Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

NASHVILLE (June 29, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday after earning the pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Take us through your laps during qualifying and what this pole position means for tomorrow.

“Yeah, felt pretty good about it. Seems like we’ve definitely fixed some of the things we weren’t very good with last year. Even during practice and during the race, we fell on a terminal issue with the car we just couldn’t get fixed. And it seems like that was an emphasis we worked on coming back here. All day today, that was the least of my problems. I definitely feel pretty good about it and certainly, we’re going to work on it overnight and I feel very confident we’ll be in contention tomorrow.”

Does starting on pole carry extra weight here at Nashville?

“Yeah, I mean, there’s only 35 ft from the pit box to the timing line, so it’s one of the shorter distances that we have on the pit out. So, it’s one of the tracks that carries a bigger advantage. Yeah, at this track, it means more.”

Your crew chief, Chris Gabehart, said you guys were trying something new this weekend. Can you go into what that is?

“Yeah, kick the driver in the butt and say, ‘let’s go.’ No, I don’t know. We worked on what we really fought last time. We just couldn’t fix it. We were still a top-three car, but not the best. So, we needed to work on that, and I feel like from the very first lap of practice, they certainly fixed that. Now we get to work on some other things as your car is never handling perfect, but I feel like it has the speed along with the feel it needs to.”

Do you and your family have any plans for the Olympic break? Do you have a favorite Olympic sport?

“Yeah, we’re going to go on vacation. Finally go on one. For sport, track and field is the most exciting as it’s racing. Yeah, I really enjoy that. Certainly, I’ll watch basketball and things like that. But, to me, track and field, and obviously swimming. Anything that involves racing seems to be my favorite Olympic sport.”

For the driver meeting this morning, what did you learn from the discussion on wet weather tires?

“I mean, the only insight I can give is they explained why they made the decisions they made and why they were trying to ease their way into this. I think if you make one big mistake, which I think is valid, then you set yourself back and you’re then more hesitant to make those again. I was happy with everything they explained, and certainly, there’s always room for improvement, but they’re trying to use all the facts at hand to make the right decision. I think I mentioned on the podcast (Actions Detrimental) that they did a pretty good job. In Loudon, to allow the cars to take fuel was maybe the only thing questionable. I like where they’re at with it and as teams, we’ll continue to get better with it.”

Have you seen a difference in Bubba Wallace’s attitude this weekend?

“I think he’s still probably frustrated with himself at times, the team at times. But I think he’s doing a better job not outwardly showing that. I think that comes from maturity and he’s matured. Certainly, with some guidance from the team, we’ve tried to help him and guide him through those tough times you’re always going to have. I mentioned to him this week that you have just a handful of races that we have got to get it done. It certainly means a lot to us to make the Playoffs and certainly to him to make the Playoffs. We expect that from our cars, so they know they’ve got to perform. Whenever they don’t get the results they’re hoping for each week, it does get frustrating. You either get frustrated, mad and make more mistakes or you go to work, and you get better. I think that’s the attitude he’s going to take.”

What will the Olympic break look like for 23XI Racing and its employees?

“I’m not really sure, honestly. I want my guys to get a little time off. This is the grind of the season, it’s hot, there’s not been a break for a really long time. To me, this is the toughest stretch. June, July, our schedule is the absolute worst for the teams, because there are very short weeks where they don’t get the car back until late Monday, have to turn it around and have it ready by Thursday, so it’s tough. So hopefully they’ll have some time to get a little reset and certainly, we try to give our guys as much time off as we possibly can and rotate guys in and out on the roster on a weekly basis.”

What’s your relationship with Chase Briscoe as he joins Joe Gibbs Racing next season?

“Yeah, I’ve never really had a close relationship with Chase (Briscoe). Never really talked to him much. I obviously congratulated him this week and welcomed him to the team. He’s a person I’ll certainly learn off of. I think he’s got some special skillset at certain race tracks that intrigue me and when he gets in a car that’s similar to mine, certainly I’ll use that information to make myself better. That’s what you want from teammates is to go out and challenge you.”

How will running this race in the daytime be different compared to the previous year’s races at night with the Next Gen car?

“Yeah, it’s a great question. I think the track really took a jump when it went to night the first year (2022). It seemed like the field was spread in the sense of there were really good cars and everyone else. And then as soon as it went to night, it just squished the field all together and made passing really hard. I think passing will be easier in these ridiculously hot conditions because the cars will be sliding around and really accentuate good handling and drivers that have good techniques.”

How do you describe the recent instances with Kyle Larson on-track?

