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.

Toyota Racing – Christopher Bell
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

NASHVILLE (June 29, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was made available to the media on Saturday prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.

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

Would you prefer wet or dry conditions at Chicago next weekend? How technical is the track?

“Yeah, I think at this point, I’d probably prefer the rain. Going into the Chicago street race, we had a really good practice and I was looking forward to a dry race. And then the wet, and when we started the race, we just took off and were really good. The track is very, very technical, very high risk and high reward. I think it’s turn four, which is a very fast section of the race track, gets very tight and you have to push hard there to make some lap time. And I don’t know the turns very well, after we come through that half-circle on the backside of the race track, that’s another section that’s super fast, super rough. Really easy to throw it into the wall there. The race track is filled with a lot of very high risk, high reward corners and you want to do good, you have to push the car hard and be right on the edge.”

You’re very humble, but will you admit how good your skills were to get that victory last weekend?

“Well, I will say our package is very good there (New Hampshire). Obviously, Adam (Stevens, crew chief) has been doing a good job giving me what I need to be successful. It goes hand-in-hand. I’m not going to win without Adam and he has won without me, but it goes hand-in-hand. I will admit it’s a good race track for me, but my car’s really good there.

What do you feel you need to improve on here at Nashville?

“I don’t know. I felt really good with the old car, whenever we came here, but both races with the Next Gen car, it’s been pretty hit or miss. Last year, looking back at it, some times in the race, I had speed where I was capable to be with the frontrunners, so that leaves me optimistic about today. But, yeah it’s just a track we don’t have a lot of time on, nobody has a lot of time on. So, hopefully we can make improvements on it this year.”

Why do you feel Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports are so strong this year?

“I don’t know. Obviously, it’s two of the premier teams in the sport and they’ve got really good people at Hendrick (Motorsports and Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) and it’s showing. I think once the Next Gen came out, there was a lot of parity in the field as no one knew what the car liked as far as setups and stuff like that. And as we’ve gotten deeper in the Next Gen era, you’re starting the see the cream rise to the top again.”

Having multiple wins already this season, how does that help you build towards the Playoffs?

“Oh my gosh. We’ve been trying to work towards this the last three years. It feels very rewarding to have Playoff points in the bank right now. We’ve got a great opportunity to get more. This is what everybody wants in the regular season, to get out of here with a lot of Playoff points. It feels much different from what we’ve had in the past, that’s for sure.”

Have you figured out what made you so strong in the wet weather conditions last weekend?

“I mean yeah, we debrief every Monday, so we’ve had plenty of time to talk about it at this point. You know, it’s not one thing in particular, just putting the previous experiences to use of what we did at North Wilkesboro when we put on the wet weather tires and what we did at Richmond when we put them on. And then everyone executed really well. My pit crew did a great job in the dry, they didn’t take us out of it, they did a great job when we went to the wet tires. Adam and the engineers did a great job making sure the car balance was good and I was able to keep it out of the wall. Yeah, it was just a perfect weekend of execution.”

How much has your season outlook changed with your recent performances?

“Yeah, I mean it just goes to show that it can happen at any point. Before Charlotte, I think I had like six (Playoff points) and then at Charlotte, we were able to win the race and win a couple stages and get up into the teens. It doesn’t take much to get a big boost in the Playoff points. Hope we can keep stacking them up and that’s what we’re here for. Yeah, it feels nice to finally be running like how this 20 car should be running.”

What is it about Nashville that suits you so well?

“I mean the package is really good for the JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) cars and we run the intermediate package here. While it’s smaller than a normal mile-and-a-half, it basically is a concrete mile-and-a-half. It’s like a Dover and (Las) Vegas, Kansas, Charlotte mixed together. Those were all good places for JGR and our cars suit this race track.”

One Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief said they’re trying something new this weekend. Does that apply to all of the team’s cars?

“That’s a good question, and honestly, I have no idea. I’ll let you know here in an hour or so.”

What will you do during the Olympic break? What Summer Olympic sport would you want to compete in?

“What’s that sport called, bobsledding, right? Oh, summer sport, got it. Well, bobsledding, I’ve always been intrigued by bobsledding. I don’t know. But yes, I’ll be paying attention to the (Olympic) sports and taking it easy. I don’t have a plan yet, but I’m sure I’ll find something to do.”

