TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Kansas Speedway
September 27-28, 2025

The NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series playoff schedules have finally aligned as the duo will head to the heartland to Kansas Speedway, where the mile-and-a-half oval will serve as the second race of the Round of 12 for each division.

The Bowtie brigade is coming off a strong start to the second round of the 2025 Cup Series playoffs with all four title contenders collecting top-10 finishes at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend. For the Xfinity Series, a weekend refresh is in the rearview mirror as the division returns to nonstop competition for the final stretch towards the championship. The regular season champion, Connor Zilisch, finds himself in a familiar position atop the playoff rankings heading into the penultimate race of the series’ opening round.

 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas:

It’s been a Chevrolet-powered machine that has made its way to victory lane in the past three-straight NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, with Kyle Larson’s win in the series’ most recent appearance marking the manufacturer’s series-leading 16th all-time triumph at the track. The 33-year-old Elk Grove, California, native is a back-to-back winner in the track’s spring date, with his May 2024 triumph going down as the closest finish in NASCAR history. Returning to the heartland in the fall, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain drove to a playoff upset victory to complete Chevrolet’s Kansas season sweep. All four of Team Chevy’s title contenders have earned a top-10 finish in one of the past-two Kansas races with William Byron placing second and Chase Elliott placing ninth one year ago.

Matching the record-setting ways of its manufacturer partner, Hendrick Motorsports also leads the division in wins at Kansas Speedway with the Chevrolet organization reaching a double-digit win count of 10 victories in the spring. Hendrick Motorsports’ Kansas success began right out of the gate with NASCAR Hall of Famer, Jeff Gordon, driving the famed No. 24 Chevrolet to victory lane in the series’ first-two races at the track (Sept. 2001; Sept. 2002).

 ROUND OF 12 REBOUND

Team Chevy hit the ground running for the start of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – becoming the only manufacturer to see all of its playoff contenders earn top-10 results in the opening race. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron and Kyle Larson were among just the four playoff drivers that earned points in each stage of the race, which paid dividends for their cutline cushions as the duo sits in the top-two provisional points positions heading into the Kansas race weekend with Byron in second (+47) and Larson in third (+41). The next-two stops in this round fit right in the wheelhouse for Team Chevy’s title contenders with Larson and Chase Elliott holding victories at both Kansas and the Charlotte ROVAL and Ross Chastain entering the weekend as the defending race winner at Kansas.

Chastain Eyes Opportunity at Kansas:

Carrying the momentum from a top-10 finish to open the Round of 12, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain has an extra boost of confidence – entering the weekend as the defending race winner at Kansas Speedway. One year ago, the 32-year-old Alva, Florida, native disrupted the playoff field by stealing the checkered flag for the team’s first win of the season. Since joining Trackhouse Racing, Chastain has proven he knows how to navigate the mile-and-a-half oval – posting four top-seven results in seven starts. Chastain has also found consistency in qualifying at the track – earning four top-six starting positions behind the wheel of the organization’s Chevrolet-powered machines.

Larson’s Hendrick Dominance in the Heartland:

Looking to turn a strong points position into a guaranteed ticket into the Round of Eight is Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team, who return to Kansas Speedway as the track’s most recent winners. The victory – Larson’s third in his Cup Series career at Kansas – came in dominating fashion by claiming the pole, sweeping the stages and leading 221 of the 267 laps. Throughout his tenure at Hendrick Motorsports, Larson has tallied six top-four finishes in nine career Cup Series starts at Kansas.

 SPIRE CONTINUING TO BUILD LATE-SEASON MOMENTUM

Continuing to show speed during the late-season push is Spire Motorsports, who once again proved to be a threat for a playoff upset at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend. At the drop of the checkered-flag, Michael McDowell drove his No. 71 Chevrolet to an eighth-place finish – becoming one of just two non-playoff drivers to earn a top-10 result. His teammate, Carson Hocevar, collected his fourth-straight top-15 finish of the season after putting together a race that saw a fifth-place finish in both stages before bringing home an 11th-place result.

ZILISCH HOLDS STRONG POINTS LEAD INTO RACE TWO

With their final idle weekend in the books, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is now full-throttle towards the race for the championship with Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 marking the penultimate race of the series’ opening playoff round. Three Team Chevy title contenders will head to the heartland above the playoff cutline – led by JR Motorsports’ Connor Zilisch, who sits in the top position with an 85-point advantage. His teammate and the series’ reigning champion, Justin Allgaier, also shares a strong points position in second and 53-points above the cutline. The pair are the only two playoff drivers that could potentially point their way into the Round of Eight following this weekend’s event.

