NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY R.C.
ROUND OF 12: ELIMINATION RACE
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT
OCTOBER 12, 2024

 Van Gisbergen Sweeps Pole Wins at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course

• Turning his first-ever laps on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Chevrolet’s Shane van Gisbergen drove his Chevrolet-powered machines to the top of the leaderboard in both qualifying sessions – claiming the pole for today’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250 and Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400.
• The poles wins – his first in the Cup Series and third in the Xfinity Series – came after a strong practice session in both series, driving his Kaulig Racing Chevrolet’s to the top of the leaderboard in each.
• Chevrolet – the winningest manufacturer in both series at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course – now sits at 10 poles for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season and 753 all-time in the division.
• A strong contingency of Team Chevy drivers claimed top-10 qualifying results at the North Carolina circuit, with the track’s defending winner, AJ Allmendinger, posting a third-place qualifying effort in his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1; and Chevrolet’s playoff drivers Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and William Byron driving their Hendrick Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet’s to sixth, seventh and 10th-place qualifying results, respectively.

 SHANE VAN GISBERGEN, NO. 13 WEATHERTECH CAMARO ZL1 – Pole Win Quote

FOR THE SECOND TIME TODAY, SHANE VAN GISBERGEN WINS A POLE AT THE ROVAL. HOW FUN WAS THAT TO WATCH THE CLOSING LAPS AND TYLER REDDICK TRYING TO BEAT YOUR TIME?

“Yeah, he’s obviously very quick to do those extra laps and still match it. But man, thank you to this Kaulig Racing team. It was a last minute deal to come and run this Cup race here, so thanks to Matt (Kaulig) and the guys for letting me run their car, and for WeatherTech coming on board.

Our Chevy is really quick. What an amazing day.. I’m lost for words.”

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TOMORROW TO START AND FINISH IN THE FIRST POSITION?

“Yeah, just make sure we race clean. I have to respect that there’s a lot of playoff guys around me and I have to race respectfully. But yeah, we’re here to win the race. I have a teammate up there with me, too, so obviously the team has done a great job. But yeah, hopefully we have a good day.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series | Qualifying
Bank of America ROVAL 400 | Saturday, October 12, 2024

FORD QUALIFYING RESULTS

4th – Joey Logano
5th – Austin Cindric
8th – Brad Keselowski
14th – Ryan Blaney
15th – Todd Gilliland
21st – Michael McDowell
25th – Chase Briscoe
26th – Harrison Burton
28th – Corey LaJoie
29th – Chris Buescher
31st – Kaz Grala
32nd – Noah Gragson
34th – Ryan Preece
36th – Josh Berry
38th – Josh Bilicki

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Qualified 4th)

“It was a solid qualifying effort. We need to be faster. The guys we are racing, the 9 is right behind us and the 45 is second, so it is going to be a battle tomorrow for sure.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW COURSE LAYOUT NOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN OUT THERE?

“I think we made some gains on trying to figure out how to make speed. It is a new section so you have to make laps to play with different lines. I will be interested in watching the Xfinity race here today to see what lines look like and how that goes.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Sylvania Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Qualified 5th)

“I think that gives us the option to do everything we need to do tomorrow. We are in a position that we have to go win, and starting in the top five and being able to have some track position here to start is super important. I am proud of my team bringing a fast Menards/Sylvania Ford Mustang and we will go try to have our best day of the year tomorrow.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW COURSE LAYOUT NOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN OUT THERE?

“It is just different. Better or worse, whatever, but it is just different. I think the work that the guys did at the Ford Performance simulator to help us get up to speed has been really important for us in being able to maximize having two practices.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 Castrol Edge Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Qualified 8th)

“We hustled hard. The car seems really decent and I am excited about the race on Sunday. It was a really solid day.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW COURSE LAYOUT NOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN OUT THERE?

“I think we brought a good car. That makes my job a lot easier. I am really excited about that. I am not sure what to think about the reconfig yet. I would like to get a race under my belt before having a strong opinion, but it is certainly different.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series | Media Availability
Bank of America ROVAL 400 | Saturday, October 12, 2024

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing, met with media members Saturday morning ahead of Cup Series practice and qualifying at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

Media Availability Quotes:

BACK AT DARLINGTON, YOU HAD TO WIN THAT RACE TO GET INTO THE PLAYOFFS. IT WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A STRAIGHTFORWARD OVAL. WITH THE STAGE POINTS AND THE STAGE RACING AT ROAD COURSES, HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO APPROACH THIS TO GET THE POINTS TO MAKE UP THE DEFICIT?

