NASCAR CUP SERIES
PHOENIX RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
MARCH 8, 2025

 Justin Haley, driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series’ practice and qualifying session at Phoenix Raceway.

Media Availability Quotes:

With the No. 5 team losing a couple of crew guys, they get a couple of your crew guys and you get a couple of guys who I think pitted Justin Allgaier’s car in the DAYTONA 500. Is there anything you can do to help new guys who come in on the team who are only going to be there for two weeks?

“Yeah, I mean obviously that’s a really in-depth question. Bob, you really do your research, huh (laughs)? I mean, I just hate that with how the system of NASCAR works, like it hurts us. I don’t know if the No. 5 is going to get really hurt that much losing two guys because they got two really good guys that were on the No. 7 car, right? So, I mean I have full confidence in the Hendrick Motorsports pit crew team, right? But they are newer guys that got put on my car and this is their opportunity to show what they’re capable of. So, yeah, I mean I don’t really think that we’re losing much either but it’s just a weird system, right? How it all kind of pans out. So, yeah – Coach says they’re ready. Obviously, they were good on (Justin) Allgaier’s car at the DAYTONA 500. But definitely a weird situation because, right, we didn’t really do anything wrong. Our car wasn’t the issue. But just kind of how things work in the world. But, yeah, I mean it’s going to be interesting, right? Because it’s two weeks for us that we have new guys on our car. So, a little bump in the road but I don’t think it’s going to take away from much.”

How do you think your communication with your crew chief has improved as the race schedule continues?

“Yeah, I mean obviously starting off the season with a new crew chief is always difficult. I mean it’s never going to be easy, especially because you’re racing against teams and drivers and crew chief pairings that have been doing it for decades. So, I really do think it’s underestimated how quickly you have to get up to speed with your new crew chief. So, obviously I have Rodney Childers who, you know, was with the same guy forever with (Kevin) Harvick. You know, throughout what I hear with Kevin, their communication was a little bit different than what me and Rodney’s communication is going to be and that’s okay. It’s just, you know, different people with different views and how they want to attack the race weekend. So, I feel like the first two weeks, we really didn’t know. Rodney and I sat down this week actually on Wednesday and just kind of talked about what we want out of each other. I thought COTA was a really good race for us. We executed well – had the fifth fastest lap and we were in the top-ten before the caution. So, yeah, I think honestly the speed at Spire Motorsports is there and just getting that communication down as early as possible and having those meetings during the week to improve is key.”

Justin, when you look at this weekend and the fact that we’re introducing the option tire for the first time at Phoenix – how do you approach this practice session being an all skate for 45 minutes but having, you know, to work both the primary and the option tire? What is the game plan that you guys are going to look forward to in this 45-minute session?

“Yeah, I mean, that’s not really my decision, right? It’s left up to Rodney and the crew for what they want to do and how they want to attack the weekend; when they want to use them and when they don’t want to use them. You know, I’m just going to try to give the best balance read I can on both; see if there is a shift of balance between the two tires. And then just try to run the two tires out as long as possible, right? I think our game plan like this week was when do you want to use them in practice because you want to wait for the track to rubber in as much as possible with the cup rubber. You know, there’s so many different ways to look at it, but I think for us, we’re going to start on the yellows and run those out for as many laps as we can, probably a whole green flag run, and then come in and put the reds on. But, you know, I heard from other teams that wanted to put the reds on when the track was green and let it rubber up and then put their primary tire on with, you know, a rubbered up track. So there’s different ways to view it. I’m just kind of whatever Rodney tells me I’m going to do, and we’ll be okay.”

Kind of sticking with the option tire. Do you like the fact that they’re doing the option tire this weekend and, you know, what have you heard from other drivers about their opinion on what’s going on this weekend?

“I haven’t talked to anyone about it, and I really haven’t done much research into it. So, yeah, I think it was okay at Richmond. Is that the only time we’ve used it once? So, yeah, it’s fine. We’re all in it together, right? It’s another variable for us to either get right or mess up. So, yeah, it just comes down to strategy, but I certainly don’t hate the idea.”

Looking ahead to Las Vegas next week, wind traditionally sometimes a problem there. How do you deal with high winds at a place like that?

