Keselowski Led the Way With 2nd Place Finish

DARLINGTON, SC (March 22, 2026) – Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing brought a lot of vibrant colors to the Lady in Black Sunday. Each of its three teams honored Greg Biffle with iconic paint schemes reminiscent of The Biff’s famous on-track identities. And the performance was a worthy tribute. Brad Keselowski led 142 laps and swept the opening two stages. Chris Buescher led 41 circuits of his own and Ryan Preece also contended inside the top five during the day.

Brad Keselowski #6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang

Honoring Greg Biffle with a tribute paint scheme reminiscent of ‘The Biff’s’ 2009 July Daytona livery, Brad Keselowski was determined Sunday. After a season-best qualifying effort, he rolled off fifth in the Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang. And it didn’t take long before he showed his strength, climbing to third in the opening laps. By lap 47 he was the leader. With spotter TJ Majors guiding him on lap times and tire management, Keselowski controlled the field and capped off a dominant opening run with a Stage One victory.

Stage Two only reinforced Keselowski’s strength. Although he restarted third, after pitting between stages, he wouldn’t be held back. Quickly, the two-time Darlington winner, moved to second and began posting faster lap times than the leader. A caution on lap 112 initiated pitstops. Keselowski took tires and restarted strong, as he catapulted from third to first almost immediately. In a statement moment for RFK Racing, he led a 1-2-3 formation with teammates Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece close behind. Even through green flag pit cycles, Keselowski maintained control, ultimately winning Stage Two.

With two stage wins already, Keselowski and crew chief Jeremy Bullins set their sights on finishing the job. A caution, and subsequent pit stop, during the final stage briefly set them back to 11th, but Keselowski worked his way through the field. One by one he clicked off positions, finally retaking the lead with 44 laps to go. Though Keselowski finished second after leading an impressive 142 laps, his performance was a clear statement of speed.

“It was a good day for RFK Racing,” said Keselowski. “To have all three cars be super competitive. Win the first two stages. For a while it looked like Chris Buescher was going to win. For a while it looked like I was going to win, and Ryan wasn’t far behind us. But in the end, we didn’t quite have the pace, but the teams are executing really well and doing great work.”

Chris Buescher #17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang

Sporting a paint scheme throwing back to Greg Biffle’s iconic imagery from Talladega and Texas in 2011, Chris Buescher aimed to honor ‘The Biff’ with a Darlington win. For much of the day Sunday that was very much in reach. Starting sixth, Buescher and the Fifth Third Ford Mustang wasted no time moving forward, jumping to fifth on the opening lap. Working in sync with teammate Brad Keselowski near the front of the field, Buescher was among the fastest on the track. Throughout the stage he maintained a presence among the leaders and finished the first segment 6th.

Between stages the 17-team made minor adjustments that paid off right away. Restarting second, Buescher quickly reestablished himself as a top contender. A caution on lap 112 gave the team another opportunity for a strong stop, and Buescher capitalized, restarting second and tracking directly behind Keselowski. Running the leader’s line and maintaining impressive speed, Buescher remained a constant threat at the front finishing second in Stage Two.

The final stage saw Buescher firmly in the fight for the win. Restarting third, he battled Keselowski for the top spot before settling into second and maintaining pressure. Strategy came into play on lap 198 when Buescher stayed out under caution to take over the lead, and he began to pull away from the field. During that stretch he led 41 laps. Unfortunately, contact from Tyler Reddick just before the final round of pit stops sent Buescher into the wall. Buescher held on to the car but lost track position, Buescher and the No. 17 team refused to fade, regrouping to finish ninth.

“It was a fun day. That was fantastic to come down here with this Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang Dark Horse and run that well from practice, qualifying, race, to make improvements. The pit crew was awesome yet again,” said Buescher. “To be leading laps there late. Obviously, (the contact with Reddick) was a racing deal. That’s straight up all it is. We got caught by the guys that did come and take tires and made an aggressive move to try to get to pit road real fast and kind of jump it and it was a little bit of an aggressive move, and it didn’t work out. We’re trying to win races here. That’s what we we’re after and just came up a little bit short today.”

Ryan Preece #60 Kroger/Oscar Mayer/Heinz Ford Mustang

Honoring ‘The Biff’ with a throwback paint scheme to the classic colors and markings Greg Biffle ran during the majority of 2009, Ryan Preece was locked in. No. 60 Oscar Mayer/Heinz/Kroger Ford Mustang Dark Horse rolled off 17th Sunday. Preece quickly settled into a steady rhythm, telling the team the car felt similar to practice and seemed good for the first few runs. That confidence translated on track as he methodically picked his way forward, climbing to the edge of the top 10 and locking down an 11th place finish in Stage One.

