Toyota GAZOO Racing – Bubba Wallace
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

CHARLOTTE (August 27, 2025) – 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace was made available to the media on Wednesday as part of NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Media Day.

BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Was there a particular driver you looked forward to racing against when you first came into the Cup Series?

“Yeah, I remember filling in and running the Daytona July race and it was cool racing Jimmie (Johnson). I remember it was like Jimmie (Johnson), (Ryan) Blaney, me and (Corey) LaJoie kind of all right there together at one point and I was like, ‘Damn, that’s pretty cool racing against seven-time.’ I think I even said that over the radio. And so, to be able to race against him a handful of years was cool. He’s been a great mentor and a friend for me. Just a guy to just have a natural conversation with. He’s a lot of fun to be around. He’s an all-around good dude. I think we all know that in this room. Yeah, I’d say that would be the one.”

There’s probably a kid right now coming through the ranks who thinks the same way about you. How does that make you feel?

“Makes me feel old (laughter). I hope to have that experience. I hope to continue to race for a long time and get to experience that. I think it would be pretty cool.”

What kind of impact do you feel like the group of drivers who came in around the same time as you have made on the sport?

“I imagine it could be the same as the previous generation, but I often sit there, whether it’s in the driver’s meeting or walking around to the pre-race grid or standing on the stage – what it was like 15 years ago. Because you look and it’s just Kyle (Busch) and Denny (Hamlin) from really that era. You can throw Brad (Keselowski) in I guess too – and (Joey) Logano was a little bit later. But, yeah, I think it’s kind of bizarre that it’s a bunch of young kids and now it’s like, it’s our time. So, it’s kind of cool that it’s just kind of gone through that transition, but I often think about what it was like 15 or 20 years ago.”

What does success look like for the 23 team over the next 10 races?

“We’re not settled on the Indy win. It was a great opportunity that we capitalized on to set ourselves up for the ultimate goal, which is what we had in store at the beginning of the year which was to be a champion. And so immediately after Indy, I skipped the next four or five – whatever it was – and looked at the Playoffs. Honestly, got really excited about each and every race that’s coming up. I don’t look at any round as, ‘Oh man, this might be a struggle for us.’ Then, I also look at the Playoff field the last couple weeks and man, no one is really running away from it if I want to echo Denny (Hamlin). Yeah, you can’t run away from it if you reset the points every time. But, man, no one’s had like a breakout. You have a guy who can get on a hot streak for a couple races and then it’s somebody else. I think we’re all in for a treat – drivers and spectators – for just how this Playoffs is going to go. I don’t feel like 2023 Playoff Bubba. Where like, ‘Oh man, it’s cool to be talking to you guys for Playoff media day.’ I feel like I belong here and want to continue this trend and have the upmost confidence in our team and our ability and potential to carry this into making a deep run into the Playoffs. It all started back in February, but everything just ramps up another notch for the next 10 weeks.”

What do you have to do to differentiate yourself from other drivers to break out of that pack?

“Beat them. Be the top guy. I think if you can manage your race and solely focus on what you have going on for a weekend. Not get lost when the 12 car is blistering fast on the long run pace. We already know that. We’ve been working hard to minimize that gap. Focus on your race. Focus on getting the upmost speed out of your car, pushing the potential each and every lap. The more you focus on yourself, I think the better your chances are. You get to manage your expectations, you get to manage your emotions and just enjoy the moment.”

Can your team win in the Playoffs?

“Absolutely. Hell, I’m good at winning in the Playoffs when I’m not in the Playoffs. Like I said, I look at the schedule and there’s a lot of good tracks for us coming up. We’ve had speed at almost every track on the circuit for the next 10 weeks, so it just takes that little bit more. It takes beating out the 5 (Kyle Larson), the 24 (William Byron), the 11 (Denny Hamlin). It takes beating the other 15 guys you’re racing against to do that. And, yes, we’ve had the speed to do that. We’ve got to clean up the execution standpoint and go capitalize on that.”

How much better prepared do you feel going into the Playoffs this year compared to 2023?

