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

 Shane van Gisbergen, driver of the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet – DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes

Q. Are race car drivers athletes?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: I guess so. I don’t really know how to answer that.

Q. Aren’t you strong and built like an ox?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, but not compared to others.

Q. What do you have to work on specifically to be good at racing?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: It’s probably like mental strength, I guess, focusing on something for a long period of time, consistency. We are in the car for a long period of time, but you don’t have to be particularly fit to do it or strong.

Yeah, again, I don’t…

Q. What about the endurance part?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: It’s more mental. Some tracks are physical, but most aren’t. It’s normally just the heat, yeah.

Q. How fast do you drive on an interstate?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: The speed limit.

Q. I feel like you guys aren’t telling the truth when you answer that way.

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Speed limit, yeah (laughter).

Q. Helio said you have been working with him. Do you feel comfortable he’s going to understand this style of racing?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: I guess he’ll be good. He gets that practice in the Duels and he doesn’t have the pressure. He still wants to qualify in probably. He’s got that fallback plan I guess.

The hardest thing we talked about is the pit lane limiter. In other series we a press button, hold our foot flat, the speed works it out. Here you really have to concentrate on your braking on pit road, then you got to find the speed. It’s so hard to hold the speed. Then you’re looking for your pit box. That’s probably the most difficult part.

Yeah, I’m sure in the racing stuff he’ll be fine. It’s just all the procedures here are very, very different.

Q. You ran a lot of seasons in Supercars. What is it like preparing for a NASCAR Cup Series season full-time?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, it’s pretty similar, I guess. The pre-season buildup is kind of the same. Yeah, now that we’re going be racing every week, I’ve never done 36 weeks in the same series. I’ve done it in other series.

Yeah, it’s going to be full on, yeah.

Q. Compared to your rookie year in Supercars, how does your rookie year in Cup feel emotionally-wise?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: That was a long time ago, man. It was 2007 that I did that. I don’t really know.

Yeah, I feel like a rookie. I feel like everything is new. I feel like I have a lot to learn and improve on and prove myself there. Probably similar to what I thought back then, yeah.

Q. Is it pretty cool to think about you’re going to be in the Daytona 500? Is that still a special thing for you?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, for sure. I found it difficult to answer that question today. The race is obviously still massive, but it’s not massive where I’m from. I guess it’s like the Bathurst, Le Mans 24. Watching the pre-race stuff last year, being here to spectate the race was awesome. You see the scale of it.

Yeah, I try mentally to treat it like another race, prepare like I would every other race. Try not to get too hyped and focus on doing my thing Sunday.

Q. The difference between the Supercars schedule and NASCAR schedule, how has it been adjusting to Speedweeks, six or seven days?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: That’s what we do every week in Supercars. Wouldn’t be as big as this, the media, but so much more to do. It would be spread out. You’d end up pissed off at the world.

NASCAR, you turn up, a little bit of media, go racing. It’s all about the racing stuff. I personally enjoy that much more.

I guess you kind of have to, racing every week. You’re only there for two or three days. All about the racing, yeah.

Q. In a recent interview you compared speedway racing almost as being out like a lamb for slaughter. How do you prepare for something like this?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: That was in reference I think the first Talladega I did. I was running good, then four or five laps to go got shuffled to the back. I was coming 30th or whatever. It doesn’t matter. Came around the last corner, and I was at the back with Kyle Busch. There was a crash out of four. Saw it happening. Backed down. He just stayed flat out, just drove into the crash carelessly. I’m like, What are you doing?

But they treat the cars here like they’re disposable. There’s another one back at the shop. Every point matters. I kind of slowed down, second, third gear, wabbled through the shunt, then came across the line. He’s still crashing and spinning. The car is completely destroyed. My thing is brand-new, ready to race next week. He gained three or four spots. Just the mentality for these races is so, so different to anything there is.

Yeah, I guess I just have to pull my belts tighter and get amongst it.

Q. Have you had enough time doing the full season in Xfinity to decide you like superspeedways or short tracks or road courses?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Again, it comes back to like this week. I don’t try and get caught up in the races that are good and bad. You don’t want to be, Oh, I’m excited for Daytona. Oh, we’re going to Dover. Something like that.

I try to be excited for every race, try and approach them with all the same amount of prep and focus.

Q. Do you feel like you’re used to this type of racing yet?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: No, no.

Q. Do you think you ever will be used to it?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: I certainly enjoyed it more. I used to watch it on TV. Did my first one, This is a bit boring. Just flat out the whole way. When you’re in the race, there’s so much going on.

Xfinity was pretty flat out and strung out. In this you’re jockeying for position, fuel saving, trying to place yourself in the right spots. There’s so much more to it. It’s fascinating as a driver learning these different skills, placing yourself right for the green-flag starts. Pretty cool learning.

I certainly feel like I can be in it now. I remember my first Talladega, I’d get in the battles, then people would put me four-wide on purpose just to single me out and send me to the back because they didn’t want me in there. I guess I was driving like an idiot. Now I feel like I can flow with the guys, have the right momentum, judge the runs a bit better.

The last Talladega I was pushed to the lead and held the lead for a while. Definitely feel like I’m part of it now. Happy that I don’t have yellow stripes on my car. I feel like I’m better at it now.

Q. You’ve been at this racetrack before. How are the emotions different coming here knowing this is the first of 36 as a full-time Cup driver?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, again, I don’t have that excitement. I just try and stay calm throughout the week and save it for the race.

Again, I remember first time at Rolex coming through the tunnel. The second time I come through I tried to get air off the top of it. It was pretty fun (laughter). That was Cooper MacNeil. A bad influence.

Yeah, it’s always cool flying into this track, coming and seeing how massive it is. Yeah, just staying calm, ready for Sunday.

Q. You talked in the past about learning the car, how it’s so much different. How does that compare with trying to understand the draft? Helio will try to do this without experience. Is this drafting harder?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, like driving out just then, the car is on the stops basically to try and get speed for a single car, it’s like driving a go-kart.

I was also driving one-handed easy flat. I hadn’t seen the track for a while. Grandma could jump in and do it, it feels like it’s so easy. We are doing 49s or 50s then. Then we get in the draft later on, we’ll be doing 47s.

Especially when you’re at the back and in the middle, hate being in the middle, there’s no air lift, the car feels like it’s out of the track, you’re basically drifting on corner entries. You got 35 other maniacs flat out as well pushing you around. It’s a rush. I think my heart rate barely got up on the single cars. I’m like at 150 in the pack. It’s a rush.

Q. Anybody else in the Supercars world you would like to see come out and try this race?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: There’s a few of them. Cam Waters wants to do some more this year. He was pretty decent in the tracks. Will Brown. Brodie Kostecki. There are a few guys.

The Xfinity race I’m trying to get one of them to drive in the (indiscernible) car. It would be awesome. I’d love for more guys to come over afterward try it. There’s some good, talented drivers there. Love to see them come out here.