“I think for us it’s honestly better that we’re kind of in the position that we are being 32 out or whatever it is versus 15 just because if you’re 15 to even 20, that is doable. Where we’re 30, at least for us, we’re just looking at it as a must win. You could maybe point your way in, but a lot of things would have to go your way. I think it honestly opens up a lot for us from a strategy standpoint of just going in with the approach of flipping the track position and everything else. So yeah, to be below the cut line is obviously unfortunate, but honestly, I would much rather it be 30-something points than 15 just because I think it makes it a little clearer of what you need to do from a strategy standpoint. And out of all the tracks in this round, this is the one where I feel the most confident to come and battle for the win, so hopefully we can do that.”

WE’VE HAD TWO RACES WITH TWO NON-PLAYOFF GUYS WIN RACES? IS THAT GOOD FOR THE GUYS THAT NEED TO GET IN, OR DOES THAT MAKE IT DIFFICULT?

“I think it’s good if you’re around the cut line for sure just because if guys in the playoffs win it just moves that cut line farther and farther down. So I think for the guys near the cut line, it definitely makes it a little bit easier, but for us where we’re at a point situation, it really doesn’t matter truthfully I think it definitely makes a difference, you know the first round even right, if I don’t win the race I’m cheering that a non playoff guy win just because it makes it a lot easier.”

COULD WE SEE A SITUATION TOMORROW WHERE AN ENTIRE SEGMENT OF RACES, THREE RACE SEGMENT, THE PLAYOFFS WHERE NON-PLAYOFF GUYS END UP WINNING THOSE RACES.

“Yeah, for sure. I mean with, you know, Allmendinger and SVG and guys like that, I think that here too, just with the strategy standpoint, it’s gonna be flipped more than any of the oval races that we have. So it definitely would not surprise me at all to see a non-playoff guy win, but hopefully a playoff guy wins.”

COMING INTO THE PLAYOFFS YOU SAID THE MOTIVATION OR THE RALLYING CRY WITH THE TEAM WAS BASICALLY, WHY NOT US? WE’VE SEEN TONY DO IT. SO COMING IN THIS WEEKEND SAYING IT’S A MUST WIN. IS THERE ANY MOTIVATION OR SPEECH THIS WEEK AMONGST THE TEAM ABOUT THE GOAL AND THE JOB ON SUNDAY?

“To be honest with you. I’ve been at the shop all week. I think for me, you know, I don’t feel worried at all. I honestly feel a lot like I did going into the Darlington week, where I know that we can win here. We’ve done it before in the Xfinity level, but this is a track I feel really good about. Our road course stuff has been really good. If you look at Watkins Glen and things like that. So I’m not really nervous. There’s not a whole lot that I feel like isn’t capable by our team when we do everything right. It’s just going to take a good weekend, and with where we’re at in the points I feel like it makes it easier to win the race just because you don’t have to put yourself where you get the points then you restart 20th every single time. You can just flip the track position and you’re gonna start up front every time, so I feel really good about it truthfully.”

YOU AND BOSWELL LAST WEEK WERE PRETTY OUTSPOKEN AND FRUSTRATED WITH WHAT HAPPENED AT TALLADEGA WITH THE DVP POLICY AND THE TOWING. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH WHAT NASCAR TOLD THE CREW CHIEFS THIS WEEK ABOUT HOW THEY’RE GOING TO APPROACH THESE NEXT FIVE RACES?

“Yeah, I have no idea. I’ve not been on my phone.”

YOU MENTIONED NOT BEING ON YOUR PHONE AND NOT BEING AT THE SHOP. HOW IS LIFE NOW AS THE FATHER OF THREE WITH TWINS AND HOW’S MARISSA DOING?

“Yeah, it’s been a chaotic week. Marissa’s actually at the ER right now. So yeah, she’s been twice. She’s had a lot of issues after. So hopefully I can get done quick here and get back home. The babies are good. They’re super small. I did not expect them to be as small as they are. But yeah, I’m definitely not getting a lot of sleep. Trying to be the best dad and play mom at the same time just with how bad Marissa has been struggling. It’s been a busy week. I probably haven’t focused a whole lot on racing, truthfully, but I’m excited to get the car today just from that standpoint of trying to zone everything that I’ve had going on all week. I feel feel good about it. Being a father of three has been really cool. It has been cool to see Brooks transition into the big brother role already and just hoping that Marissa will be okay and get back to her.”

WERE YOU ABLE TO WATCH XFINITY PRACTICE AT ALL? AND IF SO, WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU COULD TAKE AWAY FROM JUST THE NEW CONFIGURATION AND HOW DOES THE NEW CONFIGURATION IMPACT YOUR CONFIDENCE AT ALL?