“Hell, I came off a 26-week stretch of stress and we made it in. We were the last car in, right. You get Sunday to enjoy it, but then you’re back into, ‘Alright, here’s the Playoffs.’ Now, I just came off a month-long stress-free stretch. So, I think getting to experience that was really, really nice. I said for a month, I didn’t care. I didn’t care if we won, if we wrecked, whatever. But I didn’t care in a good way. I care so much about racing that I can often get lost on where you’re at and that causes problems. It causes frustration, it causes speed loss, it causes everything. And I think showing up – Richmond is a good example. We show up for practice, and we were awful. And I was like, ‘Well, Saturday’s going to be a long day.’ Okay, then we’re leading. Okay, you know. I didn’t write off Richmond, but I kind of just changed the approach like, ‘Be ready to work hard here for 10th place.’ And you just kind of take a step back and you can analyze things better, you slow things down, the processes of everything and next thing you know you’re up there leading and have a dominant car. So, I really look at Richmond as a big, big highlight for me and the mentality side of it. Yeah, we have to have just 10 weeks of that – with all four tires.”

How do you minimize mistakes during the first round of the Playoffs?

“I mean, if you can just do what you’ve been doing. We’ve talked about our pit crew. They’ve been second best, if not the best on pit road all year long and so it’s not like we need them to find this extra thing for the next 10 weeks. No, just go back to what you were doing. Do what you were doing. So, I’m excited to see everybody just execute to the level that they’re supposed to. And it’s individually. It takes a whole team to get to where we’re at. And to see everybody wake up on Sunday mornings, look themselves in the mirror and say, ‘I’ve gotta do my job and rise to the occasion. Not leave any stones unturned.’ I’m excited for that and I have the upmost faith and confidence in every person on the 23 car that they will do that. And if things don’t go the way they’re supposed to then it’s okay. Things are going to happen the way they’re supposed to. That’s what I’m saying.”

How big a part of the skillset is fuel saving for you and other drivers in the series?

“Yeah, everybody can save fuel but there’s drivers who can save fuel better than the others. I think we’re one of the top at saving fuel, but there hasn’t been much study into that. It’s just looking at our camp and what we’re able to do. You have to have the right people behind the scenes giving you the right information to help you do that and so I think we have a good engineering background of analyzing all of the data and what we need to do to capitalize on fuel saving efforts when those chances come about.”

Why are you good at fuel saving? Are there tricks that you’ve learned?

“No, there’s nothing to it. They just tell me to list and I lift, and they tell me to go and I go. I‘m just following what they’re doing, and I think it’s more so them understanding the data and trusting in it. And then saying, ‘Hey, go prove that the data is right.’ And it is. So, it’s more a of a testament to my engineers.”

Do you practice fuel saving?

“Where? (laughter) I’ve got a hybrid Toyota Tundra that shuts off at the stop lights so that practices it for me. But, no, no practicing. It’s just a lot of studying and a lot of data.”

What do you think are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?

“Biggest strength – I think mentality is my biggest strength. You guys probably wouldn’t give me that trait a couple of years ago. I feel good where I’m at. I feel confident where I’m at. My weakness – I think is the heat of the moment scenarios. I guess it goes with mentality too – how do you react to that. We will go with that.”

How have you noticed everything grow at 23XI?

“Yeah, it has been a lot of moving parts and a lot of stress for a lot of people I’m sure, but everyone really seems to be rolling their sleeves up and appreciating the work that is in front of them and capitalizing on it. We’ve gotten better and better, I feel like, each and every weekend. Sometimes you get a little lost and bounce back, but the bounce backs, the perseverance that we have has been really, really strong. So from top down, we’ve executed from a lot of different levels, so I appreciate everyone at 23XI, Airspeed – their work continues each and every day, even in the offseason – continuing to work to find speed and to find that advantage that we are looking for, and I think we have a lot of key people in a lot of key spots – that speaks volumes to the hiring process and what it takes to get those people. It is an ever-evolving assembly line, that continues to get bigger and grow.”

Does your mentality change go to the crew chief change this year?

“Yeah, I’ll give Charles (Denike, crew chief) a lot of credit. He has really been a lot of fun to work with, and I feel like we vibed and meshed really quick. He has my back on a lot of scenarios, and I appreciate that. Bootie (Barker, former crew chief) did as well, so none of that is going against Bootie. We’ve continued to have fun at the race track. That is the main thing I told him when we had our meeting in the offseason. I only have one goal in mind – is to have fun. Let everything else sit in its own place. I think he has adapted to that. From Truck to Cup is an incredible step, but I try not to put too much on his plate. If the time needs it, then sure I will, but he has just adapted really well, and I think that has helped me drive smarter and have better races and ultimately get back to victory lane. He is incredible at what he does. There is still a lot of room for us to grow, but I’m excited for the future.”

