TOYOTA RACING – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

LONG POND, Penn. (June 13, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race from Pocono Raceway.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 King’s Hawaiian Shake ‘Em Bites Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

What are the challenges of racing at Pocono?

“It’s typically strategy. That’s one of the biggest factors of kind of where you’re going to end up finishing. Of course, you got to be fast. You have to qualify really well, but then it comes down to strategy, so many races have been won by, teams that you get that caution or you pit right before the caution, you can flip the field, and then once you get the clean air here, you can really kind of take off. It just seems like strategies, the only thing that as a driver, you just can’t really control that you hope goes your way.”

How much have you looked into like Christopher Bell’s car, how it worked, and do you have any concerns as far as the safety of the car going forward?

“I mean, truthfully, I haven’t looked at it at all. I haven’t dived into it at all. Obviously, that was a super massive hit and a very awkward kind of position where he doesn’t probably have very much time to change his posture or prepare for it either because it happened so quick. He got out of the car, other than his wrist, he felt okay. I feel like we’ve made some good, good strides in the safety department, because certainly before they started cutting on the chassis and starting to make it weaker like we wanted in the beginning that would have been a very, very tough impact to the body itself.”

Do you think that relaxed driving style is kind of what has helped you succeed at the triangle?

“I mean, sort of. I think just generally at this racetrack when I came here for the first time, it suited my driving style. I always raced low horsepower, late models that you had to keep momentum up, and this is just a really a momentum-based racetrack that you got to keep minimum speeds up. It’s about having really fast drive on the exit of the corner and this track rewards that type of style. So, I think that that really has been, you know, the key to the success here. Then, being with Joe Gibbs Racing. When I came here back in ‘06, they had some really good stuff going on with their cars, some development that Tony Stewart found in 2005 that I was able to latch onto. So, it really was just good timing on my part in a track that really suits my style.”

What would that mean to you to accomplish that this week and do it at a place like this?

“Yeah, it would be one of our best shots. There’s been other times where we’ve won two, and then the third racetrack is when we don’t feel quite as confident but certainly here, we think we have a great opportunity. It certainly would be something special to me, that something that we haven’t accomplished in my career, that I didn’t know that all the other top 10 guys had. So, it’s certainly something that has been very tough to achieve.”

Have you ever felt as confident coming to the racetrack on a weekly basis as you do right now?

“Not really. This is certainly the peak of that. There’s been other times where we’ve had a lot of success over a stretch like you’re talking about, but not as dominating, even though, I don’t know that we’ve really dominated the last few weeks. When we’ve needed to, we could, and that was that’s been the difference this time around versus previous. So, no, not really. I feel very confident in the way that I’m approaching each racetrack, the way that I need to get speed out of the cars, what I need out of them in traffic, all those things. I feel pretty dialed in with that right now.”

How do you prepare each week with the track changes?

“The process is truthfully the same. It really doesn’t change track to track. It does change for San Diego, since I haven’t been there before. Obviously, the process starts a little bit sooner. You need more laps, more reps at a track like San Diego versus somewhere like here at Pocono. So, I don’t really treat it any differently. My advantage right now just simply is that the laps that I’ve got at all these tracks, and any of these tracks that I’ve been successful at or had wins or run really strong, I know I know what that feel is. So, I just go in there and I try to replicate that feel over and over and over. So, it’s just, it’s truthfully been easy when we’re coming to these racetracks where I’ve had success or had wins. It’s tracks like San Diego where I don’t know what the right feel is. I don’t know where I’m at on the racetrack. That’s where the challenge really comes in, but all the other tracks, it’s pretty easy at this point, knowing what I need out of the car. Not easy to get the result. The process is not easy, but it’s certainly easy to know what I need.”

How much are you thinking about points and trying to close that gap since we have two road courses coming up after this?

“I mean, yes and no. I don’t know that we found ourselves really racing with him at any point of this season, like looking at points or anything like that. Yeah, we’re within shouting distance now, but I still don’t think we’re going to change our approach. I would imagine, when it comes to strategy, things like that, just do whatever it takes to win the race, and so that that will close the gap, surely. So, I think we can keep doing that and then play a little damage control when we go to the next couple tracks, then we put ourselves in a position to make maybe make a run at it later.”

.

Since the wave of the checkers at Phoenix last year, the off-season that you had personally to deal with, how much have you been able to compartmentalize that into this year’s campaign and is it fueling what you’re able to produce out there now?

“Yeah, I mean, I think there’s a couple motivating factors. Certainly, right now, some of it is knowing that I’ve only got a couple more shots at this racetrack to win here, and we are there typically my best opportunities to win. You only got two more shots, or one more shot at that. So that is the super high motivating factor. Another one is the fast cars that I’m driving right now. Knowing that this is a window of opportunity to get the wins that I hope to accomplish in my career. That is a factor. Outside the racetrack, yeah, I mean, things are things are going good for once. Nothing’s crazy going on and mom has moved into her new house this week, so things are good there, and just there’s a lot of positive juju going on. So, it’s all just compounding and it’s just raising my confidence each time I go to the racetrack.”

