MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 9, 2019
RYAN PREECE, DRIVER, & TAD GESCHICKTER, TEAM OWNER, NO. 47 KROGER.COM CAMARO ZL1 met with media and discussed the new package, new rules, running in the Daytona 500, and more. Full Transcript:
THIS MARKS THE 25th ANNIVERSARY FOR JTG DAUGHERTY RACING. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE TEAM? YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY SINCE YOUR FIRST RACE IN ’95 WITH JEFF FULLER IN THAT NO. 47?
TAD GESCHICKTER: “That is true. I remember we were parked out in the dirt by Lake Lloyd because there was no room for us in the garage. There were like 60 cars here. It was really an interesting week with a lot of pressure. But it’s hard to believe we’ve done 25 of them now.”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU FOR YOUR FIRST DAYTONA 500 AND YOU’RE IN THE NO. 47 NOW?
RYAN PREECE: “It’s very exciting. It’s a dream come true. So, he started with a Modified driver and now his 25th season is back with a Modified driver. So, that’s pretty cool. Growing up, I remember in February it was a big thing. You sit in front of the TV and you watch the Daytona 500. To be able to compete in it this year, it’s going to be a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to next Sunday.”
YOU HAVE A PRETTY SHARP PAINT SCHEME. YOU’VE SEEN IT YOURSELF BUT ALSO ON T-SHIRTS. IS IT REALLY COOL TO SEE YOURSELF IN A CUP CAR ON A T-SHIRT? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT’S REALLY STOOD OUT TO YOU SO FAR?
RYAN PREECE: “Yeah, that paint scheme is pretty sharp, isn’t it? I like it a lot. It’s really special, to be honest with you, because racing short tracks, that weekly grind; where it’s Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, you hope to get to this level. And to finally accomplish that and be given this opportunity by Tad, Jodi, Brad and everybody affiliated with JTG and Kroger, it’s a great opportunity. And we couldn’t do this without sponsors. So, having Kroger on board for the entire season and their new pick-up delivery ship, they have a great new program going on. Anybody, even in the Northeast where we don’t have Krogers, you can still go online and order it and it could be shipped to you. That’s pretty exciting. So, I know the Northeast is probably going to be doing that.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NEW RACE PACKAGE IS GOING TO RACE LIKE? HAVE YOU TALKED TO OTHER DRIVERS ABOUT THEIR ANTICIPATION AS WELL?
RYAN PREECE: “Yeah, there has been a lot of talk about packaging and I just keep thinking about all the Kroger packaging that they’ve been showing us (laughs). Being serious, it’s totally different but it’s still racing. We all race and we all are given the same hand. Nobody has an advantage over the other. I think it’s going to create close racing. I’m excited about it. We unloaded at Las Vegas and we had a lot of single car speed. And, going back, I think we have a little to work on to translate it to when we’re in the draft, but it showed a lot of promise for a team like us that we’re going to be contending for those top 10’s and top 5’s and top 15’s and hopefully, wins. That’s our goal. When I walked into the shop on Monday and saw all the guys and how excited they were, that’s great because all that hard work and those long nights and days that they’ve been doing to get ready for the season is going to pay off.”
WHAT KIND OF AFFECT DO YOU EXPECT THE CHANGE IN THE ENGINE DEAL TO HAVE FOR YOU THIS YEAR IN TERMS OF PERFORMANCE?
TAD GESCHICKTER: “You know, Childress had a great product when we were in their motors for a long time. We got a chance to run a Hendrick motor with Chris Buescher at Texas and even the old package it looked like it was worth about five spots. It just had a little bit more recovery when you bobbled in the corner. It picked up your speed a little bit different. Maybe the torque power curve is a little bit different. But, obviously we thought it was for the better. That’s why we made the switch. I always kind of aspired to do more business with Rick Hendrick. He’s at the pinnacle of the sport so it’s kind of a dream come true to be partnering up with him in a number of ways.”
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS IS A LONG TIME IN THE SPORT. HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU WITH ALL THE CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN GOING ON IN THE FUTURE AND DIRECTION OF THE SPORT?
TAD GESCHICKTER: “That’s a great question. You know, this is a tough business model right now, to make things sustainable for the teams, but I think NASCAR understands that and the level of conversation and the level of meetings and ideas that are getting batted around, I think everyone knows we’ve got to continue to evolve and change. I see that work going on earnestly. There’s nothing to it now so people assume well, we’re not doing anything. But I had more meetings downtown and at the R&D Center this winter than I’ve had in five years, total. I really believe that we’re headed in the right direction. I think this new package is going to be more exciting to watch on the 1.5-miles. I think the talk they have about continually changing the schedule and livening things up will be really good. And certainly the business discussions about how to make the team model a little bit better. I will say this. Twenty-five years in a tough model, I think makes you stronger and a better businessperson; so I wouldn’t trade it. But, just a little bit easier would be a good thing.”
NEW TEAM AND NEW SITUATION. WHAT KIND OF CHECK LIST TO YOU HAVE, STARTING TODAY, OF THINGS YOU NEED TO LEARN; EVEN IF IT’S SINGLE CAR RUNS?
RYAN PREECE: “Well, Daytona in a Cup car is going to be different. You race against drivers that have been here for a while. So they obviously have got a lot of experience with it. Just get laps and get as ready as you can be for the Duels and use the Duels as something to prepare yourself for the 500. You’d rather make those mistakes where you lose a couple of spots in the Duels than you would in the 500 coming down in the closing laps. So, a lot of it is preparation and having the car as prepared as you possibly can. I’ve been there most of the days seeing all these guys and how excited they are. And when you have crew guys that are excited like they are, they go that extra mile to get the car prepared. So, that’s what I’ve been doing in my own way is pretty much watching and kind of listening to the drivers more so when they’re talking on the radios just to get an idea of things. But, Daytona is a wild card, man. Anything can happen. So, it’s going to be one of those things where every lap is going to be different. Being prepared is definitely going to be key, for sure.”
ON THE NEW RULE ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF CARS BEING DISQUALIFIED AFTER POST-RACE INSPECTION, WINNING CAR MOVING TO SECOND, WHATEVER; HOW DOES AN OWNER TALK WITH SPONSORS IN LETTING THEM KNOW ABOUT THIS AND WHAT COULD BE THE HIT FOR A TEAM AND/OR A SPONSOR FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS WHERE YOU WIN AND HAVE IT TAKEN AWAY?
TAD GESCHICKTER: “Obviously, forwarding the press information first is critical. I’ll say this. Your sponsors are such a part of the team. They’re such partners. I think they’re patting us on the back and saying go get ‘em and we’re in it together, we win together, and we lose together. The conversations I’ve had with them have always been hey, we’re part of the team, too; and we understand what bumps in the road come. So, some people say oh, I’m going to lose a sponsor if I get disqualified; I just think you work so closely with them in this day and age to make this program work for them, it becomes more of a team. It’s the same as I would look at a crew chief that gets disqualified and let’s understand what happened and not let it happen again. But, certainly I’m behind you 100 percent and I feel like the sponsors have told us the same thing this winter as the information has become available.”