“I mean, you just drive. I don’t really know what I can do about the wind. But, yeah, it’s definitely different. You know, even last week at Circuit of the Americas, we were dealing with some wind in different areas, and when you get to, like, Pocono or Indianapolis, you deal with it. So Vegas usually isn’t too big of an issue. I know they always make a big deal about it. But kind of with how the track is, the wind usually faces into Turn One and then there’s kind of big billboards there. So I don’t really feel like it affects us much at Vegas as much as some of the other tracks. But, yeah, you just try to balance your car as well as possible and deal with it.”

Justin, historically they’ve called Phoenix a driver’s track, and I’ve always assumed that that implies that the driver is a bigger part of the equation here. To your mind, what can a driver do here that perhaps he can’t do at Las Vegas, Kansas or even Dover? Are you a bigger part of the equation as a driver here at Phoenix?

“I mean, I would like to think so, but probably not. It still probably comes down to aero, just like every week. So, no, to be honest with you, it comes down to a great setup, a great prepared team and good pit stops to get you in front of the aero equations. So, yeah, like I said, I feel like we’ve been really fast, and I had a lot of meetings with Rodney this week. Obviously, Rodney had a lot of success here with Harvick. So, yeah, I think we had a good sim session and feel confident about it. So we’ll see here in a little bit if Rodney still knows how to get around Phoenix, and I still know how to get around Phoenix. But, no, it’s exciting as a younger driver to be paired with someone who has had so much success here and to kind of get his feel throughout the week of it.”

A lot of the drivers have talked about how there’s an art to running the dog leg here. Can you elaborate, especially from a driver’s perspective, because of how rough it is? Is there a way that you need to get off the dog leg without causing too much of a pain or too much damage underneath your car as a result of it?

“Yeah, I don’t know. I try to go down there as little as possible. But it is a big time advantage, and I think we’re probably going to do it in qualifying. So, yeah, it’s just kind of one of those things where you have to grit your teeth and deal with it. I don’t think it’s fun for any of us. I think you could ask every driver in the field, and they would say it’s not fun.

But, yeah, with this car and how low we are to the track, it’s definitely a necessity.”

Justin, can you give me a sense of going into this session with this tire, what you’re going to be looking for? And can you also give me a sense, maybe based off of Richmond? I know it’s different, but how different is it for the driver when you switch from a primary to an option tire? What more do you guys have to do? Or, I mean, is it just the same thing?

“Yeah, it just depends on the balance shift. Like I said, obviously the option tire is going to be faster, so you’ll have more grip and you’ll feel better about your car. And, yeah, just like I said, the balance shift. I feel like at Richmond, my car was similar on both tires, and I think that’s kind of what you want.

So, yeah, I don’t really have a good answer for you. You just hope and feel that both the tires have the same balance of your race car, right? Because if you’re going to be good on the primaries and then put the option tire on and the option tire you’re way tighter on, then that’s going to slow down your pit stop during the race. And then that’s just going to compound the issue because you’re going to want to get around adjustments for it. So, yeah, just trying to think about that.

But, I mean, to be honest with you, you’re still spending 90% of your race on the primary tire, so does it matter? Probably not. You just need to know when to put them on, right? If we knew Monday when the cautions were going to fall, we’d all be a lot smarter. So, yeah, just how lucky can you get?”

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.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
PHOENIX RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
MARCH 7, 2025

Katherine Legge met with the media onsite at Phoenix Raceway in advance of her NASCAR Cup Series debut in Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500.

What are you looking to accomplish as we get set for practice and qualifying, and the race?

“Thank you for having me, first. Second, I don’t think it’s been a very long lead up. It’s been a very intense lead up. I’ve literally known about doing this race for about 10 days, maybe. I sat with the NASCAR folks in Atlanta and asked them what I needed to do in order to be licensed in NASCAR. I have to start on a short track, and so here I am. Very happy to be here. Very happy that BJ (McLeod) and Live Fast gave me the opportunity. I’ve spent the majority of the week in North Carolina driving the simulator. RCR was kind enough to let me on their static sim, and Chevy was kind enough to put me in the DIL, the motion sim. Hendrick was really cool. They let me do pit stop practice and Kaulig has been super awesome, so I feel well-supported and as prepared as I possibly can having never driven on an oval like this, a NextGen car. I’ve done a handful of stock car races in my career, so I feel like I’m either going to sink or swim, but everybody has given me the best possible opportunity to go out there and do a good job.”

