TOYOTA RACING – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

LEBANON, Tenn. (May 30, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, who will be starting from the pole on Sunday night, was made available to the media on Saturday following NASCAR Cup Series practice from Nashville Superspeedway.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Progressive Insurance Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Did the package feel as expected during practice today?

“No real surprise, just obviously slower corner speeds than we’ve been running here. The typical getting used to for that. But nothing too surprising. We’ll see what happens tomorrow when the track widens out, which it should.”

Did you guys look back at the end of the race at Charlotte from last week and think there might have been a better way to handle that?

“Yeah, if either one of us just commits to letting the other one go past it would have never happened. We both know that whoever can clear will go get the 7 (Daniel Suarez) pretty quickly. We obviously knew rain was near, so everyone is trying to get all the positions they can. You got to slow each other down, but there is just no way you are going to get either one of us to agree. Without the challenge of the other you go take the lead and win, but that just won’t happen.”

Can you talk about your dominance at Michigan?

“It’s high speed and turns left, those are the two things we are typically good at. And Michigan has always been a momentum based racetrack and I feel like that doesn’t relate in a sense of speed, but like the short tracks, the late models I used to run are very momentum based. So I’ve always just been good at keeping high momentum speed up. It’s kind of a hybrid drafting track as well. All of those skills that you have to have just kind of come together and I’ve always been in really fast cars as well, that helps.”

How does it feel to have a fast car and also track position to start tomorrow night?

“The first few laps were super important to kind of understand what we had and what we need to work on for tomorrow. I definitely wanted at least a few laps of practice. Got a good 50 lap run there. Still have some work to do balance wise but the car has speed, so we can fix it from there.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of over 50 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

TOYOTA RACING – Erik Jones
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

LEBANON, Tenn. (May 30, 2026) – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver Chase Erik Jones was made available to the media on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race from Nashville Superspeedway.

ERIK JONES, No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:

Can you talk about this weekend at Nashville and racing on a concrete surface?

“Nashville is pretty unique. Not only from a concrete side but the shape and the layout. It’s kind of an odd size and shape compared to other places we go to. It’s a bit of a challenge to drive. It’s really easy to get into a bad spot on entry, just driving in way too far. You feel like you can barrel off in to (turn) one and it’s way sharper than what you think. It’s fun, I’ve enjoyed it, we’ve run well here and it’s definitely a unique place.”

This is the same aero package as Dover a few weeks ago where you ran well. How do you think it will translate?

“I think a lot. We brought a pretty similar package what we had in Dover here. Obviously, Dover is pretty high banked but your loads aren’t crazy different with the concrete and what you fight in right quality translates place to place. When rubber gets put down heavy it gets pretty rough and bumpy, we obviously a big bump in (turns) three and four similar to what we have in Dover on the landings and entry. I hope it’s really close, but I think we have a good baseline in general for this package. We ran great at Darlington and other places with this package as well. It’s really been pretty decent for us, so I’m excited to get out there. It’s been fun to drive and I think it’s put on good races as well, so I think it’s pretty close.”

Is there a lot of carryover from the intermediate tracks like Charlotte to her at Nashville?

“I think some. It’s interesting, you would think this aero package would switch things up a lot. But to be honest, you go with a pretty similar setup. For the tracks we are good with this other package and switched to this package it’s translated well. As far as mile and-a-half’s and here, you do bring a lot of stuff from where the balance was there and what it is here. I hope it carries over, seems like we found something there. The intermediates were pretty bad for us to start the season between Kansas and Las Vegas, then we starting clicking at Texas with some stuff. I think we know where we found speed, which is good. It’s not like we just stumbled upon getting better all the sudden. We kind of know what we did and what steps it took to get there. Hopefully we can just continue to evolve it and get better. I feel like we are right on the cusp of a top-10 team right now, which is great. It’s definitely a step better than we started the year. We got to be better than that and know what it’s going to take to make that next step.”

Do you guys feel like you are ready to breakthrough and be consistently in that top-15 or so?

“I think so. The last month, Watkins Glen is a little bit of an outlier, we had mechanical issues that plagued our day and I think we could have run better. Overall, I can’t remember the last day we struggled with Kansas being the last place. Since then I feel like we’ve rolled in the right direction. When you are in the top-10 you have a chance here and there, but when you are in the top-five it’s when things start to swing where you have opportunity to win races. Do I feel like we are on the verge of that? Maybe, if we hit it really good. I feel like we are in a spot now where if we unloaded today and feel like we just nailed it on car and setup, maybe we contend for a win. The pit crew has been good and I feel like I’ve been doing a good job. That’s nice, but we got to get to a spot to say we nailed it today, we got to be in a spot where we can do a few good things through the day and have a few opportunities.”

