Toyota GAZOO Racing – Tyler Reddick
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 12, 2025) – 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.

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

Does your win at Talladega last year make it fun to come to superspeedway races?

“I think we’ve done a better job of understanding what the keys are to running well and having that shot to win the race. It’s only happened one and a half times I guess if you count the Duel here. We know what we need to do, but to have all of these things fall into place in one race and not have any mistakes – it’s a difficult thing to do. Certainly, it feels more fun from that aspect like we know what we need to do. It’s still just a hard thing to do over the course of 500 miles to have that perfect day if you will where everything goes to plan so you can have the track position at the end.”

Do you have anything different circled going into this year compared to the past after running for the Cup championship last year?

“It’s not crazy different. I think the things that we needed to improve last year were the right things to focus on. I don’t feel like our keys to being good this year have really changed too much. It feels like we’ve gotta keep just working on the same things that we prioritized a lot and improved last year. We’ve got to just keep going further in those same areas.”

How big of a year was last year for you to have in just your fifth year in the Cup Series?

“It was a good year. We did a lot of things right in the summer. We had to overcome a lot of incidents, a lot of blockades if you will that could’ve kept us from advancing and could’ve kept us from getting to Phoenix with a chance to compete. We did a good job of overcoming that each step of the way and it was a pretty rocky road that we had to take in the Playoffs. To be able to overcome that was good especially when you look at how everything just kind of fell our way in the regular season. When things finally didn’t go our way, we didn’t fold up, we welcomed the pressure. It was a really good year for me as a driver. We won a number of races, we let some get away for sure. The wins were great, but I think the days outside of the wins were more of what made that season be as great as it was. Just the consistency we showed over long periods of the season.”

How do changes on your pit crew change your mindset as a driver?

“I don’t know if it changes my mindset to be honest. What I need to do getting into the box and out of the box to tie all that together remains the same. Certainly, as we get the in-race reps if you will, I think some of each individual’s tendencies might be a little bit different of what they’re wanting to see me do with my car coming into the box might be a little different. With time, that will just tell. As of now, how I get into the box and out of the box, car placement and all that sort of stuff I don’t really feel like has changed. I’m excited to see how the new members do. The entire group seems like they’re gelling well, so we’ll see how the performance is.”

What do you see in Riley Herbst coming into his first year in the Cup Series?

“I can remember racing against him (Riley Herbst) when I was on the tail end of my Xfinity career. It just seemed like really this past year in particular the light switch went off, things started to click for him. His crew chief Davin (Restivo), I worked with him back in my Xfinity days. He was my engineer on the 42 with Chip Ganassi Racing. I knew that he got a good one there so to see their relationship growing and getting to the point where they were winning races and performing really, really well it seemed like things were starting good for him. It seems like him and Davin’s relationship is in a really good place. I never worked with Riley as a teammate. We had a relationship through Monster Energy as Monster Energy athletes. Getting to work with him in-house this year has been cool and getting to understand his approach and his involvement. I felt like I was at the shop a lot, but I think Riley’s got me beat there. He’s definitely around and clued into what’s going on.”

Do you feel more confident coming into this race with more Toyota’s running in the Daytona 500?

“Yeah, certainly. All the manufacturers work with their own. Just the more numbers we have is going to help that. It’s just going to allow us to hopefully do what we want to do more so rather than just respond to what’s happening around us. So, we’ll see how that all plays out. Obviously, it would be great if all the Toyota’s can make the race, but there’s a lot that’s going to happen tonight and tomorrow night.”

What are the things you can control at a superspeedway race?

“I think if you have a plan and a strategy, you just stick to it. Obviously, we’ll try to pick the one that has the highest probability of working out and we’ll just try to stick to our game plan throughout the race and hopefully it’s a good game plan and gets us to the front.”

How much emphasis has been on starting the season out strong in points?

“I think every year I’ve ran Cup we’ve gotten past race two or three and been in the high 20s or low 30s in points. A lot of that has been because I can’t seemingly finish a race here on the lead lap in the (Daytona) 500. And, now that we have Atlanta, I think Atlanta last year we wrecked on lap 2 there too. We just have a tendency to not get out of the first few races with a lot of points and it kind of gets us behind. It’s only three races, but when you get down 160 to 100 points in the first couple races to some of the guys, you’re going to be competing against all year long it can take eight or nine races to close that margin back up. I think a small little objective of ours is going to be to have a good start to the year. That would be great to not start in a hole. That way it’s not such a looming task and we don’t have to spend so much time over the summer trying to close that gap back up.”

What makes your crew chief Billy Scott so successful?

“There’s a lot of things. I think for our relationship, it’s how he structures things. He’s an organized individual. He does a good job of balancing the work and his home life as well. I think all around he’s a good individual. It takes someone like that to be a leader and set a good example for the rest of the individuals on our team. Those are ones that come to mind. And just as we spend more time together, he understands what I say even if he can’t picture perfect, crystal clear understand the words. That just comes with time. All around, he puts in the effort, he works really hard, and I think that along with all of the other reasons is why he’s very successful.”

What is the challenge of moving on from a year like last year where you ran for the championship?

“I think I handled that well last year. For us, we didn’t have the clean start to the weekend that we wanted, but I felt like we pretty much got everything we could out of our car by the race end and we still just didn’t quite have enough. That means we’ve got to bring a better all-around car that just runs longer into the run as good as the Penske cars do. I feel like all in all, we walked away from it and didn’t get the result we wanted, but we felt like we did everything we could with our day. Obviously, we have some things that we know we can improve, we know we have to get better. On the Xfinity side, right, I had to switch teams and figure it all out again, so I wouldn’t say it was a whole lot different than what that was like. We’ll just take advantage of the race we have in the spring, see if we can learn some stuff at the test and hopefully, we have a good sense of direction on what we need to improve when we return at the end of the year.”