“Yeah, I saw, I don’t know, maybe four or five laps of practice. I didn’t see a whole lot, but I think what I had planned on doing as far as the new section looked like what they were doing. So I definitely think that the section over here, I think turn seven or whatever, is going to be very interesting when the race starts, just because the racing line really opens you up to just get taken advantage of. So you’re going to have to play a lot of defense there. And it’s definitely going to create a ton of passing opportunities, I think, not only in that corner, but even into the back straightaway, so I think they did a really good job with it. It’s gonna make it really unique just because it’s off camber. There’s a lot of things that I think are really gonna add to the complexion to this racetrack and I’m looking forward to getting on it.”

DOES HAVING THE TWINS THIS WEEK MAKE IT ANY LESS STRESSFUL OR LESS LIKE WELL IF I DON’T ADVANCE, STILL HAVE THE TWINS?

“I think just your perspective changes, at least it did for me, even with Brooks, that what I do in the race car is important, but in the big scheme of things, in the big scheme of life, it’s not the most important thing where I finish on a Sunday. I think it does add motivation at the same time, just knowing that you have two more mouths to feed and things like that. And you want to provide for your family, but also, my worth is not where I finish on Sunday whether I move on in the playoffs. It’s how good of a husband I am and a father I am. And that’s kind of what I try to take pride in.”

WITH THE CLOSURE OF THE TEAM AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WE’VE HEARD FROM SOME DRIVERS THAT MOVED TEAMS AND ALSO SOME CREW CHIEFS AT SHR ABOUT THE INFORMATION FLOW FROM FORD, OR MAYBE LACK THEREOF, WITH RESPECT TO ALL THE STUFF THAT YOU GOT GOING ON OUTSIDE OF THE RACE CAR THIS WEEK, THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, AND THEN I GUESS PARTLY THIS WEEK AS WELL. HOW HAS THAT INFORMATION FLOW BEEN AND HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY, YOU KNOW, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY CHINKS IN THE ARMOR FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE?

“From my standpoint, at least the driver’s side, I haven’t seen anything. But I’m also not the one doing all the setups and stuff like that. So I try to not get in the weeds of that stuff. I know for me, I’m still going to the simulator. I’m doing all of those things. So from my standpoint, I feel like we still have everything we need. Even in the playoffs, I’ve been able to run up front and battle. I don’t feel like we’re missing anything by any means. I feel like all that’s really strong. You know, if we don’t move on out of the round of the playoffs, I don’t know if that changes, but I certainly right now feel like we have everything we need.”

YOUR SUCCESS AT THIS TRACK IS ONE THING. THE COURSE CHANGES ARE A WHOLE OTHER BALLGAME. HOW DO YOU BALANCE KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE HAD SUCCESS HERE IN THE PAST, YOU HAVE THAT CONFIDENCE VERSUS THE CHANGES THAT ARE NEW THIS YEAR ARE PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL AND HOW THAT’S GOING TO IMPACT THINGS.

“I’m honestly glad of the changes just due to the fact that I feel like it just makes it a little bit more of an even playing field and kind of reminds me the first time we came here. There’s a lot of new and nobody really has the advantage of just having laps here so I’m excited for the new changes. I think it fits me a little bit better anyways. That section that they took out was probably my worst part of the racetrack. So yeah, I feel really good about it for sure.”

HOW DO YOU NOT GET DISTRACTED WITH EVERYTHING ELSE GOING ON AT HOME, FOCUSING ON THAT AND WITH OBVIOUSLY THE RACE SUNDAY?

“I think for me, my faith is a big one and then just having a really good support system, between Marissa’s parents and my parents doing everything they can to just make it easier for both of us. It’s chaos, I’m not gonna lie. Just, you know, with Marissa being at the ER right now, not wanting to bring four-day-old twins into the ER, so they’re out in the parking lot with my mom and she’s pumping and running milk out there, so, you know, then I’m going back and forth. So, I mean, it’s chaotic, but without that support system and without that family support, it would be way harder. That being said, as chaotic of a week as it’s been, it could be a lot worse, right? There’s a lot worse things that we could be going through, and it could be a lot harder for us. We’ve got it pretty good still. I think just my faith and then having that support system definitely makes it a little bit easier to just not get lost in the chaos.”

SPEAKING OF CHAOS, THE ROVAL HAS BEEN RECONFIGURED, A LOT OF DRIVERS ARE EXPECTING CHAOS IN TURN 7. WHAT OF YOUR IMPRESSION SO FAR AS YOU’VE TAKEN SIM LAPS?