What can you as a team take from the first half of the season and take to the second half?

“Right now momentum is important. Pit crew has been doing a good job which is a big deal in the sport. I feel like for me, I’ve been communicating what I need from Justin (Alexander, crew chief) and the engineers have been doing a good job just bringing race cars to the track. Momentum is important and taking advantage of your strong suits. That’s going to be tomorrow, that’s going to be Michigan, that’s going to be Pocono. Hopefully decent days at Sonoma and San Diego. We really need to capitalize on the days we are good. We’ve been fighting this cusp of Chase hope. I think we are somewhere 60ish points out, which is a little long. If we can get through the next couple of weeks where we can tighten that up so we are 20 or 30 out and then you are really fighting for a spot. I think right now we are in a opportunity where we feel like we have a chance to do that and that’s driving some great momentum and great effort from everybody. I just don’t want to lose that, and I think that’s just capitalizing on these next few weeks.”

Can you talk about the feeling of racing in front of your hometown crowd at Michigan next week?

“It’s always fun. I go up there a bit early and spend time. I always look forward to those couple of weeks just being at home, we get to race Sunday at the big track and get to run the Super Late Model in Berlin a couple of days later, so it’s just a fun couple of weeks for me. We have one race a year there now and a little bit more special to everyone in that area. Getting to go up there is also just fun to have friends and family out there. Not all of them can travel to every race we do throughout the year and that might be their only opportunity to come check it out. Just spending some time with them in the week leading in and after is always fun. I always feel relaxed and comfortable. You always think of great scenarios and winning at Michigan is one of them. Always a lot of high hopes for me and high expectations going back.”

How will having a third car next year improve the strength of the operation overall?

“You look at the Cup Series and look at the top three teams and their data points are just there three or four cars and they have alliance teams. For us, our data points are two and that’s me and the 42 (John Hunter Nemechek). One more car isn’t a gamechanger by any means, but it does make a difference and an opportunity to try different things to go about things, air pressure an all of that. You wouldn’t think a team goes into a race weekend wondering about air pressure and how low they can go, but we do every week. The only way to judge is off of one of our cars. Anytime in the Cup Series anytime you can have a house car or alliance, it makes a difference and makes life a lot simpler. You’re playing the game of air pressure and ride height and that’s the majority of your weekend and when you have more data points to narrow that gap it makes a difference.”

Have you interacted with Parker Retzlaff?

“I don’t know Parker, but I think what he’s done in O’Reilly has been good. He’s done a good job in his equipment. I think there’s a big step from being in that to being in a top car and winning races, that’s a long step to take. That’s not to say he couldn’t take that step tomorrow if he were in a top ride in O’Reilly but it is a big step. He definitely makes the most of what he’s got and does a good job. I hope he gets more opportunities. To see what he can do in more top level equipment would be awesome.”

What do you think will happen with how NASCAR is treating the tracks with the resin during the race tomorrow night?

“It’s funny, I think if you didn’t tell any drivers there was resin on Dover I don’t think they have have said anything. I think they are all lying but I don’t think it’s any different. I hope it widens out, it’s been pretty hit or miss here on whether it gets wide or not. I remember 2022, maybe the first year we came here, it got super wide and we could run up high. Then there was one or two years there where it was pretty narrow – last year it was pretty narrow. So I hope it’s good and I hope it widens out. With all the rain this weekend I can imagine there’s not a lot left right now. I think the O’Reilly cars naturally widen the track out. I think if you just put nothing down I think they would find themselves widening out. It’s tougher with our cars. I don’t know if there’s a lot of magic there. I think people might be in their own head a little bit.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of over 50 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ford Racing Media Availability
Saturday, May 30, 2026

Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse, spoke to assembled media today at the Nashville Superspeedway ahead of qualifying for Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400. Blaney is the defending champion of the Nashville race and sits third in the NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championship with one victory this season (Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway in March).