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 spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.

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

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 12, 2025

 Carson Hocevar, driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet – DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes

REGARDING MICHAEL MCDOWELL JOINING THE TEAM AND HIS IMPACT

“I think he has been big, especially for here. That is the biggest thing, especially for the race because he runs good. I think Travis has played more of a role personally because he knows what was on the cars. I like to do my own thing, and my strategy was to always ride in the back at superspeedways anyway. We haven’t really got enough races for me to pick Michael’s brain or him to pick mine. I normally like to go out there and just run and don’t like to talk about anything anyways. I like to just go see if I am any good or not. But having Michael just adds depth and adds to our allotment that if I struggle, or if I can lean on him if he is running good, and that type deal. He is going to fill our gaps and as a team owner, you are trying to run first-second-third. But if your cars struggle and they have their strong suits, like Michael’s is superspeedways and road courses is hopefully where he is going to elevate our program.”

SO WHEN YOU ARE GOING MORE OFF THE FEEL OF THE TRACK THAN THE DATA, DOES THAT PLAY AT OTHER TRACKS MORE THAN LIKE DAYTONA?

“Yeah, for me I almost look at these two, especially more now, that I look at them more as an off week. Just hang out and be like, ‘man, I am just going to enjoy the week’. There is not a whole lot more you can prepare for….the last couple of years it was super draggy, but now we are trying to be fast everywhere. I think we are a lot closer to the Hendrick cars based on the lap time there with the single car alone. It was like a second difference from last year to this year, so I am super pumped about that. So, the biggest thing they want to do right is to try and get my head ready if we are up front and give me all the info that we have. But yes, for me it is like so much more laid back. There are about two instances that I study for here and I just hang out the rest of the time. I have an iRacing rig on my hauler so you probably won’t see me much until race time and I will be driving on superspeedways and World of Outlaws Sprint Cars.

HOW MUCH CAN IRACING HELP YOU IN REACTIONARY MOVES AND MAKING THE RIGHT MOVES AT THE RIGHT TIME?

“I think iRacing on superspeedways is more 1 to 1 and is light years ahead of any other (track). I don’t learn a lot doing anything else, but for superspeedways its huge. I had to leave the race with five to go, I was leading, and had to go practice. All my guys were having fun. We were maintaining lanes in a truck, manipulating lanes and its fun. But yeah, I am going to take advantage of it before the Duel and try a bunch of stuff, hit people, have them hit me, and change lanes. I am more than happy to wreck over there than out here.”

REGARDING GETTING ANOTHER SHOT AT THIS RACE AFTER WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR

“I mean I am not a superspeedway guy, and I don’t want to say I have been so anxious, but it would be cool to finish, right? But we ran good and we finished 11th in July. So at least I finished. Regarding last year, I haven’t got it out of my system, but I kind of want to finish all the laps and be there at the end. I am excited to go, but at the same time I do not love these superspeedways, so I don’t get too excited. You know what I mean? If I win the race and we figure out how to maintain lanes and we run really good, then I am going to be really excited to come back next year. But for me, I need a little bit more superspeedway racing to get excited.”

HOW ARE THE EMOTIONS COMING BACK FOR YOUR SECOND YEAR AS OPPOSED TO YOUR FIRST LAST YEAR?

“I think its more about being more confident and being a lot more decisive about the decisions you are making and decisive on how our cars are being developed. I think it adds……there’s not really any pressure and as Dan Campbell said one time, there is no weight, he just felt the wind underneath him. That is the motto we have been going with.”

HOW ABOUT THE CONFIDENCE IN HAVING JUSTIN AND MICHAEL OUT THERE?

“Yeah, it definitely helps to have friends out there for sure. But I don’t know. I will let you know after the Duels and Daytona 500 go for sure. At the same time, we have a lot of Chevy friends that hopefully we will work closely with. So, there is a lot of depth out there already.”

WHAT HAS THE TEAM ENVIRONMENT BEEN LIKE THIS YEAR AND HOW BIG ITS GOING TO BE?

“It’s been good and all the teams have been working very closely and there is a lot of depth. For me, there are more researches than excuses in my mind. There is a lot more brainpower, there is a lot more depth, and I think the biggest hire we got was Matt McCall. I think it’s super important that we are racing with him and not racing against him. We have two crew chiefs that are super talented sitting on the sideline too.”

A BIG STORY LAST YEAR WAS THAT YOU WERE OUTPERFORMING YOUR SPIRE TEAMMATES. DOES THAT ADD PRESSURE GOING INTO THIS YEAR?

“No, not really. I don’t know why we were so good last year, I just drive. I don’t know why I was good in the 42 car when I first got in it, and I don’t know why I was good in the 7 when I first got in it. I just drive and we were either fast or we were slow. For me, it was about less excuses and more brain power. We were fast in The Clash, which I didn’t expect to be in the Clash. Just because that is not our forte and I thought we would be like, ‘let’s get through the Clash and we will be okay’. I thought we would make it, but I didn’t think we would be the third fastest car on lap times. We were super-fast which makes me excited to go to places like Martinsville and other places where we struggled. The Clash was the race for me that told me we were headed in the right direction.”

HAVE YOU SEEN A DIFFERENCE IN SPIRE SINCE RODNEY CAME OVER?