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.

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

 Ross Chastain, Driver of the No. 1 Busch Light Country Camaro ZL1, met with the media in advance of racing double duty in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series at Nashville Superspeedway

Media Availability Quotes:

Ross, this track was sort of your breakthrough finish in the NASCAR Cup Series with a runner up finish in 2021. Now that you’re the defending winner here, what does this track mean to you and your career?

“Yeah, it’s wild. This town means a lot for our team, so to start there – this is where Justin (Marks) moved his family and had this idea of Trackhouse, and he put it all into motion. Ty (Norris) moved over and they created this idea of this Cup team and how it would change the sport. At that time, when they were in their first year of operation, we ran second with Ganassi. And then to come back and finish fifth and first with Trackhouse here, it’s been great. There’s been some good parties at Tootsies after these races, I can tell you (laughs).”

You have the second-highest average finish in the series this season. What do you think has allowed you guys to run so consistently, but at the same more, what do you feel like you need to contend for more top-fives and wins?

“Just a little bit more speed. When we make a lap, whatever lap time it is right now, if it could be a half-tenth quicker. Just a little bit of balance; a little bit more turn and a little bit more rear grip on entry. Whatever it is, front grip on exit, rear grip on exit.. just start and finish of each lap, there just needs to be a little bit more and that puts us in that next group.

Now, the entire sport is trying to do that. It doesn’t matter if you’re leading, you want to be that half-tenth better. If you’re 30th, you want to be a half-tenth better. For us, I feel like we’re a really consistent 10th place car. A good restart, we’ll go to sixth, and a bad restart, I go to 14th. So yeah, it’s just a little bit.. it’s just crumbs now is what we’re looking for to get that top-five. And then you see it, with top-fives, then you win. You put yourself in position.”

With you’re career, you’ve kind of had to fight your way numerous times. Now, you’re in a more stable position. With what the people at Stewart-Haas are going through, from a driver’s perspective, how much of an impact does that have week-by-week on the track.. has you’re preparing and considering different moves you might make on the track?

“There’s nothing else to really do on-track. I mean you can’t drive into the corner any harder. You can’t have a better restart. You can’t make any more lap time. In my experience, I was a lot more social in those times. At events, like I knew different industry things were happening and I was out. At the lower levels of Truck and Xfinity, and back in the pack Cup, I was trying to go to lunch where I knew the crew chiefs went, and I would stop by the shop and just pop in. A lot of those Truck and Xfinity teams, the doors aren’t locked.. you can just walk into the shops. I probably shouldn’t say that out loud, but like during the day – if you’re there and you’re not supposed to be there, they’ll ask you to leave. But as a driver that was bouncing around from team-to-team, I would go in a half-hour or an hour before lunch and talk to somebody I knew at the shop. Try to get to the crew chief or the general manager and be like – oh you’re going to lunch.. let’s go. I had nothing going on and obviously I’m looking for a job, so that was my mentality back then. It changed.. obviously I never walked into the CGR shop or anything like that. Like of course I wanted to drive there years before I did, but you can’t get in. Yeah, on-track though, they’re not able to do anything more. We’re all trying every race. I’ve obviously got a long-term contract, and I’m not driving into the restart easy by any means.. I’m looking for a gap.”

Chevrolet has won every Cup race that’s been here. Is that just a coincidence, or is that something that’s really been Chevrolet’s program?

“It’s no coincidence. Yeah, from the Gen-6 car to the Gen-7, we’ve came here and had speed. We haven’t led all the laps by any means. There’s been other people that have led laps and have looked like they were going to be stronger, but at the end of the races, we’ve really came on strong. We saw that last year – when it went to nighttime, our car really came alive. In 2021, it was a day race and we were really strong at the end. There’s just a lot of nuances about this track and this race that feel like a mile-and-a-half, until you get to the corner and then you’re heavy braking; downshifting where it feels like a Kansas (Speedway) or what Kentucky (Speedway) used to be, where you carried a lot more speed. But that little bit of distance out of the track – I haven’t ever actually done the math, but it feels like it’s only in the corners. The corners feel tighter, so we’re slowing down a lot more.

But yeah, no coincidence though, for sure.”

Is there one corner or spot at the Chicago Street Course that appears more difficult than others?