Stage Two delivered the kind of momentum every team hopes for at Darlington. Restarting eighth, Preece and the No. 60 group capitalized on a timely caution, grabbing fresh tires and unleashing one of their strongest charges of the day. Running the high line with precision on the restart, he sliced through lap traffic and powered into the top five, eventually lining up with teammates Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher to form a thrilling RFK Racing 1-2-3. Preece wrapped the stage in 6th, struggling with right rear grip but still showing the pace that kept the No. 60 in the fight.

A tight handling condition off throttle and a few tough pit cycles shuffled him back to 14th but kept the No. 60 on the lead lap all day. With 50 laps remaining, the team bolted on fresh tires for one last push. Preece clawed his way once more and came home 13th when the checker flag waved.

“Way too much right rear driving, I only got increasingly tighter with each adjustment. It was a good effort and we’ll keep rolling,” said Preece post-race. “Happy for my teammates and RFK Racing, was special to run up front with them there and pay tribute to Greg.”

Up Next:

Martinsville Speedway (Martinsville, VA)

The NASCAR Cup Series – Sunday, March 29 at 3:30pm EST on FS1

About RFK Racing 

RFK Racing, in its 39th season in 2026, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988, and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit https://www.rfkracing.com/ and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Long Beard XR Chevrolet Team Challenged at Darlington Raceway Enroute to 25th-Place Finish

Finish: 25th
Start: 10th
Points: 26th

“Our No. 3 team had another solid start to the weekend with qualifying inside the top-10, which puts us in a better spot to start the race and have a better pit stall selection. Once the race started, we just went to battle with our Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Long Beard XR Chevrolet. Tires are key at this place with the fall off and we tried to play strategy in Stage 3, hoping for a quick caution. Unfortunately, that didn’t fall our way but we netted out where we were before, maybe a few positions lower. The balance was extremely tight at the end so we powered through to the checkered.” -Austin Dillon

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet Team Showcase Never-Give-Up Mentality at Darlington Raceway

Finish: 21st
Start: 8th
Points: 23rd

“Today wasn’t our day. We had a good practice and qualifying session with the No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet, but that didn’t convert once we got out on Darlington Raceway this afternoon. With that said, the team never quit and we made some adjustments that at times let us race inside the top-15. It’s time now to focus on Martinsville Speedway and continuing to make strides with the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.” -Kyle Busch

RICK WARE RACING
Goodyear 400
Date: March 22, 2026
Event: Goodyear 400 (Round 6 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.366-mile oval)
Format: 293 laps, broken into three stages (90 laps/95 laps/108 laps)

Race Winner: Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Brad Keselowski of RFK Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of RFK Racing (Ford)

RWR Finish:

● Cody Ware (Started 34th, Finished 36th / Running, completed 285 of 293 laps)

RWR Points:

● Cody Ware (35th with 53 points)

Race Notes:

● Tyler Reddick won the Goodyear 400 to score his 12th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his series-leading fourth of the season, and his first at Darlington. His margin over second-place Brad Keselowski was 5.847 seconds.

● There were four caution periods for a total of 26 laps.

● Only 18 of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Reddick remains the championship leader after Darlington with a 95-point advantage over second-place Ryan Blaney.

Sound Bites:

“Today was probably one of the toughest days in a racecar, probably ever. First green flag pit stop, we had a wheel come off, and so our day was kind of shot, but we fired off swinging. I was really impressed by the team, the car they built, the speed that we had. We’ve unloaded strong in practice three weeks in a row now, and that’s a testament to these guys. Hopefully, we can just mitigate mistakes and get a good result next week in Martinsville.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Jacob Construction Chevrolet

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Cook Out 400 on Sunday, March 29 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The race begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

REDDICK WINS AGAIN, CLAIMS VICTORY IN DARLINGTON
Toyota first OEM to win five of the first six Cup races since 2007

DARLINGTON, S.C. (March 22, 2026) – Tyler Reddick added to his incredible start to the 2026 season as he overcame alternator woes to drive through the field and claim his fourth victory in six races to start the year. Reddick, who won the pole and finished second in the first stage, was forced to have an extended pit stop at the end of stage one to change a battery, and it took until the final stage, but Reddick was able to pass race leader Brad Keselowski with 30 to go in the race and set sail, winning by more than five seconds. Reddick now leads the point standings by 95 points.