Talk about your love of racing and where it comes from…

“I don’t know where it comes from but it’s definitely inherent in me. I grew up racing go karts. I wanted to be a Formula 1 driver, but then I ended up in open wheel and found a love for Sportscar racing. I loved doing the Xfinity races I did and wanted to do more stock car racing. I got the opportunity to do the Chili Bowl, so I did it. It was really cool. It was a really cool experience. I figured the more things I do, the better I’ll become. Everything teaches you something, but I do feel I have one of the most diverse careers in racing. Literally, you name it, I’ve driven it. I’ve driven Formula E. I’ve driven prototypes. I’ve driven so many different forms of racing. I feel like this is the one I really wanted to do that’s eluded me. I just love it. It’s in my blood. I think, you know how they say your job should not be your identity? Well, this is 100 percent my identity. I’m just a racing driver. I don’t know where I’d be without it. I love it so much. I love everything about it. I love the driving. I love the comradery. I love the competition with everybody else. I love the competition with yourself. I love the technical elements of it and figuring out what to do to make your race car go fast. I love the strategy. Literally every aspect of it makes me want to get out of bed in the morning. I just love it.”

Talk about not making your debut on a road course, or if that’s been discussed?

“Yes. I think I would’ve felt a whole different level of comfort if I had been at COTA this past weekend. We spoke about it; it was just really tough to get it done in the timeframe. So, we were in Atlanta and NASCAR said you could do COTA or Phoenix. I was like COTA, COTA would be great, but there was just no way to get everything done and get the car ready for COTA. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but fortunately here I am at Phoenix.”

What does the preparations you’ve made in the time you’ve had do to your expectations?

“I think expectations aside, if I can tell you what my goals and hopes are. That’s basically finish all of the laps. I want to do a good job and minimizing mistakes because everybody makes mistakes, but I really want to minimize them. I want to stay out of trouble and show respect and prove that I belong. I think if I do those things, I think I will get the opportunity to do more.”

Do you see yourself running more races this year? Is that the ultimate goal?

“That would be awesome, yeah. I would love to do that. I don’t think that we have any expectation that we’re going to go out and be competitive. I think if we finish anything but last, that would be a win for us honestly because I don’t have the experience that any of these guys have. I don’t have the car at the moment that’s capable of going and running up in front, so hopefully we can develop me and the car and everything else at the same time and we can get there.”

In talking more of doing these races, does that mean INDYCAR is off the table this year, or the Indy 500?

“Nope. It doesn’t mean that. I would say that I’m hopeful to do more INDYCAR races.”

Indy 500?

“I would love to. Let’s see.”

You’re the first female driver in Cup since Danica (Patrick). Is there any sense of pride?

“It’s disappointing that there aren’t more women in INDYCAR, NASCAR, Cup. (In) Sportscars, there’s really been kind of a gap. There was Sarah Fisher and Danica (Patrick) and me and Simona (de Silvestro) and a bunch of good drivers in that era. Then there’s been this gap, this lull, and so when I stop racing, or maybe alongside it but definitely focused when I want to stop racing, I’d love to bring up the next generation. I think there’s only a handful of us that have those shared, lived experiences, and I think that my experience might be valuable in helping them navigate it. Everybody says, ‘What’s it like to be a girl in racing?’ and I don’t know, because I only have my own experience. I don’t know what it’s like to be a boy in racing. So, I know what my journey has been, and I know that it’s gone for me, and it’s gone against me, and I know where the struggles are. I know mentally what you have to do to overcome those struggles, and so, I think, to me it just is I would much rather people just saw me as another racecar driver on merit, but that’s not reality and I’m not immune or blind to the fact it has helped me in ways too. I’m just going to go out there and be Katherine and do the very best that I can.”

It’s a tough balance in earning respect and getting experience for yourself. How do you balance those two things?