“Well, when Rodney walked in, so did four other crew chiefs too. So, I think it’s just the combination and everybody. I mean Rodney is great, but for me it’s Matt McCall, Travis Peterson, Nick Case and Ryan Sparks getting off the box. In my mind, we have five crew chiefs for three cars that are super talented. We have way more smarter people for their specific roles to make these cars go fast. You know, Mr. H and Hendrick Motorsports continue to help us through their programs. With Jeff Dickerson and that whole group, they are just rocking. I think it’s just the whirlwind of people that came in and not anyone specific. That is why I think we are going to be successful, and Spire is going to be successful. We are not relying on one person, we are relying on the whole group. I think that is what is really cool, they work super well together.”

HOW HIGH HAVE YOU SET YOUR GOALS THIS YEAR?

“Well, our boss wants all three of us in the Playoffs this year and I know how high that one is. But you have to have tip top goals. For me it’s that I want to run good, and I want to run top 15 every race and if you keep doing that, you are going to win a race.”

WHAT IS THE CRAZINESS FACTOR IN GOING FROM SOMEWHERE LIKE DAYTONA TO ATLANTA NEXT WEEK?

“I think this place is more unpredictable in my mind because the wrecks don’t happen from back blocks anymore, they happen from back pushes. At Atlanta, you are more chaotic, and you can see wrecks happening but here you are just sitting in line and saving fuel and then somebody wants to hit somebody a little too hard and they spin. For me, I think its more unpredictable for something to happen here.”

DOES IT GIVE YOU ANYMORE CONFIDENCE THAT YOU ARE GOING INTO YOUR SECOND FULL TIME SEASON WITH HOW COMPETITIVE THE CUP SERIES IS AND YOU ARE GOING IN WITH A GROWING TEAM?

“For me, I like to finish well. I like to maximize my finish. So, for me, I don’t have a lofty goal like let’s go make the Playoffs. Theoretically you can be third in points and miss it, right? So, it worked well for me saying last year our goal was 20th in points and my goal for this year is 15th in points. You might be close in points, you might not be, depending on who wins and who doesn’t. But if we can be there and finish around 15th every race, then we are going to be exactly where we want to be.”

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
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 12, 2025

 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet – DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes

Talk about your emotions coming into this week after winning in 2023…

“You definitely walk in with more confidence. I walked in in 2023 with confidence as well. In 2022, we took the lead with five or six to go, and Brad bump drafted us and spun us off of Turn 4 there. But we were battling for the lead. Obviously, we won in 2023, and then we took the lead with 14 to go in the race last year as well. I’ve got a lot of confidence coming to the (Daytona) 500, and it helps having a Harley J. Earl trophy at home that you walk by every day. Always good to be back.”

With the team rebrand, with the same people on the inside, does it help or feel any different with preparation in the offseason?

“No, our guys have been working really hard. Obviously, trying to switch logos on everything, order new apparel, all of that good stuff. We’ve actually added some additional competition guys that I think hopefully improve our performance. Mike and the guys have been working really hard on just trying to get our stuff better which has been nice. It’s not like we’ve had to shift everything that we’re doing. We’re not learning anything new. Everybody is working hard.”

How do you spend this lead up to Speedweeks?

“I came down about Tuesday of last week. My wife ran the half marathon in Naples. Since Stetson was born, she’s been training for that. Went down there and hung out there with her family and just enjoyed good weather. Ate a lot of food, enjoyed some friends, going out on the boat, then came over and went to Disney yesterday. Took the family there, so that was fun. I miss coming down here for The Clash. I miss coming and being down here for almost two weeks. Heck, I pulled into the motorhome lot on Monday and I felt like half the field was already here. I feel like we all share that same mindset of getting down here and enjoying the weather.”

With the car entering its fourth season, and you’ve driven the last two generation cars at Cup level, where do you stand by handling at Daytona?

“I think the handling, everybody’s handles pretty well. I do think some cars take bump drafts better than others. I feel really confident about ours. I feel like I can take a shot from just about anybody. I feel comfortable with that. That’s the biggest thing. We’re still fighting some of the things we fought with other cars as far as getting tight off of Turn 4 in the draft, especially late on the tires. But I think all of us will still take tires and take the track position.”

Your buddies (Christopher) Bell and (Kyle) Larson have already been down here for a week racing at Volusia. You own an Outlaws car that ran at Volusia with Sheldon (Haudenschild). Is there any consideration for you going back and racing there?

“Yeah, for sure. My dad and I have a car just like Sheldon. We just don’t have everything prepped. It’s just dad working on my car, so hopefully, within a month of two, we’ll get back out there and run some sprint car races.”

Do you think it keeps you sharp when you get to do that?

“Yeah, I think anytime you can be in the car, it doesn’t matter what car it is, I think you’re more prepared. Definitely was thankful to get in the car today and get a couple of practice sessions down here to get reacclimated.”

Was The Clash the best indicator in how the car will perform, especially at Daytona?

“I enjoyed having The Clash down here, and obviously, you had to qualify for it. Not everybody got to run it. That was something you always shot for throughout the season is qualifying for The Clash. Getting down here, watching the race, you would say “Hey, it could be more expensive,” but I saw a bit of tore up stuff last week at The Clash at Bowman Gray. I don’t know if it really saves much, but I’ve always enjoyed coming down here for the The Clash for sure.”

On winning in July…

“Obviously, that was on Fourth of July, and now that’s my son’s birthday and one of my favorite holidays. It definitely as a fun race to win. I had a massive team party after that at my house for Fourth of July. It was a really cool win.”