All seven of Team Chevy’s playoff drivers will seek their first Kansas triumph this weekend. In the series’ most recent appearance at the venue (Sept. 2024), it was Zilisch that led the Bowtie brigade to the finish with a fourth-place result, which came in just his second career Xfinity Series start. The 19-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina, native carries a streak of 15-straight top-five finishes into the weekend – a run that dates back to Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. The rising star has the opportunity to break the series’ record for consecutive top-five finishes this weekend, which was previously set by Sam Ard in 1983.

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 30 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:

Wins: 12
Poles: 11
Laps Led: 3,255
Top-Fives: 56
Top-10s: 122
Stage Wins: 22

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 27 NASCAR Xfinity Series races complete:

Wins: 23
Poles: 17
Laps Led: 3,293
Top-Fives: 90
Top-10s: 176
Stage Wins: 41

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 21 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races complete:

Wins: 6
Poles: 2
Laps Led: 939
Top-Fives: 44
Top-10s: 96
Stage Wins: 7

 BOWTIE BULLETS:

· Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Kansas Speedway:

Kyle Larson – three wins (2025, 2024, 2021)

Kyle Busch – two wins (2021, 2016)

Ross Chastain – one win (2024)

Chase Elliott – one win (2018)

· In 39 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 16 victories – including both the series’ inaugural race (Jeff Gordon – Sept. 2021) and the most recent race (Kyle Larson – May 2025).

· Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott are among the five remaining NASCAR Cup Series title contenders that have found victory lane in two of the three tracks in the Round of 12.

o Larson: three-time Kansas winner and two-time Charlotte ROVAL winner, including the defending winner at each track.

o Elliott: one Kansas victory and two Charlotte ROVAL victories.

· Chevrolet has earned at least half of the top-10 finishing results in 13 of the 30 points-paying races thus far this season, including a season-high seven top-10 finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

· In 138 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 64 victories – a winning percentage of 46.4%.

· With its 43 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 878 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

 
TUNE-IN:

NASCAR Cup Series

Playoffs Round of 12: Race Two

Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet

Sunday, September 28, at 3 p.m. ET

(USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Playoffs Round of 12: Race Two

Kansas Lottery 300

Saturday, September 27, at 4 p.m. ET

(CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

How do the playoffs test a race team? Is there tension when it comes to being in the playoffs?

“I wouldn’t say there’s any more tension. Everyone is professional and you can’t get into the playoffs and all of the sudden change everything you’ve been doing. Everyone goes in each day putting their best effort into the task at hand. You got into the playoffs because you did well, so I wouldn’t say the attitudes or anything change just because we’re in the playoffs.”

You won last year at Kansas and this year at Charlotte. How do you feel your intermediate program is?

“I feel our intermediate program is the strongest for the No. 1 car out of the different types of tracks. I think if we can replicate how we ran at Kansas last year and Charlotte this year, that we’ll have a strong shot to win or definitely run inside the top-five. We haven’t been able to do that at all of the mile-and-a-half tracks this year though. The little bit of a question mark going into Kansas is if we can replicate those races.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Kansas Speedway has been one of the most competitive races in the Next Gen era. Do drivers feel that on the track?

“When I think of Kansas (Speedway), I think of wild restarts, racing four-wide, and running the wall. It has definitely become one of the best mile-and-a-half tracks that we go to. Weather wise, we might have cooler temperatures than years prior. The track has gotten slick since they repaved it, and it has become a make-or-break race for a lot of guys in the Playoffs.”

How unique is Kansas Speedway compared to some of the other 1.5-mile tracks, and how will you attack the track this weekend?

“Kansas Speedway has its own personality for sure. Even though it’s a mile-and-a-half like some other tracks, the surface has aged a bit, so you get a lot of tire fall-off and have to manage your run. It’s wide, which gives you options—up by the wall or down on the bottom—so you can move around depending on how your car’s handling. This weekend, we’ll focus on getting the balance right early in the run and try to keep the speed over the long haul. If we can do that, I think we’ll be in good shape.”

Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

You’ve had solid showings on intermediate tracks this year. How do you feel heading into Kansas this weekend?