“How many turns are there.. 20? Then 20 of them (laughs). I swear, I didn’t have a comfortable corner there last year. I just couldn’t get comfortable.. like I wasn’t right off the bat and it never came throughout the race. So yeah, looking for a lot more there and just being comfortable with it. I’ve had a year to wrap my head around what that was like; those concrete cannons between the walls. Yeah, all were difficult.”

Have you been able to lean on SVG at all, just to kind of pick his brain on how you might improve your game there?

“Yeah, we’ve spent a lot of time together.. a lot of time running. The guy is huge into running, so if I want time with him, I’ll go run and we’ll meet. Him, Nick Sanchez and I, we just go run and talk and then usually we’ll start running fast enough that I’ll run out of air to talk with and I have to use it to breath (laughs).

Yeah, it is.. it is. He’s just such a great guy and he’s got little tidbits here and there. And then there’s just so much data we can look at, so I can learn just as much hearing from him as I can looking through his stuff; how he made speed compared to me. And it’s confidence.. a lot of it is confidence. It’s intentionally placing the car where he wanted to place it, and I was trying to place it kind of between the walls and he was placing it at the wall; maximizing left and right. Easy to say it, but really hard to do it.”

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
Nashville Media Availability | Saturday, June 29, 2024

Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, has four top-10 finishes in the last six races and currently sits 73 points below the cut line. He answered questions about his recent hot streak as well as expectations for tomorrow’s race.

JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AT YOUR HOME TRACK HERE AT NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY AND HOW DID IT GO THURSDAY? “It’s exciting to be back here in Nashville. Obviously, growing up here I came here as a kid to watch races, so I’m excited to be back here in the Cup Series. I think the way we’ve been running it’s encouraging that we can come and have another good race. Thursday night was a lot of fun. I wish I would have run a little bit better. We moved forward throughout the race and got to fifth, but just needed to be a little bit faster and have a little bit better track position to compete for the win. It was my first time there and my first time working with that group and I had a lot of fun. It was fun to go back there and race and to see a lot of people. Hopefully, we can go back and do that again.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT MAINTAINING THE PACE YOU’VE SHOWED OF LATE? “Obviously, yeah, we’ve had good pace the last couple of weeks, but really the last couple of months have been a big step in the right direction. Even earlier in the year we saw potential in several races, but we weren’t able to put the whole piece together. I feel confident in our group. I think our cars are handling well. I think they’re faster. I’m getting more comfortable and getting more used to Cup racing in general. I feel like as we go through this summer stretch this should be another good opportunity for us to run well and there are several other tracks coming up too that I feel good about.”

CAN YOU WIN BEFORE THE PLAYOFFS START? “I think so, yeah. We’ve led laps at Iowa. We were in contention on a late restart obviously at New Hampshire. I’m not saying that I feel like we’re expected to or should win, but I think we can. I think our cars are getting competitive enough. It might take the right sequence of events, I guess, but we keep finding ourselves in this position, sooner or later something is gonna happen.”

IS THERE SOMETHING FROM YOUR END THAT HAS MADE THE INTERMEDIATES A LITTLE EASIER AS TIME HAS PROGRESSED? “I think back the first one was Vegas. That’s a tough intermediate in the Next Gen car. We learned a lot throughout that race. We actually found ourselves knocking on the door of the top 15 to the end, but definitely got considerably better and learned a lot. We kind of took that to Texas and had the same experience. We got better throughout the race. Me and the 47 made contact into one and I wrecked, but we were right outside the top 10 there, too. And then I think we were able to put all that together for Charlotte with practice and qualifying a little bit better. We stayed in the top 10 or 12 the whole race, so I think the intermediates, that’s probably where SHR as a whole needs to be better or has needed to be better in the last couple of years. But I think the big thing there is just adapting the car to how I like to drive it on the intermediate versus what Kevin did. I think the short tracks I just hop in and go with what he runs. The intermediates hasn’t been quite the same and it took us a little bit to figure that out and once we started figuring it out, the speed came and the results came, so hopefully we can continue that on this week.”