“I definitely think that it’s gonna add a new passing zone that was never there. You know, just with that whole section before, you would honestly just follow the leader and then the speeds were so fast that even the backstretch chicane didn’t really turn into as big of a passing zone as it could be where now you’re gonna have two more passing zones. So from that standpoint it’s definitely gonna be made more chaotic, but I do think it’s gonna make it a little bit more just in the drivers hands because I think you can find more time now in different areas where before, that whole section was kind of the same speed for everybody. You couldn’t really differentiate yourself that much where now I think you can definitely do that. I’m really excited with what they’ve done and think it’ll be just added value to this racetrack.”

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE AS FAR AS TRACK SURFACE GOES WHEN YOU RACE AT LAS VEGAS IN THE SPRING AND WHEN YOU GO BACK IN THE FALL?

“I would say just the temperature. It seems like it’s always hotter whenever we go there in the fall for whatever reason. The track just races a little bit wider. It’s a little slicker. When we go there in the spring, it’s a little more bottom dominant I feel like, where in the fall you can normally run the fence a little bit easier and do things like that. So to me, I don’t really notice a track change as much as I do just the temperature. I think I was looking the other day, it’s going to be like 100 degrees next week out there, so that should be better for the racing, though, just make it wider. I know when we were there in the spring, it was really bottom dominant, at least the best guys were. So hopefully, that’ll make it better.”

SO IS THE RV IN THE HOSPITAL PARKING LOT OR DID YOU BRING IT HERE?

“No, it’s here. Yeah, for Brooks, he’s going to come with me tomorrow so yeah it’s here.”

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAMES FOR THE TWINS?

“Cooper is Marissa’s maiden name, so that one was kind of easy. T the girl name I honestly don’t know where Marissa really got it other than I know it’s in the movie The Blind Side and I think she’d heard it there maybe once. She wanted names that kind of went together. I was trying to go for Bonnie because there was a Bonnie Briscoe at one point and I thought it was kind of cute and southern, but we ended up going with Collins and I ended up loving it.”

HOW MUCH SLEEP HAVE YOU GOTTEN THIS WEEK?

“More than Marissa for sure. I would say four or five hours a night maybe. That’s being generous though.”

Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

CONCORD, N.C. (October 12, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

What are your thoughts on the change to the DVP rules?
“The good part is – they talked to the crew chiefs and said this is the way they are going to view the rule. I don’t know if there has actually been a rule change, but certainly the interpretation of it has changed. Whatever consistency it is – just let’s ride that out for the rest of the year.”

Have you done much sim work for this weekend and what are your thoughts on the changes to the track?

“It will certainly be different for sure. As time goes on, everyone is going to adapt their style to a very similar style, as we do on most tracks. It is inviting to go in there and dive bomb, and that will get rewarded sometimes, and sometimes it won’t. It is the same track for everyone, someone is going to win, so you just hope you are it.”

Does it tell you anything about the Playoff schedule with the top-eight guys in points also being the current top-eight?

“Not really. Certainly, the work you put into the regular season definitely helps with that. You get to have a jump start when the round starts. Those who have the most regular season points, or bonus points, are going to always reset back to the top. If it was all zero, where would it all be? I think that shows the importance of the regular season, and certainly if you can build a buffer for bad days, that really pays off in rounds like these, but we haven’t seen this round fully play out quite yet.”

Do you have any concern since Toyotas have not won recently?

“It has been a minute for sure for any of our cars to get to victory lane, and we just haven’t won as many races through the summer months as we were planning on. It is for various reasons, but yeah, as we look at how the tracks lay out, we haven’t had that all out speed that we have seen in years past, but still, I haven’t gone to the race track any weekend and thought that my car was incapable of winning. We just haven’t done it and none of our Toyotas have done it. It is up to us and the teams to finish it off for Toyota.”

With this DVP change, do you think they should have waited until after the season was over?

“We certainly play by the letter of the law for a very long time, and then we varied from that, so while, there has been a change since last week, at least if what they said was true, they are going to play it the same from here on out and not change. I would have certainly rather it changed at the end of the year like they talked about, but here we are and hopefully we have some consistency for the last five.”

Is a 30-point buffer safe enough going into Sunday?

“If I don’t have a horrible day, yes. But I’ve had horrible days here. I feel better about it than I did with five to go at Talladega, certainly. I think that I just have to do my part in all of this. That starts today and goes on to tomorrow and I just need to do my job to best of my ability, and if so, then we will be fine. If not, we will see how it all stacks up, but 30 points – if you would have asked me before Talladega, would you be alright with 30 points to the good going to the ROVAL, I would have said yes.”

Do you feel like you are less of a disadvantage here because the course has changed?

“Well, I was pretty decent last year. Looking back at the race, qualified inside the top-10, ran inside the top-10. We decided to stay out for stage points to lock ourselves in and it put me last when we started stage three, and then I got caught up in someone else’s wreck. So yeah, the result was horrible, but I thought I was the most competitive that I’ve been at this race track since we’ve run here. I’m at least optimistic about that.”