“We’ve had lots of speed at the mile-and-a-half tracks this year and that’s credit to the team at Spire Motorsports and their remarkable attention to detail. I feel really comfortable at Kansas and we were fast in the Spring. Hopefully, we can get luck back on our side and have a good day.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

What are your thoughts on heading to Kansas Speedway this weekend?

“I really like Kansas Speedway. I would love to go back there and get a little bit of redemption with not during fall of 2024 after getting taken out late in the race while trying to race around a lapped car. We were fast in the fall of 2023 until I crashed in practice, so, we want to make sure that we do all we can in order to not have that happen this time around and carry our speed in and through the race and have a good finish.”

What do you think is most challenging about Kansas Speedway?

“Kansas is tough all around and a lot of it has to do with the wind. The wind can really play havoc on the car’s handling, depending on which direction it’s blowing. I would say that you are trying to maximize your speed at all areas of the track and sometimes when you’re running high against the wall you overstep those bounds and get in trouble.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

“It’ll be good for our group to get back to a mile-and-a-half this weekend at Kansas; those have probably been our best racetracks. The spring race was difficult but with what we have learned at Charlotte and a couple of the other racetracks since then, it will help us this weekend. Our No. 16 group has been putting together solid weekends and we we’re working hard to continue to do that.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

“Kansas has always been a place where momentum can shift, and I’m excited to head there with Ram Self Storage back on the car.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

A lot of drivers refer to Kansas Speedway as the perfect 1.5-mile track, what makes it so versatile and dynamic?

“I think it’s probably because it’s the easiest to get multiple lanes going, even Lap 1 in practice you can run the top there where you know places like Charlotte, Texas, and other 1.5-mile tracks, you don’t you have to build up to it. So, the track has multiple lanes, multiple grooves and that all comes together fairly early in the run. In general, Kansas seems to produce a pretty good race.
I’d mostly say because you can move around.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

You’ve expressed your excitement for this weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway. Given your team’s recent performance and your personal preference for mile-and-a-half tracks, what do you think will be key to success?

“I’ve always loved mile-and-a-half tracks. They’re where I feel most comfortable and our team’s been showing a lot of speed the last few weeks. We won the truck race at Kansas in May, and I’m hoping we can translate that into success in the Delaware Life Chevy this weekend. I love running on the fence, but you really have to move around and try different lanes. I think we’re in a good position to have a strong weekend.”

Connor Zilisch, No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet

“Kansas is one of my favorite tracks. You’re up on the fence and it’s just a unique racetrack with low banking, low grip and it races really well. There are so many grooves and seems and you can run right up against the fence. There are a lot of different ways you can go around that track and that definitely makes it one of the more unique racetracks that we go to. We were able to cleanly get through Bristol and I think we’re in a good spot heading to Kansas this weekend.”

 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2024): 43

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Most recent: 2024

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Drivers Championships:

Total (1949-2024): 33

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021

Event Victories:

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

2025 STATISTICS:

Wins: 12

Poles: 11

Laps Led: 3,255

Top-Fives: 56

Top-10s: 122

Stage Wins: 22

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 878 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 764

Laps led to date: 255,966

Top-fives to date: 4,425

Top-10s to date: 9,129

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,212

       Chevrolet: 878

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 846                                                                               

       Ford: 746

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 201

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

Josh Berry and the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy team head to Kansas Speedway this weekend looking to build on momentum after snapping a three-race run of misfortune with a runner-up finish at New Hampshire.

Berry said the approach remains the same – just without the tough luck – as they prepare for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400.

“I think, for one, we just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Berry said. “The last few weeks we’ve shown up with really fast Ford Mustangs, qualified up front and put ourselves in position to contend.

“After a tough few weeks, New Hampshire was a big step for us, starting third and finishing second, and that gives our group a lot of confidence.”

Kansas also brings optimism given the team’s performance in May, when Berry drove to fourth in Stage 2 and a sixth-place finish overall.

“We had a lot of speed at Kansas in the spring, and if we execute, I feel like we’ll give ourselves another great opportunity,” he said.

On-track activity begins Saturday with practice at 1 p.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 2:10 p.m. on truTV. The Hollywood Casino 400 goes green Sunday at 3 p.m. ET with live coverage on USA Network.

Stage breaks are scheduled for Laps 80 and 165 of the 267-lap, 400.5-mile race.