Does entering this year feel any different with the rebrand?

“It definitely does. Even though there’s not a lot that has changed in the shop and the guys I’m working with, but a rebrand is definitely different. You have totally different people in the front office going out, and people that I’ve dealt with on the Kroger side of things, now I’ve still got Sunny D and NOS Energy Drink, but we’re going out and actively getting new ones. We’ve got Martin’s Potato Rolls for Atlanta next week that I’m super excited about. It’s a family-owned company, and they’re excited about it. We’ve got some cool things coming down the pipeline later in the season with them. I’m sure for the front office, it’s stressful, like going out and selling sponsorship is always a difficult thing to do. I definitely don’t think I’d be very good at it, so I’m just going to drive the race car and worry about the competition side. Things are definitely different, but it’s a little more simplified right now because we are just a smaller team than we were then as far as head personnel and things like that. Everybody is working hard and trying to get our performance better and program better.”

Does that side of it worry you at all?

“No, it doesn’t worry me at all. Gordon Smith is very dedicated. He’s been in this sport for eight, nine, 10 years, and just super dedicated to this program, especially now that it has his name on it, right? He wants to see it succeed. He’s been a successful business guy his whole life and loves motorsports. Loves dirt bike riding. Loves just being involved. He’s made the commitment to me and our whole team that he’s committed to this thing for the long haul. We’ve got a great relationship with Hendrick Motorsports that goes for a while as well. I feel really good about where we’re at. Our guys are just working to make sure the sponsors that we do have fit our program and fit the vision of where we want to go as well.”

How different does it feel now a couple of years removed from your win at Daytona?

“Just like this Daytona 500 media day that we’ve always done, for 12 years I walked by that trophy without my name on it and now it’s there the last two years with it on there. Just looking at that trophy is very special. I feel like I’m more excited when I get here and like I’ve said before, you’re definitely more confident.”

Adding to that, even before you were a Daytona 500 winner, was it cool coming to these superspeedway tracks?

“I look back at my career and when I was in the Xfinity Series, I hated coming to the superspeedways because I felt like, for one I wasn’t confident. I had never won on a superspeedway. I had some good runs, but I wouldn’t say I was ever spectacular. We always had way better opportunities to win at mile-and-a-halfs and short tracks. I felt like mile-and-a-halfs in 2012, we won six mile-and-a-half racetracks and loved them. But until I won in 2017, I was never very confident coming to a superspeedway, but now it is our best opportunity to win until we get our cars to where we need them to be at other racetracks. There are other racetracks we’ve circled outside of superspeedways that we can win, but we do put a lot of emphasis on winning one of these superspeedway races. Luckily, we’ve done that the last two years. First time for me and the team to win in back-to-back seasons. Looking to add a third.”

What is it to save fuel and the science in that and trying to run up front?

“Saving fuel at the superspeedways has been very difficult. I think running my street vehicle low on gas my whole life since I was a kid and saving fuel trying to make it to the gas station may have helped a little bit on that. It’s frustrating at points, but it’s still an art. I think we saved the second most fuel last year in Talladega which still kept our track position, gave our guys more wiggle room to not have to nail that last pit stop because we didn’t have to have as much gas. So, it’s a full team effort. Your guys are doing the calculations, you’re saving the most you can, you’re trying to get that track position. It definitely makes it more dimensional trying to win these races. There’s way more factors that come into it versus just ‘hey, I’m just going to go out here and try to lead the race, win the race,’ right? So now, you’ve got to think about that last pit stop, you’ve got to think about that fuel and try and keep your track position all at the same time. It can be frustrating at times. You want to go up and lead, but ultimately to win the race, that’s not the best move.”

Talk about the potential of having more Toyotas and cars in the field…

“Us being a single-car team, I found myself kind of in the mix with Denny (Hamlin) and those guys, and working with some of them just because sometimes we’re the odd man out, right? We’re kind of sometimes on our own island as far as teammates go, and sometimes they needed more numbers. Like you said, when it was the (Daytona) 500 last year when the crash when they pitted, they tend to do their own thing and tend to come up with their own strategy. The more cars you have, the better off your strategy can work. I definitely see them being stronger. You’ve got your Fords, you’ve got your Chevys who we generally have two groups because we have so many. So, if you lose some, you kind of restack them and they’ll have that opportunity now. It’ll be interesting to see how they all play together. I’m sure they’ll have their ducks aligned for sure.”

Has Gordon or anyone at the team outlined a trajectory for what the year will be?

“We just take it week by week. Obviously, this season is odd. We start off with two superspeedways and then a road course, then finally we hit Vegas and Phoenix. We’ve hired some people to try and help us in that department, so time will tell. It’s all about this car hasn’t changed a ton. We’ve been fast on a lot of racetracks since we’ve gone to this car. We were really good at Gateway, we’ve been good at Indy, we’ve been good at Charlotte and Kansas, and you name it. We’ve ran top-10 at Martinsville a couple of times with this car. There’s been highlights of us being competitive with it, we just have got to figure out how to recreate that week in and week out. Hopefully, we’ll do that. We look more about where we are in points at the end of the season. Last year, obviously was nothing that we had planned after 2023. Obviously, we won the (Daytona) 500 to make the Playoffs, but we ran good enough and our average finish was good enough to make the Playoffs whether we had that win or not. We just didn’t have that performance last year week in and week out. We still had some highlighted moments where we had a good run, or our car was doing what we needed it to there. It’s just trying to do that week in and week out is very difficult in this sport. Even though the car is not changing year after year, these other teams are getting better at their setups and they’re constantly working on that. We’ve got to do the same, it’s just we have one data point every weekend. We don’t have multiple data points every weekend, and that can be difficult.”