HOW DO YOU PREFER TO DRIVE ON THE INTERMEDIATES COMPARED TO KEVIN’S STYLE? “It could be a number of things. Obviously, they have a different body, too. The body update could be different, but it just seems like that I need the car to be tighter mostly getting into the corner is what I’ve noticed to what Kevin drove, but obviously there’s an offset with the aero side of things with the body, too. It’s kind of a combination of all that, I feel like, but pretty much the early intermediates we would be too loose to start the race, be too loose in qualifying. When we would tighten it up, I would go fast and it’s like once we started figuring that out, that was kind of where we got to and really each one of them we’ve gotten better and better.”

DO YOU FEEL MORE OPTIMISTIC NOW THAT YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A SPOT IN THE CUP SERIES THAN YOU WERE A MONTH AGO? “Yeah, I feel good about having a spot in the Cup Series next year. I feel like our results have been really strong the last couple of months. I don’t really know other than winning a race at this point is the only thing left that I can do. We’ve finished in the top five. We’ve ran up front. We’ve led laps. We’ve showed the potential that we can do, so I think that’s been a big confidence boost for me. I really think that whole situation, at least for myself and our team, you find a lot about yourself when your back is against the wall and everybody is performing at a really high level, the highest probably we ever have, and we’re fighting together and I feel like opportunities will come.”

DO YOU THINK YOU AND RODNEY WILL BE ABLE TO STAY TOGETHER NEXT YEAR WHEREVER YOU END UP? “I agree with his side of things. We’ve had a ton of discussions, all kinds of different things. Some days you feel like it’s more possible than others. I would love to stay with Rodney. I know he feels the same way, but I really can’t say for sure. I think time will tell. There’s been some opportunities out there where maybe that’s possible. There are some other opportunities where we’re not as sure if that’s possible, but we’re gonna keep trying to provide results on the track like we have been the last couple of months. Having races like we had at Iowa and last week at New Hampshire, I mean, that’s the biggest audition there is. We’re working together well and the way I look at it, it’s no risk. It’s turn key. You plug us in there and put the right people around us, we’re gonna run like we do now.”

YOU WILL GET TO RUN THE INDY OVAL FOR THE FIRST TIME. IS THAT AS EXCITING OF A PROSPECT FOR DRIVERS OF YOUR GENERATION AS IT WAS IN 1994? “Yeah, for sure. I’m super excited for that. I definitely think we should be on the oval. Like a lot of us grew up watching the Brickyard 400, the Indy 500, I think it’s gonna be really exciting to go back and get on the oval. Hopefully, the Next Gen car races well there. I feel like it will and it’s gonna be a lot of unknowns going back there for the first time, but it’s definitely something that we’re all excited for.”

ONCE YOU GOT TO THE POINT WHEN YOU GET TO THE CUP LEVEL AND YOU ARE FACED WITH THIS KIND OF A SITUATION, DO YOU FEEL YOU’RE HANDLING IT BETTER NOW THAN AS A KID STARTING OUT IN LATE MODELS? “Yeah, for sure. I think that obviously my years of racing short tracks and the maturity I gained throughout that process and working with that group only prepared me better when I got to the Xfinity Series. I think at this point I can’t say that I thought we would be in this situation again when I signed to drive the 4 car right at about a year ago. I think that I’m at my best when my back is against the wall and I have to go out and perform. I think we’ve seen that time and time again, and I welcome that and accept that. I feel like I deserve a spot racing on Sundays. I think I’ve proved that, and I think that most definitely my journey to get here for sure prepared me for that moment and I’m ready for what’s next.”

THIS MIGHT BE THE HOTTEST WEEKEND OF THE SEASON. HOW WILL THAT AFFECT THE CAR AND YOU? “This is always, I feel like, the first real hot race that we go to, so we’re all preparing for that accordingly – just making sure to stay hydrated and everything. I think the track itself, I guess it’s unfortunate in a way, but I feel like the track puts on really good racing when it’s hot. It lays down a lot of rubber. The groove widens out. I just know that it’s uncomfortable for the fans. Hopefully, we can maybe find a compromise there, but, like I said, we’re professionals and we train and prepare for this and I don’t foresee any issues.”