About Menards
A family-owned and run company started in 1958, Menards is recognized as the retail home center leader of the Midwest with 341 stores in 15 states. Menards is truly a one-stop shop for all of your home improvement needs featuring a full-service lumberyard and everything you need to plan a renovation or build a home, garage, cabin, shed, deck, fence or post frame building. You’ll find a large selection of lumber, roofing, siding, construction blocks, trusses, doors and windows, plus cabinets, appliances, countertops, flooring, lighting, paint, plumbing supplies and more. To complete the job, Menards has quality hand tools, power tools, fasteners, electrical tools plus storage options and supplies for everyone from the weekend warrior to the pro!

Menards has what you need to complete your outdoor projects and keep your yard in tip-top shape including mowers, trimmers, blowers, pressure washers and more, plus a beautiful garden center stocked with plants, shrubs, trees, landscaping tools, grass seed, fertilizer options, outdoor décor and patio furniture. Menards also has everyday essentials like health & beauty products, housewares, pet and wildlife supplies, automotive items and even groceries. And at Christmas, an Enchanted Forest display area with impressive trees, lighting, decorations, ornaments, inflatables and more. Menards is known for friendly Customer Service and as the place to “Save Big Money” with low prices every day, and sales too! For more information, please visit Menards.com to learn about our store locations, offerings and services.

About Wood Brothers Racing
Founded in 1950 by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood in Stuart, Virginia, Wood Brothers Racing holds a special place in NASCAR history as the sport’s longest-running team. Over eight decades, the team has earned 101 victories in the NASCAR Cup Series, along with 120 poles, and remains proud of its longstanding relationship with Ford Motor Company, fielding only Ford products since its inception. Glenn’s brother, Leonard Wood, played a key role in shaping modern racing by developing the techniques behind today’s pit stops. With a rich legacy rooted in innovation and tradition, Wood Brothers Racing continues to honor its heritage while adapting for the future as it competes in NASCAR’s premier series with Josh Berry.

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Kansas Playoff Media Availability
Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the NASCAR Cup Series for Team Penske, goes into this weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway on the outside of the playoff cut line in the Round of 12. Cindric finds himself in 10th place, 19 points behind the final transfer spot with two races remaining. He took part in a NASCAR media availability this afternoon and talked about his situation.

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW DO YOU EVALUATE LAST WEEKEND? “I definitely view it as a missed opportunity in a few ways. Obviously, having great runs from all of the cars that came out of that shop, I think, one, it starts in qualifying. I think a lot of that was on me, just not getting the lap. Honestly, just getting a little impatient exiting a lap that would have been pretty strong, but I thought we had some strengths in the race. We got some damage and probably more than I thought as far as from a performance standpoint, kind of reviewing things looking at the car. The snorkel was pinched off, so that’s power and the splitter was separated from the nose and that’s downforce, so it was a pretty challenging stage three to come back up through the field after doing some repairs for that. I definitely see it as a missed opportunity to start the round off well and that’s what we’re gonna need to do. Us and many others like us have very few points or very similar points, so I think there are about six or seven guys that I’m on the same playing field with and I look at it and think I could be further ahead than I am, but that’s how it went and that’s what we’ve got. We’ve got two races to keep going.”

YOU HAVE A NEW RIGHT SIDE TIRE THIS WEEKEND. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW IT WILL REACT? “You’re never fully gonna know, but I don’t expect much change. From Goodyear’s side, from what I understand, it’s more just from a durability standpoint with the construction of the tire, so I think pace and fall off and tirewear and the racetrack and all that, from everything that I understand and the information that I have, should all be fairly similar. Kansas is definitely one of those tracks that the teams push it right to the edge, so I don’t think that’s gonna be any different this weekend.”

YOU SAID YOU DON’T FEEL YOUR TEAM IS DESPERATE YET AS WE GO TO KANSAS. BEING 19 BELOW THE CUT LINE, WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN MIND AS FAR AS, ASIDE FROM WINNING, YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH AT KANSAS THAT WOULD KEEP YOU THINKING THAT WAY GOING INTO THE ROVAL? “I feel as though you think I’m incorrect. Should I be desperate? I think that anything we can do to get points. I mean, we’re obviously gonna have to go out and have two really good days and just as likely that the others do the same or get into trouble. Kansas and the Charlotte road course have been two very challenging racetracks as far as getting in wrecks or getting behind, so I think there’s a lot of opportunity for us and 19 is totally not out of the question, especially in two race events. I’m not getting ahead of my skis here at all, but I think from our standpoint you have to look at it realistically and think that we’re gonna have to go out and have two of our best weeks of the year to go make this happen on points, but I think those are two tracks that we’re capable of doing that. I’m excited for this weekend. It pumps me up. We’ve got nothing to lose and everything to go out and gain. I think that’s kind of where my head’s at.”