Did he have any team building activities when he started?

“No. We didn’t. We need to do more of that, but he is a big team player regardless. I think you have people that put the team before themselves, and can kind of get people to rally behind you. Bootie (Barker, former crew chief) was great at that, and I think Charles (Denike, crew chief) is another rendition of that, and it is awesome to see. He can get you ready for battle.”

How is this version of Bubba Wallace different than the last Bubba Wallace that made the Playoffs?

“I had just gotten through 26 weeks of stress, made the Playoffs and one day to enjoy making the Playoffs and it was here talking to you guys about what is the pressure like, what is the stress like (laughter) – well, I’ve been living it, so it hasn’t really died down. It has kind of ramped back up for me, now, that the Playoffs have started, but I think just enjoying it. I was literally showing up here feeling like the new kid that changed schools and made new friends, and kind of lost being at Playoff media day. I missed you guys.”

Do you feel like 23XI is treated fairly with the legal issues?

“No issues. I have not had anything.”

Do you have any concern that NASCAR would not want to see a 23XI car win the championship?
“No. I don’t see that at all. It would be really selfish if that was the case, but no. I feel like when we show up to the track, we have equal opportunities and equal chances, just like the other 38, 40 guys that are out there. All good.”

How does the addition of Gateway and New Hampshire change those earlier rounds?
“We knew the schedule at the beginning of the year, so I think it would be different and more of a story if you didn’t know where we were going for the Playoffs before they started, and then it would be like boom, here we go. But we knew the schedule ahead of time, and after Indy, you look at the schedule and you circle the ones where you might have a little bit more of a challenge. Gateway is one of those because we don’t have numbers there. Loudon, back and forth on that place, but it is another race.”

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 nearly 49 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.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
2025 PLAYOFF MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
AUGUST 27, 2025

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the start of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Media Availability Quotes:

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT HOW THE PLAYOFFS AFFECTS THOSE YOUNGER DRIVERS THAT DON’T QUITE HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE YOU DO?

“I’ve never really thought about it like that. I don’t really. I don’t really know. I’ve never thought about it in that regard. I mean, I feel like everyone, you know, when they come in…..I’m just trying to think about my first year, kind of my approach. I mean, from my perspective, it was pretty new, like the whole format. I think it started in, what, like 2014? So then, yeah, my first year was 2016, so it hadn’t been around a real long time, and I just remember those first couple years. I don’t think people realized how valuable the stage points were in my first couple of seasons, and there were like lots of stage points up for grabs, and no one really kind of knew, you know, how to balance that. But now I think it’s been around long enough at this juncture that everyone kind of understands how it works and it’s kind of normalized itself in my opinion. Because, when you watch these races, even just as a fan, I think you’re learning things. You don’t realize you’re learning them, but you are learning by watching.”

GOING OFF WITH THAT, YOU’RE ONE FOUR DEPENDING CHAMPIONS GOING FOR A REPEAT. HOW VALUABLE DO YOU THINK PAST EXPERIENCE, UNDER THIS FORMAT, OF THIS COMING ONSLAUGHT IS?

“Just having the experience in general, regardless of what the result was in the year before, I think the experience both good and bad can be helpful. So that is a great thing for our team. We have a lot of that. And we’ve all been around long enough to kind of see, you, some different things here and there, and I hope I hope it helps.”

CHASE, WHAT DO YOU SEE IS YOUR TEAM’S STRENGTHS GOING INTO THE PLAYOFFS AND THE CHALLENGES THAT IT FACES?

“I think the experience that, you know, I alluded to a second ago is a major strength, as you just get faced with different situations throughout the final ten. You know, the challenges for us have been mainly on Saturdays, more than they’ve been on Sundays. I’ve been pretty open about that, but yeah, we’ve got to have better Saturdays to set ourselves up better for success.”

LOOKING AT HOW TRACKS LINE UP IN THE PLAYOFFS, OBVIOUSLY DARLINGTON THIS WEEK TO KICK IT OFF, HOW DO THE TRACKS LINE UP FOR YOU AS YOU LOOK AHEAD?

“Yeah, I’m definitely we get a time kind of person and especially a round at a time kind of person. I think you have to respect each round. This is going to be a tough round. You know, Darlington’s been a tough track for me. We’ve had some good runs here and there, but certainly not very consistent. And you look at Gateway, I think, as a company, we’ve been kind of off there. Bristol’s been a good track for us, but, you know, that’s only a third of it, right? So, we’ve got to make sure we give this round the respect it deserves and, you know, show up ready to go this weekend.”