As far as the DVP, there are so many scenarios. Do you think about that?

“There is too much other stuff to really put DVP – there is no section in my brain for it right now. I would say that – certainly, there is going to be unintended consequences to it, right? That is going to be, when you tow cars back to pit road, when do you open pit road? Do you just wait, wait, wait – then you have some fuel mileage issues. People need to pit, next thing you know, the tow truck is sitting in their pit stall. There is going to be – while this has evolved – there will be some kinks in it that we don’t plan for, you just hope that I don’t know, if there is a multi-car wreck, you just hope that you are the first one to get towed, because it will certainly be a big advantage.”

How much does where you start tomorrow change your strategy for the race?

“It will have a factor – no doubt about it. A lot of it also depends on who is in front of you in the qualifying order and what is their agenda. I probably won’t know what Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) will do coming out of the back chicane, and we are coming to two to go, and does he call me to pit road or not – a lot of that is waiting and seeing what does the competition do, how many points can you get, and so yes. Today is the start of your strategy, and it can alter based on what we do today.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 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 more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 12 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 13th 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 29 electrified options.

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

NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY R.C.
ROUND OF 12: ELIMINATION RACE
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
OCTOBER 12, 2024

 WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CONFETTI CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

Media Availability Quotes:

YOU’RE LOCKED INTO THE NEXT ROUND. IN THIS RACE, AT THIS TRACK, WHERE IT’S EXPECTED TO BE CHAOTIC ON SUNDAY, HOW GOOD OF A FEELING IS IT THAT WHATEVER HAPPENS ON SUNDAY, IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, IT WON’T EFFECT YOU?

“Yeah, it’s great.. it’s awesome. It changes the whole mood and vibe for the weekend, for sure. I mean, I haven’t really thought a lot about it, in terms of just trying to do the normal preparation and be ready for the race and try to go win. But yeah, there aren’t consequences for us, so that’s a great feeling and I feel like it’s one that we can take advantage of. We don’t have to worry about going out here in practice; try to ease into it. We can just try to send it and see what happens.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE WHATEVER DOUBTS OR CONCERNS THAT WERE CIRCULATING AROUND YOUR TEAM ARE KIND OF ERASED NOW, AND THE NO. 24 TEAM IS AT THE SAME CALIBER AS THE OTHER TEAMS THAT ARE RACING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP?

“Yeah, I mean this is the time of year that matters. I’m proud of our team for showing up. I knew we would. I’m confident in our group. I know that for us, winning races early in the season is great. We want to have success throughout the summer, but we were just a little bit up and down. But yeah, now is when it counts and our team showed up, so I’m excited for the Round of Eight, for sure.”

NOW THAT YOU’VE HAD A CHANCE TO WATCH SOME OF THE XFINITY SERIES PRACTICE AND LOOKING AT THE LAYOUT, WHAT ARE YOUR INITIAL READS ON THIS CIRCUIT AND LAYOUT?

“I mean, it looks really similar to what sim was like. So for us, it’s really status quo. I feel like turns six and seven are definitely different. But yeah, it looks a little bit awkward. Turn six is definitely awkward.. the way that you load into there. There’s a crest to the hill. There’s some paint that’s going to rubber in and gain some grip as the weekend goes that you’ll have all four tires on. Turn seven is a U-turn, really. It’s a very different corner.. no banking whatsoever. So I think you’ll see a lot of dive bombs there, for sure, and some spins because of that. I’m just curious to get out there. Hopefully we can qualify well.

Oh and the frontstretch chicane, too, is slightly different. But yeah, I’m excited.”

I’M PRETTY SURE THE CURRENT TOP-EIGHT ABOVE THE CUTLINE ARE IN THE HIGHEST SCORING POINT EARNERS THIS YEAR. WHAT DOES THAT SAY TO YOU ABOUT THE CALIBER OF TEAMS THAT PRETTY MUCH, DESPITE ALL THE CHAOTIC RACES AND THE SCHEDULING, THE TOP-EIGHT TEAMS ARE THE TOP-EIGHT OF THE PLAYOFFS?

“Yeah, if it stays the way it is now, it will be a really entertaining and competitive Round of Eight, you know because there won’t be any guys that are kind of easing their way in. So I think it will be really competitive. I am a bit surprised by that, based on the way the schedule was this year with the two superspeedways and two road courses in the playoffs. But so far, everyone has kind of adapted to it. The speedway racing has been a bit different in the playoffs this year. I feel like everyone is taking care of each other, for the most part, until some of the wrecks last weekend. But overall, I feel like guys are scoring a lot of stage points and staying up towards the front, which is unique at superspeedways. You never know what can happen.

