| NASCAR CUP SERIES PHOENIX RACEWAY CHAMPIONSHIP RACE TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT NOV. 9, 2024 |
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP POS. DRIVER3rd – Ross Chastain4th – Kyle Larson5th – Chase Elliott8th – William Byron IN 35 NASCAR CUP SERIES RACES Wins: 15Poles: 10Top-Five Finishes: 69Top-10 Finishes: 143Stage Wins: 23 |
| · Four Chevrolet drivers posted top-10 qualifying results for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. The defending winner of the series’ season finale race, Ross Chastain, drove his No. 1 Busch Light Camaro ZL1 to a best-lap of 26.812 seconds, at 134.268 mph, in the second round of qualifying to secure a third-place starting position for tomorrow’s 312-lap event. · Joining Chastain in the top-10 includes a trio of Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1’s, including Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team in fourth; Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 team in fifth; and Championship Four contender, William Byron and the No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 team, in eighth. · Each of Chevrolet’s top-10 qualifiers are past winners in NASCAR’s top division at Phoenix Raceway, with William Byron and Ross Chastain sweeping the 2023 races, and Kyle Larson (2021) and Chase Elliott (2020) each earning a victory in their title-winning seasons. |
| William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1: Post-Qualifying Quotes Q. William, do you feel like you have enough in your car this weekend to contend for the championship tomorrow? WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I do. Just didn’t quite get the second lap I wanted to there in the second round, so bummed about that. But I feel really good about our race car. Get first pit pick, which is huge. So excited for all those things. We just need to put together a good start to the race, but really it’s such a long race. It’s just going to be about trying to get to the finish and have what you need there. Q. How much does it matter having two non playoff drivers in the front row to start things off like this? WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I don’t think it really matters. I think it’s a race just like any other week. You’re going to have to deal with those things. So, yeah, I don’t put too much focus on that, really. Just trying to get the most out of my car and try to just get the most out of the day. Q. How much does the first pit stall assuming you’re picking the first pit stall with the No. 1 pick, how much does it matter? WILLIAM BYRON: We’ll see. The rules have changed a little bit on the lines, so we’ll see. I think I just have to do a good job throughout the day rolling time, and I have the best pit crew out there. So it’s going to be a good advantage for us just doing our jobs. The pit stall hopefully is clean for us and just work from there. Q. Did you watch the truck race last night at all? They penalized 100 people it seemed like for not starting in the or changing lanes before start/finish line. Will that impact anything that you do or were planning to do tomorrow? WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah. I think it was a little bit different than it’s been in the past, just in the way that the restarts were going and the available space on the bottom. I’ll just adjust as needed. But yeah, I feel like I’ve understood the way it is for a while, so I don’t really worry about it too much. Q. Just speed wise alone, where do you think you guys are at this weekend? WILLIAM BYRON: I think we’re plenty capable. I feel like we had some things to improve after practice, and I feel like we did those things. So big credit to everyone – not only on our team, but back at the shop and Hendrick Motorsports as a whole. I feel good about it. I feel like we’re in a ball game. So just have to put together a good first couple of stages; try to get towards the front, and then go from there. Q. Nerves wise, is this just a normal weekend to you? Are you unfazed? WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, qualifying is probably the biggest nerves. I think just trying to get through those laps and put good laps together. But, yeah, once I get in the car, I feel like my nerves are pretty normal. Yeah, I get nervous just like everybody else, but I feel like I’m able to manage it pretty well. |