NASCAR CUP SERIES
SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2020
CONSUMERS ENERGY 400 – MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST RACE QUOTES

• HARVICK SWEEPS MICHIGAN; RUNS FORD MIS WIN STREAK TO SIX AS HERITAGE TROPHY STAYS IN DEARBORN
  Kevin Harvick won his sixth race of the season and 55th of his Cup career by winning today’s race.
• Ford’s Cup winning streak at MIS now stands at six, which is the longest it has ever had at the facility. The previous longest streak was five straight from 1996-98.
• Ford Motor Company has now won 53-of-103 all-time NASCAR Cup Series race at MIS (41 Ford, 12 Mercury).
• The Ford brand now has 41 all-time MIS Cup victories, most among manufacturers.
• Ford has now held the Heritage Trophy for three consecutive years without giving it up.
• All six of Harvick’s wins have come since NASCAR returned to action on May 17 (14 starts).
• The win is Mustang’s 13th of the season.
• Harvick is now tied for 10th on the all-time win list with NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace with 55.
• Harvick is now 13th on the all-time Ford Cup win list with 20. What makes that accomplishment so impressive is Harvick has done it in only three-plus seasons.
• This marks the 26th win for Stewart-Haas Racing since joining Ford (Harvick has won 20).
• Today’s win is Ford’s 699th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang — VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW

HOW BIG OF A CHALLENGE WAS IT AT THE END? “It was a big challenge. Our Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang got really tight there in three and four. I could run really good through one and two still, but I was just tight on that other end all day. So I’ve just got to thank all my guys. They did a great job all weekend on pit road. Great pit calls. Just got to thank Haas Automation, Mobil 1, Hunt Brothers, Jimmy Johns, Fields. Everybody who helps put this No. 4 car on the track and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing and Roush Yates Engines for awesome power underneath the hood this weekend.”

YOU ARE THE FIRST DRIVER TO WIN CONSECUTIVE CUP RACES ON CONSECUTIVE DAYS SINCE RICHARD PETTY IN 1971. “It’s been a long time since I’ve raced back-to-back days let alone in the Cup car. I’ve never accomplished that obviously, but we’ve done that a couple times this year, so I think for us it’s worked out pretty well. We’re hoping it goes the same way at Dover when we go there in a couple of weeks.”

RODNEY CHILDERS SAID THIS TEAM IS FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS. WHAT’S IT LIKE TO THE DRIVER? “It drives you. I think when you look at my team we’ve been together for going on seven years now and you look at the confidence everybody has in each other. The details of the race cars and the thought of everything that goes into everything that we do is untouchable. That’s what it takes are details to make these race cars go fast. I want to say hi to my family at home — Keelan, Piper, mom. I’ll see you kids in the morning.”

HOW WAS THE TRAFFIC EARLY? “Our car wasn’t quite as good as it was yesterday. I think it was obviously still really good, but I had a little bit more trouble going through traffic today than I did yesterday just because of the tight into three that I had today. Like I said earlier, I could still get through one and two really good, but I couldn’t make those great low passes like I could yesterday and stay in the throttle. If I carried too much speed in there I would push up into the center of the corner and just have to pedal the thing on exit.”

THE HERITAGE TROPHY STAYS WITH FORD. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN HERE IN FORD’S BACKYARD? “Well, when you start getting texts from Edsel Ford on how important the weekend is, you answer those. I’ve been around Ford for several years now and you understand the importance of winning at Michigan. The energy and effort that they not only put into our cars, but that they put into the engines at Roush Yates. This is the place, right behind Daytona, that everybody from Ford wants to win at.”

2020 HAS BEEN ODD FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, BUT TONY STEWART, NED JARRETT, JUNIOR JOHNSON, LEE PETTY AND RUSTY WALLACE ARE NAMES YOU’VE PASSED OR TIED ON THE WIN LIST. HOW DO YOU PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE? “It’s like I told you yesterday, those are names that would come with responsibility and you have to think about what you’re doing in this sport and the things that you’re doing with yourself and your team and how you represent and the things you’re doing to push this sport forward. Icons in our sport and it almost seems a little bit surreal to be going by those names and tying Rusty. Rusty has been a big part of my career. When I was in trouble early in my career he was one of two guys that would talk to me and always gave me great advice and still does to this day.”

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:

1st – Kevin Harvick

5th – Joey Logano

6th – Aric Almirola

7th – Matt DiBenedetto

13th – Ryan Newman

14th – Clint Bowyer

20th – Chris Buescher

22nd – Corey LaJoie

28th – Michael McDowell

29th – JJ Yeley

34th – Garrett Smithley

37th – James Davison

38th – Ryan Blaney

39th – Brad Keselowski

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang — “We went down a different direction than what we had yesterday. That’s one of the things that this doubleheader, especially without practice, presents us is an opportunity to learn and try something different. So we went down a little bit different direction. We learned (laughing). I don’t know if it was better or worse. Some things were better and some things were worse, but we learned and that’s important right now, although it’s a very different track than the other ones we go to, but, overall, a top five — it took everything we’ve got to get it, so we’ll just keep forging forward and onto the next one, which is a huge unknown. Overall, I’m proud of the Shell/Pennzoil team. There was a lot of work last night getting our car fixed and getting it back out here and ultimately making it a little bit better and a little bit better finish today.”

THE NEXT RACE IS A HUGE UNKNOWN. WHAT’S GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND ABOUT DAYTONA? “I don’t know. We’ve been working on this ever since they announced that we were doing this and thinking about ratios and thinking about how to build a fast car there, what the setups are gonna be. Now is kind of the time of the week where I’ve got to start looking at the racing and how to pass cars and what to do there. It’s not like you go off of previous experience to do that, so it’s more or less just kind of going back and looking at what other cars did there when they raced and how they make moves. It’s just an unknown for all the drivers, so we’ll see how close everyone’s sim tools are. That’s what it is. We’re sim racing at this point, so we’ll have to see how that all works out when we get there.”