HOW HAVE THESE FOUR RACES GONE FOR YOU IN THE PLAYOFFS? “To that point, I don’t think any race has really gone the way we wanted it to so far, which put us in a very tight window for Bristol. I thought we had a lot of potential for a good finish at Bristol. A lot of potential for a good finish at Darlington. We definitely had speed at Gateway. I can sit here and list off all the reasons why and a lot of ways I feel like that’s how our season has gone this year. If I looked at my season from the perspective of a top 10 means I’m good or not, I’d go crazy because we’ve had a lot more than just that, but we have to go out and put it up there. We need to get results and results equal points, whether that’s in the stages or at the end of the races. My pit crew has probably been doing the best job they have all year and been super consistent and super reliable through the playoffs. I’d say that’s probably one of my overwhelming positives. Past that, we’ve done what we needed to, but we did in the last round is not going to be enough to get us through, and I also don’t feel like we’ve been able to achieve our maximum in those races, either. I think that’s really where my head’s at and where my focus is because I do feel like if we achieve the maximum of what we’re capable of as a group, or much closer to it, I feel like we’ll find ourselves in a very favorable position to continue fighting for a championship.”

THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF CHANGE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BUILDING. HOW IS YOUR DAD DOING? “I had a feeling this was an Indy Car question. Obviously, there are a lot of moving parts there and there’s definitely been some change throughout the team and throughout the shop, obviously, leadership this year within the organization, so, yeah, everything is kind of moving, but a lot of the same floor people that are out here doing their jobs are all the same, too. So, it’s definitely cool to see the new about Ron. I’ve known Ron pretty much my entire life, so he’s someone I think really highly of and looking forward to seeing what he can do in the next chapter, but, otherwise, my pops is doing well. Thanks for asking. Past that, I’m looking forward to Kansas.”

IS IT TWO SEPARATE SIDES OF THE BUILDING? DO YOU FEEL ON THE NASCAR SIDE EVERYTHING IS NORMAL AND EVERYTHING THAT’S HAPPENING OVER THERE IS TOTALLY SEPARATE? “There’s not necessarily a direct effect to us on the Cup side if that’s what you’re asking, but, otherwise, you’re never gonna have full immersion of the programs. There’s a lot more similarities between an IMSA program and an Indy Car program versus a NASCAR program, so you’re never going to entirely have people moving back and forth, but, otherwise, I think we all pay a lot of attention to those groups. We had a team lunch here a couple weeks ago that Roger came and talked to everybody and talked about the year. I feel like as much as we’ve got going on, it’s a pretty unified group and we’re all rooting on each other. We’ve been able to feel the momentum from the Indy Car guys at the end of the year. That was fun to see with Will and Josef get some wins there and obviously the IMSA championship is wrapping up and those guys have had a hell of a season, and I know they’ve got their eyes on us as well. I was actually working out with some of the Indy Car mechanics today, so it’s about as integrated as I think you could ever have with as much as we’ve got going on here.”

HOW WOULD YOU GRADE YOUR PERFORMANCE ON ROAD COURSES IN THE CUP SERIES AS A WHOLE AND HAS IT LIVED UP TO YOUR OWN EXPECTATIONS? “I’d say no, and I think that’s probably an obvious answer. Once again, I don’t feel like going on through the list of reasons why, but I would say this year has been exceptionally challenging. I think the biggest change I could put on that is we have a tire that we’ve gone to at the start of the year that we’ve integrated into all road courses and, at the end of the day, I’ve struggled to figure out what’s best for my car and what’s best for making lap time. I feel like the start of the year was pretty bad and trying to understand that. I’d say my last two events that we did at Sonoma and Watkins Glen were probably our two best, which 15th isn’t what we shoot for here. I definitely look forward to Charlotte and once again trying to adapt what we know from our last couple years to the Roval, where we had a great playoff race there last year – not good enough to win. We were in a must-win last year, but it’s gonna have to be a good event for us regardless, but it has been frustrating. It’s actually probably been one of the weakest areas for me this year, and who would have thought saying that a couple years ago. It ebbs and flows. It shows how competitive the series is and nothing is guaranteed. You’ve got to keep evolving.”