Q. Anybody from this side of the world in NASCAR you’d like to see try Supercars?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: I would have loved to see how Kyle Busch went last year in the Supercar. It would have been very difficult, but I’m sure if he took it seriously, he would have done really well. Hopefully that happens this year. There’s talks actually Kyle Larson might go and do it.

Love to help them if they have any questions. I’d be really interested to see how they went.

Q. How important is it to get off to a good start this year?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: It would be amazing. If you can just get ahead of the points, settle in. I always love to start championships being an accumulator sort of. That was my sort of strategy. Even in the weeks where you can’t be up front, get the best results you can, minimize mistakes.

If we start well, get in a good rhythm, everyone stays positive, that really gets you off to a good start for the year.

Q. Any difference in preparation for this year knowing you have every weekend? Different than a part-time stint?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, last year I’d never done it before. This year I wanted to have a routine, know what I’m doing every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, prep for the week, have my Thursday off as a day to do my own stuff outside of racing.

Yeah, it’s been pretty full on, especially with a whole new team. The 88 guys at Trackhouse, just learning them. Yeah, just trying to get in a routine, every week try and be refreshed for it.

Q. Ross said you guys kind of bounce things off each other in terms of learning. How has that worked for you? Do you feel like the communication has gotten stronger?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, for sure. I think that dynamic in Trackhouse has changed a little bit, which for me is good. Everyone works a lot closer together. The crew chiefs. It’s got to be a good thing.

But yeah, at the sim, all our driving notes are open now. Yeah, I obviously learn and lean on those guys as much as I can. Daniel and Ross are very, very different in the way they go about it, the way they think and describe things. Of course, I’ll be different again.

It’s paying back at the moment because I help them for road course stuff. Yeah, it’s a pretty cool dynamic at the moment. I’m enjoying that.

Q. With four drivers from four different countries for this race, the same team, does it add some importance in terms of having maybe some more worldwide attention on this race?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: It’s just amazing what Justin and Trackhouse have achieved. Have such a diverse lineup at a race like this, it’s epic. Four different nationalities, we’re probably going to be talking about loose, tight, oversteer and understeer in different languages but probably meaning the same thing.

It’s been really cool having all four cars lined up at the shop on Monday. The workers, the mechanics, they all signed the cars. It’s a really cool moment.

Q. Are you a guys that sets goals for what you want to achieve, a successful season if we do X, Y and Z?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: No, no, never. You always have ambitions. But I never really set goals and targets. I just try to prepare, do my best every week. As long as I keep moving forward, I’ll be happy.

Q. You raced the short course at COTA.

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, but we’re doing a different one now. The one we did at Supercars was terrible. Had a really big bump in it. These cars wouldn’t be able to handle it. Would have been worse. What we had at the Roval last year, got taken out the last chicane. They’ve used another layout, so it should be better.

Q. (No microphone.)

SHANE van GISBERGEN: It’s more passing zones. You only lose that back hairpin. Gain another passing zone out of it. I think it will be better for racing.

Q. If you can’t win, who is your pick for the 500?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Ross or Daniel or Helio. Trackhouse guys (smiling).

Q. You go 200 miles an hour. You’re not afraid of speed. Is there anything you are afraid of?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Snakes and spiders. Don’t really have them here, which is good. Australia wasn’t fun (smiling).

Q. If you could have a celebrity spotter for a race, who would it be and why?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: I would not want a celebrity on my radio.

Q. How about the Daytona 500? Event when you think about making decisions in the Daytona 500, you’re an analytical guy, raced a lot, how do you balance being analytical versus committed and knowing that you have it without overthinking?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: I don’t know. I guess that’s what I’ve done all my life.

Q. Overthink?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: No. It’s all in preparation, right? You got to have that clear mind when you’re racing, things become instinct. Obviously there’s a lot of teamwork, too, with the spotter. Spotter is going to be guiding me.

Spotters are probably the most important thing of the superspeedway racing. I just kind of trust his guidance or my crew chief will be telling me when we don’t need to save fuel, so…

Yeah, it’s very different this kind of racing.

Q. When you make the move, you have to be in your head 100% committed.

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, but then you have to make sure you have friends in this kind of racing, make sure you got the right kind of cars behind you. I never really had to do that before. You have to make sure it’s a teammate or a Chevy. If you go three-wide, a Toyota is not going to push you.

Q. You’ve had to worry about that?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: No, no. You just race in every other series in the world. It’s very, very different how it works here.

Q. How do you know who is in Chevys and who is not?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: I’m still figuring that out, yeah (laughter). I don’t know who’s who yet.

Q. Are you old enough to remember the actual Thunderdome in Australia?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: No.

Q. Did you ever watch any videos of that?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, yeah, I watched videos there. The old HQs they used to race.

I’ve driven at that track, the circuit next door. I also competed in drifting on the oval. It was pretty cool. But never saw the cars racing there.

Q. What is drifting on an oval like?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: We kind of started on the tri-oval and ended up in the pit lane sort of area. Used the small oval.

Q. (Question about ice drifting.)

SHANE van GISBERGEN: I’ve always wanted to do that. My father-in-law, he was on snow drifting this week. Yeah, I was pretty jealous the pictures he was sending.

Q. Would it be hard?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, it would be difficult, but it would be so much fun.

Q. You would have an advantage.

SHANE van GISBERGEN: I hope so.

Q. You’re a pretty tall guy. What kind of adjustments do they have to make inside the car for you?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: This is like one of the roomiest cars I’ve ever driven. I could get enough leg room. There’s a lot of head height in these cars. Actually, yeah, feel pretty good in these.

Q. More so than other cars?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, yeah. A single seater is obviously tight. The newest edition Supercar was terrible. It was really small. All the big guys struggled.

Yeah, this car is really comfortable for almost everyone.

Q. Do you like it like that?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, yeah. I could set this car up how I wanted. You can personalize it so much, so… It was really cool.

Q. If you need a relief driver, probably going to need some extra pillows.

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Need a baby seat for them, yeah (laughter).

Q. Is there any one track that’s going to provide a challenge that maybe you didn’t get a good enough taste on in the Xfinity ranks?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Probably Bristol will be tough, yeah.

Q. Why is that?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: It’s just such an intense track. We only went there once. That’s pretty early on this calendar. It’s going to be difficult.

Q. What do you think about the changes to COTA? Is that going to change how you approach that track?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: No. But I reckon it’s a good adjustment, shorter track, more laps, more times past the fans. We don’t lose any passing spots. I think it’s going to make good racing, the new corner.

Q. What about braking zones? Will it remove some you depend on?

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Only one real braking zone, then it really shortens the other one off the back straight. I think there’s still going to be passing zones, yeah.

Q. They’re still going to have to catch you.

SHANE van GISBERGEN: Yeah, that would be nice.

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

 Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes

Last year, the front-row for the DAYTONA 500 was swept by Ford. Was there a concern with the speed of the Chevrolet’s this year, or how did you feel after practice?