You’ve had several fastest laps, so how excited are you about the Xfinity Fastest Lap bonus?

“I think it was maybe Talladega, (Carson) Hocevar and I were in the back, and we qualified back there, so we were trying to see who could get the fastest lap. He would lay back a little bit and try to get a run. It’s a point out there for the taking. Definitely will be paying attention to that, but you don’t want to risk too much and lose the draft for a point. If we get into a position to try and lay down a fastest lap, we’ll definitely do that at the superspeedways. I definitely know what I need to do that.”

Have you gone out to look at your footprint and handprint in the concrete at Daytona?

“I have. I went and looked at it last year, then had some friends here last week. Their kids had some stuff down here, and he sent me a picture of his son doing a handstand with his hands in my handprint out there. That was pretty cool. That’s part of winning the Daytona 500, right? It’s all the cool things that come along with it, and that’s definitely one of them.”

Do you feel late in the race physically things change in the cockpit?

“Oh yeah. It gets intense. The blocks are later. The pushes are harder. The side drafting is more aggressive. Working your way to the front is more difficult. You have to pick a lap to say ‘Hey, I want to be in top-10, top-five. I want to take the lead around this number.’ We did that in 2022, we took the lead within 10 to go. Got spun by the No. 6 there with five laps to go, I think it was, battling for the lead. We won in 2023. Last year, we took the lead with 14 to go, I made a bad move that got me out of the lead and shuffled me back a little bit because of big runs and big moves. I thought I could make a move and it still be a little bit calm enough to make that move, and it wasn’t, right? I got shuffled out. I would say within 20 to go, it’s pretty intense.”

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
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 12, 2025

 Ross Chastain, driver of the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet – DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes

With this particular car, what is the strategy to survive the draft coming from behind or get the lead being in the draft from behind?

“I live and believe that you are safest out front. We were living proof of that last year in that we got clipped in the rear bumper but it didn’t spin us. There were a lot of cars behind us that got taken out in that final wreck before I spun. I think the safest spot is up front but I can’t figure out how to live up front in the beginning of the stage and end of the stage. At some point you have to be in the pack.”

With four drivers from a diverse set of backgrounds on the team, does it make it harder to coordinate how you work the draft?

“Not with Daniel (Suarez) and Shane (van Gisbergen) because we’ve been around each other now for… Daniel for a couple of years and Shane for a little over a year. A couple of months of knowing we would be doing this together, us three, all year. Shane and I made some big steps through last summer for our preparation, and Daniel is part of that now, as well. Helio (Castroneves) is a bit of an anomaly. This is it for him that I know of. It was hard to talk to him about drafting when he hadn’t even driven the car. Now we can talk ahead of the Duals. But the Duals will be where he’s going to learn the most. Whatever I can talk to him now about, I’ll be able to talk to him 10 times more after he feels tight, loose, side drafting, getting pushes… we can talk through the real granular details of what it takes to be successful or successful in moving our line forward. Not saying we can’t talk about how to win. We think we can but how to move the line forward.”

What do you think about his personality?

“He’s a hero, first of all, of mine. I’ve almost watched him my entire life race professionally. He won the first (Indy) 500 in 2001 and I was born in ’92. I was still waddling around with a four-wheeler in the yard. It’s incredible. I got to meet him at Homestead last year, so that was cool. He blended right in with the team. I didn’t even know why he was there at the time, and they told us right after. So that was cool to have that experience of shaking his hand and getting to know him, not knowing why he was there. He used a lot of my seat and cockpit stuff… parts and pieces inside. We’re similar size and build so I was happy to lend him some stuff.”

How do you think SVG has progressed on ovals?

“With the Clash and All-Star, he’s got 38 at-bats to show up at the racetrack and prepare. The way we do it at Trackhouse we’ve evolved. The 1 and 99 used to do it a certain way but now with three teams every week we’ve evolved that, and I like it a lot better. It’s more driver-focused. Shane and I are literally from opposite sides of the world, but we think about things in a similar way but we’re just different enough where he can all me out on my issues and I can call him out on his. The early-morning sim sessions together is the name of the game for us. I don’t know what the end results will be each week. It’s easy to look at and see it – he’s helping on road courses and I hope to help him on ovals.”

More on the diverse background on the four Trackhouse drivers.

“It’s a cool thing that we’re all from our different countries. That’s what Justin (Marks) wanted when he did this. He wanted to be different. This is a way to do that. Just look worldwide and see what’s out there. Helio was in Miami, so America is home for him. South Florida guy so we have that in common. How to look at it from a bigger picture – that will probably hit me on Sunday when I realize that little old Trackhouse that I remember was a one-car team. I remember when Justin was just a driver – not just – but when he was a driver and an owner. Then when he hired me to be the second driver, I remember how big of a deal that felt. And now we’ve doubled that size. It’s going to be a cool moment on Sunday.”

With NASCAR racing in Mexico City and being exposed to the international side, is there any other place you’d be interested in racing?

“Take us back to Road America. Worldwide, I don’t know. I don’t know tracks anywhere else. I’ve never flown east or west of North America.”

On the Daytona 500 vibe.

