TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, New Hampshire
June 22-23, 2024

The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) will make their first and only trip to the New England region this weekend, where New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be the next host of a doubleheader weekend for NASCAR’s top two series. Nicknamed “The Magic Mile”, the 1.058-mile venue first welcomed the NASCAR national ranks in 1990 for the inaugural NXS event, with the track earning a date on the NCS schedule for the first time in 1993. Chevrolet has tallied a combined 28 victories across NASCAR’s top two series, including a series-best 19 triumphs in NASCAR’s premier series.

 Chevrolet at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

Sunday’s USA Today 301 will mark the NASCAR Cup Series’ 53rd appearance at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and just the third event in the series’ Next Gen era. Chevrolet heads to “The Magic Mile” with a series-leading 19 NCS victories at the track. Career Chevrolet driver, Jeff Gordon, took the Bowtie brand on its first trip to victory lane in NASCAR’s top division at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July 1995, with the NASCAR Hall of Famer going on to score a pair of victories in back-to-back seasons (Sept. 1997 and Aug. 1998) to be credited with the manufacturer’s first three victories at the track. Among those victories includes a record-setting string of six consecutive trips to victory lane, starting with Mark Martin’s win in Sept. 2009 through Kasey Kahne’s win in July 2012 – both of which were recorded behind the wheel of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Chevrolet will eye its 10th NASCAR Xfinity Series win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Saturday’s Sci Aps 200. The Bowtie brand’s nine all-time NXS wins at the track have each come with a different driver, with Ricky Craven piloting his self-owned Chevrolet to the manufacturer’s first NXS triumph at the 1.058-mile venue in Oct. 1991. Most recently, it was JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier that took Chevrolet back to victory lane for the first time in 15 years by picking up the win in series’ July 2022 appearance.

CHASING CONSISTENCY

Consistency is serving Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team well this season. The 28-year-old Dawsonville, Georgia, native is coming off a strong third-place finish at Iowa Speedway – his seventh top-five finish in the last 11 NASCAR Cup Series races. The result was enough to push Elliott to the top of the driver’s points standings, with the Team Chevy driver becoming the seventh different points leader thus far this season.

The 2020 champion already earned a playoff position with his return to victory lane at Texas Motor Speedway. In 17 points-paying NCS races, Elliott has recorded finishes no worse than 19th to earn a series-best average finish of 9.1 heading into the New Hampshire race weekend – an average more than three positions ahead of second-place, and fellow Team Chevy driver, Ross Chastain (12.5 average finish).

REGULAR-SEASON RECAP

The NASCAR Cup Series has officially hit a single-digit countdown to the end of its regular-season, with just nine races remaining for drivers to solidify a spot in the title hunt.

With 17 NCS points-paying races complete:

· Four different drivers have powered Chevrolet to a combined eight victories in NASCAR’s top division this season to lead its manufacturer competitors.

· Among those triumphs, the Bowtie brand has earned a victory on every race track configuration that the series competes at this season including: two wins at superspeedway/drafting-style ovals (Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway), three wins at intermediate-style ovals (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway), two road course wins (Circuit of The Americas and Sonoma Raceway) and one short-track win (Martinsville Speedway).

· Looking to capture its fourth consecutive, and 43rd all-time, NACAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championship, Chevrolet has sat atop the manufacturer points standings after all but one race this season – heading into the New Hampshire race weekend with a 10-point advantage over second-place Toyota.

· Three Team Chevy drivers have earned the series-best average finish, with Chase Elliott topping the leaderboard with an average finish of 9.1 – the only driver to have a single-digit average. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron currently tie for second with an average finish of 12.5.

· In addition to its series-leading eight NASCAR Cup Series victories this season, Chevrolet also leads its manufacturer competitors in top-five finishes (33) and top-10 finishes (66).

MAYER MAKES IT FIVE-STRAIGHT

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ return to Iowa Speedway, JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer battled through an overtime finish to collect his second win of the 2024 season. The 20-year-old Franklin, Wisconsin, native already earned a post-season spot with his victory at Texas Motor Speedway, but this trip to victory lane makes Mayer just the series’ fourth repeat winner this season.