“I don’t know, there are different (rivalries) for sure. I think that there’s rivalries from drivers that don’t respect each other and certainly, they have a lot of speed, but they don’t like each other and deliberately run into each other. I don’t think anyone’s deliberately running into each other. Although it does happen. I’ve certainly had my mistakes and he’s been on the bad end of those. But it comes from competition and wanting to beat him. He’s one of the guys that, it’s hard not to say the best, of our sport. I challenge myself more when I race with him and it happens often, it does happen towards the front more often than not. We know each other’s driving style and we do things around each other that combat passing each other. And that usually means those tight quarters positions. The easy answer is if you’re faster than him, just go pass him. It’s just not that easy in the Next Gen car. If you really want to hold someone back, you can. It seems like we’re doing that to each other because it’s so hard to pass the other back, and we understand track position means everything. You know, when we try to pull a slider, the other person is going to drive in there deeper and make sure you don’t have the room to clear. It’s just the technique that’s used in dirt all the time, when they go up there and slide and force the car to lift. And if they don’t lift, they make contact. And that’s just something that’s evolved in Cup Series racing the past few years, really in the Next Gen era. It’s just two guys that don’t want to let the other past.”

Will heat play a factor in the race tomorrow?

“Fatigue will play a factor tomorrow. I do believe that. Certainly, everyone’s doing everything they can to hydrate themselves, but still, some people take heat better than others. I think any time that’s a factor, it has to weigh on you some way, shape or form. So, certainty, it’ll be a factor. How big of a factor, I’m not sure.”

What went behind the decision to have Corey Heim run Nashville for 23XI Racing?

“A lot of it had to do with scheduling. With engines from Toyota, we only have certain amount of capacity and engine sets they had, so timing it out from when our other third car races and Jimmie (Johnson) running. We have a partnership with LEGACY (MOTOR CLUB) on the pit crew as well, so spacing it out so it’s not where it’s crazy, stress on the shop was the biggest reason why. We also looked at which tracks have the most pit stops, where are pit stops the most important. Where’s track position most important? Where are the most passes? And if you want to let someone’s skillset show, we picked a track we feel like you can pass and if you’re good, you can make your way to the front, and you won’t be held back by the outside factors. So, we ramped those all in that order and we landed right here.”

Any discussions on having Martin Truex running the Daytona 500 for 23XI Racing?

“Yeah, they’re ongoing and progressing. You know, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, but we’re trying to plan for the future and certainly, I’d be honored to field a car for Martin (Truex Jr.) whenever he wants to race.”

Has there been any change in your preparation due to recent on-track struggles?

“Each result was certainly different for different reasons, and certainly engines and wet weather conditions was not ideal. I don’t remember the middle 24th-place finish and what happened there, but we feel very confident no matter what. Our speed has always been there, and even though our results don’t show that, we feel very confident that every time we go to the race track, we’re going to contend to be one of the fastest cars. Then, it’s a race on ourselves to execute properly and me making sure I’m doing my job behind the wheel. Yeah, it’s a bummer going from really good points position to three in a row less than ideal results. But then, you come back to it next week and pretend like none of that stuff ever happened and you set a goal and hopefully go dominate tomorrow. It’s just how our sport is. The ebbs and flows and every team has these swells of performance of not getting the results they deserve.”

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 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th 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 26 electrified options.

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

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ally 400 Qualifying | Saturday, June 29, 2024

Ford Performance Results:
2nd – Josh Berry
5th – Brad Keselowski
9th – Chris Buescher
10th – Austin Cindric
14th – Michael McDowell
16th – Noah Gragson
18th – Ryan Blaney
19th – Chase Briscoe
22nd – Ryan Preece
25th – Harrison Burton
26th – Joey Logano
30th – Riley Herbst
32nd – Todd Gilliland
33rd – Justin Haley
38th – Chad Finchum

JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We had a really solid practice. The car felt really good and then I was little bit worried about the short run speed, but I felt like in practice I was just getting acclimated to everything. We made some really good adjustments for qualifying and had some really good execution there, so we should be on the front row for my home race. That’s pretty cool.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was a really good start to our weekend. I’m pretty happy with that, to get our BuildSubmarines.com Mustang to the final round. We’ve talked about it a lot in the last couple of months that this was where we’ve needed the most improvement and our team did a great job after practice. We found the speed that was able to get us in the hunt. I didn’t do as good of a job on that last run as I wanted to in one and two. I was really happy with three and four, but just ultimately it was tight there. It’s a really good start to the weekend for us.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Our car was decent. I struggled a little tighter in practice and thought it was good to be able to get to the second group. I was really happy with my lap, but it still looks like it’s probably gonna leave me 10th. That was a solid job by everyone on the Discount Tire Ford today and we have to go back it up tomorrow.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES
NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY
MEDIA AVAILABILITY QUOTES
JUNE 29, 2024

 William Byron, Driver of the No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Nashville Superspeedway.

Media Availability Quotes:

Where do you see things right now? You’ve obviously had such a hot start to the season. You guys were putting in good finishes, but are looking to get back to victory lane. Is this kind of the summer solstice for you, or do you feel optimistic with the tracks coming up?

“Yeah, I mean we’re certainly trying really hard. I feel like we’re preparing harder than we ever have. You know, I think we’ve just been a bit across the board, all over the board, with results. But if you look at the speed that we’ve had, Sonoma (Raceway) comes to mind as a race where we had top-three or four speed, but never really got to show that because we had a flat tire early and then got in that wreck with everyone in turn 11.