“It’s never felt the same. I remember the first time that I crossed from the grandstand side across the fence, that was on a bicycle and I was sneaking across. The first time I drove through it was I believe for a New Smyrna banquet. Then I remember first time I came through as a competitor, being around the Truck Series in 2012. Every time it’s a great feeling. Yesterday we landed and went straight over to the hauler parade coming in at One Daytona, so I got to see Mike Helton and Frank Kelleher, the track president, and talked to them a little bit and see some friends. The biggest thing I took away from it is that the 22 was pulled up to the front of the line. That’s one of those little motivating things… that I want the 1 truck to pull up front. I want the 1 truck to be the first one to pull into the garage for the Daytona 500 the next year. That means you did something really special the last year. That’s the goal and what I took away from it. Then I drove around into the infield after that… incorrectly! I went to the wrong spot to be honest. Drove through the Turn Four tunnel, and that’s a special feeling. It’s something I think to myself driving through and hope that special feeling never goes away.”

How much are you a different driver than when you first came here?

“The way all these media days and production days, they’ve definitely evolved. The pre-Daytona 500 weekend kind of was a chance for Trucks and Xfinity drivers to be in front of media used to be something that my team never signed us up for. We didn’t know. I’d come down early for it, and there would be Xfinity drivers in it – this is the Daytona 500 media day now, so it’s a different thing – but I’d walk into the production day but I’d put my suit on and walk in and tell the girl at the front table that I was driving the 4 car all years. She’d look down and I’d ask where do you want me to go first and she’d point me in a direction and I’d hit the whole room. Now I don’t have to sneak in any more. Yes, I’ve definitely changed and I’m not the same driver I was last year, let alone 10 years ago.”

Is the track as rough and bumpy as it looked on your on-board camera?

“Our car is rough. Our Busch Light Chevy is finding all the bumps. It’s a fine line here having the car as low as you can. We’re dealing with thousandths of an inch to get it down on the rear stops and shocks, and get the spoiler out of the air and all that and still have it drive OK. We’re going to raise it up for qualifying. We can’t be that rough. I can drive it but only by myself, and I don’t think it’s as fast when it’s bouncing like that. The track’s not where it was when I watched back to pre-repave, which I think was in 2011. So I’ve only driven on the repave. It’s not that rough. When I watch it back and understanding how those cars were built and setup, the track was a lot rougher. By now means is it what it was in 2010 and before. So this was a one-car special.”

On fastest race lap getting an extra point in 2025.

“If it’s there for us to take, we’ll take it. You can’t give up a position to do it, but if you can’t gain or lose positions, we’ll go for it. We’ll do it on the road course and here if you’re playing the game where you’re a lap down you’ll play the game at the back of the end trying to time it right and get big runs. Do I think it’s necessary? No I don’t think it’s necessary. But hey… if Xfinity’s happy then I’m happy.”

It’s been four years in the Gen-Seven car. General thoughts on the first three years?

“So much progress. Coming into it, we didn’t know what we didn’t know. It was like the wild west. You saw us spinning out and crashing. I don’t think that’s always a terrible thing, to be honest. Some of those early practice sessions and early races were just crazy to watch. Nobody could keep up with it because there was so much happening. You had champions the year before and race-winners in the back at the beginning of ’22. You’ve definitely seen them figured it out, and we all figured it out. I’m glad I got to be a part of that because that’s a time in my career in the sport that I’ll always look back on and remember.”

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
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 12, 2025

 William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes

Is the drive to win the Daytona 500 the same motivation, same desire now that you already have one?

“Yeah, I do. I have more joy coming down here than I did before. I have more passion and excitement for this race than I did before. I feel like having experienced it the way it was last year really changed my perspective on the race as a whole in a good way, obviously. I feel that’s created some more motivation to get another one. This race, it’s a lifetime achievement. It’s something people reference everywhere you go. It’s something that the first time in my career I’ve had something like that. It makes it cool, it makes it more special, because you can tell people care about the race.”

What are the things at Daytona as a driver you can control?

“I think there is so many aspects. The way that you position yourself at the end of the race. It starts tonight. You can get yourself on the front row, and that gives you a great opportunity to not have to stress about the Duels. And then if you’re not locked in on the front row, you have to race the Duels and understand what your car has and try to keep it in one piece. It’s a process throughout the week, then obviously, Sunday is about positioning yourself as the stages go along and really like the last 20 laps of the race essentially. It’s just a process. You really can’t think too far ahead. I’m not thinking about Sunday at all yet. Just trying to get through tonight and check the boxes that I need to to have a good qualifying lap.”

As the track surface gets older, has handling become more of a premium since you started at the Cup level?

“Yes and no. This car has a lot of drag, so with that comes lower speeds and more downforce. This car doesn’t really require as much handling, but it’s still going to matter. If we were back on the old surface or with the old Gen 6 car, yeah, we’d be slipping around quite a bit. This car is pretty stuck to the track here. It’s all relative, though. I think that the cars are going to get more and more trimmed out as the teams get smarter, so we’re probably going to have something a bit more unique here than we’ve seen in years past with the way it handles.”

How does the lack of practice here affect you?

“It doesn’t affect us at all. Practice here is like such a façade, really. You’re not around enough cars There’s not enough energy in the pack to really know what the car is going to do. The Duels are your best practice. That’s when everyone is at ten-tenths. The thing about practice at a speedway is like, especially if you’re going out drafting, guys are pulling on and off the track, so the energy is changing every lap. That’s not really conducive to what the race is like. The Duels are our best chance to learn, and then really like maybe some laps on Friday, you might learn here or there. But you’re going to learn mostly in the Duels and obviously, in the race on Sunday.”

Is it kind of cool to race against a four-time Indy 500 champion (in Helio Castroneves)?