“No concern, at least from my perspective. I’m not worried about it.. whether we qualify on the pole or not. The practice thing is really hard to know, just because – like I can look at the timing sheet, but I’m not sitting there watching who’s drafting and who’s not. I can’t keep up with all of that at one time. I don’t know.. I think until you get into qualifying tonight and everyone is on a level playing field with the cars being cold, going out for the first time and all that, you really just don’t know. I think it’s a hard thing to guess.”

No Mic..

“It’s so frustrating sometimes because like we’re sitting down there in line, you know, and some people were trying to get a nice gap and then there were other people trying to fill the gap and are rushing. So there’s always that element to making single-car runs. Just getting impatient sitting down there and wanting to go. I understand that, but that’s the most confusing element. Outside of that, I think it’s pretty standard ops, really.”

President Trump was at the Super Bowl last weekend. You were there and saw it. There’s rumors he’s going to be here on Sunday. How would you feel about having him in attendance?

“Yeah, I wasn’t sitting next to him, but I saw that he was there at the game the other day. Yeah, I think having a sitting President come and be a part of one of our biggest days of the year – certainly what I would call our biggest event of the year, I think is special. It certainly brings a lot of eyes and a different perspective to what we do down here for this race. I always thought it was really cool — I remember, a long time ago now, the sitting president used to call the winner. I don’t know if you all remember that or not, but there was some stories of that happening. I’ve never won, so I don’t know if that still happens or not. But I just think that — it just goes to show you that it’s a big deal, right? I don’t care who the President is at that point.. that’s just a cool thing. I had heard stories of that happening and I hope that still goes on..”

So you’d like to get a call from President Trump on Sunday?

“That sounds like we would have won the race at that point, so that sounds like a good thing.”

If you could redo a race from 2024, which race would that be?

“Hmm.. that’s tough. There’s a lot of races that I would redo. You know, probably Indy, I would say sticks out to me the most. We had our violation there early in the race, which I kind of thought was our death sentence that day. And then the next thing you know, the way the race cycled out, we ended up being — we were actually the first car on the winning strategy at the end of that race. I just didn’t get through traffic very well. Kyle (Larson) and Tyler (Reddick) knifed their way up through there and both had a shot to win the race. I just felt like that was on me. I didn’t do a good job. We had a great car that weekend, and I needed to take better advantage of a good opportunity.”

Christopher Bell said earlier today that he felt like the practice session this morning was unnecessary. Where do you stand on practice before qualifying here?

“Yeah, I think that’s a fair statement for someone like him, or someone like me, who’s been here and who’s done it. But I look at it like this — from a weekly standpoint.. do we need practice at length, like we had in years past? Absolutely not. But for a race like this — we’re down here all week anyway. We have Media Day today. We qualify tonight. It’s not a big deal. It’s an hour practice and gives guys who have maybe not driven a Cup car before, rookies, people coming in to make at least a lap or two.. I don’t think that’s hurting anything. It’s not like we’re here extra early to do that.. days in advance or anything. I agree with him.. not necessary for people that have been here for a little while. But I could certainly see the argument for guys who haven’t, you know, so I get that. I don’t want it to be taken the wrong way, like it needs to be that way all the time, but just to be clear.”

What does the DAYTONA 500 mean to you?

“It means a great opportunity to submit your name into the history books of the sport, is kind of how I look at it. This race has always been, in my view, been kind of it’s own event. I understand it’s part of the season, the winner gets locked-in or kind of locked-in.. however you all want to say it. They’re locked-in when they leave here, right? And then it gets close to the playoffs and we’re promoting how many winners we have, right? It’s always important to remember that a win does not lock you in, if you get more winners than you have spots. I kind of don’t like that narrative, but I do think that — it’s just it’s own thing. It’s an opportunity to put your name on that big trophy over there; to finish your career and say you’ve won the DAYTONA 500. That’s what it is. It’s an opportunity to do that, which is a really big deal.”

It’s been 10 years since your first DAYTONA 500 start… (inaudible).

“Yeah, it’s just honestly crazy that it’s been that long, to be honest. It’s just gone by so fast. Every year has felt so different to me. I think people look at careers and they think of just this one big storybook, with every year being a different chapter. And to me, it’s almost like every year is its own book. That’s how different the seasons feel to me. Just so much changes.. I mean, I was 20 or 21 years old my first year, and now I’m almost 30 and just like — for everyone standing here that is almost 30 years old or older than 30, how much did your life change from 20 to 30? How much different did you look at things from 20 to 30? That’s just a huge chunk of your life that just makes things feel different, you know? Every year has its own story and it’s own feel. I’ve enjoyed that ride. Some of its been really good.. some of it’s not been so good. But there’s a lot of experiences in all of that that I think can help shape you and mold you to be better, and the only thing you can control is today moving forward.”

Was this off-season any different than past off-seasons. If that’s how seasons feel, did this one feel any different?

“The off-season in particular? Not really. You know, I enjoy being around home; spending the holidays with family and all that sort of thing. And that’s pretty standard, I would say. But certainly from a competition standpoint and just kind of how we finished last year, the things we were focused on going into this year — the way I was looking at things at the end of last year versus how I was looking at things the year before are different. You hope that that they’re better, or I hope that it’s better. But from that standpoint, absolutely. From the off-season side of things, not really.”

Good things on the horizon for your foundation this year?

“We’re still working through that, but it will likely be more of a program that we’ve done with the ‘DESI9N TO DRIVE’. And we’re looking at kind of adjusting and changing things a little bit moving forward. I think this year will probably stay the same, and maybe after this year, we’ll kind of look at trying to find some other unique way to do something cool.”

As you start getting older, do you start thinking about the future and what you’re going to do post-driving career?

“I really haven’t. I don’t know what I would want to do. It’s a hard thing to — It’s kind of one of those things, I feel like.. I’ve watched other guys go through that. I’ve watched other guys leave and come back. I’ve kind of seen it all, I guess, depending upon who it is. But I think those feelings, those emotions, that timing or whatever’s next — you have to kind of assess those things when that time comes. As I said a second ago, so much can change. You could look at things a little differently. Your interest might be a little different or something. When those moments come, you’ll address them. You’ll assess it, address it and make those decisions and you’ll know that’s the right time to make those decisions I think. I think it’s just kind of a feeling thing, from what I’ve gathered. I don’t know.. I don’t want to go anywhere yet, so I hope I can stick around for a few more years.”

On Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports attempting to make the DAYTONA 500 as a former JRM driver:

“I know it’s a big deal to him, and I hope that they’re successful and are able to get into the show and all that. I think to have a guy like him involved in any capacity I think is a good thing. He’s just passionate about it. He’s been very vocal about how much it means to him and to field a Cup car, especially here at the DAYTONA 500. I just think it’s healthy and it’s good. I’m glad that the system isn’t so complicated or has gotten so outrageously expensive that that couldn’t happen because it almost kind of felt that way, you know, there for a little while that he was kind of scared to get in a little bit was the vibe I got.. or kind of scared to make that commitment. So I’m just glad that it makes sense, you know, and he can come in and field a car and have fun with it and live a dream that he’s had.”