DO YOU LIKE HAVING A WILD CARD LIKE THE ROVAL IN A PLAYOFF RACE AND ALSO BEING A CUTOFF RACE? “I think you can take no race for granted as a status quo event. I mean, you look at our schedule. Even New Hampshire this past weekend or Kansas this weekend, I don’t think you can take any race for granted. Obviously, the on-track product and the challenges with what the driver has to do is going to be much different than how I drive the car at Kansas, but, otherwise, I see it as just as much of a wild card as going into this weekend. That’s how I view it. We have to be good at all types of tracks, so I see the Charlotte road course as no different, but it definitely provides some unique challenges and a lot of close quarters racing that can be hairy if you’re a playoff car, but I think the job and the risk and the opportunity to fail or succeed is just as high at Charlotte as it would be at any other race throughout the year as silly as that sounds, but it’s really become that competitive in this series.”

HOW IS THE INFORMATION SHARED BETWEEN TEAMS AT THIS TIME OF YEAR? “I think we’re all very conscious of each other’s scenarios. Obviously, Joey had a really good week, but he still needs points. Ryan won. I’ve got to have two really great weeks and obviously Josh is out of the playoffs. I think it makes it probably easier, and I’ve been in the position for sure before as far as how can I best help the people around me, but, as far as Ryan is concerned, he’s still got a championship that he’s racing for. Five bonus points, I don’t know if I have the math right, but that would put him as the points leader going into the Round of 8, trying to set up for another championship run, so I don’t think I can just take it for granted because he has a nice couple of weeks to figure it out for the Round of 8. I don’t think that’s fair, so I think we have to go out and do this the right way, but I think probably like no other team does, we have those conversations about what to do, what’s the right thing to do, how to take care of each other. Like I said, even Joey and I racing for the same real estate here, we still have to take care of each other, so I think that’s all very important. As I talk about this, I recognize the irony in all of it due to what happened in New Hampshire with the Gibbs cars, but I can’t control that. I’m not in any of those meetings, but it’s a hard thing to do, I can say that. Our team, and I think all of the drivers that are in the room for us are definitely on the same page and that makes racing situations a lot easier to at least understand what’s expected.”

DO YOU KIND OF FEEL LIKE YOU ARE UNDER THE RADAR? “I think my word going into the playoffs when we did media stuff is that I wanted to be invisible for the first two rounds. Being on fire in Bristol isn’t necessarily invisible, but past that, I think that’s all it’s going to take, but it’s way easier said than done. I don’t think having a weekend like last weekend is definitely gonna be enough by any means, but I think we’ve got to go on and be super solid, so, no, I don’t think 19 points is by any stretch of the imagination reason to be desperate.”

SO YOUR COMPANY HAS ADDRESSED THE SITUATION OF RACING TEAMMATES BEFORE IT HAPPENS? “We do the best we can. There’s always unique scenarios that come up, but it’s the best we can think and get together and collaborate as a group as far as what’s the right thing to do. In the right situation, what is expected and not just expected of the team, but more or less from the drivers. If all four of us can be on the same page, it makes it way easier. I expect Ryan to race me hard for position or for the win coming to this weekend because he’s got his season on the line, too. A win means that much more for him as it does for me, so I think that me sitting here knowing, ‘OK, Ryan is gonna race me hard’ is way different than ‘Ryan is probably gonna just give this one to me.’ No, but if I sat there and thought that, then I’m not gonna maybe drive as defensive. There are a lot of scenarios covered, and a lot of fairness, but at the same time we want a championship for Team Penske. That’s number one and this is about getting as many bullets in the gun as we can for Phoenix, so we’ll see what we can do.”

WHAT IS THE INTENSITY LIKE IN THE FIELD? AS YOU GO DEEPER IN THE PLAYOFFS HOW MUCH MORE OF A JERK DOES A DRIVER HAVE TO BE IN TERMS OF BEING AGGRESSIVE? “I think it’s a good question and I’m not gonna be able to give you a good answer because it’s situational. It’s driver to driver and I love the playoffs because you learn so much about your competitors in the playoffs, and that includes drivers who aren’t in the playoffs. I’ve been both before, so understanding with my perspective how I would react to a certain situation would be very different maybe from someone else, and I feel like there have been drivers in the field that have been very respectful, and other drivers in the field that look at it as an opportunity to go, ‘I’m gonna take advantage of this guy because he needs to walk on egg shells for the next three weeks.’ It’s a case-by-case thing and it’s very interesting from a birds eye view to see how it is, but I would say the races have been more aggressive for the last four weeks than any average point in the season, and that’s not from playoff drivers, so it’s kind of been an interesting point in time. We’ve had a lot of I wouldn’t say low percentage moves, but a lot of just, ‘I’ll put my car here and see how it works out.’ I’ve been seeing a lot more of that in the last couple weeks, which has been interesting.”