Do you have excitement for the In-Season Tournament?

“Yeah, and I think they’re going by points this year, right? Yeah, so I like that a lot better, obviously, for simplicity reasons. I don’t know kind of who’s in that group, but really it was the racetracks last year. It was just so tough. Atlanta kind of wiped out really all the favorites right there in the first week, which you would expect out with a road course or a superspeedway, and we still got still got that in there, but it’s not the first race. So, it’s something that I would like to go further than the first round this year. Ty Dillon took it to me the first week last time (laughter).”

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 over 50 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

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

TOYOTA RACING – Chase Briscoe
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

LONG POND, Penn. (June 13, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe was made available to the media on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race from Pocono Raceway.

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

How do you feel coming back to Pocono as the reigning race winner?

“Yeah, looking forward to it. I mean, anytime you can come back to a place where you’ve won before, you just have a different confidence about you. So, yeah, looking forward to it. Obviously felt like last year our stuff was good here and just this has been a really good track for JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) in general, and then you throw in the fact that the Toyotas have been as strong as they are. I definitely feel good about it. Just have to go and execute.”

What are some of the challenges of racing here at Pocono Raceway?

“I think the big thing is you just have to know that your car is not going to be good and at least one of the corners. So, you’re just always trying to figure out what that compromise is of, how much can you give up in one of the corners if you’re getting better in the other two? So, that’s the hard part I feel like about coming here is you can normally make your car better in two of those corners, but it’s going to probably make it even worse than the others. So, you’re just trying to figure out like the gain loss of time and what’s worth it, and then you got to take into account in traffic, what’s your car going to do? Where can you actually set up passes? So that’s the hard part, I feel like about coming here and it changes, year-to-year, the track gets rougher in spots, and the tire can always be different. The track kind of moves around differently. It’s always a challenge when you come here just because there’s so many variables, I feel like, that go into, honestly, just running up front here. Your car’s got to be good, but the strategy piece, like, they’re just a lot that goes into running up front at Pocono. So, hopefully we can do all those things right.”

Did you take a look at Christopher Bell’s car at the shop? Do you ask a lot of questions or do you to see what NASCAR says?

“I went and looked at it Monday, when they were tearing it down. I was just like blown away, at just some of the damage, I guess, in a good way. Like it did what it was supposed to do, right? I’ve been around the Next Gen car for four years now or whatever, and I’ve never seen one look like that. It was just unique to see one, kind of twisted up and do the things that it did. I went and looked at it and then I talked to Christopher (Bell) a lot. Sunday night flew home with him and then Monday and even Tuesday we texted him back and forth. I tried to get him to send me the video of the in-car, but it wouldn’t work, I guess, but yeah, I was definitely curious just because I wanted to see it just in a sense of, I feel like he got out, like relatively unscathed. He has a broken wrist and stuff, but I mean, it could have been really, really bad. So just trying to see if looking at my crash videos and I know what kind of the G’s were in mine, compared to what he had and just trying to see if maybe I need to do something different in my stuff because I feel like to be able to get out of that impact, especially like from a head standpoint, like to not have a concussion, like he’s got something right with his helmet or head rest or whatever. So yeah, I was definitely, you know, curious about it everything.”

How would you compare where you are mentally and pressure wise compared from one year ago?

“From a preparation standpoint, everything, I feel night and day. I know what the car is going to do every weekend, like I feel like our prep work is dialed in. I would say that the pressure, honestly, kind of, it’s a little bit different because last year I felt like I had to, I had to perform to like maintain my job, which I still need to do that, right? But the pressure now is more in a sense of like, man, I haven’t went to Victory Lane this year and last year I was able to win three races and just from a point standpoint. I don’t know, now the expectation is there, where when I came into this weekend last year, like I felt like I could win, but I’d never done it at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing). It wasn’t necessarily the expectation. So, it’s just, it’s different from that mindset. But the pressure, I feel like, is very similar. I obviously want to race for a championship and as a team, we feel like we need to be top five in points at the end of the regular season to really do that, and so I’m 100 points out right now. So, the pressure from that standpoint is very similar. Just knowing that I have to have a good weekend and just knowing that a win could really be the difference maker in getting to that point.”

What have you learned about that course for next week?