NOW THAT YOU ARE IN IT, HOW MUCH DOES EVERY SINGLE WEEK COUNT AS A DRIVER?

“Yeah, it definitely, there’s a level of intensity to the final 10 that I think make it a lot of fun, that is just, yeah, it’s a little different vibe, but I enjoy it. I think all the competitors do. Our season’s pretty long, so kind of getting down to business and knowing that there’s something on the line every week, is a fun thing to be a part of. And it’s always felt that way. You know, just naturally as the years have gone by.”

DO YOU FEEL STRESSED FOR THE PLAYOFFS? IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE YOU HAVING ANY STRESS BECAUSE YOU CARRY IT SO WELL, BUT YOU’VE DONE A NUMBER OF PLAYOFFS AND I WONDER IF IT FEELS STRESSFUL?

“I mean, I think everybody gets stressed for one reason or another, you know. But I’m not stressed over the playoffs you know, I just want to do better, I want to run better, I want to be in better positions on a weekly basis. All those things motivate me to keep showing up, but the playoffs don’t…….I’m not anxious about it. I’m not, you know, nervous about it, I just want to go and make sure we’re doing everything we can do and just try to try to piece together some good weeks and that starts this weekend. So, it’s really that simple.”

WHAT’S THE HARDEST PART? NOT A PARTICULAR TRACK, BUT TO MAINTAIN WHATEVER YOU NEED TO MAINTAIN IF YOU’RE GOING TO SAIL THROUGH TO THE FINAL FOUR?

“Well, I think understanding that, you know, 10 weeks is a long time. Like, that’s a lot of racing, and it’s almost enough time for someone to have a good few weeks, go through a stretch of not so good weeks and then get good again. It’s a lot of racing, you know, over two months. So, I think sometimes you kind of get these questions about the playoffs, and it’s like, oh, there’s just the playoffs, you know, like, it’s just one thing, right? And it’s not. It’s a long period of time. And, you know, a lot of long hours working, you know in the shop, and travel. It’s just there’s 10 races and a lot can happen in 10 weeks.”

I THINK THAT’S GOOD YOU SAID THAT, BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE REALIZES THAT, RIGHT?

“Like I said, it seems like it kind of gets all combined into one thing and it’s so much more than that. So, it’s a long 10 weeks, but a fun 10 weeks, and they go by quick.”

DOES IT FEEL LIKE THIS SEASON, MAYBE MORE SO THAN OTHERS, AND MAYBE NOT, THAT THERE’S THE GUY THAT YOU’VE GOT TO BEAT. THAT THERE’S ONE PERSON OR ONE TEAM. DOES IT FEEL A LITTLE BIT MORE OPEN LIKE THERE’S MORE DRIVERS THAT WOULDN’T SURPRISE YOU TO GET TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR?

“No, I think it’s the same crowd. Personally, I think it’s… yeah, there’s been a lot of different winners, but I think you’ve got to go through the same crowd.”

AND COUNTING YOURSELF AMONG THAT, OBVIOUSLY?

“Of course, yeah.”

IS THERE ANY PLACE IN PARTICULAR THAT YOU FEEL LIKE THIS IS WHERE I’M GOING TO GO TO GET THE WIN VERSUS JUST SCORING THE POINTS?

“No, I don’t. I don’t look at it like that. It’s you know, I just want to be a team that we can go and feel that way every week. So, if you’re not doing that, then we’re not doing our jobs to the best of our abilities is how I look at it.”

YOU GUYS HAVE HAD A LOT OF CONSISTENCY THIS YEAR. DOES THAT GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE GOING INTO THE PLAYOFFS THIS TIME?

“Yeah, I mean, consistency’s great, but it’s not the end goal by any stretch. Pace can save a lot of things, and we need to have some more pace. So hopefully we can gather some in, and put together some extra pace with the consistency, but it’s going to take both.”

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.

Zane Smith and the No. 38 TitleMax Ford Team
Darlington Raceway Competition Notes
Southern 500

Date: Sunday, August 31, 2025
Event: Race 29 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Darlington Raceway (1.3-miles)
#of Laps: 367
Time/TV/Radio: 6:00 PM ET on USA/MRN/SiriusXM channel 90

Zane Smith Notes

The Southern 500 at the Darlington Raceway is up next for Zane Smith and the No. 38 Ford team this weekend. This Sunday’s 367 lap event will be Smith’s third NASCAR Cup Series start at the 1.3-mile egg shaped oval and second Southern 500. In the track’s April race this year, Smith started 16th and finished 12th.