“That is one of my main concerns, I would say. I want to be respectful of the leaders and stay out of the way, because it’s going to happen inevitably. But I also am worried once you get out of the rhythm and you have people constantly passing you, then you’re always going slower. You’re never going at your limit, so you don’t really get to feel what the actual race is like. I don’t know yet. We’ve gone over it, saying stay in the second lane, let them go underneath you. I’ve got a great spotter. I haven’t met him yet, but apparently, he’s awesome, (David) Pepper. I think that will be a challenge. I will say this, and it will go for every form of motorsport – the guys at the back are working way harder than the guys at the front. Because the cars that you get when you’re in a Penske or a Ganassi in INDYCAR, whatever it may be over here that’s uber-competitive, it’s so much easier to be at the front than it is to be at the back. I know that a lot of them have paid their dues by driving in that position, and so that I think that they will respect that if I respect what they’re trying to achieve too.”

Talk more about the quick process from Atlanta to here, and when you talk about trying to get comfortable and get the experience, would it have made sense or why is it so important to be here as opposed to maybe later in the month like at Martinsville?

“That’s a great question. There is absolutely no reason however, when I talk to other drivers and teams in NASCAR and people that were helping me, they said this is the best track for me to learn at and going to somewhere like Martinsville would be terrifying. I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but I take their advice, right? I don’t know what I don’t know, so when someone says to me, then I do what I’m told.”

Have you met BJ (McLeod) and Jessica or what do you think of them?

“Such a good dude. They’re both awesome people. I mean, they hustle, and you have to respect their love for the sport, and they want it so badly. They do everything they can to be here, and I think that that kind of embodies how I feel about it sometimes too. You don’t always have the money or the equipment, but you love racing so you do what you can and try and build on that and improve. I think he’s the same.”

Was there any inclination with this being Women’s History Month and we’ve got to get this going for March?

“No. You know what? I’m going to admit this now and I probably shouldn’t use these words, but I’m going to anyway. I said, ‘Oh, I’m going to fly under the radar for my first Cup race,’ right? Nobody is going to notice. We’ll be in the back. We’ll chill. We’ll get NASCAR permission and then someone said ‘Oh, it’s International Women’s Day Saturday.” There’s no way I’m flying under the radar. No, we did not take that into consideration and here I am in front of you guys.”

On your meeting at Cosworth and where you are now…

“I think when you want something badly enough, you find a way to make it happen, and so I think I just kind of clawed and tried and did everything I could to get as many opportunities as I could. I’ve honestly driven some really bad cars that I probably shouldn’t have driven. I nicknamed one the car ‘almost certain death.’ You have to do what you have to do to get here. My father’s not well here but wishes he was, but we didn’t have a million dollars to spend on the best teams and the best equipment and working our way through the ranks to showcase my talent. I had to do a bit of everything, and sometimes it worked out and sometimes it didn’t. I never had a backup plan. I always had to go from opportunity to opportunity and make the most of it. My whole career, my whole life has been that kind of rollercoaster. You know what? I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. I think when it’s hard, you appreciate it so much more. If you really had to dig in and work through it, then it means so much to you. I’ve had a hell of a life and a hell of a career so far, and I sit here ready to go run a Cup race. I’m such a dork. I did a picture of the garage with my name on it because it’s so cool. I’m grateful for the journey I’ve had, and I wake up every morning realizing how lucky I am”

You mentioned this track is so unique. What makes is so unique for someone who hasn’t run here before or run a Gen 7 car before?

“I think you’ll need to ask me that after a run on the track because I don’t know but I can tell you from the sim, it’s very different from one end to the other. I’ve got a couple of friends in NASCAR, luckily. I’ve been friends with AJ Allmendinger for 20 years. We ran Champ Car back in the day, and I’ve got a good friend in Andy Lally who lives just down the road from me. So, I’ve made both of them try and teach me everything they know in the space of 20 minutes and sit and watch video and watch in-car and old races. They’ve both said how awesome this track is, and how the different grooves develop over the race. Andy was also talking about the black stuff they put down around the outside they’re not going to do this time, I’m not sure. There’s the dogleg that you can cut as well, and all the things. It’s just a really unique place and it’s a really cool setting. The racing is always so good here. It’s a place where I can move out of the way, right, if I need to. So, I think that’s important. It’s wide. Hopefully, sunny.”