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse – YOU AND BUBBA [WALLACE] DID THE ‘RACIN’ WITH THE BOYS’ PODCAST, THE FIRST EPISODE. WHAT WAS IT LIKE SHOWING YOUR PERSONALITIES AND GETTING A NEW AUDIENCE INTERESTED IN NASCAR THAT MAY NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT. “I’ve gotten to know Taylor [Lewan] a little bit over the years, and they are really, really good guys. I enjoyed watching them play when they were in the NFL. I thought it was a good concept, a good audience. It’s always fun for me when we can go talk to other athletes, that play other sports, you know, like what are the differences? Where are the similarities, how is your process like? I feel like you can relate on some things and some things are massively different. So, it is always fun to hear their thoughts on things. And we kind of cut up some too. So, yeah, we had a good time a couple days ago talking to those guys.”

YOU WERE INVOLVED IN A TEASER FOR THE SAN DIEGO RACE. WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT FROM THAT? “Yeah, that was a lot of fun to go do. We went out there after Vegas, myself, Zillich, Noah, Briscoe, Bell, and Hocevar, were out there, and we spent like three days filming this deal for Amazon. It was a lot of work, for sure. But I think it’s going to turn out great. You know, the base, they were super inviting to us to kind of do what we needed to do, all that. I can’t believe some of the things they let us do on the base. But they were great. You know, I just think they’re doing a great job of promoting that race the way it should be, because it’s going be a really big deal. And I’m looking forward to getting out there. So, I don’t know when it comes out… like, the whole thing comes out. Maybe the week of the race, but, we got to do some really neat things. We got some insights, and the history of the base, and got to tour a lot of neat things. I’ve always found I’ve been really fortunate in my life to visit a lot of different branches of military, and to be able to go around the base and see some of the amazing things that they have, a lot of cool aircraft, aircraft carriers, stuff like that. That stuff just kind of geeks me out a little bit, you know? Just getting to talk to all the folks that are on the base, and, you know, the soldiers that are there every single day and show our appreciation of what they do. It’s neat. So, I’m excited for everybody to see that. I think it’s going to turn out well.”

NOW THAT WE’RE IN DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE REGULAR SEASON, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT THE URGENCY, OR THE FEELING, AS THE CHASE GETS CLOSER AND CLOSER? “Personally, for me, I don’t really feel like there is a change in urgency or outlook on all that stuff. I’ve just always kind of been in the, week-to-week process of things, you know, how are we doing? How are things going? What are we doing well, and, you know, what do we need to do to be better? I feel like our group has done a good job of excelling at the things we do well and trying to pinpoint places where we can be better and trying to fix those things that we can be better at. So, hopefully we’re on a good track there. But looking forward to coming back to this place [Nashville Superspeedway]. It’s obviously been good us last year. I feel like this higher horsepower package-lower downforce package has been pretty good to us this year at Darlington and Bristol. I look forward to seeing what we got. It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through the regular season. As far as our group, just keep plugging away like normal.”

THIS WEEK, RYAN PREECE HAD HIS APPEAL HEARD AND IN DENYING IT, THE PANEL STATED THAT NEITHER SIDE MADE THEIR POINT, BUT BASED ON THEIR DECISION, WHAT THEY SAID WAS THAT HIS COMMENTS PROVED HE WASN’T GOING TO CUT SOMEONE A BREAK. SO, DO YOU RACE WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT YOUR COMMENTS IN OR OUT OF THE CAR CAN ESSENTIALLY BE USED AGAINST YOU, OR IS THAT SETTING A NEW PRECEDENT GOING FORWARD OF WHAT SOMEBODY SAYS IS NOW GOING TO BE UP FOR PENALTY? “Yeah, I will be completely honest with you. I didn’t keep up with that at all this week, like, I didn’t know that the appeal was denied, and I guess it was. I don’t know. I equate to that like… If you’re going to commit a crime, and you say you’re going to commit a crime, and you do commit the crime. If you’re in a courtroom, and they are like, well, you said you were going to do it and you did it. Hard to argue against that. I don’t know. It gives NASCAR and them a way to, like, well, you said you were going to do it, you did it, there was malicious intent behind it. But I also think there are some things that are done in bad faith, that are, you know, never spoken on the radio, that I see. I’m like, maybe that should have been a penalty, but there’s no evidence to go about it. You know, you could just say, ‘well, I kind of got out of shape, but I didn’t mean to do it.’ I don’t know. Do I wish that it was a little bit more like hands off and kind of let drivers do what they want to do without having in the back of their mind that they going to get fined or penalized in the points. Yeah, probably. I would, but, at the end of the day, I don’t really think it’s good for it either to have guys out here jumping guys. You know? So, I don’t know. I wish it was; I would probably be of the way of just let us deal with it.”

YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE SECOND HALF OF THIS REGULAR SEASON, IT SEEMS LIKE THE COKE 600 HAS ALWAYS BEEN KIND OF THE BENCHMARK FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, OF LET’S GET THROUGH THE COKE 600 AND WE CAN SEE WHERE EVERYBODY KIND OF STACKS UP. WE SHOULD KNOW WHAT THE GARAGE HAS TYPE OF THING. SO, IF YOU WERE TO ZOOM OUT, DOES ANYTHING STAND OUT WITH WHERE EVERYONE IS RIGHT NOW, OR EVEN, AT LEAST, WITH YOUR RACE TEAM, HAVING GOTTEN TO THIS PART OF THE SEASON? “I don’t think it is a secret that our strong suit hasn’t been the mile-and-a-halves. It’s a place where we have to kind of do everything right and execute really good, to run fifth. You know, the Toyota’s been really strong at those race tracks. It’s just, you have figure it out at those kind of places, and, you know, they’ve done a good job with that, and we have some room to make up. But I’ve been happy with how most of everything else we’ve been doing. Our road course and short track programs have been pretty good. Speedways have been pretty good. Yeah, there’s some things we still have to address and clean up. You know, we’re always looking at that stuff, but I feel like we’ve done a good job of being where we’re at in points and having some struggles and issues and things like that. But, yeah, I feel like I’d give our score an A- right now.”

ASIDE FROM KEVIN HARVICK, YOU’RE THE ONLY GUY WHO HAS WON POCONO WITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS, SINCE 2016. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT’S BEEN SUCH A TOUGH TRACK FOR THE BRAND OVER THAT PERIOD OF TIME? “For Ford? Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t really have a great answer for you. You know, I feel like the Fords have been in a position to win that race a few more times than that over the years. It just hasn’t really worked out. We were fortunate to win there a couple years ago. So, yeah, I don’t know. I don’t think it is a strong suit for us, but that race is tough. There is a lot of pit strategy involved in it. You know, it’s a place where you can pit and not go a lap down so it’s interesting in how you play that out. I feel like our cars have been competing there, the Fords have, but sometimes it just doesn’t really work out for us.

YOU’RE THIRD IN POINTS, AND THE OTHER DRIVERS AT PENSKE ARE RIGHT ON THE PLAYOFF BUBBLE. HOW WOULD YOU SAY THE MOOD IS RIGHT NOW AT PENSKE? “I feel like those guys have had some pretty big misfortunes this year that has kind of put them where they are at. I think they’ve run a lot better than what it’s showing in the points. I know Joey and Austin are doing a really good job of trying to utilize everything they can week in and week out. I just feel like they run into some problems that really aren’t what they’re doing. And it’s really stuck. And I been there before, and it just kind of seems like nothing’s going your way, and those guys are kind of in that right now. But I think they’re working hard to get where they need to be, and, like I said, I think the mood is pretty good. The mood is trying to figure out how do we get these guys where they need to be, and just fix some solid runs together. And also, you know, how do we kind of keep our position where we’re at, trying to fight for a second with the 11? I think the mood is, is decent. It could be better, but it’s definitely not glum over there right now. I feel like, Team Penske, our mindset is always head down, doing the work, no matter if we’re one, two, three, in points, or we’re 16, 17, 18 in points. Like it’s, the mood doesn’t really change. It’s always just a trying to figure out how to be better week in and week out.”

YOU DIDN’T GET ANY LAPS IN DOVER DUE TO THE EARLY ACCIDENT. DO YOU FEEL THAT PUTS YOU AND THE 12 TEAM AT A DISADVANTAGE HERE AT NASHVILLE? THAT OTHER FOLKS HAVE 350 LAPS AT A TRACK SIMILAR TO NASHVILLE BEFORE YOU GOT HERE? “I mean, honestly, I haven’t thought about that until now. I don’t think so. You know, yeah, Dover has some similarities to it with this place, but I definitely don’t think it’s a massive, massive deficit. I was happy we were able to get back out on the racetrack at Dover even though we were pretty banged up. And we could change stuff in our car, like, maybe, kind of try this, or something like that. So, I feel like we learned a little bit, maybe not as much as other guys, but, I do feel like, I feel like every single week, no matter if the tracks are similar or not, like, it’s a whole new challenge and a whole new beast. Like if you take a thing, it’s parts and pieces. ideas from certain tracks and apply to others, and maybe they work, maybe they don’t, but I feel like your main learning is that you’re at the track for that x amount of time we have for practice and your preparation through the week. So, while I would have like to run 350 laps of Dover, we didn’t get to, and we just tried to learn the best we could. We’ll see if, uh, see what happens.”