WHY DO YOU THINK THAT MIGHT BE THE CASE? “I guess if I was to speculate on why the aggression level or intensity level is higher regardless of your championship opportunities, it would be I want to win or get better results before the end of the year, and then obviously your playoff drivers need everything they can get. That would be my best generalization of why, but I feel like there have been other years where it’s different, so I definitely do feel as though it’s fairly situational.”

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Kansas Playoff Media Availability
Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Josh Berry, driver of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the NASCAR Cup Series for Wood Brothers Racing, is coming off a second-place finish last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Berry participated in a Ford media call this morning to talk about that performance and what goals lie ahead over the final six races of the season.

JOSH BERRY, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT’S THE MOOD IN THE SHOP AFTER SUNDAY’S RUNNER-UP FINISH? “It’s been a good week, obviously. We had three really tough weeks for different reasons, but all the guys have stayed really positive and work really well together and didn’t let the frustration of a couple weeks affect what we did week in and week out. We all had great cars at New Hampshire and capitalized on that. It was maybe a little more exciting than we wanted it to be, but we qualified well, raced well and a second-place finish is really good for us.”

WHAT HAS STOOD OUT ABOUT BEING AT THE WOOD BROTHERS/PENSKE THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW OR EXPECT? “There’s a lot of structure and organization and it starts at the top across the whole board. It’s been a lot of fun to work with these guys. Being able to work with Ryan, Joey and Austin, these guys have been doing this a long time and I rely on them to learn from and keep us pointed in a good direction and trying to continue to work with them and do our part. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been really happy with Miles (Stanley). I think he’s done a great job in his first year. He’s done a great job leading our team, and I’m just excited about the future.”

ARE THERE CERTAIN THINGS IN BEING AROUND THOSE GUYS THAT HAS HELPED YOU RAISE YOUR LEVEL AS A DRIVER? “It’s hard to say. I mean, there are little things from each one of them. I think each one of those guys has a really high work ethic. It’s really obvious from being around them that they work really hard at this stuff to be really good. Obviously, they’re champion guys and have won a lot of races, so being around that continues to motivate you to keep stepping up your game and keep doing all the little things and focus on that stuff, keeping all of that right. I think when it comes to talking about race cars, I feel like I’m probably closest to Ryan on how we communicate in our meetings and how we see the races and talk about our cars. It’s been really cool working with these guys. They’re all great.”

THE BIG TOPIC HAS BEEN WHEN A NON-PLAYOFF DRIVER RACES A PLAYOFF DRIVER. HOW DO YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT? “We’re racing for ourselves and our teams and our partners, and we want to do everything we can to help them run well and win races, but you’ve got to take care of those guys. It’s bigger than you in that aspect in that there’s a company with hundreds of employees and you’ve got to be mindful of that – to take care of those guys when you get around them and get to racing with them. Obviously, the expectation is to race hard and do the best we can, but we’ve got to take care of our teammates and, honestly, that’s how it is week in and week out. It can create a pretty toxic environment if you don’t hold the drivers accountable on that of taking care of each other and taking advantage of each other. They do a good job of that here. I was pushing hard to do everything I could to keep Ryan honest. I made him work for it, for sure, but I knew if I was able to get up beside him that I was gonna have to be careful. I was gonna have to make sure that nothing bad happened.”

DOES IT REALLY GET TOXIC BACK AT THE SHOP WHEN TEAMMATES HAVE ISSUES? “It’s hard to say. I think those guys, it depends on what side of the fence you’re on, I guess, but each individual race team works for the same organization, but they’re gonna have their guy’s back and they’re gonna support their guy. Yeah, it can create divide and that situation on Sunday, I haven’t looked at it too close, but most of the time stuff like that was building to a certain boiling point and then it went over. I would assume that there is a point that maybe Ty feels like he gives Denny breaks and Denny doesn’t return the favor, and then for whatever reason in that race he decided not to and Denny got into him. I think that’s why it’s important about communicating well and establishing that that type of stuff isn’t gonna happen, and it just doesn’t let it get to that point. That’s the extent of it. I think you need to obviously race your teammates hard and we’re racing everybody hard, but it goes a long way if you just cut your guy a break and hopefully receive it on a later day, but you don’t want to be in a situation like they’re in.”