Have you, or do you, know many of the other competitors? Is there anyone you might seek out?

“It may not seem like it, but I’m kind of shy. I’m not like the person who just goes off and says ‘Hey, whoever you are, I’m Katherine.’ It’s like my first day at school, you know? It’s like if you’re starting a new job, but it’s doing the job that you’ve been doing for a long time but it’s in a new environment. You have to figure out who your coworkers are, make friends, and you have to figure out where the bathrooms are. Where’s credentials? I have no idea where it is coming in here. It’s all the auxiliary stuff that I don’t know that I don’t know. Everybody has been so friendly, so nice. It’s been such a really cool, supportive paddock, honestly. So many have been helping me this week. It’s made my heart very happy. I’m sure I’ll meet the other drivers, and hopefully, they’re receptive to me. I’m not sure what to expect, so there’s a certain level of apprehension that goes with that.”

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Phoenix 1 Media Availability | Friday, March 7, 2025

Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske, returned to the site of his 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship clinching run, Phoenix Raceway and met with media members ahead of on-track action this weekend.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang Dark Horse — YOU HAD A PRETTY SUCCESSFUL OUTING LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO COMING BACK HERE?

“Yeah, lots of good memories here. It is cool being back for sure. Even going out there earlier and seeing the wall with the sticker on it, because we won this thing last time. It’s a lot of special moments, but I’ve been saying it’s in the past, right? You gotta keep moving forward. I mean, it’s still fun to reminisce a little bit, but you gotta stay on the windshield.”

YOU’RE GOING WITH THE OPTION OF THE SOFTER TIRE. ARE YOU GUYS, SINCE YOU WON THIS RACE BACK IN NOVEMBER ON THE PRIMARY, LIKE, PLEASE DON’T CHANGE THIS AT ALL?

“Not really, actually. Because I think for the better of the sport, I think what we’ve been doing with the tires has been a really big gain lately. Last week you saw a lot of fall off there, it was just great. And the way we’re introducing it is a pretty safe way to do it. We did this at Richmond and I think it’s cool. I kind of like the option thing. I don’t know, it’s kind of hit or miss for competitors and maybe even fans, whether they like it or not. I think some people see it as possibly gimmicky, but I don’t see it that way at all. I see that everyone has the same amount of tires and it’s how you want to call the race. But I do think it’s better for the sport to have, you know, if this tire, it’s going to work. And they can implement it in more places and keep doing this. I think it’s great. It’s cool.”

I’M FULLY AWARE I’M ASKING YOU ABOUT YOUR TEAMMATE, AUSTIN, BUT NASCAR SAID THEY DIDN’T SUSPEND HIM BECAUSE THEY FELT LIKE THE RETALIATION WAS AT A SLOWER SPEED AND THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE IN THE RACE. ARE YOU GOOD WITH THAT PHILOSOPHY ON RETALIATION?

“I think all of us just go and look back and say, okay, what is acceptable and what is not, and how are things called. It is case by case, that is what they say. Now we know what that means. It is one thing to be written in the rule book and a lot of time it is hard to understand it because it is a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo in there, but when they make a call on something and it’s this way you expect okay next time it should look like that if it’s a similar scenario. So I guess it’s case by case.”

DO YOU THINK NASCAR DRIVERS GET ENOUGH CREDIT FOR BEING ATHLETES?

“Yeah, the fact that they even ask us is a little ridiculous, in my opinion. It’s how you want to define an athlete. In the same way that if you give me a basketball, I’m not going to be that great with it, it’s the same way you put an NBA player in a NASCAR race car, and they’re not going to be that great either. So are you going to tell me now an NBA player is not an athlete because he can’t drive a race car? Probably not. So then why would you call me not an athlete? Why would you even be in the conversation? I just don’t, I don’t get that. I think when people are competing at a high level, at the very top with the amount of pressure that we all deal with, and not to mention that obviously the physical strains that it takes to drive these race cars these days. We’re in for a long period of time and tough conditions. It’s kind of hard to say we’re not, but it’s an uneducated question from people that don’t understand our sport is what it is.”