From a team perspective, how much confidence did the Clash win give you?

“Yeah, it was great. And really not just that, but the end of last year was really encouraging for us. I thought we ended on a really good note. We were just a little late to the party, you know, I think really and truly. We started to run better and lead some laps there at the end of the year, and we had a great shot there to win a couple of races in the last month. I thought all of that was really encouraging. To be able to build on those things; to come out and perform the way we did on Saturday. Yes, the race went well, but all of that start over the off-season, and the things we were focused on, talking about and thinking about and trying to make sure we executed properly. And then to go do that, I thought that was a nice boost for us. I don’t think it’s one of those things where it will make your year or even break your year if it didn’t go well, but certainly nice to know that the things we’ve been zoned in on and pushing were also reality at Bowman Gray, too.”

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 – Jimmie Johnson
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 12, 2025) – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver Jimmie Johnson was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

What steps have you and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB taken for improved performance this season?

“On the competition side, we’ve really restructured, reorganized the department, and (pause), you don’t have a choice, but we started in the late spring of 2024 and started making changes, evolving and ultimately trying to recruit individuals to our company. That process is tough, on top of people who are available, on top of contracts and when they’re going to be free and come and work for us. So really, mid-November, maybe even the first of December, we had everyone in-house that we recruited. So, there’s been various steps along the way with people coming in. I’d say Jacob Cantor (director of competition, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB) was probably the earliest one to come in and his presence, trying to put processes into place and organize the competition department. He at least got a head start on it. We’re still playing catch up and we’re not totally where we want to be, but we’ve made a lot of massive steps forward. Being able to go to the track now and finding out where we sit is really important, but with that, we have two (superspeedway) races and a road course (to start the season), so we still have a month before we can fairly evaluate ourselves.”

Was it as much of a “cleaning of house” in the organization as it seemed from the outside?

“It might look that way, but (pause), I guess I’m reacting to ‘cleaning house.’ I didn’t clean Maury (Gallagher, minority owner and team ambassador, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB) out in a sense. There’s been of stuff going on and certainly, one of the worst parts I’ve experienced as an owner is termination and trying to move on from an individual or a department of people and bring in someone new. I’m not sure I’ll ever get comfortable with that. So that’s been tough, and we went through a lot of that over the course of last season. I was really surprised when I spoke to Maury at the end of last year that he was just in a different place in life and didn’t want much of the day-to-day (responsibilities) and wanted to give me that opportunity and he just wants to come (to the races), hang out, have a hot dog and put his headphones on to enjoy the races from a fan’s perspective in supporting us. A lot has happened, and the offseason has been very busy as a result.”

As a car owner, where do you stand on the storylines concerning NASCAR, away from the track?

“(I) could talk for hours. I’m learning my way and trying to surround myself with people who have deep experience in the sport, deep business experience, legal experience. Everything I can to make sure we’re smart and taking the right next steps. But there’s a lot in play and even with all of the stuff that might seem negative in some respect, I still feel our sport is as strongest as it’s been in a long time and as we went out to find a private equity party and land Knighthead Capital, the excitement at looking at NASCAR and the excitement around live sports, there’s a lot here and hopefully, we can work through these issues and get the drag on our sport’s trajectory up, out of it, and continue to climb.”

How nice is it to jump back into a race car and go for another win?

“It’s nice to be back in the car, but I find, especially last year, to be prepped and ready like I need to, I just didn’t have the time. There’s so much to focus on and work through. We’re trying to recruit, build. We had the recruitment of Knighthead Capital and everything that went with that. I just couldn’t be as prepared as I wanted to, and Daytona is different. There’s very little driver preparation required. So, I’m relieved at that (laughs) aspect, but I think that at least in the short term, I just need to run less races as a result. There’s more work for me to do on a race weekend with partners, prospects, crew members, drivers, crew chiefs than the advantage of a running a third car all the time, especially with nine races last year. And so, with this year, we have two (races). I’m not sure what next year will look like. I know I’ll at least be in this race (Daytona 500) next year. But we’ll see how we evolve as a company and if it makes sense. I feel I’ll need to chase my desire in driving the car, as that’s still very much there, through IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) or sportscar racing or classic car racing as we move forward here.

Do you feel like you’ll be in the Daytona 500 this year?

“I can’t tell. That practice session, as much as I was excited to have it, there was so much interference with drafting of other cars. We can’t tell who had a clean lap and who didn’t but I know our cars are much faster than they were last year so I’m hopeful we’re there.”

Did you look at the Open Exemption Provisional at all for this race?

“We didn’t know about it until the rule came out. Evidently, it was buried in the charter agreement that came out. But when the rule came out, I forget the time of the morning, three minutes later, we were on the phone with NASCAR and recognized it wasn’t within the 90 day-window and we weren’t eligible. So, we’ve had a lot of talks with everyone at NASCAR and I have a better understanding of the intent of the rule, and I would anticipate some changes following here (Daytona) to better define and clarify that. When first read, our reaction wasn’t great, but it is what it is and hopefully, we have a fast-enough car to get in.”

Have you had any conversations with Helio Castroneves?

“Well now that he’s (Helio Castroneves) locked in (with the Open Exemption Provisional), I would talk to him. Before knowing he was in, I would’ve lied to him (laughs).”

How stressful are today and tomorrow for you as an open car?

“It’s awful. What I went through last year to get in. I wasn’t in until the last half-mile of my duel race. Hopefully I don’t have to go through that again.”

With this new podcast you’re launching, how do you fit that into your schedule?

“I’ve not figured that out yet. My family is still in England until the school session is out, really since October last year when this opportunity popped up to advance my position in the team, I haven’t been there much. That part isn’t easy. But knowing that’s coming to end once the school session is out, that’s nice, but I’m trying to manage it (all).”

Is there any more pressure to make the race this year with the partnership with Shaquille O’Neal this year?

“Yeah. And the All-Star event is Sunday after the NASCAR event. TNT and FOX are collaborating and working together with planned interaction back-and-forth. And of course, we’d love to have Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) here, but with the eyeballs and added exposure, this will have more reach as you’ll have the two networks and different fanbases (watching) and should be really, really good. So if we’re not in the race, that’s definitely a shame.”

Thoughts on Dale Earnhardt Jr. having the chance to potentially own a car in the Daytona 500?

“I’m really excited for him (Dale Earnhardt Jr.). I know that having a car in the Cup Series is very special, important for him, his sister (Kelly Earnhardt) and their family. Hopefully this is the start of many things for them.”

With this current car, is handling not as important as in previous generations?