“It is probably, I feel like, the most technical racetrack that I’ve ever ran on in my career. You go to some road courses and, there’s just some corners that don’t really matter, truthfully. Like, they’re pretty standard. Like everybody’s going to be the exact same speed through them. I mean, San Diego, there’s not a single corner that is not like a massive time game or loss that just compounds the next one. Every corner is so technical and each, there’s like just, I was talking to Riley (Herbst) about it on the plane. There’s no flow. Every corner is so opposite of the one before it that it just makes it extremely like there’s just no flowing through sections. So, it just makes each corner, its own individual corner that is so technical and how you have to set it up and what you have to do and some corners are more important to give up the entry. Some are all about making entry because of that flow and the gain time loss of certain parts of the racetrack. So, it is extremely technical, I feel like the most challenging place I’ve ever had to just challenge myself on the SIM, like to just really just dive into data and change how I’m driving completely. Even sometimes using two or three different driving techniques for two or three different corners in a row. It’s a really, really challenging racetrack. If a guy’s not put in the time, I mean, they’re going to get exposed, I feel like when they get there, just because it’s one of those racetracks where if you haven’t prepared and done your due diligence. I mean, obviously the SIM could not be accurate to real life at all, but as of now, it is an extremely challenging racetrack.”

Have you seen what Pocono Raceway has done to honor Kyle Busch?

“I haven’t really got to yet. I came in last night. It was dark and then today I literally just kind of went from here to the bus lot. So yeah, I haven’t really got to see a whole lot yet, but I know on social media, I’ve seen a ton of the stuff that they’ve been doing, whether it’s the start-finish line or I even saw like a mural with the QR code to donate to Bundle of Joy. So, I haven’t got to see that in person yet, but certainly on social media, I’ve seen a lot of the stuff they’ve been doing. I think they’ve done a great job.”

What do you think the most important factor is moving forward, especially after recent success?

“I think definitely from a result standpoint, it’s been challenging. It’s been one of those years where it’s like you either run top-5 or you run 30th on back. There’s really been no in between. From that standpoint, it’s encouraging because we have been able when we execute to run in the top-5. From a speed standpoint, a lot of those times, even when we didn’t run up there, we had the speed and just something would happen and that’s why we wouldn’t finish. So, I think that’s been the thing that we’ve kind of held our hat on is, from a speed standpoint, we’ve been good. It would be one thing if we were just running 25th on back on speed itself, but we’ve had the speed. We just need to get the execution piece and sometimes that’s really hard to do. So hopefully, we can just be a little more consistent with that.”

Where do you feel like the team is in qualifying and how important is to start up front at Pocono?

“Qualifying is definitely important. It’s been kind of a head scratcher, I would say, why we haven’t been able to, you know, get the poles this year. Some of those have been, we just haven’t qualified. There’s been tracks where we’ve rained out qualifying that we were on the pole last year and then other times, we just have been like third to fifth. We’ve still been really fast, just haven’t been able to get the pole where last year, a lot of the time we would get the pole would be by a pretty good margin. So yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know why we’ve I don’t I don’t feel like we’ve regressed. I feel like a lot of the time, especially normally our teammates are the ones getting the pole, and they’ve just gotten better. So, yeah, I don’t know why that is, but hopefully today, we can get the pole because it does make a difference here from a pit road standpoint, but certainly a track position standpoint. So, yeah, it’s been bothering me that we haven’t gotten any poles at this point.”

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 over 50 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

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

TOYOTA RACING – Christopher Bel
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

LONG POND, Penn. (June 13, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was made available to the media on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race from Pocono Raceway.

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Do you know how you broke your wrist?
“Yeah, I think I do, so I was still hands on the wheel, hands turned left and then my left hand, which was on the bottom, my wrist was bent over, like that on the underside of the wheel and then just the force into the steering wheel, slightly smashed it. So yeah, just that was that.”

Do you have any more concerns for San Diego and Sonoma?

“It’s certainly going to be hard. I’m just going to play it week by week and see how I feel today and practice at Pocono and then after the race. I have done a couple SIM sessions at San Diego. I mean, I feel like I was able to get through an hour or two in the simulator and do okay. So, I’m thankful that it’s another seven days away. I think certainly it’s going to be a week-to-week thing.”

Are you willing to divulge the numbers on the g-force or the Delta-V number is on your impact?

“Honestly, I don’t really know. I’ve been told that it was 63 g’s on impact, so I don’t know what the Delta V is, and honestly, it doesn’t matter to me. It was a big one, but I’m just so, so incredibly fortunate and thankful and blessed that my head was okay. To get out of there with just a fractured wrist is pretty immaculate. I owe all of the credit to NASCAR and my team for building safe cars. I know I said it in my statement earlier, but all of the previous drivers who have paid somewhat of a price to make these cars as safe as they are today, NASCAR from learning from every experience that they’ve had in every moment, every crash; it all paid off, you last Sunday. So, super grateful and I’m looking forward to putting it behind me for sure.”

What are your limitations with your wrist and what is your recovery like?

“From what I’ve been told, it’s pretty much just a normal broken bone. So, under normal circumstances, they would say six weeks. I would expect me to be in a cast for a period of time. I’m really glad that I didn’t have any displaced bones, so I didn’t have to have surgery, which was awesome, but yeah, I’m going to take it week-by-week. Obviously, I’ll be wanting to get out of the cast as quickly as I can. I think my group of doctors are all along the same lines to make sure that I’m healed up as much as possible, but obviously as quick as possible as well. Right now, I’m pretty much driving the car one-handed. I can kind of hold the wheel a little bit. I think enough to shift shifting on the straightaways here at Pocono is I think it’s going to be doable. The road courses, specifically San Diego, like there’s a couple corners that you have to shift in. I think turn one at Sonoma is going to be difficult. I hope for more healing before we get to those tracks for sure.”