WHAT DOES A TEAM GET OUT OF THESE NEXT FOUR RACES SINCE THEY WON’T PLAY A FACTOR IN THE PLAYOFFS? “Playoff points. That’s all it’s about right now. I would say Michigan is nothing like what’s in the playoffs. You hit the nail on the head, Dover, maybe the Roval with Daytona is a stretch, so these next few races, and obviously the superspeedway with the Daytona big track with Talladega in the playoffs, maybe there’s something there. It’s just all about playoff points right now. It’s about collecting stage wins. That’s what it’s about. They’re different racetracks than what we’re racing in the playoffs, but that’s okay. There are trophies out there to go out and get and that’s all that matters. That’s all I need. That’s the only carrot I need to hang out in front of me is a big check and a big trophy and some playoff points to help propel you into the Championship Four. That’s the goal here the next few weeks is to try to get as many as possible.”

HOW DO YOU KEEP CONSISTENCY PREPARING FOR THE PLAYOFFS? “It’s hard. It might be harder than it’s ever been to try to catch up because you don’t really have the opportunity to learn much. That’s why I said today was actually pretty good to have a back-to-back race, where you actually have like and A and a B to answer a few questions, although it’s a different racetrack than anywhere else we go and I don’t know how much actually transfers over, but if we learn something we’ll put it in the notes which is a direction on some things. It’s a little bit more challenging this year without the practice, for sure. Yesterday, I would have loved to have 30 minutes of practice just to see how loose the things was before we started the race and, honestly, those are things that Paul and I haven’t worked together coming to Michigan before, and as much as you just say ‘copy what you had last year for him or for me,’ that doesn’t work either. Everyone knows you can’t go back to the racetrack with the same thing and expect to win. You’re not going to, so you have to evolve and try to move forward and there are still plenty of changes that we made through our bodies and our cars that you can’t even run the same setup if you wanted to, so it’s been really hard without practice, new team, but we’re making progress on these 550s. These 550s, when I think of a month-and-a-half ago, we couldn’t even finish in the top 10. Now, we’re scraping at top fives and a little bit more we’ll be back in the winner’s circle.”

YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE CHOOSE RULE? “I love it. I can’t say I choose the right direction every time. I don’t know if I’m good enough to choose sometimes, but sometimes life is a little easier when choices are made for you, but I think it’s great. I think it’s great that your destiny is in your own hands a little bit more, and I kind of like that more. I’m good with it. Keep going. Keep choosing. It’s hard on the race teams. It’s hard on the spotters. It’s hard on the drivers and crew, just trying to figure out what’s the best. I know every team is trying to figure out a system that is efficient that works and simple, and I’ve been working hard on it. I was up until 1:30 last night trying to figure it out and I can’t say I was any better at it today than I was yesterday. I don’t know. There’s still a lot to learn, but, overall, it is very good for this sport.”

MATT DIBENEDETTO, No. 21 #FordStrong Technicians Ford Mustang — WALK US THROUGH YOUR DAY. “It was tough. The car had our tongue hanging out all day, so it’s good we made improvements from yesterday. We were really struggling yesterday and our team worked super-hard and made some good improvements so we could at least run further up there. We didn’t play a lot of defense all day and had to drive the thing for all it was worth, so just glad we were able to get a top 10 out of it finishing seventh. You can take a car that’s a struggle and something that we’re not satisfied with and struggled with all weekend and make some improvements with, but if we take a car like that and finish seventh with it and move on, that just shows the strength of our team and how we keep getting better. If you can make your bad days a top 10, sometimes that’s all you can hope for.”

YOU ADDED SOME POINTS TO YOUR BUBBLE POSITION. “We’re watching that so close. The first part of the year we as a team were really kind of getting acclimated with each other and with all the COVID stuff that made it a little tougher because no practice and no qualifying and all that, but we’ve gotten into a good rhythm. We’re working together great, so the strength of our team is definitely there. We’ve been running great, running up front very consistently, so we know we definitely deserve every bit of getting in the playoffs, so we’ll just keep fighting and doing what we’re doing and trying to rack up some points and build up that cushion. Hopefully a win comes. That would obviously be the best way, but only a few races left so consistency is key and a weekend like this just making sure that we finish and run smart and don’t get caught up in any mess — things like that — is all so crucial to try and get all we can to make sure we make the playoffs and then hit it hard.”

HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE ROAD COURSE NEXT WEEKEND WITH A 57-POINT CUSHION? “I think my approach will be kind of the same as everywhere else, really. I’ve always had the approach of trying to race smart, especially next weekend. You don’t want to make any stupid mistakes, so racing smart will be very key, especially on a new racetrack where a lot of us are unfamiliar with, so just trying to run smart. I’ve been called patiently aggressive. I think that’s maybe a cool and good description that I like and I try to live by, and I guess that’s maybe sort of my style — so be smart and be aggressive when you can when it counts and drive hard. As a lot of people know road course racing is probably my favorite thing to do, so I’m looking forward to that. We’ve had a lot of success on road courses in the past.”

THOUGHTS ON THE CHOOSE RULE? “The only person I feel bad for is my spotter. I’m not gonna lie to you, I kind of put it all on him. I don’t want to say all of it, but I put a lot of pressure on my spotter, Doug Campbell. He deserves quite the shout out for really paying a lot of good attention and counting how many cars are going to the inside lane versus the out and managing risk versus reward. I leaned on him a lot. Spotters are so crucial nowadays with this style of racing and the Choose Rule, but it was executed well. I think it was actually better than I thought. Everybody did a good job executing. It was pretty clear-cut, straightforward, especially at Michigan it was managing how much risk you wanted to take really.”