I just look at the results as a bit frustrating because we’ve been all over the board. But Iowa (Speedway) was a really good race for us.. finishing second. I feel like we just have to be able to show up week in and week out and put together those consistent weekends; communication-wise, effort-wise and limit the mistakes and just see where we are. We’re trying to climb the points ladder.. that’s important this time of year. Try to get as many bonus points as we can for the playoffs because there is kind of that seeding through the regular season standings. So I just feel like if we can get that stage win, race win or advance up the ladder in the points, that’s really what the goals are right now.”

It’s been a Hendrick Motorsports versus Joe Gibbs Racing year. What sets those two organizations apart from everyone else?

“I don’t feel like the gap is that big to the rest of the field, but I just feel like the Hendrick and Gibbs teams, for the most part, do a really good job executing races. If you look at the people, drivers and crew chiefs – everybody working together and making sure they’re minimizing the mistakes on the weekend to maximize your result. I feel like that’s what those teams do well and that’s what shows up in the results.”

Hendrick Motorsports just re-signed with Valvoline to extend that long-time partnership. Talk about what that means for the No. 24 team.

“Yeah, it means a ton because for me, growing up as a race fan, Valvoline was just one of those sponsors in racing that was iconic. You would always associate it with good teams and good drivers. I’m very proud to have their colors on the car for eight races this year and then six for the following years coming up. It just means a lot to me because it shows me that our team is doing the right things and companies like Valvoline are able to come onboard to support a race team like ours. It’s pretty cool.”

You’ve got a win on the Indianapolis oval. We’re going back there in a couple of weeks for the 30th running of the Brickyard 400. What does that mean to you being back on the oval for such an iconic race?

“You know, I always value Indy, whether it’s on the road course or the oval. But I think I speak for a lot of drivers for the fact that I feel like the oval is what we really want to be on. That’s kissing the bricks and all that emotion that comes with that, I think on the oval, is a big deal. Never got the chance to do it on the road course like I wanted to. I feel like we have been working really hard to be good on the road course, and honestly, it was one of our better tracks. But I think the oval would be just as good or better. So it’s just one of those places where for me, like Charlotte – when I go to it, I want to do really well. Probably just because of the prestige of the place itself.”

The heat this weekend, it might be one of the first really hot weekends. How do you get ready for it? What’s it going to do to the track? How is this race different than maybe the last several?

“Yeah, it’s just a lot of preparation during the week. I’m sure everyone trains a little differently, but yeah just hydrating and training; all of the things that your body needs to do better. That’s really kind of what’s on display this weekend, so it’ll be a true test for all of us. I think the weather kind of backs off a little bit tomorrow, so it won’t be as bad as today. But certainly, you have to do a good job internally to manage that stress; make sure that you’re able to make good decisions through the heat and everything.”

After Brickyard, you’re going to have 21 days between Cup races. What do you plan to do with yourself then, and are you going to pay attention to the Olympics? If so, are there any particular sports that catch your fancy?

“Yeah, I have a trip planned with my family, so that’ll be fun. I’m looking forward to that. But other than that, just try to really reset. But also it’s a chance to work and get better for the homestretch there. Definitely going to take that time to reset mentally and recharge, but still kind of work on the physical side and also the mental side to make sure that we’re ready. Anything that our team needs to do a better job of collectively, I think we’ll talk about that during those weeks and just try to come up with a good plan. And then you go into that home stretch where that’s what matters, right? Everyone knows that the playoffs and the end of the season is what we all race for, so I think we’ll go into those weeks to prepare for that.”

On watching the Olympics..

“Yeah, for sure. I like swimming, so I’ll watch a lot of the swimming. Definitely pay attention to that and maybe some of the other sports, as well.”

How much is that break needed, not only for you guys, but for the teams and everyone involved in the sport?

“Yeah, I mean I think I’ve heard Brad (Keselowski) talk about it, but I think we’re one of the few sports that doesn’t really get much of a break. You look at Formula 1 and how many races they have and a lot of other sports out there – it’s a very grueling schedule for everyone in the industry. I think it would be smart to kind of revisit all those things and see what the best approach is for the future. It’s definitely a good, much needed, break for a lot of the teams. It gives people the chance to reset and there’s probably a little better product because everyone’s probably got a little more energy in their interviews and things like that as we go down the stretch.”

Did you play a sport in high school? I think we’ve said football was your thing, but did you do something beyond that?

“Yeah, so at my high school, you had to play two sports. I raced once I was through ninth grade, so I wasn’t able to play football anymore, but I swam in high school. That kind of kept me busy during the winter when I wasn’t racing as much. I enjoyed it. So yeah, just something that I could relate to watching and kind of enjoy watching.”

You mentioned before that you guys put a lot of emphasis on road courses. How much have you put in for Chicago since that race last year?

“Yeah, I mean not really much, yet. It’s kind of week-to-week for this deal. I feel like all of the focus as been Nashville. And then yeah, when we get into this week, there will be a lot of preparation for Chicago. It wasn’t our best race, but we had some bright spots. We’ll definitely kind of lean on some of our teammates there. I feel like our Sonoma stuff will probably translate OK to there. We’ll obviously make some modifications from that to go to Chicago, but I feel like we just have to get a feel for the track this week; look at some onboards and things like that.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.