MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
AAA TEXAS 500
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
NOVEMBER 2, 2018
TODAY AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, CHEVROLET ANNOUNCED A PARTNERSHIP RENEWAL WITH TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, AND UNVEILED THE NEW LOOKS THE CHEVROLET SILVERADO AND CAMARO SS RACE VEHICLES WILL HAVE IN 2018. FULL TRANSCRIPT:
MODERATOR:
Glad to have everybody here today. We have a couple of really exciting announcements to share. First of all, I would like to start by announcing today that Chevrolet, who is one of the initial partners with Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) at the very start when they were breaking ground, has renewed its partnership with TMS to be the official vehicle of Texas Motor Speedway. Who better to address this than Eddie Gossage, the president of TMS. Eddie, it looks like Chevrolet is with Texas Motor Speedway going forward.
EDDIE GOSSAGE, PRESIDENT OF TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
Thank you Doug. We are finishing our 22nd season here, and Chevy was the very first sponsor we signed technically before the track was formed. Certainly, before the first shovel was put in the ground. I think I was still on the payroll of Charlotte Motor Speedway. We had 12 or 16 Chevys delivered to us, and we had no place to park them. We didn’t own the land, or have a building, so I had to hide those for a while and stash them. Chevy has been a good, loyal partner with us for 22 years and we are extending. We will continue to work together. We couldn’t be more excited. They are great vehicles. Whether it is the Tahoe that I drive, which is the national car of Texas, or the Silverado pickup trucks here at the track. They serve all of our needs. When you think of Chevy, you think of performance so this is a perfect fit for us. I couldn’t be more pleased to continue our relationship with Chevrolet and hopefully we can continue that for a long, long, long time.
MODERATOR: It is rumored that one of the original vehicles from Chevrolet is in a barn out at Eddie’s property. Bookkeeping error. This has been a great relationship between Texas Motor Speedway and Chevrolet both on and off the race track. The Speedway has served as the place for a lot of special racing and product events including last December as they used the track to unveil of the 2019 Silverado. That is a good segway into the next reason we are here today. Chevrolet has some very exciting news to share. Starting in 2019 in the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Series, Chevrolet will campaign a newly redesigned Chevrolet Silverado RST, and in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, competitors will be driving a newly updated Camaro SS
.
Both racing vehicles have been redesigned to look more like their production counter parts. It is a pretty exciting part of this announcement.
We have two people here today who can elaborate on it: Shane Martin and Dayne Pierantoni. They are the respective program managers for the Xfinity and the Truck Series for Chevrolet.
TALK ABOUT THE CHANGES THAT ARE COMING TO THE VEHICLES FOR NEXT YEAR
DAYNE PIERANTONI, CHEVROLET PROGRAM MANAGER, NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES:
“We’ve been racing the Silverado model exclusively in the Truck Series since its inception in 1995. Our current Silverado we’ve been racing on the track since 2014. And with the new RST model coming out in ’19, we decided we would update our race truck to incorporate the features of the new RST. Specific to the race vehicle, it will be the front fascia, the front fenders, hood, and tail of that vehicle. And, we’ve worked really hard with our technical group, with NASCAR’s technical group, to get the performance where it needs to be. And we’re really looking forward to seeing our 2019 Silverado RST in the Gander Outdoor Series next year.”
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE MODIFICATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE AND HOW THE CAMARO MIGHT LOOK GOING FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR?
SHANE MARTIN, CHEVROLET PROGRAM MANAGER, NASCAR XFINITY SERIES:
“As you know, Chevrolet had a mid-cycle enhancement on the 2019 Camaro and we try to strive our best to put that on the race track any time we have a change. We like to update the race model to look like the production model. And, as similar with the Truck, we worked with the production and design studio to come up with a vehicle to meet the performance targets of NASCAR and we’re looking forward to racing in 2019. We’re going to have an upper fascia, a hood, and two front fenders to go along with our flange-fit bodies in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.”