TitleMax returns this weekend in the brand’s final primary race of the 2025 season with Smith and the No. 38 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. TitleMax helps thousands of people get the funds they need with a title loan or personal loan. Offering competitive rates, while providing a superior level of customer service. For more information about TitleMax, please visit www.TitleMax.com.

“Darlington is a tough track — I have had my fair share of battles there over the years,” said Smith. “We left the Spring race with a good finish, but heading back, we know what we need to top that. The last few races our results have been all over the place, so we’re focusing on this next stretch of races to maximize our finishes and end-of-season points results.”

Road Crew

Driver: Zane Smith

Hometown: Huntington Beach, California

Crew Chief: Ryan Bergenty

Hometown: Plainville, Connecticut

Car Chief: Will Norris

Hometown: Bells, Tennessee

Engineer: Jacob Clamme

Hometown: Hartford City, Indiana

Engineer: Chris Yerges

Hometown: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Mechanic: Steve Godfrey

Hometown: West Haven, Connecticut

Mechanic / Engine Tuner: Tyler Podlaski

Hometown: Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania

Interior Specialist: Matt Fowler

Hometown: Spartanburg, South Carolina

Spotter: Ryan Blanchard

Hometown: Bethlehem, Connecticut

Transport Co-Driver: Ernest Mullins

Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina

Transport Co-Driver: Rick Grissom

Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Flores

Hometown: Manasquan, New Jersey

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Drew Baum

Hometown: Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Jackman: Ryan Selig

Hometown: Lindenhurst, Illinois

Fueler: Chris Webb

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

ABOUT TITLEMAX

As part of the Community Choice Financial Family of Brands, TitleMax is one of the nation’s largest title lending companies. TitleMax helps thousands of people get the funds they need with a title loan or personal loan. Offering competitive rates, while providing a superior level of customer service.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 34 and No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series teams from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @teamfrm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

Toyota GAZOO Racing – Christopher Bell
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

CHARLOTTE (August 27, 2025) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was made available to the media on Wednesday as part of NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Media Day.

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Do you remember the first time running in Cup coming up on someone that you watched?
“I do, very clearly.”

Who was it and what was that experience like?
“It was the Daytona Duel – 2020. So, what is crazy, being in the Xfinity Series, I had raced against Cup drivers, even going back to my first year in Xfinity – Dale Jr. (Earnhardt Jr.) ran the Richmond race, and that was a really cool moment for me to be able to race against him. I will never forget that Duel in 2020, just seeing the iconic cars – specifically it was Denny (Hamlin) in the FedEx car and Joey (Logano) in the Pennzoil car, and I had ran against Denny and Kyle (Busch) and Joey through the Xfinity Series, but just racing against those iconic cars that I had watched on TV for so long – it hit me hard, and I was like wow, it is really cool.”

Was that during the race?
“It was during yellow – we were pacing around. Not during the race.”

What is the thought for you that someone may have that same experience with your car in the future?
“That hits hard, and it is really cool. I go back to how iconic the car was – seeing that FedEx 11 and the Pennzoil 22, and hopefully, at some point, they will be able to see the DEWALT 20 or the Rheem 20, and will be like, I watched this car on TV. I think it is a staple of the sponsor as well as the driver, and I’m honored to be representing these iconic brands, and hopefully, it is for years to come.”

How difficult is it to turn on a switch for Playoff mode?
“Yeah, I don’t want to say it is easy, but it is expected and every driver and every Playoff contending team really does a good job of that, and my team – what I’ve learned from them the last couple of years – is they just do an excellent job of being the best when it matters the most, and through a number of years now – we have come off kind of a slump leading into the Playoffs, then all of a sudden we go there and have our best car performance, our best speed and I feel confident in it.”

What went right for you in the three-race win streak to start the year?
“Really just things fell our way. I go back to 2024 – we had amazing car performance, and we were so fast, and it didn’t fall our way. Those three races – Atlanta is a speedway race. It is tough to look at car performance, but I only led one lap. Then you go to COTA – only led eight laps, didn’t dominate the race by any means. It went our way, and we were able to capitalize on it, and we reaped the benefits of some things we lost in 24. It comes and goes in this sport. It has been tough sledding through the summer months, but I’m excited for what is ahead of us.”