“Handling still matters here. It’s changed a little bit with so much parody. The rule book is so thick that it’s bunched everyone up. But it still does require a lot of handling, and you make the car faster when you sacrifice handling and we’re just too dumb and we want more speed in the cars, trim them out and lower them, bounce off the bump stops and create handling issues as a result. Ultimately, tire wear, before they repaved the track, tire wear was quite high. We’re not back there yet and I’m excited for the day that we are and you can bring more driving back to this race and some setup options, but don’t think we’re quite there yet.”

What have Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek brought to the team that’s benefitted the organization?

“Erik (Jones) is that steady, calm thing for us. Erik has been so patient with the organization, going through different ownership changes and promises about making things better. We feel a deep obligation towards him to get it right. With Jinh Hunter (Nemechek), coming up through the Toyota system and our deep relationship with Toyota, we’re thrilled to have him back. As far as he’s concerned, in his first year with us last year, we didn’t have our act together and our obligation to John Hunter. But we switched up the crew chief arrangements, and last year with 10 or so races to go, we had a conversation about, ‘hey, let’s just try (the change). We’re not where we want to be, let’s try.’ It was tough for John Hunter to separate from Ben (Beshore, crew chief, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB) because of their relationship. But he’s had an open mind on what’s better for the company, and Erik and Ben got off to a decent start there. With Travis Mack (crew chief, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB) coming onboard and the energy he brings to the program, we do have a little different lineup there with engineering below that, but everybody’s had a really productive offseason and to roll into racing, we’ll see how this pans out.”

If some sponsorship funding came in, would you run any additional races this year?

“I would consider a few more. The time it takes to be prepared and do it right is something I overlooked running nine races. I’ve been living out of the country, a chance for my family to live abroad, as a minority owner of the team, it was easier to do. Now with my new position, it’s becoming much harder. So, staying focused on the growth of the team, our partners, prospects, OEM, management, drivers. It’s really tough to give the driving piece a chance right now.”

What feels different about this Daytona 500 for you compared to your previous?

“Qualifying to get in and that uncertainty is new. I guess I had it the first time I was here (Daytona) in 2002. Especially this year, cars trying to get in on speed have an affiliation with a bigger team. And I imagine, everyone’s trying to put their best stuff on those cars. RCR (Richard Childress Racing) with the No. 62 and Hendrick (Motorsports) with the No. 40. That’s interesting on speed, but with the duels and how they’re split up, if you’re in a duel without your teammates and have to look to the OEM, and if I’m in a duel without my teammates and I have the Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) cars and Martin (Martin Truex Jr.) is there, they’re going to push Martin. It’s a wild scenario and hopefully we cure all of that by being in the top two (of open cars) tonight. Every year has its own challenges and for us, where I am now, it’s just getting in the race. In year’s past, it’s been the race and how we’re going to win. Of course, we want to do all of that but we haven’t thought about that yet. Everything’s been about getting into the race.”

About Toyota

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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

 Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet – DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes

Q. Can you give us a timeline on what you were first contacted, how long it took you to make a decision to do this? A month? Two months? A week?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: We’ve been kind of, like, seeing each other, me, Justin and Don Hawk for quite some time.

It wasn’t just six months ago, it was probably like a year and a half ago. We had an opportunity to come here with a team, Conor Daly ended up driving. We didn’t think it was going to be a good opportunity, so we decided not to do it.

Because of the whole scenario that Don was working with Justin, finally came through the whole deal with Project 91 and Wendy’s. We just follow through.

It was interesting. It wasn’t like that. I’m glad it did. The program, as you guys noticed, I’m not the only one doing this. It’s been very well-made, it takes a lot of, a lot of effort from a lot of people. I’m glad that everything fit perfect.

To be in the biggest race, one of the biggest races of the world obviously, Indy 500 and Daytona 500 are the biggest. What an opportunity to be here and do that.

Q. Do you race tomorrow or do you sit back knowing you’re already in?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: No, I need practice. I need to run. I don’t have any experience at all. Today is my second time in the car, so…

I think every moment that I’m actually jump in the car, I will learn something. And I need it. I’ll be honest with you, it’s a different beast. It’s an amazing car. It’s completely different rules.

I think the competition also different around what I’m used to. Every time in the car, I’m going to learn. No matter what happen, I’ll be running.

Q. You’ve been a part of a lot of big races. How are the emotions coming here to the Daytona 500 compare to your first Indy 500?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Right. It’s interesting. I don’t know what to expect because this is the first time for everything. Definitely the butterflies in the stomach are flying right now.

Information… I trust my guys. I’m seeing a lot of good friends, old friends, from over the years give me some tips. Some give me a hard time, which is okay. I can take it (laughter).

Look, this is incredible. This is an amazing opportunity. I believe only two guys in the planet were able to win the Daytona 500 and Indy 500. I know it’s very hard. I know it’s tough, like I said, different style racing that I’m used to.

You’ve got to be there. Whatever it is, at the end of the day it could be great. As of right now, I’m taking step by steps so I get every time more familiar and better.

Today I’m not even knew how to get out of the garage. Normally with INDYCAR, you just go to the pits and that’s it. Every step has been a learning process.

Q. You did the ARCA test.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Yeah, but it was in a different building. I’m finding roads here in Daytona that I’ve never been to.

Q. You were on the track?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: On the track I was, yes. Only five laps until people start crashing (laughter). I didn’t have much of a time of practicing in the pack.

It’s okay. Like I said, I’ll have plenty of time.

Q. What do you remember about IROC racing?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: A lot. Oh, my God. Special racing with those incredible drivers, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman. It was incredible to race with all those.

I learned a lot, to be honest. I don’t know if it will be familiar. I don’t know yet. I’ll tell you after the first race.

Q. You don’t make the rules. There’s controversy that you’re locked in. Guys like Jimmie Johnson are not. Have you heard about that?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Yeah, I didn’t hear much about it except last night one comment.

I said, Look, in the end of the day, I understand. I didn’t write the rules, by the way. I didn’t know actually these rules exist.

When we accepted this opportunity, we accept to go and race, race to race. However, obviously if whatever happens in the Duel, whatever happens there, if I have to take it, I’ll take it.

You’ve got to remember, Indy 500 is the same similarity rules: you have to race for it, but you have a week to adapt to the car, understanding, get into it. Here, I only have 50 minutes.

At the end of the day I didn’t know the rules exist. If I have to take it, I won’t deny that I will take it.

Q. You’re new to NASCAR. Why do you never correct people when they call your name wrong?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: They call me Julio, Hello. As long as they call my name, it’s okay. It’s definitely unique, I’ll get used to it.

Q. Four Indy 500s, Dancing with the Stars, personally blessed by a Pope. What is left on your bucket list?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Hopefully we’ll be celebrating the Daytona 500 win (laughter).

I know it’s a tough deal, don’t get me wrong. Obviously if I didn’t trust the people behind me, obviously the team… My team, I have experienced guys that know what to do and they give me the right rules. I got to go with the mentality like I’ve always been to a race.