HOW DO YOU USE THESE NEXT FEW RACES TO BUILD ON THINGS? “We’ve been building a lot of momentum as a team, working together and getting better I feel like on a weekly basis, especially the second part of the season. The last couple of months have been great. These next tracks there’s some that are a little bit of indicators of playoff stuff — maybe Dover will be a decent indicator, a couple 750-horsepower tracks. There’s a majority of those remaining in the season, which is cool. I think we’ll go up there and there are good tracks coming up for us that I look forward to personally, so rack up as many points as humanly possible and I don’t think I’ve even thought much past these next handful of races just because I’m trying to keep focused making sure we have solid, good races — keep running up front like we have been, racking up the points and make sure we get ourselves in the playoffs because that’s all that matters in general right now because I know once we make it into the playoffs like we want to and we should, I really think we can be contenders and do a great job in the playoffs and we won’t just be there. We’ve been running up front consistently and showed that, and the second part of the season has a ton of really good racetracks in it that I look forward to a lot, so I think we could have a great, great finish to the season.”

WHERE DO YOU STAND FOR NEXT YEAR? “It was awesome when I came over here to the Wood Brothers and they gave me this opportunity — the Menard family and Motorcraft/Quick Lane, all these folks that gave me this incredible opportunity to drive this car. That’s so much fun. We’ve been building our chemistry here and doing a great job and our alliance with Team Penske, all of that was such a neat opportunity to hop into and when I came over they expressed to me that, one, it was a multi-year opportunity when I came over, which was awesome, and they really expressed heavily that they wanted this to be a relationship that we could build for a very long time to come. They were very adamant about that, so from the Wood Brothers side and the Team Penske side that was amazing to hear and I love being with this team. I love having my teammates we have and all of that, so I haven’t really talked about that stuff for next year yet, but we’ve just been so focused and head down on digging and trying to make the playoffs and run well. We haven’t even really talked about it, so, hopefully, I stay here for a very long time to come and that’s what they had expressed to me when I came over here and we’ve been running well, so I wouldn’t expect any different.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang — WHAT HAPPENED? “I just lost it. It’s my fault. I feel really bad for my teammate, Ryan Blaney. He didn’t deserve that. I just came off of turn four and the 4 car was behind me and he gave me a push and I swear I went into the corner like 20 miles an hour faster than I had been all day and got past the 11 and I went to get underneath the 12 and I just slipped. I lost the back a little bit and when I went to collect it he was there and I wiped him out and myself out, so I feel terrible for everyone at Team Penske and especially Ryan Blaney. Gosh, he didn’t deserve that. I should have whoa’d way up. I had been running wide-open on the bottom all day and thought I could do it again, but with that big push I overestimated the grip and ruined our day.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Knauf Ford Mustang — DOES IT MAKE IT WORSE THAT IT WAS YOUR TEAMMATE THAT TOOK YOU OUT? “Well, yeah. It’s just unfortunate for the whole Penske organization. We had two fast cars battling for the lead and it just stinks that happened. He had a run, like he said, and he didn’t think he had as big of a run as he had and just got loose and, unfortunately, got us both. It’s a shame to end our day like that with the Knauf/Menards Ford Mustang. We were so fast. We had to battle back from having to pit again and got to 10th for the second stage and then got the lead. I was like, ‘All right, we can finally go back at it,’ and just got together there. That’s unfortunate, but it’s not gonna carry over. Things happen. Mistakes happen. It’s just a shame both of us got taken out.”

THREE CAMRYS IN THE TOP-FOUR AT MICHIGAN
Hamlin drives to ninth top-two finish of the season

BROOKLYN, Michigan (August 9, 2020) – Denny Hamlin (second), Martin Truex Jr. (third) and Kyle Busch (fourth) scored top-five finishes in Consumers Energy 400 to lead Toyota at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Michigan International Speedway
Race 22 of 36 – 312 miles, 156 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Kevin Harvick*
2nd, DENNY HAMLIN
3rd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
4th, KYLE BUSCH
5th, Joey Logano*
17th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
26th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
27th, ERIK JONES
35th, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 2nd

What more did you need in the closing laps?

“Just needed to maneuver a little bit better and I think that we could be a little better. Overall, our car handled well. Just needed a little more speed there and a little bit more handling to pass. Obviously, I thought we were definitely the fastest car by running him (Kevin Harvick) down there.”

Did the track change during the race or from yesterday?

“The track sped up and it fit our car and it definitely went to where we setup our car for the race today. We just got a little bit better and things got closer at the end.”

Did you think you could get around Kevin Harvick in the closing laps?

“Once we finally got to second, I knew we had something for him (Kevin Harvick), I just got stalled there and he was tight, I was tight. We were better, that’s for sure. I thought if I could maybe get to his quarter panel, I could shove him higher and make him tighter, but just couldn’t quite do it. Proud of this whole FedEx Ground Toyota team. We obviously had a very strong run. Just needed a little bit more.”

Did you know from the start of the race that you might have a shot to win?

“I knew we were going to be pretty good, especially when it cooled off there. We tried to put maybe a little bit of speed in the car, but overall I thought we just had a really good handling car and that allowed us to keep pace right there. Our whole team did a great job adjusting overnight and thought we were a good one-two combo in both races even though we didn’t finish second yesterday. Proud of the whole FedEx team, we’re just plugging along here. Just really hate giving up wins to the 4 (Kevin Harvick).”

Do you and Kevin Harvick bring out the best in each other on the track?

“No question. On one of the restarts I think I was fifth and I pulled all the way up to the inside line next to the 4 (Kevin Harvick) and I was revving my engine beside him just to give him a little exhaust fumes. I have tremendous respect for everyone on that team and Kevin. As we’ve gotten older, we’ve gotten wiser and learned to really appreciate what each other does on the race track. Obviously, they’re having a great season as well.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Auto Owners Insurance Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

How was your run today with another third-place finish?

“We don’t do anything easy, that’s for sure. We were awful at the start of the race. I don’t know, we didn’t make a lot of changes from yesterday. We tried to do different things to try to get better. We definitely were worse. Just have to grind them out, that’s what we do. It’s good to be grinding out top-three finishes, that’s what the Playoffs are all about. We need to get some more points before that starts.”