“It is sweet. The funniest thing about that is I look over next to my bus right when I got back from practice, and it’s Helio’s bus. I didn’t even realize that when I got here, but that’s pretty neat to have an Indy 500 champion like that next to you in the bus lot, and then obviously, racing on the racetrack. Yeah, it’s awesome.”

Talk about the entry list and the wide variety of drivers…

“Yeah, it shows kind of the momentum of the sport really. We went through a dip where we didn’t really have a lot of open drivers or people trying to make the race, and now we’re back to having a few more. It’s awesome. It’s good that it’s quality cars, and I’ll be excited to look and see what’s going on. I’ve got to understand the system and how it all works, because apparently one guy is locked in but I’ve got to understand who is on the bubble to watch that race when I’m not racing myself.”

Depending on where you qualifying, how much will you be aware of other open cars trying to qualify?

“I don’t have any awareness of that. For me, if I’m on the racetrack, I’m just going to try and win. If they’re racing in the other Duel or if I get out of the car, I’ll look at it.”

Having such a marathon week to start the season, does that help with the suddenness of the grueling schedule?

“It does. I honestly look forward to this week. It’s kind of like a little bit of a Spring Break. You’re down here forever, and you have obviously a lot of obligations, but I enjoy it because it’s a nice lead in versus The Clash. It’s so sudden, and you’re in such a different environment. You don’t have the garages or your hauler. This race gives you a chance to kind of settle in, get all of your stuff acclimated, and then you hit the road after that.”

Is there anything cool you get now rather than before you won the Daytona 500?

“I think just the trophy itself is probably the coolest thing. The side effect I always thought about was all the media you had to do and what that would feel like, but it’s honestly been great. It’s not bad, but just the trophy itself is such a historic trophy and it’s unlike any other one I’ve had.”

Is there anything you can learn from this race and take to Atlanta?

“I don’t know. I don’t feel like the answer for me is no because I feel like here, you really have to… it’s a totally different positioning race. Atlanta has that hybrid effect where you have a little bit of drafting but you also have lifting, and it’s kind of that five-fifty style mile-and-a-half race.”

Does your confidence go up on speedways after winning this race?

“Not exactly, no. I feel like for me, it was honestly the success we had after that throughout the year on drafting tracks where I felt like we were constantly up to the front. It wasn’t instant, perse, but as soon as we continued to have a good year on drafting tracks, I felt like that built some confidence.”

Talk about the case of NASCAR athletes being athletes…

“That’s a great question. I think with the way tech is now, like having my Whoop band on when I’m in the racecar, it’s one of the hardest workouts that I do throughout my week. Your heartrate is elevated, you’re in this kind of iso-position, which nowadays with yoga and everything people are doing, they understand how difficult that is to kind of fight the g-forces and hold yourself in that position. You’re making micro-adjustments all the time. I think that ten years ago, it was ‘Oh, drivers aren’t athletes,’ but if you’re not an athlete nowadays, you’re going to have a tough time. It’s just the nature of these cars and how rigid they’ve got, and how close the racing gets.”

What does it feel like coming back here after August?

“I feel like in the summer, it’s just kind of weird because you’re so in the middle of your season, you’re focused on that. Coming back here, being back for the (Daytona) 500 definitely feels special. Just have that excitement and genuine joy for the race. I think I’m just excited for the week.”

How much has the racing changed in the last three years here at Daytona?

“The racing has just got really tight and competitive, and everybody is sort of in a really tight gridlock. So it’s really hard to make moves. Three-wide is tough to make. I feel like you’ve got to be up towards the front. Track position is really important, and you have to be towards the front side coming down to the end. I think in the past, that was the case, but you could see a guy win from 10th on the last lap. I just don’t think that’ll happen in this package anymore.”

How do you approach the “Big One?”

“It’s just the nature of the race. I think, for me, I don’t really focus on that aspect. It’s just the nature of the event and I feel like it makes it exciting.”

With being close to the championship the past few years, how big of a deal is it to you to get started off right?

“It’s not a huge deal. I think that this season is really long. I would like for us to continue to improve. I think that’s the biggest thing. Yeah, you want to get a win in early. It takes some pressure off from the outside, but really you continue to strive for more. Sometimes you don’t see the champion get really hot until the second half of the year. Not saying that’s the right formula, but I’m just saying you’ve got to be consistent throughout the year and try to win every week. That’s our goal. We’re not really thinking about trying to make a statement or anything like that, it’s just trying to go out there and execute every week.”

How much does a really good paint scheme affect you walking up to your car? Does it affect your psyche?

“It does. You know when you’re stepping into a really nice looking racecar and something that you’re proud of. Also, the attention and the craft with my guys and how much effort they put into the racecar. It does. For me personally, it affects how I feel getting into the racecar. Obviously, once I put the helmet on, it is what it is, but I think having a good-looking racecar, having a car that your guys have put a lot of effort into, that means a lot.”

Have you thought about what a back-to-back Daytona 500 would mean to you?

“No, I don’t really think about the history. There are so many things, so many boxes to check as this week goes. Obviously, that’d be a great footnote after the race is over, but right now, there are so many things to get to that point. It’s just thinking about all of my processes to get to the end on Sunday.”

One more win gives Hendrick Motorsports the most all time. You’re known to win some big races. Where would that factor in if winning another one?

“Hendrick Motorsports has so much history as it is, and I feel like they just add in another win would be more to that. I’m excited for the week. I’m really ready to get going. I feel like all of our teams are really prepared and we’re just ready to go.”

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.

Toyota GAZOO Racing – Christopher Bell
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 12, 2025) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DeWalt/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Can you talk about the practice session?