What is the medical treatment that you can do today and tomorrow when you are at the track?

“I’m probably not going to disclose that. I think we have a pretty good plan in place. That what I’ll tell you. I will say, I haven’t driven the car yet. I’ve driven a streetcar and I feel fine driving a streetcar, doing normal stuff. So, we’ll learn a lot whenever I get out there here in an hour or so.”

How do you feel like everything in the car performed?

“The car did absolutely perfect, and all of my safety gear did absolutely perfect.

I was really, really grateful, Sunday whenever I hit the wall that all of that R and D, all of that effort had gone into making sure that I had the perfect containment system and it worked. Everything worked perfectly.”

What was the interaction with Chase Elliott right after, and can you talk about how many people have reached out?

“It’s been it’s been incredible, the amount of people that have reached out to me. This past week, my phone has literally been on fire and it’s been eye-opening how much love I have received from everybody, all of my competitors throughout the NASCAR garage, all of my peers and coworkers throughout the NASCAR garage, friends and family members, even drivers and competitors that I raced against on the dirt side that have reached out to me. So, it has been surreal to see that. Then, I can’t speak highly enough of Chase (Elliott) as well. The moment that he saw me out of the car, he was visibly shaken up and concerned about me. I appreciate so much his, demeanor and his thoughts of me and he’s reached out several times throughout the week to make sure I’m okay. Obviously, I asked him if he was okay too. He had a big hit as well, but just thankful for all of the love from everybody. Everyone in the community, everyone outside of the community, my phone has been the busiest this week, it’s been in my entire life.”

Do you plan to race all 400 miles? Do you have a reserve driver?

“The plan is absolutely for me to compete all or completes all 400 miles, but we do have a backup plan in place for tomorrow if I am not able to do it. Brandon Jones, he came and set through all of our SIM sessions this week to make sure that he was up to speed. He did a great job driving the simulator as well. I think that it’s either going to be like I’m going to commit to the race and I’m going to do it, or I’m going be out and just start and ride around until the first yellow. But, as of right now, I’m full commit planning on running 400 miles.”

What do you remember about the wreck? What was the impact like? What were your thoughts immediately after?

“I mean, I remember everything. I remember going into turn 3 side-by-side. I saw Chase (Elliott) wiggle then I thought that I was going to go around the outside of them, and then at the last moment I saw his car come right, and then, if I remember right, it kind of like picked my nose up, and shot me right. So, I remember staring at that Michigan USA sign too, saw the whole thing coming. Once I hit the wall, my earpiece popped out, so I scared the crap out of my wife (Morgan) and probably everyone else listening because I didn’t respond to Tab (Boyd, spotter) whenever he was checking on me, but my ear deal popped out, so I didn’t have any communication, and then I saw the car was on fire. I was trying to get out as quick as I could. I knew my wrist was broke right away, because I couldn’t disconnect my shirt. I reached down, tried to disconnect my shirt, and I couldn’t squeeze the button, so I had to use my right hand to do that. Then, my foot hurt really, really bad too. We got x-rays on my foot. It just ended up being bruised. So, yeah, between beside my foot and my wrist, I was good to go. I knew right away, or I thought I knew right away, that my head was okay because I didn’t have any sort of headache, didn’t black out. I remembered everything. Obviously in the infield care center, they did tests on me. So just super, super blessed that I didn’t hit my noggin and yeah, glad I can continue on.”

Did you feel like that was just a racing incident at Michigan?

“Yeah, I mean, I just thought it was racing. I don’t even know that I would call it hard racing. It was just a racing accident. He got loose. We were side-by-side through the corner, but these cars don’t really tend to lose a lot of side force whenever you’re side by side compared to the other cars. I didn’t think he did anything egregious. I didn’t think I did anything egregious. It was just a racing accident.”

Has your cast been modified to help you in the car? Has the steering wheel been modified at all?

“The OrthoCarolina team did a really good job of making sure that the cast is as molded to a steering wheel as I could get it. So, I can grip the wheel as well as or as good as I can, and then Max Papis. He did a great job of helping me out with a steering wheel to accommodate me, the best that I can. We took a lot of material off of the left side of the wheel just to make it skinnier, because I have so much material in my palm to help my hand get around the steering wheel. I feel like we’re as ready as we can get and see what happens.”

How different is your steering wheel than normal?

“It’s not much different. Everything’s the exact same, except for the left side, the left side just has some material taken away and it’s a smaller diameter than my right side, just because I have material taking up space in my palm. I’m going have to acclimate to driving primarily right-handed. I think I primarily drove left-handed under normal circumstances, so it’s going take a little bit of acclimation for sure.”