How does it feel to finish up a solid two days of racing at Michigan with another top finish?

“We battled back. The car was pretty far off to start the race. We’re all pretty disappointed in that obviously, but really proud of the effort to get the Auto Owners Camry back up front. A special paint scheme and can’t thank Auto Owners enough and all their associates for their support of our foundation and all 1900 people on the hood. We really wanted to get them to victory lane, but just really proud of our race team. We keep bringing top-three cars to the race track and the Playoffs are coming so we need to keep doing that. Just off at the start and had to rebound. Definitely a different story today than yesterday, but pretty much the same result.”

Could you just not get close enough to the 11 in the final laps?

“I just started getting tight that last run and was starting to have to lift getting into three a little bit and would get tight off four. He (Denny Hamlin) started driving away. I was doing all I could to try to get up there and once he got by me, I was trying to stay close. I just got too tight at the end. Just fought the balance too much all day. Wicked loose to start and then wicked tight to end. Just missed it a little bit, but again, proud of everyone back at the shop and we’ll keep digging.”

How important is this finish for your starting position at the Daytona road course next week?

“We actually talked about it before the race. We knew we had to finish good no matter what. We definitely had that in the back of our mind because you don’t know what’s going to happen next week. I think all of us going into turn one at the Daytona road course with no braking points and the potential of rain Florida in the summertime in the afternoon. Who the heck knows what’s going to happen. I love road courses though so I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a lot of fun and we’ll get prepared this week. We have a of plans to get ready. Should be fun, we’ll see what we can do. Then we have another doubleheader in Dover in two weeks. Pretty excited about that doubleheader as well.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

What was the difference for you in today’s race compared to yesterday?

“Nothing really. I felt like it was really similar. Again today, our M&M’s Fudge Brownie Camry was good. Top-three car. I felt like the 4 (Kevin Harvick), the 2 (Brad Keselowski), us, the 11 (Denny Hamlin) there at the end was really good. Us and the 19 (Martin Truex Jr.) were the same. Just hard to pass when you get there towards the end and try to make moves on guys and they just block your air and do what they’re supposed to do to prevent you from getting by them. It’s just tough racing like that and I just felt tight there at the end and just couldn’t get anymore. That was about all we were going to get today anyway. That’s on par I guess here at Michigan.”

Your car seemed stronger on the long runs early in the race, how did that change or did it throughout the race?

“The long runs went away later in the race and that’s just what we had. We got about all we could get out of the day. I felt like the 4 (Kevin Harvick) was the best car. The 2 (Brad Keselowski) was second-best. The 11 (Denny Hamlin), there at the end showed up and was pretty fast, but the 19 (Martin Truex Jr.) and myself were really even. That was about all we had. Great day again for the M&M’s Fudge Brownie Camry. We come to Michigan not normally looking for top-five days, but this has been a good two days. Hopefully we can keep some momentum rolling here and get ready to go next week and turn right and turn left.”

How important was it to have two days of solid runs?
“Yesterday and today, the car drove great. The best driving car I’ve had here at Michigan. When you have so much comfort I guess build into the car, you just don’t quite have enough speed. We weren’t going to change that overnight, so we stayed consistent with many of the things that we were doing from yesterday just to have a good, solid effort of it today and not screw anything up.”

# # #

About Toyota

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

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

NASCAR CUP SERIES
CONSUMERS ENERGY 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES & QUOTES
AUGUST 9, 2020

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
8th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Dow Mobility Science Camaro ZL1 1LE
9th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE
10th Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE
11th Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Fueling Futures Camaro ZL1 1LE
12th William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Kevin Harvick (Ford)
2nd Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
3rd Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota)
4th Kyle Busch (Toyota)
5th Joey Logano (Ford)

TUNE-IN:
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues on Sunday, August 16th at Daytona International Speedway with the Go Bowling 235 At the Daytona Road Course at 3:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage will air on NBC, MRN, and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

TEAM CHEVY NOTES & QUOTES:

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW MOBILITY SCIENCE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 8th
“It was a good day for our Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road/E-Z-GO Chevrolet team. We had to start last after going to a backup car and we were issued a pass-through penalty on lap one for making unapproved adjustments on pit road. Despite the challenges, we stayed on the lead lap in Stage 1, which just shows how fast our Chevy was today. The race played out pretty similar to yesterday with strategy and the call to take fuel-only on our last pit stop. We were digging at the end of the race, moving from outside the top 15 to eighth. I thought we had something for seventh but just ran out of laps. It feels good to work as a team to overcome what we had to, and to finish the race as the first Chevrolet in the field. Thanks to Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Off Road and everyone at Textron and E-Z-GO for their support.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 9th
“We struggled to get the Mountain Dew Chevy dialed in today. It was pretty tight, and we just weren’t able to improve the handling. We squeaked by with a top-10 finish. All in all, it was a decent weekend, but we have some work to do.”

MATT MCCALL, CREW CHIEF, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 10th
Another top-10 finish to roundout a doubleheader weekend. Our Monster Energy Chevy was a little bit better on the short-run speed today, which helped us on some of those restarts. We’ll continue to work hard still to be better to contend for wins. We need to stay focused in trying to turn these top-10 into top-five finishes.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY FUELING FUTURES CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 11th
“We put up a good fight today. Track position was important, and we fought the balance most of the day. I’m looking forward to the road course and both Dover races.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 12th
“Hard fought day for us at Michigan today and this weekend overall really. After this weekend we came out of Michigan with a bit larger of a points gap than we started which is good. Hopefully we can go on to the road course at Daytona and keep building that point buffer. I think we’re really good at road courses so hopefully we can run well there despite it being an unknown. I’m looking forward to it though and the challenge it will bring. I will definitely be doing a lot of iRacing this week to get ready for it.”

TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 18th
“My GEICO-Germain Racing guys did a good job this weekend. We made adjustments from yesterday to today and it definitely improved the handling. At the end there, it took our Camaro ZL1 1LE about three laps to come in and then it started rolling. We ran our fastest lap of the race in the final 10 laps, so I think if we had a few more, we would have finished even better. I’m happy to leave with a top-20 finish though. I’m looking forward to the Daytona Road Course next week.”

BUBBA WALLACE, JR., NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 21st
“Well, today wasn’t as good as yesterday, obviously. Our Camaro just kind of lacked a little bit in overall speed and overall grip. I couldn’t really find it throughout the race, so the restarts didn’t go our way there, towards the end. I kept getting trapped and everything. I guess we used all of our eggs on the first day. All-in-all, it was a solid day coming out of Michigan. A good points day, a good points swing for us. We’ve still got a lot of work to do to climb up the ladder, but we’re heading in the right direction from the last couple of races. So, progress is showing. On to the Daytona Road Course.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CHEVY ACCESSORIES CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 24th
“We fought hard today at Michigan International Speedway, but our No. 8 Chevrolet Accessories Camaro ZL1 1LE was a challenge during the race. We fired off extremely tight, which made it hard to move around and run the bottom like I needed to be able to do. My crew chief, Randall Burnett, made some good adjustments during the race that helped loosen me up, but we just needed a little bit more today. We’ll definitely look back at this weekend as a team to see what we can learn from it and regroup for next weekend.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/ADAM’S POLISHES CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 36th
“That was not what we wanted or needed today. It was just unfortunate events. Greg (Ives) and the guys made great adjustments from yesterday and got the car pretty good. We battled some snug conditions, but the team made great adjustments on pit road. Obviously not the way we wanted to end the double header weekend. We will learn from this and move on to next week.”

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

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Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report

Track: Michigan International Speedway
Race: Consumers Energy 400
Date: August 9, 2020
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No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski
Start: 19th
Stage 1: 14th
Stage 2: 2nd
Finish: 39th
Status: Accident
Laps Completed:95/156
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (behind first): 2nd (-137)

Notes:

Brad Keselowski’s afternoon at Michigan International Speedway was cut short by an accident 61 laps from the finish of the Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Keselowski was credited with a 39th-place finish in the final rundown and is second in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 137 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Keselowski started 19th following a second-place finish in first race of the MIS doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, and wrestled a loose handling Mustang throughout Stage 1. The opening segment of the race ran caution free with Keselowski collecting a 14th-place finish when Stage 1 concluded on lap 40. He pitted during the stage caution on lap 43 for four tires and a right-rear wedge adjustment. The 2 crew did their job, gaining four positions on the stop, moving Keselowski up to 10th for the restart on lap 47.

Keselowski chose the inside lane for the restart and when the race went green, he rocketed through traffic, climbing up to second position by lap 53. Keselowski’s nice work on the restart paired with crew chief Jeremy Bullins’ adjustments put the Discount Tire Ford in clean air just behind Kevin Harvick. As the laps ticked off Keselowski was too loose to mount a challenge for the stage win, but he held off a fast-closing Kyle Busch for second position. Keselowski pitted during the stage caution on lap 88 for four tires and another right-rear wedge adjustment and restarted third when the race went green on lap 91.

Unfortunately, Keselowski would not make it to the finish. On lap 95, he received a huge push from Harvick on the exit of Turn 4 that propelled him down the front stretch and into the second position. Keselowski then dove to the inside of leader Ryan Blaney but got loose. The two made contact, sending both cars into the outside wall, ending their afternoon.

Quotes: “That was my fault. I feel really bad for my teammate Ryan Blaney. He didn’t deserve that. I came off of Turn 4 and the 4 car (Kevin Harvick) was behind me and he gave me a push and I swear I went into the corner 20 miles an hour faster than I had been all day. I got past the 11 (Denny Hamlin) and I went to get underneath the 12 (Blaney) and I just slipped. I lost the back a little bit and when I went to collect it, he was there, and I wiped both him and myself out. I feel terrible for everyone at Team Penske. I had been running wide-open on the bottom all day and thought I could do it again, but with that big push I overestimated the grip and ruined our day.”

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No. 12 Menards/Knauf Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 17th
Stage 1: 7th
Stage 2: 10th
Finish: 38th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 95/156
Laps Led: 4
Point Standings (Behind First): 4th (-175)

Notes:

Ryan Blaney started 17th and finished 38th in Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The driver of the Menards/Knauf Ford Mustang had worked his way to the lead when he and teammate Brad Keselowski got together on lap 96, ending their days.

After starting from the 17th position, Blaney worked his way quickly into the top-10 despite reporting to crew chief Todd Gordon that his Ford Mustang was tight on the exit of both corners. Blaney would work his way up to the seventh position when Stage 1 was completed on lap 40.
Under the stage break, Blaney would pit for four tires, fuel and both a track bar and wedge adjustment. Unfortunately, Blaney had to make an additional stop get the Menards/Knauf Ford Mustang full of fuel. He would restart 29th and he methodically work his way back through the field to come home in the 10th position in Stage 2.

Strong service by the Menards crew got Blaney out in the seventh position as the final stage began. Using a strong push from Denny Hamlin, Blaney would get the lead on lap 92. Unfortunately, the lead would be short lived after teammate Keselowski got loose underneath the Menards/Knauf Ford, sending both drivers into the outside wall. Blaney would be scored with a 38th-place finish.

Blaney now sits fourth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, 175 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Quote: It’s just unfortunate for the whole Penske organization. We had two fast cars battling for the lead and it just stinks that happened. He had a run, like he said, and he didn’t think he had as big of a run as he had and just got loose and, unfortunately, got us both. It’s a shame to end our day like that with the Knauf/Menards Ford Mustang. We were so fast. We had to battle back from having to pit again and got to 10th for the second stage and then got the lead. I was like, ‘All right, we can finally go back at it,’ and just got together there. That’s unfortunate, but it’s not going to carry over. Things happen. Mistakes happen. It’s just a shame both of us got taken out.”