IS THERE A BITTERSWEET ELEMENT IN THE FACT YOUR PERFORMANCE HAS TAKEN OFF THE LAST 6-8 WEEKS AND THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO MOVE TO ANOTHER TEAM, AND IS THAT THE REASON OF THE FOCUS OF THE PLUG AND PLAY ELEMENT AS A GROUP MOVING TO A NEW TEAM? “I think there’s a number of layers to that question. For me, I spent a decade racing late models and working on my own race cars and racing with the same group. I know how important it is having the right people in place and people that you can work with and perform with at a high level. I physically put my own hands on my own race cars and built my own race cars and worked with these people that helped me learn and be a part of that. Sometimes guys get up here and think it’s all me, me, me. ‘I can drive that car better than this guy.’ I have a pretty good understanding that it takes everybody to do this and all the guys that are great at this – Kevin for example – always talked about how strong that group is and it’s true. I’m living it right now, so I think I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t fight for them too in this. It would be easier for me to come up here and say it’s all about me, but it’s not. Rodney does a great job. Cheddar does a great job, all of our engineers, everybody on that team does a great job and just circumstance led us to being in this position – that we’re all looking for work at the same time. For me, and those guys would say too, their number one goal is they want to see me drive a Cup car, but I just felt that I needed to – I guess not necessarily fight for those guys because they’re all great at what they do and they’re gonna find work and be successful wherever they go – but there’s still part of me that, yeah, that I want to try to stay with some of those guys if I can. I’m just not sure if that’s gonna be possible, but I felt like at least I know regardless of how this works out that I said what was on my heart and tried to fight for it, and I think that will help me sleep at night.”

GENE HAAS IS KEEPING ONE CHARTER. ARE ANY OF THE DRIVERS CURRENTLY AT SHR IN THE RUNNING FOR THAT? “Throughout that whole process we heard the rumors of what was going on and whether there was gonna be one charter kept, two charters kept. We read all that stuff on the internet just like all of you and that’s where I’ll leave that. I mean, I read it on the internet, so I assume that I’m not a candidate for that ride and I’ve had no communication there. I’m happy that Gene is staying in the sport and continuing that on, and I’m really thankful for the opportunity that I got to come race at Stewart-Haas, but obviously there are things that have happened that they required to make a change and I respect them for that. I’m thankful for the opportunity that I got and we’re gonna move forward in our own directions.”

Riley Herbst is pulling double-duty this weekend, driving his usual No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the NASCAR Xfinity Series while also competing with Rick Ware Racing in Sunday’s Cup event. He stopped by the infield media center to talk about both events before practice got underway.

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING FUN IN NASHVILLE THIS WEEK? “Yes, not this weekend. Usually, it’s a nice, fun getaway to get down on Broadway, but with it being super hot and running the Cup race as well I’m staying close to the racetrack and not going downtown because it might be a slight problem. We’re staying close to the racetrack this week.”

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS SEASON? “I think it’s super interesting, to be honest with you, because last week was actually our first back-to-back top 10 of the year, which was a big surprise to me. That just kind of showed how fast we are to get stage points and be sixth in points, so I feel like if we could finish where we’ve been running, I felt like we would probably be first or second in points, but we’ve had awful finishes. It just shows how much speed we have because last year we finished really bad and we were really bad in points, but this year we’re finishing bad and we’re still pretty high in points, so that just means we have to execute and put everything together and I think we can close in on the gap.”

CAN YOU SHARE WHAT YOUR PLAN PREFERENCE IS FOR NEXT YEAR? “I think there’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes, but it’s not really just RIley Herbst it’s Monster Energy as well. The biggest thing is trying to see what’s right for me, what’s right for Monster Energy. I have really good people around me with Josh Jones and Kevin Harvick trying to guide me in the right position and I’m gonna lean on their experience. I have last year and I’m going to again this year and there’s a lot of options on the table, so we’re looking forward to everything and hearing everybody out.”

ARE THOSE CUP OPTIONS? “It’s all three series.”

AT KANSAS IN THE CUP CAR IT TOOK YOU TIME TO GET UP TO SPEED. WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST HURDLE IN THAT RACE? “Truthfully, I don’t think I ever got up to speed at Kansas. It was pretty dismal, so we’re looking for hopefully a little bit more competitive pace this weekend at Nashville, but they just drive so different. It’s just completely a 180 and it took me a while to wrap my head around it and I still don’t think my head is fully wrapped around it, so the main goal is to just be a little bit more competitive and try to find some more pace.”