The young Team Chevy driver extended the Bowtie brand’s win streak in the series to five-straight heading into the New Hampshire race weekend. Chevrolet’s string of consecutive victories dates back to Justin Allgaier’s victory at Darlington Raceway in May. Since then, Chase Elliott and the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro SS team picked up the victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with Kaulig Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen posting back-to-back road course wins at Portland International Raceway and Sonoma Raceway earlier this month.

Bowman Tapped for First NXS Start of 2024

The part-time Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR Xfinity Series entry is slated for its next start of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend – this time with Alex Bowman behind the wheel. The 31-year-old Tucson, Arizona, native made just one start in the series last season – driving the No. 17 Camaro SS to a ninth-place finish at Watkins Glen International. Bowman has 55 career NXS starts on his resume – tallying one win (Charlotte Motor Speedway – Oct. 2017), seven top-fives and 17 top-10s.

This weekend will mark the sixth NXS start for the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro SS team. Among those starts includes two trips to victory lane – recorded by Kyle Larson at Circuit of The Americas and Chase Elliott at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

BOWTIE BULLETS:

· With 45 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has a winning percentage of 57.8% with 26 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – eight wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – 10 wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – eight wins).

· NASCAR Cup Series victories by active Chevrolet drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

Kyle Busch – three wins (2017, 2015, 2006)

· In 52 NASCAR Cup Series races held at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 19 victories and 18 poles – both of which are series-best feats.

· In 89 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 45 victories – a winning percentage of 50.6%.

· With his victory at Sonoma Raceway, Kyle Larson is the second driver to hit a double-digit win record in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Next Gen era with 10 triumphs. Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron leads the series’ all-time win record in the Next Gen era with 11 victories.

· With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 859 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 617
Toyota: 607 (-10)
Ford: 588 (-29)

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 570
Toyota: 526 (-44)
Ford: 469 (-101)

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 458
Toyota: 425 (-33)
Ford: 384 (-74)
 
TUNE-IN:

NASCAR Cup Series

USA Today 301

Sunday, June 23, at 2:30 p.m. ET

(USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Sci Aps 200

Saturday, June 22, at 3:30 p.m. ET

(USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL1

Can you talk about New Hampshire?

“New Hampshire is one of the more challenging tracks for me. We only go there once a year and it’s also my crew chief’s (Phil Surgen) home track. Qualifying is important every week but it’s really important at New Hampshire because of the quick pace and it’s so easy to go down a lap quickly. Looks like we have some rain in the forecast this weekend which will be another challenge.”

There’s past champions and multi-time winners all fighting for a playoff spot with you, how difficult is it going to be to maintain a spot in the playoffs even though you’re well above the cut line?

“I’m fighting for a playoff spot with my heroes. It’s pretty wild to look at the list. I try to keep a broad view of what’s on the horizon so in those high risk moments on track that I’m a little better equipped. The names I’m up against are past champions and heroes. I’m focused on each race and so is my team. We’ve had some fast cars this year its just that we’ve had things happen out of our control.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1

What are your thoughts on New Hampshire Motor Speedway?

“I’ve always enjoyed New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This place reminds me of a giant paperclip. Despite being flat, it’s rough. Corner entry is fun there. It’s different. It’s a different type of feel than what we have anywhere else. It is important to have a car that allows you to get into the corner deep if you want to be fast at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The corner is flat, and there is not much banking to hold you. If your car is stable on entry, it helps the rest of the corner so you can be aggressive and make passes. Entry speed is also an important factor. I feel like the car will have to get into the corner and rotate in the center and drive off. At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, everything that matters at short tracks matters there.”

Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Schluter Systems Camaro ZL1

Given your family’s history in the northeast, and some past success at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, this has to be a weekend you’ve been looking forward to.

“Loudon is one of my favorite races of the year. It’s pretty much a home race for my family since my grandfather and dad have Northeastern roots. I’ve had success there in the past and generally run well so we’re working hard this week to bring the right setup to the Magic Mile. We’ve have had a couple solid weeks so we’ll keep that ball rolling all the way into the break in the next couple weeks.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 FICO Camaro ZL1

What makes New Hampshire so challenging?