Is the team capable of something like that again?
“Absolutely. Any week it could happen. It could happen this week at Darlington. It could happen any week.”

What more needs to happen at Darlington?
“We’ve been close. Darlington has been one that we’ve been really close at and haven’t won. The Playoffs are just littered with tracks like that – like Darlington, Kansas, Vegas, Gateway, now. All of those places, we’ve been super strong at – just haven’t quite won at. It could happen this week; it could happen next week.”

If you start to get run over in the Playoffs, are you going to have to take a stand?
“Oh, absolutely. If people start roughing you up or roughing me up, then I will for sure rough them up too. I’m not afraid of that by any means.”

Sometimes you come across as too nice.
“I don’t know. I feel like – so whenever you say that it makes me feel like people are running me hard or taking advantage of me, and I don’t feel that way. I feel like I’ve been raced fairly, so far, and I feel like I’ve raced people fair.”

22 races since a win. What do you have to do to get back to victory lane?
“I don’t think we need to do anything different. Just keep plugging away. I’ve actually asked Adam (Stevens, crew chief) that because I was a little bit concerned about that a couple of weeks ago, and he said we are not doing anything different than we were when we won three races in a row to start the season. So, we’ve got a great team, a great process and we are going to keep after it, and we are going to great race tracks for us. I think we have all of the tools to go out there and execute and win races, and hopefully we can do that.”

You finished second at Martinsville in the Spring and won at Phoenix. How much confidence does that give you?
“I think this is probably our best year so far for a championship, just the way the schedule lays out. We know that. Adam (Stevens, crew chief) knows that. We are ready to take it to them.”

What are the challenges in the first round?
“I don’t know. At Gateway, at least by our standards I was the best car at Gateway. I was going to have to pass Ryan (Blaney) for the win, but I had more pace at that time before my engine had a mechanical failure, so Gateway is definitely one that I feel excited about and probably the most optimistic about, but really all three of them are great tracks that we could win at any moment, and we should score points. If you score points, you are going to be in a good spot to advance.”

What is it like going into a race knowing you need to win to advance?
“I don’t know. It is very difficult to do. We’ve seen where it doesn’t happen very often, but I think it just comes down to the teams and the great teams are able to do it. We saw (Ryan) Blaney do it at Martinsville last year, and they are clearly a good, title contending team. Joey (Logano) essentially did it at Las Vegas. His likelihood of making it was not high if he didn’t win that race. It can be done by good teams.”

What do you feel like is your biggest strength and biggest weakness heading into the Playoffs?
“Well, I would say our biggest strength is road course racing, but there is a guy named Shane van Gisbergen that keeps taking that away. Road courses have been really good, so I’m optimistic about the ROVAL, and then obviously, short tracks, flat tracks – the Phoenix, Loudon, Gateway – those style race tracks have obviously been really good to us for a number of years now. Between the ROVAL and those – Gateway, Loudon, Phoenix – I think that is our bread and butter. Intermediates – we’ve been close and have been able to run well, but it just seems like we have been a little off on winning pace, but I say any week and it could change in any week, and we could go out and win any of those races. Weakness for sure is Talladega – even if Talladega is a strength, you are not guaranteed a good finish there. I think we are on par with the rest of them with most of our good tracks.”

Where do you feel like you are now compared to what you were last year?
“We definitely haven’t led laps or had that stage performance that we want throughout the 2025 season, but I will say now, I’m far more seasoned. Every year that goes by, you have more experience and understand the name of the game a little bit more and how to play it. We haven’t led laps, and we haven’t got the stage points that we did in years past, but we know – it is still the same crew chief, same driver, same pit crew – everything is still the same, we just have to go out there and do it. We are going to have a little bit more pressure now, and I’m excited about the opportunity.”

Is it beneficial to be fast on those short, flat tracks?
“I think it is. We know that you have to be good there if you are going to win the championship, and I want the opportunity. I think if we get the opportunity – we will have a good shot at it. I go back to 2022, 2023 – whenever I made the final four, we didn’t execute the race well. We had a pit road mishap in ’22 and a brake failure in ’23, so I think we will have performance if we can just execute the race and get there and see what we have.”

What do you take from last year?
“What I take from last year is that you need to win. Last year, the Las Vegas race – that is the one that really stings and feels like got away. We had the car performance; we had the execution – Joey (Logano) and the 22 team outsmarted us. They made it on fuel. We had to make a pit stop and they won the race, and unfortunately it kicked us out. We scored great points through Las Vegas. We scored great points through Homestead-Miami, and we still didn’t make it, so you have to win. Whenever you get to that Round of 8, you really need to bank and plan on winning a race to make the final four.”