TOYOTA RACING – Corey Heim and Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

LEBANON, Tenn. (May 30, 2026) – 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin and Corey Heim were made available to the media on Saturday prior to NASCAR Cup Series practice at Nashville Superspeedway to talk about the news that Heim will be a full-time Cup Series driver for the team starting in 2027.

DENNY HAMLIN, Co-Owner, 23XI Racing

COREY HEIM, Driver for 23XI Racing this weekend and full-time starting in 2027

Tell us about some exciting news for 23XI Racing in 2027

HAMLIN: “As you have seen on a social post here recently, Corey Heim will officially be driving our third car this year. Obviously a really proud moment for him. I was just telling someone back there, the moment I got announced for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), it was back in Texas in 2005. It was a big moment as well. Very well deserved and for our company, generational talents only come along now and then. I probably have one, so I’m really excited about what he’s going to bring our team and the performance he’s going to bring and the work ethic is very, very good. Looking forward to working with him in the future.”

You are a proven winner. What does this moment mean for your career?

HEIM: “It means the world to me. I’ve been a part of 23XI Racing for a couple years now. I firmly believe as a driver that you just have to have the right people around you to be able to succeed. Driving in NASCAR the last three or four years in the trucks I feel like I was with the right people and did the right things, so I’m looking forward to having the right group around me to succeed. I’ve only started 10 races with 23XI Racing, but I really feel like it’s really my home and I’ve been treated right. Obviously, their equipment speaks for himself. So thankful for everyone there, Denny (Hamlin), MJ (Michael Jordan), Toyota, the Tricon guys. So thankful for those guys as well to give me the pathway to this to the best of their ability. This is super exciting. This is something I’ve been sitting on for awhile and just means the world to me. I’ve always wanted to be a Cup driver ever since I was a little kid and to get that news out and start preparing with my 23XI Racing folks here it’s just super awesome.”

You backloaded Corey’s schedule for later in the year this year. After leaving Texas and showing what he’s shown, what are you trying to achieve over the course of these eight races remaining this year?

HAMLIN: “From a scheduling standpoint, a lot of it is just trying to get some of these racetracks that either he doesn’t have a lot of laps on or things like that. We felt like it was a good workload for our race team. We don’t have four fulltime teams, so we are pulling guys from the shop and things like that to field this fourth car so it’s harder. We don’t have to hire guys and then not. So it just worked out good in the sense that I thought it was a good enough sample size this year to allow them to feel confident when it goes into next year that he has enough reps on all types of tracks that he’s going to face next year. I think it worked out for us that way and he had some input on tracks that he would like to run as well.”

HEIM: For my side, I had a good chat with Dave Rogers (23XI Competition Director) the other week and he was telling me that this is a notebook year for you. Don’t be afraid to take these bigger risks and figure out how to do the hard things and make mistakes this year so next year you’re a better prepared for things like that and learn lessons. Not that I’m trying to go out and find the limit, but I guess not knock the wall down by any means. But, that helped me feel more confident that I can take these bigger risks and figure it out. A lot of guys I feel like in their first couple of years in Cup or O’Reilly or Truck, they find out how to push the limit and this is a year I can do that. I’m also able to, as Denny said, these tougher racetracks and all some tracks I have more experience at to help me build off of that. Like this track is my third start here in Nashville and I’ve run Kansas a couple of times too. It’s a mixed bag of tracks I’ve run before and I can build off of them but also new tracks that I can help build that notebook for me.”

Can you tell us more about the patience and process behind the scenes to get to this point?