When did it hit that you were in pain?

“Yeah, it was it was pretty instantaneous. As soon as I stopped and reached down to undo my shirt and unhook my shirt, I couldn’t hit the button. I had instant pain. I didn’t have pain before I went to hit the button, and then whenever I went to hit the button, I’m like, oh man, something’s wrong. Then I got out of the car and I was like looking at it. I’m like, well, it still looks okay. So, I guess it’s okay, but then I couldn’t get my chin strap undone. So I’m like, okay, something’s wrong. I knew I knew right away that it was broken, and then once I think I took some Advil or ibuprofen there in the infield care center and they put me in a splint, and then from that point on, the pain has been not much at all if I, if I’m not moving it, but certainly whenever I move it, I get some pain.”

Did you ever consider not racing this week?

“Honestly, I didn’t even consider the points, but Sunday, whenever I got to the airplane, I didn’t really have any thought of not racing because I’m like, as long as I can hold the steering wheel, I’ll be fine, and then throughout my simulator sessions, obviously that was a test of like, how am I going to do driving the car? I did fine in the simulator. Really, there was no thoughts of me missing a race since my head was fine. The important stuff is fine. Honestly, if we weren’t shifting, Pocono would be a really good track to have this issue with, but the shifting makes it a little bit more difficult. Next week’s going to be interesting, Bob (Pockrass). Next week’s going to be interesting.”

Beyond the steering wheel is there any other modifications?

“So just everything that I would do left-handed, like my drink bottle, my radios, my helmet blower, all of that stuff just got moved to the right side of the car. So, I can use my right hand with it. So, yeah, I think that that’s it.”

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 over 50 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

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

TOYOTA RACING – Erik Jones
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

LONG POND, Penn. (June 13, 2026) – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver Erik Jones was made available to the media on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race from Pocono Raceway.

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

What is about the program that has allowed you to move to the next level?

“Yeah, I don’t think it’s one thing we’ve done better. I think it’s just everything coming together a little bit. There’s been a couple of small things that we’ve found and just improved on over the last handful of weeks, but yeah, I guess it’s kind of funny you say that, because it feels more like that year – I felt like in ‘22, if we did everything really well, we had a shot to win a handful of weeks through the year and even most weeks, week to week. So, I think that’s the same thing right now. Looking at this weekend, that’s the case. I feel like for us, if we unload well here, this afternoon. Yeah, it’s just a lot of little stuff optimizing every little piece of the car and kind of ironing out our build process, our SIM program, and everything, but along with that, when you start running better and better, the confidence comes with that and things just seems to get a bit easier.”

What was it this track that you were able to hit the ground running and be comfortable?

“I guess I was just able to make some starts beforehand, particularly in the in the ARCA series, just getting there and making a handful of starts. They moved the age to 16 or 17. I got to run a few races in that. I got to run some Xfinity races and maybe even a truck race here. So, I had quite a few starts where I came here in the cup car and felt comfortable just getting in that car and the way it drove and everything. There’s also just a lot of different strategies you can run here that’ll make your day good or bad and the way it’ll kind of play out. I don’t know. Just felt comfortable. There’s some places that you just feel good right off the bat, and I felt like for me here at Pocono, I just knew what I needed to do to make speed right away and let the rest kind of come to me.”

Is there anything that translates from Michigan to Pocono?

“The cars, honestly, obviously they’re really different tracks when you look at them, but I think the car is really not that different from a definitely a build standpoint. It’s really similar, and even from a setup standpoint, it’s honestly not that far off. It’s just this the nature of this car is that you kind of bring the same package a lot of places. Once you’ve optimized your heights, you’re only chasing a couple of small things and it’s really about the build process and how you build the, over and under body and set it before you come to the track and really the rest of it is all pretty similar. So, yeah, it gives me confidence, though, that with the speed there, it should translate pretty well from Michigan to here.”

Do you ask about how Christopher Bell’s car handled the wreck or do you wait for NASCAR?

“Kind of wait for NASCAR. I went through that process a little bit with them in the Talladega wreck and know from myself, my own experience, kind of how they go about it and what their process is going to be. So, I know it takes them some time just to gather that data. At the end of the day, it seems like everything worked pretty well. Christopher’s (Bell) in one piece pretty much and is here racing. So, I think that says a lot, but as far as the real nitty-gritty and what can be better about his stuff and what can be better going forward. I’ll just wait for NASCAR on that.”

Now that you are in striking distance, how much do you pay attention to points?

“Yeah, I’m not a huge person to look at points in general. I think probably my wife (Holly) keeps me more updated on it, just because you can only run as good as you’re going to run. Ee go to the track and try to do our best each week and if you do well, the points are going to come with that. It does matter for a place like here, for tomorrow, with the strategy that you try to run, whether you really try to go for the stage points or you just run the run the stages out and try to get your best finish you can get. So, yeah, I mean, it does matter, but at the end of the day, I try not to look at them a lot. I’m more curious about points, usually for hauler parking, and where my hauler is going to be in the garage. So, I look at it more for that and kind of let the racing side of it fall into place.”