And then, I feel like Watkins Glen was just a wildcard. So yeah, I’m a bit surprised. But at the same time, I know that the Round of Eight is going to be really competitive.”

ADVANCING TO THE ROUND OF EIGHT WITH A WEEK TO SPARE, WHERE NOBODY ELSE IN THE PLAYOFFS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT IN THIS ROUND, WHAT KIND OF AN EDGE DOES THAT GIVE THE NO. 24 TEAM? WHERE DO YOU GUYS CENTER THAT FOCUS.. IS THERE ONE OF THOSE THREE RACES THAT YOU GUYS REALLY FOCUS ON PREPARATION-WISE?

“Yeah, I mean it just allows us to get started on Las Vegas. We’ve already looked at tape; reviewed our setup and started to get an idea of what we need for Vegas. We were good there in the spring, until we had the trash bag on the grill. Honestly if we can just go there with similar speed, and similar speed to what we had at Kansas, I think we’ll be right there in the mix. Last year was a bit disappointing in Vegas. We weren’t as good as we thought we would be, even though we had a few week to prepare. So I think we’ll probably do some things a little bit differently this time around. But we already have a good head start on it. Its been two years in a row that we’ve been able to kind of cruise through this Round of 12, and that’s been really nice for our team to think ahead a little bit. But we still want to win this weekend. We still put effort into the ROVAL setup and try to go out here and be good tomorrow.”

I KNOW THAT MARTINSVILLE LAST YEAR IN THE FALL WAS A STRUGGLE FOR YOU GUYS. IS THAT ANY CONCERN FOR YOU?

“I mean, yeah – we won there in the spring, so it’s pretty much fixed. But I think yeah, it’s been a hit or miss place. So I feel like for us, we just have to do more of the hitting. The way the spring was, was great. We had a really strong car in the spring, and we were one of the few guys that could pass people. We started 18th. We’d like to qualify a little better because you never know how difficult it will be to get through the field. So yeah, that’s probably my focus way long term.. try to qualify better at Martinsville and see where that takes us.”

OBVIOUSLY THERE’S BIG TALK ABOUT STRATEGY – WHO’S GOING TO PIT EARLY TO TRY AND GO FOR THE WIN.. WHO’S GOING TO STAY OUT AND TRY TO GET STAGE POINTS. DOES THAT KIND OF STREAMLINE THE PROCESS FOR YOU GUYS, THAT HEY – MAYBE YOU CAN GET A COUPLE MORE PLAYOFF POINTS FOR THE NEXT ROUND AND KIND OF HELP WITH THAT CUSHION?

“Yeah, I think if we’re not very good tomorrow, then we might try and go for the stage win. But it’s tough here because pit road only takes 30 seconds, I believe, including the pit stop. So it’s a big advantage to short-pit here because you can still come out and get stage points. I think the No. 20 did that last year. When he came out, he lost like three positions. I think the lap times being slower this year, it might be more that way. So it will be tough for these guys that don’t – if you’re not running well, I don’t think you’re going to just luck into some stage points. I think you’re going to have to be upfront. So it’ll be interesting, but I’m excited to watch everyone else; see how nervous they are and just go race.”

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA IF YOU HAVE A TEST SETUP OR A DIFFERENT SETUP THAN THE OTHER THREE FOR PRACTICE, SINCE YOU’RE ALREADY LOCKED IN?

“I don’t think so.. not that we’ve talked about. Just maybe making a little bit more changes in practice to figure out things for next year, in terms of what the changes do at road courses. Watkins Glen wasn’t great for us, but I feel like we’ve got a pretty good base.

No, I don’t think we came here with like something way different. I think we’re all really similar, which is pretty common every week. But I think just maybe try and learn some stuff in practice. With two 20 minute sessions, we might try and use the first 20 minutes to really come in and make a lot of changes and see what we can learn.”

DENNY HAMLIN SAID THE RECONFIGURATION WAS INTENDED TO CREATE MORE CHAOS. YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE, HE SAID. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHETHER DRIVERS LIKE YOU CAN ADAPT AND LEARN TO LIKE IT, IF YOU THINK IT’S GOING TO CREATE CHAOS?

“Well I mean, as drivers, we’re going to adapt and learn to whatever the challenge is, whether it’s dirt, this or whatever. Yeah, that’s all during the week speak, for sure. Once you get out there, I know each person is going to put their full effort in; try to be openminded, learn and be good at it. So yeah, I don’t know how it’s going to change who’s good or not. I did, personally, like the old section. We were really good here last year, and really every year. It’s different, but we did simulation this week, and we tried to get through that section a little better. I do think, on paper, there’s really no other reason, it doesn’t look like. So it was just creating something different, probably, and making it just a different challenge, which probably creates some carnage, I guess.”