What left? I don’t know. As long as I still have the fire like I have right now, I going to keep it going?

Q. (Question about the ARCA race.)

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Great question. I don’t know. It will be a unique. From the practice, I see it’s going to be very interesting.

Speaking with drivers that did the experience between the NASCAR and the ARCA, the Cup and the ARCA, they seem to be very different.

I will learn a lot.

Q. You have a bright personality. When it comes to racing, you take this very seriously. Talk about what your preparation has been.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I’ve been watching a lot of in-car cameras, a lot of the rules to understand the rules. I been in touch with the guys, as well, to make sure that we are on the same…

The lingo is different. Face it, when you come out of the pits, in INDYCAR they say, Go, go, go. Here it’s, Dig, dig, dig. I know it sounds interesting or different. It’s completely the opposite that I’m used to. I have to adapt. Pit stops here, for example, you have to stop a little bit away from the wall because you have to have the jack guy have space for them to raise the car. INDYCAR you get close so the fuel gets as quick as possible.

All these little details, even it’s a race car, it’s very different. To be in a big race like this, every detail matters. That’s why I’m trying to study all of these details to make sure that at least I’ll take out of the way and know what to do.

Looking forward, for sure. Every time I said I’m in the car, I’m going to take the learning.

Q. Have you gotten any advice from Juan?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Not Juan. Dale Jr., we spoke quite a lot. I got to find my friend Jimmie Johnson. Not sure he’s going to give me any tips, but I’m definitely going to talk with him about.

I talk with Austin Cindric, Blaney, Joey Logano. I’ve known those guys for a long time. Now I’m in their world. I would have done the same thing if they were in my world.

Q. Does 195 feel slow compared to what you’re used to?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: In terms of speed you’re talking about?

Q. Yes.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: You don’t see it. Even 240 and 190 or 200. You only see when things go bad. I don’t want to see that.

Q. There’s going to be a lot of eyeballs watching from around the world. Very few international drivers have had the opportunity to run Daytona. What would it mean to you knowing there’s going to be a lot of people walking, the second Brazilian to ever compete in the Daytona 500?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: This is a great exposure. This is one of the biggest race in the world. You want to have as much exposure as possible.

It’s very smart that Trackhouse are doing that. Not many people able to see it. When I was testing Talladega, people in Talladega were exciting. I’ll be watching for you, I’ll be cheering for you. It gives opportunity for foreign people, Brazilian people, people from other series to watch it. I’m just happy to help this scenario.

But in the end of the day, I’m not here just to call attention. I want to do everything I can to do a good job.

Q. (Question about helmet.)

HELIO CASTRONEVES: You should see. The helmet, I think the camera cannot see the smile behind my helmet. It was so cool. I’m like, Oh, man, this is tough. Oh, no, I actually got this stuff. Here we go.

It was really fun. Yeah, super, super excited. Can’t wait to go back out there again.

Q. What other road course drivers would you suggest do this? Give us three or four names.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Oh, my God. That’s a great one.

From friends that I know, Scott Dixon is one of the guys that in my time, it’s incredible driver. Montoya already did that, so… I check that out of the list.

Q. Any Formula 1 guys?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I think Formula 1, Lewis tried once. Was it Hamilton?

Q. Kimi.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Who drove in Watkins Glen?

Q. Jensen.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Was it Jensen? Okay. Fernando Alonso would be great. I think he would like it.

Q. You said Cup drivers have been giving you some inside tips. If the shoe was on the other foot, if they were coming over, how much would you divulge to those guys?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I would have done the same, even more. I know how difficult when you go to a different series to another, how tough it is. I just don’t want to be on the way.

You don’t want that, as well. Sometimes you see it takes time to adapt. These guys been doing this for years. You jump in the first time, it takes a little time. Some drivers are quicker learners than the other. I’m probably slower. I’m getting there.

My team, the Project 91, are experienced people. They’ve done this before. They really give me the right tools to adapt fast.

Q. Did you bring any Indy 500 rings?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: It’s in my shoes in my locker right now.

Q. (No microphone.)

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I think it’s great. First of all, Jay Frye has been incredible for the series. Doug also has been doing an amazing job with the speedway. I feel the speedway automatically is going to be on autopilot. So many years, running in an incredible way, he has a lot to offer. Great job for INDYCAR to also have someone that knows the sport, knows the racing, and can bring a lot to elevate the series.

Q. Were you surprised at the change?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I was. Nobody mentioned anything the last year. A little bit was surprised.

Q. Do you have a place in your mind that you’d like to qualify, where you might like to start the race?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I would love to be in the top 15. That would be great. Able to do speed-wise, that’s great. Give me at least understanding I’m not so much farther back. I understand if you lose the draft here, it’s a big deal.

Yeah, that’s the goal. Nothing’s going to change if that doesn’t happen. That will be my goal.

Q. Have you spoken to Justin Marks about driving any additional entries?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I think one step at a time. A lot’s going to be determined after this race. Yeah, we have all our focus on the big one.

Q. (No microphone.)

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I have not. I heard about it. I want to see him (laughter). Love to meet him, for sure.

Q. How important was practice today?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I mean, huge. I mean, just my first out hitting a little bit of the limiter, things like that. If you’re thinking about it, that would hurt the lap time in qualifying. So all of these details, it’s important for you to get out of the way, learn what it is.

Honestly, even if the guys are here for many years, they were happy to have practice, which you should. You can’t just go out there and go straight. Those cars are fine machines, they got to be on top of it.

Q. (Question about the differences in cars.)

HELIO CASTRONEVES: The stock car moves a little bit different. You have a power steering wheel. The car, when it turns, it’s a little delay. Speed difference, you don’t feel it.

INDYCAR, because of no power steering wheel, it turns a little quicker. It’s heavier, you feel more everything into the steering wheel.

Now, when you’re talking about AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti, you’re talking about the gods of racing, right? Wow, in this time of era, winning both, it would mean a lot to history in racing. I would be very blessed to be in this position.

Q. Do you have a little bit of race fan in you when you walk through this garage and see some of these names?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I mean, Jimmie Johnson is one of them. We became friends.

Q. You raced against him.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: But Jeff Gordon is another one. He’s not as a driver anymore, but he’s a team owner or president.

I mean, I raced with Kyle Busch at SRX, which was super cool. Kevin Harvick is not here anymore.

You’re talking about old-timers here. There’s so young guys now. They probably looking at me… I was actually talking to Byron, and he’s 27. I’m like, Man, you were probably five years old. Not even, thank you (laughter).

Look, in the end of the day, it’s super cool to be in this environment. My teammates are great. Daniel Suarez and Ross and Shane. Shane actually I raced a long time ago in V8 Supercar in Australia. He still gave me great tips. I’ll follow him because his tips seem to be working, not only for him but for me, too.