How good are the vibes at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB with the strong performance recently?

“Yeah, it’s great. I mean, unfortunately, I haven’t been around the shop much just because, I was in Michigan and then I went and stayed up there, ran a late model race, and this week I’m going to be busy traveling around early for San Diego. I’m hoping to get up there Monday as long as Sunday here goes off on time with the weather. So, other than that, though, with the 43 group, I mean, obviously we’re feeling really good. The 42 group, I think, is on the up and up. I know the results haven’t shown for them, but their speed’s been there. Michigan, I felt like they were probably as good as us. They got caught in that restart wreck. So yeah, everybody’s really confident. I think at the end of the day, the message for me is that there’s still a lot of work to do. I think as well as we’re running is awesome, but there’s so many little things I think we can still do better and optimize and improve on. There’s still room for growth. We want to make sure that we’re continuing down this path. This isn’t just a quick flash in the pan here, this last month, or going forward as long as this lasts, that the speed is continued and we can keep this rolling for a long period.”

Are you looking forward to the upcoming In-Season Tournament?

“I mean, honestly, until last week, somebody mentioned it, I forgot it was coming up quickly, but yeah, I don’t know. I think there’s a chance right now, depending on how the next couple of races go in points that we could line up with SVG (Shane van Gisbergen) for the first one, which is at a road course. So that would be great (laughter). I think my season would be pretty short-lived, but, you know, it is cool. I mean, it’s great. You get to this stretch of the season, I would say, and things can get a bit dragging on. You got a little bit left to the playoffs and the field’s getting pretty set and there’s not a lot to always be really pumped up about. So, to have something unique and different like that, I think it’s been good, and it’s something cool to kind of keep up with for fans, even for drivers and teams. It gives us internally – last year, it was great. I think the 42 (John Hunter Nemechek) made it actually all the way to the end and was battling for the top prize. So that was really cool for our company last year, especially as we were struggling a bit more. I think it’s cool. It gives guys usually maybe up front running a chance to win something pretty big, which I think is cool. “

What has the relationship been like with Justin Alexander?

“I’d say it’s been good. For me, it’s been challenging. I’ve switched crew chiefs the last three years, and that’s not a lot of fun. It’s not really easy and it really wasn’t always something I wanted to do necessarily. It was just kind of the way that the company was reorganizing and changing that, especially from last year, this year, that our crew chiefs got moved around a little bit, and I was excited to work with Justin (Alexander). He’s got a great track record, but I didn’t really know him other than the little bit that he was in the shop last year. I think for us, it didn’t really take long to get on the same page. I tried to explain to him, obviously, the best I could of what I’m looking for from the race car and what kind of feedback I’m giving and what I’m looking to get from him, and he really quickly has just done a good job of – he’s really good at asking the right questions is what I would say. He is good at asking the company the right questions, good at asking me the right questions of, hey, why did you do this? Or why do you need this? What are you really looking for here and kind of breaking it down if he doesn’t totally understand it? So, I would say that’s been the best part working with him. Just good with the guys, good demeanor, good on the radio – cool, collected, and I think has just been a good influence on probably everybody in the team, but yeah, I would say maybe the last month we’ve clicked well and part of it’s just the cars have been really good. So, it’s easy to make adjustments when you have speed like that.”

What is it about this track that suits your driving style?

“I think you just got to focus on the right things. When you look at the track, maybe figuring out where, number one, where your car is good that day, but also where can you make the most speed and what can you ask the most out of your race car with. If there’s a day that, hey, you’re just not getting through the tunnel turn, don’t work to just make it better. Just deal with it and figure out the other two and make the most of it. There’s days I’ve had cars here that have been great in every turn and we ran really well, but there’s other days where you got to figure out what you got to sacrifice and give up and figure out how to make the most of that day. So, I think that’s what I’ve always tried to stay focused on here, and then also just trying to play the strategy the best we can, just having a plan going in of what we’re doing and knowing from my seat, hey, we’re giving up this stage to get a finish, or we’re getting stage points here, and it’s going to be a little bit of work to get back, just knowing that ahead of time, I think, makes a difference too.”

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 over 50 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

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

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway… In 181 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has earned two wins, both by Dale Earnhardt. In 1987, Earnhardt rallied from a 16th-place starting position to lead 85 laps en route to victory. Earnhardt won at Pocono again in 1993, edging Rusty Wallace for the victory. The Welcome, North Carolina based team has 17 top-five and 59 top-10 finishes at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Pocono Raceway… Since the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series began competing at Pocono Raceway in 2016, RCR has made 24 starts at the 2.5-mile track, racking up one win, seven top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. In 2023, Austin Hill became the first RCR driver to win an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at the Pennsylvania facility, taking the lead in NASCAR Overtime and capturing the checkered flag.