“New Hampshire is a really tricky racetrack. It’s super flat and has bumpy characteristics to it as well. The asphalt has really gotten old over the years. It feels like racing over highway cracks, but those are all characteristics of a good racetrack. It’s just really challenging and very tough to pass. Everybody says it’s multigroove. You could run three different grooves there, but there’s really only one that’s fast and that’s the middle one. It makes for a challenging Sunday.”

Why has New Hampshire been so tough for you in the last few years?

“Unfortunately, for me, the last couple of years at New Hampshire have been a huge struggle. This new Next Gen car and I have just not gone well together at New Hampshire. It’s been easy for me to get in trouble because of the nature of the car, the way it rides, the bumps, and the different topography of the track at each end to make grip. It’s definitely a challenge of moving your line around in the corners to improve the balance of the car because this new car doesn’t like different angles and transitions very well.”

You’ve won four poles at New Hampshire. Why do you qualify so well there?

“I feel like qualifying at New Hampshire is important just because of track position because it’s so hard to pass, making sure you’re in good position at the start of the race just to keep your day simple. I’ve always kind of put an emphasis on qualifying to make sure we do well.”

Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1

“I’m eager to race at New Hampshire for the first time in the Next Gen car; it’s a type of track I really enjoy. Our short track package has been a challenge for us, but I’m looking forward to getting the Poppy Bank Chevy on track.”

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

Bowman on his goals for the weekend and running double-duty at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

“New Hampshire (Motor Speedway) has proved to be a decently challenging track for me. I was able to get a top 10 there (New Hampshire Motor Speedway) back in 2021- but it’s certainly a place I’d like to improve at. I’m excited about the opportunity to run in the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy during this weekend’s Xfinity Series race. Hopefully those extra laps on Friday and Saturday will help me gain some additional insight on the track before Sunday’s Cup (Series) race. Our Ally Racing team is still working diligently to try and put the No. 48 back in victory lane!”

Blake Harris, Crew Chief, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

Harris on Alex Bowman racing in the Xfinity Series and Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend:

“Anytime we (Hendrick Motorsports) run that Xfinity car, I think we have the opportunity to put that thing (No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro) in victory lane. The team has already been able to do that a couple times this year. The interesting choice of that place for Alex (Bowman) is that New Hampshire is not one of his best tracks. He’s had a couple decent runs there- but overall, it’s not statistically his best. But- he chose it because he wants to get better there. I think it will be good for him to get some laps in the Xfinity car, especially with the short practices, any lap time you get around those place is great. He’ll be able to see the evolution of the track on Saturday in the Xfinity car so when we go rolling into Sunday I think he’ll have a pretty good idea of how we need to approach it.”

Zane Smith, No. 71 Focused Health Camaro ZL1

This weekend will be the first time you’ll race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. How do you feel going into this weekend?

“New Hampshire is one I’ve had circled on the calendar for a while. It’s crazy I’ve never raced there. I always wanted to, but never had the opportunity until now. Timing and other opportunities – it just never aligned. It’s a beautiful racetrack and the fans are awesome. I know my 71 Spire Motorsports team will bring a fast Focused Health Chevy and I’m excited to see how I stack up.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Delaware Life Camaro ZL1

You mentioned feeling good about New Hampshire despite it being a new track for you. Can you elaborate on what specifically makes you feel confident heading into this weekend?

“Last year was full of new tracks when I raced nine cup races, and it’s been nice to go back to some tracks this year, but yeah, Loudon is completely new to me. We’ve spent extra time in the SIM and I honestly feel like learning a new car is a lot more difficult than learning a new track, so I feel good about Loudon this week.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Choice Privileges Camaro ZL1

What are your thoughts on becoming an American citizen?