YOU ARE VERY RESILIENT AND NEVER GIVE UP, WHICH IS WHAT YOUR FANS LOVE ABOUT YOU. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT ATTITUDE? “I think that every week is a new opportunity and things can change quickly in this sport. You can have a couple bad weekends and then now we come off a second-place finish. I think, for me, I go back to what I’ve said all along was that I felt like we were performing well. We were qualifying well. We were doing a lot of things right. Maybe some of it was misfortune. Some of it was maybe our own mistake at Darlington with how bad the car bottomed out, but we’re still doing all the right things, so your group and yourself you can’t really question too much about what you’re doing because you’re putting yourself in position and you’re qualifying well and doing those same things. You just build on it week to week. For me, it’s just about years of racing experience and various situations, not just Cup racing, and how I raced growing up and then obviously all my time in the late model series. You’re just in so many different opportunities that no matter what, whether you win or finish last or you wreck, everybody goes to work Monday for the next race. You turn the page. Whether you win, you turn the page on Monday and you go try to win again. That’s just what you do. You move onto the next one and move your focus forward and try to learn from those mistakes or those situations that happen and hope you can be better in the future.”

HOW HARD IS IT TO TURN THE PAGE AFTER THREE LAST-PLACE FINISHES? WAS IT DIFFICULT? “Not necessarily because each one, I feel like, it was definitely disappointing, but each one was disappointing for its own reason. Bristol, for example, the fire deal and all that. I felt like that was gonna be a great opportunity for us. We had a really strong first couple runs there, so that’s why you turn the page. You look back on it and you feel like, ‘Yeah, we could have easily run in the top five or top 10 that night.’ We had to win to advance in the playoffs, so it’s easy to get caught up in that of whether you win or not, but we still gave ourselves the opportunity and that’s really all you can ask for, so you just try to go to the next week and do it again and give yourself another opportunity.”

THERE’S A NEW RIGHT SIDE TIRE THIS WEEKEND AT KANSAS. HOW MUCH DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU KNOW ABOUT IT AND HOW MUCH ARE GOING TO NEED TO LEARN IN PRACTICE AND THE RACE? “I don’t expect it to be too much different. I think it’s a little bit of a construction change that we’ve run before, I believe, a couple times this year on different intermediate tracks. The fall off might change a little bit that really a lot of that time week to week we judge off of practice and see because the weather changes it, the track conditions, what all the series are there that particular weekend can have a little bit of an effect on that, so I think the biggest thing we’ll look at is how much fall off there is in practice and try to judge from that accordingly.”

ARE YOU HAPPY TO SEE THE PROGRESSION IN THE TIRE FALL OFF WE’VE SEEN THIS YEAR? “Yeah, I think Goodyear is going in a really good direction. I know they’re working really hard to try to create that and go about it the right way. I think it’s been really positive. I think they’re all working really hard and testing and constantly evolving, and I think just creating some more passing and better racing, in my opinion. It creates more strategy, too, because there’s a bigger difference between staying out or taking two tires, four tires, and I think you can make a more compelling race.”

THE ROVAL IS UP AFTER KANSAS. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT WITH THE NEW TURN EXITING BACK ONTO THE SPEEDWAY? “That was definitely a very interesting change. That made the restarts pretty chaotic with that hairpin, but I’m looking forward to going back there. We’re obviously going to have a little bit different tire there than what we’ve run the past couple of years, so I think that will change things a little. Everybody is still adapting to the layout, but, for us, we’re just trying to continue to improve. That’s the biggest thing we’re looking at. Given our situation, it’s gonna give us an opportunity to hopefully try a couple different things setup-wise to see if we can find something that helps me feel just that little bit more comfortable. Other than that, I think we’re just gonna go try to have a solid, quiet day and hopefully get a decent finish.”

WOULD YOU RATHER SEE THAT RACE ON THE OVAL? “I would definitely rather see it on the oval. I don’t dislike the Roval when it comes to different road courses and we’ve had some pretty good results there in the Xfinity Series, and even had a decent race there last year in the Cup car, but I think, for us and where we’re at right now in the sport, the Cup car puts on such a good race at the intermediate tracks that I think we all leave there wishing that we were on the oval.”