HAMLIN: “From my standpoint, he was extremely, extremely patient. In my mind it just shows my maturity that he has is well beyond his age. I think he shows it on the racetrack and obviously off the racetrack that I’m going to be with you guys long term, but got to wait a little bit. I do appreciate that, similar to Tyler Reddick, I wanted to get Tyler Reddick and I just wanted to get Corey. I just had to figure it out however it was going to work. At that time we don’t know whether there was going to be a limit on three charters or four charters and things like that. Now that it got finished and we know it can be only be three, then this is a decision we made and feel very optimistic about what he can bring to a team. It took a lot of patience and he was very patient with us but it will get to pay off in the long run.”

HEIM: “23XI Racing is a very structured race team in their preparation and just working with some truck teams and other teams along my route to 23XI Racing I just felt like the moment I prepared for my first race at Nashville in 2024 I just always felt like this is the most prepared race team I’ve ever worked with and it just felt like a home to me and everyone felt like they were very welcoming and motivated. When I ran my first race with these guys and their preparation was just top notch. I felt confident going into that race and everyone was firing on all cylinders. So to me, it was an easy decision to proceed to work with them for the long term.

What have you seen from Corey this year specifically that has given you further confidence in his ability?

HAMLIN: “One of the tough parts of his schedule is that he has to go out first in qualifying every time. It just has been bad luck. This is actually the first week where he doesn’t have to. He’s always up against it. Has very developmental pit crew and has to start in the back of the pack because of his draw and things like that. It’s always putting him behind the gun every time we send him to the racetrack and he still finds a way to make it up towards the front. That to me just shows me that when he’s fulltime and got all the resources he needs to succeed.”

HEIM: “I’m in the seat more than people would realize. I’ve been fortunate to do some wheelforce testing for Toyota this year. I’ve got some six of those, going some Truck racing and do some late model racing. It may not be as valuable as straight up cup starting, but it’s keeps me in the seat and keeps me prepared. I’ve got a very solid schedule so far regardless of only my 12 Cup races this year. It also gives me a little bit of an opportunity to kind of debrief a little longer every race. Guys who were rookies this year or last year, kind of wondering they had a fast turnaround to wonder what just happened. A lot of things happen in the race and you only have one or two days to debrief and soak it all in until we have to start preparing for the next one. This kind of every two or three weeks in between races schedule for me has given me a chance to kind of just think about what just happened and then gives me some extra time to prepare for the next one. Honestly, I was a little worried about being out of the seat as much as I am this year, but it was definitely just a thought that was going on in my head. But as I’ve gotten into the groove here it’s actually been healthy just to have that time and debrief and prepare over a longer period of time.”

Corey has been in the Toyota pipeline for a number of years. When was the moment the light bulb went off that you wanted to have him drive for 23XI?

HAMLIN: “It was before his historic season last year, it was 2023 or 2024 in that range, probably 2023. It’s been a long time. I knew that he had went through the Toyota pipeline and this is another great sign of the investment that Toyota puts into their drivers and their programs. From the dirt tracks to the CARS Tour and all the way up to the Cup Series. That’s what that pipeline is supposed to do as far as drivers coming up and he’s certainly going to be a success story again from that. It was many years ago and mostly it was just the racecraft in general, it wasn’t speed or finishes or anything like that. Very similar to Tyler in the sense that I know when his vehicle is in a certain position that’s a very vulnerable position and still finds a way out of it and makes a move and makes a pass. I know moves that are difficult to make and the great ones find ways to make them look easy when I know it’s not.”

Is it possible with today’s announcement that Corey’s 12 race schedule could be expanded further?

HAMLIN: “We’ve already planned that out and it’s hard to add some things. We obviously have tried to get him as many start in different vehicles, whether it is trucks or whatever we can. But the Cup schedule with the turnaround time makes it very difficult to just add another race. That part would be challenging. Doesn’t mean we aren’t going to try, but it will be challenging.”

Corey, how did you learn patience at such a young age?

HEIM: “I always felt like to go with my gut and tried to prioritize surrounding myself with good people. I think it’s very important in this sport to have people believe in your as well as people who want you to succeed. Ever since I’ve been with Toyota since 2020 in my first year I’ve always just felt so welcomed into that program and gotten along with everyone on that side, as well. I always just never felt like they were going to do me wrong or put me in a bad position. I always felt like they wanted me to succeed. So there was never any reason for me to go anywhere else, you know? I’ve always felt they’ve done everything in their power to put me in the best position in my career and then of course when I signed with 23XI Racing that prior to that it was the same feeling. As I mentioned earlier, I ran my first race for them two years ago here at Nashville, everyone in that building wanted me to succeed and they put me in the best position to do so. It just made too much sense to go anywhere else. Between Toyota and 23XI Racing I feel at home and I feel like everyone wants each other to succeed and everyone’s lifting each other up. Even on the bad days I feel like we can take it on the chin and move on.”