“I feel very good about this, honestly. It is one of those things that really hasn’t sunk in yet. I don’t think I have thought about how big of a deal it really is. It’s very special. To finally get to this milestone has taken a lot of work, a lot of time, money and help. I don’t think 95 percent of the people in the country understand the process and what it takes to get this done. It’s been a great journey and nice to have the opportunity to get it done and say that I am now an American citizen. I am very excited to make this official.”

Why now?

“I have been living in America for more than 10 years, I am getting married next month, maybe in a couple of years we will start a family. This was just the right thing to do. I am very proud to be from Mexico, but I also see the United States as my full time family home.”

 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2023): 42

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023

Drivers Championships:

Total (1949-2021): 33

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021

Event Victories:

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2024 STATISTICS:

Wins: 8

Poles: 6

Laps Led: 1,520

Top-five finishes: 33

Top-10 finishes: 66

Stage wins: 11

· Chase Elliott: 1

· Kyle Larson: 8

· Ross Chastain: 1

· William Byron: 1

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 859 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 749

Laps led to date: 250,695

Top-five finishes to date: 4,331

Top-10 finishes to date: 8,926

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,193

       Chevrolet: 859

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 831                                                           

       Ford: 731

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 186

 

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
New Hampshire Media Availability | Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Paul Wolfe, crew chief for Joey Logano and Team Penske in the NASCAR Cup Series, answered questions from the media about this weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

PAUL WOLFE, crew chief, No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse – JOEY SAID LAST WEEKEND THAT NEW HAMPSHIRE MIGHT BE YOUR BEST TRACK. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? “I think in general our short track setups, I guess, or maybe philosophy has just always worked well back to the days that I worked with Brad. I think that was always a strength and then we were able to adapt that to Joey and find some things, and I think he’s studied a lot over the years as well, having Brad as a teammate and understanding some of his techniques and what-not. I think we’ve been able to carry some of that same type of approach and things that have worked in the past, and Joey was able to adapt and we’ve had good success. Even as you look at the past couple years with the Next Gen car, at times when we struggle for speed on mile-and-a-halves or road course, we always kind of have our short track program to fall back on and we’ve been able to find some success there, at least have good, solid runs. I think that’s obviously continued for us this year as well, so definitely with what we’ve been able to do there the past couple of years, I’m really excited about getting back there this week and continuing to build off our strong runs. Obviously, our teammates have been able to find Victory Lane on the short tracks, so we’re hoping it’s our turn this weekend.”

HAVE YOU GUYS DISCOVERED SOMETHING WITH THE DARK HORSE OR IS IT JUST A CASE OF BEING MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THE CAR BECAUSE YOU ALL HAVE IMPROVED? “I think it’s more of what we’ve been able to put together with the short track aero package, I guess. Phoenix was early in the season and I wouldn’t say we were great there, but, honestly, I have to keep going back to the test opportunity we had at North Wilkesboro early in the spring and really capitalizing and making the most of that. Obviously, Joey gets a lot of credit for that. We put in, I think almost 900 laps at North Wilkesboro. It was a Goodyear test, but we were able to work through a lot of questions we had and things we wanted to look at and gathered a lot of information that we’ve been able to apply to these recent short tracks, so I don’t know that it’s anything related to the Dark Horse specifically. I think it’s more just of what we’ve been able to find with the short track package. It’s obviously quite a bit different aero package than the other tracks.”

WHAT KIND OF CONFIDENCE DOES IT GIVE YOU THAT YOUR TEAMMATES HAVE FOUND VICTORY LANE RECENTLY? “I think it’s great. It’s great for the company. I mean, don’t get me wrong, as the 22 team we want to win too, but I think Roger’s always expressed this over the years – when one team wins we all win, and I think the way we’re structured and specifically as well as we’ve been working together with the 12 team here recently, we wanted to be the team spraying the champagne the other night, but you’ve got to look at it and know that we were a part of that in a way in helping build the program and the way we all work together, so it definitely gives us confidence. Like I said, if we can’t be in Victory Lane, there’s nothing better than seeing one of our team cars because it gives you another data point of, ‘OK, we’re on the right path here,’ the things we’ve been working on are correct and we’ll keep massaging on it as we move forward to Loudon this weekend.”

YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT TIRE COMBINATION AT NEW HAMPSHIRE THIS YEAR THAN LAST YEAR, BUT IT’S ONE OF THE SAME TIRES YOU RAN AT NORTH WILKESBORO AND WHAT YOU JUST RAN AT IOWA. CONSIDERING HOW GOOD YOU WERE AT BOTH PLACES, DO YOU FEEL CONFIDENT THAT IT MIGHT GIVE YOU A LEG UP THIS WEEKEND? “Good question. I’ve said this over the years. Anytime there’s a tire change in our sport, whether it’s a construction, compound, big stagger changes, those things can really affect your setup, obviously, quite a bit. So, with that being such a big factor, yeah, I think as we’ve seen the consistency now on this tire for us and what we’ve been able to do in the past at New Hampshire, like I said, I’m excited to get to the track. I think we have as good a shat as anybody to get to Victory Lane this weekend, so obviously the loads as we talk about our short track package and the things that have worked for the 22 team and Team Penske on the short tracks, you’re making small changes because Iowa to New Hampshire the loading, the size of the track is a little different. I guess what makes as you focus on a certain part of the corner what makes success at Loudon versus Iowa is a little different, so you’re fine-tuning off from a base setup and settings in a race car, but when you find something that works until there is a big change in the tire or aero package, I’ve found over the years you can really just take it from one track to the next and do your offsets or your changes for the different loads or speeds and you can continue to have success with it. I’m really optimistic about this weekend with all that being said.”

WHAT IS YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL OF MAKING THE PLAYOFFS BASED ON WHERE YOU ARE NOW AND COMBINED WITH THE FACT IT SEEMS LIKE PENSKE AND FORD ARE ON THE UPSWING? “I think that’s good. It gives everyone confidence as we move forward. I think as we started this stretch here, I guess you look back a month ago after we won the All-Star Race at Wilkesboro, having a lot of confidence in where we’re at with this aero package as well as short track setup stuff. When Joey and I sat down I said, ‘This is our stretch. This is probably gonna be some of our best opportunities to get a win and get ourselves locked in.’ That being said, unfortunately we haven’t been the one in the winner’s circle, it’s been our teammates and now they’re both locked in, but I still like what’s coming up here, obviously, this weekend. Richmond is still on the schedule before the playoffs, and then I look at Daytona. The speedway program with all of the Fords has been strong. Obviously, there’s a lot of stuff out of our control there, but know that’s a realistic opportunity, and then there are some races, just being honest, that I’m not really sure how it’s gonna go. Nashville has been a little bit of a struggle for our company with this Next Gen car. With that being said, I think the way Iowa turned out and the speeds and the loads and the things that we learned from Iowa, it’s not extremely different from Nashville. It kind of falls maybe somewhere in between the intermediate and Iowa, so there’s maybe some takeaways from Iowa that we can apply at Nashville, but I think as a whole – Team Penske – I think our biggest area for improvement is gonna be the high-speed tracks and we’ve got Pocono, Indy, Michigan. Those are the tracks that we have to figure out to feel like we’re gonna be realistic contenders. It’s good to see that RFK has been able to find that speed on those tracks. I think that’s been their strength and on the flip side of that I don’t think they’ve been as good on the short track stuff as we have, so we know it’s there. We’ve seen Brad and the 17 bunch be able to have speed on those type of tracks, so we’re gonna continue to try to find something there. Listen, we’re not gonna change what we’re doing. We go to every racetrack trying to be the best we can and put the best car out there. Obviously, we’re not in the situation we want to be in – we’re below the cut and where we’ve been at on some of these tracks speedwise, but we’re gonna continue to work and hopefully it’s gonna put us where we need to be.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW NEW HAMPSHIRE AND IOWA ARE DIFFERENT IN THE CORNERS AND HOW BIG OF A CHANGE TO YOU HAVE TO MAKE IN THE CAR TO ADAPT FROM ONE TO THE OTHER? “Like I said, it’s quite a bit different loading and speed with Iowa being quite a bit faster. I’d say it’s our fastest what we consider short track, flat track mid-corner speeds you’ll see. To go along with that, the loads were pretty high. All of the manufacturers did a wheelforce test there a month or so back and I think as we got back to the track, I think we saw even higher speeds and along with that goes the higher loading, which I think is all part of a lot of the tire failures we saw in Iowa in practice. It got a little better in the race. There still were issues, but essentially they’re just very hard on those tires and so to go along with that there’s quite an air-pressure change to account for that loading. Shocks and springs could change as well, just depending on the aero platform you’re targeting, but I think guys try to get aggressive. There was speed in the lower air-pressures as well as cambers at Iowa. Obviously, it bit some teams with ours being one of them – the 2 car – but I think we all learned from it and got much more conservative for race day and were able to do those longer green flag runs without issues. I think as we look to Loudon, you’ll look to guys probably adjusting back down to more aggressive cambers and air-pressures to find that grip on the flatter track at New Hampshire.”

HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS THE FIRST PART OF THE SEASON? WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED ABOUT THE SPORT IN GENERAL THAT HAS BROUGHT US TO WHERE WE ARE NOW? “I think the parity more than anything. I think we’ve continued with this car each year. Guys really fine-tuning and dialing it in, and I think I’ve spoken about this earlier in the year, but, at times, when you feel like you’re struggling because you’re running 22nd, you’re really not as far off as it may seem. You’re accustomed to a history of a bad day for a Team Penske car may have been running 15th. Well, with as close as the field is now that gets magnified and you have to be perfect. When I say perfect, that means not only from maybe a philosophy of a setup approach, but even the simple thing as just a balance being a round of wedge or something like that, or a pound of air-pressure. The difference that can make from running position in a race now is unbelievable from what you’re used to over the years, so to go along with that I think just the level of consistency you need on pit road to be able to make positions as well, I think we’ve seen that get to a whole other level. A lot of consistent eight-second pit stops. We’ve got to continue to push there to keep up on pit road, but everyone is just running so close and at times as we talk about strategy and those types of things and how to pass and whether we think racing is good or bad at certain tracks, it should be expected with where we’ve gone with this car – with the box that all the teams are in now and guys figuring out. I mean, everyone in the garage has made it to this level because they’re very talented. Yeah, maybe they didn’t have it the first year, but each year they’re eventually gonna figure it out. Once everyone figures it out, now you’re down to the minute details and everyone is running so close. Frankly, it’s hard at times. I’ll use the 51 as an example with Justin Haley. In the past years, you would never even think. If you were racing with him, you knew something was really wrong, but the fact of the matter is now those guys are good. All those guys in the back are good and now they’ve got their cars close to where we’re at and you’re gonna have to race them. It’s just made it super competitive and it’s made it feel like days where you’re off just a little bit it feels like you’re a mile off, so it’s all about the details right now. That’s all I can really express on that.”

AS A DRIVER, YOUR TWO BEST TRACKS IN NXS WERE LOUDON AND NASHVILLE. DOES THAT HELP AT ALL 20 YEARS LATER? “That’s a great question. I’m pretty removed from it now. It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years already since the Busch race I ran there in 2004. I think I finished 12th, but we were doing this little segment with NBC this weekend when they follow the crew on the pit box and they were wanting some photos of when I raced at New Hampshire and I just pulled back up that race I did there and just looking at the guys I was racing against there at New Hampshire was pretty crazy with Harvick and Kenseth and Ron Hornaday. There were 48 cars that tried to make that race in New Hampshire in that year, so it was kind of neat to look back because I haven’t really done that a whole lot. You get so into what I’m doing now that those days are behind me, but I did take a minute this morning and it was kind of cool to look back at that race I did there. The cars and this sport has changed so much now that it’s hard for me to say that that has a big impact on what I do to our race car now. It is neat to have been around the racetrack and know what it feels like, but, like I said, the cars are so much different these days that not a lot applies I wouldn’t think.”