WHAT KIND OF WORKOUTS DO YOU DO TO STAY IN TOP FORM? ARE YOU LIKE A CROSSFIT GUY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

“I’m not a CrossFitter. Everybody’s probably a little bit different and my workouts have changed as I get older and different things start feeling different ways. I think I started thinking about the mobility a little bit more and making sure my hips work a little bit more. But outside of that, I run a fair amount. I try to do a lot of stuff outside. I lift some as well, but everything’s high reps because we don’t want to be that big and bulky inside a race car. You gotta be able to do some for a long time, right? Endurance is a huge thing, so you know, keeping your heart rate elevated for a long period of time seems to be something that’s comparable to what’s in the race car. So heat and elevated heart rate for a long period of time is probably the best way to train.”

DO YOU EXPECT THE OPTION TIRE TO BEHAVE A CERTAIN WAY THIS WEEKEND, OR MAYBE DIFFERENT FROM RICHMOND, SINCE IT’LL BE A DAY RACE AND THE TRACK WILL BE A LITTLE BIT HOTTER COMPARED TO RICHMOND AT NIGHT?

“You know as much as me. We have a few educated guesses on the way we think things are going to go, but we won’t know for sure until we get on the racetrack with it. Nobody knows how much faster it’s truly going to be. Is it going to be a couple tenths? Is it going to be a half a second? Is it gonna last? Is it going to be a half second quicker for 10 laps and then neutral out? We don’t know until we go out there and run a longer run to really understand that. So it makes practice tomorrow really interesting for everybody, right? For everyone who wants to see what these tires are going to be worth. And then you can start to dictate your strategy off of that. But you really can’t until you get out there on the racetrack.”

IT WAS ONLY FOUR MONTHS AGO THAT YOU WERE SITTING RIGHT HERE AND PENSKE CARS WERE DOMINANT. BUT EVEN A YEAR AGO IT WAS BELL WHO WAS 20TH ON THE LAST PIT STOP, DROVE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE FIELD, WON BY 5 SECONDS. SO WE’VE SEEN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SPRING AND FALL. WHAT ARE SOME FACTORS HERE THAT COULD CHANGE THINGS UP? I MEAN OBVIOUSLY THERE’S AN OPTION TIRE, BUT COULD TEAMS HAVE MADE THAT MANY GAINS IN THE SIMULATOR IN THE OFF-SEASON? OR WHY WOULD THINGS BE DIFFERENT?

“You know how racing is, there’s a million different variables out there that are always floating around. What do teams do over the off-season to find just overall gains, right? This will be a good measure to see, did we work hard enough over the off-season or did everyone else catch us? This would be a good way of knowing that. You brought up the tire, that’s going to be a unique thing, so we will have to overcome that and try to figure that challenge out. There’s a lot of little things that can stack in. I wouldn’t expect this one to be as much of a change as, you know, a lot of times from Phoenix 1 to Phoenix 2 is a larger change because you’ve gone through so many more races in between, you learned more things and there’s just as equal of a chance that if we raced here last November and we came back a week later, the race would look different because everyone would have gone back and said, man, my car did this good, this good, and this not so well. And they would try to fix the not so well part and probably be pretty damn competitive. So we got to kind of look at it the same way. They all have the opportunity to go work on their stuff and they’re probably going to be better than they were last time. We have to do the same. So I think it can be different, yes. Hopefully it’s not.”

WHEN YOU SWITCH FROM PRIMARIES TO OPTIONS AND BACK TO PRIMARIES, WHAT’S THE IMPACT ON THE DRIVER? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO DIFFERENTLY WITH EACH SET OF TIRES? WHAT ARE YOU DOING INSIDE THE CAR THAT WE DON’T HAVE A TRUE CONCEPT OR UNDERSTANDING OF WHEN YOU CHANGE TIRES LIKE THAT?