Q. There is something to be said for people that feel comfortable racing with you, and you feel comfortable racing with them.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Right.

Q. How do you develop that? How do you earn the trust of somebody?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: You got four hours to trust. I’m sure I’m going to be dropped down if I’m pushing someone, helping them, which is part of this game I guess. Until I prove that I can run with everyone and gain their trust, nothing that I can do.

I’m sure I will get there. That will be the time for me to take advantage of it.

Q. Do you have to race Thursday to prove to them you can race?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Absolutely. And I will race as of right now, I need experience. I need to run. I haven’t run with anybody in the pack. I understand it’s a big difference. So that’s why I’m doing ARCA, too. Different cars. At least give me a little bit more knowledge when I come to the Sunday what to do.

Q. You belong to a professional driving club. How fast do you go on an interstate?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I respect the rules (laughter). Let’s put it this way.

Q. Are you saying that or are you doing that?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I am saying that (laughter).

Q. Do you get adrenaline when you go out?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Absolutely, absolutely. Unless I’m a little late (laughter). Did I say that out loud?

Q. Are race car drivers athletes?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Absolutely. I don’t care what kind of car you do, it takes a lot of effort to turn the car. The speeds that we go, especially the time that we stay. They are.

Q. Open-wheel guys…

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Still practice a lot. Still train a lot, very hard. In the ovals not so much because you have the headrest. In the road course, huge.

Q. What did you think about the Daytona 500 having watched it but never been in it? What were your thoughts about it?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: It’s a big race. It’s an historic race, right? Just to be in it…

I had the opportunity because when I used to work with Team Penske, when I drove for IROC, I had opportunity to see the race. I’m like, I wish I be there. Unfortunately RP never allow me to do it, which is okay. I understand wasn’t my time.

I’m so glad that this opportunity right now, it’s just came through because this is huge. Probably is the right time for me, too. I’m more experienced driver, so I understand what I need to be.

Yeah, this is huge.

Q. NASCAR asked you or told you what you think you need to learn or what they want you to learn or do or show? Do you know exactly what you have to show?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: No, they never told me what to do. We did have meeting before so I understand the rules. They don’t want me to get caught in very simple rules, crossing over the yellow line, the back straight, things like that.

All those details, I mean, look, I feel that everybody wants me to do well, right? Again, it’s a big race. It’s a lot of attention from everybody. I want to do well, too.

I can’t thank enough for everyone with arms wide open to receive me. I’ll do everything I can to own that.

Q. (No microphone.)

HELIO CASTRONEVES: They’re innovating. This project, I would say I don’t think a Team Penske or MSR or any other big team would be able to do it. They are thinking outside the box, which I like that.

In terms of organization, the people that Justin also have the past and hire, wow, it’s incredible. As I said, my crew chief is a Daytona 500 winner. It’s not like a B team when you’re thinking about. This is a real deal and I’m glad they put this group together.

Q. What do you think of Justin? He’s a big-picture guy?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: You said it, a big-picture guy, thinking of the future. Sort of like I would say, it’s not his style, but I feel the team is more like this new upcoming TikTok guys that push forward. Not TikTok, but you know what I mean. Social media, you know?

Q. Influencers.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Thank you. And they are. And they are. And I like it. Not only that, they’re getting the results and I’m so glad to be part of it.

Q. If you have a good experience, if you enjoy this, if it goes well, is there the desire to not have this be a one-and-done sort of thing?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I’ll let you know after the last lap (smiling).

Q. You’re running the other 500, too?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Yes. I’m running both 500s.

Q. That’s a big deal.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: It’s huge. In fact, the helmet I’m using will be the same colors from here to there. I want to create both 500s in the same year, which is unique.

Q. Did you steal that design from Rahal?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I had nothing to do with the marketing with Wendy’s. But I tell you what, it works.

Q. He had the bowtie.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: The little bowtie. I agree with you (laughter).

Q. (No microphone.)

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Very close. We text each other. Nothing big ’cause the car changed anyway. Different style. As well, the racing.

I feel right now it’s a much closer pack than when Christian 20 years ago ran.

In the end of the day I’m having a great group behind me from Trackhouse and Project 91 to give me the right tools to adapt as quick as I can.

Q. What do you think of your teammate over here from New Zealand?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I know, he’s pretty darn good, I telling you. Like I said, takes a lot of advice. He went through this last year. He was able to give me a great picture of what’s happening.

Not to talk about, like I said, I met him a long, long time ago, 15 years ago, when I did the V8 Supercars. It’s cool to see him doing well.

Q. He won his first race.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: All right. He put me in the spot now. No pressure. I’ll do everything I can to repeat what I did (laughter).

Q. And Scottie Rutherford.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: See, that’s great. I’m just having an amazing opportunity here to do something huge.

Q. You’re here as a driver, but what has it been like since you stepped into the ownership waters?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Look, it’s been amazing. Mike and Jim, I’m learning so much with them on the other side of the helmet, the cockpit I would call. They’re able to really show me a lot of things that I never understood ’cause when you’re a driver, you’re focusing obviously go fast, whatever it takes to be in that number one spot.

Here, the performance, the employees, the sponsor, the whole dynamic, it’s been just absolutely incredible. I’m just glad I was able to help, just switch from Andretti technical alliance to Ganassi. Yeah, we looking forward to the beginning of the season, for sure.

Q. The first time in the ARCA car, first time in the Cup car…

HELIO CASTRONEVES: It’s fun. It was awesome. The car’s different. The braking is much better on the Cup car. I feel that the driving, as well. The car seems to be responding a little bit quicker than the ARCA car. I’m not sure if it’s style, the tires, what it was.

Wind was a similar scenario. Same push I had before, which is great. Now I can read a little bit better for what the car is doing.

It’s much more comfortable. You’re shifting the sequential gearbox rather than an H pattern.

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

 Anthony Alfredo, driver of the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet – DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes

YOU HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE, BUT WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS IN COMING BACK HERE AGAIN BECAUSE THESE OPPORTUNITIES CAN BE SO FLEETING?

“Obviously just being here at Daytona and having a shot to run in the Great American Race is a blessing. I have been talking to a few people today about how many people would do anything to have an opportunity to be here and just say that they attempted it, let alone race. I have been blessed enough to run the race twice now and hope that third time is a charm. But its going to be pretty intense tonight and tomorrow, either way, but I look forward to it because its going to be that much more rewarding qualifying into the race just knowing the field of open cars that are here this time around.”

DO YOU VIEW THESE OPPORTUNITIES AS SORT OF A PROVE IT SITUATION TO SEE YOURSELF IN THE CUP SERIES?

“One hundred percent. Making this race isn’t just about being in it, to me it’s about winning it because that could be career defining. And I am a young driver trying to make my way and I have been very fortunate to make it this far, but my ultimate goal would be to be the Cup Series champion one day. Maximizing the most out of these limited starts and a partial schedule is really important for that. So, I am just really thankful to have these opportunities because of Beard Motorsports, our partners Fortified Building Solutions. Quite honestly, it has gone really well. The cars are really fast and we had a sixth place finish last year, and we are the fastest open car qualifying here for the Daytona 500. So, there are just a lot of great things to build on from last season and that momentum should help us execute at a higher level this year.”