WHY HAVE THE RECENT REPAVES PRODUCED SUCH GOOD RACING? WHAT IS CHANGING? “That’s a great question. I think we all, anytime we’ve heard repave here recently, it makes us all nervous and you’re right, the racing has been as good or arguably you could say better on a couple of these repaves. Now, the surface at Wilkesboro, the aggregate, the make-up of the asphalt they used there was definitely quite a bit different looking at it from what we’re used to. It was much more coarse and the way they’re repaving them these days must be different because I remember going to that test and typically when you do a repave test in year’s past, it would take a day or two before the track would even begin to come in and have any type of grip and North Wilkesboro had grip instantly. I think from run two of the test I don’t know that we really picked up speed from the track surface gaining grip other than just changes we made to our race car, so the grip is there instantaneously. Maybe that has something to do with the car as well. I think that’s obviously a big factor in the tire from the repaves of old with the old generation car and the 15-inch tire. Maybe it’s a combination. I think as you look at the groove getting wider now I think these cars without all of the big side force in them, I think you can run on the outside of someone a lot better – the right side of them. I think that’s something the drivers comment about a lot, where getting to the outside is much more doable with this car, and I think both Wilkesboro and Iowa have that progressive banking the best I understand, so I think that helps make that top groove work as well. It’s definitely encouraging and at this point it would be hard to say it couldn’t work at other tracks as well that are in need of a repave. I think another piece to that too is the whole strategy side of it. Although we don’t have tire fall off, you have strategy from a different angle. You saw it again at Iowa. The guys stayed, two tires, a lot of different options there where when you talk about going to Richmond, which is wore out and most of the drivers say that’s what they like, they think that’s good racing, you’ve got to manage your car, that strategy for the most part is pretty straightforward. There’s no opportunity to mix anything up because you’re coming for tires no matter what. Iowa, Gateway, the no tire falloff definitely changes up the strategy game and makes it exciting from a different level, I think. I don’t know that I have a strong opinion of what style I like, but I’m definitely a big strategy guy and I enjoy that side of it, especially if you don’t have the best car. It still gives you an opportunity to try to mix something up and make something happen.”

LOOKING AHEAD TO CHICAGO, SVG WON THAT RACE AND THERE WAS A LOT OF TALK ABOUT HIS TECHNIQUES. JOEY SAID HE WATCHED VIDEO OF WHAT HE DOES, BUT SAYS HE DOESN’T HAVE THE TIME LEFT IN HIS CAREER TO ADAPT TO WHAT SVG IS DOING. HAVE YOU TALKED TO JOEY ABOUT THAT AND CHANGING HIS DRIVING STYLE? AND IF JOEY CAN’T DO THAT, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU AND THE TEAM CAN DO TO CATCH UP TO WHAT HE’S DOING? “We’ve definitely talked about it, for sure. Obviously, Joey mentioned it and I think he recognizes it. We all, as a sport, when you see someone come in and doing something different you’ve got to understand why and what the benefits could be, but for sure Joey knows as well as anybody if it’s something he can adapt to or not. That’s obviously I’m sure years and years of doing something a certain way and muscle memory and all those types of things. That doesn’t mean you couldn’t adapt to it, but I think the limited practice and testing these days make that even more difficult. Are you gonna figure it out in 20 minutes? It’s like, ‘Are you willing to sacrifice a practice or a whole race weekend to try to learn this or get better at it?’ That’s a tough one. The days of testing or the days of three practices in a weekend, I think that makes that conversation different potentially, but, yeah, I don’t know that we’ve pushed it hard on him or anything. It’s been talked about a little bit, but he’s gonna know best what he thinks realistically at this point in his career he can do. With that being said, obviously, we had some good cars – us, the 2 and the 12 were very good at Sonoma, which was encouraging. The street course is a whole different animal, but I still do think there are some learnings from that weekend at Sonoma that us and the 12 will apply and hopefully get ourselves a little bit better, but the second time around, all the drivers are gonna be a lot better at the street course racing. SVG is incredible on road courses in general as he’s been able to have the success he’s had, so he’ll still be a factor, but I think the gap, as good as the guys are in this series, will close up on that and hopefully we can put together a little bit better car as well.”