“There’s a lot of strategy to it. For one, you wonder what the balance is going to be from one set to another, which is something we’re planning on wanting to learn tomorrow in practice. But also knowing how hard you can push that tire before it falls off or if it will fall off. How long do you got the goody in it and what’s the penalty if you use it too soon? You kind of got to know that. That’s a pretty big strategy call from behind the wheel of how hard you’re going to push this thing. And obviously there’s a lot of strategy on when you put them on. That’s a given though and that’s kind of more of a crew chief and driver conversation together to figure out what the best timing is going to be. But from behind the wheel you got to know what you can and can’t do with this tire. It’s hard to talk about it right now because we don’t know, right? I mean it’s, it kind of makes it fun because we’re going to learn a lot tomorrow in a short amount of time and we may have even more questions by the tie we are done. But I think it’s definitely going to change the game a lot. And you have to be ready to adjust what you need to depending on what it does to the balance of the car.”

AFTER THIS WEEKEND, HOW WILL YOU LOOK AT IT IN THE SENSE OF MOST OF THE WEEKEND WE RUN ON A TIRE THAT FOR THE MOST PART PROBABLY ISN’T GOING TO BE RUN IN NOVEMBER. WHENEVER THIS WEEKEND’S OVER, WHOEVER WINS THIS RACE IS GOING TO BE CROWNED THE FAVORITE, BECAUSE THEY WON AT PHOENIX BUT MOST OF THE RACE WILL BE RUN ON A TIRE THAT PROBABLY WON’T BE RUN IN NOVEMBER. SO HOW WILL YOU DIGEST THIS WEEKEND AND NOT GET DISTRACTED BY WHAT HAPPENED WITH THIS ON THESE TIRES AND ON THE PRIMARY TIRES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.”

“You just have to do a good job taking notes afterwards of what did what, and make sure you know. Because we don’t know that this is going to be the tire coming back, right? In the same way, you can’t say whoever wins the race on Sunday is going to be the championship favorite when they come back here. I don’t remember what we ran in the spring last year, but it wasn’t pretty. I remember that. It was mid-pack. And we came back and were dominant when we came back. A year later, or a season later, obviously. So I don’t know if I’d call this winner here the dominant favorite to win the whole thing. There’s just too many things that can change. There’s just too much. It’s kind of hard. So we’ll just take the best notes we possibly can from everything.”

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE A FAN OF THE OPTION TIRE BEING BROUGHT HERE, BUT DO YOU FEEL AS A COMPETITOR LIKE IT WAS NEEDED FOR THE RACING HERE OR IS IT CHALLENGING ENOUGH RACING AT PHOENIX?

“I think more tire fall-off is good and I think it’s good anywhere. This is something that drivers have been asking for for years, right? This car was supposed to be the opportunity to be able to do that, and now Goodyear’s feeling comfortable about being more aggressive. The drivers are asking for it, that is one thing we talk about. If the drivers are asking for it and Goodyear goes and builds a tire and it wears out too quick, you better not be complaining about it, because you’re the one that asked for it, right? That’s just the truth. I think all the drivers are behind that. They’re kind of like, hey, you know what, as long as it doesn’t blow out and we smack the wall, we’re not going to complain, right? If it wears out too quickly, that’s kind of what you asked for, right? You think of the Bristol spring race last year, right? A little extreme, but kind of what we asked for. I don’t think many people are going to complain about that. It was good. So this is a way to introduce that softer tire, or a tire that has more wear with less risk of maybe having that Bristol spring scenario where we can put it on and you can say, man, this added a fair amount, and cool. Look at last week, it was great. I don’t know if that race looks as good if we have a different tire on there. We’ve proven that the tire is the biggest knob to good racing. I think we’ve proven that. I think Goodyear understands that and they’ve done a great job at producing a tire that has that. Think about how hard is it for a tire company to do that. They want to build a tire to sell on the street, like their number one goal is to make money, right? Obviously, and you want tires on your street car to last forever and we’re asking for something completely different in a race car, and they’re willing to do that for us. I respect that. Because that’s kind of against what they would want to do, you would think. So for them to build this tire, I respect that. I give them a lot of kudos for that and I think that’s great for our sport.”

VEGAS, NEXT WEEK, IT’S BEEN PRETTY GOOD TO YOU OVER THE YEARS. WHAT MAKES YOU GUYS SO GOOD THERE? WHAT’S THE FAVORITE PART FOR YOU GOING INTO THAT WEEKEND?