Catch Saturday’s Action… The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ MillerTech Battery 250 Presented by KOA will be televised live on Saturday, June 13 at 4 p.m. ET on The CW. The live radio broadcast can be heard on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Saturday morning’s practice and qualifying sessions will be shown for free on The CW App beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Watch Us on Amazon Prime… The Cup Series’ Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway will be televised live on Sunday, June 14, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, the fourth of five consecutive races this season that will air on the streaming service. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions will also be broadcast on Amazon Prime live beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Ride shotgun all season long with live, in-car camera feeds and scanner audio with a paid subscription to Max as part of their NASCAR driver cam experience during the race.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 BetMGM x Survivor Triple Challenge Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway… Austin Dillon has made 20 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway. Dillon earned his best Pocono finish in the Cup Series in July 2022 when he finished 10th after starting 15th. The 36-year-old has one NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start at the Pennsylvania facility, a 10th-place effort in 2019. In addition, Dillon has made four NASCAR Truck Series starts at the 2.5-mile speedway, scoring the victory in 2014 and a top-10 finish in each race.

Winner, Winner… Dillon is a previous winner at Pocono Raceway, earning the checkered flag in NASCAR Truck Series competition in 2014. The North Carolina native took the lead on a restart with eight laps remaining in the race and survived two additional restarts and an overtime finish to claim the victory.

About BetMGM… BetMGM is a market-leading sports betting and gaming entertainment company, pioneering the online gaming industry. Born out of a partnership between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and Entain Plc (LSE: ENT), BetMGM has exclusive access to all of MGM’s U.S. land-based and online sports betting, major tournament poker, and online gaming businesses. Utilizing Entain’s U.S.-licensed, state-of-the-art technology, BetMGM offers sports betting and online gaming via market-leading brands including BetMGM, Borgata Casino, Party Casino and Party Poker. Founded in 2018, BetMGM is headquartered in New Jersey. For more information visit https://casino.betmgm.com/en/blog/.

Meet Dillon… Fans will have two opportunities to meet Dillon this weekend at Pocono Raceway. On Sunday, June 14 at 11:30 a.m. Local Time, Dillon is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler in the Fan Midway. Shortly afterwards at 12 p.m. Local Time, the six-time Cup Series winner is scheduled to appear at the Chevrolet Display for a question-and-answer session in the Fan Midway. Stop by and visit the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet before the green flag waves.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:

What stands out to you about Pocono Raceway?

“Pocono is a big, fast track that is definitely called the ‘Tricky Triangle’ for a reason. It has three corners that you have to put together to create lap time and passing can be difficult. Turn 3 is very flat and challenging. Restarts will have three or four-wide racing heading into Turn 1. Then Turn 1 funnels really tight into Turn 2. It’s a very cool, difficult track but I always enjoy the challenge that it brings.”

Austin Hill and the No. 33 zone Jalapeño Lime Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway… Austin Hill will make his first Cup Series start at Pocono Raceway on Sunday. Hill has made five career starts at Pennsylvania facility in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series including giving RCR their first O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win at the ‘Tricky Triangle’ in 2023.

Sixth Cup Series Start of 2026… This weekend marks Hill’s sixth start of the 2026 Cup Series season. Last week, the 32-year-old competed at Michigan International Speedway, where the Winston, Georgia native started 28th and finished 20th.

Career Cup Series Starts… Hill has driven in a total of 20 Cup Series races, making at least one start in each season since 2022. The veteran racer posted a career-best finish of ninth last summer at the Chicago Street Race in July 2025.

Double Duty… Hill is one of four drivers will be competing in both Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race as well as Sunday’s Cup Series race.

Zoning in on zone… zone™, the latest innovation from ITG Brands, is the next generation of nicotine pouches that delivers a superior tobacco-free experience and outperforms competitive products where it matters most. Available in 6mg and 9mg strengths and 10 variants, zone pouches are made with top shelf ingredients and high-quality materials to provide immediate nicotine intensity, longer-lasting flavor, and extra soft comfort. zone’s pouches are carefully crafted and designed to meet the needs of 21+ adult nicotine consumers, providing the best experience from the first pouch to the last.

This past March, zone rolled out its newest Jalapeño Lime flavor on a national scale. The profile’s burst of bright citrus and subtle, fiery kick have inspired the return of the No. 33 zone Chevrolet’s Jalapeño Lime livery. The bold design is back on the track this weekend and keeping things spicy!

Meet Hill… On Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. Local Time, Hill is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler in the Fan Midway at Pocono Raceway. Stop by and visit Hill prior to Sunday’ race.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:

What are your thoughts entering the weekend at Pocono Raceway?