CAN YOU GIVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT THE ISSUE WAS AT KANSAS? “The tire patch is so much bigger. The steering is way different than a Truck and Xfinity car. The aero balance is just crazy. The throttle pedals, they’re not hanging pedals, they’re mounted on the floor. It’s just small things that you wouldn’t think are huge, but when you grow up doing something one way and then you hop into something and it’s completely different, it’s really hard for people to adjust – at least for me – but I’ve been doing a lot of homework and hopefully we’re gonna be a little bit better this week than we were at Kansas.”

IS A GOOD XFINITY RIDE BETTER THAN A MEDIOCRE CUP RIDE OR IS JUST GETTING TO THE CUP SERIES AS FAST AS POSSIBLE A BETTER ROUTE? “At least for myself and my sponsor it’s important to be in competitive rides. I think that’s the easiest way to learn is to surround yourself with good people and put yourself in good equipment. That’s first and foremost, so I think that’s going to be our priority for us this offseason, where we land, is to be in a ride that’s extremely competitive whether it be in any three series.”

DO YOU FEEL ANY ADDITIONAL PRESSURE LIKE EACH RACE IS AN AUDITION NOW? “I don’t, honestly, and the reason why I tell you that is because I feel like I’ve surrounded myself with good people. If we go out and have a good run tomorrow and Sunday in the Cup car I don’t think that solidifies anything and if I go out and do what I did at Kansas I don’t think that solidifies anything either. It’s just about learning. It’s about completing all the laps and it’s about becoming a better race car driver.”

IS YOUR PAST SUCCESS HERE A REASON WHY YOU CHOSE THIS RACE TO RUN CUP? “No. I didn’t really get much of a choice. It was kind of what my crew chief, Davin Restivo wanted me to day, what Greg Zipadelli wanted me to do, what was available at Rick Ware Racing, so it was a mix of accumulation and at the end they gave me a list of a few racetracks and I got to pick. It wasn’t like ‘Ooh, in January, Nashville.’ It wasn’t really like that.”

NASHVEGAS IS A NICKNAME FOR THIS AREA. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT BEING A LAS VEGAS NATIVE? “I think it’s cool. Obviously, being from Las Vegas I don’t think anything compares to the strip and what Las Vegas has to offer. I feel like it’s the greatest city in the country by any means. I have had a lot of fun on Broadway and hopefully I can come back here and have some more fun.”

YOU WERE THIRD AND SECOND HERE, SO YOU HAVE ONLY ONE PLACE LEFT TO GO. “I hope so. It would make things a lot easier if we were able to win. I feel like that’s the small piece we’re lacking this year from being a true Championship 4 contender is just our playoff points are a little bit smaller than we’d want at this time in the season, but I think our pace-wise and our team that’s our mentality and I feel like if we can get a win here early in the season, then we can go chase some more stage points and put ourselves in a deep, deep playoff hunt.”

THE 51 HAS HAD SPEED. DO YOU HAVE ANY HEIGHTENED EXPECTATIONS COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND? “I feel like Justin has done a really good job. Him and his crew chief, Chris, have done a really good job together, but I don’t think that really puts anymore pressure or expectations on myself today and tomorrow just because he’s been at this quite a long time and my goal is simple, it’s to complete all the laps and get as much experience as I can for whatever may happen in the future.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Nashville Media Availabilities | Saturday, June 29, 2024

Riley Herbst is pulling double-duty this weekend, driving his usual No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the NASCAR Xfinity Series while also competing with Rick Ware Racing in Sunday’s Cup event. He stopped by the infield media center to talk about both events before practice got underway.

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING FUN IN NASHVILLE THIS WEEK? “Yes, not this weekend. Usually, it’s a nice, fun getaway to get down on Broadway, but with it being super hot and running the Cup race as well I’m staying close to the racetrack and not going downtown because it might be a slight problem. We’re staying close to the racetrack this week.”

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS SEASON? “I think it’s super interesting, to be honest with you, because last week was actually our first back-to-back top 10 of the year, which was a big surprise to me. That just kind of showed how fast we are to get stage points and be sixth in points, so I feel like if we could finish where we’ve been running, I felt like we would probably be first or second in points, but we’ve had awful finishes. It just shows how much speed we have because last year we finished really bad and we were really bad in points, but this year we’re finishing bad and we’re still pretty high in points, so that just means we have to execute and put everything together and I think we can close in on the gap.”

