalt Camry went back and forth. It was mostly loose all day. We tightened it up, but never seemed to be able to make a difference on it. Hopefully, we can use the same car and come back tomorrow.”

What are your initial thoughts on if you are going to be able to run this car tomorrow or have to go to a backup?

“Yeah, it’s kind of a 50/50 shot. The other three don’t have any damage, so hopefully, we can put all of our hands on our car and get a left rear snapped on it. I guess I’m going to go find out in the next couple minutes, but hopefully, we can get it patched up and not have to start from the back.”

# # #

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Track: Dover International Speedway
Race: 24 of 36
Event: Drydene 311 (311 miles, 311 laps)

John Hunter Nemechek
No. 38 ACME Markets Ford Mustang

Started: 31st
Finished: 24th

Stage One: 30th
Stage Two: 24th
Stage Three: 24th

John Hunter Nemechek started Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Dover International Speedway from the 31st position. After the first handful of laps, he radioed to the team that his No. 38 ACME Markets Ford Mustang lacked right front grip and he was struggling to turn. At the Competition Caution, Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for Nemechek to take 4 tires, fuel, a wedge adjustment, packer adjustment, and grille tape. By the time he took the green- and white-checkered flag to end Stage 1 in 30th place, he said that it felt like something had broken in the front end. When he came to pit road under the Stage Break Caution, the crew took extra time to check the toe.

Nemechek’s No. 38 ACME Markets Ford Mustang would take the green flag to restart Stage 2 in the 26th position. He remained quiet on the radio for much of the all-green run, taking the green- and white-checkered flag in 24th place. At the Stage Break Caution, he radioed that he still lacked front end grip and that he needed to be able to turn more to create more momentum. The crew took a big swing on pit road under caution with fuel, 4 tires, adding rubber to the right rear, track bar and packer adjustments, and grille tape.

John Hunter Nemechek started the Final Stage of Saturday’s 311-lap event in 24th place. On Lap 239, he noted that his No. 38 ACME Markets machine was a little bit loose and he continued to battle in the top 25 for much of the stage. Nemechek would go on to take the checkered flag in 24th place, two laps down.

Nemechek on Dover:

“It was a tough day for our No. 38 ACME Markets team. We didn’t roll off the way we wanted to, so it was an uphill battle for most of the race. I didn’t have a whole lot of grip going through the corner, so the front tires kept sliding, which obviously hurts your momentum. We’ve made notes for what to work on tomorrow and that’s the nice thing about these doubleheader weekends – you get another chance to improve. We’ll shake it off overnight and come back ready tomorrow.”

DOVER, Del. (Aug. 22, 2020) – After finishing ninth and earning two stage points in stage one, Chris Buescher and the No. 17 SUNNYD team battled the Monster Mile to a 16th-place finish on Saturday at Dover International Speedway.

Buescher rolled off the grid for the first of the weekend’s races at the ‘Monster Mile’ in 12th. Battling a loose handling Ford Mustang, the driver fell back to 17th when a caution flag waved at lap six. The team took the opportunity to pit for four fresh tires, no fuel and to make adjustments to tighten up the race car. Back on track in 33rd, Buescher made quick work driving way up to 27th by the competition caution at lap 25. The team elected to stay out at the caution and gained a lot of track position as most ahead of them chose to head down pit road. The driver restarted fourth and maintained track position enough to stay inside the top-ten. Buescher took the green-white checkered flag for stage one in ninth, earning two stage points.

The team visited pit road at the stage break for fuel, fresh tires and an air pressure adjustment. After a quick stop, Buescher got back on track to restart 13th. At lap 96 the driver was running 19th with reports of the No. 17 machine handling tight in the center. The driver worked his way back up into the top-10, climbing as high as third as green flag pit stops cycled through. The team pitted at lap 148 for four fresh tires and fuel. Unfortunately, they returned to track 26th and one lap down. Buescher did his best to gain track position, jumping up six spots to finish stage two in 20th.

At the stage break, the team took the wave around to get their lap back. After restarting 15th, the driver lost two positions soon after the green flag waved. Buescher settled into the 17th position, where he maintained track position until pitting under green at Lap 241. After a standard pit stop for fuel and fresh tires, the team went back on track to try for a strong finish. By lap 277, the driver worked his way back up to 17th. The team held a steady pace, even earning two more positions. However, without enough laps to push through the rest of the field, Buescher ultimately took the checkered flag 16th and one lap down.

Buescher and the No. 17 team return to action for the second of the weekend’s race at Dover tomorrow, August 23 at 4 p.m. EST on NBC Sports Network, MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

DOVER, Del. (August 22, 2020) – After a quick caution fell in the opening run of Saturday’s 311-lap race from Dover International Speedway, only three more yellow flags would wave in the remaining 302 laps as Ryan Newman drove the Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang to a 19th-place finish.

With a yellow just nine laps in, Newman and the No. 6 team elected to hit pit road early for service, which allowed them to stay out when the competition caution flew at lap 25. With most of the field pitting at lap 25, Newman stayed out and lined up third alongside teammate Chris Buescher.

He held the spot inside the top 10 for roughly 20 laps, eventually fading to 19th for the conclusion of stage one. After service under the break, Newman restarted 16th at lap 77, a second stage that ran caution-free until lap 185. Newman was close to receiving the lucky dog but lost the opportunity with just one lap to go in the stage when the leader passed the No. 12 for position.

Newman fired off 19th, one lap down, for the final stage, and hit pit road for the final time at lap 252 from the 18th spot. With the closing laps all running under green, Newman drove to the 19th spot when the checkered flag flew.

With the finish – according to NASCAR’s doubleheader invert rules – Newman will start in the second spot for Sunday’s second 311-lap race from ‘The Monster Mile.’

Coverage for Sunday’s race is set for 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The race can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.