Reddick’s fourth victory, along with Denny Hamlin’s triumph in Las Vegas, has given Toyota wins in five of the first six races to start the season – the first time any OEM has done that since 2007.

Ty Gibbs (sixth) and Erik Jones (10th) also placed their Camrys in the top-10, continuing recent strong performance. For Gibbs, it is his fourth consecutive top-six run, while Jones earned his second top-10 in the last three races.

TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Darlington Raceway
Race 6 of 36 – 400.24 miles, 293 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1sr, TYLER REDDICK
2nd, Brad Keselowski*
3rd, Ryan Blaney*
4th, Carson Hocevar*
5th, Austin Cindric*
6th, TY GIBBS
10th, ERIK JONES
11th, DENNY HAMLIN
12th, CHASE BRISCOE
19th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
27th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
34th, BUBBA WALLACE
35th, RILEY HERBST
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Xfinity Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

What does it mean to win here at Darlington?

“It means everything. Some of the guys and I were talking about – we have it pretty good as Cup drivers, but it seemed like today, it was going to be a blue-collar type of day – we were going to have to really work for it. From lap 1, to have the alternator problems we were having, and just be cutting fans and not to be able to run things that I was counting on to keep me cool all day was tough. Just an incredible Xfinity Camry. So proud of this team, and everyone that is a part of it.”

ERIK JONES, No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

Finishing Position: 10th

Can you talk about your race?
“It wasn’t a bad day. I thought we had a decent top-10, top-five AdventHealth Camry. Got turned around at the end or stage two and had to fight back from that. Strategy worked out good at the end, and the car was good the last two runs, which allowed us to get back to the front. We needed some long runs, which we had. Long day, lot of sliding around and a lot of guys wrecking and making mistakes, so to come home 10th is good.”

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 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
Darlington Raceway
Goodyear 400
Team Chevy Post-Race Report
March 22, 2026

Carson Hocevar Makes Late-Race Charge to Earn Career-Best Finish at Darlington Raceway

Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar made an impressive late-race charge to take home his career-best NASCAR Cup Series finish at Darlington Raceway – driving his No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet to a fourth-place finish in the Goodyear 400. The Portage, Michigan, native led the Bowtie brigade to three top-10 results at the ‘Track Too Tough To Tame’. Spire Motorsports’ Daniel Suarez and Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron each drove their Chevrolet’s to points in each stage en route to a seventh- and eighth-place finish, respectively.

Race Recap:

Stage One:

A pair of Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, led the Bowtie brigade in Saturday’s qualifying session – sweeping the second row of the starting lineup for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. With the opening stage turning into a long green flag run, the field quickly approached its first trip to pit road as the stage closed in on the halfway mark. Larson, who maintained a top-four running position throughout the run, was called to pit road on Lap 39 for a fresh set of four tires and fuel. The green flag pit sequence expanded over the next 10 laps, with the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team making their way back up into the fourth position. Among those who made a gain in position during the green flag pit cycle included Team Chevy’s William Byron, who jumped five spots to make his first appearance in the top-10 of the race. Despite struggling with the handling of his No. 5 Chevrolet, Larson held onto a strong points run in the opening stage – taking the first green-white checkered flag in the fifth position.

Stage Two:

With track position at a premium, the No. 5 pit crew delivered – earning the reigning champion three positions to win the race off pit road and a position on the front row to start Stage Two. Electing the outside lane, a masterful restart and clean air was enough for Larson to take over the top position and lead his first laps of the race. Settled into the lead, the first natural caution of the day flew. With the lead pack hitting pit road, the No. 5 pit crew led the way once again. Losing the battle on the restart, Larson overcame similar handling issues to maintain a top-three running position en route to the second green-white checkered flag – leading fellow Team Chevy drivers, Byron and Daniel Suarez, with back-to-back top-10 stage points.

Final Stage:

Under the stage break, the Cliff Daniels-led team continued to go to work on their Chevrolet-powered machine with the pit crew continuing to give Larson valuable track position during their visit to pit road. But a caution near the 200-lap marker saw a shakeup in pit strategy. With the leaders opting to make another stop, a handful of cars chose track position, including Suarez – a decision that ultimately led the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team to their highest running position of the race. Holding strong among those with fresher tires, Suarez settled into the sixth position as the field approached what ended up being the final green flag pit cycle of the race. As the lap countdown hit 54 to go, the field began to hit pit road, with Byron and Larson among the first group of cars to make their stop. With the cycle deemed complete just after 10 laps around the ‘Lady in Black’, the Hendrick Motorsports duo re-entered the top-10. But it was Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar that was making a monstrous charge in the closing laps. With seven-lap fresher tires, the Portage, Michigan, native was clicking off the fastest laps among the leaders – climbing up to the fourth position to earn his career-best Darlington finish.