Denny, how much do you enjoy being a mentor for the young drivers?

HAMLIN: “It’s very interesting. Truthfully of the 23XI guys, Corey is the guy I’ve had the most conversations with, he asks me the most. Tyler’s probably second. And then it’s a very distant third and fourth from there. We interact a lot, we are in the back talking about if you fought this today or not. I think we have similar styles of what we want out of our racetracks. When I listen to maybe some struggles Corey has, or Tyler or Bubba and those guys, on a weekly basis I think the team’s advantage is I know what they are talking about. I say did you try this or try that, or, I challenge the crew chiefs I think you need to try this to fix that problem which has worked for us. It’s really a big advantage those guys have over there and it really is for me to listen to them and hear their feedback. It’s a good working relationship right now and Corey is someone that I communicate with regularly on a weekly basis.”

Corey, can you describe Denny as a teacher?

HEIM: “I feel like everything is transparent. It helps that 23XI Racing and JGR has a alliance so we don’t have to hide anything. Anytime I have questions Denny gives me a very elaborate and thorough answers. It helps he owns the team, but sometimes prior teammates, not current teammates, don’t seem to want to share information if it seems like an advantage to them. It’s just nice to know Denny as a competitor and my boss that he is able to still give me those thorough answers to help me out on a weekly basis. It’s one of the if not the best resources to have to continue my development and continue learning which also played into my decision to be here.”

What is it like to have a driver 22 years younger than you?

HAMLIN: “Holy cow. It’s so interesting because when I was his age I was still running limited late models. Seems like he’s been on this trajectory to be in this position for so long but he’s still far ahead of what I was at this point. It’s wild. I’ve been in the Cup Series pretty much since he was born. It’s wild that we still get to go out there and compete. It’s going to be fun next year to share the racetrack with him on a fulltime basis knowing that someone has been alive and seen pretty much all of your starts.”

When the lawsuit was settled and you talked about working with NASCAR. How has that been?

HAMLIN: “It’s really been good. I’ve had quite a bit of dialogue with Steve O’Donnell. They’ve allowed me to sit in on the new competition committee with Chad Knaus, Wally Brown, and Travis Geilser and a few others to make decisions on the next Superspeedway package and things like that. It’s been good, we’ve been working together and after the All-Star win I was talking with Ben Kennedy and talking with Steve O’Donnell and here’s where I think we can maybe get back to where we need to even as the winner, but I want to see the sport succeed. That’s what is going to be best for me in the long run. It’s been a really good working relationship and they’ve delivered on everything they promised us.”

Did you grow up being a Denny Hamlin fan?

HEIM: “I did. He was my first guy for sure. My dad is over there and can tell you. We just were actually looking at a picture from 2015 I was standing on the grid of the Coke 600 by his pit box with his stuff on. Just a full circle thing for me. I never had an aspirations to drive for Denny just because it didn’t exist at that point. Just looking back on it, you can’t make this stuff up, it’s pretty cool.”

Denny, what is your personal relationship with Nashville Superspeedway and what would it mean to get a guitar tomorrow?

HAMLIN: “I really, really want to win here pretty badly. So much I can tell that certain weekends people ask all the time do you ever get nervous? Not anymore, I’ve done it way too many times to get nervous. But on certain weekends where I really want to win I start getting a little nervous pre practice, but I’m thinking about things like, did I get my car right this week? There’s certain trends that I look at that might concern me. I end up getting caught up in the things sometimes I can’t control, worrying about the outcomes instead of the actual process. This is one of them, it’s a track where I only have so many chances to get a win here and I’ve been so close over the last few years. I love the racetrack and feel like it’s been a very raceable track over the years and since they’ve worked the resin in. I’m a little bit nervous going into the weekend.”

With the changes coming into the race, is there anything you are looking for beyond the SIM?

HAMLIN: “That’s truthfully what I’m worried about. If we had come back with the same tire and the same package as last year then I have no worries or concerns and know what I need to feel. It’s just that there was, at this racetrack, a big aerodynamic change and it was very big. Did I send the team down the right direction this week? We will find out shortly.”

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