HOW MUCH CHAOS DO YOU THINK WE’LL SEE AND WHAT’S YOUR THOUGHT ON DIVE BOMBS, BOTH FROM YOU AND FROM OTHERS?

“Yeah, I mean the way that corner is shaped, there’s no other option. If you’re close to somebody, somebody is going to try and out-brake. I feel like maybe it’s so tight that if somebody does out-brake, they could potentially miss the corner, go past it and you could cross under. We’ll see how that plays out. But yeah, I think that’s going to be a passing zone, for sure. And then we’ll just see how it goes.”

YOU GUYS WON AT LAS VEGAS AND I’M CURIOUS – ARE YOU GUYS CONCENTRATING ON IT BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES, WHEN YOU DO WIN THAT RACE, THEN YOU CAN JUST START WORKING ON PHOENIX AND PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN THAT BASKET?

“Well I mean, I haven’t thought about it like that, for sure. I think it’s just the first race of the round. You want to be good out of the gate. You want to try and win in the Round of Eight, for sure, but try to create a good points buffer and see how it goes. It just only gets more and more difficult as you go into the Round of Eight, like we saw last year. We were in a great spot starting the Round of Eight on bonus points.. we had 41 points last year and I think when we came out of Vegas, we were only like seven points above the cutline. So it’s just nice to go there with a focus, a plan and try to win that race because then it opens up the rest of the year and just makes it easier.”

WE HAD A ROUND WITH NON-PLAYOFF DRIVERS WINNING. ARE YOU SURPRISED BY THAT, AND DO YOU THINK THAT TREND COULD CONTINUE HERE?

“Well I mean, yeah – I think SVG is in the race and there’s some really good guys. You can just be more aggressive if you’re not in the playoffs, typically. If you’re in the playoffs, you’re counting points and you’re trying to get yourself in position. That all changes in the next round, slightly. But this round for sure, you’re just trying to get through these events. For us, it doesn’t matter. I think we’ll be in the group that’s like the non-playoff guys.. it’s more aggressive. So it’ll be nice to do that.”

THE NEWS CAME OUT THIS WEEK ABOUT THE DVP RULE. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THAT? WITH A RACE LIKE THIS, HOW DO YOU SEE THAT POSSIBLY PLAYING OUT, IF THINGS DO GO SOUTH?

“You know, I feel like we’re through all those races that the DVP is going to be more of an issue. I mean, in the Round of Eight; if you’re crashing, you’re probably not going to make it through anyways. You know, those races are probably behind us, hopefully. I don’t know.. I guess the ROVAL could be that way, maybe. But we’re going kind of slow around here. In the infield, I feel like you could nurse it back without flat tires. The flat tires are just created from speed, locking the brakes up and stuff.

I don’t know.. I don’t really pay too much attention to it. That’s kind of other peoples’ jobs.”

YOU’VE LED THE SECOND MOST LAPS HERE OF ALL DRIVERS AND THE MOST BY DRIVERS THAT HAVEN’T WON. WHAT SECTIONS OF THE TRACK, IN PARTICULAR, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU EXCEL AT THE MOST?

“The old section (laughs). So yeah, I was good through the old section and good through the old chicane. I guess I’m OK through (turns) one, two and three. We’ll see, but it’ll be a new learning curve, for sure. We’ll see how that goes.”

About Chevrolet

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Toyota Racing – Erik Jones
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

CONCORD, N.C. (October 12, 2024) – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver Erik Jones was made available to the media on Saturday prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.

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

Can you expand on the partnership with the pink window nets this weekend?

“Yeah, it has been great. We took over the program last year, and it was a little bit last minute. We didn’t have a lot of opportunity to take it in our hand. This year, we had a lot more lead in and more time to develop the program. I feel like we were able to work with Thermal Control Products a lot and really develop that relationship with Colleen (Matte) over there, and that has been great for us, but at the end of the day, what it is really about is raising money for breast cancer and early detection and prevention. That is a huge pillar of our foundation and has been from the start – three years ago and looking forward to seeing the window nets on the cars and raising some great money for it and for the cause. Partnered up with Blue Cross Blue Shield, as well, so should be a fun couple of days.”

What has been the most eye-opening thing for you with your foundation the last few years?