WE HAVE TWO OF THE DRIVERS WHO WILL BE PILOTING THESE MACHINES NEXT YEAR: THE 2016 NASCAR TRUCK SERIES CHAMPION, JOHNNY SAUTER, IS HERE WITH US. TALK ABOUT YOUR LEVEL OF EXCITEMENT ABOUT CAMPAIGNING NEXT YEAR IN THE NEWLY-REDESIGNED SILVERADO
JOHNNY SAUTER, NO. 21 ISM CONNECT CHEVROLET SILVERADO:
“I’m really pumped-up about it. I’ve obviously seen the new Silverado at the Chevy dealerships over the last month and a half when I’m driving by. I admire the work that they’ve done. I think they’ve done a great job. It looks sharp. I’m excited to see that come to fruition and be able to race that next year in the Truck Series and to try and win another championship. It’s been a great partnership from my standpoint, with GMS Racing and Chevrolet and I hope to continue that moving forward to try and win a championship and win races.”
WE HAVE A DRIVER HERE FROM JR MOTORSPORTS WHO IS CHASING A CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR IN JUSTIN ALLGAIER. CONGRATS ON A GREAT SEASON TO THIS POINT. IT’S BEEN FUN WATCHING YOU CAMPAIGN
JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 7 SUAVE MEN CHEVROLET CAMARO SS:
“Thank you very much. We’re excited on the Xfinity Series-side to unveil the new Camaro SS. I’ve been fortunate enough now to drive the other versions of the SS. I believe there are two to this point, and this will be the third rendition of the Camaro SS. And, for me, when you look at the production vehicle and for us, it’s taking that pride on the race track of racing something that looks so similar to the production vehicle. And I know that everybody at Chevrolet has worked really hard; as well as the teams and NASCAR, trying to understand what it looks like moving forward with this new car. Obviously, from the pictures, it looks beautiful. The production car is a great looking vehicle, so I’m excited about it. Obviously, in going for a championship this year, we’d love to cap that off with a win. But also, too, to be able to drive it next year and knowing that we’ve got a car that looks as good as it does in going for a championship as well.”
WE’LL TAKE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FROM THE MEDIA.
TO YOU, EDDIE GOSSAGE, WITH CHEVROLET AS THE OFFICIAL CAR OF TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, DOES THAT MEAN YOU CAN CHOOSE ANY KIND OF CHEVROLET CAR AS A PERSONAL BUSINESS CAR?
EDDIE GOSSAGE:
“Believe it or not, yes. Isn’t that amazing? (laughter)
WHAT KIND OF CAR DID YOU CHOOSE?
EDDIE GOSSAGE:
“I’ve been driving a Chevy Tahoe for 20 years now, and it is absolutely perfect for me. If you look around here in Texas, it is a very popular vehicle. But, it’s a real truck; but I can also take it on a date with my wife and feel very comfortable. It’s just the perfect vehicle.”
CAN YOU GIVE MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE REDESIGN OF THE SILVERADO? IS THERE A BETTER AERO PACKAGE OR ENGINE OR SUSPENSION? WHAT IS NEW?
DAYNE PIERANTONI:
“Well, it’s been a complete redesign in a number of different areas. We’ve worked hard. We’ve got a new engine package. We’ve got better fuel mileage. We’ve got better aero efficiency, and a whole new look for the front fascia of the truck. So, it’s a brand-new truck for 2019 and we’re looking forward to seeing it out on the street.”
IN TALKING WITH HEAD OF THE TRUCK SERIES ABOUT PERHAPS GOING FLANGE-FIT ON THE TRUCK AND HE SAID THERE MIGHT BE SOME OBSTACLES. DO YOU SEE A SITUATION WITH THAT HAPPENING SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
DAYNE PIERANTONI:
“I think if you look at the success they’ve had in the Xfinity Series, it’s certainly something that everybody in the industry needs to look at. We’ve had some discussions with NASCAR and we’re looking at what’s involved to make that happen. There are some differences obviously on the chassis side between Trucks and Xfinity and Cup. So, I think it’s certainly on the table. I don’t know where we’ll end up with that if it becomes a truly cost-effective solution for the owners. And that’s really the mandate. We’re trying to save and bring the costs down for the owners and make this more affordable. If we can make that happen, I think it could be a possibility. I think it’s a little early to tell at this point.”