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No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 13th
Stage 1: 10th
Stage 2: 9th
Finish: 5th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 156/156
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (Behind First): 6th (-199)

Notes:

Joey Logano started 13th and finished fifth in Sunday afternoon’s Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang. Logano started the race battling a tight condition, but steady adjustments by crew chief Paul Wolfe and the No. 22 Ford team improved the handling of the car throughout the day. Logano utilized a few late-race restarts to rally into the top-five after fending off a hard charging Aric Almirola to maintain the position at the checkered flag.

After lining up in the 13th position, Logano slid forward to the seventh position after numerous cars dropped to the back for the start of the race. However, Logano fell to the 15th position after a big moment on the opening lap in Turn 3 and had to regain track position through the first run of the race. Logano recovered to the 10th position at the end of the first stage, telling the team he needed more exit turn in the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang, but he couldn’t afford to be freer on takeoff.

On the stage ending stop, the Shell-Pennzoil crew made an air pressure change and added tape to the nose of the No. 22 Ford Mustang, sending Logano off pit road in eighth. On the restart, Logano elected to restart on the inside lane, lining up in the fifth position. Logano continued battling a tight-handling condition on the long run, particularly on corner exit. The team elected to make a trackbar adjustment on the second stop of the race, resulting in a slower stop, sending Logano off pit road in the 15th position.

Logano worked back into the top-10 with fifty laps remaining in the event as the adjustments to the Shell-Pennzoil Ford finally got the handling improved for corner exit. Logano reported to the team he was struggling with straightaway speed, which forced the driver to adjust his approach to restarts for the remainder of the race.

Using another late-race restart, Logano powered forward to claim a fifth-place finish, the second top-five result for the team in the last three races. Logano currently sits sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, 199 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Quote: “Overall we learned some things this weekend. Both races we were just a little too far off to start. A top-five finish today was good. We’re starting to build some momentum and when you start clicking off top-five finishes you know wins are just around the corner. Obviously next week is a big unknown for everyone going down to Daytona to run the road course. A lot has gone into that so it should be an interesting race for the fans.”

Track: Michigan International Speedway
Race: 22 of 36
Event: Consumers Energy 400 (312 miles, 156 laps)

John Hunter Nemechek
No. 38 Mystik Lubricants Ford Mustang

Started: 36th
Finished: 23rd

Stage One: 28th
Stage Two: 29th
Stage Three: 23rd

John Hunter Nemechek would start Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway in the 36th place but had to drop to the rear to take the green flag due to running a backup car following heavy damage during Saturday’s race. Shortly after the start of the race, Nemechek reported that his No. 38 Mystik Lubricants Ford Mustang was dragging, particularly on the straightaway. He continued to battle a tight-handling car through much of Stage 1, taking the green- and white-checkered flag in 28th place. He would pit at the Stage Break Caution for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.

Restarting P30, Nemechek radioed that his No. 38 Mystik Lubricants Ford Mustang got tighter as the run went on. On Lap 78, he noted that he was starting to get a vibration but continued to stay on track through the rest of Stage 2. He took the green- and white-checkered flag in 29th place, saying that the car’s balance was a little unpredictable… “like it wants to turn, but it doesn’t.” He pitted under caution for 4 tires, fuel, packer and track bar adjustments.

Nemechek would start the day’s Final Stage in 30th place. He was able to make up a bit of ground but continued to say that his No. 38 Mystik Lubricants Ford Mustang was dragging down the straightaway. When the caution came out on Lap 136, the crew took a big swing to try and improve his handling with 4 tires, fuel, and track bar, wedge and packer adjustments. Those adjustments helped, but with limited time left in the race, Nemechek would cross the finish line in 23rd place.

Nemechek on Michigan:

“We struggled today in our No. 38 Mystik Lubricants Ford Mustang. We were tight at the start and dragged a lot, particularly when I would get within a few car lengths of another car. We made adjustments throughout the day, and the last one definitely helped us get more speed at the end, but we came home P23. My crew did a great job of sticking with it to the end and never giving up. Huge thanks to our partners at Mystik Lubricants for coming on board this weekend. We’ll have another chance to get them a good result at Bristol next month.”

BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 9, 2020) – Ryan Newman worked his way from the back of the field for the second straight day to claim a 13th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway. A savvy strategy call in the tail end of the race gave Newman the track position he needed to capitalize on his well-balanced Castrol Ford Mustang.

Newman began the day dropping to the tail end of the field after damage from yesterday’s race forced the No. 6 team to a backup car for the second leg of the Michigan doubleheader. Several competitors also had to drop to the rear, which meant Newman took the green flag from the 32nd position.

An uneventful first stage saw no cautions, and Newman steadily worked his way up to finish the segment 25th. The stage break gave his team an opportunity to put four fresh tires on his Ford and make minor handling adjustments. Another caution-free segment stalled Newman’s progress as the dirty air in the middle of the field made passing difficult. He would end the second stage in the same position, 25th.

Restarting for the final segment, Newman noted that the team had successfully found the handling balance on his Mustang and he began to work his way forward once again. By the time the first natural caution of the race fell at lap 96, the No. 6 had entered the top 20.

Another caution just nine laps later gave crew chief Scott Graves the opportunity to secure some much-needed track position by taking just two tires and fuel. The strategy play worked out, and Newman restarted 6th with under 50 laps to go. However, the team was just short on fuel and asked the driver to save as he worked to maintain his position.

A caution with 20 laps to go ensured that the team would be safe on fuel, and Newman restarted 16th for the final shootout. He was able to work through a crowded field, and secure the 13th position at the checkered flag.

Newman and the No. 6 team return to action next Sunday, August 16 for NASCAR’s first-ever race at the Daytona International Speedway road course. Coverage begins at 3pm on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 9, 2020) – Chris Buescher and the No. 17 Fastenal Ford were set to start Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway from the pole position, but after sustaining heavy damage at the end of Saturday’s race the team was forced to start Sunday’s event in a backup car and at the back of the field. The 17 crew would battle all day, ultimately finishing 20th in the second half of a Michigan double-header.