 
Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 Results

Pos. Driver

4th – Carson Hocevar
7th – Daniel Suarez
8th – William Byron

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

Wins: 0
Poles: 1
Top-Fives: 11
Top 10s: 20
Stage Wins: 2

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Martinsville Speedway with the Cook Out 400 on Sunday, March 29, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Post-Race Driver Quotes:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 16th

“An up and down day for our No. 1 Moose Chevrolet team. We had a loose handling car, but were pretty good on the long runs. The guys had a few good pit stops and gained some track position to race around the top-10. We had a couple mishaps that set us back with an issue on the right side during a stop, and around halfway through race, I got a speeding penalty on pit road. The guys worked hard to give us a lead lap finish, but we just didn’t have enough in the end to contend for more. I felt that we had a top-10 car today, just not the result to show.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 25th

“Our No. 3 team had another solid start to the weekend with qualifying inside the top-10, which puts us in a better spot to start the race and have a better pit stall selection. Once the race started, we just went to battle with our Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Long Beard XR Chevrolet. Tires are key at this place with the fall off and we tried to play strategy in Stage 3, hoping for a quick caution. Unfortunately that didn’t fall our way but we netted out where we were before, maybe a few positions lower. The balance was extremely tight at the end so we powered through to the checkered.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 7th

This was your career-best Cup Series finish here at Darlington Raceway. How important are these strong runs early in your tenure with Spire Motorsports?

“Listen, from the outside, I was looking at Spire Motorsports, and in my mind, they were the fastest-growing team. I was always curious — what are they doing to grow that quick? But as the year went along and we put a deal together, I started to understand more and more. The culture of the team is pretty incredible. There are great people here; the structure’s solid, and I’m just really happy and proud to be a part of this organization. And the best part is that they just continue to grow. We’re not even close to our full potential, so we just have to keep doing our thing; keep building, and get better and better.”

That last run, you were in the top-10, then dropped back a little, but climbed up to seventh. What was that final run like?

“Really, that was about all that we had. Maybe we could have found it a little sooner, but we got a bit too tight at the end. Just so proud of this No. 7 NationsGuard Chevrolet team. They did an incredible job all day long. I feel like every single week, if we look at our numbers and we can get a little bit better, that’s all I can ask for. We’re not trying to hit home runs right now, we’re just putting one step in front of the other, and that’s how progress happens.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 21st

“Today wasn’t our day. We had a good practice and qualifying session with the No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet, but that didn’t convert once we got out on Darlington Raceway this afternoon. With that said, the team never quit and we made some adjustments that at times let us race inside the top-15. It’s time now to focus on Martinsville and continuing to make strides with the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.”

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 8th

“Man, I was working hard in there. That was tough. We’re still trying to figure things out with this body, but we definitely are making baby steps. This is just a tough race in general, though, but this No. 24 Raptor Chevy team fought hard.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 4th

You captured your career-best Darlington result with a fourth-place finish. Do you walk away today satisfied with what you and your team did?

“Super proud of this No. 77 Chili’s Marg Machine Chevrolet team. It hasn’t been a lack of effort, but just a lack of luck that takes us out of finishes, so it’s nice to take one today. Chili’s put a lot of effort into this throwback scheme, so it’s great to give it a good run.”

There were a lot of unknowns about the package and the tire going into this race. What do you make of it?

“I had fun. Our Chevy was good. It didn’t feel crazy different, but it seemed like it was way different for everyone else and we were able to pass a lot of cars. That was beneficial for us, for sure.”

Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 18th

“It was a solid day in Darlington for this No. 88 Red Bull Chevrolet team. We got a lap down early, but we were able to get the wave around and get our lap back. We stayed on the lead lap for the rest of the day, so that was a positive way to end the day. It’s definitely a little unfortunate that we weren’t able to make up as much ground as we would have liked there at the end, but a top-20 is a solid day. It’s good to at least get the ball rolling in the right direction after a few bad weekends.”

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 14th

“Decent result! We didn’t qualify very well but the guys did an awesome job tuning up my WeatherTech Chevrolet and as the race went on, it got better and better. Good day, onto Martinsville next weekend.”

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.

GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US IndyCar series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Goodyear 400 — Darlington Raceway
Sunday, March 22, 2026

Ford Finishing Results:

2nd – Brad Keselowski
3rd – Ryan Blaney
5th – Austin Cindric
9th – Chris Buescher
13th – Ryan Preece
17th – Josh Berry
22nd – Zane Smith
23rd – Todd Gilliland
26th – Noah Gragson
33rd – Joey Logano
37th – Timmy Hill

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT DID YOU NEED AT THE END? “A lot. Tyler was really, really fast. Those problems earlier in the race that he got kind of buried and he was just methodical. He did a great job. He took the fastest car and ran an amazing race. When he was by me he was way faster. We had to fall into racing the track and even at the end I think he was managing it pretty hard, so, all in all, it’s a great day for us. We won two stages, led a lot of laps, scored a bunch of points, so a lot to be proud of.” WHAT KIND OF ENERGY DOES THIS INJECT INTO THE TEAM? “It’s great. I was joking when we walked out of the garage area last night after qualifying that we’re on the right side of the garage area. Our hauler is parked to the right side and we’re just showing ourselves as a team that is highly capable.” HOW IS YOUR LEG? “I feel my best in the car. You get a little adrenaline pumping and that position is not so bad on my leg. It sucks standing up. It sucks getting out of the car, but in the car I feel great.” HOW MUCH FUN DID YOU HAVE WITH THIS PACKAGE? “It was a lot of fun. The cars were fair to drive. You really had to be careful. You couldn’t be a foot offline and I thought our team did a good job with that today.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Delta Ford Mustang Dark Horse – YOU OVERCAME SOME PIT ROAD ISSUES, BUT HOW CHALLENGING IS THAT? “Really challenging. Having that deal after the first stage and then honestly didn’t really have good stops the rest of the day, so that’s something we’ve got to work on, but we had a fast enough car to get back to third. I’m proud of that effort. We’ll take it and move on, but definitely stuff to work on.” WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF YOUR DAY? “I’m proud of the fight back to run third. I thought our car was pretty good, we just got set back too many times and it was hard to make it back up. I’m proud of our effort. We made gains on it all day, so that’s good. I was third and Austin was fifth, so a good showing for the Penske cars and I’m proud of that comeback.” PIT ROAD? “It’s something we’ve got to work on.” WHAT ABOUT THE PACKAGE? “It’s a handful. You can crap the bed quickly if you were kind of rough on your stuff, which was good, so that part was good. There was tons of fall off. I think you saw guys kind of get too much early and then they were done. Very rarely in my Cup career have I just let guys go, whether it’s on restarts or green flag runs and say to myself, ‘I’m gonna see you in about 20,’ and that was kind of the way it went today, so I think it was good. I’m looking forward to running it at more places that are a little bit bigger.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Freightliner Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW DID THIS PACKAGE RACE FOR YOU? “It was a difficult weekend for the teams to kind of decide what to bring and the right things to do. My group proves time and time again that they come prepared, whether it’s changes or practice to race, things like that, so we really had a solid package to work with all day, something that we could adjust with and change with the conditions. We were overdue for this group to have a good run and I’m proud to be able to deliver it and get us to the finish line for the first time, it feels like all year without an issue, so I’m proud of the team and something to build on.” HOW MUCH WAS THIS A LEARNING WEEK FOR YOU GUYS? “It definitely is. I mean, you can’t replace on-track data and on-track feedback. We only have so many tools to help make decisions throughout the week, whether that’s the driving inputs that I make or just what the setup of the race car is when it leaves the shop on a Wednesday. Like I said, I’m just proud of the team. Total execution, no mistakes all day and it comes with a good results.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was a fun day. That was fantastic to come down here with this Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang Dark Horse and run that well from practice, qualifying, race, to make improvements. The pit crew was awesome yet again. To be leading laps there late. Obviously, it was a racing deal. That’s straight up all it is. We got caught by the guys that did come and take tires and made an aggressive move to try to get to pit road real fast and kind of jump it and it was a little bit of an aggressive move and it didn’t work out. We’re trying to win races here. That’s what we were after and just came up a little bit short today.” DID YOU THINK ABOUT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WITH THE SAME CAR? DID YOU FLASHBACK? “It’s ironic, but this was a racing deal. I don’t hold any fault for this one. That’s just part of it. We were being aggressive and trying to take our opportunity and roll down. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I can take a pretty good stab at it. They were coming on tires. The 6 had just gotten by us and he probably was gonna go to the bottom and dive through there and pull a slider. That was probably what was on his mind and we kind of turned down last second to take that and it’s hard to check up that fast. I’m assuming that’s what happened. It was nothing intentionally and I know that from where I’m at without ever having to talk to him. We’re all good. It’s just racing, trying to jump those guys and just missed it a little bit.”