“I think it is all of it. Having a foundation is no walk in the park, by any stretch of the imagination. There is a lot of time and effort that goes into it – not just from my part, but from our foundation director Brent’s (Nickola) part, from the volunteers to our board members – there is so much that goes into the foundation and making the world go round – that side of it is a lot, but the reward is the grant making that we get to do. We are starting to make those discussions right now about the money we have raised this year, where that is going to go. This program is obviously huge for us this year, and what we are going to raise for breast cancer prevention and early detection. The grant making is the best part of it. It makes all of the work worth it. Some days there is some long days, and a lot of time put into it, but you can really put it back and see it pay off and get to hand that grant over. That makes it all worthwhile.”

Do you expect Ben Beshore to be your crew chief next year and does it help that Ben has been a part of the Toyota program for years?

“I would say that it is a trial period currently. It looks like that’s going to be the rest of the season – here with five races left. As far as next year goes, I don’t know how that alignment looks. We haven’t got that far down the road, so I’m getting to know Ben (Beshore) and getting to know him through these next few. As far as what the change looks like, obviously, we haven’t performed where we have wanted too, so at the end of the day, you have to do something different, whether him being involved in that system longer makes a big difference, I’m not sure. I haven’t worked with Ben one-on-one this season, only from a far, so I don’t really know the answer to that, but I think right now it is a trial period to hopefully see some change and see some results. We want to get something moving in a different direction.”

What did it mean to you to be given this opportunity by Kurt Busch after his retirement?

“Well, huge opportunity. It would have been a lot of leg work for us to initially make a program like this happen. Kurt (Busch) at the end of the day, did a lot of the leg work before we were able to take it over and make this program a thing to begin with, so when we had the opportunity to inherit it, it just gave us a great chance to make it our own and hopefully, improve it and make it bigger and better. The leg work that he put in on the front side would have been a big challenge for us to get going. That was a huge honor. Excited to keep it going. I think it is a program that has been extremely visual in the Cup Series for the last handful of years that it has been active. For me, it was something that I was really, really pumped to take on. You see a lot of different initiatives through the season from different drivers, from in the car, whether it is gloves or names on the cars – different ways that they raise money for foundations, but the pink window net program has probably been the most visual of them all, and I was pretty excited to bring it to our foundation.”

Do you have any additional upcoming events with the foundation?

“This will be the last one for the year. We do our two events – we had our Clays for Causes event earlier this year, and then we had our Three Reasons to Race event pretty recently, just a couple of weeks ago in Michigan, to finish out our actual fundraisers, and this is kind of our last one for the year, before the year ends for us. Working on next year and getting everything going again, but this is the last one for now.”

What are you looking for the next five races?

“We had such and up and down run the whole year. We haven’t had as many flashes of speed as I would have hoped. I felt like, even last year, we had more flashes of speed, and we really haven’t been able to recreate that this year. Just some consistency, and whether that means some top-20s, top-15 right now – that’s a good day for us, staying on the lead lap. If we can finish out the next five in that area, I think that is a step forward, and then continuing to gain in the off season, but right now, it is realistic goals. You want to win, but I think, right now, top-20’s are pretty good. Talladega was obviously great with a top-five, but these top-20s, top-15s would be nice to finish the season out.”

How do you get through a season like this?

“It is up and down. Some years you just can’t do anything right, and it has been one of those seasons, but probably, by far, one of the most trying I’ve had in most of my racing career, and for sure in the Cup Series, so yeah, that is tough. I guess being through it a bit has helped some. It is not like this is the first down year that we’ve had, so you just have to take it for what it is. Fortunately, I’ve been at it for a while now, I feel like I’m a pretty level head guy in general, which probably helps out, but setting realistic goals, taking the days for what they are worth is the biggest thing for me, and hopefully, moving on. We are not stagnant I guess is the thing. We have a light at the end of the tunnel. If you feel like, you are running poorly and doing the same things, you are going to get down, but right now, I feel like we are making a lot of changes and that gives you some hope, so looking forward to that is the biggest thing that has been keeping me positive.”

When you look at this year, what needs to improve?

“I wish I could give you one thing and say that was the answer. In general, we don’t have any speed. We don’t have it right now, so that is tough. To fix that, it is not necessarily one part. It is not one person. It is not one tool. It is not one test away. It is a handful of pieces that we probably need to get better. It is a process that has to get better. It is people we are moving around currently. It is people that we are hiring currently, and all that takes time, and with the people that we’ve brought in, when you start a new job, you don’t know all that is going on. You don’t know how your company works and where things are and what you are able to access. The people we have brought on are good people, but they still have to have time to learn what is happening and figure out a plan from there. That takes some time. I don’t think there is any magic in the sport now. There is not some part or piece you are going to build or find that is going to make you fast. It is the matter of doing every little thing correctly and adding them all. That is not an easy thing to do. It is probably easy to get your cars from running 30th to 20th, but from running 20th to top-five – that is a lot of magic in there that is not easy to find, so that is going to take some time for us.”

About Toyota

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