By lap four the driver worked his way up to 17th, a position he held for at least half of the stage. With reports of a tight handling Ford Mustang, the driver slid back to 20th where he held steady until the last few laps of the stage. The team finished the stage 22nd.

Buescher and the team pitted during the stage break for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. The team restarted 17th. The driver got shuffled back to 22nd, where he held track position for much of the caution free stage. The No. 17 machine was very tight handling in traffic and in dirty air. As a result, Buescher took the green-white checkered flag for stage two in 24th.

The Prosper, Texas native pitted at the stage break for four tires, fuel and some major air pressure adjustments. The driver restarted 26th and held position until a caution flag waved at lap 95. The team elected to stay out to earn track position and restarted 18th. Three laps later a caution flag waved, and the No. 17 team took the opportunity to head down pit road. After a pit stop for four tires and fuel, they hit the track to restart 24th. Buescher worked his way up to 19th by lap 121 where he maintained position when the caution flag waved at lap 136.

The team decided to stay out and maintain track position, and with only two cars pitting ahead of Buescher, the team restarted 17th on the top lane, before taking the checkered flag 20th.

Buescher and the No. 17 team return to action at the Daytona International Speedway road course on Sunday, August 16 at 3 p.m. EST on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90. 

NASCAR CUP SERIES
SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2020
FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400 – MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST RACE QUOTES

KEVIN HARVICK CAPS MUSTANG SWEEP SATURDAY WITH WIN AT MICHIGAN

• Kevin Harvick won his fifth race of the season and 54th of his Cup career by winning today’s race.
  All five of Harvick’s wins have come since NASCAR returned to action on May 17 (13 starts).
• The win is Mustang’s 12th of the season.
• Harvick is now tied for 11th on the all-time win list with NASCAR Hall of Famer Lee Petty. Up next on the list is Rusty Wallace in 10th with 55.
• Harvick is now tied for 13th on the all-time Ford Cup win list with Greg Biffle and NASCAR Hall of Famer Davey Allison with 19. What makes that accomplishment so impressive is Harvick has done it in only three-plus seasons.
• This marks the 25th win for Stewart-Haas Racing since joining Ford (Harvick has won 19).
• Today’s win is Ford’s 698th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
1st – Kevin Harvick
2nd – Brad Keselowski
4th – Ryan Blaney
8th – Joey Logano
15th – Matt DiBenedetto
16th – Aric Almirola
19th – Clint Bowyer
20th – Chris Buescher
22nd – Corey LaJoie
26th – JJ Yeley
28th – Ryan Newman
29th – Michael McDowell
34th – Cole Custer
36th – John Hunter Nemechek

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang — VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW

EVERYONE WE TALK TO SAID THEY DIDN’T HAVE ANYTHING FOR YOUR CAR TODAY. HOW DOMINANT AND HOW STRONG WAS YOUR MUSTANG TODAY? “Yeah, the restarts were obviously a handful but our Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang was really fast today and we held on for the long run and would really go on the short run and did everything we needed it to do. I gotta thank everyone from Busch Light Apple, Mobil 1, Hunt Brothers, Jimmy Johns, Haas Automation and everyone from Ford. I know they love to win here and we are glad to bring that trophy to them.”

THE HARD RACING WITH KYLE BUSCH, HOW DID THAT UNFOLD FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE? “I didn’t know if I hit him or not but I saw the video and didn’t touch him. I must have packed a bunch of air on his left rear. I knew I needed to be right there. You have to take the chance when you have it and I needed that side draft down the front straightaway. I got within like an inch or so it looked like on the video. I didn’t know if I had just barely touched him but in the video I definitely didn’t touch him.”

SIXTY-SEVEN PERCENT OF THE RACES YOU HAVE FINISHED TOP FIVE AND YOUR FIFTH WIN. DOES THAT PUT YOU GUYS AS THE TEAM TO BEAT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP? “We are a week to week team. We talked about this years ago. We want to go to the track and worry about one week at a time. We want to be competitive and win as many races as we can and see where it falls in the end. These guys are awesome and when we come to Michigan to ride a car like that is unbelievable.”

YOU NOW ARE TIED FOR 11TH ALL-TIME WITH 54 WINS, TYING HALL OF FAMER LEE PETTY. DID YOU EVER IMAGINE THAT KIND OF SUCCESS? “No. I am honored. I have been very fortunate to work with some good teams and have some good race cars. When you start talking about names like Lee Petty and Rusty Wallace and Junior Johnson and all the names that are around us on that list is just an honor to be around them. I know that comes with a lot of responsibilities for our sport and I ask myself all the time if I have done enough or am doing enough to help make this sport go forward. It is an honor to be around those names.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang — Finished 2nd

RUNNER UP AT YOUR HOME TRACK. WHAT DID YOU NEED IN THAT CLOSING LAP AGAINST THE 4? “He is just super fast in the corners and the straightaway. He was definitely the best car out here today. We put a good effort to kind of maximize our day and that is what we did, finished second. Proud of everyone on the Discount Tire Ford Mustang team. We will go back to work on it and hopefully find a little bit more for the race tomorrow.”

WHAT DID YOU TALK ABOUT FOR WHAT YOU NEED TOMORROW? “Just the 4 was so strong on this type of racetrack and I think he has won a bunch of these races lately and we just need some speed.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Knauf Ford Mustang — Finished 4th

WHERE DO YOU FEEL YOUR STRENGTHS WERE TODAY AND WHERE DO YOU NEED TO IMPROVE FOR TOMORROW? “I thought our car was really good. I thought our Mustang was pretty good all day. We made a good call there before the competition caution to come in and pit and that cycled us up to 12th or something and we were able to drive to third before that stage and then ran second in the second stage. We took four tires there when we got in our fuel window and it was hard to get through traffic. We didn’t handle good so we came in again with maybe 18 to go and changed it up a little bit and made sure we were good on gas and were able to drive through there. I wish we would have kept third before that last caution because I would have chose the bottom and had a little better shot. I am proud of the effort. The 4 was really fast. We need to work on our stuff a little and I think we can compete a little better tomorrow.”