Do you think there is an odds-on favorite to win the championship this year?
“No. It feels like there is less and less than we’ve had the last couple of years.”

Do you look at it as these are the five or six guys that you have to beat or do you not do that when you are preparing?
“No, not yet. Once we get to the Round of 12, more so the Round of 8 – you are really looking at it, but right now it is just about surviving and you have to see who survives these first two rounds and then you restack the cards and see who can be the contenders when you get to the Round of 8.”

Are you doing something to stay calm?
“I think I’m just another year older. This is year five in the Playoffs for me, so it is becoming more routine, more normal. Just getting more comfortable.”

How have you seen the early rounds affect those who don’t have Playoff experience?
“I think you are just more prone to making mistakes. The more amped up you get, the more the pressure gets to you. The more likelihood you are at making mistakes. The calmer you can be, the more times you do it you get more comfortable with it, you understand how to do it, and how to play the game – sometimes you need a home run, sometimes you need to win the race, sometimes you just need a couple of points. Now that I’ve experienced it and I’ve done it a couple of times, I guess I just realize that more now.”

Is there a set number of years where that realization kicks in?
“I’ve just noticed it more year over year. I go back in 2021; I got eliminated in the Round of 12 off a stupid mistake. We were at Las Vegas, and it might have been pit stop number one of the day, we had a stack up coming on pit road, and I knocked the front end in and ruined my day, off of – why? I didn’t have to do that. It meant nothing. I learned from that, and that is just an example of what happens whenever you are young and inexperienced.”

Is there a panic to get it done this year because of the rotating championship race?
“Well believe me, we know this as good as it lines up for us. We know that this is a great opportunity for us.”

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 nearly 49 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 GAZOO Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

CHARLOTTE (August 27, 2025) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Wednesday as part of NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Media Day.

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

How does racing at New Hampshire and Gateway change the first round of the Playoffs?

“I think it makes it probably a little bit more predictable. Overall, I feel like we don’t have a road course, we don’t have another superspeedway in that first round. So, I think that first round the fast cars are going to be the ones that you’ll have to beat. There will probably be less opportunity for one of your favorites to get knocked out early.”

What makes your 19th year in the Playoffs different than the previous years?

“It’s just another chance to roll the dice. That’s it. I don’t feel any better or any worse than what I have last year or the year before that or the year before that. They’re all very, very similar. I feel as though our team is as strong as it’s ever been, but we’ve seen in the short sample size, it’s just a matter of whether you get unlucky at times or you catch a caution at the right time or not. Do you stub your toe on pit road? Those are the small things that decide whether you move on in the Playoffs or not.”

Is there a dream track in the Playoffs where you’d like to get your 60th win?

“I’d love for it to happen at Martinsville, truthfully. I think that would be a really big one for me just being a short track that I felt so strong at for so many years and ultimately a track that meant a lot to my short track upbringing.”

What are the 11 team’s strengths and weaknesses going into the Playoffs?

“Our strengths are just conventional ovals. Anything that turns left is going to be our strength. We’re in the unique position, there’s truthfully about four or five of us that are the fastest cars every single week and there’s others, right? It’s just, do you have enough of a head start through your Playoff points and whatnot to keep moving on? Do you have enough to sustain a bad day that everyone has during the course of a season? The challenge will be obviously Talladega. I don’t think I’ve avoided a superspeedway wreck in about 10 years now – or it feels that way. And then, what happens at the Roval, right? There’re so many different strategies and stuff that can happen. What points position are you in before you get to there? A lot of that will be dictated in the first couple races of that round.”

Do you feel like there’s a natural favorite in the Playoffs this year?

“It’s just too hard to predict because it’s unpredictable. Again, you would think of the four or five fastest cars, at least probably three of them will make it into the final four, but there’s just no guarantees. I do think though this 10-race of tracks should produce a sample size enough to where you’re going to see the cars that have good speed get the points and then move on. But I don’t know. I wish I could tell you how this thing goes because I thought I’ve known for 19 years, and you just never know because I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen anything that you think might happen usually does and you’re either on the good end of it or on the bad end of it.”

Do you expect to make the Championship 4?