HOW MUCH DOES THE SPEED FROM LAST YEAR EASE THE MIND FOR TONIGHT?

“That is a great question and honestly, I feel very confident because of it and I think we are even better than we were last year, but so does everybody else and there are a few more open cars than there were last year. More competitive ones at that. It’s going to be tougher and its going to be really tight. So, we will just do all we can as far as putting the speed in the car and its going to be up to me behind the wheel. After that, it’s superspeedway qualifying and once you are up to speed you just have to hang on and hope the thing runs. We have got a good power plant from ECR Engines and everyone at Beard Motorsports has done a great job in preparing the car. This is the same car we brought here last year. It didn’t run any of the other three races that we did, so this is our Daytona 500 piece, and our pride and joy. So, I hope it pays off.”

IT’S AN EVEN BUSIER WEEK FOR YOU BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO ALL THE DAYTONA 500 OBLIGATIONS, YOU DO HAVE A FULL TIME XFINITY SEAT WITH TYLER YOUNG AND HIS FAMILY. DOES THE EXTRA TRACK TIME IN THE XFINITY CAR KEEP YOU SHARP?

“I am really excited about it and Tyler Young is an awesome guy and everyone on his team takes a lot of pride in what they do. I think the small teams deserve respect, especially for how long he has been in the sport, whether the Truck Series and now the Xfinity Series. They have a vision that I want to help realize and that is to be in victory lane this season with that 42 car. My goal is to win the season opener at Daytona and make the Playoffs. Maybe another regular season win would be great. That seems like a tall order to most, but that is what my mindset is on. I think not only is running the Cup race giving me confidence, but like you said, just being in and out of the car this week has given me some experience, especially racing on Saturday and trying to learn some things for Sunday. It’s kind of weird. I had practice today, qualifying tonight, the Duels tomorrow night, so I will have a lot more seat time in the Cup car than anything and I think that is going to help me more with the Xfinity car than the Cup car will the Xfinity car if that makes sense.”

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

 Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet – DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes

Is this the year for your Daytona 500 win?

“You’d certainly like to hope so. Twenty years of trying. There was another storied racer of the past that won on his 20th try and that was a pretty big deal. He was a former RCR driver as well so it’d certainly be nice to win that race and do it with RCR in the No. 8 Zone Chevrolet. So that would be pretty cool.”

You’ve been good on superspeedways since you got to RCR. How has that changed your mindset preparing for the 500?

“We’ve had really good speed being down here. These guys build great restrictor-plate program racecars, so when we go to Daytona, Atlanta, Talladega, we feel like those places are really good for us. We’ve got really good speed. I just told someone that it’s 80 percent luck/20 percent skill race. Others would disagree but I feel like you have to have a lot of things go your way and you have to have the stars align. Being able to lead off the final pit stop is certainly going to put yourself in a really good position.”

Does the 2015 crash in this race still impact your mentality?

“I don’t feel like it does anything. You have to go out there, race and run hard, and try as best you can to make the best decisions. It’s a lot like a chess match in trying to make sure you put yourself in the right positions to get yourself up front when it matters most. Two years ago we led mile-marker 500 but unfortunately we were coming to the yellow. Been there, been right and there and been close… finished second, finished third, finished fourth and all the top-five spots. So there’s definitely some angst over trying to win this one.”

There was great improvement in the RCR after the summer break last year and you added new people in the offseason. How effective will that be for 2025?

“Certainly any time you add more people or new people, you hope it’s for the betterment of your team and organization. I’m excited for it and looking forward to it. I wouldn’t say revamping but definitely changing some personnel in some places and being able to put some better cars on the racetrack. For myself and Austin Dillon, we want to go out and win races for RCR, for RC, ECR and of course Team Chevy. We have some great partners and some people there that get us to the racetrack each and every week. It’s all about winning, and the time is now to get that done.”

How important is it to get off to a good start this year?

“It’s really important. The biggest thing is that I always love it when we are able to start strong and have good strong starts to the year. It helps your mojo a little bit, helps you build a foundation and gets you a good points start. But you have to keep that momentum going also. Two years ago when I joined RCR in ’23, we had a really good first 16 races. I think we won three of the first 16 but then kind of (fell off) after that. You’ve got to keep that strength all year long. You can’t blunder, fumble, whatever it is. That’s when these other guys will take advantage of you, and obviously stage points in this era are very important.”

When do you get a feel for that with the first two races being speedways and then a road course…

“I feel like Daytona and Atlanta are some really good shots for us to win races. So the first two weeks are good with our RCR speedway program. From there I enjoy the road-course stuff. Of course being able to get back out to Vegas… we ran strong there last year and we were probably one of the only cars that could keep up with the 5 car in that race. It’d be nice to get that momentum rolling at the start of the season and really try to run stronger each week and score those stage points, get ourselves in running sixth to 10th each week, pick up some spots on pit road and put ourselves in position to get good finishes.”

As a veteran, what’s it like to have practice and qualifying back again, and did it help your team out?

“Here I think it’s nice to get out there and shake it down. There were a couple of other guys that had oil leaks and whatnot, so certainly they benefited from it and were able to get on the racetrack… I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Just a short 20 to 30-minute thing to shake your car down. Here it’s good for qualifying for later, and at Atlanta I feel like it’s important to get a couple of laps in because the balance at that place is going to change the most over the next few races because of the asphalt wearing and whatnot. As you get into the races, it doesn’t really matter where you start. It’s a matter of how you get through traffic.”

That 80/20 ratio, is that consistent or was it different years ago?

“I feel it’s probably more 80/20 now than what it was. I feel like it’s gotten more luck-induced. We’re all dealing with the same Legos. You see it sometimes when you get later in the going when you’re in the middle of the race or early in the race and you’re fuel-mileage racing and you can run three-wide and you’re side-by-side. But then when it gets down to the end and the bottom picks up and everybody is running wide-open, that top lane just falls. You can’t keep up up there so you have to be in those first two lanes to make sure you’re toward the front. Trying to make a move and you’re trying to hang somebody out… that’s just a part of what we’ve got right now. It’s tough to make headway.”

On contending at Atlanta this year after a close finish last year.

“You have to be in position. I felt like we were pretty fast there both races last year. I had a big run down the backstretch and knew I needed to make it three-wide. I should have cut my speed going into Three when I was three-wide because I told myself before the race do not be leading getting into Three coming to the checkered. I messed that up. When I saw that hole, I jumped to the middle and my momentum carried me through to the lead. Those two cars side-by-side will just pull you back through the middle. So messed up on that a little bit but all in all, it’s circumstantial. You have to be right all the time.”

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 – 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.