WHAT WAS YOUR IMPRESSION OF THE CHOOSE RULE TODAY? “I thought it had a good impact on the race. Obviously the best car won the race but I thought it was unique seeing what everyone was going to do and trying to figure out what you wanted to do. There was one time that shocked me. It was how the 9 got the lead. He went from fifth to starting on the front row and ended up getting the lead and I couldn’t believe nobody took that opportunity to line up on the front row. You saw a lot of guys that were third today would take that chance. I lined up on the top and I chose the bottom a good bit. I chose the bottom a decent amount when I was trying to get back up there because you jump about three rows and you figure you can maintain or maybe gain. I thought it was great. I thought they did a really good job implementing it the rest of the year besides next week. I was a fan of it, for sure.”

DID YOU MAKE YOUR CHOICES BASED ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT WERE YOUR CARS STRENGTHS OR DID IT MORE DEPEND ON THE OTHER CARS THAT WOULD BE AROUND YOU? “I made it more off of how much it was going to gain me. If you are lining up 20th when we pitted again and then you ask yourself if you can get to 15th if you chose the bottom. Hell yeah I am going to choose 15th. You just try to decide where you are going to line up and how many lanes or rows you are going to jump. There were a lot of times I was sitting fourth and the third place choses to line up on the front row on the bottom and I wanted to stay sixth. I would rather have been sixth than third. That was just kind of how I chose it, but what I thought momentum would go and I think it differs when you get from the back of the pack to the front. I think your mindset changes a little bit.”

DID YOU GUYS HAVE DISCUSSIONS AMONG YOUR TEAM OF HOW YOU WOULD APPROACH THE CHOOSE RULE OR WAS IT LEFT UP TO YOU? “It was left up to the driver. We talked a little about it, Todd (Gordon) and I did before the race and Josh Williams my spotter a little bit about it. But really when it comes down to it that is just driver choice. You are going to make the right one sometimes and sometimes you will make the wrong one. That is part of the rule. It is chance. You can take an opportunity and nobody is brake checking each other off pit road to get in the lane they want, that part is nice. It can be a really big risk that can pay off maybe at some of these places where there is a preferred lane but that was just driver choice in the moment of seeing what everyone is doing and you have a split second to figure out what you want to do.”

IS THERE ANYTHING WITH IT THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE TWEAKED? “I would like to see them tie a rope to an actual cone and put it on the racetrack and have someone pull it. It was getting dark here and that thing was hard to see. I like how they moved it towards turn one from the start finish line. I know they have some cones on the wall but it is tough to see. I would love to see someone wrangling that damn rope in every single time like at the dirt tracks. It was just a little tough to see when it got dark.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang — Finished 8th

“It was a good recovery. A little bit of practice this week would have been nice. That was one of the loosest and out of control race car I have had. At the start of this race. The clean air made us look better than what we were. As soon as I lost clean air I was just trying to hang on. Unfortunately I collected a lot of damage along the way on the back bumper from everyone hitting me. I don’t blame them, I was in the way. Over time, by probably the beginning of the third stage we got close. Not quite to where we needed to. Then there at the end we pitted and may have gotten to the other side of it finally. At least we know where the edge is so we can work on it for tomorrow. We got a top-10 out of it. If you had told me we were going to finish eighth after the first 50 laps of this thing I would have taken it but greed always sets in and you want a little more there at the end. We got our Mustang for tomorrow and we got to the other side of it. We should be in the ballpark.”

WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR DISCUSSIONS WITH NASCAR LIKE BEFORE THEY WENT WITH THE CHOOSE RULE AND HOW YOU MAYBE NUDGED THEM IN THAT DIRECTION? “I have been nudging for years. NASCAR has to look at all the possibilities of it going wrong. And there are a lot of opportunities for race teams to try to manipulate the system a little bit. It is also something else they need to officiate. You have to make sure you are on one side or the other of that cone and you can never go back on your choice. Things like that. It definitely adds something to the race. There is a lot to think about going to it and you see a lot of drivers really pick up a lot of spots here today by making that bet. It is a lot to study which is what I am going to do after this. There is a lot to study on how these restarts work now. A lot for everybody to learn. A lot to take advantage of and it evolved a lot through the race from what it was in the beginning to the middle and end where it was much different. It is cool. I like it. You aren’t giving up spots trying to get a certain row on pit road. You can actually have your own fate in your hands a little bit so you can make those decisions yourself. I am good with it. I like it. I am glad it went this way.”

ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SEE TWEAKED GOING FORWARD? “I didn’t see anything wrong with it, no. I thought it went perfect.”

WITH WHAT YOU STRUGGLED WITH EARLY TODAY WILL YOUR CREW BE ABLE TO MAKE CHANGES TO GET IT RIGHT FOR TOMORROW OR IS THERE CONCERN THAT IT ISN’T SOMETHING THAT CAN JUST BE CHANGED QUICKLY WITH A SETUP? “I sure hope so. I think so. I think they will be able to change a lot. We got some damage and need to fix that first but then after that from where we started to where we finished the race we got way closer. So we were able to do that with just wedge, trackbar and air pressure. Now we can kind of open up the box and do countless other things. We will look at that and try to find the right direction to go. I was talking with Paul (Wolfe) before you guys trying to figure out the direction to go. Yes, we should be able to get to the other side of it and be more competitive tomorrow. I am looking forward to tomorrow. I wish we started the race the way we finished it. I think we would have looked a lot better and could have fine tuned it. We weren’t in the fine tuning stages at all. We were in the swing for the fence and throw everything at it to get to the other side of the loose problem. Now I think we can get to where we are find tuning a little bit to get the last little bit out of it.”