“Restarts are going to be another key, just like last week at Michigan. You need to be in the right lane at the right time, but you also have to be able to get in the top lane as soon as possible. With the long straightaways, you do get a drafting effect, but at the same time, you have to take runs when you get them. You just have to be calculated about when you take them. All three corners are different, so it’s hard to get the car setup to be good in all three corners. To create lap time, Turns 1 and 3 are more critical than Turn 2, simply because the straightaways are longer. Clean air is going to be huge, maybe more than Michigan or anywhere else we go.”

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway… Jesse Love has made two career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at Pocono Raceway. Last season saw the Menlo Park, California native nearly taking home the checkered flag finishing runner-up. The 21-year-old has competed in two ARCA Menards Series races at the ‘Tricky Triangle’, crossing the finish line first in 2023 after starting from the second position, leading 40 of 60 laps.

Consistency Continues…  Love’s average finish of 9.4 is second-best among full-time drivers in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Still Streaking… Love currently holds the longest active streak of running at the finish of races, with 30 straight events without a DNF.

Get to the Points…  Love remains second in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver championship point standings, 179 points behind leader Justin Allgaier and 17 points ahead of third-place Corey Day.

About Whelen Engineering… Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, and we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.

Everyday Champion… You don’t have to wear a cape to be a hero. Sometimes, all it takes is a willingness to step forward, a commitment to others, and the determination to make a difference—day after day, year after year. That’s the spirit behind Whelen Engineering’s Everyday Champion program, which is now accepting nominations for 2026. Created to honor first responders and everyday citizens who rise to the occasion when it matters most, the program celebrates the quiet strength, compassion, and leadership that define true heroism. Each year, the Everyday Champion program recognizes those who go above and beyond - whether through a single act of heroism or a continued commitment to serving others. Past honorees have included law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedicine teams, and civilians whose actions made a life-saving difference.

Nominations are open from May 1 through August 14, 2026. Individuals can nominate a deserving hero by visiting whelen.com/everydaychampion and completing a brief submission form outlining their story. The selected 2026 Everyday Champion will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they will be honored during a special ceremony and inducted into the Whelen Hall of Champions. In addition, a generous donation will be made in their name to the charity of their choice.

Meet Love… On Saturday, June 13 at 1:25 p.m. Local Time, Love is scheduled to appear at the Chevrolet Display for a question-and-answer session located in the Fan Midway. Stop by to meet the young gun before the green flag waves.

JESSE LOVE QUOTE:

What are your thoughts heading into Pocono Raceway?

“Yeah, I’m excited to get to Pocono, it’s a place that I won at before so I would obviously like to get another Eagle trophy. We came really close last year and got beat just by a little bit. Last year was one of the races I learned a lot from so looking forward to putting it all together this time around and have a great performance.”

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Colorado Beef Craft Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway… Austin Hill has made five career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at Pocono Raceway, claiming his first victory at the 2.5-mile speedway in dramatic fashion in 2023. The Winston, Georgia native also has eight NASCAR Truck Series races on his resume at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania track, earning one pole, two top-five, and three top-10 finishes.

Conquering the ‘Tricky Triangle’… Hill won the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Pocono Raceway in July 2023, the sixth of his 15 career wins in the series. The veteran racer took the lead on the final restart with two laps to go in NASCAR overtime and took home the checkered flag under caution, leading only the final two laps.

Get to the Points… Hill remains sixth in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver championship standings. The 15-time Series winner is 271 points behind leader Justin Allgaier and 13 points behind fifth-place Brandon Jones.

About Colorado Beef Craft… Colorado Craft Beef is a family-owned, fifth-generation ranching operation and first-generation beef company based in Colorado. Built on a pasture-to-plate model, Colorado Craft Beef raises, finishes, harvests, dry-ages, fabricates, packages, and ships premium beef under its own care. You may also find CCB beef sticks and beef tallow in an every growing number of locations across the country.

With a deep respect for American ranching, responsible land stewardship, and the families who gather around the table, Colorado Craft Beef is committed to providing high-quality beef with a direct connection back to the ranch. Their beef is 21-day dry-aged for enhanced tenderness and flavor, then shipped nationwide direct from their ranch and USDA-inspected facility.

Colorado Craft Beef exists to help more Americans know where their beef comes from and to bring ranch-raised quality directly to families across the country.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:

What’s the biggest challenge with racing at Pocono Raceway?

“All three corners. Pocono Raceway is unlike any other track we go to during the season. It’s three different turns that have no similarities. We have the longest straightaway that we go to all year, which leads to Turn 1 that has a big compression and a lot of banking. You can get back to the throttle early, but you will slip and slide at times. After the next straightaway, you go into the tunnel turn, which is a short, flat corner. The surface is rough and bumpy. Then you go into Turn 3, which is long and flat. It’s a long left-hander that feels like it takes minutes to get through. With all three corners being different, it’s a hard task for the crew chiefs and engineers to get the balance right. No matter how good your car is at Pocono, it’s never going to be perfect in all three corners. There is going to be something that you have to give up in order to gain in the others. It’s called ‘The Tricky Triangle’ for a reason.”