“Yeah. It’s the goal at the beginning of the year is to make the Championship 4. To do that you obviously have to put in some work during the regular season and you’ve got to perform well in the Playoffs. I think our record in the Playoffs speaks for itself. Our average finish drops every year in the Playoffs. We run better every year in the final 10 than what we do in the regular season. It’s just a matter of all the other variables. Does someone who’s way below the cut that ran horrible, do they win and get in and knock us out? Or does someone ride the wall and knock us out? Again, I’m so tainted that I’m just very nonchalant with like let’s just win races and let’s see where this thing ends up.”

There was a point this season where fuel strategy was determining every race win for a couple months.

“Because of track position. Yeah, track position is just so big, and so it’s turned every race into a fuel mileage or did there for a while. A lot of it is just really the focus of being on track position and no one wanted to give it up because passing has become more and more difficult over the last few years.”

Do you think that’s going to be a theme during the Playoffs?

“I think it just depends on the situation, but I’d say that people will most likely be fighting for track position more than they have during the regular season because they know the end is near if they don’t.”

How much more in tune are you to fuel saving now than in the past?

“I’m less. I mean, I’m the same as I used to be, but the team, it’s more a focus for them than it’s ever been.”

Do you have to trust your team with fuel mileage?

“You do. You can’t beat the supercomputer. As much as you think you know, as much as you try to tell your team how much fuel you’re saving, ultimately the computers know, and you don’t. So, you just try to do the best you can to do your job and that is if they tell you to go all out, get all the speed you can. If you’re told to save fuel, you have to do it the best of your ability and there’s some obviously that are better than others.”

Do you think you’re treated fairly and is 23XI treated fairly as the lawsuit goes on?

“I think we’re treated fairly by the NASCAR officials that are at the race track. Yes.”

Who isn’t treating you fairly?

“The others.”

Does it affect you?

“No. It just makes me angrier.”

How do you tune that out and focus on your job?

“Because I want to win the championship. I want to win 60 or more races and so that is my number one goal and so I’m not going to let anyone distract me from that no matter what their motivations might be.”

Can you and 23XI win a championship this year with everything going on?

“Yeah. Because I believe the people at track treat us very fairly.”

Is it a surprise that the lawsuit has dragged on this long?

“No, no surprise.”

What have you learned about how different rounds affect driver’s mindsets?

“I think for everyone, it’s a little bit different. I think it depends on who you are. If it’s your third or fourth time doing this, you’re probably still very nervous today and tomorrow and the next day. I am certainly not. It’s not even a thought of mine. It’s just another race and again it’s another opportunity for me to win. I try not to think about too much or hyper focus on these small moments that will decide whether you move on or not. I just try to put the big picture in mind and do the best I can and I’m going to be okay with the result. But every person is different, and every driver is going to give you a different answer on that because of what their level of confidence is or how nervous they are?”

Do you think there’s a favorite in this Playoff field?

“I think there’s a couple.”

How does someone separate themselves and take charge in the Playoffs similar to Alex Palou in INDYCAR?

“It’s going to be something you hear a lot, it’s just who executes the best. When you look at the field and you break it down into numbers you’re going to see where are they running and where did they finish? And whoever can tighten up that gap, that’s going to be the person that is going to be the one you’re watching and seeing pull away. There’s just not going to be that because there’s just more variables and more luck involved in NASCAR than there is in INDYCAR just because of how the races play out. They’re closer together, there’s more wrecks, there’s more pit stops, more variables and things like that – more caution flags. So, you’re just not going to have that. Not in this format. It’s just a matter of who can do the best job of executing.”

Where does this season stack up compared to others?

“Very similar. I’ve been confident before but also had my heart broke for something out of my control. I just try to do the best I can to play it day by day and week by week. Right now, the focus is all on Darlington. I haven’t looked at one shred of thing from St. Louis. It’s not even on the radar. I’m so week to week with my goals that I feel as though, let’s just somehow figure out how to get to 60 wins before the end of the season, and if I can do that it’s probably going to put myself in a pretty good position to win.”

Have you noticed anything different about your crew chief, Chris Gayle, this week?

“I haven’t seen a whole lot of Chris Gayle (crew chief) this week. Truthfully, I’ve been out of town. I’ll see him this afternoon. But I just hope he maintains a level head and takes it as freely as what I am. I’m not going to put any undue pressure on him. I think he’s very capable and certainly has led this team to have as many wins as anyone else in this series. I have got full confidence in him, and as long as he maintains that level head and doesn’t change based off of the moment, I think we’ll be successful.”

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 nearly 49 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.