CAN YOU SHARE WHAT YOUR PLAN PREFERENCE IS FOR NEXT YEAR? “I think there’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes, but it’s not really just RIley Herbst it’s Monster Energy as well. The biggest thing is trying to see what’s right for me, what’s right for Monster Energy. I have really good people around me with Josh Jones and Kevin Harvick trying to guide me in the right position and I’m gonna lean on their experience. I have last year and I’m going to again this year and there’s a lot of options on the table, so we’re looking forward to everything and hearing everybody out.”

ARE THOSE CUP OPTIONS? “It’s all three series.”

AT KANSAS IN THE CUP CAR IT TOOK YOU TIME TO GET UP TO SPEED. WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST HURDLE IN THAT RACE? “Truthfully, I don’t think I ever got up to speed at Kansas. It was pretty dismal, so we’re looking for hopefully a little bit more competitive pace this weekend at Nashville, but they just drive so different. It’s just completely a 180 and it took me a while to wrap my head around it and I still don’t think my head is fully wrapped around it, so the main goal is to just be a little bit more competitive and try to find some more pace.”

CAN YOU GIVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT THE ISSUE WAS AT KANSAS? “The tire patch is so much bigger. The steering is way different than a Truck and Xfinity car. The aero balance is just crazy. The throttle pedals, they’re not hanging pedals, they’re mounted on the floor. It’s just small things that you wouldn’t think are huge, but when you grow up doing something one way and then you hop into something and it’s completely different, it’s really hard for people to adjust – at least for me – but I’ve been doing a lot of homework and hopefully we’re gonna be a little bit better this week than we were at Kansas.”

IS A GOOD XFINITY RIDE BETTER THAN A MEDIOCRE CUP RIDE OR IS JUST GETTING TO THE CUP SERIES AS FAST AS POSSIBLE A BETTER ROUTE? “At least for myself and my sponsor it’s important to be in competitive rides. I think that’s the easiest way to learn is to surround yourself with good people and put yourself in good equipment. That’s first and foremost, so I think that’s going to be our priority for us this offseason, where we land, is to be in a ride that’s extremely competitive whether it be in any three series.”

DO YOU FEEL ANY ADDITIONAL PRESSURE LIKE EACH RACE IS AN AUDITION NOW? “I don’t, honestly, and the reason why I tell you that is because I feel like I’ve surrounded myself with good people. If we go out and have a good run tomorrow and Sunday in the Cup car I don’t think that solidifies anything and if I go out and do what I did at Kansas I don’t think that solidifies anything either. It’s just about learning. It’s about completing all the laps and it’s about becoming a better race car driver.”

IS YOUR PAST SUCCESS HERE A REASON WHY YOU CHOSE THIS RACE TO RUN CUP? “No. I didn’t really get much of a choice. It was kind of what my crew chief, Davin Restivo wanted me to day, what Greg Zipadelli wanted me to do, what was available at Rick Ware Racing, so it was a mix of accumulation and at the end they gave me a list of a few racetracks and I got to pick. It wasn’t like ‘Ooh, in January, Nashville.’ It wasn’t really like that.”

NASHVEGAS IS A NICKNAME FOR THIS AREA. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT BEING A LAS VEGAS NATIVE? “I think it’s cool. Obviously, being from Las Vegas I don’t think anything compares to the strip and what Las Vegas has to offer. I feel like it’s the greatest city in the country by any means. I have had a lot of fun on Broadway and hopefully I can come back here and have some more fun.”

YOU WERE THIRD AND SECOND HERE, SO YOU HAVE ONLY ONE PLACE LEFT TO GO. “I hope so. It would make things a lot easier if we were able to win. I feel like that’s the small piece we’re lacking this year from being a true Championship 4 contender is just our playoff points are a little bit smaller than we’d want at this time in the season, but I think our pace-wise and our team that’s our mentality and I feel like if we can get a win here early in the season, then we can go chase some more stage points and put ourselves in a deep, deep playoff hunt.”

THE 51 HAS HAD SPEED. DO YOU HAVE ANY HEIGHTENED EXPECTATIONS COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND? “I feel like Justin has done a really good job. Him and his crew chief, Chris, have done a really good job together, but I don’t think that really puts anymore pressure or expectations on myself today and tomorrow just because he’s been at this quite a long time and my goal is simple, it’s to complete all the laps and get as much experience as I can for whatever may happen in the future.”