“We say that’s a racetrack where it just takes everything to be good. You have to have a fast car, you have to be able to take the bumps good, you have to have good horsepower, you have to have good fuel mileage, you have to have the right strategy, and it is the Pennzoil 400, right? We drive in the Pennzoil car there. So you want to make sure you have a good run in there, a good show. I don’t see why we wouldn’t be good there. I’m looking forward to getting out there and seeing what we’ve got.”

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THE DRIVERS GET TOGETHER AND THEY’RE LIKE, WHAT ELSE DO WE WANT FROM A CAR STANDPOINT THAT COULD BE BETTER.

“Well, listen when you put a group of drivers in a room you’re gonna get opinions. It’s just what it is. And some of them align on things, and some kind of vary in different ways. Not all the time is the full perspective there for anybody right? That’s why it’s important for the drivers, for NASCAR, for Goodyear, for sponsors, TV partners — it’s important for everyone to see everyone’s perspective on what it is. Because sometimes what’s best for what we think on the race track may not be the best for one of the other parties. The perspective is everything in life. And so for that reason, it’s kind of hard to say exactly what those things are, but there’s always some knobs on the race cars that people feel would make things better, but you have to be willing to almost start all over to do some of them. And I think that’s asking a lot at this point with this car.”

OVER THE NEXT MONTH WE’RE GOING TO GO TO A COUPLE OF TRACKS, HOMESTEAD AND DARLINGTON, WHERE RUNNING THE WALL IS TYPICALLY THE FASTEST WAY AROUND IN THOSE PLACES. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO RUN INCHES FROM THE WALL, LAP AFTER LAP, AND WHO DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST AT RUNNING THE WALL IN THE CUP SERIES RIGHT NOW?

“You should ask Kyle Larson. He’s really, really, really good at it. Reddick’s gotten really good at it. Blaney is decent at it too. It’s not comfortable, I can tell you that much right now. You’re on the ragged edge and you’re literally an inch off the wall. You are on it. So a mistake — you run into a corner a mile an hour too fast and boink, you’re in the wall. A car rolls up in front of you and gives you dirty air, you didn’t expect it, you were committed to being up there, boom, you’re in the fence. What’s changed now is those guys weren’t able to get away with it with the old car, because the old car, the steel body, the fenders would get knocked in, you’d get fender rub and it would be game over. You’d come in to pit, get a flat tire. That’s what happened there with Larson for years there. He’s always the fastest car and you know, just give it time, just give it time, and oh, all right, and then he’d get back up there. Now, he’s gotten really good at it, gotten even better at being consistent at it, but also you can make a mistake now as long as it’s small enough. You can just kind of smush it up against the wall every now and again and life’s okay as long as you don’t hit it that hard. We’ve seen those guys be able to get away with that and they’ve been pretty strong because of it.”

DO YOU SIT HERE MORE FRUSTRATED OR MORE ENCOURAGED BY THE SEASON BECAUSE YOU’VE OBVIOUSLY LED THE MOST LAPS OF ANYONE, YOU’VE BEEN SO STRONG IN ALL OF THE RACES BUT HAVEN’T GOTTEN THE TOP TENS OR EVEN THE VICTORIES. WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF?

“Just rolling with the punches like I typically do at this time of year. You go out there and you try to just maximize your day. Get out there and lead laps, score as many stage points as you can, get the best finish you possibly can. Last week was looking like it was actually pretty good where we get nice stage points. The first stage we got back up to like seventh there at the end before I got ran off the racetrack and then dumped all in one lap. That’s frustrating. I mean that’s probably the most frustrating thing that happened all year. Daytona is Daytona. You kind come to expect it a little bit there. It’s because everyone was racing for the 500, so that’s that. Atlanta was a little frustrating that we couldn’t get back up there and take control of the race again, but I’d say overall our team’s still in good shape. We’re doing well, like you said, we’re leading laps. Thank God we scored some stage points because the finishes haven’t been there yet, but you know, we’re still early in the year. This is the first normal race track we’ve gotten to so far. It’s hard to call those other ones normal tracks.”