“It was definitely an awkward practice session.”

How so?
“It is just so laid back. I don’t know. Everyone was on different agendas. I don’t even really know what to think of it. It was kind of like – why are we doing this?”

Was it good to get on track to confirm that the car doesn’t have any gremlins?

“My team did. The mechanics joked around about not running practice today, but Adam (Stevens, crew chief), of course, being the leader that he is, was like we have to do this. We have to dot our i’s and cross our t’s, but for me, I had no concern. I knew that it would be completely fine.”

What does getting back on pavement last night for 200 laps do to help get your body into a rhythm?
“Well, I didn’t expect it to be long, but it ended up being a freaking Cup race length (laughter), but I mean, I think the conditioning is good. Whenever you get into June, July – you’ve been doing these races – it feels normal and it feels, I don’t want to say easier, but you know what to expect. The start of the year, certainly, Daytona is a speedway, Atlanta is a speedway now too. By the time you get to COTA, Phoenix – those are races that get your attention, so the Clash was a good acclimator and yes, last night was too.”

Can you see yourself doing any more of those short track races?

“I don’t know. It is all going to depend on the schedule. I was really excited about yesterday, being just a one-day show, being able to not spend multiple days there practicing – that was one thing I didn’t care about late model racing as a kid was just how long the events were. If the schedule works out, I would.”

What is it like to race whatever you want again?

“It is weird. (laughter). I’m taking it all in though, that is for sure.”

What is it like being able to race whatever you want again?

“I hope it keeps me sharper – the more that you race – we don’t really have any practice. There is very little seat time compared to what I’m used to, so hopefully being in the seat will help me perform on Sundays. That is what it is all about.”

What is the mindset coming into the Daytona 500?

“The Daytona 500 is a huge event. It is a huge race. Running all of my other races that I’ve got to do, everyone talks about this race. It is all about Daytona. I’m honored, and I’m thrilled, and I’m blessed to be in this opportunity to compete in another Daytona 500, but with that being said, the race itself is a lot of luck. We’ve come out on the good end of it the last couple of years now, and we will go roll the dice again. The racing has kind of homed in on the fuel conservation and strategy of how the green flag cycle works – that is going to be super important. Hopefully, we are on the winning side of it, and we are going to try to do our best to control what we can control and miss the wrecks and be away from the wrecks. It is going to be an exciting one – it always is.”

So you are okay if when we come back we don’t have practice before qualifying?

“Absolutely. I told them that this practice was just really weird because nobody – it just didn’t feel necessary. It kind of just felt like we were out there spinning our wheels a little bit.”

How do you feel about having more Toyotas to draft with?

“(speaking about Chase Briscoe) Yeah, and then he comes over here and we are going to have the most we’ve ever had. It’s not going to be a fair shake for (Chase) Briscoe. We’ve been telling him about how bad speedway racing is on the Toyota side, and now we almost have a third of the field, so that is really good. Hopefully, it means that this race will look different for us. We’ve always kind of blamed it on numbers, and now we don’t have that excuse – we are going have the numbers.”

Can you talk about your car having a little bit of a mix of sponsorship?

“Yeah, it has been good. Last year was the first year we had Interstate and DeWalt – the co-brand – we did it at Daytona and Phoenix last year, and I think this year is the same way. We will have Interstate and DeWalt at Daytona and to close the season at Phoenix. It is a really good partnership. With DeWalt and Interstate, you have to have – electric tools, you have to have batteries with it, so I’m sure they are working together to get something going.”

Can you talk about the commercial that you are in?

“I made a cameo in a commercial – big time actor over here (laughter).”

Is there some joy that you’ve been able to have being back racing other forms of cars?

“It has been refreshing. The dirt racing is so raw, and it feels like the driver makes a difference – more so on asphalt. I’ve enjoyed that, because you go asphalt racing and you feel like your hands are tied to the equipment, to the car, and dirt racing, you are able to overcome that. The good drivers usually shine.”

Do you feel any extra pressure coming to Daytona?

“I mean, not any more pressure than what it is. The Daytona 500 is the granddaddy of them all. I’m well aware of that, and I’m excited about the opportunity. We all know how this race goes, so we try to take it with a grain of salt once it is over, and certainly, preparing for it, we know that it is a big deal.”

What has it been like integrating Chase Briscoe into Joe Gibbs Racing?

“It has been awesome. Chase (Briscoe) has been a huge – I don’t know what the right word is. It has been different having Chase around and completing the four of us. Martin (Truex Jr.) – just wasn’t around very much the last couple of years. It has been fun to hear his feedback, especially after Bowman Gray. It ended up being a really good test session for him because the tendencies that we fought there, it really related towards Martinsville. I thought he brought some good insight into what our cars did well and what they did worse than his previous ride. I’m excited to see that trend continue through the year.”

How does it feel to have so many years with Joe Gibbs Racing?

“It is a dream come true. I’m so, so blessed to be in this position, driving the no. 20 car. It truly is a dream come true, and hopefully I will be in Denny’s (Hamlin) spot in a few years.”

What would it mean to you to bring a Daytona 500 win to Toyota and Joe Gibbs?

“You hit it big there. Toyota winning the Daytona 500 is a big deal. I just go back to 2016, when they ran 1,2,3 – they were in position to run 1,2,3,4 on the white flag lap. That is what we are striving to get back to. The Next Gen car has definitely changed the way that Daytona is, and the way that it races. Toyota frankly, we haven’t been performing on the superspeedways, so we are putting a big effort in trying to improve our superspeedway performance.”

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 spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.

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